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Showing posts with label Conventions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conventions. Show all posts

Atlas Games’ Summer 2019 Convention Schedule

Summer is here — and it promises to be busy! We’ll be at shows in the US and Europe. Come see us, play some of our new and soon-to-be-released games, and pick up copies of your favorites.

Shows For Retailers
  • ACD Games Day (Madison, Wisconsin) - Wednesday, May 22nd - Friday, May 24th
  • Asmodee Nordic Open House (Copenhagen, Denmark) - Tuesday, June 4th
  • Alliance Open House (Fort Wayne, Indiana) - Friday, September 13th - Sunday, September 15th
Shows For Everyone
  • UK Games Expo (Birmingham, England) - Friday, May 31st - Sunday, June 2nd
  • Origins Game Fair (Columbus, Ohio) - Wednesday, June 12th - Sunday, June 16th
  • Gen Con (Indianapolis, Indiana) - Thursday, August 1st - Sunday, August 4th
  • NecronomiCon (Providence, Rhode Island) - Thursday, August 22nd - Sunday, August 25th

If you can’t make it to a summer show, be sure to sign up for our email newsletter so we can keep you informed on what’s new and next.

Gen Con, Atlas, and You

On the off chance you hadn't heard, Gen Con 2018 is happening August 2-5, and as usual, we'll be there, previewing, demoing, and seminaring into the wee hours of the afternoon. Curious where to find us during the best four days in gaming? Start with our dealer's booth, Exhibit Hall #1407, and then check out any or all of the following special events:

Witches of the Revolution*
Cursed Court
Cursed Court Grand Tournament Entry Round
Cogs & Commissars
Witches of the Revolution*
Cursed Court
Cursed Court Grand Tournament Entry Round
Cogs & Commissars
Over The Edge Panel
Ars Magica Panel
Witches of the Revolution*
Cursed Court
Cursed Court Grand Tournament Entry Round
Cursed Court Grand Tournament Finals
Writing & Design Panel

* These events are currently sold out. However, we encourage you to drop by prior to the start of the game, as ticket-holder dropouts or no-shows do occasionally happen.

Gen Con art and logo banner


Improving Conventions for Everyone

Bright lights are shining on harassment in every part of society, and it's no different in the game industry. The time has arrived when victims and witnesses can seek justice for harassment at conventions and trade shows. I've got some pretty hair-raising stories I could share about creepy stalkers and inappropriate physical contact at game conventionsonce while holding my three-month-old son in my arms! Open secrets finally have consequences. And more fans and makers are insisting on the ethics of the industry we love so much.


San Diego Comic Con anti-harassment policy
(photo credit BleedingCool.com)
It's been more than a year since Atlas Games joined Pelgrane Press in requiring conventions to have an anti-harassment policy in order to receive our support for their events. We insist on a clear definition of harassment, a public procedure for violation, and a policy that's easy to find in the convention's physical space and online materials.

Overall, our stance has been well-received, and conventions have responded by adding and expanding their protections for attendees of all kinds. I've had productive discussions with folks about how a clear anti-harassment policy actually boosts attendance, since people can see before they even register that they'll be supported. And it feels great to support a con that's improving the experience for everyone.


Anna Kegler (L), Rochelle Keyhan (C), Erin Filson (R)
of geeksforCONsent (photo credit Brian van der Brug)
If this is a stance you support, you can bring it to the attention of your other favorite publishers. The more these become community standards, the more leverage we'll have. But don't forget that you can also have a major impact by asking your local conventions about their anti-harassment policies and encouraging them to post them prominently. Local organizations who are skeptical can look at the policies of large cons like the Origins Game Fair and midsize ones like CONvergence. Our conventions will only become more fun for more people with these efforts.

Trading and Dealing at Industry Events

You may be surprised to learn that conventions for gamers, like Origins and Gen Con, aren't the only conventions that companies like Atlas Games attend. Trade shows and open houses are also essential to the way game companies make contact with the stores that bring our games closer to you.

