Magic the Gathering Celebration

Are you ready to celebrate with Magic?!?!?

We are! 

So what is this Magic Celebration you may be asking... Well it is a fantastic and fun way to experience Magic the Gathering with friends in a casual format! We will be running this free, yes I said FREE, event here at the Dragon's Den and we are hoping that you come and join us.  So here are some details about the event:

What: Magic the Gathering Celebration
Where: The Dragon's Den
When: Saturday September 10th at 12:00 noon
Event Type: Mini Master
Cost: FREE

What is a Mini Master Event you ask? Well, I'll be happy to explain this format to you.

Everyone who plays will receive a 2012 booster pack and 15 basic lands (3 of each type). You then pull out the tip/token card and shuffle the land and booster pack together... remember, no peaking! You then play out the game as normal; drawing 7 cards, having 20 life, and having fun. We will be running the event as 16 player pods and 4 rounds.  If we get more then 16 players, we will create another pod. 

So now that we have covered the basics, would you like to learn some more? You would! GREAT!

If you win your round you will get another booster pack for FREE! You will then have a few minutes to modify your deck with the new cards.  Winners will then be able to make a 40 card deck with as much land as they like.  With 4 rounds, players will have a chance to modify their decks as they win.

We will also have a few special promo cards to give away.  These cards are not for the Magic card game, but for the Duel of the Planeswalkers 2012 video game.  There is a digital item code on each card that will unlock a digital item for your account on the chosen gaming platform.

There will also be a FREE, yes I keep saying that word, T-Shirt for the first several people who purchase a Deck Builder's Toolkit! Supplies are limited and once they are gone, they are gone.

Speaking of supplies being limited, each of these items and the event are on a very limited quantities.  If you are interested in being a part of this Magic Celebration, then you want to get to the Dragon's Den and get ready to have some fun!

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

New #1's (not from DC)

December 

Voltron #1  - The lions reunite in this new series from Dynamite.

Avengers X-Sanction #1 - The return of Cable and the lead-in to next year's big Marvel event.

Carnage USA #1 - The cult favorite character returns in another mini-series!

Fantastic Four #601 - Hickman's FF saga continues with the return of the Fantastic Four ongoing.

November

Star Wars Crimson Empire III #1 Empire Lost (Dark Horse) – The Imperial Guardsmen return.

Uncanny X-Men #1 – The last major Marvel/DC title to get a relaunch.

Avenging Spider-Man #1 – Joe Maduera returns!
Peanuts #0 - A new monthly series, and only for $1!
Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist #1 - Dynamite Fans rejoice! They're now publishing FG, too!
Fear Itself  #7 Point One - The after-effects of FI on Captain America after the death of Bucky.
Fear Itself  #7 Point Two - Iron Man and Odin square off.
Fear Itself  #7 Point Three - The solicitation says "THOR NO MORE".

October

Orchid #1 (Dark Horse) – Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine jumps into comics.

The Strange Talent of Luthor Strode #1 (Image) – New post-modern super-hero mini-series.

Penguin: Pain & Prejudice #1 (DC) – WAK WAK WAK. The history of the classic Batman villain.

Batman Odyssey Vol 2 #1 (DC) – Neil Adams returns to his Batman series.

Shade #1 (DC) – Starman fans, James Robinson returns. This should be 15 types of awesome.

Legion Secret Origin #1 (DC) – History of the Legion, plus get a Legion ring free.

Spaceman #1 (Vertigo) – Did you like Batman Knight of Vengeance? Same creative team.            

Fearless #1 (Marvel) – Mini-series that follows up on Fear Itself.

Incredible Hulk #1 (Marvel) – HULK HAVEN’T HAD NEW #1 IN AT LEAST TWO MONTHS. HULK SMASH!

Avengers 1959 #1 (Marvel) – Howard Chaykin writes and draws

Avengers Solo #1 (Marvel) – 2 stories: One featuring Hawkeye, the other featuring Avengers Academy.

Wolverine & The X-Men #1 (Marvel) – New x-title featuring Marvel’s least-seen character, Wolverine.

Star Trek/Legion of Super-heroes #1 (IDW) – This series needs to have Darkseid screaming “KHAN”.

30 Days of Night Ongoing #1 (IDW) – Steve Niles returns! The Maxx’s Sam Keith draws!

Dark Shadows #1 (Dynamite) – Barnabas Collins is back.

September

Annihilators Earthfall #1 (Marvel) – Marvel’s Cosmic characters take on the Avengers.

Ghostbusters #1 (IDW) – I’m singing the Ghostbusters theme as I type this. Billy Dee Forever.

