Tabletop Games Thread

mspencer · August 2008

There will be tabletop games at PAX!

Details:

Some of these games require a GM; some games do not require a GM because all players are equal.
Games can be brought by attendees, brought by selfless Enforcers for all to play, or even provided by tabletop exhibitors.
mspencer really sucks at creating threads.
Some tabletop games are extremely popular, and you will have no problem finding partners for a random game.
Other tabletop games are unpopular, and people hoping to play those games should consider posting in this thread, seeking players, and arranging times to meet and play.
Times to meet and play will be difficult to finalize until the PAX event schedule is made public.
mspencer thanks Moe Fwacky for approving this thread.
mspencer wonders if Moe Fwacky would have still approved this thread if he'd known how badly the OP would turn out. :-P

I look forward to playing games with you all this year!

Games which will be played at PAX (links about the game) people looking for players for this game

Paranoia XP (1)(2)(3) mspencer HotSake majin23x The_Reflection proXimity mare_imbrium(+1) Captain Cactus And The Water Preservation Squad teopeht(+1) Sentos

Mordheim (1)(2) Arco wtnuke

Mechaton (1)(2) HotSake super... SlickShughes Arco Captain Cactus And The Water Preservation Squad redhalo The Derm

Munchkin (1)(2) chibidani wtnuke Aliasunknown

D&D 4th Edition (1) wtnuke SunshineGrrrl

Settlers of Catan (1)(2) wtnuke faits(+1) mtjimmer xstryker SlickShughes(+1) ShadowMatt

Puerto Rico (1)(2) wtnuke

OSS xstryker

Infernal Contraptions TNTrooper

Zombies leaf chibidani Captain Cactus And The Water Preservation Squad Haikufrenzy wtnuke Sentos

Arkham Horror SunshineGrrrl

Race For the Galaxy mtjimmer

Anima: Tactics Ape2020 PucSpifo

Chess Moe Fwacky hottopicreject

Fluxx HikariStarshine

Chrononauts The Derm

RoboRally HikariStarshine SlickShughes

Game info link research will be done later. Sorry guys.

HotSake · August 2008

Paranoia yes/no?

mspencer · August 2008

This thread is of course for everyone, but here's my meager contribution:
I'm looking to GM a game of Paranoia XP. I'm an extremely new GM, though, having run only three games ever, all over the Internet. My first game was rather poor, and the next two showed significant improvement, I was told. So while I would RATHER see a veteran Paranoia XP GM step up and replace me, I'm happy to run a game if people are interested.

This is now the main info post for Paranoia, for people interested. I've spent several hours re-reading the rulebook and some of the supplemental books I bought, and this post should be more enlightened now. The original contents of this post can be found inside this spoiler button:

I'm hoping for newbie players, partly so I can get away with running published scenerios without writing or modifying my own. :-)

Last year I brought my Paranoia XP books in my luggage, but I never ended up using them. This year I'm hoping to get a few people interested in playing, give them all my cell phone number, and have them force me to make a promise to show up, so this game actually happens this year. :-)

mspencer wrote: »

The essense of Paranoia is: the world is insane and political; your characters live in constant fear of death and backstab and kill each other as much as required to ensure their own survival constantly; and the players are laughing about their characters' peril and work to entertain each other by creating the most hilarious deaths possible. Do-it-yourself roleplaying game dark humor, basically. You have many clones to spend, so spend them on lulz. Paranoia XP even creates an explicit point system to reward players doing entertaining and suicidal things for the enjoyment of all.

It's definitely a weird kind of game, and definitely requires emotional maturity to play well. Life is unfair in this game, so if you burn through most of your clones quickly through no fault of your own, you need to be able to realize that this is part of the game. Let yourself be the butt of that particular string of gameplay jokes -- even if you end up with a replacement character sheet, you'll still have fun.

The_Reflection wrote: »

Paranoia, is that the one with Friend Computer? I played it once, my first time really ever playing a tabletop rpg and it was the most fun i've ever had. I teleported an instant cement pill into my friends brain.

I soooo want to play.

HotSake wrote: »

A good Paranoia game, to me, is one where a player will die and then brag about it. Anyway, if you want to run an internet game, hit me up.

In the world of Paranoia, humanity lives in a sealed permanent indoor environment called Alpha Complex. Alpha Complex was built in a time of war, and it is run by The Computer. The Computer is still very paranoid about this global war that ended hundreds of years ago. The Computer is constantly looking for and eliminating traitors, communists, and mutants, and killing them.

