I’LL BE HONEST, I WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE IT TO GENCON THIS YEAR ANYWAY. Moving to a new position made taking an extra non-family vacation dicey so I passed. Of course, it doesn’t matter now since COVID-19 changed everything. As a result, GenCon 2020 was held online and in homes this year. The RockyMountainNavy household did our part.
Plays
Here are the games played this GenCon 2020:
- Scythe (Stonemaier Games, 2016): Friday night we picked up on our Scythe: The Rise of Fenris (2018) campaign playing Episode 4. We used the Scythe: Invaders from Afar (2018) and Scythe: Encounters (2018) expansions. Sunday night we continued with Episode 5, which unveiled [REDACTED]. I continue to be impressed how The Rise of Fenris campaign introduces new modular expansions that will be playable in any game going forward. Rather than just “open a box of options” the campaign introduces them gradually and provides a ‘reason’ for the new options to exist in the game universe. Brilliant marketing technique!
- Here to Slay (Unstable Unicorns, 2020): This game already is officially the most-played game this year in the RockyMountainNavy hacienda and it shows no signs of slowing down. We are so familiar with the rules and speedy that the game takes no more than 20 minutes to play – a great filler before dinner or while waiting for something.
- Wing Leader: Origins 1936-1942 (GMT Games, 2020): Played solo through Scenario O05 “Operation Zet” which depicts Nationalist Chinese flying I-16s’, I-15’s and Hawk III’s defending against a Japanese raid of G3M2 bombers escorted by A5M4 fighters. Takes place over Wuhan, China. Somewhat fitting in these days of coronavirus….(Note: I actually played it three times with the third play forming the basis for a long AAR).
- Rhode Island (GMT Games, 2020): New arrival this weekend. Spent some time sorting and trimming the counters before pushing the cardboard around. I really enjoy the Battles of the American Revolution Series and this one doesn’t disappoint delivering insight into a lesser known (Battle of Rhode Island) and even a hypothetical one (Battle of Newport).
Purchases
There were more than a few deals online for games so I took advantage of a few:
- Dragomino (Blue Orange Games, 2020): Marketed as “My first Kingdomino,” this was purchased as a future present for a young (should be) gamer that Mrs. RMN teaches. I purchased it based on the Blue Orange website and only later did I check some reviews. I made the mistake of watching Tom Vassel from The Dicetower Reviews; he rated it “Kid Approved” but his condescending tone of voice throughout the segment was extremely grating. I’ve said it before that I’m done with Dicetower and their snobbish elitism. I forgot and was punished accordingly.
- Quartermaster General: The Cold War (PSC Games, 2018): Been looking for this for awhile as it supposedly plays real well with three-players (our usual family gaming configuration). Game Surplus had it on a nice discount so jumped at it.
- Kingdomino (Blue Orange Games): OK, I bought this early in the week but it was such a good deal I couldn’t pass it up. Apparently Target put their ‘Target Exclusive Edition’ which is the base Kingdomino game plus the tile tower on sale. I was tipped off by a BGG forum and confirmed with BrickSeek.com. Showed one in area but when we went to the store it was marked only 30% off. Double checked the price and confirmed it actually was $6.88. Instant present purchase!
What was your GenCon 2020 experience?
Feature image courtesy gencon.com
Rocky Mountain Navy Gamer 
It was gaming with the Armchair Dragoons, instead! 😀