Tag Archives: conventions

Let Slip the GMs of War!

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We come not to praise Carnage, but to perpetuate it! As mud season recedes into memory, let’s look ahead to the fall, and this year’s Carnage on the Mountain. And in particular, let’s look to what our hearty GMs have up their sleeves after a winter of scheming. Board games, card tourney formats, miniatures scenarios, role-playing adventures, we want them all!

GMs, you will find the now familiar sign up form available for your input through the adjacent link, as well as in the menu bar at the top of the site. Take the summer, think it over. But we want your game listings in by the end of July, as always, so we can have the book in conventioneers’ hands as soon as possible.

Ave Carnage!

Carnage on the Mountain 2013 Addendum

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To err is human. While we try as hard as we can, errors still slip through when compiling games for the convention book. This afternoon we published an updated convention book with key corrections to the fantasy miniatures section. Please use the updated version, named 2013_Carnage_Booklet_For_Web_10-08.pdf, for your registration.

Additionally, the web addendum is live. You will find a link in the Convention Book menu of the navigation bar. This is a living document of further clarifications, additions and cancellations. Keep an eye on it in the coming days for further offerings at Carnage on the Mountain.

We thank our friends, GMs and conventioneers alike, for their patience as we reconcile our perceptions with reality.

Carnagecast 48: Council of 5 Nations XXXVI

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Carnagecast logo.In episode 48 of Carnagecast, Dave Cheng of the Schenectady Wargamers Association gives the scoop on Council of 5 Nations XXXVI, held October 11-13, 2013 in Schenectady, New York. This year, the Council convention space and event listings have expanded by over 50%, so there’s to play and more room in which to do so than ever before in this convention’s history, especially Pathfinder Society. Wargames now boast their own room in 2013 for that more casual pick up and play feel, in the style of Carnage’s own wargame room. Other offerings make for a nice balance of board games, miniatures and role-playing games. Check the event listings, linked below, for details, including suggested maturity ratings to help steer younger players in the right direction.

Council offers three weekend-long events: its traditional Starfleet Battles tourney; Conquest of Heroes with the special tourney prize of the Guadalcanal expansion, fresh from the factory; and Battleground Fantasy Warfare.

This year’s dealers room at Council of 5 Nations includes game demonstrations, dice-blessing services and a cupcake artist in addition to the usual game purchasing options.

The Council of 5 Nations website includes suggestions for parking and accommodations, along with the preregistration packet and event listings. Check out the links behind the jump for more information. Get your prereg form in by October 7th to secure your seat at the table! Continue reading →

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:26 — 46.8MB)

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Carnagecast 45: Board Games at Carnage on the Mountain

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Carnagecast logo.In episode 45 of Carnagecast, board game field marshal Rod Sheldon returns to talk about what we’ve been up to this summer. Triple Play’s hosting a lot organized board game play lately. There’s a Twilight Struggle league and a series of board game challenge tourneys, in which contestants play a variety of games and accrue points to win the title at the end of the season. Tyler’s keeping on with his Pathfinder group’s Carrion Crown campaign and delving into the Android: Netrunner and Call of Cthulhu living card games, plus the online play client Lackey.

Rod pulls the curtain back on this year’s board game offerings at Carnage on the Mountain in Killington, which number more than any Carnage convention to date. T’zolkin: the Mayan Calendar? Castle Burgundy? OGRE 6th Edition? Multiple sessions of A Game of Thrones and Battlestar Galactica, leavened with a variety of expansions? Live action RoboRally and Forbidden Island? Yeah, we got all those. Listen in to the episode for more details on those, the war game room and more.

Go behind the cut for show links and to leave your thoughts about what you’re looking forward to playing at Carnage this year. Continue reading →

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:09 — 33.1MB)

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GM Submissions Deadline for Carnage on the Mountain Draws Near

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calendar_clip_artThe summer is just flying by! We’re coming to the close of the submission period for GMs to run games. If you’re still on the fence or have put off getting your games in to the field marshals, now is the time to act! If the universe holds you up and you can’t send your games in until after the 27th, we’ll do our best to make it all fit in the book, but there are no guarantees.

After July 27th, the Carnage staff sifts and schedules all the games our GMs sent to create a weekend of programming that lets people sample new games and enjoy their favorites as much as possible. Then the convention book is laid out, proofread, printed and mailed off to the Carnage community. After that, new submissions are added to the web addendum. So you can see that to reach the most eyeballs, GMs want their games in the printed and electronic versions of the book.

Come one, come all to Carnage on the Mountain! You’ll find the GM sign-up form eager to accept your tasty information.

Carnagecast 44: Running Role-Playing Games at Conventions

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Carnagecast logo.

In episode 44 of Carnagecast, Joe makes his return appearance to the show to talk about the finer points of running role-playing games within the parameters of a tabletop gaming convention. The constraints and advantages of fitting a role-playing adventure within the schedule of a gaming convention create a unique landscape for a GM and players to play out an adventure.

