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I have been playing in a Tunnels and Trolls Play-By-Email game for a couple years now. It is great fun. Tunnels and Trolls was the originator of remote play and solo play. They started with "Play-By-Mail" and then "Play-By-Fax" and now "Play-By-Email". While nothing quite beats the enjoyment of sitting around a table, eating pizza and chips, rolling dice, and getting sidetracked by Monty Python, Princess Bride, and Star Wars quotes, PBEM is nice when you cannot achieve the "round the table" option. The problem as gamers get older is their communities spread out, jobs change, people move, and schedules get hectic. Fantasy Grounds (and other Virtual Tabletops) helps people play with their school buddies (college or earlier) but scheduling can still be a bit hectic. PBEM solves that nicely. It is a cheap thing to try and see if it works for you and your gaming friends.
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Yes, believe it or not, planning for GenCon 2018 has already begun when it comes to events and activities. Actually, some companies are likely even farther ahead than October 1 when it comes to these things. I'm sure Paizo probably has the "End of the Year/Start of New Year" Pathfinder Society events for 2019 squared away. But for those of us who don't drink the d20 Kool-Aid very well, October 1 is a good day to start. I currently have seven events planned, spanning three gaming systems. If you followed what I ran last year, the 2018 calendar looks very similar to the 2017 calendar, although the quantities within game systems are changing. In any case, this is also a good time to mention things like, "Book your hotel rooms before the hotels go stupid, and start saving money to budget for flights and shopping shenanigans.
I'm looking forward to next year's hidden gem, much like this year's hidden gem for me was All Rolled Up - a nice little company out of the UK that makes some great gaming supplies.
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Like most people, I read reviews of products before I buy them. Generally I also look for games/products/restaurants with 4 or more "stars" or "mostly positive" ratings. But even then, it helps to scour through the reviews. For instance, recently a game was released on Steam that I had been watching in Early Access for a while. It was not that expensive, less than $10. I was thinking about taking the plunge, it seemed to have everything I was looking for in a quick "pick up and put down" game. But I skimmed through the reviews, and found that I needed to give it a pass. Mostly because I gleaned a few items from the positive and negative reviews that told me I would be unhappy with the game and likely not play it much. There are specific things in both positive and negative reviews that never show up in the game information from the developer. Sometimes it seems innocuous, but sometimes it is important. For instance, unlisted requirements like, "Requires a third party account" or "Requires Internet Access to run" are big things for me. Really, I shouldn't need to log into a developer's server to get my account or even play a game I have paid for.
Anyway, always read the label is the morale of this story.
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There is a slick little turn-based miniatures+cards turn based game that came out recently on Steam. I guess "left Early Access" is the appropriate designation. It has an interesting card based mechanic, multiplayer, survival, and single player modes, and works quite nicely for the Warhammer 40k Universe, specifically the Space Wolves chapter. Unlike certain other Warhammer 40k titles released this year, this one is fun, has a good story, and really enjoyable at a fraction of the price of certain other games. Check it out and see if it is something of interest to you.
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The long awaited fighters, bombers, and carriers have made their way to Endless Space 2 with the recent patch. Of all the 4X space games out there, Endless Space 2 is the rock star. While I would like a nice turn-based combat system like the old MOO and MOO2, I can't have everything in a game it seems. The only other game that takes my fancy like Endless Space 2 is the indie hit Stars in Shadow. Stars in Shadow has one failing, I generally play 4X games on my Mac and it does not have a Mac port. In any case, if you get a chance to grab Endless Space 2 on sale (like it is currently) or during any of the multitude of upcoming Steam Sales, it is well worth every penny.
Bombs Away!
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