by Armchair Dragoons PAO, 20 June 2024
Setup day is always an adventure
We doubled our floorspace from last year. We added 4 new GMs/GM teams, and expanded what others had done previously, and that meant a larger footprint, and that was before we found out Jason Carr from GMT Games was coming, or that we had a volunteer for a few games of We Are Coming, Nineveh.
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We also gave you a live look at what was going on that morning
Literally none of our tables were in the right place (almost the opposite of last year) so we spent the first 40 minutes of the day pushing them around where they needed to go. It was like we had someone else’s layout in our space. We got rid of a bunch of chairs, and hooked the spares together so they looked more intentional, and then started laying out tablecloths and popping up our signs.
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The kids got to work folding/taping the table signs, and making the cups for the raffle prizes, and then games were soon underway.
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Wednesday used to be a dead day. It was packed this year. We opened up with games of Nevsky, Normandy ’44, Brazen Chariots, the newly-shrunken Song For War Italy scenario, We Are Coming, Nineveh, and a Littoral Commander-looking something you’re not supposed to officially know anything about.
There was obviously some exhibit hall setup still going on, but it was a damned sweatbox in there.
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There were skid-loaders, forklifts, pallets, shrink-wrap, shipping boxes, and minions a-plenty
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Other games were getting played elsewhere in the show, including the massive Crokinole area that was already hopping.
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What would Origins be without some insane lines?
Here’s one HUGE problem that Origins had: Wednesday morning registration absolutely HAS to prioritize the game masters, especially those for Wednesday events. We had GMs stuck in a 60-minute registration line behind a bunch of players that literally could not do a damned thing for at least another two hours, just because they were over-eager about getting their badges. GMs with early starts have to be able to get their badges and get set up without standing around behind a someone whose first event is Thursday at 9am, but who really really really wants to get into the open gaming area and meet some friends for something they check out from the library.
This one is dumb, but easily fixable.
On to Thursday!
ORIGINS 2024 COVERAGE
PREVIEWS:
WARGAME HQ EVENTS ~ MiD PREVIEW EPISODE ~ WARGAME HQ GAME PREVIEWS ~ WAR COLLEGE PREVIEWS ~ CONSOLIDATED ALL WARGAMING EVENT GRID ~ EXHIBITOR SPOTLIGHT
AT THE SHOW:
SETUP & FIRST GAMES ~ DAY 1 REPORT ~ THE SHAMAN ASCENDS ~ EXHIBIT HALL ~ BINGO ~ GAMEPLAY PHOTOS ~ WARGAME HQ EVENT REPORT ~ COSTUME PHOTOS ~ CONVENTION PHOTOS ~ AAR
DISCUSSION FORUM THREAD
Thank you for visiting The Armchair Dragoons and mounting up with the Regiment of Strategy Gaming.
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At the Origins Game Fair, so vast,
Wargaming enthusiasts amassed,
With armies in sight,
They prepared for the fight,
And victory was theirs at last.