The largest hobby game trade show each year is run by the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) GAMA is the professional association for over 900 game publishers. Their goal is to grow the hobby so more people encounter and enjoy hobby games. GAMA hosts the GAMA Trade Show (GTS) so game designers, game manufacturers, game publishers, and game retailers can network and share the best practices for each side of this relationship. Although GTS is for game industry professionals, streaming channels like BoardGameGeek's BGG News and Dice Tower report live from the show to bring you the latest news in games.

Distributors also host open houses for their retail customers throughout the year, which publishers also attend. Distributors are the companies that collect products from many publishers so they can send a single shipment with many companies' games to a retailer, without the retailer having to order from each company individually. Open houses are spread out, geographically, since there are distributors all across the country and around the world.

Though this kind of get-together is invisible to the gamers who come out for player conventions, trade shows are important for getting games by the publishers you like or haven't learned about yet onto the shelves of your Friendly Local Game Store.

Unknown Armies awarded a Silver ENnie for Best Production Values at Gen Con!


Our UA3 production team is extraordinarily grateful to the fans of Unknown Armies for voting for us in this year's ENnie Awards. We came away with the Silver ENnie for Best Production Values, which we believe recognizes the hard work and effort of our crew: art director Aaron Acevedo, graphic designer Thomas Deeny, editor (and postcard crafter!) Colleen Riley, cover artist Jason Engle, interior photographic artists Benôit Felten, Lassi Seppälä, Thomas Shook, and Jeannine Acevedo, and of course designer and co-postcard-maker Greg Stolze.

Congratulations to the Chaosium for their Gold ENnie and to all of our colleagues and friends in the publishing business for their well-deserved recognitions and nominations!



Atlas' Gen Con 50 Preview

August 17-20 marks the 50th anniversary of Gen Con, and we'll be there! We're hosting a plethora of games and panels, in addition to demoing games from open to close in the Exhibit Hall all weekend long. Come find us at booth 1401 and check out our event schedule below to get the skinny on all of our newest games, including special previews of Over the Edge 3rd Edition!