Your player characters are Troubleshooters, assigned weapons and armor and . . . dangerous and unstable experimental equipment . . . and you are given a mission, somewhat related to exterminating traitors and commies and mutants. Only problem is, with very few exceptions, every single player has a mutation, and belongs to a secret society -- possibly even the communist secret society -- and so every single player is a traitor. You cannot keep your traitorous elements secret forever: mutation-derived superpowers can backfire or can trigger by themselves if never used, and your secret societies will contact you and give you secret sub-missions, possibly involving killing other player characters.

So every player character knows that if they play things straight and honest, they will die. Your characters MUST backstab and deceive. Your actions will be investigated by your peers and by The Computer, and if you're smart you can explain things away and pin the blame on others, or face summary execution.

Execution is not really a bad thing, by the way! You get six "clones" or lives, and it's expected you will die and activate backup clones constantly. If you burn through all six clones, just roll up another character sheet or pick one from a pile.

("The Computer is your Friend!", "That information is above your security clearance!", "Fun is mandatory. Failure to have fun is treason." These Paranoia in-jokes are funny and reveal the theme of the game, but they don't really explain why the game is different or fun to play.)

If the above sounds like fun, I'd love to play a game with you guys. Or again if there's an experienced GM who wants to GM in my stead, I'd be glad to be a player instead.

What do you think? Paranoia, Y/N? :-)

Edit: I'd also like to state, I didn't see HotSake's post before deciding to end mine with Y/N?. Funny coincidence. :-) I did NOT just read anyone's mind, and I promise I am NOT a mutant, and why are you pointing those laser blasters at me? I can expl*ZZZAAPPP!*

What is Paranoia? In short, it is a newbie-friendly, flexible, competitive AND cooperative roleplaying game. The apparent object of the game is to use treachery, back-stabbing, deceit, and superior firepower as needed to keep your character alive and earn your character a higher security clearance, higher pay, better equipment, etc.

The REAL object of the game, though, is to use the situations and opportunities the game sets up to create hilarious situations that entertain the entire table.

mspencer wrote: »

The essense of Paranoia is: the world is insane and political; your characters live in constant fear of death and backstab and kill each other as much as required to ensure their own survival constantly; and the players are laughing about their characters' peril and work to entertain each other by creating the most hilarious deaths possible. Do-it-yourself roleplaying game dark humor, basically. You have many clones to spend, so spend them on lulz. Paranoia XP even creates an explicit point system to reward players doing entertaining and suicidal things for the enjoyment of all.

Remaining wall of text hidden behind the following spoiler tag:

In short: Alpha Complex is a futuristic (post-apocalyptic?) habitat for humanity. Everything is run by The Computer, a super-powerful but super-paranoid NPC that knows and sees all and which will be constantly interacting with your player characters. Food is grown in vats; people are also cloned in vats, work themselves to death under heavy medication, and die. It's depressing. Luckily, there's a LOT more going on behind the scenes.

Players play the role of Troubleshooters in Alpha Complex. Teams of troubleshooters are summoned by The Computer, given a mission, given equipment, and sent to accomplish their mission. You see, The Computer actively seeks to eliminate traitors. The punishment for treason is death -- and LOTS of things The Computer doesn't like happen to be treason.

Membership in secret societies is treason. Secret societies have a LOT of power and influence in Alpha Complex, and nearly every citizen secretly belongs to one, including practically all of the players. For most citizens, this is harmless and the citizens are never caught. Troubleshooters are armed and licensed to kill, so secret societies frequently call upon them (in secret) to perform some mission in exchange for advancement in their society. (All too often the mission comes in the form of "fellow player X is a member of such-and-such rival secret society. Find a way to kill them.")

A favorite Paranoia story:

The Troubleshooters walked into an elevator. The door closed and it started descending. Then the elevator shuddered to a stop and the lights went out.

There was a sudden BANG!

The lights came back on. One of the troubleshooters lay on the floor, dead, with a big hole in his chest.

The surviving characters looked at each other, then looked away. NOBODY SAID ANYTHING. The elevator started moving, the door opened, and they walked out as if nothing had happened, leaving the body behind.
--From www.rpg.net

Genetic mutations frequently grant players unusual powers, so unlicensed mutants are traitors. By the way, your character will almost certainly have at least one mutation, which you should try to keep secret until you really need to use it.

See where this is leading? Troubleshooters live exciting and dangerous lives, because right from the start you have secrets to keep that could cost you your life. If you slip up and give your fellow players evidence they can use to justify killing you, they probably will, unless you kill them first.

