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Vegas, Baby! The Inaugural Vegas ConQuest Convention.
J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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Always a fan of supporting the hobby at the local level, when I heard about a game convention being held in Las Vegas, I was jazzed.
I have several reasons to go. One, I'd like to see how other communities outside of the Los Angeles area games. Two, it'd be nice to experience a different convention other than the Strategicon shows. And third, my last trip to Vegas was with my ex; it was time to create some Vegas experiences on my own.
My buddy Tim (BGG User oi_you_nutter) and myself decided to head out to Sin City to see how things work out.
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1.
Board Game: Hotels
[Average Rating:5.35 Overall Rank:7717]
J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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The convention is being held in Bally's, and will precede the annual GAMA Trade Show. Although there was a convention package offer for a hotel room convention registration, I took another option.
My parents own a timeshare in Las Vegas. On The Strip, about 1 block away from Bally's. They hardly visit any longer, and they are having time expire unspent. I offered to pick up the booking fee, and to split the cost with Tim. So, for about the same price as the convention rate at the hotel, we have a full suite at our disposal.
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J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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While buses are cheap, and flights are frequent, they were just a bit expensive for two. So Tim chose to drive out, and I was able to ride along.
After allowing the morning rush hour traffic to die down, we headed East on Thursday late morning. With little traffic the entire way, the two of us arrive in mid-afternoon, just in time to register for my room.
After unpacking, we walked for a bit. Grabbed a light supper off The Strip, then headed back in.
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J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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Thursday night, Tim and I head out. We had ordered tickets for Love, the Cirque du Soleil show performed to re-engineered music of The Beatles. Performed at The Mirage, it was a fascinating program, although a bit busy and hard to follow at times.
The thing of this show was definitely the music. Entire Beatles songs were re-engineered, using samples of other recordings, demo tracks or other orginal, Beatles sources to create familiar songs with unfamiliar arrangements. It's a great show just for the music, and a fantastic chance for Beatles fans to hear many of the band's greatest songs in a whole, new way.
It was a late show, and close to midnight when it let out. So, the two of us walked back to the suite, and we called it a night. We wanted an early start for tomorrow.
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J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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Friday morning, and we're up early. Well, actually more like close to our normal waking time were we heading in for work.
But having eaten lightly the evening before, we had built up a fair appetite. So we decided to try one of the breakfast buffets a try. I have always heard good things about the buffet service at the Paris. And since it was just across the street from where we were staying, and that Paris is connected Bally's, it seemed a logical choice.
The buffet was massive, with loads more options than either Tim or I could get at. But the food was overall very good, with some options you just won't find at your Holiday Inn Express.
Returning to our suite, we loaded up with games, and headed over to the convention.
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J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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We find the convention site just as it's opening up for operations. There are already 4 RPG groups playing at various tables.
This show is a small affair, compared to most. A couple meeting rooms were opened up for this, and they're expecting around 200 attendees in total. A few vendors, ahead of the GAMA show, will be sharing the same room with the gaming. But we get settled in, stack up our games to solicit opponents, and go on.
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J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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I've wanted to learn this game for a while, and Tim was itching to play this game here. He signed up for the event here. So he chose to teach me how to play, in case there was an odd number of players for the event. We played Scenario 1 as a trainer, and my superior numbers as the Soviet player eventually wore down Tim's Germans.
It turned out that there were only 3 players for the scheduled event, so I did need to play to fill out the numbers. We played two tables, each playing Scenerio 6. Despite taking horrendous losses as the Germans, I got lucky when I needed to, and my opponent lost on the first Sudden Death roll.
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7.
Board Game: Pandemic
[Average Rating:7.62 Overall Rank:42]
J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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There was a lot of time between Combat Commander games. In between, Tim and I played a round of Pandemic. We tried the advanced game, with the full compliment of 6 Epidemic cards. With me ready to play for the final cure on my next turn, Tim's draw of infection cards created a chain reaction of outbreaks which cost us the game.
