Dice Tower Con was Con #2 of 4 for me this year.  This was the 2nd year of the con and I'm sure it will continue growing.  The organizers (Patrick Havert and crew) did a superb job of creating a very welcoming and fun event for all ages and all abilities.

DTC PoolDTC 2013 was held at the fabulous Doubletree Sea World Resort and attendees were given a fantastic rate.  We had a great room, pools, workout room, mini golf and a Village Inn right across the street. CoolstuffInc was a sponsor of DTC 2013 and one of the perks of staying at the hotel was getting a gift card emailed to you after the conference based on how many nights you stayed at the hotel.  I ended up with $35 to spend - and of course I ended up spending a lot more... THANKS COOLSTUFFINC!

The conference ran from Wednesday - Sunday.  We started early by volunteering with setup on Tuesday afternoon.  It was a fun way to get introduced to people and get to learn more about the con.  Then we were lucky enough to have a room for some pre-con gaming Tuesday night.  We started by teaching one of our favorite vintage card games called Make-a-Million.  If you like trick taking card games, you will really enjoy this one.  There are 4 colored suits, you call trump if you win the bid and the goal is to take the tricks with the most money cards! I'd be happy to teach you  if you want.

Next we played Norenberc. We had a great group playing the game and well, I won.  I'd played the game once before and I didn't have any particular strategy going into the game other than just having a good time and I guess it paid off.

The con officially started on Wednesday we spent most of our time in the main room, checking out the Library (FABULOUS SELECTION) and meeting more great people!  Wednesday rolled into Thursday, into Friday, into Saturday and then we left early Sunday morning with lots of great memories and new friends.DTC Library

One of the things I did was try to go outside my confort zone and try out some games I normally wouldn't back home.  So, Thursday I learned Android: Netrunner, Mage Wars and Descent.  I really enjoyed learning Netrunner and even though I only got to play the runner side against a lopsided corporate deck I did buy the game when I got home (Thanks to my CoolStuffInc gift certificates.) Now I just need to start playing to learn more and figure out how you put a good deck together.

I also enjoyed playing Mage Wars.  I didn't get to play a full game but would be happy to play one if I get a chance.  But will all these card based games I do need to make sure I have my reading glasses!  Do you remember those big novelty playing cards?  You know, the cards are probably 4 x 6 inches or so?  Wouldn't it be great if all these cards came in the large print version?  It's a whole new market as all us board gamers start aging!

DTC StoneAgeI had some wonderfully patient teachers at DTC.  I really appreciated everyone who let me sit in on their game and learn!  Here's a partial list of the other games I learned:

  • Stone Age - enjoyable for beginner Eurogamers. Easy to learn and I had fun.  Bought a copy with my CoolStuffInc $'s.  This is one I can teach newbies who come to our game nights.
  • Seasons - I had a very patient teacher who let me into a game where everyone else had played before.  I enjoyed the game and wouldn't mind playing it again now that I understand it a bit better.
  • Tokaido - Another light, enjoyable game (that I also bought via my CoolStuffInc $'s - ok, well the gift certs ran out by this point...)
  • Schrille Stille - VERY COOL!  Trying to get the records you produce to be top of the charts - or where you think they will end up on the charts.  Would love to own a copy of this.DTC Schrille
  • Suburbia - This was one of the first games on Wednesday that I jumped into.  I tried a strategy that didn't work and once you realize that you can't really get back into the game.  I'd play again but probably wouldn't be my first choice.
  • Ginkgopolis - Another beautiful game. Light.  I enjoyed it.  Would like to get a copy.

 

DTC Spy2We also jumped in on a "figure out who is the spy" type game.  I'm sorry I can't remember the name - it's some German game.  Well, the person who taught us (wonderful guy!) had changed all the characters to X-File characters so of course Mike and I had to play.  When Mike and I started dating we had a standing night to hang out at his place watching X-Files - which I had not watched until I started dating Mike.  I am not very good at all playing these type of bluffing games but it was still enjoyable and we had a very good time.DTC Spy1

Some of the evening and extra activities we participated in were also a blast.  We played Smarty Party the first night and we were part of the winning team!  Again we were gifted some CoolStuffInc $'s so that went to purchasing King of Tokyo (which I learned at Origins). We had to get something small enough to fit back in our luggage.

The most fun of all our non-game playing activities had to be sitting in on the Dice Tower podcast recordings.  Best one - Dice Tower Top Ten: Overrated Games.  At the end of them presenting their lists they invited individuals up from the audience to give their two cents.  So, if you watch at just past 47 minutes in, you will find my wonderful husband Mike giving his opinion.  It's all pretty fun so if you have the time, please watch the whole show!

I'm sorry that we will not be able to attend DTC 2014 as we will be having a family commitment but hopefully we can go back down in 2015!  Thanks again Patrick and gang for making our time so delightful!