Gencon and NOVA Open

Having put Adepticon behind me (and that was hell, because I took ill at the con), I've got two major cons coming up. You might have already guessed what they are by the post's title. Of the two, only NOVA is 40k related exclusively, but let me take a chance to sing the praises of Gencon for the hardcore miniatures player.

First of all, Fantasy Flight is there in force. I've signed up for sessions of Chaos in the Old World, and I'm looking forward to them immensely. And let me state, unreservedly, that CitOW is one of my favorite games, so much so, that I'm bringing it to NOVA to unwind from the massive amounts of 40k I'll be playing that weekend. Being a 40k player, what's not to love about being one of the four gods to destroy the world of square base heresy? Fantasy Flight will have that, and their multiple GW based games out to play, including RPG products. You'll see the GW universe from a different angle, refreshing your game play.

Secondly, Privateer Press always makes a huge splash. Yes, I'm not -technically- a PP player, but I already have two factions from my Adepticon swag bag, Khador and Legion. As much as I feel like I'm cheating on my wife (GW) by considering playing these systems, you have to admire PP for getting right everything that GW is getting wrong. For instance, they're at Gencon, playing demos, building relationships, and generating goodwill. Their system is solid, the rules are tight, and the models are always interesting.

You also have Wyrd Miniatures, makers of Malifaux, and, if you're a pure painter, Dark Sword Miniatures produces great work, with the Game of Thrones and Masterworks miniatures. I mean, look at this thing:

That's incredible. And the lion is sculpted on. Seriously. Tom Meier is a genius. This mini was on display there last year, and the picture doesn't do it justice. Cool Mini is also there as well, with all of their bizarre and painterly miniatures there for you to peruse. Battlefoam is as well, so you can cart your ill gotten gains back home. And that's perhaps 1% of what's there. I even played a cyberpunk Cthulhu game last year. If it's possible to play, it's possible to find it there. If you go with an open mind, you'll be rewarded, I assure you.