On Saturday, September 5th, Eric and Drew will be running a demo of an RPG game  called Insanity, beginning at noon.

Here’s a little info:

Insanity is very much a beer and pretzel game – it’s not to be taken seriously. Players play normal folk who are a little edgy. Then, something over the course of the session pushes them over the edge and they go on a murderous rampage we refer to as Frenzy. Combat is simple and fast. And this is one RPG you can actually win; last player standing wins (basically leveling up).

Insanity is an exercise in adaptive thinking:  when a character Frenzies, they enter a dissociative fugue state, thinking they are someone else and that the entire world around them now fits that paradigm. For example, one frenzied character may believe they are He-Man, and that they have to find Kringer and defeat the evil hordes of Skeleton, another character may enter frenzy a few rounds later and think they are a Spartan super soldier from Halo and that they need 25 kills to win the match. It becomes quite humorous watching how these delusions are role-played out.

Drew and Eric are both planning on running a few sessions and will have pre-made characters available.  Sounds like an interesting concept.  Come check it out!

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On Saturday, September 19th, from 2-8pm, we will be demoing a new strategy card game called Conquest of Arthenia at the store.

Here’s a little info about the game:

Conquest of Arthenia is a new medieval trading card game, unique in the elegant simplicity of its rules and the endless complexity of the strategy required to play. Unlike most card games, play occurs in a

number of regions, from players’ locations to a central battlefield (see diagram). Players must choose how to best use their units: will they defend their encampment to avoid being forced into surrender, or

will they protect their other locations to maintain the income necessary to deploy units, cast spells, and equip mercenaries? Will they venture into the battlefield to muster their own brave offensive against the enemy?

In Conquest, players select three of eight alignments, which consist of four elements (Fire, Water, Earth, and Air) and four ideologies (Order, Chaos, Natural, and Industrial). (To learn more about the alignments, go to www.conquestofarthenia.com/arthenia.) Each alignment has its own strengths and weaknesses, and each interacts with the others in unique ways. Players also choose which types of mercenaries to use. While Warriors utilize swordsmanship and brute strength, other mercenaries use tricks and talents. Craftsmen provide support and efficiency with their skills, wizards alter reality with their spells, and archers avoid being counterattacked by sniping units with their arrows. Additionally, these mercenaries can be equipped with various weapons, armors, shields, helmets, and accessories, and some have the ability to ride steeds, beasts, or even dragons.

Conquest is much more fast-paced than other games–players draw at least 2 cards from their decks each turn, which can easily become 3, 4, or 5 depending on their resources. Players can also barter one card from their hands each turn to draw an additional one. These innovations help players avoid the lack of control and feeling of helplessness that come with unlucky draws. This makes for an intense

struggle that is not for the weak-hearted or simple-minded. It takes courage, persistence, and cunning to prove your worth.

We’ll see you on the battlefield.

For more info about the game, visit www.conquestofarthenia.com

Hope to see you there!

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