Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Kansai Games Convention Sept 20-22nd, 2009 Update



Pictured: A variant map for Axis and Allies


First of all we'd like to confirm the dates as September 20-22 (Sunday
-Tuesday). We've had some replies so far and it looks like it's going to be a
pretty good turnout.

At the moment we have plans for A D&D 4ed game on the Monday that Rob has kindly
agreed to run. He's an RPGA reg'd DM so if enough players wish it can be run as
an RPGA game. We are also hoping to run it at least twice to give more people a
chance to try it out. If you want to be part of this let us know ASAP

I'm looking for someone to run Call of Cthulhu as well as I have no doubt there
will be enough interest from players. Is anyone interested in running this?

Miguel is going to be here with his Warhammer 40K so anybody that wants to try
it out or anyone that has their own army please let us know ASAP. Also if people
would like to try out D&D Minis I have started sorting out my inventory and will
have some squads ready to go.

We're quite keen to set up some big games such as BSG, Descent, Arkham Horror
etc. this is dependant on copies of these games being available.

Let us know if you're thinking of attending and what days, Also let us know what
games you're bringing/interested in trying.

Ryan and Linda

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Announcing JIGG Table Games

JIGG Table Games is a new branch of JIGG for table sports games of all kinds.
Some examples are: air hockey, foosball, subbuteo table soccer, electric football
and table hockey or (rod hockey), to name a few.

Here is the Link:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/JIGG-Table-Games/

We will be having some tournaments of different games here and there, so join
the club and have fun.

Of course membership is free!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Kansai Games Convention Sept 20-22nd, 2009




We have decided to run a convention at our house in Moriguchi-shi, Osaka. We
have quite a big house, and it's less than 10 minutes walk from the nearest
station. We've run lots of games days, so thought it would be a good idea to
extend the fun.

The current plan is as follows:

September 20th (Sunday) to 22nd (Tuesday). This is the "Autumn Golden Week".

We will open up all 3 floors of the house, giving us potentially:
4 gaming rooms and 6 gaming tables.
A "widows and orphans" space for families.
A 3 station home network for those who want computer time.
A "FON" wireless hotspot.

Accommodation will be available. We have a sofa bed and plenty of floor/couch
space. We can comfortably accommodate about 10 people, more if necessary.

There'll be plenty of food and drink available - breakfast, snacks, dinner etc.
We are thinking of finishing with a barbecue on the Tuesday afternoon.

We may be able to arrange car-parking very close to our place, but would need
definite numbers of spaces required.

In the past, we've asked for 500 yen to help cover food costs on the day.
Obviously something of this scale will cost a bit more, but we're still working
on the figures. A lot depends on how many people are keen.

What we need now is an indication of how many would be interested in attending
the con, and what days you think you'd come/stay.

We also want to know if anybody is interested in running one-off RPGs, Warhammer
or other mini games, CCGs etc etc.

If there's enough interest in this, we'll put up a registration form later this
month.

Looking forward to getting your thoughts.

Ryan & Linda

Friday, August 7, 2009

KevCon: September 12th & 13th




KevCon fun starts on Saturday, September 12th and finishes at dinner time on
Sunday, September 13th.

Starts:

3PM on Saturday


Where:

Kevin`s House
Address: Iizawa 242-23 Minami Ashigara City, Kanagawa
Email: greatpowers at yahoo.com

What to bring?

Your shoes, games, beer to bribe Kevin (optional)
We have the house to ourselves for most of the day so we can
get a lot of game playing in and say four letter words eh! I love
4 letter words like: four, dice, damn!


There are a few beds available on a first come first served basis.
Email me if you want a bed. If not bring something to sleep on--sleeping
bag etc. We have a lot of room. We have a Canadian,
Victorian style home imported from Cloverdale,BC.


How to Get There from:

Tokyo, Fujisawa, Atsugi, Machida, Yokohama or Sakhalin:
Take the Odakyu Line to Odawara and be sure to get into one of the
first four train cars as the train splits. Take a Kyuko (express
train) it has red kanji on the side usually next to the door up top.
It takes about 90 minutes. Bring a good book!

Get off at Odawara Station and transfer to the Daiyuzan Line. Get off
at Daiyuzan Station, it takes 21 minutes from Odawara. Take the only
exit, walk straight out to the main street out in front and head left
down that street through the traffic lights (under the covered
pedestrian overpass). Over the bridge and you will see our green
roofed house with "Kevin`s English School" signs plastered all over
the place.

