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Alien Invasion at Tabletop PAX East 2015!
FifthSurprise
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
The Megagame Society is super excited to announce Watch the Skies at PAX East 2015 on Sunday (March 8th). Thanks to the gracious benevolence of PAX management we’ll be running this megagame at Tabletop. Signups are at Tabletop at 4:00 PM Friday.
What is a Megagame?
A megagame is a game, only bigger. Mega bigger. Part board game, part rpg, a megagame is made up of several simultaneous, interlocking games, that join together to create one giant story that plays out over the course of the day. The basic rules of the game might be constant but thanks to player tactics, ingenuity and plain old bluffing, every game is an entirely unique narrative.
What is Watch the Skies?
Watch the Skies takes place in a near future Earth very much like our own… but with some aliens hanging around. Around 60 players will play on teams as nations, news reporters, and, of course, the aliens, while Earth struggles to figure out what is going on and if they can do it before civilization dissolves into chaos. Nations are represented by players acting as Heads of State, Deputy Heads of State, Chief Scientists, Military Commanders, and Foreign Ministers. Expect exciting battles, research on alien artifacts, espionage, and a version of the United Nations that’s a lot more fun than the one you modeled in high school. There’s also plenty of mysterious alien intrigue and scrappy press that can make or break the game.
Want to know more? See a trailer and photos from past games here
So What’s Happened in Past Games of Watch the Skies?
New Zealand declared itself a no-fly zone for “strategic Hobbit filming purposes” (yeah, right.) There was a 6 nation war in the heart of Washington DC over a mysterious alien structure in the Potomac. Russia attempted to launch nuclear missiles at Brazil only for a secret agent to sabotage the launch at the last minute. Someone established a Colony on the Moon. Someone attempted to nuke the moon. The Secretary General of the United Nations was abducted by aliens who also brainwashed the Pope.
What’s Going to Happen in This Game of Watch the Skies?
That’s up to you, but we’re dying to find out!
Sounds cool! How do I sign up?
You can sign up in person at Tabletop Tourney Headquarters next to the Tourney sign-ups on Friday at 4pm at PAX East. We will need some way of getting in contact with you to provide materials. Once teams are set up you will be contacted and given your player handbooks (they're short, we promise) on Saturday. We also encourage you to sign-up in teams and will try to accommodate that as best as we can. Nation teams have 5 players and there are 8 nation teams. The news team has three players. The alien team has ten players.The game will take place on Sunday at Tabletop and will run from 10:15 to 5:00, with a break for lunch. Everything will be provided so the only things you need to bring are yourselves. Also, we would appreciate it if you could post in this thread if you are planning to sign-up (and with how many people) so we can get a good idea of interest.
For more information about megagames check out our facebook page or you can watch the Shut Up and Sit Down playthrough/review of a megagame here
FAQ:
I've seen the Shut Up and Sit Down video or have been to Watch the Skies before. Isn't it all spoiled for me now?
We've completely reworked the game, so much so that even the original creator has said that this is a completely different game. Anything that was spoiled has been changed and in fact assuming that things work the same in the Shut Up and Sit Down video/past games will get you into trouble pretty quickly.
Who are you anyways?
We’re the MegaGame Society, a collection of game designers, graphic artists, and megagame enthusiasts that are all committed to developing this genre of game. We all volunteer to run these megagames and no one makes money off this. We’re all just very excited to make these games for everyone! We are based in NYC but we work with groups across the US, Canada and the world to help them setup their own local Megagame group.
You’re in NYC? Any way you can do a game in X city/town?
We work with groups across the world so it’s possible a group is already gearing up to do a game in your town. Send us an email through our Facebook page and we’ll let you know if there’s someone around you doing a game. If not we’ll help you start your own group in your town; you’d be amazed at how many people want to help run or play in these games!
Where’s a good place to find out more info about Megagames?
You can find us on this Facebook page
We've completely reworked the game, so much so that even the original creator has said that this is a completely different game. Anything that was spoiled has been changed and in fact assuming that things work the same in the Shut Up and Sit Down video/past games will get you into trouble pretty quickly.
Who are you anyways?
We’re the MegaGame Society, a collection of game designers, graphic artists, and megagame enthusiasts that are all committed to developing this genre of game. We all volunteer to run these megagames and no one makes money off this. We’re all just very excited to make these games for everyone! We are based in NYC but we work with groups across the US, Canada and the world to help them setup their own local Megagame group.
You’re in NYC? Any way you can do a game in X city/town?
We work with groups across the world so it’s possible a group is already gearing up to do a game in your town. Send us an email through our Facebook page and we’ll let you know if there’s someone around you doing a game. If not we’ll help you start your own group in your town; you’d be amazed at how many people want to help run or play in these games!
Where’s a good place to find out more info about Megagames?
You can find us on this Facebook page
FifthSurprise on
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"I don't know why people ever, ever try to stop nerds from doing things. It's really the most incredible waste of time." - Tycho
Is there an upcharge for this, or do you just need your PAX badge?
how many nations where there be?
EDIT - 1 player, 100% certain to play if allowed.
Our sign-ups will be on a first-come first-serve basis however we will have a waitlist. In all likelihood, some group may drop out between Friday and Sunday and so we would advice checking in on Saturday/ Sunday morning to see if there is space.
So I think it would not be very fair to both your team and to players in general to be away for that much time. Only because the time for lunch will be a bit fluid (as schedules and whatnot inevitably get shifted) and also because essentially the time for lunch would be spent rushing through said panel. I for one definitely want to make sure you get properly fed during PAX! So I would strongly recommend against it.
We will also, if necessary, try to group smaller groups together. But if you come up with a good-sized team ahead of time, that would help.
A slightly more accurate video of how Megagame Society games end up might be this one. Mostly because "Nuclear Launch Detected."
I mean, it is more work for us but we are the crazy people who are coming to PAX with at least two of these maps:
aaaaaaaaaaaand about 50 pounds of other gaming stuff. So obviously we are okay with a little work.
Playin' a giant thing with 60 other gamers is a real good time, you guys. Fo realz.
EDIT: Oh how could I not, put me in the "Definite" column haha.
For those of you who are interested, don't forget to come see us on Friday at tabletop to sign up. And if you think you MIGHT be interested but want to see what's up first, please come and find us, too! We'll be happy to give a quick run down and answer any questions. (Or feel free to fire away here.). A couple of us will be there wearing Megagame Society t-shirts so we won't be hard to find.
If you end up having a group of more than 5 that wants to play AND is a little tricksy, remember being the aliens is a super rad option! I would really just suggest doing more research than aliens past:
If you want to check in with us over the weekend twitter (@MegaGameSociety) is an awesome way to do. We'll also probably just in the area anyway because we like board games.
This is me:
I'll be running the UN portion of the game. I take fake international relations very seriously, you guys.
This is Noam:
Noam is the head game runner (Game Control, as we call him). This is his nervous chipmunk face.
And as we all know, FifthSurprise is a velociraptor in a suit:
So fancy!
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
Shit just got real...
"I don't know why people ever, ever try to stop nerds from doing things. It's really the most incredible waste of time." - Tycho