Exile Game Studio

[Nestor]

I'm still mentally recovering from GenCon, but I wanted to get the chance to echo Shawn's comment; Nich stepped up to the plate as GM liaison and kicked royal patootie. He deserves a standing ovation for his work during the con. Huz-effing-zah!

This was a new experience for me this year, running an adventure that I wasn't able to have completed by Zero Hour.

Hopefully I didn't suck too bad, and watching Shawn pull Six Guns of Death out of his nether regions and make it sing was truly an inspiration. Finally got to play in it and my only regret is that it doesn't sound like it will be returning next year.

I'll leave this with one final random thought that bubbled up as Rob and I were driving back. The call was made for more HEX adventures in the Hollow Earth. Let the following title ferment in your fertile imaginations:

Bill and Ted's Hollow Earth Adventure


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"I've got a degree in kicking arse and I'd have a doctorate in not giving a damn if I'd bothered to attend the ceremony."

[Arizona Smith]

[SoulCatcher78]

[Nestor]

[SoulCatcher78]

Still new to HEX but I'm reading as quickly as possible. I'd be more than happy to help (pretty sure it would speed up the learning curve for me to have a directed project).
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[Arizona Smith]

I'll have my recap of Tubular Earth Expedition up later tonight...I think it's pretty close to what you guys are looking for!
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Newest Hollow Earth Expedition product: Legacy of the Terra Arcanum. Navigate your way through Vencie to discover long-buried secrets that could alter the course of history!

[zelgar]

It was another fun year playing and running HEX at Gencon.

Unfortunately, i have to admit that there was one HEX game I played (not GM'ed) that I did not enjoy too much. We had a fairly full table, and the only saving grace were the other players in the game. The GM is a forum member, but seemed to be having an off day.

Problem #1 - Style points - Throughout the entire adventure, I don't believe anyone received more than 2 additional style chips even though I know people were role playing their characters as described on their sheets. I realize that people run their games differently and I typically reward style a lot, but it seemed like the GM didn't want to be worried about the style. Halfway through the game, the GM asked how we like it so far. I asked about the style chips and he indicated that he'd look at the character sheets and may reward some style. When we got back, only 1 or 2 points of style were given to each player, and no other style chips were given for the rest of the game.

Problem #2 - combat - The GM seemed to have some trouble remembering the combat rules. During one combat after 2 PC's had attacked a Pterosaur, I was attacking an got a 4 on my roll (the previous PC had hit on a 5) and the GM said I missed. I reluctantly asked to stop the game and asked the GM if he was taking into account that the Pterosaur had been attacked previously and about the defense dropping. He admitted that he hadn't and that he sometimes forgot to take that into account.

Additionally, the GM never gave us bonus dice for attacking large creatures. When attacking the Pterosaur, a size 2 creature, we were never awarded any bonus dice during combat. I realize that a GM can adjust things at the back end (e.g., making the size difference = x number of successes, but the GM didn't indicate he was doing this.)

I don't know if the GM was having a bad day. Maybe he had celebrated a little too much Friday night after Exile winning the ENnie, i don't know. I think I can honestly say that if this was my first experience with HEX, I might not ever play it again.

I debated about posting, but thought that it's better to let people know than to keep silent.

[Doc Nova]

[zelgar]

I'll admit that how size affects combat has been a little confusing to me. The box on HEX page 123 makes it seem like attacking large creatures would give a bonus (e.g., the T-rex vs Triceratops). I've probably been giving my PC's a bonus to attack when I shouldn't, now I know better. As we only had 2 combats with dinosaurs (1 Pterosaur and 1 Raptor). I knew the Raptor was size 0, but I didn't remember the size of the Pterosaur during the game so it didn't affect the game too much.

The issue with the Style chips and the Reduced Defense were bigger items to me. I wouldn't say it was a ruined day, just that it could have been better.

[Doc Nova]

Heck, the way you're doing it is close to how I ran it in my at-home campaign...it feels right to me.