How to Get There:

From Shizuoka, Nagoya and other points South: Take the
Tokaido line or the Shinkansen and get off at Odawara. Transfer to
the Daiyuzan line and follow the directions above (for Tokyo).


**The Shinkansen also stops at Odawara. You take a Kodama Super
Express. It takes about 39 minutes from Tokyo. Costs a little over
3,000 Yen one way.


Take a break from the city and see some mountain views and breathe some fresh air.


Feel free to pass this on to interested people. Games of all kinds
welcome. Bring whatever you would like to play, chances are, others
will want to play it too. We have three guest beds and some futons.
Bring a sleeping bag if you`d like. It is a nice area as well.
A great break from wherever you live with a great bunch of people!


Kevin Burns
http://greatpowers1.googlepages.com/jigg%3Ajapan%60sinternationalgamersguild
http://www.jigg-greatpowers.blogspot.com

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Wii Sports Resort Video Game Could Be The Best Yet From Nintendo

by: Michael Spears




Wii Sports Resort video game begins high in the sky, with you hurtling through the clouds after leaping from the belly of a biplane.

You control your Mii character with a twist of your remote, linking hands with other earthward-bound Miis, grinning for the camera.

Below, an expanse of land appears; a glorious formation of lush green hills, trimmed with gorgeous golden beaches.

With the wind roaring in your ears, your parachute opens with the name of the game emblazoned on the canvas.

As you float towards Wuhu Island, a smile spreads as wide as the glistening blue ocean on the screen.

It's a look that, unless you are a rather stony-hearted individual, will stay plastered on your face for the majority of your time with Wii Sports Resort.

Related Articles

There are 12 different events, each with their own variations and difficulties.

Golf and bowling return from the original game and, while not ostensibly different, benefit from enhanced Motion Plus control.

Otherwise, there are ten brand new events to get your teeth into.

First on the menu is Swordplay, which undoubtedly acts as one of the game's more outward advertisements for Motion Plus.

The sword movement on screen tracks your gestures rather beautifully as you swing, thrust and twist your wooden blade.

Holding B braces your sword in a defensive position to block your opponent's strikes and a successful parry will give you your chance to counter attack.

There's nothing overly complicated about swordplay, but it's an instantly gratifying mode that shows off Motion Plus rather well.

It comes in three flavours too; Duel is a straight up one-on-one battle on a platform suspended over the sea, with the goal naturally being to bash your opponent over the edge.

Speed Slice requires you to swing your sword in a specified direction quickly to cut a selection of wacky objects -from giant pencils to boiled eggs- in two.

Showdown, meanwhile, pits you against a stream of enemies somewhere on Wuhu Island, with you only allowed to receive three hits.

While some mad waggling may get you past the first few levels, later on you have to start taking careful notice of your opponents and picking your blows.

Wakeboarding has you holding you remote horizontally as you take to the water, sweeping from side to side and flicking the remote up as your board hits the wave.

All you have to do is then deftly position yourself to land safely on the surf.

From there, it's a case of timing and momentum, your craft pulling you faster and the jumps becoming fancier as your Mii twirls high above the waves.

The other water sports are more mixed.

Power Cruising is one of few disappointments, with rather clumsy steering controls.

While canoeing is fairly hopeless in single player, but a hilarious free-for-all with friends.

It often leads to a room full of people frantically swinging their arms/paddle from side to side, desperately trying to keep their spiralling canoe under control.

The Frisbee events are another neat demo for Motion Plus, allowing you to throw to an impossibly cute dog on the golden beaches of the island, or play the ever popular Frisbee golf.

The former mode will eat up far more of your time than you'd reasonably expect.

Throwing a Frisbee in that perfect curve, slicing through a bonus balloon before your dog leaps to grab the disc in its teeth is incredibly satisfying and has that 'one more go' factor in abundance.

It's a similar story for the timed three-point basketball throws.

Another incredibly simple mode, it's the sensitivity of Motion Plus that brings it to life.

You think you're throwing in the same motion to drain that basket from different areas on the court, but it's that slight twist or turn of your wrist that means it cannons back off the rim.

You remain convinced you can throw a perfect game, so you come back again and again and again.

