board game con

ConnCon is upon us!

This weekend, I will be heading to my second straight ConnCon, a board game (and other games) convention held in Stamford, Connecticut.

Basically, it’s going to be three days full of playing games.

I’m excited for it this year, as I have a better understanding of how things go down there. Last year, I registered for every slot, not realizing how much “open gaming” there is. I also know that I don’t have to be going full speed, which is a good thing.

This is my preview of sorts for what I am signed up for and what I am hoping to see there etc.

Games I’m signed up for:

Slot 1: Ticket to Ride: United Kingdom & Pennsylvania

This features two new maps for Ticket to Ride. I like the look of the Pennsylvania one as it has a couple of close cities to me in New York, too. I don’t know if I’ll ever buy the maps, so it was something I thought would be fun to try and likely not the full slow, thus allowing me to check into the hotel and such before the next slot.

Slot 2: New York 1901

This is another game I’ve looked to try as I like the theme. I’ve never had the chance to play it, so this seemed like the perfect spot.

Slot 3 (late night): Open

I learned last year that scheduling the late-night spots wasn’t always needed, so I decided to skip that aspect this year. The late-night slots were fun last year as there were some cool party games (such as Two Rooms and a Boom), but there’s also the chance to do some open gaming.

Slot 4: Castles of Mad King Ludwig

Interesting theme and I liked the sound of the game. It also has a solo variant, so if I like the game, it might be something I’d consider eventually purchasing.

Slot 5: Steam Works

A cool-looking worker-placement game, it’s a theme I can, again, get into. If you can’t tell, I’m somebody who likes certain themes when it comes to games. This one sounds like it will be fun and I look forward to it.

Slot 6: Trickerion: Legends of Illusion

I’ve played this game, but we thought we might have been doing something wrong, so two of us are signed up to play this one. I enjoyed it (you are a magician putting on shows) as the theme is interesting and the mechanics of the game are cool as well.

Slot 7 (late night): Open

See the open slot above.

Slot 8: German Railroads

A huge fan of the Russian Railroads game (which, eventually, I need to get), I’ve been interested in this expansion. If I’m not mistaken, it’s not just a new “map,” but rather a few new things about the game, which will be cool.

Slot 9: Steampunk Rally

This is one of the ones I’m really looking forward to. I like the whole Steampunk feel, and the mechanics and what you need to do in this game looks like a lot of fun.

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Last year at the con, I played nearly 30 games. I am not sure I will get to that level this year as I also plan on going out for dinner one or two of the nights there. Last March, I kind of ate there (I was on one of the upper floors, where you get food in the morning and at night – I didn’t get that this year), so I’d like to get out and walk a little and find some places to enjoy a dinner etc.

For me, this is a mini vacation. The hotel is nice, so hopefully I’ll get a couple of nights of good sleep, have some fun playing games and just enjoy the time.

Either way, it’s going to be a fun weekend full of gaming, which I’ve been looking forward to. It’s also just a way to get away and not have too many things to worry about. Depending on the driving/riding situation (I am driving for sure, but not sure if I am solo or not), I might stop to do some photography and/or geocaching on the way down or back, but we’ll see about that.

I’m sure I’ll post about the con after I get back, so we’ll see how many games I end up tackling when it’s all said and done!

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