As for my con report...well...I had a fantastic time. Not only did I get to catch up with all my Exile buds, and put faces to a few more (always full of win when that happens!), but I got to watch my daughter spend more than I did at the con! (She got herself some of the padded swords...I am still achy...and a Keyblade.). She also got to get in on several HEX demos, something she cherishes, and got my wife to demo with her...and got my wife to do her first RPG. Granted (blasphemy here, I realize) it wasn't HEX that I ran her through (it was a FATE-based pulp supers game I've run at the con before), but despite that, she still had a blast (and even said she thought HEX was the "more fun" system).

I did run a HEX game, tried doing the stress test. The game was a fun little event of Army vs. Ants, but it was at one of the worst times to try and gather a lot of bodies (2 pm on Saturday...you know, when everyone is in the hall demoing other games, or trying to meet the GoH). Still, I got to finally meet Bubba Ho-Tep and Little Ho-Tep (who even managed to garrote a giant ant with his flamethrower cable...no, I would never have let that fly in my own campaign, but it's a con game!). I'd like to think everyone who did make it had fun, the Style chips were flying and ants were frying...and I did get to prove (again) that HEX can handle dozens of participants in mass combat (there were over 20 "PCs" on the table the entire game). The really good news is that we're likely to try and run it as an actual event, or a special pre-con Wednesday night kinda thing, next year.

Also went to the White Wolf party to celebrate with some of the Exiles over the Gold (is gold!) award, since I missed the actual presentation the night before (bless Youtube!) and that was a ton of fun, too! There was drinking, dancing, laughter, a few new nicknames handed out that I keep hoping some mod here will force on others, and I got the time to chat with some long-time friends who I only get to see at the con...so, while I really felt my age there, it was incredibly cool!

On the purchases side, I bought up Q-workshop's FATE dice for my upcoming Dresden Files game, picked up a copy of Icons (a nifty, FATE-ish supers game), Dark sun (not a fan of the system, but loooooong time geek for the setting and immediately set about Ubiquitizing...now its a verb!...it), and DungeonQuest (which the daughter and I really enjoy...even though we've died every time we played it...except for the last time when she won...). Oh, and we did get to play the upcoming Ravenloft Castle board game, which, I have to admit, was surprisingly fun.

I topped off the con by getting into a hit-and-run accident on the way down Sunday; thankfully both the daughter and I were unhurt...my poor car, however, did not fare so well. All I can hope is that the jerk's SUV that did it fared worse...

Anyway...it was a fantastic time, primarily due to my daughter, wife, and the Exiles. It is truly starting to feel like an extended family reunion at the con. I just hope I don't come off as Uncle Eddy too awful much!

Doc.

[ReaperWolf]

[Prof_Scrumtumbler]

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who helped us play, and especially to our many Gamemasters and booth attendants. It's amazing to watch the phenomenon grow every year, and it's all thanks to you guys!

If you missed it, my recap is on my blog, http://www.sechintower.com/blog/

BTW, I still have exactly ZERO pictures of my booth-brawl with the Mexican wrestlers. I know there were many pictures and at least one video taken-- does anyone out there have photographic evidence I can share???
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--Sechin Tower, EGS Lead Developer--

Read a sample: http://www.SechinTower.com

[Nestor]

[Prof_Scrumtumbler]

[Rbree]

Here's something I copied off the Gencon Forums that should make all the CON tGM 's feel pretty good about what they do... (I left out the parts not about HEX)

Re: So, What Did You Buy?
By Savior in General Info 2010



We had to manage what we bought so it would all fit int he suitcase going back to Hawaii (shipping is $$$$).

-
- Hollow Earth Expedition (book, dice, screen, module). My son's first RPG was a playtest of the Ubiquity system at MAVENCON 3 in 2008. Since then he has played at least two HEX games each year and has consistently given high marks to the GMs and gameplay. That HEX provides RPGs for young kids at conventions was enough to convince me to spend money on it. Hearing my son tell his cousins in vivid detail how his group of kids were able to overthrow some evil alien or villian and hearing one of them say, "wow, wish I was there"...priceless.