This fourth part picks up right where third part left off. I’ve just completed a team game of Oathen and it is around noon on the second day of the convention. Striking up some post-game chatter with fellow Oathen players revealed an interesting event happening later that night: a game of Star Wars podracing. One game had already been run earlier in the convention. The local word of mouth gave it praise and entry was supposedly free.
I moseyed over to the convention’s check-in desk and inquired about the game. The information about another game session being run that night was correct. Where my secondhand information was wrong was about cost. There was a small surcharge in order to participate. At the time I was reluctant to do so, but I broke out the credit card to pay the fee. I also asked about open spaces in D&D Adventure League games which were running throughout the convention. There was one more space left for tomorrow morning. I snapped that up too.
After getting these extra gaming affairs in order, I returned to browsing amongst the vendors of the convention. One of these vendors had caught my eye earlier in the morning: Strange Fate Crafts. I thought it was a bit expensive, but decided to review the wares again regardless. The specific items that held my attention were dice boxes with icons engraved on both the front and back. There were many good designs, making it was hard to pick one. My attention was split between a fox-themed box and a wolf-themed box. In the end, I went with the wolf box and asked for an interview and photos. Both were kindly granted.
I may have wandered around the convention for a little longer after meeting with Strange Fate Crafts, but it did not last long. After confirming my attendance for the podracing game, I retired to my hotel room. I did not take a nap. If I did, I would have overslept. Instead, I browsed the web on my laptop and generally relaxed.
The podracing game started around 6:00 p.m. if my brain is remembering correctly. And … how many participants were there? 8? 10? 12? The group photo I captured shows 10, but I think a couple of players might have left by then. Let’s hedge my bets and say there were 12 players including me, give or take. The map which we played on was a recreation of the podracing circuit from “Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.” I am not a huge Star Wars fan, so I cannot verify the accuracy of the map’s layout compared to the movie, but who cares? It’s still cool!
So how did the game work? Well, it used 10-sided dice, or d10s for short. Each player was given a folder with a character sheet which included statistics and lore about who they were playing as. The primary part of the character sheet consisted of two profiles: one for the pilot, and one for the podracer they were piloting. The pilot had four skills or attributes, each with a rating between one and five, maybe six. Meanwhile, the podracers had two percentage lists: One for the engines, the other for the cockpit. These lists start at 100% and degrade over the course of the race.
All players began at the starting line with a randomized starting order. You had to roll to get off of the starting line. Once you were underway, you rolled for your speed aka the distance you traveled along the map. This was done be declaring your engine output then rolling a d10. Each 10% of engine power equaled 1 point of speed.
For example, if your engine was at 100% and you wanted to go as fast as you could, then you would declare 100% engine and roll. If you remember high school algebra, this translates mathematically as 8 + X with X equal to what the dice rolled. In this example, if the d10 landed on 7, then our equation is 10 + 7 which equals 17. Therefore, you moved 17 spaces along the track.
Now, you might be wondering how your engine and cockpit take damage and diminish in efficiency. Well from hazards of course. There are two kinds of hazards. The first kinds of hazards are from the map itself, which represent the obstacles from the movie. The other kinds of hazards are the other players. Oh, did you think this game was cooperative? Nooo! Throw wrenches at your opponents, leave them in the dust, and be the first to complete two laps in one piece!
I don’t think I can cover all of the details and nuance of this game with dedicating an entire blog about it. Hopefully I’ve provided enough clarity about the basics to generate interest about it. So how did my game go? Well everybody but one person kicked it, either from each other or from the map. I had the distinction of being the last one die at the hands of a Tusken Raiders ambush. It was awesome! The game ended around 9:30 p.m. I could have decided to turn in for the night, but I did not. There was one more event to be had: the afterparty.
The convention had hired a trolley service to escort people from the Red Lion to a place called Flippers Family Arcade. The first trolley trip left the hotel at 10:00 p.m. and I was on board. The mood inside the pretty upbeat. Everyone seemed excited about going to the arcade. Of course, listening to Bon Jovi during the ride might have helped. After about a five minute drive, we had arrived. The trolley would return to pick people up at midnight.
Flippers Family Arcade was about 90% pinball machines and arcade cabinets, and 10% eatery. When you step through the door, you can go three directions. If you go left, you will find the bar where alcoholic drinks are served. There is also a grill on the premise, though I do not believe it was located close to the bar. Going straight will take you to a prizes counter. And any degree of right will take to the arcade floor stacked with pinball, old and new game cabinets, carnival like games, and even some VR.
The party at Flippers lasted around two hours. During our time there, two small raffles were held. One was at 11:30 p.m. and the other one was shortly thereafter if I remember correctly. Video games memorabilia and board games were among the items raffled off. The trolley did indeed return around midnight, and 15 minutes after boarding it I was back in my hotel room getting some sleep. Sunday was tomorrow and adventure was calling.
James Meyer 