"Blast-tastic 2014" Topic

I tagged along with Keith from ArmiesArmy on Saturday to the inaugural Blast-tastic! SF show in Bristol.

It was small show with a fairly decent number of traders and some very nice looking games to join in.

I believe they got in the region of 75 people through the door which is okay for a first year bearing in mind the rather bad weather we had..

I spent the day chatting to people and tried out Red Wyvern Games Super Justice superhero game which was a lot of fun and I really liked the mechanisms they are using for it. The rules had some very clever touches and I think I may have finally found a set of superhero rules.

Also bought a copy of Engage, their spaceship combat rules, which looks to fill the gap between very large fleets and the micro-management of Federation Commander (my current favourite game).

I am planning on being at Blast-tastic next year, possibly trading or running a game…

Mike

Sounds great and I wish I'd been able to come down. I definitely hope there's another next year.

But sadly, this topic will self-destruct in 3… 2… 1…

Mike, Mike,Mike tut tut tut, have you forgotten the first rule of Blast-Tastic is you cannot talk about Blast-Tastic (on TMP)?

Yes – it was an excellent show

I bought a 15mm PLA starter army from ArmiesArmy and some 6mm vehicles from Old Crow and a habitation module from AB

Well done Michael for putting it on – I look forward to next year's show

@Shedman: Might get me one of those ArmiesArmy PLA sets. I love the aesthetic.

@Mike: Any more info on Super Justice? I'm intrigued!

Sounds like a promising start.

@Conrad

Super Justice used a system with cards for each superhero for their stats. Each hero has a number of points of power that can be in Stun, Spent, Ready or Super boxes. You can recharge by moving 1/2 the available power points from spent to ready (for example), or you can activate for an action. You can make 3 recharges or activations a turn.

You use the points from the Ready box to put into attacks, moves, etc

Anything in Super provides additional attacks.

The system used D6 where 3+ was what you wanted with 1 a miss. There were various modifiers according to the superhero stats.

What I really liked was the power details where you could put dice into damage or throw or whatever, or split the results so you could clobber someone with 2 damage dice and throw them with a third dice.

The system handled distance attacks, flying heroes, holding someone, etc really nicely and looked like it could recreate most marvel and DC heroes.

They are working on the henchmen rules plus some extras but I think it'll be a very interesting set.

A game with 3 heroes a side took about 30 minutes in a simple scenario on a 2 x 2 board.

Mike

Thanks Mike, that sounds great!

I'm so gutted I couldn't go. Definitely going to go if there's another next year.

Ian

Any AAR or pics?
Clif

why will this self destruct

There are some on my Blog;
link

Tony

Nice pics Tony!

That Ogre box is stupid big, I keep looking at the game and wanting it but know that I have no place to store it.

Someday….someday

Was looking forward to this – until my wife was called in to work on Saturday and I ended up childminding :^( and the central heating boiler decided to pack in. (Mended now :^)

But next year!
Well done Michael.

A little bit too far West for me this year, for various reasons, but next year…?

Just have to convince the ministry of the interior that Bristol is top notch for shopping.

Hats off to the organisers…a great initiative!

Tim – much better excuse than mine. Glad the tooth firmed up – you have my sympathy – I had quite a few 'firm up' after a rugby match in Cardiff in '75 (lost one though-careless).

Nice pics Tony
Thx
Clif

All that fuss and who-rah over a con that had less the 100 people show up.

This thread just needs to stay here and whoever had a problem with it being promoted needs to grow up.

And who made you the judge of that? Perhaps the LACK of publicity had something to do with the numbers. At least AB got out and tried to achieve something, rather than simply sitting around complaining about how business was so bad…..

I think 75 folks through the door is pretty good for an inaugural SCI FI only show. Genre specific shows, particularly on the UK circuit, are always going to be fairly 'compact'.

And I don't know what 'fuss and who-rah' (sic) you are referring too napthyme. Care to elaborate?

All that fuss and who-rah over a con that had less the 100 people show up.

That seems rather harsh napthyme.

I have to ask, what was the point of posting that? There's been no "fuss and who-rah" that I can see. Just a bunch of gamers getting together and enjoying it, spreading the word, encouraging people (who, like me, couldn't make it) for next year all on a free forum…

Where's the harm?

I know the web is the worlds biggest magnet for 'negative waves' but I think Mike should be applauded for the effort he put in not castigated.

This thread just needs to stay here and whoever had a problem with it being promoted needs to grow up.

I'm probably a bit thick, but I don't understand this statement at all, I'm afraid.

John T

74 people through the door plus me is quite an achievement on a Saturday in a suburb of a provincial city in the UK in the pouring rain, let alone for a niche wargaming interest in an inaugeral event.

I know the web is the worlds biggest magnet for 'negative waves' but I think Mike should be applauded for the effort he put in not castigated.

napthyme is not castigating organizer Michael, but TMP's editor, who has removed and edited posts about Blast-Tastic unless the thread has been initiated by an advertising member of TMP such as Black Hat. My explanatory post will probably be removed and/or edited.

napthyme is highlighting the petty and vindictive nature of said editor over what was always going to be just a highly specialized UK show.

My appologise to napthyme and indeed all round. I've just recieved a couple of emails pretty much confirming what just say kwah has just said.

Now that I undertand the context, all I can say is "Good Show Mike" and, whilst I understand that – editing posts wise – this forum is a business, it's a shame that it has come down to this.

I know I sound like the UN (ie largely ineffectual) but can't the parties involved just sort themselves out please? A bit of kiss and make up?

My last post, I guess, on this thread.

Mike – it was still a nice idea to run the show: pity I couldn't be there.

John T

Just have to convince the ministry of the interior that Bristol is top notch for shopping.

But it is. Cribb's Causeway, Cabbot's Circus. Plus of course the lovely walk around the harbourside with @Bristol, the aquarium, SS Great Britain plus of course the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Plenty for non-gaming family members to do.

I only didn't go due to being incapacitated after surgery.

And it clashed with the Derby Worlds … so was always going to be a conflict for Midlands or North based folk I guess, so I guess coupled with the furore it actually did quite well :)

I bet a niche convention like that over here would be similarly attended for its inaugural event.

Its a very fun idea, and I hope we'll see more of them pop up.

It ok John most of the discussion happened in the lounge, so you probably were not able to see it.

I had been standing up for the promotion of the con all along no matter who was running it. Cons are for the players/people not necessarily for the promoters who are lucky to break even on the day.

I had hoped he would do better then that with it, but still a decent showing for a first time out.

Apologies to Napthyme, I too got the worng end of the stick.

And for those of you who don't follow my blog I've posted a picture and brief shout out here:

link

I have more photos that will go up next week when I have time. I will probably have to post them in a separate link, if this thread has disappeared off the front page.