Archery is slightly more sedate.

Pulling back the nunchuk to tauten your bow is pleasantly tactile, and the challenge ramps up as you progress through the difficulties.

The targets increase in range and there are even some obstacles that start blocking the way.

Archery is fun enough, but only has the one mode variant.

Perhaps a rapid-fire mode would have been welcome here.

Cycling is possibly Resort's only out and out failure.

While barrelling around Wuhu Island on a mountain bike has its charms, the control mish-mash of shaking the remote and nunchuk to pedal while simultaneously titling them to steer is ungainly to say the least.

The Air Sports section, on the other hand, could have been expanded into a game of its own right.

Parachuting makes a welcome return from the game's opening, while dogfight is a fun, but ultimately throwaway, blast for two players.

Free flight, however, allows Nintendo to show you the beauty of Wuhu Island itself.

You take to the air, circling the island from above and searching out 'points of interest' to dive down and collect.

It's a wonderfully relaxing mode, allowing you to wind down after some serious time with the game's more exerting activities.

Chief of which is Resort's undoubted star of the show, table tennis.

Just as tennis and bowling in the original Wii Sports captured the imagination of so many, it's likely to be table tennis that will do the same for Resort and possibly even Motion Plus itself.

It's nothing more complex than one-on-one ping pong competition, but its implementation is nigh-on perfect.

It captures the movement of your bat beautifully, allowing you to slice and spin your shots with an unerring representation of real life.

Need more power? Swing your arm up and over the ball, adding vital topspin.

Curve your shot into the corner with a quick twist of the wrist on impact.

Slow down a rally by slicing a shot into the shallow of the table.

This is all done with nothing more than the deft movement of your arm.

Table tennis would be worth the trip to Resort on its own, it's fantastically fun and a terrific display of Motion Plus potential.

Being a Nintendo game, Resort is also cute as a button.

Wuhu Island is a glorious creation, drenched in gorgeous, bright primary colours.

And the implementation of the Mii Channel adds weird and wonderful creations to your game.

Have Miss Piggy and Batman pilot your wakeboarding craft, or play table tennis with Mr.

Burns from the Simpsons, it all adds an untouchable charm that keeps that grin spread wide.

There are complaints of course.

The lack of even the most bare bones online play will disappoint many, while some of the events are in desperate need of fleshing out.

Customisation, too, is non-existent.

Why, for example, can you not up the point limit in a game of table tennis?

These are genuine complaints, but criticising Resort can feel like scolding a playful puppy for having too much fun.

It's just an outrageously joyous game, beautifully crafted for nothing but simple pleasures.

But more than that, many of the events can feel like microcosms of potential for Motion Plus.

Imagine, for instance, transferring the swordplay and archery into a Zelda game? A mouth-watering prospect indeed.

Resort is perhaps not as industry shaking as its predecessor, but it comes at a time where many gamers have taken their camp.

You either like the Wii, or you don't, and there's very little middle ground.

Wii Sports Resort is an unashamed definition of its host console; simple, colourful, accessible to all, but with a hidden depth for those who wish to explore it.

It's unlikely to convert many that are lost to the Wii cause, but for those who have already embraced it, a trip to Wuhu Island will be some of the most fun you'll have all year


About The Author
Owner of the UK's premier website http://www.glimmers.co.uk for Nintendo Wii, Sony Playstation, and Microsoft Xbox games and accessories. We have created a number of websites selling the top video games and accessories for all the top brand names with our http://www.glimmers.co.uk one of the UK's top sites for all types of video games.

The author invites you to visit:
http://www.glimmers.co.uk

Friday, July 10, 2009

KevCon: July 25th & 26th, 2009 in Kanagawa

KevCon on July 25th and 26th
Starts: 3PM on Saturday
Where: Kevin`s House
Address: Iizawa 242-23 Minami Ashigara City, Kanagawa
Email: greatpowers@yahoo.com

What to bring?
Your shoes, games, beer to bribe Kevin (optional)
We have the house to ourselves for most of the day so we can
get a lot of game playing in and say four letter words eh! I love
4 letter words like: four, dice, damn!

There are a few beds available on a first come first served basis.
Email me if you want a bed. If not bring something to sleep on--sleeping
bag etc. We have a lot of room. We have a Canadian,
Victorian style home imported from Cloverdale,BC.


