August 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, August 9, 2008.
Here are the details.

All day tournament. Start at 11am, play all day. Players: 4 to 12+4 for every set
It is the summer of 1756. On the eve of the Seven Years War, half of Europe has formed an alliance. Frederick the Great is in deep sorrow: Is the annihilation of Prussia planned? Is it Prussia's defeat or is it Prussia's glory? It’s all against one. But only one will reign supreme. On a map of Old Europe, players maneuver their generals from city to city. Frederick must retain a part of each Prussian province, while the attacking powers savagely seek out their objectives. The clever use of tactical cards is decisive to winning.
Follow this link to the BoardGameGeek entry for Friedrich which includes reviews, pictures, player aids and rules.

The town of Winterhaven stands watch over a ruined keep that was once a bastion of good in the realm. This keep overlooks the Shadow Rift, a dark scar in the world that was once a gateway to the Shadowfell but has been dormant for many years. Now, an evil cleric of Orcus, Demon Lord of the Undead, seeks to re-open the gate, and the only thing standing in his way is a small yet determined band of heroes.
Keep on the Shadowfell is an exciting Dungeons & Dragons adventure designed for characters of levels 1–3. It includes three double-sided poster maps suitable for use with D&D Miniatures.

The Rebs and Yanks have been facing each other across Chickadee Creek, waiting for reinforcements to give them numerical superiority so that they can attack the enemy. The trains have been busy recently, bringing up fresh troops. At this time of year, there is a thick fog over the creek in the morning, during which visibility will be much reduced. This provides an opportunity to advance across the creek unseen by the enemy’s pickets. Now is the time to strike!

Take on the role of a colonial power seeking fame, glory and riches in the New World. Each empire can launch expeditions of discovery, colonize regions, expand its merchant fleet, construct capital buildings for distinct advantages, develop its economy, and if necessary, declare war.
This boardgame version of the hit computer game Age of Empires III appeals to fans of not only the computer game, but also games of both the classic American and the modern European schools of design.
Follow this link to the BoardGameGeek entry for Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery which includes reviews, pictures, rules and other playing aids.

Adds several new aspects to Settlers of Catan, but the two major ones are creating knights to protect the land from invading barbarians and building city improvements that confer benefits upon that city's owner. Adds tactical complexity to the game and game length.
Additionally, visit the BoardGameGeek entry for the Settlers of Catan base game which includes reviews, pictures, and playing aids.

The Napoleonic Wars, 1805 - 1815, brings you a fast-paced, tension-filled, card-driven wargame using a point-to-point movement system that pushes the envelope in a new direction for this pivotal period of history. Having a simple-to-learn strategic system and short rulebook, The Napoleonic Wars, can be played in an evening as the cards and Diplomatic Track make for tough decision-making in the face of ever changing enemy threats.
Follow this link to The Napoleonic Wars page on the GMT website which includes rules, images, and reviews.

History of the World works under the assumptions that all empires eventually fade and that the only things differentiating great empires from lesser ones is how much territory they conquer and how long it takes for their civilizations to disappear. To that end, the game is played in epochs, with every player handling a new empire during each; yes, some empires will be stronger than others, but a few clever mechanisms largely balance that out. At the end of each epoch, players score points for all their forces (from the current and previous empires) remaining on the board.
Follow this link to the BoardGameGeek entry for History of the World which includes reviews, pictures, and other playing aids.

by Harold Austin.
Cryllor has seen many changes, and in those changes a dangerous Count has returned to power, forcing his benevolent daughter into seclusion. People starve in the streets, while a twisted justice is enforced in the county. Can a single voice calling for help start a change that the county needs? A Keoland regional adventure for APLs 2-12. Note: This adventure will be of particular interest to Keoland Military and Knights of the Watch/Dispatch members.
Signups available here to let the tables form ahead of time and ensure better party balance.

by Charles Skidmore.
As an unusually hot Keoish summer fades into autumn, events on the western border of the Empire continue to smolder. The truth is now filtering to the ears of Keoish citizens: war has come to the western marches and with every passing day marches eastward to Niole Dra. As the Keoish Empire reels from this sudden onslaught, a bold counterattack is planned on the heart of the assaulting forces: Godakin Keep. But is the assault a diversion, a suicide mission, or a stroke of genius? Only time will tell, because only the survivors author the histories. A Keoland regional adventure for APLs 8-12, and Part Four of the To the Last man Standing series. This is a direct sequel to KEO6-04 Old Sins Cast Long Shadows, KEO7-04 Castlefall and KEO7-06 Bright Scaled Horror. It is recommended that those adventures be played first if possible.
Signups available here to let the tables form ahead of time and ensure better party balance.

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.