t.

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The game was just recently announce so there aren't many details, but one of the most interesting aspects is the ability to create and share your own levels. Neverwinter will feature adventure creation tools that should open up tons of options for the community to create some very interesting adventures.

I'm looking forward to hearing more about this game and if you would like to read more visit the website or sign up for their Facebook page to get updates about the game.

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If you are the type of person who likes a glimpse behind the scenes at how things are made, then you will enjoying reading the designer's commentary along with a preview look at the Castle Ravenloft rules book. Read the commentary here.

I am very excited about playing this board game and have already pre-ordered it over at Amazon.com and will post a full review once it is released.

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Dave and myself left 5am on Thursday and arrived at 9:30 am in Indy (time change so a 3 hour trip took 4). First up we found a parking space close by with no need to hunt one down. In previous years I spent a solid half hour looking for a space. This time, boom, we found one right off the bat. Awesome, then we get in and receive our swag bag. In years previous the bag had tons of coupons, trading cards, dice, minis, and even full games. This year it came with the 2010 Gencon die, a tiny dice bag, and not much else. Some people did not even get the die in theirs. I made my way around the hall, ran into a few friends, and knocked out most of my purchases.

Unlike previous years video games did not dominate the hall and it contained all manner of companies. You had your old grognards like Flying Buffalo as well as those fly by night companies you hear about, but then fall of the face of the earth, and then those that dominate. The Wyrd booth had a bigger line than Privateer Press. WotC was back in full force with the entire Sagamore filled with D&D. Unlike last years Con Delve that cost 2 bucks for an hour and allowed you to win cool tokens, minis, or a dice bag, the Delve this year allowed you to win stamps on a card and turn it in for absolute crap, oh and they doubled the price. I only did a few this year due to the wait and cost.

I took in a few speed painting events and then sat down to a painting class taught by Vaolla. While she is not up to the standards of some of the other names teaching classes, I will say that in retrospect she had the most  professionally run and organized class among those I took. I look forward to her teaching more next year as I will sign up again. I was able to pick up some techniques that I plan to use in the future.

Friday had me taking part in the Anima Tactics National Tournament which I won, but due to miscommunication with my opponent it was a Pyrrhic Victory as he made some mistakes that cost him the game. I did however win a mini that will not be sold for another 6 months and he won 50 bucks for best sportsmanship. I still tired to buy him a mini to make up for it. Played a few more Delves and went home to sleep.

A note about the delves, they used the new Essentials characters. Having seen them in action they are simple to use, and awesome. While the fighter no longer marks he does hit for +9 vs. AC at first level for 1d10+10, that we call Striker damage! The wizard was pretty fun if you do not mind rolling dice.

Saturday had me playing Malifaux….all day. I took 3rd place and best painted. Score for me! It was run by the newest employee of Wyrd Drew Little, who ran numerous events at Games Plus and he is a consummate professional and runs an awesome event. Thanks Drew should you ever read this.

Saw numerous costumes. The con babes were out in force this year and looking great doing it. Picked up a few games and another painting video. Oh I got to see the cast of the Guild and Felcia day is that hot in person!

Sunday, was a sad day, the last day. I took two painting classes taught by two of the bigger names in the industry. For all their accolades, I found their classes to be a complete disappointment. I did not get much info out of them and very little hands on help (which is funny because the largest class had 5 people!). I was not able to find any deals and they did give away the remaining grab bags…all missing dice. Drove home and now I write this report. I plan to add more details and describe the offerings the the booth but for now I am exhausted. Until then…I’ll be in my bunk.

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Check it out on their website.

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Zombie Dice

Is a very simple dice rolling game by Steve Jackson Games that has you running around as a zombie trying to eat as many brains as you can until you get blown away by a shotgun. The dice have three pictures: brains, shotgun blasts and runners. You bank brains and re-roll runners all before you get three shotgun blasts.

The game is short, fun and brainless (well lots of brains, just easy to play). It is a great filler game to play in between rounds of other longer games or before you start and everyone is still arriving. It is so easy even my younger kids picked it up easy and had fun playing.

Available Here: Amazon.com

Ninja Burger

Image via Wikipedia

Is another Steve Jackson game that puts you in the shoes of a ninja that stealthily delivers fast food burgers. You are given missions and must accomplish them by making various dice rolls using "ninja" type skills, such as disguise, climbing, and combat. Every game is jam pack with hilarious situations and every ninja has strengths and weaknesses. It has a similar feel to the Munchkin games (which is a good thing).