How to Get There from:
Tokyo, Fujisawa, Atsugi, Machida, Yokohama or Sakhalin:
Take the Odakyu Line to Odawara and be sure to get into one of the
first four train cars as the train splits. Take a Kyuko (express
train) it has red kanji on the side usually next to the door up top.
It takes about 90 minutes. Bring a good book!

Get off at Odawara Station and transfer to the Daiyuzan Line. Get off
at Daiyuzan Station, it takes 21 minutes from Odawara. Take the only
exit, walk straight out to the main street out in front and head left
down that street through the traffic lights (under the covered
pedestrian overpass). Over the bridge and you will see our green
roofed house with "Kevin`s English School" signs plastered all over
the place.

How to Get There:
From Shizuoka, Nagoya and other points South: Take the
Tokaido line or the Shinkansen and get off at Odawara. Transfer to
the Daiyuzan line and follow the directions above (for Tokyo).

**The Shinkansen also stops at Odawara. You take a Kodama Super
Express. It takes about 39 minutes from Tokyo. Costs a little over
3,000 Yen one way.

Take a break from the city and see some mountain views and breathe some fresh air.


Feel free to pass this on to interested people. Games of all kinds
welcome. Bring whatever you would like to play, chances are, others
will want to play it too. We have three guest beds and some futons.
Bring a sleeping bag if you`d like. It is a nice area as well.
A great break from wherever you live with a great bunch of people!

Kevin Burns
http://greatpowers1.googlepages.com/jigg%3Ajapan%60sinternationalgamersguild
http://www.jigg-greatpowers.blogspot.com

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Hat Releases New Figures

Greetings!
This is a preview of new items scheduled for release for late June/July
2009.

Summary:
8168 Andalusian Foot
8169 Bavarian Fusiliers
8179 Gatling Gun
8180 Gardner Gun
8187 Saxon Infantry
8204 Austrian Grenzer
8210 Colonial Artillery
8218 French Voltigeurs
8220 French Carabiniers
9211 1/32 Celt-Iberians
9212 1/32 Hannibal's Veterans
9302 1/32 French Voltigeurs
9305 1/32 French Command
28003 28mm French Voltigeurs
28009 28mm French Carabiniers

Details:

1) Period: El Cid
Product: #8168 Andalusian Infantry - 1/72 scale
Description - 96 figures per box
Packed - 60 boxes per shipping carton - sold in multiples or fractions of 60
Price D: Same as 8099 Russian Militia
Pictures-
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx8168HAN/Bx8168HANa.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Ahmed22P.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Beggs06P.html

2) Period: Napoleonics
Product: #8169 Napoleonic Bavarian Fusiliers - 1/72 scale
Description - 48 figures per box
Packed - 96 boxes per shipping carton - sold in multiples or fractions of 96
Price B: Same as 8023 War Elephant
Pictures-
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx8108PT/Bx8108PT.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Pardo28P.html

3) Period: Colonial Wars
Product: #8179 Gatling Gun - 1/72 scale
Description - 4 Gatlings plus crew per box
Packed - 96 boxes per shipping carton - sold in multiples or fractions of 96
Price C: Same as 8102 French Wurst Wagon
Pictures-
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx8179GAT/Bx8179GAT.html
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx8179GAT/Bx8179GATb.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Nuno56P.html

4) Period: Colonial Wars
Product: #8180 Gardner Gun - 1/72 scale
Description - 4 Gardners plus crew per box
Packed - 96 boxes per shipping carton - sold in multiples or fractions of 96
Price C: Same as 8102 French Wurst Wagon
Pictures:
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx8180NOR/Bx8180NOR.html
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx8180NOR/Bx8180NORb.html

5) Period: Napoleonics
Product: #8187 Napoleonic 1806 Saxon Infantry - 1/72 scale
Description - 96 figures per box
Packed - 60 boxes per shipping carton - sold in multiples or fractions of 60
Price D: Same as #8099 Russian Militia
Pictures-
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx8187SX/Bx8187SXa.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Ahmed16P.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Russell09P.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Russell10P.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Butterweck33P.html

6) Period: Napoleonics
Product: #8204 Austrian Grenzer - 1/72 scale
Description - 48 figures per box
Packed - 96 boxes per shipping carton - sold in multiples or fractions of 96
Price B: Same as 8023 War Elephant
Pictures-
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx8204GZ/Bx8204GZ.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Willers84P.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Butterweck30P.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Ahmed18P.html

