Retro Computing: Why Bother? Special: Ultima II "Fun"

I am eventually gonna do an entire series on individual Atari 8 bit games plus Ultima titles in general.  But this is just a recent thing that happened I wanted to cover and talk about.  Plus maybe get some help with my disk issues.

Ellis Con 2013: A Quick Report

Saturday in one of the middle weeks of November as it usually is there is a small one day gaming convention in Ellis Tech up in Northeastern Connecticut.

ELLIS CON.

Put on by the school's Simulation Club to fund some activities for it, this convention has been occuring for a good 25+ or so years now.  This is only the second time I have gone, thanks to my work and sleep schedule.

(This year I was also gonna be hanging out with a friend from IRC who was even gonna hook me up with extra old computer gear and I was going to cover entrance fee.  Plus possibly booze afterwards.)

As the convention closes at 9pm and its about 45 minutes from where I work and I had a late start that night I could go provided I was willing to forego 3 odd hours of sleep.

Well.. I have money so.. let's rock!

(As always click pictures for larger if you wish.)

Approaching the school I wondered if I had the right place.  The last time I was here it was.. kind of a run down looking "Votech" school like the one I went to in Norwich CT.  Now it looks more like something Umbrella Incorporated would be creating new bioweapons out of!

Nope.  I am at the right place.  Last time the con was in their Aircraft classroom/hangar thingie.  I wonder where it is this year?

A REALLY great looking gymnasium!  The tables looked super new and ultra classy.  There was even a nice floor covering, probably to keep the basketball court from getting scuffed up.

With the 10 dollar entrance fee you got a nice little event booklet with the various scheduled games and a quite amusing cover.  (Entering there is also a little concession stand that seemed to be doing quite a brisk business.)

A setup for an event happening about the time I showed up.  I think.

A game of Dust Tactics going on.  The first time I have ever seen this game actually being played. Looks cool.

A game of the sadly out of print Heroscape going on.  The last time I was able to attend it I got to play this.  

A ticket for one of the door prizes.  I didn't win but someone with a number 3 digits less did.  Talk about being CLOSE.  It might have been me if my friend actually had showed up instead of me calling them a couple times before leaving.  

Some of the items up to be previewed for the auction!  Money for both the seller and the club.  My eyes were on the central object of this picture.

A different view of the gym.  I didn't get a shot of the two vendors who by this point seemed to be closing up shop.

And it got dark while I got in a game of Ogre !  My copy is still being organized but thankfully someone else has gotten his all ready to go.  (Good work Seth!)  I had brought my miniatures with me so our forces got to be all metal.  If colored opposite to "canon" colors.  

A train was coming in.  We had to stop it.  I had command of the armor and infantry.  

Following basic orders from Seth commanding the Fencer I sent my GEVs on an intercept course for the train and did my best to both cover said Cybertank and get some damage on the Combine's.  

The train is coming in!  My GEVs skim through the city for cover, Combine GEVs on my tail.

Savage fighting by the other city.

The Combine GEVs try to guard the train but one of them gets blasted!  A heroic Paneuropean GEV driver decides to ram the train.  The mission is ALL.  HE (or she) SUCCEEDS.  The engine is scragged and the entire train is destroyed given how fast it was going.  MISSION SUCCESS.  But we are outgunned.  

The heavily damaged Combine Ogre Mk3 does a heavy amount of damage to my conventional forces, while the Fencer is hammered.

The Fencer having lost all of it's weapons goes to escape to the south via the road while my remaining forces try to keep themselves from completely collapsing to the superior numbers.

My surviving infantry squads get into the city as does a single Missile Carrier.  Can we hold on and keep the city?

One Combine squad is eliminated before they could enter the city, and my missiles do more damage to the Ogre.

One squad sadly gets into the city and eliminates the carrier.  Given the benefits to infantry in cities the battle could go on for quite some time.  We call it there as the auction is about to begin!

To make the auction more efficient you register your name and get a lettered paddle.  Some folks gamed while taking part.

We even got this neat little promo card for an upcoming card game.

And the card back.  

My winnings!  A sealed 100 dollar game for 35! Ablaze! sealed for 5!  Platoon for 4!  Sadly Platoon was missing it's scenario book.  Guess its off to the internet for that.  Must be Charlie Sheen's TIGER BLOOD.

Ablaze! looks like a fun little portable board game in the Eurogame tradition.

Platoon is an Avalon Hill hex and chit game.  A lighter set of rules ala the Gettysburg Anniversary Edition I have.  A quite nice map board in there too.

And Horus Heresy!  I was VERY happy to get this!  Someone noted my enthusiasm and offered me his sealed 1st edition Space Hulk for 150 since he didn't think to put it up at the auction.  I.. declined.  I have 2nd and 3rd edition Space Hulk for one, don't have that kind of spare cash for second, and probably wouldn't pay 150 for it regardless for third.  Even if I do love the original derpy looking plastic Space Marine Terminators...

