The word Turnie is a made up word based on the fact that games are played in turns. I am hoping to portray a positive and fun message with these Turnie Awards. So, I won’t be doing any negative awards. We all know that there were a few things that went wrong with Gencon. This has been chatted about on the Gencon Forums,which I am known to post comments. Plus, I have been known to email the appropriate people if I feel something is not right. But, overall, I had a great Con, so let’s celebrate with the Turnies
Best Gaming Room: Rio Grande Games. There were plenty of chances to play the interesting hot game called Dominion. Plus there are the older favorites like Carcassonne on hand, too. But the thing that clinched it was the food during the evening. It kept me gaming and at the con. But the weirdest thing that happened is that I was playing a Stock Market Game when the actual stock market crashed.
The Game that Grew on Me: Nuns on the Run, Mayfair Games. It took me a little while to catch on to the concept of hidden movement, but I got the hang of it, and enjoyed it very much the second time I played it.
Best Contest: Knight of Catan, Mayfair Games. Play several Mayfair Games and collect ribbons that say “Sheep, Grain, Wood, Ore and Clay.” Once completed, turn them in and become a Knight of Catan. You get a coupon for 50% off one game from Mayfair Games. That’s a rocking deal.
Best Deal: Stomple/Stratego, Spin Master Games. This deal involved buying the game Stomple at the Con Rate of $24 (it normally retails for $30) then you get the new 50th Anniversary Stratego for $8. Plus, Greg Zima the inventor of Stomple was on hand to autograph the game. I’m hoping my niece and nephew will enjoy playing these games with me.
Best Swag: Manna Symbol T Shirt, Magic the Gathering/Pastimes. On Sunday, Pastimes was giving out T Shirts to everyone who played a side event like drafts. I got a red one with the fireball manna symbol. They are really nice T shirts.
Magic Card other than Fireball that saved my ass in a draft: Timely Reinforcements. I drew this card and played it right when I was going down the tubes, and it totally changed the game around for me. I got 6 more life and 3 more Creatures. Even if they are only 1/1 creatures, they still can block and give me more time to get something going. And I got something going and went on to win the match and the whole draft.
Best Interaction with an Exhibitor: An Ocarina is an ancient flutelike instrument that is making a comeback thanks to a video game. STL Ocarina had a booth a Gencon where they were demonstrating the high-pitched instrument all weekend. Next to the booth was another booth where they were selling Magic Cards. On Sunday I asked the one of the guys at the Magic Card booth if they were tired of hearing flute music. The guy didn’t speak, but I could tell by the expression on his face that he was really tired of it.
Best Interaction with Locals: On Friday Night a group of 6 High School aged boys were roaming the halls of the Convention Center. I could tell they were locals because they did not have badges on, and they were staring into some of the gaming rooms. I asked them if they came down to the Convention Center to “Gawk at the Geeks.” Then one of the young men tried to convince me that I wasn’t a geek. Good Luck with that. It turns out they came down to the Convention Center to gawk at young ladies with costumes on.
Favorite Artist: Tyler Wampole. This guy does everything from cool dragons to amazing space battle scenes. He had a three 11 x 17 prints for $50 deal going on. So, my friend that likes dragons is happy, and I’m happy with my space battle scene. Plus, Tyler is a great guy!
Best New Word Game: Faux-Cabulary, Out of the Box Games. This is a fun game where you create new words using word dice to describe things. It’s a little bit like Apples to Apples because there is a rotating judge. But it’s really fun to see what new words you can come up with.
Best Revamped Game: The 50th Anniversary Stratego, Spin Master Games. It has less pieces than the original game and it's easier for beginning players to learn. Plus it has new space-aged graphics and characters that defy the old Napoleon theme. Hopefully this will appeal to a whole new generation.
Best Game Room Layout Decision: Having Magic Card Game Players in a separate room than Yugioh Card Game Players. Magic players and Yugioh Players don’t really hate each other, but we seem to annoy each other. I guess that’s the best way of describing it.
Best Game: Dominion, Rio Grande Games. This game has been out for a couple years but this was the first time I played it. I really enjoyed it. It’s simple, fun and strategic. You build a deck and collect points in your deck. I can’t wait to play it again.
Congratulations to all the Turnie Award Winners!!!
I know these are not the most prestigious awards ever presented, but I appreciate all of you helping me have a great Gencon Experience.
Blog Writer: Todd McMahon
My Gencon Stats: My 6th Gencon
Games I purchased at Gencon 2011:
Stomple, Stratego (50th Anniversary Edition), Faux-Cabulary, Super Circles, Pirate Versus Pirate, Automobile (sending to Mackler), Hike the Card Game, and Dominion.
I played in 10 Magic 2012 Core Set drafts.
My photos of Gencon 2011 are located at
http://picasaweb.google.com/isawtman/11Gencon
My photos of Gencon 2011 are located at
http://picasaweb.google.com/isawtman/11Gencon