Buffy TVS Season 9 #1 (Dark Horse) – Joss Whedon returns!

Star Trek #1 (IDW) – Takes place in the re-launched Abrams-verse.

John Carter Princess of Mars #1 (Marvel) – New Disney movie in March, here’s the Marvel adaptation

Ultimate X-Men #1 (Marvel) – Kitty puts the X-men together.

Ultimate Spider-Man #1 (Marvel) – With Peter Parker dead, Miles Morales takes over.
Game of Thrones #1 (Dynamite) - More George R.R. Martin goodness!
The New 52 (DC) - All 52 of the New #1's.

Miniature Gaming at the Dragon's Den Part 2

With so many new miniature games being played at the Dragons Den, I figured I should mention that we still have table space on Wednesday and Thursday for mini games that are not listed in the post below.  We do see Warhammer 40K, Warhammer Fantasy, Malifaux, and Flames of War players on those night and sometimes on Saturday.

To continue with some of the new future events, I wanted to add a couple that are out a bit farther.  These may be subject to change, so check our calendar or in the store for more details.

November:

Wednesday nights: Privateer Press (Hordes & Warmachine) Escalation League
                             Infinity Escalation League
Thursday nights: Flames of War Early War Aces
                         Dystopian Wars Escalation League
Thursday November 24: Closed! Happy Thanksgiving
Saturday November 12: Malifaux Tournament
Saturday November 19: Warhammer 40K Tournament
Saturday daily: Open Play


December:

Wednesday nights: Privateer Press (Hordes & Warmachine) Escalation League
                             Infinity Escalation League
Thursday nights: Flames of War Early War Aces
                         Dystopian Wars Escalation League
Saturday December 10:  Privateer Press Warmahordes Tournament
Saturday December 17: Flames of War Early War Tournament
Saturday December 24: Wings of War: Snoopy vs The Red Baron (I hope you all get the reference for the holidays)

Remember that some events might change slightly or be modified, so check with the store or online to make sure you have the most recent information. So now we have made it almost all the way to Christmas break for schools.  We will be planning some other events with the students home for the holidays, so stay tuned for more information as it will be sure to follow... just maybe not for a month or two!

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

Miniature Gaming at the Dragon's Den

So we have a new staff member who is helping to focus on miniature games here at the store.  He has set up a list of events that we will have on our Google Calendar very soon, but I thought we could get a list posted here on our blog as well.  If you are interested in big games, skirmish games, or anything in between, check out the list and hopefully you will see an event that you like.

August:

Wednesday nights: Privateer Press (Hordes & Warmachine) demo games
                               Warhammer 40K demo games
                               Infinity demo games
Thursday nights: Flames of War demo games
                            Malifaux demo games
                            Flames of War: Aces of Aces event
Saturday daily: Open Play

September:

Wednesday nights: Privateer Press (Hordes & Warmachine) Assembly & Paint (Week 1 & 2)
                               Warhammer 40K Assembly & Paint (Week 1 & 2)
                               Privateer Press League: Sand Narrows (Week 3 & 4)
                               Warhammer 40K Escalation League (Week 3 & 4)
Thursday night: Flames of War Assembly & Paint (Week 2 & 3)
                          Malifaux Assembly & Paint (Week 2 & 3)
                          Flames of War Mid War Aces (Week 4 & 5)
                          Malifaux Escalation League (Week 4 & 5)
Saturday September 10: Infinity Tournament
Saturday daily: Open Play (unless other events scheduled)

October:

Wednesday night: Privateer Press League: Sand Narrows (Week 1 & 2)
                             Warhammer 40K Escalation League (Week 1, 2, 3, & 4)
                             Privateer Press (Hordes and Warmachine)Open Play (Week 3 & 4)
Thursday night: Flames of War Mid War Aces (Week 1, 2, 3, & 4)
                          Malifaux Escalation League (Week 1, 2, 3, & 4)
Saturday October 8:Flames of War: Late War Tournament, Battle for Salvation
Saturday October 22: Dystopian Wars Tournament
Saturday daily: Open Play (unless other events scheduled)
Sunday October 16: Privateer Press: Sand Narrows World End
Sunday October 30: Malifaux Story Encounters
Monday October 31: Malifaux Story Encounters (Happy Halloween)


We have more events planned for the rest of the year.  Stay tuned for more information about November and December as they will be posted soon... but may have changes made, and will be great save the date information.  For more details about the upcoming events in the store, check out our calendar of events on our website, or stop in and ask!

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

Gen Con 2011 The Best 4 Days of Gaming

Welcome back from the "BEST 4 DAYS OF GAMING" also know as Gen Con!

