Origins 2020

[grandmastergm]

Hello,

 

I just submitted 5 game options at Origins this year.  I am not a part of a group, but I will be running 5 HERO games at Origins this year (thought about mixing with Savage Worlds, but figured that it would mess up my DM brain too much).  I'll post the schedule as we get closer.

 

Champions: Evilution Unchained!: An adaptation of Pete Ruttman's 3-Act adventure for a convention setting. It's a modified "historical" game set 20 years ago. It is set in the late Dave Webb's campaign city of Metro City, which replaces the San Francisco Bay Area in this modified Champions Universe. The players are a team of new superheroes who are taking upon the mantle of the Protectors, the city's legendary super-team. It's been 5 years since a devastating earthquake (some say it was the work of supervillains, others terrorists, others aliens, others mother nature, and others demons) that wrecked the city, along with a devastating nearly-simultaneous attack by Dr. Destroyer. The Protectors also suffered badly, and its surviving members recruited the PCs to take the place of the fallen and those in mourning.

It is now the year 2000: the new millennium. The players have been tasked with solving a series of high-profile kidnappings plaguing Metro City. The heroes must discover a horrific plot that threatens the entire city or risk the rise of a fresh batch of super-villains.

 

HERO 6th Edition: Star Wars Vs Alien Vs Predator: Set between the events of the fall of the Old Republic and Episode IV: A New Hope, with the addition of two of the deadliest monsters in the Sci-Fi/Horror pantheon. The players play a group of Rebels that have crashed-landed on a planet on the edge of the galaxy. They need to repair their ship or find a new one in a barren place without a spaceport. Worse, Xenomorphs have infested the place and the Yautja have decided to make it their hunting ground. Can the players escape or are they doomed?

 

Kazei 5: More Human Than Human: Set in Michael Surbrook's anime cyberpunk setting, the players are a group of freelancers who work as deniable assets for the best-paying client. Their job starts simple: extract a scientist from a corporate facility. Unfortunately- there's a twist to this job- they have to rescue his daughter too. And then there's the little problem of a rogue Artificial Intelligence. No big deal for a group of experienced mercenaries, right?

 

Ninja/Martial HERO: World King of the Ring Tournament: The world's best martial artists have been invited to a secret, yet legendary tournament in Hawaii (this time around). The winner gets fame, fortune, and power; and the losers are lucky to survive.  (note: I used the Ninja HERO notation for the game as Ninja is more instantly recognizable in this era than Martial for Martial Arts).

[Brian Stanfield]

I'm sorry that I'll miss your games this year. Between having cancer, and fear that the coronavirus will potentially be active by June, I'm just not willing to risk my health in a convention of thousands and thousands of people! Sounds odd, but I have to plan for these sorts of problems now. I encourage everyone to try your games though! And I'll see you next year.

[grandmastergm]

23 minutes ago, Brian Stanfield said:

I'm sorry that I'll miss your games this year. Between having cancer, and fear that the coronavirus will potentially be active by June, I'm just not willing to risk my health in a convention of thousands and thousands of people! Sounds odd, but I have to plan for these sorts of problems now. I encourage everyone to try your games though! And I'll see you next year.

 

Oh man, that's awful! I'm sorry to hear about that buddy!  It was so awesome to game with you last year!  You were a great Italian monk and Japanese Jujitsu-practicing Buddhist Monk! Yeah, knocking on wood about Origins.

[Duke Bushido]

1 hour ago, Brian Stanfield said:

I'm sorry that I'll miss your games this year. Between having cancer, and fear that the coronavirus will potentially be active by June, I'm just not willing to risk my health in a convention of thousands and thousands of people! Sounds odd, but I have to plan for these sorts of problems now. I encourage everyone to try your games though! And I'll see you next year.

 

 

You have to look at the bright side of conventions!

 

I have never once at a convention been overwhelmed by the scent of strong perfume, deodorant, or soap!

 

You don't want to miss that, do you?

 

 

[Scott Ruggels]

5 hours ago, Brian Stanfield said:

I'm sorry that I'll miss your games this year. Between having cancer, and fear that the coronavirus will potentially be active by June, I'm just not willing to risk my health in a convention of thousands and thousands of people! Sounds odd, but I have to plan for these sorts of problems now. I encourage everyone to try your games though! And I'll see you next year.

