More just a quick run down of the games and the highs and lows of the convention. First off it was great to meet Iain, Matt and Andrew over the weekend. I should have been a little more proactive and said hello to Graham! Sadly I was loaded with cold so I didn't really feel up to pimping D&H a lot but I did foist a copy off onto Andrew!

Game One: Monkey (GM:Newt)
How was it? Very entertaining. A group of six spirits cast out of heaven began their journey to redeem themselves in the eyes of the Gods. Transporting Lady Dragonfly to the south sea island of the Goddess of Mercy the spirits are waylaid by storms, stolen bags of wind, naughty child-gods, arrogant city spirits and rebel demons.
The Good? The system is very simple and very evocative of the setting. Newt ran the game in a very animated and almost 'comic book' style which played up to some of the eccentricity of the genre.
The Bad? I was never sure whether we should have been totalling all of the cards in our hand, only the ying or yang, or narrating the action as a result of the preponderance of the cards? And there may have been too many jokers in the decks.

Game Two: Mob Justice (GM: Iain)
How was it? The O'Connor family have been thrown into chaos as their father is assassinated. The three brothers uncover a plot by the mafia and the irish gangs to undo them and ... well, I will leave Iain to explain in the AP what happened but it was the highlight of the weekend.
The Good? Iain's a cracking GM and he managed to balance the rather random actions of the players whilst delivering a coherent setting and characterisation of NPCs. The players all dived into the madness that was created.
The Bad? I wasn't too sure about some of the massive endgame conflicts where people were making their poker hands from over 15 cards. That seemed a little excessive but then again the game itself was excessive. Oh and I blew my nose. Iain may explain.

Game Three: Dead of Night (GM: Andrew)
28 Days Later the Department of Health's bunker opens and six rather flawed individuals stumble out into a very different world! Will they survive the zombies ... or the madness of the British military.
The Good? It's safe to say that Andrew is the 'silent killer' GM. Nothing too over the top but very calm in his execution. Literally. The characters had obvious and palpable issues to play off against each other and the action set-pieces were excellent. And Iain is a psychopath.
The Bad? There were one of two bits that I didn't understand. Why *would* they nuke the mainland? Why *was* the rest of the world uncontactable? Very minor though.

Game Four: Conspiracy of Shadows (GM: Dom)
In an unspecified slavic country at an unspecificed time a family of crumbling nobles face the death of one of their own and the disintegration of everything that they think is true.
The Good? Excellent, excellent game with really strong players and characters. Even though at times the game bordered on Black Adder style humour there was a magnificently palpable sense of impendingn - and rapidly approaching - doom. Never have I been so happy to have my character die.
The Bad? I've been wracking my brains and I cannot think of anything and thats rare because I can be a right picky bastard.

Game Five: Burning Wheel (GM:Newt)
Enemy at the Burning Gates - Balinist Dwarves protect Balingrad from the encroaching Germanic Elven armies, inspired by an elite group of sniper-crossbowmen.
The Good? The characters were excellent analogs of the film and with a little more work the setting could be made into something truly special. Newt's accommodating GM style handled the game far better than I could have.
The Bad? Oh dear. Too many people for Burning Wheel to really have a chance to show through and a political overtone that made anything other than compliance rather difficult. I think it would be fair to say that some of the players were also more interested in the sound of their own voice, their witisisms and their knowledge of the era than the game and ... oh, how to say this politely ... didn't know when to shut the fuck up!

Overall the convention was an unqualified success for me and my travelling companion Andrew. Maybe the playing area could have been a little bigger? Maybe there could have been a seperate social area away from the gaming area? Maybe the bar staff could have moved at a speed higher than 'Glacier' and be capable of remembering two drinks at a time. Minor quibbles though. Amazing value for money and great gaming experiences.

Neil