The Donut Guy Blog

Origins game fair created some really great memories for me as a first time convention attendee. I was very stressed about the idea of only attending one full day of the convention and if I would get the real feeling out of being there. I quickly found that my fears were unfounded, and I met both friends and new friends having such a good peaceful convention.

The vibe for anybody who’s never been is tremendously calm and open.  I was told that in advance, but when you come to the Columbus Convention Center and see it for yourself you find that you have space. Space to sit down, space to relax, and space to travel all over to see things. There is a wide variety to see and do at the convention while easily walking around.

First, the food is amazing. Having North Market within the block just makes your options for food automatically great. There was a line sometimes at lunch, but nothing too dramatic. I was able to try the donuts, Indian cuisine and classic Polish food, which made amazing flavors ready to eat quickly. The coffee also is not too shabby. The only improvement I could see would be opening the drink and dining options inside the convention center open longer during the convention. I didn’t want to go so far for a coffee when I would’ve been happy to buy it inside the building.

Let’s talk games. I was able to go to the media mixer the night before the convention started, and I found myself in some really great looking games. Starting with some small box options, Envy Born Games has put together a beautiful solo game with Hercules and the 12 Labors. The mechanics as well as the art are superb with real complexity of game play. Similarly, I found the game Cats Versus Cucumbers to have delightful whimsy as it’s coming soon to Kickstarter. It is designed by Ammon Anderson, designer of Gnome Hollow, who I got to see many times during my limited stay at origins. He is easily becoming a favorite designer with his work on another great game with All Play; Twinkle Twinkle.

The game makes charting a beautiful starry sky beautifully designed to earn yourself points and play a game style of drafting with strategy. We were taught the game directly by Ammon and you can easily see his passion for the games being created. Definitely someone to watch out when games are released.

The game of the convention to me was  The Game Makers by Bezier. This game is the most in-joke for the board game community ever, but also has solid gameplay in multiple mechanics. You have an inherited factory that you were going to turn into your dream board game assembly line. Every person at any convention and in many stores will feel this as their dream. Seeing it being played, you can find so much value in the different mechanics between worker placement and rotation of resources. Also, it’s using forklift meeples. We love a good forklift, but this game goes beyond that. This is going to be a staple for board gamers easily, and it makes me crave to play a heavier game than I typically do. That draw right there is the sign that it’s going places.

Looking towards TTRPG‘s, I also found some really unique opportunities. Specifically I met with Eerie Games and discussed their finalist for the best core rulebook. Para is a unique tarot based RPG that allows you to feel a level of unique play versus dice. The story setting itself inside a teenage character in their angst era also makes it very relatable for a lot of different play groups. I also want to shout out their game Once Upon a F!!!!!!!! Time that takes you into the fantasy world like Alice in Wonderland, but subverted to turn everything against you. This company definitely can go places that I feel strongly ties a narrative story to a unique gameplay. Definitely worth checking out. 

Origins also hosts Columbus in Darkness, a live play group set in the World of Darkness canon. Seeing folks set up for both dressing up and for live play made me want to take time in the future to enjoy this type of experience. It may not be sparkly vampires, but it draws those with a gothic nature into its web of intrigue. 

Overall, I hope to find my way back to origins again someday.  I won’t make it there next year because of conferences and graduation, but I see it some other time in my future. If you are looking for a chill convention, then you should find it in your future too.