June Game-a-thon

The SWA sponsors eleven one-day Game-a-thons each year. We schedule these every month (January through September, November and December). October is reserved for Council of Five Nations. We usually shoot for the second Saturday of the month, but we're flexible in consideration of Studio availability and other regional conventions. We generally have 6-10 events, scheduled into two time slots (11am-4pm, 5pm-10pm+). We can easily accomodate games that run longer than a five-hour slot. You only pay for the games you play in. No registrations fees at the door, and no badges. GMs don't pay, and they play for free in the session they're not running.

Our next scheduled Game-a-thon is Saturday, June 12, 2010.
Here are the details.

Having successfully cleared out the threat to Sant Syrus building in the ruins of the old Rodemus keep, the villagers are now planning to trace the goblins back to their source and put an end to these evil beasts on the island once and for all. The danger is great and the rewards plenty. Are you game?
Dragons at Dawn is a retro tribute RPG using the gaming system pioneered by D&D co creator Dave Arneson in 1971. Beginners are welcome and new characters will be rolled at the table.
Follow these links to a review for Dragons at Dawn on RPG.net and the publisher's page for more information.

Those Red Devils and those worse than savages, the French, have struck another remote farm in the Mohawk Valley. But wait - there is a patrol of local Militia returning home on the road nearby. Will the farmers make it to the shelter of their log cabins in time? Can they hold off the raiders until help arrives? Or will the Widow have to do it all herself!
Beginners encouraged.

They may be sitting targets, but they aren't helpless! Game will include Anti-Aircraft defenses and an armed observation balloon.
Based on the popular Wings of War series of card based games simulating WWI air combat, Wings of War - Miniatures takes the excitement to the third dimension with not only beautiful miniatures, but also rules for altitude.
Follow this link to the BoardGameGeek entry for Wings of War - Miniatures which includes reviews, pictures, playing aids, and rules.

Long ago a fire demon and an ice worm were imprisoned in a dungeon to stop the two from destroying the land with the war they waged upon each other. The dungeon allowed the two to fight, but magically kept the fight even and the two were locked in an eternal struggle. Above the dungeon the city of Equa was built, and thrived for many years...until now. The city of Equa is in turmoil burning one day and freezing the next. The lord mayor fears that the fire demon and ice worm have joined forces in order to break free from their dungeon and is asking for brave heroes to enter the dungeon and destroy them both. Will you answer the call?
The adventure will be a homemade one using the base game plus the Tomb of Ice expansion.
Follow this link to the BoardGameGeek entry for Descent: Journeys in the Dark which includes reviews, pictures, playing aids and links to the FAQ and Rulebook.

Each of the six main powers in the game have a unique path to victory. Take on your opponents in the first card-driven game to prominently feature secret deal-making. A true six-sided diplomatic struggle, the game places a heavy emphasis on successful alliance-building through negotiations that occur away from the table during the pre-turn Diplomacy Phase. Set during the period in which Niccolo Machiavelli published his masterpiece "The Prince", backstabbing is always possible, especially because the card deck is loaded with event and response cards that can be played by any power to disrupt the plans of the powers in the lead.
The short convention scenario for GMTâs Here I Stand begins on Turn 4 with the action fully underway and ends on Turn 6.
Follow this link to the publisher's website which includes rules, scenario book, player aids, and play tips.
Additionally, visit the BoardGameGeek entry for Here I Stand which includes reviews, pictures and playing aids as well as links to errata and FAQ.
Note: This event may run past 4pm, depending on the number of players and their experience levels.

In Steam you build railroads and deliver goods along an ever changing network of tracks and stations. You build the tracks, upgrade towns, improve your train, and grab the right goods to make the longest, most profitable deliveries. Score your deliveries and add to your income or victory points, balancing your need to invest against your quest to win the game.
Follow this link to the BoardGameGeek entry for Steam which includes reviews, pictures, playing aids and quick rules.

Aliens have attacked the Earth bent on making it their own and enslaving humanity. The aliens have superior technology, but the humans have the numbers.
Players control units on either the alien or the human side fighting in a fuel station while trying to complete various mission. Each side's objectives are unknown to the other side.
Follow this link to the event's webpage which includes game and scenario descriptions and full color photos.

This widely discussed Eurogame where everyone gets to be a farmer without the hassle of actually plowing or rounding up animals. This game can be thought of as occurring in two stages: the first stage where you try to figure out how to feed your meeples, and the second stage where you try to figure out how you'll score points. Food, diversification, and fields are all important factors in the quest to experience the struggle of the farming man.
Follow this link to the BoardGameGeek entry for Agricola which includes reviews, pictures, player aids, and rules.

Arkham Horror is a cooperative adventure game themed around H.P Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Players choose from 16 Investigators and take to the streets of Arkham. Before the game, one of the eight Ancient Ones is chosen and it's up to the Investigators to prevent it from breaking into our world. During the course of the game, players will upgrade their characters by acquiring skills, allies, items, weapons, and spells. It's up to the players to clean out the streets of Arkham by fighting many different types of monsters, but their main goal is to close portals to other dimensions that are opening up around town. With too many portals open the Ancient One awakens and the players only have one last chance to save the world. Defeat the Ancient One in combat!
Follow this link to the BoardGameGeek entry for Arkham Horror which includes reviews, pictures, rules summaries and other playing aids.

Four deadly diseases have broken out worldwide and bring humanity face to face with extinction.
Game play is quick and brutal as players race against time to find the cure.
Follow these links to the BoardGameGeek entry for Pandemic and the BoardGameGeek entry for thePandemic: On the Brink expansion which includes reviews, pictures, player aids, and rules.