7) Period: Colonial Wars
Product: 8210 Colonial Wars British Artillery - 1/72 scale
Description - 4 cannons plus crew per box
Packed - 96 boxes per shipping carton - sold in multiples or fractions of 96
Price C: Same as 8102 French Wurst Wagon
Pictures:
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx8210CAT/Bx8210CAT.html
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx8210CAT/Bx8210CATb.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Nuno55P.html

8) Period: Napoleonics
Product: #8218 French Voltigeurs - 1/72 scale
Description - 56 figures per box
Packed - 96 boxes per shipping carton - sold in multiples or fractions of 96
Price C: Same as 8102 French Wurst Wagon
Pictures-
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx8218FV/Bx8218FVa.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Butterweck40P.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Catterson18P.html

9) Period: Napoleonics
Product: #8220 French Carabiniers - 1/72 scale
Description - 56 figures per box
Packed - 96 boxes per shipping carton - sold in multiples or fractions of 96
Price C: Same as 8102 French Wurst Wagon
Pictures-
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx8220FCB/Bx8220FCBa.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Butterweck39P.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Catterson15P.html

10) Period: Punic Wars
Product: #9211 Celtiberian Warriors - 1/32 scale
Description - 16 figures per box
Price C: Same as 8102 French Wurst Wagon
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx9211CI/Bx9211CI.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Vlad50P.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/McDougall10P.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Morris11P.html

11) Period: Punic Wars
Product: #9212 Hannibal's Veterans - 1/32 scale
Description - 16 figures per box
Price C: Same as 8102 French Wurst Wagon
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx9212HV/Bx9212HV.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Morris10P.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Vlad52P.html

12) Period: Napoleonics
Product: #9302 French Voltigeurs - 1/32 scale
Description - 18 figures per box
Packed - 48 boxes per shipping carton - sold in multiples or fractions of 48
Price D: Same as Russian Militia
Pictures-
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx9302FV/Bx9302FVa.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/McDougall14P.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Tomp02P.html

13) Period: Napoleonics
Product: #9305 French Light Infantry Command - 1/32 scale
Description - 18 figures per box
Packed - 48 boxes per shipping carton - sold in multiples or fractions of 48
Price F: Same as 1/32 Carthaginian Cavalry and Command
(Please note that this command set is more expensive as we expect to sell
less and customers to buy less of a command set than a rank and file set.)
Pictures-
http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx9305Co/Bx9305Co.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Tung13P.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/McDougall13P.html

14) Period: Napoleonics
Product: #28003 French Light Infantry Voltgeurs - 28mm
Description - 48 figures per box
Packed - 54 boxes per shipping carton - sold in multiples or fractions of 54
Price F: Same as 1/32 Carthaginian Cavalry and Command
Pictures:
http://www.hat.com/Curr28/Bx28003FV/Bx28003FV.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/MacPhee03P.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Butterweck43P.html

15) Period: Napoleonics
Product: #28009 French Light Infantry Carabiniers - 28mm
Description - 48 figures per box
Packed - 54 boxes per shipping carton - sold in multiples or fractions of 54
Price F: Same as 1/32 Carthaginian Cavalry and Command
Pictures:
http://www.hat.com/Curr28/Bx28009FCa/Bx28009FCa.html
http://www.hat.com/Othr8/Butterweck42P.html

Saturday, February 28, 2009

KevCon Games Convention: March 28th& 29th

Everyone welcome!
March 28th and 29th, 2009
Starts: 5PM on Saturday
Where: Kevin`s House
Address: Iizawa 242-23 Minami Ashigara City, Kanagawa
Email: greatpowers@yahoo.com
http://www.eikaiwa1.com

What to bring?
Your shoes, games, beer to bribe Kevin (optional)
We have the house to ourselves for most of the day so we can
get a lot of game playing in and say four letter words eh! I love
4 letter words like: four, dice, damn!

There are a few beds available on a first come first served basis.
Email me if you want a bed. If not bring something to sleep on--sleeping
bag etc. We have a lot of room. We have a Canadian,
Victorian style home imported from Cloverdale,BC.


