MikeCon

Well, a lot has happened since my last post. The big news is, of course, that I got married on 1 May, which was all sorts of awesome, despite the endless photos and the blustery rainy day. Thanks to everyone out there who kept us in their thoughts!

More on topic with this blog, however, was the bachelor's party. I decided early on that I really didn't want the traditional get drunk, get thrown out of strip clubs and vomitting all of the way home. Done that, been there. Instead my brother, as my best man, and I organized MikeCon, a gaming night will all my friends this side of the Pacific. I wish I had a million dollars to bring over all of my overseas friends!

The premise behind MikeCon was simple, play games. We had no schedule, not set events or anything. Basically bring whatever games you wanted to play. Beer and pizza provided the biological logistics for the event. There was only one rule and that was absolutely no Games Workshop games were to be played. This is because A.) they are inferior games, B.) they include dragons, which suck, and C.) they are stupid. Granted, those three reasons are my opinions, but this was MikeCon, not GameWorkshopCon.

So aside from that, we had a pile of various games going on, including HeroClix, Zombies, Wings Of War, and Malifaux. It was a hell of a lot easier to play quick small games than the big ones, hence Flames Of War and Warmachine took the evening off. Malifaux was pretty tricky to learn having had a bit to drink at that point, and I'm sure I really don't remember a lot of it. Still I was just drunk enough to give it a try because it looked like a lot of fun, but more on that later!

So, MikeCon was an geekfest, fueled by pizza and beer. The night was fun and I really got involved in Wings Of War and Malifaux, but I regretted missing out on the other two games.

HeroClix figures

HeroClix

My friend Damian had a pile of Heroclix, and by a pile, I mean a shitload. I don't think he was missing a single hero or villain. He had several playing mats and there were several games played during the night. It sure looked like a lot of fun!

Zombies

James brought along Zombies, any party's favorite geek game. I've seen the game played about a dozen times, but I have never been at the right place at the right time to get in on the action. MikeCon was no different, but I enjoyed seeing the guys try and reach the helicopter with the most amount of Zombie kills. Some were slower than others and got eaten, which resulted in many outbursts, usually followed by a run to the pizza table before rejoining the game.

Wings of War starter box

Wings Of War

My brother and dad have been playing this game a lot lately. Its funny that I hadn't played it because its one of those games I should have been on immediately when it hit the shelves, seeings how I'm a massive propeller head. About a month ago I purchased a starter box and a Sopwith Snipe, my favorite WWI fighter, but never played a game until MikeCon. Andrew brought his and dad's planes with him, about a half-dozen single seaters, and a half-dozen twin seaters. We had a massive 12-plane dogfight on the game table. I flew a small Fokker DrI triplane and attempted to fly as a wingman to a two-seater. I got some good shots off, but was ravaged by the return fire. I think that if I were to play a few more games, I'd definitely pick up on better tactics, but that is not to say I didn't have fun.

Wings Of War Plane Card

Wings of War is an excellent party game. I has two levels of play, basic and advanced, so you can choose one that best fits your group. Its easy to play and the best part is that you can just keep flying even after youve been shot down. Just grab a new plane or the same one and fly back into the fray.

The game's card system is quite neat as it removes the need for measuring and complex maneuver tables and templates. Simply place the plane in front of the card and move it in the direction the arrow on the card tells you. Easy stuff!

We played that for a good portion of the night. I failed to shoot anyone down, but I had a wicked fun time playing it. I'd highly recommend playing Wings Of War if you haven't already!

Learn more about Wings Of War here ...

Malifaux

I've been keen on this game for a while now, ever since my brother started getting involved in it. Its a weird game right from the start as it uses a deck of cards, called a fate deck, instead of dice. Malifaux has a sort of steam-punk old western feel to it, which opens the game up to a really interesting array of figures and armies. The army I play is gremlins. They have a lot of the usual orc-ish cliches built into them, but with a unique spin. They are hillbillies with banjos and wild pigs. They are retarded, often shooting themselves or their kin instead of the enemy, but they have some pretty hilarious special rules. Pig wrangling is their specialty, where they can use them to run amuck on the battlefield eating corpses and gremlins (known as the special rule: The Other White Meat). You can field a Hog Whisperer to help control the pigs to some extent, but usually a gremlin army embraces battlefield pandemonium laced with humor.

Deliverance Gremlins!

While I don't recommend learning Malifaux while tilted, indeed any other complex game, I certainly think that its a fun game and I look forward to trying it out on a more sober footing.

Learn more about Malifaux here...

Anyway, that pretty much sums up MikeCon. I had a lot of fun, and I hope everyone who attended did as well. I was excited to try out some new games and was very pleased with those I did. The cool thing is that there are always others to there to try out. Andrew currently has me looking at Dystopian Wars...

Dystopian Wars...