Don't worry though: you have six clones total, and you start with number one. When you die, the GM finds an appropriate time and method to deliver your next clone. In truth your next clone still knows what you know, still has the same abilities and connections and knows the same people. The Computer believes that your next clone is innocent of whatever your previous clone was guilty of, so essentially you get another chance to be clean and innocent while you plot your revenge. :-) If you exhaust your six clones, depending on the GM you can buy new ones or just pull another pre-made character sheet off the stack or roll up your own new one.

By the way: the missions The Computer assigns are frequently impossible or contain contradictory requirements; the equipment you are assigned is shoddy and prone to failure or explosive malfunction; and characters frequently care more about their secret society missions than completing the mission The Computer assigned. In most play sessions, the mission is never completed, and often none of the Troubleshooters are even alive to debrief.

So in theory, a gameplay session goes something like this: you are summoned by The Computer to a briefing room. You are given an assignment, and assigned team roles, like Team Leader, Loyalty Officer, Hygiene Officer, Communications and Recording Officer, Equipment Guy, or Happiness Officer. You head off to PLC to pick up mission equipment. You head to some service division for a mandatory volunteer assignment, like testing experimental equipment, transporting reactor fuel rods, repairing a malfunctioning VendBot, etc. You perform your mission valiantly. You return and attend debriefing, and commendations, promotions, and other rewards are doled out.

None of the above actually happens, though.

In practice, the briefing room is poorly identified, the assignment is impossible to carry out without self-sacrifice or committing treason, PLC never has what you really need and you have to buy it off of C-Bay or the black market, characters off each other or are killed by plot or environment pieces, and if any of you do manage to make it back for debriefing, all but the most clever and quick-witted players are executed for treason.

Yes, trust me, this is all fun as hell.

As a player, you must follow three rules.

Rule #1: The GM is always right! (Have faith: the game goes to great lengths to train GMs to create a fun game, and this frequently requires ignoring die rolls or entire rules to keep the game moving quickly, keep things somewhat equitable between players, and give players lots of risk/reward opportunities to affect the plot in dramatic ways. In other games the GM might get annoyed if the players ignore the GM's carefully-planned adventure plot and go do their own thing. In Paranoia the game is really up to the players, and the mission is just a side-show metaplot to keep things moving.)

Rule #2: Avoid knowing the rules. As a Troubleshooter, you are security clearance Red. The game's rules are classified Ultraviolet. Displaying knowledge of rules of higher clearance than Red is treasonous. Arguing with the GM is incredibly treasonous. (See rule #1.)

Rule #3: Entertain everyone. Or die a lot. Each player has a bunch of "Perversity Points," awarded for doing things that help keep everyone entertained and keep the game fun. Forget hit points or experience or even equipment -- these are your real game currency. Each perversity point can affect the roll of a D20 by one digit. So when you want to make your character do something really risky, and more than any other die roll you REALLY want this one to succeed, you can spend a whole bunch of perversity points and make the nearly-impossible happen.

Or to put it another way:

1. Your Troubleshooter's path to success involves capturing traitors and creatively betraying, gloating over and terminating fellow Troubleshooters.

2. Often, doing this requires treasonous behavior, especially during the gloating and terminating parts. Treason is punishable by fines, demotion, censure, medication, brainscrubbing or summary execution, possibly all at once.

3. So while committing treason, how can you protect yourself? When it really counts, your actions must succeed. You must successfully hit your target or jigger a security camera or alter a video record.

4. You increase your chances of success by spending Perversity points on General Perversity Modifiers. (Perversity points and Perversity are explained in this section.)

5. You get Perversity points by doing stuff that surprises, amuses or pleases everyone, furthers your mission, or otherwise improves the play experience for everybody. Sometimes unctiously flattering the GM works too.

So: By being entertaining, you can get away with treason -- or at least it improves your chances.

Sometimes you'll be allowed to affect a die roll with Perversity points. Sometimes the WHOLE TABLE will be allowed to affect a die roll, and each player will pass me a number of PP chips and a folded piece of paper with + or - written secretly. I then tally the numbers, roll the die, and announce the results.

Paranoia's style is flexible, and a smart GM (uh oh) tailors the world to match the way the players want to play. The game authors describe three different play styles:

Zap: people who don't really understand Paranoia believe this is how everyone plays. Laser blasters come out at the slightest hint that someone might be a traitor. Mutant powers are comical and frequently employ cartoon physics.

Classic: this matches the intent of the first edition of Paranoia. Direct attacks will get the attacker killed: players have to be more subtle and plan when to move against other players. The world is still super-lethal and you will seldom have a character's set of clones survive long enough to be used for more than one or two missions.