I really enjoyed this game and had lots of fun using my ninja skills to deliver the delicious Ninja Burger. It is a medium length game that takes about 45min to an hour to play. Every game is different because there are many different ninjas to choose from and you gain fortunes to help in various ways. The missions are varied and will make you laugh out loud. I am definitely looking forward to the next chance I get to play this game.

Available from Amazon along with an expansion, sequel, and even an RPG. Check out the video on YouTube.

Wits and Wagers

Wits and Wagers is a game by North Star Games that combines trivia and gambling. Everyone answers a ridiculously hard trivia question and then bets chips on which they think is closest without going over. You win chips based on the odds and if your answer was closest.

I first played this game with the creators at Gen Con a couple years ago as well as played the game on the Xbox 360 and it has continued to be a family favorite. The questions are so diverse and difficult, it doesn't really mater how smart you are at answering the questions, but more on how good you are on your bets. You will get wild answers that make you laugh and everyone will have a good time playing.

Available on Amazon along with an expansion and family version.

What games have you played recently that you recommend or even a game you have heard good things about? Post below.

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Phye finds herself walking alone down a dark corridor as the earth begins to violently shake and rumble. Chunks of earth and rock thrust up to grab her body, encasing her in an earthen tomb of darkness. She suddenly snaps awake not realizing she had nodded off during their short rest after the battle with the undead. It seems her mind has been filled with some sort of psychic echoes of an unknown source, just like Shikkir mentioned he experienced  during their rest in the cave. What forces are at work in this place?

The team presses onward, finding that the natural cave formation is slowly showing more signs of being worked, tunnels seem to have been widened, slopes have crude steps carved into them, and there seem to be more signs of previous adventurers.

As they come around a corner, they are astonished to find a room covered in a thick growth of  crystals, flickering brilliantly with purple light as their torchlight throws dancing pattern across the room.

Yuka walks forward to investigate what look like the remains of an adventuring party, but as he nears the bodies he once again feels an evil necrotic energy surrounding them, even as the bones of the fallen reanimate into decrepit skeletons. Purple necrotic energy fills ancient abandoned gauntlets as they take on a life of their own and begin skittering around the floor.

Uneased by the grotesque scene, Yuka attempts an awkward swing at the rising monstrosities, but is too off kilter to land a hit.

Meanwhile the rest of the group watches this unfold from the entrance and doesn't notice that a large crystal seems to be creeping across the ceiling. Suddenly dropping right in front of them, the creature reveals itself to be a large spider made of the very crystals growing in this room. The torchlight reflects and glints in the spider's body and seems to grow brighter and brighter until the energy is released and bursts forth from the spider's body. Shikkir, Barcan, Phye and Castri all stumble back, blinded by the brilliance. They each in turn try to swing wildly and destroy this crystal spider, but they all miss their mark. Castri manages to smash some crystals on the wall, releasing a swirling mass of psychic energy that glows eerily around his weapons.

Yuka manages to regain his composure as he takes a mighty swing at one of the skeletons and critically smashes it into nothing but dust and bone splinters. On the ground below him, a couple of the animated gauntlets leap onto him grabbing and clawing. They manage to inflict several wounds and overwhelm him enough to preventing him from moving from his spot.

The spider takes advantage of his prey being blind and sinks his crystal fangs into Barcan.  Leaving it's victim racked by the pains of poison seeping into his system, the spider deftly hides itself within the crystals cluttering the back of the cavern.

The party's eyes finally clear and they rush forward destroying gauntlets and skeletons. The monsters seem to be dying easy enough but are attacking viciously, wounding several party members. Barcan lights up the cavern with a brilliant spell and calls down a blazing starfall of energy that shreds through several of the animated gauntlets and clearly illuminates the crystal spider lurking in its web toward the back of the cave. Yuka having been freed of the gauntlet, charges toward the spider, not noticing the razor sharp crystalline webbing along the floor and slices up his legs profusely.

Its prey refusing to die, the spider crawls across the ceiling and drops down behind Phye and Castri, blasting them with another blinding barrage of light. Both stumble back again, this time into the razor sharp web that just cut down Yuka.

Regrouping their efforts, Shikkir and Castri are able to take down the spider and Barcan finishes off the remaining skeletons with another blazing starfall.

Yuka discovers a piece of armor encased in a large crystal that seems to be the origin spot for these crystal growths. Breaking it out, it pulses with a magical energy. Perhaps this was the source of this strange chamber. Meanwhile Barcan and Castri discover a hole partially covered by the spider's webs that seems to drop down to a further chamber.

Too be continued next week....