Q-CON XXIV - DAY TWO.

Q-Con XXIV Day Two. The further adventures of "The Dice is Cast" at Q-Con 2017. Load the cannons, to the front quick march.

QCON

Q-Con XX  takes place next weekend, 28th -30th June. Qcon is the annual Gaming & Anime Convention hosted by QUB Dragonslayers, the Queen’s University Belfast Gaming and Anime Society.

My normal wing man Arthur, the unfaithful blaggart has let me down this year, choosing instead to go on holidays with his family, how selfish. I shall instead be joining at least four club members in a weekends orgy of gaming, junk food and sleep deprivation. Roll on Qcon XX.

I purchased K2 this week and look forward to climbing its peaks in the near future. K2 is a board game in which each player controls a team of 2 mountaineers, trying to climb to the summit of K2 and return before the other players' teams and before the mountain kills them. The game lasts up to 60 minutes and the theme is well represented in the mechanics, including such elements as tents, changing weather, lack of oxygen and death of the mountaineers.

Should prove to be  fun.

CASTERS OF THE POD.

I got to say a quick hello to a couple of the hosts from "The Adventure Party" podcast at this year’s Qcon. It was great to put faces to the dulcet tones of  Liam and Humbug. The Adventuring Party is a weekly podcast discussing table-top and related gaming on the Irish gaming scene so you don't have to.

The show includes round-table discussion, reviews and previews of events and conventions, games and resources, with interviews, advice and more on topics including role-playing games, war games, board games, card games and LARPs. I believe the next show will review this year’s Qcon.

You can check out these casters of the pod at:

http://theadventuringparty.libsyn.com/webpage/category/podcasts

QCON DAY 3.

Princess Leah and friend.

The dark side.

Day Three Qcon.

Day three at Qcon and a couple of old friends dropped in to say hello. They were possibly the most photographed individuals at this year's con.

Arthur brought his 15mm Roman and Celt figures. So we put on some participation game's using the Commands and Colors Ancients system. The two Dave's joined us and had a  couple of enjoyable games. The massed hordes of Celts storming to victory in both battles.

Celts break Roman centre.

CandC Ancients.

Celts rush to engage.

Following Command and Colors Dave the Pict introduced us to Wings of War. This is a fun, light aerial combat game. Arthur made up for his earlier defeats to gun down both Dave and myself.

All in all Qcon 2012 was a great weekends fun. Plans are already being hatched for next year. Bring on 2013.

Wings of War.

QCON DAY 2 IN PHOTO'S

Anime ladies.

Cosplay crew.

Qcon Day 2 in pictures.

One could not fail to notice that Qcon is Ireland's biggest anime and cosplay event. Cosplay is short for "costume play"  a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. From talking to a few regulars at Qcon, its fair to say that Cosplay draws the majority of the attendees.

While waiting for the show to open I managed to grab a few games of Cash and Guns before Arthur arrived and we set off to Relish. In Relish our tables awaited us and we put on a display game of Commands and Colors Napoleonic's.We were located along with other display games beside the RPGers. Arthur had planned to do the battle of Quatre Bras, but left the scenario info on his kitchen table. So some quick thinking was required to re plan and instead we put on Rolica. The usual hexon terrain and 20mm plastics wwere used.

Rolica.

C and C Naps.

Their was alot of mixing between the various people putting on display game's. We all had a nosey around to see what each table was doing. Dave (didn't get his second name) put on a participation game of Tomorrows War the futuristic version of Ambush Alley. 

Tomorrows War.

The table beside us had a huge Space Hulk game set up, very impressive. The guys from Portadown's Creative Destruction shop used a total of six Space Hulk boardgames in its construction..

Space Hulk.

FOG

To our right were the FOGer's. Two table's involved in the FOG tournament. I think most of the guys were from Tabletop North and the Ulster Wargame's Society. Arthur and myself had a good natter about all things wargaming with these gents. Sadly this is the best picture I got of their game's. It doesn't do justice to their beautiful 15mm fig's.

The grand master of the RPGers.