Straight: Insanity and lethality is toned down some; Alpha Complex becomes a more plausible alternate reality. Penalties are more often fines than termination, and characters can live long enough to actually rise in ranks and make their GM's buy more books. :-P

The author describes the three play styles as such:

NAMES:
Zap: Vegeta-R-IAN-2, Scoo-O-OOP-2, Outland-I-ISH-3, Myheadh-U-RTS-6, Tedt-U-RNR-6.
Classic: Tois-R-USS-1, Mick-R-THY-2, Joe-B-LOW-4.
Straight: John-R-HCN-1, Ben-R-GOX-2, Cleo-B-QRK-5

ACTIVITIES:
Zap: Shooting things.
Classic: Trying to find the briefing room; dying from experimental equipment; standing in long lines at supply desks; dying in firefights at the hose-job mission site; being executed immediately after debriefing.
Straight: Compiling evidence on rivals; currying favor with supervisors and secret society contacts; buying weird stuff on the IR market; scamming credits from NPCs, or being scammed

TYPICAL LINE:
Zap: "You're a traitor!" (Zapzapzapzapzapzap!)
Classic: "Friend Computer, due to Commie sabotage of your excellent directions to our mission briefing room, our first team got misdirected into an open reactor core. It is barely plausible that the deaths of our previous clones -- in the line of duty! Serving you! -- were a contributing factor in the meltdown of that power station and the reduction of ARG sector to bubbling slag."
Straight: "Officer, this video clearly shows our team leader engaging in unauthorized destruction of an algae-chip vending machine, damaging the higher-clearance citizen whose arm was stuck in the machine, and then arguing with the wounded citizen about the resulting much-deserved fine."

MUTANT POWERS:
Zap: Waaay out there. Backfires can turn people into furniture, cartoon characters, or conceivably even Bulgarians. "Registered mutant? Who cares? I shoot him!"
Classic: Physically impossible for the most part, but fun. Backfires can have spectacular effects. Registered mutants act like any ordinary citizen.
Straight: Generally abilities a person could conceivably have, like rubbery bones. Backfires are inconvenient but plausible. Registered mutants may have unsettling, superior attitudes: "We're the future, and you're in our way."

HIGHER-CLEARANCE CITIZENS:
Zap: Malevolent agents of chaos
Classic: Officious bureaucrats
Straight: Shrewd, cagy technocrats

HIGH PROGRAMMERS:
Zap: Faceless plot devices
Classic: Aloof hobbyists constantly plotting against each other
Straight: Brilliant, highly functional psychopaths. Hannibal Lecter in white.

COMMIES:
Zap: Wear bearskin hats and fake moustaches; speak in thick Rrrroooshian accents, ending most nouns in '-ski'
Classic: A secret society basically like the rest, those more treasonous than most.
Straight: Nutcases who blow up buildings full of innocent people.

R&D EQUIPMENT:
Zap: Totally off the wall -- Trans-Dimensional Collapsatrons, quantum black holes, Astro the Wonder Bot
Classic: Outlandishly impractical
Straight: A passing nod to scientific plausibility; sensible people might actually consider inventing these gadgets

PUNS AND PARODIES:
Zap: Every moment
Classic: Wherever they fit.
Straight: No. Absolutely lethal to the tone.

ROLEPLAYING HINTS:
Zap: "Roleplaying"? That's treason! (Zapzapzapzapzapzap!)
Classic: Players shift with wondrous facility among truckling subservience (to The Computer and higher-clearance citizens), self-righteous accusation, brazen lying, malingering, deceit, and craven rabbit-like terror.
Straight: Some Straight-style players take pride in roleplaying their characters with square-jawed solemnity in even the most ludicrous circumstances.

Mundane, everyday life in Alpha Complex:

Not obviously horrible

By some standards Alpha Complex is not that bad. For many low-clearance citizens it works fairly well, as long as you ignore the utter absence of human hope and aspiration. To a beggar on the streets of Calcutta or Lagos or the South Bronx, Alpha Complex would look great. With clear understanding of its drawbacks, with their eyes wide open to its corrupt and arthritic bureaucracy and its hazardous environment and The Computer's all-encompassing insanity, they'd still move there like a shot.

In our Friend Computer's world, Alpha Complex, every citizen has a security clearance, represented by a color: Infrared (Black), Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, Ultraviolet (White). Infrared citizens are the highly-medicated uneducated masses. All Troubleshooters (player characters) must be Red or higher. Yellow and below is generally the 'working class', and Green and above is generally considered the 'elite' few.

