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Gamestorm 15: Intro and Day One

  By Jacob Wood • March 26, 2013
This entry is part 1 of 6 in the seriesGamestorm 15

This entry is part 1 of 6 in the series Gamestorm 15

Introduction

I recently spent three days at the 15th annual Gamestorm convention in Vancouver, WA. Gamestorm is a local board game and RPG convention for the Portland Metro Area and surrounding region, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s small compared to many conventions, but its intimate nature make it all the more fun as you get to meet many local people and see old friends. In fact, I bumped into former co-workers and co-students who I hadn’t seen in years.

I attended three days of the four-day Con: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The convention started on Thursday, March 21st but it really ramps up on Friday and Saturday.

Naturally I brought Psi-punk to run, but I also had a chance to play some board games and a couple … Continue reading →

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Gamestorm 15 Day Two: The Long Haul

  By Jacob Wood • March 27, 2013
This entry is part 2 of 6 in the seriesGamestorm 15

This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series Gamestorm 15

Introduction

There are plenty of people who attend gaming conventions from the first hour to the last and do so on very little sleep. I used to be one of those people, but my own time commitments, aging body, and change of priorities has changed all of that. To me, a 15-hour day at a gaming convention is considered long by my current standards, and that’s just what Saturday was at Gamestorm this year.

I only had one game on my schedule: a Pathfinder Society adventure called “Day of the Demon.” After that, my plan was to meet up with a friend and spend the rest of the day hanging out and playing whatever random games we could put together.

Pathfinder Society – 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

If you’re not … Continue reading →

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Castle Panic First Impressions

  By Jacob Wood • March 27, 2013
This entry is part 3 of 6 in the seriesGamestorm 15

This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series Gamestorm 15

Castle Panic Box Art

Game Info

Publisher: Fireside Games

Year Published: 2009

Number of Players: 1 to 6

Play Time: 60 minutes

Set-up Time: 5 to 10 minutes

Learning Curve: Low

Ages: Rated 10 and up

Table Size: Medium

Introduction

Ever since I first saw Castle Panic on Wil Wheaton’s TableTop, I have had a hankering to give it a try. I love co-op games and fantasy themes, so this seemed like a great mixture of the two. Finally I got a chance to give it a test spin at this year’s annual Gamestorm convention, and I certainly was … Continue reading →

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Pirate’s Cove by Days of Wonder: First Impressions

  By Jacob Wood • April 12, 2013
This entry is part 4 of 6 in the seriesGamestorm 15

This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series Gamestorm 15

Pirate's Cove Box Art

Game Info

Publisher: Days of Wonder

Year Published: 2002

Number of Players: 3 to 5

Play Time: 90 minutes

Set-up Time: 5 minutes

Learning Curve: Low

Ages: Rated 8 and up

Table Size: Medium to Large

Introduction

At this year’s Gamestorm 15 convention, I had the opportunity to play Pirat’es Cove, a game about stealing treasure, killing pirates, and bragging about it at the tavern. Though I only got to play it once, I found the experience very enjoyable and this game is now near the top of my wish list. What makes it so fun? I’m glad you asked.

Game Description

BoardGameGeek has a pretty thorough description of Pirate’s Cove:

Come aboard and … Continue reading →

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Ra by Rio Grande Games: First Impressions

  By Jacob Wood • April 15, 2013
This entry is part 5 of 6 in the seriesGamestorm 15

This entry is part 5 of 6 in the series Gamestorm 15

Ra Box Art

Game Info

Publisher: Rio Grande Games

Year Published: 1999 (original German language version), 2009 (3rd Edition, now with 2-5 players option)

Number of Players: 2 to 5

Play Time: 60 minutes

Set-up Time: 5 minutes

Learning Curve: Low to Medium

Ages: Rated 12 and up

Table Size: Medium to Large

Introduction

Ra was the last of three board games I had a chance to play on Saturday of Gamestorm 15. By the time this game came out it was about 9:30 at night and we were all getting pretty tired, so Ra made a nice choice — it’s a fairly simple game that is easy to learn, but apparently difficult to master. The core … Continue reading →

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Gamestorm 15: Day Three

  By Jacob Wood • March 30, 2013
This entry is part 6 of 6 in the seriesGamestorm 15

This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series Gamestorm 15

Introduction

Day 3 of Gamestorm was a little less eventful than Saturday, day 2, but I still had a lot of fun. I showed up around 7:45 and was ready to go for whatever 8 a.m. game of Pathfinder I could get involved with. It didn’t take long before I was assigned to a table that wasn’t full of players, and I sat down and got ready to play.

Rise of the Goblin Guild

My first PFS game on Sunday was Rise of the Goblin Guild. I was the only person at the table with a character high enough level to play above 2nd level, so instead of bringing my 4th-level Sheriff along I pulled out my 2nd-level Flowing Monk instead. If you’re not familiar with Pathfinder, Flowing Monks are sort of Continue reading →