I am so sorry to hear about this  and yeah the Covid19 is a current worry and i am cancelling Aprils'['s travel. Being in Dyalysis now, makes travel a bit more difficult (and international travel impossible), But I would like to get to more conventions now that I have slipped back into the hobby.

[Brian Stanfield]

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

 

 

You have to look at the bright side of conventions!

 

I have never once at a convention been overwhelmed by the scent of strong perfume, deodorant, or soap!

 

You don't want to miss that, do you?

 

 

 

Yeah, I was just finishing my first major round of chemo last year, and I took a mask to the convention just in case. All those ripe nerds (my people!) could have killed me at any moment with their . . . lovely selves.

[Brian Stanfield]

7 hours ago, Scott Ruggels said:

I am so sorry to hear about this  and yeah the Covid19 is a current worry and i am cancelling Aprils'['s travel. Being in Dyalysis now, makes travel a bit more difficult (and international travel impossible), But I would like to get to more conventions now that I have slipped back into the hobby.

 

I just had a sit-down with my buddy who has been going with me to Origins the last 4 years, and he's the one who brought up the virus issue. It hadn't even registered in my mind yet, but he's right for me to worry. We aging infirms need to stick together. Maybe we should start our own convention, and reserve an entire hospital floor so we can play worry-free!

[grandmastergm]

Forgot my 5th game:

 

Champions: Presidential Smackdown 2020 (Stone vs Invictus)!: The controversial business mogul Franklin Stone was elected President in 2016 in an upset, and is now running for re-election. He's up against the charismatic ex-superhero David Sutherland aka Invictus. Is this a classic case of good vs evil or is all hell about to break loose?

The players are a member of The Punishers, a super-team in the great city of Freedom City (what name New York CIty adopted to celebrate the Allied victory in WW2, although many residents still call it by its old name out of nostalgia). Their rivals, the Freedom Legion (the city's premier super-team), are away on a mission out of the country for PRIMUS (this world's equivalent of SHIELD). Conveniently enough, the two Presidential candidates are going to have their final debate in the Freeport section of Freedom City (where the Punishers are based out of). The game starts out with The Punishers making their decision on how they want to approach this latest turn of events (they're a private team, unlike the city-sponsored Freedom Legion). The players are Very High-Powered at 650 points and 100 points of complications (roughly Justice League)..

The game does contain allegories and jokes about contemporary American and global politics that skewer all sides and ideologies, so please be aware of this.

[grandmastergm]

Update:

 

Status of Origins 2020

The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA), the non-profit organization serving the hobby games industry, today announced that it will postpone the 46th Annual Origins Game Fair, originally scheduled for June 17-21, 2020 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, to October 7-11, 2020.  The tabletop convention attracts more than 20,000 attendees from around the world to central Ohio to play thousands of board games, collectible card games, miniatures and role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons™, Magic: The Gathering™, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Catan, and hundreds of other titles. 

 

The decision to postpone the convention follows extensive discussions with its membership, the city of Columbus, the Greater Columbus Convention Center, hotel partners, and exhibitors. “The decision to postpone the convention was not one we made lightly,” said GAMA Executive Director, John Stacy. “The safety and well-being of the Origins community is our number one priority. Given the current health situation, we believe that it is best to move the convention to October.” 

 

With the postponement, GAMA also announced that they would be hosting an online gaming convention during the original show weekend, June 19-21, 2020. Origins Online 2020 will be a fully virtual convention for tabletop gaming fans to enjoy from their devices and will feature an Exhibit Hall where attendees can demo and buy games and merchandise. In addition, the virtual convention will offer streaming workshops and educational seminars with guest authors, artists and game designers, plus hundreds of games online that attendees can sign up to participate in. 

 

“We are all in this together. The postponement of the in-person event and introduction of Origins Online is an opportunity for the hobby games industry and broader gaming community to get excited together and come back stronger on the other side of this pandemic,” Stacy continued. 

Details regarding the postponement of Origins Game Fair and Origins Online will be shared soon