We would play this again 3 more times on Saturday, finally being able to beat the game once. Sunday had this game come out twice more, with a local, Andy, joining us in one 3-player game that we lost, as none of us were able to assemble meaningful sets of cards.
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J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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Still waiting for the Combat Commander game to start, we break this little game out for a couple of rounds. The first game was close, and I was finally able to dispatch Tim. The second round wasn't as close, as I took him out in 3 blows.
Sunday, we played a 4-player game in some filler-time, with another local, Bob, joining Tim, Andy and myself. I was dispatched pretty quickly, and Bob was fully prepared for Tim's final flurry of attacks (holding 4 different Block cards), to eventually wear down my buddy.
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J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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This was the most interesting game of the convention's event list for me. Tim and I had signed up for this one, but his Combat Commander game ran long, and there were six players, including myself already set to go.
In a 3-on-3 matchup, I was the only veteran player on the Allied side, with my big, 2 game experiece leading the way with two first-time players. The Germans had 3 locals, with two who regularly play Wings of War.
My wingmen maneuvered to separate myself from them at first, so I was forced to circle back to avoid getting isolated. Their initial engagements damaged two Germans, and I was able to finish off one of the triplanes. Despite repeated attack positions, we were not able to down either of the other two planes. Eventually, both of my wingmen went down, and I was left out numbered, but in a healthier aircraft.
Hemmed into one side of the board, but heavily damaged, I made a risky move, and it paid off. I downed the Albatross as it crossed in front of me. I then sideslipped to engage the second triplane, but it turned into myself, as well. Our damage cards drawn wound up sending both of our aircraft down, leaving nobody left in the sky.
Still, a very entertaining game for all.
Tim and I would play on Sunday. A two-on-two engagement, with my Fokker triplane limping away as the sole survivor.
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J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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Unable to play in the Wings of War event, Tim hopped into the Imperial event. This is another game I am looking to learn to play, but I was preoccupied. He seemed to have liked the game, but it certainly looked like a lot of things going on (not that that's stopped me from playing a game in the past). My 3 minute observations may be incorrect, but it looks like a curious combination of Acquire and Diplomacy. I'd still like to learn myself how to play this game.
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J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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After Wings of War, and while Tim's Imperial game was waging on, I was approached to teach Colosseum to some people who had arrived early in Vegas to attend the GAMA show. It was a great game, with the 4th place player increasing her total by 50 points on her last turn! But her defensive trade to protect her star performers wound up allowing me to complete Event #30, and that difference in scoring gave me the win.
It was getting late, and Tim's round of Imperial wrapped up. We decided to call it a night, and went back to our room.
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J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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Sunday started, and we ate light before heading back to the con. A couple more rounds of Pandemic (which Tim and I again lost), then we pulled out this little wargame.
I made a tactical blunder in the south, and his XXX Corps was able to drive all the way up to Nijmegen by Day 3. However, I was able to hold out long enough to reinforce the approaches to Arnhem proper. Unable to be able to crack through the defenses, poor Tim had to resign.
Through this point, Tim had yet to win any game he played this weekend.
Because of our late start, we broke after this, and went to find lunch. Rather than waiting in line at another buffet, we chose to get lunch from a sandwich shop in Paris. Decent prosciutto sandwich, but only an okay gelatto for dessert.
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J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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Back from lunch, and it was time for a full-fledged wargame. This one drew a lot of looky-lou's, Tim and I being the only people playing a board wargame (there were several tables of miniatures gamers).
Progressing slow and steadily, my Germans did not make the dramatic gains they made in 1941, but worked to isolate and eliminate pockets of resistance methodically. Eventually, I make my breakout in the south. Before Tim conceded in early 1942, I had cut off the entire Red Army from their Eastern edge of supply, and had occupied almost every city north of the Caucasus. Hungarians captured Stalingrad in January, 1942!
After a 6-hour war in the Russian Front, we broke out Pandemic one more time. Finally, we caught some breaks and was able to beat the game. Then, we had our private Wings of War fight. After that game, it was late enough for us to seek dinner. In the mood for Asian, we found a Japanese seafood buffet restaurant near the hotel. Sushi, tempura, even some Korean Kalbi was on the menu. Good stuff, though a bit pricey.
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14.
Board Game: Cuba
[Average Rating:7.30 Overall Rank:163]
J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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We returned, and several other boardgamers were waiting for us. They have been visiting us infrequently during the weekend, seeing that we seemed to be the only consistent, active boardgamers at this entire con.
They wanted to play a game, so I brought out Cuba. Tim joined in, and I proceeded to teach 3 players how to play this game. It was a great 5-player game. And while still trying to figure out the game, one of the newcomers (Bob) landed on a great synergy, and wound up winning, running away.
It was after midnight on Saturday night. Tim and I chose to call it a night, waded through the foot traffic on the Vegas Strip on a Saturday night, and turned in, ready to pack up and check out on Sunday morning.
Sadly, Tim is STILL yet to win a game on his own.
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J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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A late start on Sunday and checkout left us with a late morning arrival back on the convention floor. Sadly, the two events I would have loved to have played this weekend were both scheduled on Sunday (Advanced Civilization and Formula De), and their ending times would have been far too late in order for Tim and I to return home to L.A. in time to get any sleep before work on Monday.
After a quick game of Pandemic, and a not-so-quick game of Kung Fu Fighting, we had a quick break for lunch.
Resuming our gaming, we took out this great little game, and even roped in Andy to play with us. Playing the quicker 1930 tournament, I was knocked out in the Group phase, with Tim and Andy each bringing two teams into the Semifinals. Andy was able to outgun Tim in the Finals, helping Argentina lift the Jules Rimet Trophy.
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J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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(Thanks to Tim for reminding me of this one.)
After the rousing game of World Cup, it was time for something outright silly and simple.
I broke out this old fave of mine. Sticking with the original set (not including the carriers in SC II), we played out a rather lengthy game. He finally withdrew his remaining dreadnaught after I had destroyed most of his fleet, while I kept most of my ships still in space.
I'm not too sure if Tim would try this game again. It took him a short while to pick up on the gameplay and mechanics, but I think he struggled with a fleet of one large ship and many lighter ones being no match to my fleet of all medium ships.
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J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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It was late afternoon, and we had a little time left before having to go, so Tim and I broke out this game, for our last play of the weekend.
Shunning the Stone construction, and getting Prior Philip on Turn 1, I was able to pull out a solid win. Sadly, that did shut out my friend for the entire weekend, spare the one game of Pandemic that we won co-operatively.
That wrapped up our weekend. The traffic heading back on Sunday evening took us an hour longer than it took us to head out, but it went by rather uneventfully. Overall, it was a great experience. I would hope that the boardgaming events there can expand in the future; that would certainly encourage others from L.A. to make the trip out for a decent convention, with all of the fun and activities of Las Vegas to make up for any down time.
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Posted Sat Apr 19, 2008 9:34 am
Sherman Oaks
California
Thousand Oaks
California
Others board games that we saw others playing included:
Saint Petersburg
El Grande although i didn't see it being played
Formula Dé was being set up as we left on Sunday, and is the first time that i had seen it out of the box, definitely a game that i want to give a spin
Race for the Galaxy was played a few times
Puerto Rico
My copy of Twilight Struggle was borrowed and given a play by a GAMA attendee and friend.
One other game that Jason and I played was Starship Command and the end result was no surprise, I lost.
My final tally of plays and wins for the whole con was approximately:
The single
Thanks to the organisers and staff for a great inaugural Conquest con in Vegas
Nashville
Tennessee
I met some great people and found everyone to be friendly and fun to game with. I'm looking forward to ConQuest Vegas 2.
Pete
http://corpcommander.blogspot.com
Sherman Oaks
California
Others board games that we saw others playing included:
I also saw games of Star Fleet Battles and Ticket to Ride being played over the course of the weekend.
Brighton
Michigan