Origins: Going Again. For the First Time.

- by Jeremiah

As I wrote last week, Theology Of Games will be covering Origins Game Fair this week. But this certainly isn't the first time I've made the 2-hour pilgrimage to the Con. This year will in fact be my fifth time attending Origins, but it is my first time covering the con as a "reporter."

In the past I've only gone for a single day, and usually not even a full day at that. We (we being whichever friend[s] happened to come along that year) usually would head down, buy a day pass at the door, and drool over the cool stuff in the exhibit hall, before making our way to the demo hall to learn even more about the newest and hottest titles. Just making a few rounds in the exhibit hall is worth the trip: tons of new games, demos, and of course a trip down memory lane with some old dead collectible games for sale.

Last year, we (this time "we" being Firestone and I) were working in the background to launch TOG, but we didn't go live until July 1. I kept a keen eye on things, took a few pictures, and of course learned a handful of new games, but aside from that it was "just" another trip to Origins.

My most memorable trip, though, was the first. This was because my wife and two boys went with me. That's right. My incredible wife spent the day at a gaming convention, with our kids (our youngest wasn't even 1 at the time!) wandering around the exhibit hall while her geeky husband drooled over games, bought a bunch of old collectible card games, and nearly peed himself when he met Peter Mayhew. That's right, Peter Mayhew. For those who aren't aware, Mr. Mayhew is known for his portrayal of Chewbacca in the Star Wars films. He had a booth and was selling his autographed photos. He was however gracious enough to take a couple pictures with me and the boys.

So this year I'm heading down to actually cover the con for the blog. We've got press passes and everything. Over the past 11 months we've grown our little blog to over 5,000 followers, but more importantly we've connected with gaming industry folks, who are great people, and who also like games as much as we do (if not more!). I'm looking forward to connecting with them, hearing their stories, seeing the product of their passion, and shaking their hands.

Firestone and I have big dreams for the blog, and you readers are key to those dreams. Thanks so much for subscribing, reading, sharing, retweeting, and all those other "ing" things you do to support our efforts! And stick around for our first ever con coverage of Origins Game Fair!

You can subscribe to our email list over on the right.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Fantasy Flight Announces the First Adventure for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire

We don't normally talk much about RPGs here on ToG, but...STAR WARS! Anyway, Fantasy Flight rebooted the Star Wars RPG last year, with the Edge of the Empire game. and now they've announced the first full-length adventure: Beyond The Rim. The new adventure "is a full-length adventure in three acts that carries players from the bustling, hub-and-spoke space station known as the Wheel all the way to the surface of a deadly jungle planet at the edge of Wild Space. In this epic tale of exploration, your characters will seek fame, fortune, and opportunities to repay old debts. You’ll dodge Imperials, explore distant worlds, run into rival parties, confront new adversaries, and uncover decades-old secrets from the Clone Wars. The ninety-six pages of Beyond the Rim contain enough material to make veterans out of new characters, or heroes out of veterans, and optional hooks for extended campaigns allow GMs to make further use of the book’s fleshed-out setting and NPCs."

I (Firestone) have been interested in this, since I think my kids would enjoy RPGing in the Star Wars universe—once they're old enough, that is. Has anyone played this yet? Is it fun? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks for reading! And make sure you check back next week, when we'll have an interview with one of my comedic heroes! Here's your clue: Rowsdower!

Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game—Wave 3 Announced!

by Firestone Well, the big news over the weekend was Fantasy Flight's announcement of Wave 3 for the Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game!

The B-Wing and Tie Bomber were somewhat expected—at least those were the names thrown around whenever I would talk to someone about Wave 3. According to the press release, "Each B-wing can be outfitted with a system upgrade, a cannon, and up to two torpedoes, including the hard-hitting Advanced Proton Torpedoes. These short-range torpedoes can only fire at enemies within Range 1, but with its five shields and ability to barrel roll, the B-wing is built to get up close and personal in even the thickest of combats." Sound like these guys are going to be hard to take out!

"Each TIE bomber is capable of carrying two torpedoes, two missiles, and one bomb. Accordingly, the expansion’s five upgrade cards present you with a wide array of armaments, including the punishing Proton Bombs, which deal one faceup damage card to each ship within Range 1 when they detonate, even bypassing any shields the ship might have." I have a feeling I'm going to hate the bomber. And also love the bomber.

But what about the other two ships?!

Well first is the Lambda-class shuttle. "This starship expansion includes four ship cards, featuring three unique pilots who can each provide powerful benefits to their squad mates. As an example, Captain Kagi can divert enemy target locks from your other ships and force your opponent to fire against his shuttle and its five shields."

