originslogo.gifSorry for the delay on this one – my Internet connectivity was a bit spotty! Day 3 was my last day due to other obligations, but Origins really busts wide open on Friday – the crowds come out in force and nearly all of the events are in full swing. If you could only make one day of Origins, Friday is definitely the day – the crowds are large, but still manageable, there are still good deals in the exhibition hall and if you can’t find a game, you’re just not keeping your eyes open. So what was new on Friday?

  • Live Auction – Troll & Toad ran the auction at Origins this year and they seem to have been taken aback by the sheer number of entries into the auction (we caught the line extending the length of two exhibition halls at one point), but they managed to get things up and running after a three hour delay
  • Consignment Store – The consignment store also opened late this year and seemed to suffer from a lack of material when compared to the massive auction
  • The Spiel Dinner – Steve Conway of the Spiel podcast held a dinner on Friday and then brought folks back to demo the Spiel des Jahres nominee, Fauna (which is actually pretty cool – can we get this one in the US? Please?)
  • The Dice Tower Memoir ’44 Challenge – Several stalwarts from the Dice Tower podcast took on all-comers in an overlord game of Memoir ’44 – including our own David! Needless to say, David and his companions soundly routed their Dice Tower opponents 13-9 (seriously, it was a really close game that was well played by all – sometimes those dice just don’t like you!)
  • The Smithee Awards – Like B-grade, camp movies? Then check out the Smithee Awards for all of the “pun”ishment you can handle…

Overall, I had a blast at Origins this year and my wife and I are already making plans to attend next year. Thanks to all of the new people I met (special shout outs to Sydney, Nate, Nick and Mike!) and we’ll see you next year!