So we got back from Gen Con last night, and it was a fantastic show! We had a chance to try many different games, check out product that is not released just yet, and see all the greatest product that could be seen.  We are going to share some pictures, share some stories, and give some insight into some games.  To make life easy, I'm breaking it down by vendor so you can see the different areas you'd like more info about.  So if you are ready to read on and want to learn more, continue through the trip to Gen Con 2011!

Wizards of the Coast:

There is a lot to talk about with WotC. They had a great booth set up as a ruined castle, and a live action D&D event behind it.  The booth was amazing as was the D&D Mega Adventure that was set up through out Gen Con with QR Codes.  The players got into trying to find the codes and earn points for their faction.  All of this was for the soon to be released Neverwinter campaign setting.  Away from the booth you show the two locations for all the events: The Sagamore Ball Room and the TCG Hall.  At the TCG hall you had so many Magic events, it was almost overwhelming, with the highlight being Nationals!  So many players going in and between events, it was incredible to see.  Upstairs in the Sagamore there was Dungeons and Dragons. It was not just the RPG though, they also had 3 Dragon Ante, all the board games, and the D&D National event as well.A big announcement was for the Lords of Waterdeep board game which is a Euro style board game set in the Dungeons and Dragons world.

Wizkids:

What can I say about Wizkids other then WOW! The new Star Trek game that involves fleets of Federation and Klingon ships looks amazing.  The price point at first looked a bit high, until you started to count up all the ships you got in the base game.  We would love to get a copy of this game a give it a try to get the Trek fans into a great looking ship to ship minis game.  Another game that they had out was Quarriors! Quarriors is a fantastic game involving dice that is similar to the deck building games.  We had such a blast playing this game, that I had to buy a copy for myself then and there.  It played fast and had the option of adding new abilities to the dice without having to make all new dice.  We will be demoing this game soon and getting players excited to try a new type of game.  I really can't talk about Wizkids without mentioning the Heroclix.  They had a number of great items out for sale including Heroclix, Street Fight, and Gears of War... BUT the items that had people looking were the painted pieces (not on bases) of The Lord of the Rings and Pathfinder.  They all looked great!  Check back as more information becomes available we will be writing more.

AEG:

We had the opportunity to go over and talk with the people at AEG as well as attending their Big Game Night.  I would have liked a little more structure to the big game night and maybe in an area that was a little quieter so that we could really check out the games.  We did have a chance to play Ninja, which is a very secretive board game involving Ninjas and guards set in the L5R world..  It was a blast! We will have a copy in this week and will be running some demo games to give players a chance to check it out.  We also got a chance to see Thunderstone, Parthenon, and Legend of the 5 Rings CCG.  AEG has a bunch of really great games out now and if you are looking to give something new a try, they would make a great choice.

Gary Games:

Gary Games is the publisher of the game Ascension.  This is a great deck building game that was created by a number of Magic players who were looking for another game to play between Magic.  The same design group also created Redakai, but we can talk about that later.  I had a chance to play in a tournament for Ascension, but sadly came in second in my pod, so did not advance.  They also had a number of great promo cards that you could pick up at their booth.  We also had a chance to discuss the Dragon's Den becoming a part of the Game Day program that they run, so hopefully we will be a part of the next one which is coming up soon.  

Fantasy Flight Games: 

Well the big announcement here was that Fantasy Flight Games picked up the rights for Star Wars.  To show case this, they had several games on display and were running demo games of several of them.  Star Wars X-Wing looked fantastic! It is a miniatures ship to ship combat game that takes a few elements from Wings of War.  Instead of a deck of cards for movement, each ship has a disk that you pick your movement from and place face down next to the ship (for that hidden movement similar to Wings of War).  They used different templates then for movement and attacks.  They kept some of the flavor with the weapons and abilities on the different star fighters, but we only got to see the X-Wing and Tie Fighter.  They also did a new card game for the Star Wars universe, but we did not get a chance to demo that game.  Some other items of note at the booth would be their release of the Gears of War board game and the new revised edition of Dust Tactics. 

Plaid Hat:

Plaid Hat is the maker of Summoner Wars.They have a new starter box that will be coming out in a month or so... or maybe we will have several copies in a few days! We had the chance to demo the game with them at Gen Con, and they allowed us to get a few copies while we were there.  The new starter has new factions, which if I remember correctly is an addition 6 new factions.  It also has a double board so that it is a little easier to play on and see your side of the board.


I hope that you have found some new information or got to experience some of the Gen Con trip from the write up.  We will be adding more information over the week and get some other impressions so you can hear about some other games and events.  There will always be more to add about Gen Con, but I think this is long enough, so watch for the next post soon.

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks