Octocon XXI - October 20-21

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Oct 18, 2017 11:43 am

Is that a worker placement game? Does it have solo rules?

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:07 pm

I'll have my copy of 7th Continent with me...if anyone wants to play, I would really recommend taking the time to watch the rules and setup overview here. It will save you some time fumbling around to get the game rolling. I'm also going to put a sheet of suggestions and tips in the box to help with a first play through.

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:37 pm

Heard back from my friend who isn't yet sure about this weekend. On the plus side, I've found some cheap(ish) train tickets from St. Louis. Would rather not try to drive in Chicago craziness.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Wed Oct 18, 2017 1:29 pm

It's not TOO rough to get from Union Station to the church. You'd need to catch the Blue Line El to Irving Park Rd and then a bus from there. A cab ride would be somewhat expensive...

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Wed Oct 18, 2017 2:36 pm

hentzau wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 1:29 pm It's not TOO rough to get from Union Station to the church. You'd need to catch the Blue Line El to Irving Park Rd and then a bus from there. A cab ride would be somewhat expensive...

Hopefully I could stay with my friend. In that case, I would come up late Friday and not get to the church until Saturday. I have no idea where he lives other than that it's a few blocks from the lake. But I suppose that doesn't narrow it down much....

Bad Demographic · Post by **Bad Demographic** » Wed Oct 18, 2017 8:33 pm

Wow Ralph-Wiggum, I didn't realize you were in St. Louis. We're in Pacific tonight.

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Wed Oct 18, 2017 9:05 pm

I had to look up what Pacific means. I still know nothing about Midwest geography.

‍♀️

Bad Demographic · Post by **Bad Demographic** » Wed Oct 18, 2017 9:24 pm

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 9:05 pm I had to look up what Pacific means. I still know nothing about Midwest geography. ‍♀️

Isn't it basically a suburb of St. Louis?

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Wed Oct 18, 2017 9:52 pm

I have no idea!

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Wed Oct 18, 2017 10:25 pm

Well, if you're friend is near the lake, at least we know you'll be nowhere near Octocon.

If trying to locate it via landmarks, figure 20 minutes or so east of O'hare airport.

Maybe I'll see if my son will behave this time -- I won't have to bring the baby as well. If I subsequently stop at the Jollibee to get fast food chicken for my wife and mother-in-law, I shouldn't have too much resistance on the home front.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Fri Oct 20, 2017 12:34 am

My Games:

Must play:
Inis
Vast

Story games:
Xia
Scythe
Star Wars: Rebellion (with new expansion)
Dead of Winter - Warring Colonies

Fun and quick:
Century Spice Road
Mystic Vale
Tiny Epic Galaxies

Crowd pleasing games:
Blood Rage
Roll for the Galaxy
Welcome to the Dungeon (and Back)
Skull & Bones

I'm also bringing someone's copy of King of Tokyo from the last Ocotocon that ended up with my stuff. I hope to get into another game of Terraforming Mars.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Fri Oct 20, 2017 9:36 am

Quick shower, then load up some games, and then a stop at the store for supplies.

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:17 am

My friend has to be in his lab all weekend and his in-laws are coming this week, so it isn't the best time for me to visit, unfortunately.

But perhaps it's for the best - if I had met Hepcat in person, I wouldn't be able to keep the picture of him I have in my head.

Spoiler:

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Fri Oct 20, 2017 1:17 pm

First game completed...Colt Express. The usual amount of stupid mayhem ensued.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Fri Oct 20, 2017 1:42 pm

Leaving now. Whooooooo!

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Sat Oct 21, 2017 8:37 am

Great first day! Second day starting in an hour and a half!

Chrisoc13 · Post by **Chrisoc13** » Sun Oct 22, 2017 6:31 am

Man I miss octocon. Looks like fun as always. Nice game choices too

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:20 am

I really, really need to get up there. I'm close enough to leave home after breakfast and be there by lunch. It's just the food and lodging expenses that usually keep me from going.

Archinerd · Post by **Archinerd** » Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:39 am

Had a great time, thanks Hentzau for organizing it again.

Played (v for victory):
FRIDAY
Colt Express - board game appetizer. Don't remember who won, and it doesn't really matter.
vMushroom Eaters - unusual narrative experience with some surprising depth. Liked it more than I expected to. In some ways it reminds me of a book or a movie, now that I've played it I may return to it one day but have no real need to anytime soon.
vBlood Rage - I watched people play this at the very end of the last Octocon and thought it looked fun. Cosmic Encounter & Small World had a baby who was then kidnapped and raised by vikings.
vHigh Treason, The Trial of Louis Reil w/ Hepcat - A bit of Canadian history just to keep thinks balanced. Also a game in my collection.
Thunder Alley - Racing team game. It's my copy so obviously I like it. Team Green led for most of the race and never really let up. A big rush to the pits late in the race shook things up a bit but Green was able to weasel his way back to the front just in time.
Deer in the Headlights - Dumb luck, which was good way to end a day of gaming. Bad Demographic won, but I came in half way through so I don't know if it was due to skill or luck.

SATURDAY
Hanabi/Fetch - played while entertaining my 1-1/2 year old with a game of fetch. Fun had by all.
Marco Polo - Silk road trading euro. Liked it, looking forward to playing again sometime.
High Treason, The Trial of Louis Reil w/ Seppe - because I like this game and it's not that long.
vBattle Line w/ Seppe - Relatively quick filler. I always enjoy this game.
vTerraforming Mars w/ Seppe - 2nd time playing this, 1st time as 2 player. I think I like 2 player better than with more.
Camel Cup/Up - or how I learned to stop worrying and learn to lose all my money on camel races. We played w/ my DIY mini expansion that adds 1 extra die to the pyramid, which caused additional chaos.
King of Tokyo - I have doubts of how good of a Monarch a giant Kraken is going to be, but it is Hentzau so maybe it will all work out.
Inis - King of Dragon Pass. I made a bold play for the crown by sending my brave warrior poet into battle (with the aid of heroic songs he took out 3 enemies) but in the end it wasn't enough for me to hold onto my claim. I probably would have enjoyed this more if we had played earlier in the day.
Blokus - An old stand by for me. A tight score at the end with Bad Demographic just squeaking through for the win.

I think that's everything.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Sun Oct 22, 2017 12:29 pm

Archinerd wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:39 am Had a great time, thanks Hentzau for organizing it again.

Played (v for victory):
FRIDAY
Colt Express - board game appetizer. Don't remember who won, and it doesn't really matter.
vMushroom Eaters - unusual narrative experience with some surprising depth. Liked it more than I expected to. In some ways it reminds me of a book or a movie, now that I've played it I may return to it one day but have no real need to anytime soon.
vBlood Rage - I watched people play this at the very end of the last Octocon and thought it looked fun. Cosmic Encounter & Small World had a baby who was then kidnapped and raised by vikings.
vHigh Treason, The Trial of Louis Reil w/ Hepcat - A bit of Canadian history just to keep thinks balanced. Also a game in my collection.
Thunder Alley - Racing team game. It's my copy so obviously I like it. Team Green led for most of the race and never really let up. A big rush to the pits late in the race shook things up a bit but Green was able to weasel his way back to the front just in time.
Deer in the Headlights - Dumb luck, which was good way to end a day of gaming. Bad Demographic won, but I came in half way through so I don't know if it was due to skill or luck.

SATURDAY
Hanabi/Fetch - played while entertaining my 1-1/2 year old with a game of fetch. Fun had by all.
Marco Polo - Silk road trading euro. Liked it, looking forward to playing again sometime.
High Treason, The Trial of Louis Reil w/ Seppe - because I like this game and it's not that long.
vBattle Line w/ Seppe - Relatively quick filler. I always enjoy this game.
vTerraforming Mars w/ Seppe - 2nd time playing this, 1st time as 2 player. I think I like 2 player better than with more.
Camel Cup/Up - or how I learned to stop worrying and learn to lose all my money on camel races. We played w/ my DIY mini expansion that adds 1 extra die to the pyramid, which caused additional chaos.
King of Tokyo - I have doubts of how good of a Monarch a giant Kraken is going to be, but it is Hentzau so maybe it will all work out.
Inis - King of Dragon Pass. I made a bold play for the crown by sending my brave warrior poet into battle (with the aid of heroic songs he took out 3 enemies) but in the end it wasn't enough for me to hold onto my claim. I probably would have enjoyed this more if we had played earlier in the day.
Blokus - An old stand by for me. A tight score at the end with Bad Demographic just squeaking through for the win.

I think that's everything.

I won the KoT game? I don't even remember the end of it. I thought Tim won with a VP roll at the end...But I will accept your fealty.

Archinerd · Post by **Archinerd** » Sun Oct 22, 2017 3:00 pm

Hmm. I think you're right. Obviously I took one too many knocks to the head while I was rampaging through the city.

Bad Demographic · Post by **Bad Demographic** » Sun Oct 22, 2017 6:15 pm

Like Archinerd said, thanks for organizing this again Hetzau.
Zarathud, thanks for lunch/dinner at the Jolly Inn on Saturday. And thanks, everyone, for teaching us new games and playing some old games with us. We had a great time.

Bad Demographic · Post by **Bad Demographic** » Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:36 pm

Archinerd - any win in Deer in the Headlights is purely luck - really!

