Designers, Publishers and Others Speak at BGG.CON 2012 I – RARRR!!, Zoneplex, Castellan, Artisan Dice & Ticket to Ride: Heart of Africa

While BGG.CON 2012 – a huge game convention in Dallas, Texas hosted by this site that ran Nov. 14-18 and drew more than 2,100 attendees – was a playground of new games and new faces for most, some of us worked while we were there. Among other things, for example, I recorded more than a dozen short videos in the exhibitor hall with either Lincoln Damerst or Beth Heile running the camera. Here's a handful of those videos, which feature either forthcoming games or material that generously falls in the category of "other".

First up, actor Rich Sommer from Mad Men was a special guest at the con, so we grabbed him to recount how he lost his gamer virginity and what he was playing at the con.

Charlie Brumfield from Mesquite, Texas-based Artisan Dice shows off a variety of the awesomely beautiful dice that he sells and tells his Kickstarter success story.

Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 3 - The Heart of Africa from designer Alan R. Moon and publisher Days of Wonder is due out before the end of 2012, and DoW's convention demo monkey Patrick gives an overview of what's new and why you might not draft cards the way you're used to given the new score-doubling mechanism in this expansion.

Publisher Kevin Brusky from APE Games talks about RARRR!!, a card-drafting and bidding game in which you first assemble a monster – piling up its special characteristics – by drafting cards, then you draft and bid with power cards to destroy locations and score points.

Beau Beckett's Castellan is coming out from Steve Jackson Games in the first half of 2013, and SJG's Andrew Hackard explains how to play. Short and simple, with neat interlocking bits that prevent game destruction via snack droppage.

Game designers/warrior monks Shelby Cinca and Kenny Jakobsson from Mysterian Games get into character for Zoneplex, which made its debut at BGG.CON 2012 due to shipping delays caused by hurricane Sandy. Could BGG.CON become a targeted release date in the future? Probably not due to the long shadow cast by Spiel, but U.S. publishers who don't make the trek to Germany could always be thinking of first splashing their titles in Dallas – not that Mysterian Games is a U.S. publisher, of course...

Designers, Publishers and Others Speak at BGG.CON 2012 I – RARRR!!, Zoneplex, Castellan, Artisan Dice & Ticket to Ride: Heart of Africa

Related

Game Preview: Legendary

Statement by Radiant Gaming on Up Front

New Game Round-up: More Wonders for 7 Wonders, Axis & Allies Minus the Axis & The Falcon Breaks Free to Fly on Its Own?

Designer Diary: Space Cadets, or Finding a Fun Way to Explode in Deep Space

Spiel 2012: Interviews from the Messe Floor II – Cosmic Empires, Fallen City of Karez, Di Renjie, Food Chain & Die Dunkle Prophezeiung

Designers, Publishers and Others Speak at BGG.CON 2012 I – RARRR!!, Zoneplex, Castellan, Artisan Dice &amp; Ticket to Ride: Heart of Africa

Related

Game Preview: Legendary

Statement by Radiant Gaming on Up Front

New Game Round-up: More Wonders for 7 Wonders, Axis &amp; Allies Minus the Axis &amp; The Falcon Breaks Free to Fly on Its Own?

Designer Diary: Space Cadets, or Finding a Fun Way to Explode in Deep Space

Spiel 2012: Interviews from the Messe Floor II – Cosmic Empires, Fallen City of Karez, Di Renjie, Food Chain &amp; Die Dunkle Prophezeiung

Change Password

Designers, Publishers and Others Speak at BGG.CON 2012 I – RARRR!!, Zoneplex, Castellan, Artisan Dice & Ticket to Ride: Heart of Africa

New Game Round-up: More Wonders for 7 Wonders, Axis & Allies Minus the Axis & The Falcon Breaks Free to Fly on Its Own?

Spiel 2012: Interviews from the Messe Floor II – Cosmic Empires, Fallen City of Karez, Di Renjie, Food Chain & Die Dunkle Prophezeiung