Saturday 11th November 2017.
So I made the trip from Derby to Congleton for Mug & Game’s first Games Day. In the past when I have travelled to Congleton the train goes directly there along the Crewe route. However it has altered so now I had to change trains at Stoke-on-Trent that added an extra half hour to the journey. I got to the venue by 11:30.
Ruby’s Fund is an Sensory Centre for families with children who have disabilities and special needs. More information here http://www.rubysfund.co.uk
It is a converted industrial building that has been very well developed and decorated. The downstairs area has a Café and a large play area that caterers to all children’s needs and upstairs has a large conference room with space for over twelve tables. The upstairs room also has two smaller committee rooms for private games, a small kitchenette, it’s own toilets, and bench seats around the edge of the room. A great space for a Games Meet!
Straight away I was welcomed in and informed that my game sign-up sheet for my Tales from the Loop game had gone up and had two people signed up already. Marvellous!
I got involved into a game of Cthulhu Wars, a Risk-like game but instead of human empires you play the different factions of the Great Ones from the Cthulhu Mythos. The game pieces are stunningly crafted creatures of the Mythos though several of them were very large. The player game mats, cards, tokens, and pieces are all very beautiful made but the game map that makes the game board is very poor looking with each area not very well defined nor of equal size for all the game pieces. Other than that it was a very good game with seven players in all at the table all developing their own factions domains. It is a game I would like to play again.
In the afternoon I ran my Tales from the Loop game, Bigtrax and Magic Tricks. I had two players signed up already and they managed to convince another of their number to join in too. Tales is a game that works well with smaller game group so having three players is great. The players were enthusiastic and got on with the char-gen with gusto. I had made up eight cards each with the archetypes from the rule book and the players pulled ideas and options from them. We ended up with a farm hick called Sven who carries a crowbar, young Bobby who’s a jock that nobody can call chicken, and Dexter a computer geek who is the smartest kid in school. They had a great hideout in the form of an old WWII bunker full of old furniture, broke down computers from school, and powered by electricity ‘borrowed’ from the Facility.
The scenario was the same one I used at Spaghetti Conjunction though I have now expanded it to make it a little longer by adding a few more NPCs and having the set up occur the night before the day of the show.
The Kids started with scenes from their home life and the use of walkie talkies (with one connected to a can and string set up) and the excitement of going to see Bigtrak in real life. Then from the hideout they see a huge American style lorry stuck up a side street. It’s a huge Silverliner truck and the crew are there to set up for the Magic Show at Elvaston Castle. The Kids help out and see a robot, A-F1L-08, a suspicious scientist, a strange sphere, a electrical supply shed with a secret room, a weird auditorium set up, and a crazy TV magician.
Hijinks ensues with some interesting character moments and the Kids save Bigtrak from mad scientists and spies. They get the ice cream too!
It was interesting to play with players who hadn’t been around in the 1980’s so the whole nostalgia element of the game wasn’t really present except from me running the game. The players were great though, they were from the same group from West Cheshire, called Cheshire Cats.
Players of my Tales from the Loop game.
So in all I had a very good day and will no doubt try to attend the next Mug & Game Games Day if I can get time off work. It helps a worthy cause too.
I’ll let you all know when the next one is scheduled.
#CthulhuWars
#TalesfromtheLoop
#Mug&Game
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