Games I Purchased:
Outbreak: Undead (Hunter’s Books) – I’m a sucker for anything zombie related.  After a quick read through, this RPG has some neat little kernels of game mechanics, but I’m not sure I would use the system whole-sale.  I very much enjoy the exploration of building your own safe zones after the apocalypse–something most other zombie games don’t delve into too deeply.  The book is $45 and feels like a high-quality hardback, but the interior layout and art doesn’t match the price (for $10 more I can get core books from companies like Fantasy Flight, which are at the head of the industry as far as art and layout.)  I realize this is a small-scale company trying to make a good impression with their product, but they might benefit from cheaper soft-cover versions.

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I recently donated $20 to Haiti at RPGNow and got the free $1500 PDF bundle.  In that bundle was “3:16, Carnage Amonst the Stars“.  It is a game about trigger-happy human marines venturing out into the galaxy and killing every life form they come across.  I haven’t played it yet, but it is a tight little rules system that seems tremendously fun for some low-prep gaming.  Of particular note is the simple combat system that still manages to produce rather colorful results.  In fact, the whole game is simple–simple enough that younger kids could play it.  Of course, the genocide of the entire galaxy seems a bit of a heavy subject for children.  Even if you toned down the violence, I think the underlying theme and statements might go a bit over their heads.

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The Shotgun Diaries is a zombie survival RPG by John Wick (RPGNow link.)  It is a minimalist presentation, with only 18 pages and absolutely no art.  It was originally written as a birthday present to one of John’s friends, and only recently was made available as a commercial product.

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I played a game of Aces & Eights at Origins this year.  I thought it had some neat elements to it, but I decided that the initiative system was a little fiddly and I would need a little time to fit it into my standard groove of gaming.  I particularly liked the crunch of the character creation system.  There was a chart for nearly everything, but it was augmented with points so that you could pay for a re-roll, or pay even more to straight up select something off of the charts.  The kind gentleman running the game (who’s name escapes me, although he was part of the Kenzer demo crew,) talked very shortly about the new HackMaster using a very similar system.  The wild west has served as an occasional tryst for me but never been my fictional home.  Swords and sorcery, however, is a core of my tabletop subsistence.

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I’m sure I will tell you all about it when I get back!

Things I’m looking forward to:

Seeing old friends.
Charlie’s Steakery (mmmmm.)
Rogue Trader (I will likely pick up a copy of this.)
Space Alert (heard lots of good things–might have to buy this.)
Running a session of my own little indie RPG.
A good game of Cthulhu (no Origins is complete without it!)
My 9th and 10th trips around the vendor hall (because that is when you discover the cool stuff.)
Playing Arkham on those huge round tables.
Buying another expansion for Arkham (should it be Insmouth or Kingsport?)
Discount Warhammer 40k (I need some Eldar Rangers.)
Seeing a thousand game geeks do their thing.

Scientists have isolated the Foxp2 gene from humans and placed them in mice.  This gene is part of a cascade of genes that are believed to be responsible for developing speech.  The result:  the mice have changed their squeaks to whistles.

Creepy?  Yes.  Exciting?  Yes.  I can’t wait for the resulting legal and ethical debate when the first mouse demands a halt to its indignation.