Ars Magica Panel
Thursday
6:00 PM
1 hr $0

Cursed Court
Thursday
12:00 PM
2 hrs $2

Cursed Court
Thursday
4:00 PM
2 hrs $2

Cursed Court
Friday
12:00 PM
2 hrs $2

Cursed Court
Friday
4:00 PM
2 hrs $2

Cursed Court
Saturday
12:00 PM
2 hrs $2

Cursed Court
Saturday
4:00 PM
2 hrs $2

Lost in R'lyeh
Thursday
10:00 AM
2 hrs $2

Lost in R'lyeh
Friday
10:00 AM
2 hrs $2

Lost in R'lyeh
Saturday
10:00 AM
2 hrs $2

Over the Edge 25th Anniversary Panel
Thursday
5:00 PM
1 hr $0

Pillar of Fire RPG Panel
Saturday
5:00 PM
1 hr $0

Return to Al Amarja*
Over the Edge, 3rd Ed
Friday
9:00 AM
2 hrs $2

Return to Al Amarja*
Over the Edge, 3rd Ed
Friday
11:00 AM
2 hrs $2

Return to Al Amarja*
Over the Edge, 3rd Ed
Saturday
9:00 AM
2 hrs $2

Return to Al Amarja*
Over the Edge, 3rd Ed
Saturday
11:00 AM
2 hrs $2

Thunderhead Mesa*
Unknown Armies, 3rd Ed
Thursday
1:00 PM
3 hrs $12

Thunderhead Mesa*
Unknown Armies, 3rd Ed
Friday
1:00 PM
3 hrs $12

Thunderhead Mesa*
Unknown Armies, 3rd Ed
Saturday
1:00 PM
3 hrs $12

Unknown Armies Panel
Friday
5:00 PM
1 hr $0

The Very Gloomiest Afternoon Tea Party
Gloom, 2nd Ed
Thursday
2:00 PM
2 hrs $2

The Very Gloomiest Afternoon Tea Party
Gloom, 2nd Ed
Friday
2:00 PM
2 hrs $2

The Very Gloomiest Afternoon Tea Party
Gloom, 2nd Ed
Saturday
2:00 PM
2 hrs $2

What's Up with Feng Shui from Atlas Games
Friday
6:00 PM
1 hr $0

Witches of the Revolution
Thursday
9:00 AM
2 hrs $2

Witches of the Revolution
Friday
9:00 AM
2 hrs $2

Witches of the Revolution
Saturday
9:00 AM
2 hrs $2

Writing & Design Panel
Saturday
6:00 PM
1 hr $0


* These events are currently sold out. However, we encourage you to drop by prior to the start of the game, as ticket-holder dropouts or no-shows do occasionally happen.

Atlas And Origins 2017

Origins is right around the corner—June 14th-18th—and as always, we'll be there! We're hosting over 50 events in four days, in addition to our usual dealer's room space where we'll be running demos all day, every day. Get a look at new games, like Witches of the Revolution and Cursed Court, or settle in to enjoy old favorites like Gloom and Feng Shui. Our entire schedule is available below so you can start planning now!

See you in Columbus!




Event
Date
Time
Hounded
6/14/17
12:00 PM
Lost in R'lyeh
6/14/17
12:00 PM
Hounded
6/14/17
2:00 PM
Three Cheers for Master
6/14/17
2:00 PM
Hounded
6/14/17
4:00 PM
Lost in R'lyeh
6/14/17
4:00 PM
Hounded
6/14/17
6:00 PM
Fairytale Gloom
6/14/17
6:00 PM
Three Cheers for Master
6/15/17
8:00 AM
Unknown Armies GM Workshop
6/15/17
10:00 AM
Hounded
6/15/17
10:00 AM
Witches of the Revolution
6/15/17
12:00 PM
Lost in R'lyeh
6/15/17
12:00 PM
Gloom in Space
6/15/17
2:00 PM
Hounded
6/15/17
2:00 PM
Cursed Court
6/15/17
4:00 PM
Once Upon a Time
6/15/17
4:00 PM
Witches of the Revolution
6/15/17
6:00 PM
Hounded
6/15/17
6:00 PM
Cursed Court
6/15/17
8:00 PM
Witches of the Revolution
6/15/17
8:00 PM
Witches of the Revolution
6/16/17
8:00 AM
Witches of the Revolution
6/16/17
10:00 AM
Lost in R'lyeh
6/16/17
10:00 AM
Cursed Court
6/16/17
12:00 PM
Once Upon a Time
6/16/17
12:00 PM
Gloom in Space
6/16/17
2:00 PM
Hounded
6/16/17
2:00 PM
Feng Shui 2
6/16/17
2:00 PM
Cursed Court
6/16/17
4:00 PM
Three Cheers for Master
6/16/17
4:00 PM
Hounded
6/16/17
6:00 PM
Lost in R'lyeh
6/16/17
6:00 PM
Cursed Court
6/16/17
8:00 PM
Witches of the Revolution
6/16/17
8:00 PM
Cursed Court
6/17/17
8:00 AM
Witches of the Revolution
6/17/17
10:00 AM
Three Cheers for Master
6/17/17
10:00 AM
Cursed Court
6/17/17
12:00 PM
Hounded
6/17/17
12:00 PM
The Very Gloomiest Tea Party
6/17/17
2:00 PM
Feng Shui 2
6/16/17
2:00 PM
Witches of the Revolution
6/17/17
4:00 PM
Once Upon a Time
6/17/17
4:00 PM
Lost in R'lyeh
6/17/17
6:00 PM
Witches of the Revolution
6/17/17
6:00 PM
Cursed Court
6/17/17
8:00 PM
Witches of the Revolution
6/17/17
8:00 PM
Cursed Court
6/18/17
10:00 AM
Lost in R'lyeh
6/18/17
10:00 AM
Witches of the Revolution
6/18/17
12:00 PM
Hounded
6/18/17
12:00 PM
Fairytale Gloom
6/18/17
2:00 PM
Three Cheers for Master
6/18/17
2:00 PM

* Note that all events are 2 hours in duration
















Atlas Games at Gen Con: Saturday Events

Brace yourselves, Gen Con attendees--it's the busiest day of the con! Here's what's on the plate for Atlas Games on Saturday, August 6.

