Our 18th Furnace(!!) was another fun gathering of 65 gamers or so, all together for a packed weekend of top RPGs. As ever the GMs had offered a great variety of inventive games and worlds for us all to explore. The weekend went really well!
Without wishing to dwell, behind the scenes there has been a change at the Garrison, which has resulted in much poorer communication than we are used to. The experience of this in the run up to the convention, and thinking of our 2024 events, had left me with just a shade of uncertainty about how the weekend would go.
Of course, once there, some of the experienced staff were available to help smooth the way and so all
was well. I spent time in the gaps, bagging up rubbish and gathering glasses and returning to the bar as a help to the hard working staff. I could see how appreciative they were and it is those sorts of things that help cement the great reputation we already have with the venue. I reflected, as the glasses chinked on the tray, that this is exactly what my Dad would have done. He was always looking to help staff with what they were doing, in various restaurants and other hospitality. It is strange how these sorts of things suddenly bring him back to me so vividly.
Our attendees often comment on the smooth organisation and it must be said that, to a degree, the convention now ‘runs on rails’, but only because of Dom and Elaine. Furnace is a fully prescheduled convention, with preferences used as much as possible to fit people to the games that interest them. The process is vulnerable to GM drop out, which happens a little and most years, but our attendees are a lovely bunch and we always get there in the end around the edges of a solid programme. Registration, badges, raffle, comms, and other incidentals are picked up by Dom, while I do site liaison, finance and some focus for greeting, and whatever’s left. (Intro speech here.)
Although the event is a blur of games, we have generous meal breaks and usually some late night bar time. This one was no exception, all adding some convivial socialising in amongst the between, and in game, chat. Thanks to everyone that got me a drink, I don’t think I managed to reciprocate for everyone, so next time!
Patriot Games and All Rolled Up are great additions to our event. Michael and Paul helped us out respectively. I think we all missed Fil this year and are thinking of her and really looking forward to seeing her again next year.
My games seemed to go down well, and I enjoyed the two that I played:
GM – Dragonbane – The Village of the Day Before. My second outing for this adventure and it is a cracker. Suffice to say that there was much mirth with the mayhem, as the game advertises, and the core mystery was solved. I love this deceptive game. Easy to let it pass as a beginners’ game, one that’s too light, or traditional for the more discerning gamer. There are depths to the intuitive design, a quiet power to its simplicity, and consistent delight from those trying it.
During the convention, Free League announced the pre-order for the Bestiary (with cardboard standees) and the hardback rulebook with new adventure. When I got home I dived in and I think the Bestiary confirms that this game is going to see a lot of play.
Player – Sanction – The Red Drop. Paul Baldowski ably ran his fresh and successfully Kickstarted roleplaying game. What riotous fun as we leaned in, perhaps a little too wholeheartedly, to the premise that we were MI5 rejects, too crap to hold down a real position in the intelligence community, and pushed into an underfunded and poorly regarded ‘agency’ for much lower grade tasks. I’m glad to report that we did not disappoint, as we seemed incapable of engaging with a scenario that may have had some depths, if only we had the wherewithal to find them. My character had the personality notes ‘arsehole’, ‘frustrated’ and played what I was given. In the last hour, as our floundering failure became inevitable, I started to jot down names for the comedy TV series that we could commission. The list included:
- The Spy who Died in the Cold
- Spy Hard
- The Least Wanted Men
- Spy Another Way
- Monkey Tennis
- The Spy Who Failed Me
- Quantum of Failure
- Blunderball (from Tim Gray)
Good times.
GM – Genesys – Ashes of Power. I was really glad to get Genesys out for a run round in this space opera set in the Twilight Imperium universe. There was some investigation, some blaster blamming, and fun interplay. The Genesys dice roller app provided newbie dice support and the game blazed an amusing trail for a few hours.
Player – 2D20 – Ghosts of Tsushima. Pete Atkinson has built his own custom game from the 2D20 SRD and delivered a fun and action packed mediaeval Japan classic. A really fun game. We are playing a lot of 2D20 at the moment and confess that there was some side enjoyment just seeing how Pete had woven his own take on the toolkit. The game worked well, with extended contests used along with montage to speed significant action into a manageable convention slot. Inspiring adaptation which I hope to play again.
GM – Genesys – Orphaned Star. Another outing for the Keleresspecial operations team and another mystery on a remote planet with a past. Unexpected diversions on the way to the mission site created an in-game time delay that ripped up a core encounter and got me to flex two sentences into an hour’s play. Players seemed to enjoy the space opera and delivered it all in good time for people to get away to various homes near and far.
Genesys hadn’t seen any play for a few years, so I was a bit rusty, but it soon came back. For all the abstraction and symbols on the dice, the game itself is very easy to run and gets you buzzing about the Advantages and Threats generated by the dice. I’ll be running some more, and a possible plan was forming for Seven Hills in April.
My thanks to everyone for a great weekend. Top games from very good GMs, ace company with the customary friendly vibes. Those pre-convention shades were banished very early. Our philosophy is that organisers are attendees too, allowing us to run games and enjoy play. We did just that.
I’ll sort out dates for next year and let everyone know.