Their was alot of RPGers huddled around table's at the back of Relish. With various rules systems being played. I took this photo of one of the games. Dave Spratt, a fellow member of the Loaded Dice Club, was well chuffed with his lot as he managed to grab a few sessions and a larp over the weekend.

RPG

At some stage we organically hooked up with Dave the Pict. Dave originally from bonny Scotland now lives over here. Dave proved to be a top bloke and over the next day and a half we hung out and played various board and wargames.

Dave the Pict

Ashley

After out Commands & Colors display game, I went upstairs with Dave to the board game area. Here we met Ashley all the way from Oklahoma. Ashley is currently an intern at Queens. While Ashly may look like an innocent young lady she proved to be more than a match for us old guys. Handing Dave and myself our asses on a platter when we played Dominion and Ticket to Ride. We just managed to get Ticket to Ride finished before it was time to vacated the board game area. This was lucky as it coincided with the Spain France game on in the Student union. When we got into the union it wasn't busy but filled very quickly as every Spanish student in Belfast seemed to pick this spot to support their fellow country men. Sadly I was driving and could not exploit the cheap beer, maybe that was a blessing, as I felt rough enough the next morning. 

The Dub's.

At half time and the writing on the wall for France we headed back to the boardgame area for the card game "Bang". A big thanks to the Dubs Carter, Grace and Rachel you joined us to make up a seven player game. They kindly guided the rest of us as we hadn't played for a while.

The night ended, as it always does on such occasions with some saturated fats, washed down with a sugary drink. If my body was a temple, it would be a much neglected one and is recovering from a weekends trashing. A detox is much needed.

Day Three to follow shortly.

QCON 2012: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS.

As in "Whose line is it anyway" (if you are old enough to remember the TV show) I thought I would tell my tale in the style of a stranger in a strange land. This is meant to be a tongue firmly in cheek look at my travels at Qcon in Belfast 2012. All characters in this story bear a strong resemblance to those in reality and are based on the experiences of a simple farm boy from the sticks.

Belfast Qcon 2012

It was many life times ago now and I do not claim to be a good storyteller, besides my memory is not what it used to be. But I will  try my best. Haaaccccch thooooo let me clear my throat. So it began. The sky opened and the rain flowed onto the empty city streets. The intrepid adventurer set forth on a quest to seek enlightenment and fulfilment by the way of the Qcon. He made his way down the dungeons corridor, sought and was given access, by those they call the watchers.

The watchers were everywhere and could be identified by their strange blue armour. Often it took great ingenuity and dexterity by the adventurer (given I'm a rapidly ageing 40 something) to slip past these ever vigilant guarders of the Q.  He now had a two day pass to this strange land and was determined to make the most of it. He hoped to taste the foreign foods, sample the pale ales but the wench's were strictly off limits least his wife the sorceress and witch Shelab turn him into a three headed goat.

Eventually the lone adventure, after many false turns, reached the sanctuary of a powerful yogi. The one they call Eunan. This Eunan claimed to come from a far distant land. A land which he said was perched on the side of a great sea. To his people it was called Don E Gall, he hailed from the trading city of Kenny Letteroff to be precise. It was from this teacher that the seeker of the Q along with other like minded adventures hoped to gain true enlightment. Among them Joseph of the border lands and a tailor called David known simply to his kin folk as David the Taylor. Two of the party must have been from the same sect for they wore the simple black garments of their kind. Little did the traveller know, but these dark coloured cloths were to be common among may of the races he was to later encounter.

The adventurers among them David the Taylor and Joesph of the borderlands.

These simple men were to  learn a great knowledge, a great understanding. An understanding of "The Struggle Of Empires".  How I hear you ask. Well by looking into a pool of water of course. A pool which at first was cloudy but slowly cleared to reveal to them the clashing of continents and the battles of the seven old tribes. Much learning and wisdom did they acquire.

 The clearing pool.

With strange images.

It is late now and I grow tired little ones.  Maybe tomorrow, yes tomorrow I will continue my tale. Leave me now, come tomorrow when the moon has risen and my strength has returned.