Infrared: over 80% of the population. 100 credit/month salary. Must always wear black. Lives in a perpetual happy drug daze. Sleeps in a giant communal barracks, almost never in the same bed twice.
Red: around 10% of the population. 1000 credit/month salary. Generally wears all red or red+black. Less medicated, minimally competent, somewhat trusted. Sleeps in a room shared with up to five other citizens.
Orange: around 6% of the population. 2000 credit/month salary. Lives in a room shared with one other citizen.
Yellow: around 2% of the population. 3000 credit/month salary. Lives in own room, but with a shared bathroom. Junior-level supervision and management jobs here.
Green: Green and above comprise the remaining 2% of the population. 10,000 credit/month salary. Lives in a private one-bedroom apartment. Can promote/demote up to Red. Senior supervisors, managing directors, etc.
Blue: 40,000 credit/month salary. Lives in an opulent suite in a safe and prestigious subsector. Can promote up to Orange; can demote from Green. Junior executives, vidshow producers, IntSec officers, etc.
Indigo: 100,000 credit/month salary. Assigned an entire corridor of rooms to convert and use as needed. Can promote up to Green; can demote from Blue. Senior executives, IntSec deputy supervisors, etc.
Violet: 600,000 credit/month salary. Assigned an entire subsector or two. Can promote to and demote from Indigo or lower. CEO's, generals, etc. A typical Infrared citizen might catch a glimpse of a Violet citizen in-person once or twice in his life.
Ultraviolet: High Programmers. GM's. Players can never reach this level, as this level confers game-breaking power.

Most citizens start life at Infrared and stay there until they die. Mildly ambitious citizens living somewhat dangerously might reach Yellow at an old age.

Troubleshooters don't live like that, though. Troubleshooters live dangerously, seeing what they can get away with, making friends or enemies in high places. Your player characters are Troubleshooters, and they reach their position at great risk of loss of life. Troubleshooter missions are extremely dangerous, with tremendous opportunities for quick career advancement. If you survive.

. . . to be completed later . . .

HotSake · August 2008

You know I'm down.

majin23x · August 2008

I will be there as mandated by the computer unless the computer mandates me to be somewhere else. Depends on the timing.

Arco · August 2008

Mordheim

Mordheim is a skirmish game (5-6ish models per person) published by Games Workshop set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe. It requires no GM; only 2+ players, terrain, figures, dice, measuring tape, and a rulebook, all of which I have. I can say that Mordheim is my favorite Games Workshop/Warhammer game, and I'm really looking to finding fellow players or maybe introducing some new people to the game at PAX. I've played a lot of Mordheim and I can easily bring new people into the game. It's not very complicated.

If I can detect enough interest on the forums, I'll bring everything needed for 3-4 people to play, including myself: terrain for the table, models for people to use, dice, the rules, etc. I have a dwarf warband, a pirates warband, enough figures for a few human warbands, an orc and goblin warband, a skaven warband, and lots of miscellaneous figures.

It's very easy to learn, especially if you've played Warhammer before. If you have Warhammer Fantasy figures, chances are they'll be accommodated in the Mordheim rules and usable with little or no extra effort on your part, so you could jump in using your own models. It's really really fun, and the rules are free and available for download on the Internet. The ideal Mordheim experience is a campaign spanning lots of games over several days - as you play the game your little band of adventurers grows, takes injuries, gathers loot, develops grudges, etc. It's really awesome and fun.

Anyone interested?

HotSake · August 2008

I will be running Mechaton games for any interested parties, time TBD. Mechaton is a lego wargame played like a very simple version of Warhammer. The rules can be picked up in a minute flat, and you play with units that lose pieces as they take damage, trying to control vital points on the battlefield. It really is tons of fun, so come on by. I will bring a couple armies, but you're more than welcome to show off your own creations. Try to build them roughly to this scale:

You need about 4 mechs per player (it's a small scale game).

chibidani · August 2008

I'm gonna bring Munchkin, and hope some people are willing to play it with me. I swear its better the more people there are, and since in normal playing I never can get more than 4 people, I want to make it big! If anyone has Munchkin expansions and wants to bring them, that would be super cool!

And of course, I'll bring cookies (see sig)

wtnuke · August 2008

I'd like to learn some new games - Mordheim sounds interesting. I do love Munchkin also! I'm interested in playing some D&D 4th edition or possibly Settlers of Catan, Puerto Rico, or similar board games. Anyone have these and want to play them?

super... · August 2008

HotSake wrote: »

I will be running Mechaton games for any interested parties, time TBD. Mechaton is a lego wargame played like a very simple version of Warhammer. The rules can be picked up in a minute flat, and you play with units that lose pieces as they take damage, trying to control vital points on the battlefield. It really is tons of fun, so come on by. I will bring a couple armies, but you're more than welcome to show off your own creations. Try to build them roughly to this scale:

You need about 4 mechs per player (it's a small scale game).

thsoe are some sweet mechs dude!

did you ever play xpod play off?

