Well we have had another
#TableTopDay hosted by
Spirit Games.
They had games being played at the Local Library, in the Shop and at the local pub. The Shop itself, which is where I ended up, was full for most of the day and there was a good variety of games being played from light to heavy.
As soon as I walked through the door I was asked when I planned to start a game of
FireFly. So we grabbed the wargames room in the shop, as it has a large table, to start setting up the game.
We had 3 new players so we went for the
introductory story which can be downloaded from
www.fireflythegame.comThe more I play this game the more I like it, it's a real fun game to play in and it has a well integrated theme enabling you to feel like you are in the 'verse. Surprisingly, as this was now my 3rd game, we managed to complete this in around 3hrs. The game definitely benefits from experience and familiarity with the rules to help it mosey along at a reasonable pace.
By this time Caz had arrived from her birthday pampering so we broke out the
Settlers of Catan using the
Oil Springs and
Helpers of Catan expansions.
The Oil Springs expansion adds a novel twist to the game where using oil adds benefits but runs the risk of causing a natural disaster on the Island of Catan. There is also a chance that everyone can lose as some disasters cause numbers to be removed from regions stopping them from producing, once a 4th number is removed the game ends. The helpers grants everyone a card that has benefits to be used during their turn. It can be used up to two times before having to swap it for another helper. These are useful without causing too much additional problems with gameplay. The Oil springs, however, adds quite a bit of additional upkeep to the game.
Finally for the day we broke out
Kings of Air and Steam. The rules are split into a basic game, there to teach you the core mechanics, and a more advanced game which adds to the basic game to enhance the gameplay. The player boards are two-sided to reflect these differing versions.
I always really enjoy this and it has a lot of potential especially with the ability to factor in the more advanced gameplay which I will try one day
. The board itself is modular, made of various large hexes, the number laid out depends on the number of players. We had 5 players for this game which was a really good number allowing for a lot of player interaction. The basic idea is that players use their Airships to pick up and drop goods to their depots from which they use trains to then transport the goods to Cities demanding these. During the game you get the option to upgrade your Airship, which allows for using better movement cards and carrying more goods, or to upgrade your train, which allows you to transport goods over more stops. Money is used to upgrade and is obtained by shipping good, the value of which is determined by the market which is updated every turn.
Great fun and even though this is not a short game there is little downtime so it does not feel like it drags. There is plenty of player interaction as you have to pre-plan your moves for the whole turn, meaning that sometimes you have to alter you actions as another player beats you to your destination. Excellent game and will certainly see more table time in the future.
A big Thanks to
Spirit Games for organising this again this year and for providing the gaming space till late.
Everyone looked to be having a good time and if just one more person has learned about gaming leading to them joining a group then it has been a success. Also thanks to everyone who came along and played games.
TableTopDay was started a year ago by the
Geek and Sundry Channel. The idea is for a day of gaming that can both help promote the hobby and
Friendly
Local
Gaming
Stores. G&S is a commercial enterprise, currently funded by Google/YouTube I believe, but they are not a pay-to-view channel so there is no real overt commercial pressures.
That said there is understandably a degree of promotion going on for the Chanel and its output. Though this promotion does go both ways and the Shops hosting events get added to the G&S TableTopDay website for gamers to look for.
The event works really well and does provide a conduit for people outside of the gaming hobby to discover the shops and gaming. Last year and this year events have been well attended, introducing a lot of new people into the hobby which is a benefit to all involved.
There are those that see this idea as a bad thing and overly commercial but, as mentioned, the promoters are not pay-to-view so I see no conflicts here just a well advertised event allowing existing gamers and new to interact and have a fun day.
For me there is no downside for more days where we get a chance to play our games or try out new games. These types of events allow you to meet new people in a great social activity and have fun.