Archinerd · Post by **Archinerd** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 12:13 am

I just realized there was no Crokinole this time.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:11 am

Spice Road Played three times. A fast fun game with a simple mechanic. Play a card, pick up played cards or buy a VP card.
Battleline Two player trick taking. Fun but dry.
Blood Rage. Always a crowd pleaser. It's the only territory control game where dying is often as good of a path to victory as expanding.
Tiny Epic Quest. Interesting almost abstract puzzle game with a push your luck element by dice to advance magic, exploration and combat.
Inis. Very happy getting this back to the table after Origins. Territory control with an action drafting mechanic. Gorgeous Celtic art, where you grow and defend your clan to expand, control or coexist. Looking forward to the 5 player mechanic as there is often a gang up on the leader mechanic.
Vast. Still surprised at how 3-5 different mini-games end up so balanced. The goblins killed the knight who was going strong against my dragon--while the cave had 3/5 of its win condition.
Dead of Winter - Warring Colonies. When only one colony can survive the zombie apocalypse, things get dark. I'll write this up later.
Massive Darkness. Basically a dungeon crawl Zombicide. It's very grindy and just feels contrived and derivative. I would play Gloomhaven or Super Dungeon Explore over this at every opportunity.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 8:32 am

Thanks again, Hentzau! I left a little early both days thanks to an annoying sinus headache I couldn’t shake, but I still got in quite a few games.

Friday I played Mushroom Eaters. Liked it as it was definitely a unique experience. Then a game of Thunder Alley and Blood Rage.

Saturday I got a few folks into a way too long game of Too Many Bones. It lasted about 6 hours. Usually the longer ones only go 3 to 4, so this was unusual. I think it was due to a lot of rules explaining and some goofing around (the latter I enjoy though).

Then I had a chance to play Ashes, which I dearly love. It ended hilariously with a third player winning after “feeding” off the death of the other two players.

Can’t wait for next year’s event now.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 10:03 am

Looks like a ton of fun as usual. Weekend was too busy for me to make it but thanks for the AARs and photos. I can almost taste the donuts and smell the pierogi.

And I see that black t-shirts are the latest in fall fashion.

Redfive · Post by **Redfive** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 10:44 am

Who is who in the pics?

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 11:13 am

Redfive wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2017 10:44 am Who is who in the pics?

I'll let the individuals identify themselves...sorry I didn't get more pictures taken the second day, but I was pretty busy all day.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 12:14 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:20 am I really, really need to get up there. I'm close enough to leave home after breakfast and be there by lunch. It's just the food and lodging expenses that usually keep me from going.

I really need to get back for one, as well. One of these times the scheduling will line up with a time we're already in Chicago!

Glad to hear it was another successful event.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 12:21 pm

The one thing I forgot was a get well card for Thatsteveguy and Kristie. He had another incident on Thursday and so had to have another stent put in on Friday. That went very well, he was home resting by Friday evening. But then on Saturday, they were involved in a car accident that sent them both back to the hospital. Totaled their car. They're back home now, but it's been a rough weekend for them.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 12:23 pm

hentzau wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2017 12:21 pm The one thing I forgot was a get well card for Thatsteveguy and Kristie. He had another incident on Thursday and so had to have another stent put in on Friday. That went very well, he was home resting by Friday evening. But then on Saturday, they were involved in a car accident that sent them both back to the hospital. Totaled their car. They're back home now, but it's been a rough weekend for them.

Wow, that's a double-whammy. Glad to hear that they are home and well-as-can-be-expected.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 1:44 pm

^^^
This.

Thank you for hosting. I'm still recovering and fear I'm getting sick.

Remus West · Post by **Remus West** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:54 pm

Some day......

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:58 pm

Remus West wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:54 pm Some day......

Believe it when I see it.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 3:07 pm

Remus West wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:54 pm Some day......

Start planning now... Then I could see you once or twice a year...

Of course I say that knowing I'll be a last minute decision, even if I request time off the day Henzau sets a date...

Had OctoCon been this weekend or next, I'da had cancel to work on Saturday.

Bad Demographic · Post by **Bad Demographic** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 5:47 pm

In Hentzau's 2nd pic (the first one with people), you can see the side of my head (I'm the one in the plaid flannel shirt). The guy in the green shirt sitting next to me (balding, white hair, glasses, beard) is my spousal unit.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 8:23 pm

Too bad my wife's new job ruined my plans to attend. Had that come down sooner, BD, I'd have invited you and Bob to stop by for dinner Thursday night. We are so far out on the fringe of suburbia it's probably midway between your house and Octocon.

Remus West · Post by **Remus West** » Wed Oct 25, 2017 10:33 am

LordMortis wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2017 3:07 pm
Remus West wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:54 pm Some day......
Start planning now... Then I could see you once or twice a year...

Of course I say that knowing I'll be a last minute decision, even if I request time off the day Henzau sets a date...

Had OctoCon been this weekend or next, I'da had cancel to work on Saturday.

Trouble is that both Fall and Spring Octo cons fall during volleyball seasons when I'm coaching a lot so if I have the weekend off then my wife and daughter get my time and if I don't then I'm coaching.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Wed Oct 25, 2017 11:49 am

Remus comes out to Colorado all the time for poker tournaments. I don't have any idea why he hates the ChicagOOers so much...