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I had the good fortune to attend the Airecon tabletop gaming convention in Harrogate over the weekend,
Held in the fabulous Harrogate Convention Centre. this analog gaming convention has been a popular destination for gaming fans since . It is so popular, in fact, that it ranks alongside he likes of the UK Games Expo, Tabletop Scotland and Dragonmeet as one of the country’s must-attend events.
For that reason, the show not only attracts a 12k footfall, but also exhibitors such as Asmodee, Chaosium, Hachette, Warlord Games and more. But, as welcome as it is to see these grandees, I always find myself more attracted to what Enzo Ferrari would have labelled as ‘the Garagistes’: the small, indie publishers which punch above their weight and mix it with the bigger dogs.
These indie concerns publish what I consider to be some of the most original and attractive products seen at any gaming convention, and last weekend’s Airecon was no exception. It is my pleasure, therefore, to bring you what I consider to be the top five indie games, products or publishers from last weekend’s show.
Nota bene: the following list is presented in alphabetical order and is in no way a commentary on each entry’s merits relative to one another.
Aeronautique
This Scottish concern are the brains behind Route-Finder Intercontinental. Described by Aeronautique as a ‘resource management, roll ‘n’ write boardgame with very simple setup,’ this charming game is contained in one A5, 30-page booklet. This wee tome contains all the rules, map and counters you’ll need to play.
With gameplay estimated at only an hour, and a Boardgame Geek complexity rating of only 2.5 / 5, this game is definitely in the ‘easy to play, but a challenge to master’ category.
There’s also a Cthulhu expansion available. Entitled The Doomed Flight, this expansion promises ‘myths, insanity and danger in the Golden Age of Flight.
Visit the Aeronautique website for more details.
Blue Fox Comics
As a writer with a foot in tabletop gaming and comicbooks / graphic novel, this company really impressed me. Their catalogue offers a rich assortment of high-quality comics, gamebooks and graphic novels.
It really would take me all night to do justice to their catalogue. Instead, I urge you visit their website.
Cotswald Games
Formerly known as Gogito Ergo Meeple, Cotswald Games are behind the ambitious Luddite project. Combining a roll ‘n’ write game and a graphic novel, Luddite offers a sci-fi gaming experience for one to an ‘unlimited number of players’.
As with the graphic novel, Luddite’s gameplay centres around a cadre of saboteurs and their campaign against the AI overlords which rule a dystopian future.
See the Cotswald Games website for more details.
The Great Nothing Games
This guy has been on the circuit for years, there to promote his cardgame The War of the Worlds: One More Day, and it’s always a pleasure to see him. As a fellow War of the Worlds enthusiast, it’s also a pleasure to see One More Day is finally coming to Kickstarter.
Described as a ‘story driven, deckbuilding, exploration and survival game,’ One More Day is set during the Martian invasion of Victorian England. Players travel between locations inspired by the novel as they build their decks. But will these decks help them overcome packs of savage dogs and other, desperate survivors, but also the Martians and their black smoke, red weed and heat rays.
With artwork and mechanics which more than do justice to the source material, this game is a pleasure to play and a visual feast.
Visit the Kickstarter pre-launch page and hit ‘Notify me on launch’ to be amongst the first to back this excellent campaign.
Patriot Games Sheffield
Perhaps more well known as retailer and a place to hang out and play games, Patriot Games Sheffield also attend shows selling a range of various gaming goodies. Those goodies include a range of neoprene mats designed not only to be used for the likes of Bloodbowl, 40k and Warhammer, but also dungeons for your favourite fantasy dungeon-crawlers. These dungeon mats are available in two flavours: write-on-able and non-write-on-able*: this makes them even more useful for making notes, marking traps etc.
Visit the Patriot Games Sheffield website for more details.
*Not real words.
Images courtesy of their respective owners