Stop by the Atlas Games booth #1401 in the Exhibit Hall. By Saturday, the staff is getting a little slappy, and the world-famous Exact Change Dance reflects that!

Atlas Games at Gen Con: Friday Events

We hope your first day at Gen Con was full of fun! Here's a rundown of Atlas Games events on Friday, August 5.

Be sure to stop by the Atlas Games booth at #1401 in the Exhibit Hall to hear about our upcoming releases like Hounded and Gloom in Space!

Atlas Games at Gen Con 2016

It's that time again! Road trips, booth set-up in an un–air conditioned dealers' hall, and shrimp cocktail at St. Elmo Steak House. That's right, Gen Con 2016 is right around the corner, and Atlas Games is offering games, panels, and retail fun for everyone.

For those who want to get a first look at our newest roleplaying games, we've got several ways to get the scoop. Cam Banks will be running his demo adventure "Arc of Gabriel" for the upcoming sci-fi game Pillar of Fire on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings at 9:00 a.m. There's also a Pillar of Fire panel where you can ask all your "burning" questions on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. You can play our new Ars Magica/Gumshoe mash-up in "Tales of the Quaesitors" with Jeff Tidball Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Everyone can hear about the exciting developments on the new Third Edition of Unknown Armies, following its successful Kickstarter, at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. And don't forget to attend the ENnies on Friday evening to see Feng Shui 2 win all sorts of awards!

You can enjoy our card games, new and old, at a number of events throughout the weekend. Join us for a Fast & Fhtagn Urban Road Rally on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday afternoons. You can also bring Master some much needed joy at the Three Cheers for Master "learnaments" — no experience necessary! — on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Finally, it's our displeasure to invite you to the Second Annual Very Gloomiest Afternoon Tea Party on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. You'll have a terrible time with other Gloom sufferers.

There's even a chance to talk to Atlas Games staff about how to cultivate healthy relationships with game publishers at a panel on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. Whether you're a fan, a customer in need of service, a volunteer who runs our games at stores and conventions, or a game designer looking for a publisher, we can give you helpful tips and tricks to get the most out of your interactions with an established publisher like Atlas.

Visit us at Booth #1401 in the exhibit hall to try and buy games old and new, and bring generic tickets to our events, even if the schedule shows them as full. We can't wait to see you all!

Feng Shui 2 Makes the List of 6 Blockbuster RPGs at Gen Con!

While we recover from our hugely successful Gen Con convention attendance, where we staged panels, hundreds of demos, card game tournaments, and dealer hall exact change dances, we learned that our fresh-from-the-printers Feng Shui 2 core rulebook was counted among a list of six must-buy games for Gen Con.

Here at Atlas we're proud to be a part of such a thriving and successful renaissance in tabletop gaming, and equally proud to join such worthies as Green Ronin, Paizo, Monte Cook Games, Wizards of the Coast, and Fantasy Flight Games in producing fun, player-friendly RPGs in addition to our award-winning card and board games. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our game panels, played in our demos, and battled in our Three Cheers for Master and Gloom tournaments last week.

The full list and descriptions of each of these games can be found here!

Play on!

Ropecon Interview

What did John and I REALLY think about our trip to Finland for Ropecon? Check out our post-con interview to find out!



Ropecon

I had the pleasure of being Guest of Honor at Ropecon in Helsinki, Finland last weekend. My husband John, Atlas Games' President, came along as my +1, and we had an amazing time together on our first real vacation since our oldest kids were born (almost 6 years ago!). The sauna parties at Ropecon are legendary, of course, but it was actually the many smaller things that made the trip really rewarding to me.