How to Get There from:
Tokyo, Fujisawa, Atsugi, Machida, Yokohama or Sakhalin:
Take the Odakyu Line to Odawara and be sure to get into one of the
first four train cars as the train splits. Take a Kyuko (express
train) it has red kanji on the side usually next to the door up top.
It takes about 90 minutes. Bring a good book!

Get off at Odawara Station and transfer to the Daiyuzan Line. Get off
at Daiyuzan Station, it takes 21 minutes from Odawara. Take the only
exit, walk straight out to the main street out in front and head left
down that street through the traffic lights (under the covered
pedestrian overpass). Over the bridge and you will see our green
roofed house with "Kevin`s English School" signs plastered all over
the place.

How to Get There:
From Shizuoka, Nagoya and other points South: Take the
Tokaido line or the Shinkansen and get off at Odawara. Transfer to
the Daiyuzan line and follow the directions above (for Tokyo).

**The Shinkansen also stops at Odawara. You take a Kodama Super
Express. It takes about 39 minutes from Tokyo. Costs a little over
3,000 Yen one way.

Take a break from the city and see some mountain views and breathe some fresh air.


Feel free to pass this on to interested people. Games of all kinds
welcome. Bring whatever you would like to play, chances are, others
will want to play it too. We have three guest beds and some futons.
Bring a sleeping bag if you`d like. It is a nice area as well.
A great break from wherever you live with a great bunch of people!

Kevin Burns
http://greatpowers1.googlepages.com/jigg%3Ajapan%60sinternationalgamersguild
http://www.jigg-greatpowers.blogspot.com

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Facebook Games: Mob Wars & Others

Hi guys,

I just wanted to let anyone that doesn't already know about the game
apps for facebook. I turned Guillaume on to one last month and he
seems to enjoy it pretty well... 'mob wars'. Ivor invited me to play
an official D&D mini-game that helps pass the hours in my cubicle. I
recommend it to anyone needing an adventuring fix. It's called 'tiny
adventures', I think.

Anyway, if anyone wants to add me as a crew member for a game they
like, regardless of whether I will play it or not (doesn't matter to
the other party), just hit me up. I'm on facebook as Sam X Guy.

Game on!

Sean Minch

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Table Hockey in Japan


Pictured: Stiga Players by Bob Lane

Forums about Table Hockey in Japan. Visit the active Pro Ice
Forum for news about table hockey events and if you want to
find other players near you:

Pro Ice Table Hockey Forum


Here is another forum in Japanese about table hockey events:

Table Hockey Topics Forum

Monday, January 12, 2009

JIGG Kanagawa Starts New Facebook Group


Pictured some of the art work in the boardgame: A Game of Thrones


Pictured: The Redemption Card Game



Join us if interested. You don`t have to live in Kanagawa to join!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=59666781054

Kevin

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Horror, Gaming, Anime & Comic Conventions - They Are Not All The Same

by: June Williams



A very large number of people who have never attended a Sci-Fi convention have the idea that they are all about people standing in line to get autographs of actors while wearing Klingon makeup and costumes or pointed ears. I’m not saying that those stereotypes don’t exist but the Convention experience is much richer and diverse than you may have been led to believe. To get the best experience it is important first consider your interests and then match them to what conventions are available.

Conventions come in two primary flavors. Professional and fan run. Professional conventions should have actors who have appeared in genre television and films ready to sign autographs and have their photos taken with fans. Some of these conventions include the costs of autographs and photo sessions in the cost of admission others operate in more of an a la carte fashion.

Often genre conventions have previews of new shows and films, and usually an extensive dealer’s room where you can buy anything from jewelry, ornaments, t-shirts and action figures to full scale replicas and costumes...and more. While there are a number of professional promoters the best known and run are Chiller Theatre Expo, Creation Entertainment, Fed Con ( Germany ), Starland and Vulcon. Do expect things to be as advertised and run on time. Do not expect warm and fuzzy.

Warm and fuzzy is more the field of fan run conventions. Fans who get together to run conventions have a great deal of enthusiasm, but usually are run with a volunteer staff and can be a bit “bumpy” with organization of the activities. What you can expect? A movie room, anime room, gaming room, art show, dealer’s room, and various special interest group rooms and tables. It is a rare con that doesn’t have a dance and a masquerade. Many fan run conventions also have guests ranging from actors, authors, cartoonists, illustrators, scientists etc. You may also find workshops for writing, acting, art, costuming, make-up and special effects. It all varies from convention to convention and year to year. Older fan run conventions such as Aggie Con, Balticon, Bay Con, CONvergence, Dragon Con, ICON, Shore Leave, United Fan Con, Toronto Trek to name a few.

The following sections may help you in selecting the kind of convention you would enjoy the most. Don’t be afraid to try other sorts once you’ve sampled those that are in your comfort zone. Exploration can be fun:

• LITERARY CONVENTIONS

Love to read speculative fiction? Do you have an interest in attending workshops on writing and publishing? Would you like to mingle with like-minded fans and meet professionals in the field such as authors, editors, illustrators and publishers? Then a literary convention would be the place you might enjoy most. Conventions such as World Science Fiction Convention (which is where the Hugo awards are announced), the World Fantasy Convention, World Horror Convention, Balticon, Philcon, Lunacon, Boskone, Readercon, Wiscon and Capclave are all reader friendly and while you may find the occasional filking group, men in kilts, swords and women in medieval garb I doubt that you’ll see many people dressed like the attendees of the convention seen in the movie Galaxy Quest. OK maybe one or two but they are a tiny minority.

• MEDIA CONVENTIONS

Media conventions are very much about television and film. Science Fiction & Fantasy or Horror & Paranormal guests abound. You may meet and hear behind the scenes stories of actors and illustrators, SFX experts and make-up artists and a host of media professionals. Many of the attendees may be wearing costumes. Depending on whether you are going to a “pro” con or a fan run con the rest will vary greatly. Parties are expected and encouraged. At a pro convention this will take the form of a banquet with the guests at a fee and/or a dance or cocktail party all for various prices. Fan run convention also may have a price attached to a banquet or “private” gathering with a particular celebrity or celebrities but they will also have fee free dances, masquerades, art shows, filking, sword demonstrations etc. Toronto Trek, Celebration, BotCon, Dragon Con , Comic-Con ( both Dragon Con and Comicon will appear under many categories)

• GAMING CONVENTIONS

Gamers come in all shapes, sizes, ages, colors and ethnic backgrounds but they all have something in common. A love of games. Role playing, live, pen and paper, MMOG as well as video gamers and board gamers all have a lot of interactive fun at gaming conventions. You can meet game designers, try out new games that have yet to hit the general market, and play in tournaments for glory and prizes. Once an almost male-only pursuit, gaming now has a growing number of female enthusiasts Gaming has become so pervasive that it is now nearly socially acceptable to the mainstream public. Nearly.

There are giant conventions like GENCON and ORIGINS, where it is so crowded you may have trouble negotiating the exhibition halls due to the crowds. The upside is the great diversity and FREEBIES as there are so many gaming companies competing for your attention. Then there are the more intimate play intensive ones like Archon, CastleCon, Dragonflight Dreikonigsnacht (Twelfth Night), Festival of Dreams, HexaCon, KublaCon, MACE, MarsCon, Marmalade Dog, ShaunCon, Strategicon, The Once and Future Con, and many many more.

Keep in mind that many conventions other than pure gaming conventions have gaming tracks. If you like to game but want to do more than only game during the weekend you might look into some of the other cons with a strong gaming element.

• ANIME CONVENTIONS

For the older generation anime seems so foreign, even unreachable. It shouldn’t be. Yes, anime and its siblings manga and ahem *cough* hentai are of Japanese origin but the striking visual styles and beauty, the characters and stories connect with westerners as well as audiences in the east. Because they are animations they can either be sub-titled or dubbed in the language of the country where it is being broadcast. In anime the stars are the illustrators, authors, and voice actors. At conventions you will find many of these sorts of guests as well as companies promoting their projects. You will also find some of the most imaginative of costumes created and worn by fans. At larger conventions you may find multiple rooms running films day and night. At smaller ones perhaps just one room will be devoted to showing their favorites. There are often panels discussing aspects of cosplay, fan fiction, video games, favorite voice actors, anime series or movies. As in literary conventions there are often workshops. These workshops are mostly how to draw manga, make computer animation, or how to become a voice actor. The dealers room will be filled with DVDs , software, graphic novel manga, art books, apparel, toys and exotic ( for us ) foods.

