Hey Everyone,

Welcome to the Kickstarter Update, GenCon Edition! I had an amazing time this year, played a lot of great games and met a ton of awesome people. Now that I've had a chance to recover and collect my thoughts, here are some highlights from the weekend.

The Highlight of the Trip

The Secret Cabal's Listener Event

I'll start with Saturday night because this was the highlight for me. I spent most of the night at the Secret Cabal Listener Event at Tow Yard Brewing. The event was just off the charts fun. Everyone was super-nice and having a good time and the Secret Cabal's special Full Froth Ale was flowing like water. I met many new friends and had an amazing time. Kudos to Jamie, Chris and Tony for putting on such an awesome event.

On to the Games!

So games-wise, GenCon didn't disappoint either. We played a ton of games, some that are available for purchase now and some that are coming soon (and one that is coming not so soon!).

Games I played and liked

• Edge of Humanity (wish there were more cards)
• Aeon's End: War Eternal (same great game, even better art)
• Triplock (puzzle-y memory/deduction game. probably best solo)
• 10' To Kill (solid, quick deduction game)
• Photosynthesis (awesome game, surprise hit of the Con)
• Seikatsu (beautiful, light abstract game)

Upcoming Games I'm Excited About

Rising Sun

We lucked into a full play of Rising Sun thanks to Tim from ToTheTable. He and his buddies, Mike and Jim graciously let us join their game. I've been a bit apprehensive about Rising Sun and wasn't sure how I was going to like it. I'm a big Blood Rage fan, but I wasn't sure how I felt about the alliance mechanic in this game.

Well, after a full playthrough, my fears are completely squashed and I cannot wait to play this game again. The mechanics were tight and deep and the action was fast and fluid. My only remaining concern is with the asymmetrical powers, which I loved, but have the potential to guide the player's strategy too much. I'll have to see how that works out in future plays.

Of course, components-wise, Rising Sun is top-notch. The board is beautiful, iconography on the board and cards is clear and the minis are gorgeous. I've already said it, but I can't wait to play this one again!

Feudum

So I lucked out a bit getting a crack at Rising Sun, that was a bit unexpected. But the one game I wanted to make absolutely sure I demoed at the Con was Feudum by Odd Bird Games. We played the (masterfully) scripted demo at the Odd Bird Games booth and I really liked what I saw. At first blush, I would say Feudum is a medium-heavy weight game with lots of interesting choices and paths to victory, and an awesomely unique style.

Giga-Robo!

The other game I was very excited to demo was Giga-Robo! from Cardboard Dynamo. In this game, players customize their team by choosing a Giant Robot and a Pilot, each with their own set of cards, and then slot in upgrades to customize everything to the player's play style.

Players play cards from their hands, maneuvering and attacking their opponent, responding to attacks, chaining together combos, and throwing each other through buildings. This was super-fun, my match took about 30 mins (with teaching), came right down to the wire and there was a sense of urgency throughout. The artwork is excellent and the minis look absolutely amazing. The rules were a lot to digest in a quick play session at a con, so I'm hoping they don't get in the way of enjoying the fast action once I get my hands on the game.

That's it for now. There are so many other games I'm so excited about, but these were the highlights for me. Let me know what your favorite part of the con was!

PS: I'll leave you with our view of the costume parade on Saturday!