The_Reflection · August 2008

i want in on Paranoia, hard.

proXimity · August 2008

Paranoia sounds pretty freaking awesome, so I'm in for that if schedule allows!

xstryker · August 2008

OSS (GURPS)

The OSS - Office of Strategic Services - was the precursor to the CIA during World War 2. History says it was disbanded by President Truman in 1945 - but as Fox Mulder might say, "The truth is out there." In this game, set in the late 1940's, the OSS has gone underground to handle strange threats that Truman himself won't admit to knowing about.

What's flying over Roswell? What - or when - is hidden in a research facility under Montauk, Long Island? What strange magic is being brewed by the disciples of Aleister Crowley in Pasadena? How deeply have Soviet telepaths penetrated our most vital intelligence assets? What menace stalks the streets of San Francisco, draining victims of their memories? Do ancient gods walk the Dreamlands? And why do the British want to blow the lone island of Heligoland off the face of the Earth?

OSS is equal parts Sci-Fi and Film Noir, with heavy grounding in actual history. You don't need to be a history buff to appreciate it, but my game is well researched with a "truth is stranger than fiction" theme.

The system of the game is GURPS - you don't need to be familiar with it, because most of the game sums down to "Roll 3d6". Very easy to learn! If you are familiar with it, show some love! GURPS stands for Generic Universal Role Playing System - it can be adapted to cover any kind of genre or genre-crossover. Character creation is points-based - whatever you want to add to the character, you can buy with points. Because my OSS game has a flair for the cinematic, characters will be 200 points, with extra points added on to cover your membership in the OSS (or a related organization).

Not to brag, but pretty much everyone I've run this game for has really enjoyed it. I adapt the game to suit the characters and players I am running for - no "Railroading". Expect a mix of investigation and combat, matched proportionally to the tastes of my players. But please, no Rules-Lawyering! Come to have fun!

My email address is xstryker3@aol.com - I'll figure out the schedule when the PAX schedule is announced. Let me know if you are interested - good time guaranteed, newbies welcome!

Arco · August 2008

Big props to the OP for posting informational links and updating the first thread. That's awesome. I've been busy painting up new Mordheim figs and terrain in preparation for the expo. Woot woot!

HotSake · August 2008

super... wrote: »

HotSake wrote: »

I will be running Mechaton games for any interested parties, time TBD. Mechaton is a lego wargame played like a very simple version of Warhammer. The rules can be picked up in a minute flat, and you play with units that lose pieces as they take damage, trying to control vital points on the battlefield. It really is tons of fun, so come on by. I will bring a couple armies, but you're more than welcome to show off your own creations. Try to build them roughly to this scale:

You need about 4 mechs per player (it's a small scale game).

thsoe are some sweet mechs dude!

did you ever play xpod play off?

I did not. I see you're listed as a player in the OP. Is that accurate?

mspencer · August 2008

Sorry, that's my fault. It sounded like he was interested in playing. I can remove your name if I'm wrong, and I'll try to be more careful in the future.

SlickShughes · August 2008

This Mechaton thing fascinates me, and there's a lego store in the mall by me. How do I go about finding the rules for it, the blog posts linked in the OP mention a free version being available, but all I can find is the pdf or print version for sale. Do I just have to suck it up and pay the 7 bucks?

FatherFletch · August 2008

Table Top will be located at the Pike Place Annex of the WSCTC this year. We now have TWO levels of Table Top goodness with exhibitors, enforcers and attendees running games, demos and much Table Top goodness. If you are very confident you will both show up and run/demo/GM a game please let me know and we will try to find you a space to do so.
We are here to make your table top games experience fun and enjoyable.
CFK

TNTrooper · August 2008

Infernal Contraptions although I will pretty much be running games at random although if there is enough people on the forums interested we could set a time for a game.

super... · August 2008

HotSake wrote: »

super... wrote: »

HotSake wrote: »

I will be running Mechaton games for any interested parties, time TBD. Mechaton is a lego wargame played like a very simple version of Warhammer. The rules can be picked up in a minute flat, and you play with units that lose pieces as they take damage, trying to control vital points on the battlefield. It really is tons of fun, so come on by. I will bring a couple armies, but you're more than welcome to show off your own creations. Try to build them roughly to this scale:

You need about 4 mechs per player (it's a small scale game).

thsoe are some sweet mechs dude!

did you ever play xpod play off?