While the U.S. and Canada have the largest SF conventions in the world the largest Anime conventions are Lucca Comics & Games in Lucca Italy ( 85,000 ) , Japan Expo in Paris France ( 83,000 ) Salon del Manga in Barcelona Spain ( 63,000 ) and Romics in Rome Italy ( 50,000 ). The big guys in North America are Anime Expo Los Angeles California (41,000), Otakon Baltimore Maryland (23,000) and A-Kon Dallas Texas (14,500). Hey, size isn’t everything and some of the smallest might be the way to start if you have never been to a con before!!


• HORROR CONVENTIONS

What a perfect place to let it all hang out (dating myself but who cares). Horror conventions revel in going over the top. Long live Elvira, Freddy Krueger, Jason, Dracula, Zacherley, Even the names of these conventions and expos are meant to be graphic illustrations of what you will find there. Chiller Theatre, Fangoria, Fright Night Film and Fantasy Fest, HorrorFind, HorrorHound Weekend, Spooky Empire. Nothing to subtle here. No sparing of the gore. It’s like the rollercoaster of genre conventions. If you have a strong stomach and a dark sense of humor you will have tons of fun. The dealer’s room, art show, video rooms all are in sync with the horror theme. Guests that reach back decades up to the present. Once again there is a chance to meet actors, artists and authors for autographs, photo shoots, and anecdotes. Attendees go wild with costumes and you can do so too even without a ton of money or a pile of cash. Try out your best monsterish clothes and make-up or come asa victim…or not. Costumes aren’t required, they are just fun. There is usually a monster mash even if that isn’t the name given. Some horror conventions invite guests that more about nostalgia than horror. Chiller Con is a good example of this. Some of their guests are Micky Dolenz from the Monkees, Ernest Borgnine , Lindsay Wagner, Brigitte Nielson, Katey Sagal (Married with Children), Stephen Baldwin, Daniel Baldwin, Barry Bostwick, Erin Murphy (Tabitha of Bewitched), Avery Brooks, Armin Shimmerman, Robert Picardo, Geri Reischel (Jan from The Brady Bunch), Susan Olsen (Cindy from The Brady Bunch),Joe Pantoliano,Richard Kiel ("Jaws" Moonraker), Lou Ferrigno, William B Davies (X-Files-Cancer Man), Stella Stevens, Frank Stallone, Ron Bumblefoot ( Guns N Roses ) and a host of others.

• COMIC CONVENTION

When you think of a comic book convention you will probably think of a sea of old comic books, toys, Star Wars stuff, Star Trek stuff, action figures, collectible card games and magazines for sale and you would be right but that is only a part and an increasingly small part of the experience. You will find illustrators, authors, publishers and very often interesting workshops and panels that deal with every aspect of the industry past, present and future. There are the costume contingents that always show up at the larger conventions and some are so good that you could almost believe you were seeing superheroes and villains walk out of the pages and off the screen to meet you and be photographed. Some cons such as Dragon Con and Comic-Con began solely as comic conventions but grew to tremendous size, scope and diversity that they have transcended the genre that gave rise to them. Even those such as HEROES which remains focused on comics manages to have a number of other aspects and should be able to keep the whole family amused for the weekend. Comic conventions often have a lot of pop culture and nostalgia guests. So if you would like to see people like Creature, Parthenon and Fat Mama from Who wants to be a Superhero or maybe even Stan Lee himself, you might get your chance. How about James & Oliver Phelps who played the Weasley Twins in the Harry Potter movies ? Or perhaps Sean Astin or Billy Boyd and even Elijah Wood . From Heroes Hayden Paniterre and Masi Oka, or Ice-T…yes I said Ice-T AND his swimsuit-model wife Coco.

For a walk down memory lane there is Erik Estrada, Betsy Palmer, Soupy Sales, Richard Hatch, John Saxon, Adam West and Burt Ward ( Batman and Robin) , Julie Newmar, Peter Mayhew, Eddie Byrnes (77 Sunset Strip), Erin Gray (Buck Rodgers), Gary Coleman, Lou Ferrigno and on and on. Some are from your childhood others are from your parents childhoods. I can tell you that when I unexpectedly got to meet the very ladylike and gracious Betsy Palmer it was a thrill.

The bottom line is conventions are places where adults can go and play and slough off the average workday week . Have fun !!


About The Author
June Williams
V.P. Buzzy Multimedia Publishing
http://www.buzzymultimedia.com

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