The friendliness of the people was the first thing that struck me, starting with our guide Jukka Seppanen and including the many convention-goers and staffers we met. Jukka spent three days driving us around town, arranged for a private tour of the Seurasaari open-air museum led by a guide who was a friend of his, and was amazingly patient with our tendency to take all day at museums that any reasonable person would be through in a couple hours. Back at the convention, all of my seminars had really excellent attendance, and the questions from the audiences were frequent and engaged. Staff was eager to help us, and they made us feel like a part of the Ropecon family from the very start.

The familiarity of the landscape was another thing that struck me on our trip. John and I kept comparing the trees, the rocky shorelines, and even the overcast spring weather to Minnesota's north shore, where we live. Suddenly we realized why it was that so many Finns ended up settling here ... they found a place that felt like home, and stayed there!

But it was the differences that were the most surprising, like the folk dancing at Saturday's ball that was the culmination of two days of convention-run lessons, the number of LARPs in the program, the rocking chairs in the bathrooms for nursing mothers, the blackmiths who had a working forge set up at their booth outside the convention center, the fact that attendees actually sleep in designated rooms at the convention center, and the way that sauna schedules are published in the program!

It was a wonderful, eye-opening experience, and one I'd recommend to anyone who has the chance to go. Ropecon is definitely worth the trip!



International Tabletop Day and Atlas Games!

International Tabletop Day is fast approaching on April 11th. Have you plotted where you plan on playing games that day? Maybe hitting the EXCLUSIVE Los Angeles, CA event? Or maybe Level Up Gaming in North Carolina? Let's not forget Texas and East Wind Games? There are thousands of Tabletop Day events everywhere in the US and across the world.

If you happen to live near Saint Paul, MN (our home) stop by Source Comics & Games to try out the new Feng Shui 2 with Cam Banks. Test out the cool new Archetypes and try saving the world. Cam is running Feng Shui 2 from 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM.

Role playing games not your thing? That's okay, Jeff Tidball is running our newest card game, Three Cheers for Master, from 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM. Imagine building a tower with back-stabbing, cut-throat, evil minions all in an effort to get Master to notice us. The winner cheers Master up if only for a moment; the rest... um, well come try it out.

Remember, April 11th, starting at 10:00 AM – meet us at:

Source Comics & Games
2057 Snelling Avenue North

Roseville, MN 55113

East Meets West at Grand Tribunal UK 2014

Fans of Atlas Games' roleplaying games convene this weekend in Cheltenham, England to celebrate this year's Grand Tribunal UK, the premier gathering of Ars Magica aficionados outside North America.

While the event focuses on Mythic Europe, GT UK organizer, Ars Magica author, and Special Ops demo team member Chris Jensen Romer will also run some special playtest events using the new Feng Shui 2 rules. He also built a five-foot-tall model of the Mistridge covenant for a magical adventure at this year's convention.

Everyone at Atlas Games wishes those gathering in sunny England a fun and successful Tribunal weekend!

Special Ops update for 2nd Quarter

Special Ops is Atlas Games' corps of loyal fans who organize and run demos and tournaments at retail stores and conventions across the country and around the world. In the Second Quarter of the year, more conventions sprang up as the northern hemisphere thawed, and over 140 different groups of players participated in the Feng Shui 2 playtest.

Members earn Hazard Pay points for each demo report they submit, points that can be spent on games and contribute to their advancement in rank. Atlas is happy to announce that the following Special Ops members have gone up in rank this quarter:

Robert Hartsell (Major, 1000 points)
Roscoe Gibson (Captain, 500 points)

Congratulations to all of you, and keep up the great work!

We want to extend a special thank-you to all the Special Ops folks who led a playtest of the new Feng Shui 2 rules and submitted feedback. This process has been incredibly valuable to Robin Laws and the entire FS2 team. Hearty gratitude to these operatives:

Michael Athey, Jeb Boyt, Jim Crocker, Jason Dettman, Francis Dickinson, John Donoghue, Sean Dunstan, Stéphane Gallay, Dean Gilbert, Ollie Gross, Kairam Hamdan, Steven Hammond, Julian Hayley, TJ Howell, Petr Jonák, James R Jeffery III, Lee Kolb, Joshua Kronengold, Kevin Kulp, Andrew Lloyd, James Mayse, Matt Miller, Leif Mogren, Ernest Mueller, Dean Newman, Sean Nokes, John Olson, Lisa Padol, Jesse Quisenberry, Ben Rasmussen, Diego Rivera, Matt Ryan, Avram Shannon, Allen Shock, Paul Anthony Shortt, Dan Spragens, Paul Stefko, Joey Tyne, Henry Ulrich, Paul Venner, Daniel Walsh, Jonathan Walton, Nick Wedig, Michael Wight, Marc Willner, William Wilson

We'd also like to welcome the following new recruits:

Paul Stefko, Daniel Luce, Will Glenn, Bastien Daugas, Kelly Warren, Thomas Ryan, Wolf-Philippe Fischer, Aaron Farrugia, Gonzalo Prados

Thanks for being a part of Special Ops!

If you're interested in joining Atlas Games' Special Ops demo team, just fill out our Application Form. There's no obligation, but it's the best way to earn new product for teaching folks the Atlas games you already enjoy, and to get advance access to special opportunities like the Feng Shui 2 playtest.

To request a Special Ops demo at your convention or retail store, simply fill out our form to Request a Demo.

Gloom at Comic-Con with Geek & Sundry

Geek & Sundry has announced the return of the Geek & Sundry Lounge at San Diego Comic-Con this year, and we're really excited to say that Atlas Games and Gloom are going to be a part of it.

No schedule details yet, but we are allowed to say that they're helping us host a Gloom spotlight event with designer Keith Baker, also featuring talent from Geek & Sundry and TableTop.

You'll also be able to play with Keith — and likely some of his own special guests — at other times during the Lounge's hours of operation, too. And in addition to all of the typically depressing Gloom expansions, Keith has promised to bring along some prototypes, including his completely unpublishable Copyright Infringement Gloom.

But Gloom's not all. We're also going to be showing the forthcoming Atlas Games release Three Cheers for Master to the public for the first time at the Geek & Sundry Lounge, and we'll have their game library stocked to the rafters with other Atlas Games games that you can try for free.

Stay tuned for more details, including how you can get on the player list for the spotlight event. In the meantime, check out Geek & Sundry's video announcement:


An Origins Story

Once upon a time, a band of hearty adventurers set out for a distant gathering of great renown. Their path crossed the wild Midwestern Plains, where only cheese and windmills break the monotony of travel. But the quest was worthy, for in that distant city named for an explorer of dubious skill, they aimed to spread enthusiasm for gaming, share grand messages, and meet with all the world's creative folk.

In other words, the Atlas Games crew is headed to the Origins Game Fair this week! Here are some highlights you can look forward to:

  • Get your first taste of Feng Shui 2! Cam Banks will be running demos at Games on Demand on Friday and Saturday.
  • Pick up our new promo story card for Gloom, "The Looking Glass," at the Atlas Games booth (hosted by Adventure Retail). Make sure you grab a Gloom bookmark and play an expertly run demo while you're there!
  • Jess Banks is making appointments with retailers, convention organizers, and Special Ops crew who want to chat about anything and everything. Mutually beneficial relationship FTW!

Stay tuned to the Atlas Games blog, as well as our various Facebook and Twitter accounts (@atlasgames, @boymonster, @ProfBanks) for more details on our Origins offerings and adventures throughout the week.

Local Conventions: March 28-30 and April 04-06

Here are some great local conventions where you can go to play Atlas Games in the next two weeks (especially if you live in Texas!). We're proud to support each of these events! Click on the names for the link to each one's event page.


Texicon/TABLE--Irving, TX--28-30 March 2014


Game On!--University of North Texas: Denton, TX--02 April 2014

ChimaeraCon--San Antonio, TX--04-06 April 2014



PretzCON--Omaha, NE--04-06 April 2014

International TableTop Day--All over the world!--05 April 2014

Do you have a favorite local convention that you'd like Atlas Games to support? Send event organizers to our Convention Support Application--we trade games for ad space and help organize members of our Special Ops demo team to run Atlas' games at events all over the world!