I did not. I see you're listed as a player in the OP. Is that accurate?

I'm not opposed to trying it out schedule permitting. but i have never played it before

HotSake · August 2008

SlickShughes wrote: »

This Mechaton thing fascinates me, and there's a lego store in the mall by me. How do I go about finding the rules for it, the blog posts linked in the OP mention a free version being available, but all I can find is the pdf or print version for sale. Do I just have to suck it up and pay the 7 bucks?

Hmm, I'm not aware of a free version. I sprang for the print version. If you look at the posts on lumpley.com, you can kind of piece together the rules, but see below:

super... wrote: »

I'm not opposed to trying it out schedule permitting. but i have never played it before

It seriously takes like a minute to learn.

SlickShughes · August 2008

HotSake wrote: »

SlickShughes wrote: »

This Mechaton thing fascinates me, and there's a lego store in the mall by me. How do I go about finding the rules for it, the blog posts linked in the OP mention a free version being available, but all I can find is the pdf or print version for sale. Do I just have to suck it up and pay the 7 bucks?

Hmm, I'm not aware of a free version. I sprang for the print version. If you look at the posts on lumpley.com, you can kind of piece together the rules, but see below:

super... wrote: »

I'm not opposed to trying it out schedule permitting. but i have never played it before

It seriously takes like a minute to learn.

Yeah, from those posts I think I know everything except: what type of dice to use (looks like d6's excepting doubling up on equipment nets you a d8, maybe?), and what makes an attachment (I'm guessing it's pretty loose, sort of wysiwyg sort of thing with no hard and fast rules besides pointing out to your opponent at the start of a match what's what on your mechs). *EDIT* Oh, and how much equipment you're allowed (looks like some cap - 4 or 5 maybe?- and you get extra init dicefor whatever you don't use). Do you actually have sets of dice as appropriate for the colors they mention?

Oh, and I'm with out doubt in on this at some point. Just tell me when and where.

HotSake · August 2008

I have a tackle box full of colored d6s and a few odd d8s. It sounds like you've basically got it. 2 weapons at the same range gets you a d8. You also get d8 for movement if you have no ranged weapons (by design or damage). Attachments are logical entities and can be physically represented by anything on the figure itself. Up to 4 attachments, with bonus initiative dice for using less. I will be using the optional rule that you have to have a spotting attachment to spot, since it's such a useful ability.

Arco · August 2008

I'm interested in the Mechaton, too. It sounds interesting.

Mordheim update: I've got some people interested on the west coast train trip coming up, plus some people at the expo, so I'm definitely bringing my setup. Enough to accommodate 4 people on a 4'x4' table for sure.

leaf · August 2008

Zombies would be a fun/quick pickup game to play with random people.

mspencer · August 2008

Also apparently the tabletop annex will have the same hours as the rest of PAX this year, and will NOT be 24-hour.

faits · August 2008

I'd be all over a game of catan, and I'm pretty sure I could also rope in a buddy of mine. We've both really enjoyed it on xbla, but I've never played the actual board game. How long does a complete game actually take? (I've heard that it takes a LOT longer than the live arcade version (which is like 45 minutes for a game)

wtnuke · August 2008

Catan does take awhile, a couple hours depending on how mean the board sets up and how much people like to dick eachother over. I may have to bite the bullet and actually purchase a copy of the game.

faits: where are you guys from?

faits · August 2008

I live in Seattle. One of my friends is flying up from san francisco and the other is coming in from back east.

SunshineGrrrl · August 2008

My roommate and I will be looking for a couple of tabletop games to enjoy. Always up for whatever but would particularly like to try out 4e or any other rp games and honestly, I love boardgames. I may bring arkham horror or some such. Also, if someone is doing a long stretch descent campaign, that could be fun.

mtjimmer · August 2008

I'll bring a copy of Settlers for Friday or Saturday, if we set up a time to meet and play ahead of time.

I will definitely bring my copy of Race for the Galaxy, as it is my current favorite (board) game.

faits · August 2008

Me plus one, for catan. Scheduling ahead of time sounds like a good idea. I don't have a preference about friday vs. saturday, though I'd like to be done before the bands come on. (this isn't a dealbreaker except for the front, who I need to see again because it is imperative that I yell "PLAY DUDE AND CATASTROPHE" at him through his entire set)

Of course the ONE problem with scheduling ahead of time is if there ends up being a good panel going during the time we schedule.

xstryker · August 2008

faits wrote: »

Me plus one, for catan. Scheduling ahead of time sounds like a good idea. I don't have a preference about friday vs. saturday, though I'd like to be done before the bands come on. (this isn't a dealbreaker except for the front, who I need to see again because it is imperative that I yell "PLAY DUDE AND CATASTROPHE" at him through his entire set)

Of course the ONE problem with scheduling ahead of time is if there ends up being a good panel going during the time we schedule.