Twilight Imperium Third Edition is an epic empire-building game of interstellar conflict, trade, and struggle for power. Players take the roles of ancient galactic civilizations, each seeking to seize the imperial throne via warfare, diplomacy, and technological progression.
TI3 features more than 200 masterfully sculpted oversize plastic miniatures - the typical TI units (Ground Forces, Cruisers, Dreadnaughts, Carriers, Fighters, PDS, and Space Docks) as well as two new units (the massive War Sun and the Destroyer). TI3 contains new oversize board tiles, more than 400 cards, every known civilization of the Twilight Imperium universe, almost every expansion rule and component ever published for TI, a gorgeous graphical overhaul, and an impressive full-color rules set. Are you ready for another Age of Twilight?
Follow this link to the BoardGameGeek entry for Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition which includes reviews, pictures, tons of playing aids and a link to the publisher's website for rules and FAQ/Errata.
The direct link to the publisher's support page is here.

When shopping for weapons the smith suddenly bursts into tears. Somebody captured his wifeâs soul and is using it to extort money and weapons from the poor smith. He has nothing more to give, and unless you help him everything is lost.
A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Impiltur for characters levels 4-7.

A small farming community is being forced to give up their harvest to protect themselves from bandits. You can protect the people if you can convince them that they will be safe after your intervention.
A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Impiltur for characters levels 4-7.

Rumor has it that demon-hunting brings rich rewards in the city of Lyrabar. When unforeseen events befall the adventurers, will they become hunters÷or hunted?
A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Impiltur for characters levels 4-7.

Isolation can be a boon÷but when strange events leave the members of an airborne boarding school for young nobles in High Dale ill, only aid from outside can offer a solution. Can the PCs solve this discretely and in time?
A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in the Dalelands for characters levels 1-4.
This adventure is part of the ÎArts & Craftsâ mayor quest. The other part is DRAG1-7 Crafts. Successfully completing both adventures in any order completes the major quest. This major quest is a prequel to the paragon level ÎPain and Sufferingâ arc, which starts in DRAG2-1 Discomfort.

Westgate, the City of Coin is a haven for all races and creeds. But now the Docks and Moonside districts hide something more sinister, an affliction that threatens to spread to all corners of the city if it is not dealt with in its infancy. With madness and agony the result, it is up to the PCs to discover and eradicate the cause.
A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in the Dragon Coast for character levels 1-4.
This adventure is part of the ÎArts & Craftsâ major quest. The other part is DALE1-7 Arts. Successfully completing both adventures in any order completes the major quest. This major quest is a prequel to the paragon level ÎPain and Sufferingâ arc, which starts in DRAG2-1 Discomfort.

Location

As usual, this Game-a-thon will be held at the Studio of Bridge and Games, in Schenectady, NY. If you need directions, you can click here, or send an email to: mailto:directions@swa-gaming.org An automatic reply will immediately be sent to you with detailed directions.

The number at the Studio is: (518) 346-3773

Session Fees

Show up and play one game session = $4.00

Show up and play both game sessions = $6.00

GMs play all day for free.

Full-time students get in for free. For our purposes, "full-time students" are people in Kindergarten through college. Our intent here is to help allow younger games/"new blood" to participate at SWA events, and the gaming hobby in general.
The student discount does not cover working adults who happen to be taking a Continuing Education class. Please help us fulfill the spirit and intent of this policy.

Registration

Our Game-a-thons have generally been pretty casual events; people stroll in and sign up for the event of their choice on-the-spot. Lately, however, attendance has been increasing and more events are filling to maximum and beyond.

If you would like to greatly increase your chance of getting into the game of your choice, you can now formally pre-register online. Payments will be handled through PayPal. If you do not have a PayPal account, you can still pay with your credit card.

Online pre-registration is not required. You can still just stroll in and get into a game. But pre-registering is now an option for those who want to take advantage of it.

Follow this link to go to the online registration page. We'll sign you up, but your spot's not guaranteed until we get your payment.

Swap Meet Tables

If you've got merchandise you'd like to sell, please consider renting a table or three at our Game-a-thon.

This is meant to be more of a Swap Meet / Garage Sale atmosphere, and not really intended for full merchant setups.

Each attendee can rent a maximum of three tables. The first costs $2, two cost $10, and three cost $20. As you can see, the price structure encourages individuals to rent few tables. We will have a maximum of eight tables available at each Game-a-thon.

Each table is (2.5' x 2.5'); a standard card table. Some of them are kinda old and thus not very sturdy. Please keep this in mind when planning what you'll bring for sale.

You can reserve your table(s) ahead of time by using the online registration form. You will see the prices repeated there. Please list your table request in the 'Comments' field. Please also note that you have to pay the Game-a-thon registration in addition to the table rental fee.

You can also rent tables on a walk-in basis, but please remember we'll have no more than eight available for the day; first come, first served.

We suggest that you use our Forum discussion boards to announce what you will/might bring. We suggest posting in the "What's happening this week" category where the Game-a-thons are announced.

(Here's our secret agenda... Not only do we want to help you get rid of gaming stuff you're not using, but we'd also like to see this generate some more walk-in traffic.)

Questions or Comments?

Events at Future Game-a-thons

If you'd like to run a game at a future Game-a-thon, please click here to submit your event online.

You can also email us at your convenience.

You can even call Bill and tell him about your event over the phone - we're flexible!

If you'd like to see a particular game run at a future event, let us know by filling in a Game Request Form here.