As it is getting late and I want to run an errand before going to get ready to work like a responsible adult I check out, skipping on playing a horse racing game and the infamously funny Cards Against Humanity.

I had a pretty good time!  I only wished I could have been capable of getting there earlier to play more games.

If you live in the region I do recommend Ellis Con.  If you don't?  Find out if there are any similar smaller conventions in your region.  This one benefits the school's club.  There may be a local one doing something similar for either a school or just to help a general charity.

Ogre Kickstarter Part 1: SWEET MOTHER OF PRINCESS CELESTIA/GOD/CTHULHU/OLD DIRTY BASTARD...

Yes.  The delayed for a year ultra game has finally been inflicted upon the gaming world.  The megagame version of a game one could fit in a pocket originally, or slip into a backpack in the version I fell in love with.

The greatest wargame ever made.  The Jesus Christ to Munchkin's Anti Christ.

OGRE.

While this is merely the first part of my Ogre coverage of this version and my Ogre collection in general, this game is so... absurdly massive the pictures I took of my unboxing of the main set alone say more than I ever could just about.  And this isn't even counting the bonus box I got too.  (Maybe show that whenever I cover part 2.)

So gentlemen behold the Mandingo of Wargames.  The Atari 5200.  That South African SUV that's immune to having explosions under it.  6 inches of thickness.  20 inches of tall.  24 inches wide.

Behold the Hell That Came to Kickstartertown:

 (Please click pics for larger if you really want to see more detail.  Also camera flash or fuzzier picture.  Deal with it.  Maybe my lower MP Ipad Air whenever I get it will take nicer pics even with being a 5mp compared to 14.1?)

 This is the main box Fed Ex dropped off.  I could have had this yesterday but I sleep days and had to leave the signing slip oking them to just leave this and the smaller box on my back porch.

Our metric using folk can convert this if they want.  Hint: ITS BIG AND HEAVY.

 Eventually this uber cute and cheap mini reprint of the original zip baggie game will be available for all to buy.  Like in Summer 2014 apparently.  I will be buying plenty to gift.

 And the back.

 Yes that is a Lego Santa Claus Minifig for scale.  It is an enormous box.  I ripped the plastic off trying to pull the SOB from the shipping box.  I ended up putting it on it's side and sliding it out.

 This is the back sheet covering the actual back of the box.  Along with all the counter sheets.  They don't all fit into the box to begin with!

 The nifty Ogre Mark 5 poster also included.  Smaller than the box size.

 The FOUR packs of double sided, pre cut counters.   Stacked together it is 2.75" or so THICK.  Big heavy full color cardboard.

 And the back, showing how insane it all is.  It may be the ONLY boardgame I have ever seen that recommends TWO PEOPLE LIFT IT.  Its like 20-25 pounds heavy.  And larger than most minitower computers.  

 All the sealed plastic bays to put your cardstock assembled bits in.  Even labeled for you!

 And Big Steve's personal thank you slip.  Also possibly showing how nobody at SJ Games realized how many people love Ogre and not that Munchkin garbage.

 Taking the two garages off we have another layer.  With map sheets, some zippy bags, and sadly the folding original Ogre mapboards just floating around in there.  I have no idea how they are supposed to fit really.  And neither did the factory that made this thing.

 Moving some of the geomorphic 4 way fold normal map boards out of the way we see MORE labeled spots for all this stuff, and the fancy pants dice with the main faction logo and their color on it.

(This will probably mess me up a little as my metal minis are in reverse colors I think.  Bugger.  I suppose I could just respray them or spend a few weeks Simple Green soaking and cleaning them all..)

 Some of the damage to the original Ogre board.

 And some more.  I could probably just fix it myself with a little white glue.  Depends on if I want my 150 or so dollar investment (that I probably could have sold for 200-250 on Ebay if not more.. the only Ogre auction I saw ended over 200 for the base game and none of the KS bonuses I had) to be perfect before what little use I get out of it because Southeastern CT gamers are all boring and or antisocial for the most part and only play their one or two beloved games and thus it won't wear out except if I handle it badly.

It just makes me feel a bit sad.

 Looks fine and dandy on the side that MATTERS though.

 One of the short sides of the box top showing some of the models assembled and some counters.

Not shown is the bottom box sides which have all the Kickstarter supporters on them.  Eventually I will look for my name.  If I used my Net handle I will take a pic of it in a later update.

 Main full color rulebook on top of all the other sheets included in a big zippie bag.

 Full color.  Nice art.  The people look like actual gamers who were drawn in the manual or something.  I could go check the Kickstarter page to find out for sure but I don't feel like it.

 The scenario book.

 Two double sided sheets of what looks to be dry erase record sheets if you don't feel like downloading the Ogre app online for your favorite tablet.

 The other side full of Ogre-y goodness.  

The two reference sheets included.  Showing one side here and part of the other.  This is like a third of what I can post about Ogre so it is getting long enough for one post.