I think you can make that you plus 2, faits, schedule permitting - "Who's got wood for sheep?"

chibidani · August 2008

leaf, I'll join you for Zombies if you're bringing it. I've only played it once and it was super cool!

SlickShughes · August 2008

Me+wife are in for catan. I'll bring my set (base+seafarers+some random little things) if need be.

wtnuke · August 2008

I'm way past in for Catan. I think we should maybe set times and/or places to meet on Saturday. The problem I have is that I've never been to the convention center before, so it'd be hard to know where to meet people.

Ape2020 · August 2008

Well I'm meeting up with 2-3 other people to play a miniature game Anima: Tactics.

Anima: Tactics is a skirmish miniature wargame set in the world of Gaia, created for the Anima: Beyond Fantasy role playing game that has been a major hit in Spain. Anima: Tactics is a fusion of East meets West with Japanese video game style art, honor, and mysticism combined with Medieval arms and magic.

Anima: Tactics is a no-holds barred skirmish combat game that pits heroic characters against each other in the struggle between Light and Dark. In this gritty battle, alliances change and heroes must struggle with their own souls to decide which side of the line they stand on. Draw the line and throw down the Gauntlet. Conquer your foe by utilizing your characters special powers in devastating combos.

Get into the game with a Light or Dark starter game that includes 2 characters, rules, dice, character and asset cards, action counters and more. Increase your force and tactical flexibility with heroic character blisters from the light, Dark, or Neutral factions. Each Blister pack contains a highly detailed metal miniature, a character card, advantage card, and all the action counters and spell counters you need.

This game will be demoed by Cipher Studios at the Fantasy Flight Games booth. We fans will run some scenarios to play that can include multiple groups on Saturday about noon. We would welcome all to play and will bring at least two terrain boards to play on. Maybe if we can generate enough interest we can get a little tourney going. Its a very easy game and here are some of the figures painted to give you an idea of the models.

Character Figure Shots.

Official site were you can download the rules.

Okay thats enough pimping I hope to see many gamers try it out.

-ape2020

faits · August 2008

wtnuke wrote: »

I'm way past in for Catan. I think we should maybe set times and/or places to meet on Saturday. The problem I have is that I've never been to the convention center before, so it'd be hard to know where to meet people.

I guess it wouldn't matter much anyway, since all the tabletop stuff is being moved across the street. Last year there was a table top / freeplay room (actually i think it was like two rooms connected together?) so whatever room that ends up being would be ok for the meeting point (since we'll be playing there anyway)

mare_imbrium · August 2008

I would love to play Paranoia. If I were going to my husband would be as well, I have to explain the awesomeness and convince him.

wtnuke · August 2008

faits wrote: »

wtnuke wrote: »

I'm way past in for Catan. I think we should maybe set times and/or places to meet on Saturday. The problem I have is that I've never been to the convention center before, so it'd be hard to know where to meet people.

I guess it wouldn't matter much anyway, since all the tabletop stuff is being moved across the street. Last year there was a table top / freeplay room (actually i think it was like two rooms connected together?) so whatever room that ends up being would be ok for the meeting point (since we'll be playing there anyway)

Hey, do you get together with anyone in the Seattle area to play? I'm looking for new people to game with since I moved to Seattle just over 3 weeks ago. I live up in the Ravenna area, about a mile or so north of the U-district.

faits · August 2008

wtnuke wrote: »

faits wrote: »

wtnuke wrote: »

I'm way past in for Catan. I think we should maybe set times and/or places to meet on Saturday. The problem I have is that I've never been to the convention center before, so it'd be hard to know where to meet people.

I guess it wouldn't matter much anyway, since all the tabletop stuff is being moved across the street. Last year there was a table top / freeplay room (actually i think it was like two rooms connected together?) so whatever room that ends up being would be ok for the meeting point (since we'll be playing there anyway)

Hey, do you get together with anyone in the Seattle area to play? I'm looking for new people to game with since I moved to Seattle just over 3 weeks ago. I live up in the Ravenna area, about a mile or so north of the U-district.

I've actually never played the physical board game in my life. (I've played it a lot on xbox live is all)

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