Ed Healy

My mind in numb from all the wonderful people I’ve talked to today, and all the great gaming products I’ve had a chance to see. Here’s an incomplete list, in no particular order:

Retailers love OgreCave, in no small part because of the work done by guys like Allan Sugarbaker. Listen to the OC Audio Report, send them feedback, and let them know I sent you!

It’s been ten years since I worked on the AEG website, and I finally got a chance to meet John Zinser face-to-face. John is a true gentleman – a giant in this industry. I respect him and hope this first meeting is not our last.

AEG was showing off their new board game, Tomb. It looks like a great game, based around a party of adventurers who are exploring / clearing out a… tomb. I can’t wait until it is available in stores.

Alpha Omega looks like a great game. You can download the first official adventure for free. I haven’t had a chance to read through the whole game, but it is near the top of my TO DO list.

I listened to Upper Deck‘s WoW presentation, and dropped by their booth for the unveiling of a HUGE dragon model. You really can’t call this beauty a mini – she’s the size of a mid-sized television. Incredible.

WotC is set up right next to Alliance, where I’ve been doing most of my Kobold Quarterly pimping. I got a chance to meet Bill Slavicsek again. The last time we met was at San Diego ComicCon International in 2000, when he ran the preview games for d20 Star Wars. I wish we’d had more time to chat, but the convention floor was busy, and he had meeting to attend.

The 4e Dungeons of Dread minis look great, and the buzz about 4e Dungeons & Dragons is solid. The new edition will sell well. I’m sure that the OGL market will be healthy, but am also confident that 4e will be a very popular game. The new system will take a little getting used to, but the play is fast and tactical, two things that appeal to tournament and retail gamers.

I got a chance to take a closer look at Heirs to Olympia, the new game from Countess Games. Their mini line seems to be getting some traction, especially the peasants. I’ll be curious to see how their RPG does.

Steve Jackson was a pleasure to talk to. He had a giant Munchkin hammer in his hand while we chatted about his company and what the future holds for them. I wish I’d been able to speak with Phil, but we seemed to miss each other every time I dropped by the SJG booth. I’ll try again tomorrow…

I got a chance to see the guys from Eden again today. I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing a lot more zombie goodness this year. And don’t be surprised if George & Co. have some new offerings in the fall.

Flying Frog Productions was demoing a new board game. It’s similar in tone to Last Night on Earth, but in a Sleepy Hollow-like colonial setting. It turns out FFP is local, Seattle. When I move back to the States, I hope to see them on a regular basis.

Another local company is Relentless Publishing. They’ve been advertising in Kobold Quarterly for the last two issues, but I’ve never met them in person. Today, I changed that, and got to hold a copy of Prophecy in my grubby little paws.

OK… I’m burned out. I need some sleep. I’ll post more later…. Maybe.

A good day. Steve and I arrived mid-morning, in time for me to grab a water and make my way to Skyview for the podcasting seminar. Don Dehm, from Pulp Gamer gave an interesting talk about how podcasting can be used by publishers, and retailers in particular, to reach the gaming public. Many of the retailers were interested in how to use podcasting in their stores – in part to influence customer buying decisions, and in part to educate their own employees. There was a long discussion about how retailers can partner with established shows to drive traffic to their brick and mortar locations and websites. If you have ideas on how publishers and (especially) retailers can use podcasts to communicate with the gaming public, I’d be very interested in hearing them.

I went to lunch with Dan Repperger (Fear the Boot) and Allan Sugarbaker (OgreCave Audio Report). We had a nice chat with Ryan Dancey. As always, he had some good insights to share, and I hope to speak with him again soon.

I ran into George Vasilakos and the guys from Eden Studios. It’s been years since George and I have been in the same city, so I enjoyed catching up with him. I also got to see Larry Franchini, one of the first guys who I played D&D with. I wish we had more time to hang out…

Marcello Figueroa has some exciting projects in the works. I’m hoping to corner him tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Today was low key at GTS. Registration went well. I got a chance to finally meet Don Dehm from Pulp Gamer and Mike Stackpole in person – we’ve talked online so often, a face-to-face is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. I also got a chance to speak with Dan from Fear the Boot, a real treat. I look forward to hanging out with them, and Daniel Perez (Highmoon Media Productions), which he arrives, for the rest of the week.

Aldo Ghiozzi (Impressions) and I got a chance to talk about GameBuyer. I was also pleased to speak, briefly, with Mike Webb (Alliance), who graciously provided me with a badge for the week.

ConQuest Vegas was wrapping up when I arrived for the show. By the time I dropped by, it was time to pack things up. I did, however, get to speak with:
– Norm Harms (Scale Specialties)
– Rick Loomis (Flying Buffalo)
– Ken St Andre (Tunnels & Trolls)
– Alex Fennell (Mongoose Publishing)
– Kris Havlak (Countess Games)
– The fine people at HERO Games

My highlight was getting to speak with the guys from Mindstorm. They were very professional, open and easy to get along with. We had a great chat about Alpha Omega, their first product line. I’m certain we’ll be talking again. Great folks.

I’ll be going to GTS this year. Will you?