Joe discusses how these constraints shape the pacing and structure of the game, forcing GMs to be both concise and creative in their storytelling, while still ensuring that players have enough room to make meaningful choices and feel fully immersed in the world.

One key point Joe brings up is how the limited time frame pushes GMs to condense the core elements of their adventure into a few hours, leaving no room for long-winded exposition or slow character development. As a result, GMs must master the art of prioritizing the most engaging and essential aspects of the narrative, while keeping players on track without making them feel rushed. However, Joe also highlights the advantages of this format, such as the heightened sense of urgency and excitement that comes with a time-constrained game, which often leads to a more intense and memorable experience. Furthermore, the shared environment of a gaming convention brings together diverse groups of players, offering a unique opportunity for GMs to run games for people with a wide range of play styles and backgrounds, adding another layer of unpredictability and excitement to the adventure.

After 13 years, Joe’s clearly enjoying his time as a convention GM. We wrap up talking about what’s rewarding about the convention game format. And maybe, just maybe, he’ll one day earn enough money from investing in forex brokers uk to buy his dream vacation home by the coast. They can also start saving for kids security and have a junior savings estimator that helps them set realistic financial goals. This tool can assist parents in understanding how much to save each month to ensure their children have a secure financial future. What aspirations do you hold as a GM? Leave your comments behind the jump, and peruse the show notes while you’re there.

Continue reading →

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:37 — 51.5MB)

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Carnagecast 40: Gygax Magazine and Gary Con

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Carnagecast logo.In episode 40 of Carnagecast, James Carpio, games editor of Gygax magazine, joins us to talk about the launch of the periodical, the process of assembling a magazine’s worth of content and finding the balance in the old and new schools of role-playing. He also shares some of his trip this past March to Gary Con, an annual gaming convention held in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in memory of Gary Gygax, one of the progenitors of role-playing games.

Through all of James’ endeavors — designing games, publishing content, running games at conventions, putting on conventions and more — there runs the common thread of the positive influence games can have on people’s lives as a social outlet. Continue reading →

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:46 — 49.3MB)

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Download the 2012 Carnage Noir Convention Book

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Carnage Noir book cover.

Click to download the convention book.

Note: this is the 2012 convention book! For the current year’s convention book, which traditionally publishes in early fall, visit the news page.

All right, you mugs. The big score’s less than two months away. It’s a three day job and I don’t want anything to go wrong. So we’ve got it all planned out, see? Right here in these pages is how the whole weekend goes down.

You can now download the Carnage Noir convention book, along with a preregistration form and a schedule grid in variety of formats to assist in planning out your greatest gaming weekend since Carnage in Wonderland.

These documents reflect the schedule as it stood at the time of printing. For updates, alterations, amendments and new arrivals, check the Convention Book Addendum regularly.

  • Carnage Noir Convention Book [PDF, 890kb]
  • Carnage Noir Pre-reg Form [PDF, 17kb]
  • Carnage Noir Schedule Grid [PDF, 60kb]
  • Carnage Noir Schedule Grid [ODS, 31kb]
  • Carnage Noir Schedule Grid [XLSX, 13kb]

Carnagecast 33: Council of 5 Nations XXXV

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In episode thirty-three of Carnagecast, Dave Cheng of the Schenectady Wargamers Association brings news of Council of 5 Nations XXXV, coming up this October 5-7 at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, New York.

Historical miniatures are a showcase of gaming and craft at Council. Among other miniatures is a stellar Starfleet Battles tournament that outdraws Origins and attendant player base that welcomes newcomers and lapsed captains. Further gaming tracks include Boardgamegeek Top 35, train games, living campaigns from Pathfinder and the RPGA and games friendly and/or intended for younger players.

Council of 5 Nations boasts a friendly, welcoming group of conventioneers for newcomers looking to sample the convention scene or get their preferred flavor of gaming. Continue reading →

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:25 — 26.2MB)

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Carnagecast 24: David Cheng of the Schenectady Wargamers Association and Endeavor

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In episode 24 of Carnagecast, we catch up to David Cheng, then still basking in the hubbub of Carnage in Wonderland. David recaps his weekend spent participating in DipCon 2011, then tells us about the Schenectady Wargamers Association and their many events through the year, especially Council of 5 Nations, held every October in Schenectady, New York.

For Autopsy of a Game, Chuck, Robert and Rod gather round the table to talk about Endeavor, a semi-abstract colonization title from Z-Man Games in which players establish trade routes to other parts of the globe to build up the non-specific European powers they each represent. Robert makes no bones about his love for Endeavor as he frequently — though not today — puts the question: “Endeavor: great game or greatest game?” While initially enjoying it, Chuck found the appeal wore off as the dominant strategies emerged from repeated plays. Robert counters that the random mix makes it a game of opportunity. Continue reading →

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:50 — 21.7MB)

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