The last ship is the first ship from the Expanded Universe: the HWK-290, which first appears in the awesome mid-90s shooter Dark Forces. "[It] comes with four ship cards for a Rebel Operative and three unique pilots, including the renowned Kyle Katarn, who can assign his focus tokens to friendly ships within Range 1–3. Additionally, each HWK-290 can be outfitted with a turret weapon and a crew member, and the expansion provides you with six upgrade options, including the unique Moldy Crow title card, representing Kyle Katarn’s signature starship."

This wave also introduces a new upgrade called the System Upgrade. It allows you to control some of the dice rolls and unpredictability in the game.

All of this is set to release in the third quarter of this year, and I imagine they'll want this out in time for GenCon in mid August. We'll see, but either way, we're completely excited about this news. Which ship looks coolest to you? How do you feel about them delving into the Expanded Universe?

Thanks for reading!

More Smash Up, X-Wing Tiles, and Free Stuff from Mayfair!

Alderac has officially unofficially announced today that there will be yet another expansion for the hit Paul Peterson title Smash Up, releasing in August. It will feature 4 new factions taking on the same format as Awesome Level 9000. With a few twists. From Alderac's Facebook page: There have already been a lot of questions about more Smash Up, so we'll let you know there is another set of 4 factions coming in August! For the first time, this set has an overall theme running through the factions. Each is distinct, with its own focus mechanically and visually, but there is a common thread that runs through all of them. Speculate away! We interviewed designer Paul Peterson a few months ago, you can check out our interview and see if he left any clues for us on this third expansion...

Fantasy Flight has announced that they are releasing a Tile/Battlefield kit for their X-Wing Miniatures game. The set comes with 12 tiles each measuring a square foot, and featuring iconic locations in the Star Wars Universe. They look slick, and appear to offer a great, and FLAT, surface to hold your battles on! Check out the photo we've included. And you can see the official info on Fantasy Flight's site here.

And finally the deadline is quickly approaching to enter Mayfair's giveaway for a prototype copy of the new Catan expansion Explorers & Pirates! Go follow this link to enter; it's easy!

Thanks as always for reading, and please don't forget to sign up for TOG via email, or RSS feed! And for even more fun do the Facebook and Twitter things!

Oh, What a Wookie!

Chewbacca is on the scene in Star Wars The Card Game. Fantasy flight has announced the first deluxe expansion of the game "Edge of Darkness" adds 22 new objective sets, which is a total of 132 cards, adding two new affiliations: DS Scum and Villainy and the LS Smugglers and Spies. It's within this deluxe expansion that Fantasy Flight revealed today (4/10/13) that the objective set "Wookiee Life Debt" will in fact feature Chewbacca himself. And at a quick glance he will be ready to tear into the Empire and deal some serious damage, even if he takes damage during an encounter! It's not wise to upset this wookiee.

We're still waiting on the multiplayer expansion for this game, to really see the full potential of the title, but from looking at the new wookie objective set, LS players have been given some much-needed fire power to stand up to the Empire.

You can find the full review of the new objective set here.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to tell your friends about us, and do those social Facebook and Twitter things too!

Star Trek Gets in on the Space-Combat Fun!

Trekkers rejoice! Whether you're in the Star Trek or the Star Wars fan club, now you'll have a chance to fly through space and blast your friends into space-bits. Thanks to the popularity of Fantasy Flight's Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game, WizKids has licensed the movement system for the Star Trek universe. In an announcement this morning, WizKids revelaed that Star Trek: Attack Wing will come with prepainted miniatures, and will look practically identical in mechanics to the Star Wars game—including movement wheels and unique pilots to attach to each ship. They expect a GenCon release late this summer. If you're unfamiliar with the Star Wars game, you can check out our review to get an idea of the mechanics.

As always, thanks for reading!

A-Wing Sneak Peek from Fantasy Flight!

Fantasy Flight has announced that the second wave of starships for X-Wing are hitting retailers on Feb. 28.

They also gave a sneak preview of the A-Wing, with a look at the two new pilot cards and the maneuver dial—this is by far the fastest and most maneuverable rebel ship yet!

This second wave of single-ship expansions will also feature such iconic ships as the Millennium Falcon, the Slave I, and the TIE Interceptor. So players' fleets will be bolstered considerably with this new round of ships!

Keep checking back here at TOG to find out all the latest and greatest news from around the gaming world! Thanks for reading!