https://volcanique.rocks/subscribe

The next thing to add will be email to email you all from.

A subscription form

I’ve created a subscription form to allow sign-ups for a very haphazard newsletter. For those interested, it is a simple html form then styled in CSS (of which I’m starting to create a collection of form styling, probably deserving of its own .css file that I’ll be able to use down the track).

https://volcanique.rocks/subscribe/

This very handily can send requests through Netlify to gather info despite being a ‘static’ site. For this basic information, this is all I require!

TGDA DEVCON

Well, this was a lot of fun. I stumbled on it by almost complete accident when I was looking up other Australian designers, turned out it was running less than a week away. Despite not being able to find it for the first hour, I eventually located the hurriedly scribbled sign pointing to upstairs in the community centre (rather than the library).

Part of the journey involved a lovely cycle in, which amazingly was all bike path to the Docklands on a sunny afternoon.

https://tgda.org.au/

What a great pack of similar nerds to be around. We’re all on the same page of trying to develop and design great games.

Some fantastic talks and presentations by Bugalugs Games: https://www.instagram.com/bugalugs.games/

Steve Dee from Tinstar Games: https://www.tinstargames.com/ / https://www.instagram.com/tinstargames/

And ARGH I cannae remember the second speaker’s name, but it was a fascinating chat about data-driven design. Perfect fodder for my next iteration of a deck building game I have in mind.

Got to playtest a bunch of different games (though significantly cut short due to me arriving late + not being able to find the entrance).

PAX AUS

First time to PAX, ended up there almost completely by myself as my friends I originally bought tickets with got called out for birthday duties.

I ummed and ahhed about going by myself but decided to bite the bullet. It was pretty nerve-racking to go alone but…what an experience! And phwoar are there a lot of boardgames on display.

Not the biggest fan of crowds, but the Indie showcase and playtesting areas were the perfect level of busy - often the tables were full, but by the time you’d had a chat with the game designer or person helping with the spiel, a spot would open up.

For some of the shorter games you could just waddle on up and jump into a game straight away. There were a games that I did want to have a go at but the tables were always busy - Glade and Survival of the Fattest to name a few. But I did manage to get a great chat to some of the creators.

Considering I was there for the boardgames, it did not disappoint, I’ve heard mixed reviews about the videogames and companies who were there and on display.

Magic the Gathering/Wizards of the Coast had a massive display, the miniatures painting area was also absolutely packed - I hadn’t looked into

As I went alone, unfortunately the boardgame library felt a bit out of reach - though I could have gone looking for a few solitaire games.

Highlight of the day - Crayne: Fractured Empire

Crayne: Fractured Empire by Chris Fielder

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/292491/crayne-fractured-empire

https://www.krunchygames.com/crayne-fractured-empire

I ended up in a play session with the crew from Tuesday Review who were filming and recording content for their podcast and socials.

https://www.facebook.com/tuesdayreviewau/ / https://open.spotify.com/show/6TyNXxemp7viXRaJLilBXM

My Dominion obsessed self found this a beautiful blend of a game. As it utilises a dynamic supply, concurrent reveals, left/right attacking and inbuilt purchasing power on the cards.

Needless to say I bought a copy and if that sort of thing interests you, I’d definitely recommend looking into it.