Convention Report: Siege of Augusta 2024

Got back from Siege of Augusta yesterday.  Managed to run 15 games over the two days, five of each: Shoot N' Skedaddle, Scrapheap, and Caverns, Crypts, & Catacombs.

Had a lot of fun, lost my voice, and got to introduce the games to a lot of people.  I forgot to take many pictures, but I gathered several from other convention-goers.

It was the most busy Siege of Augusta I've attended (I've gone maybe 5-6 times in the past 10 years).

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, though many had complaints about the hotel which is slowly becoming more run-down each year.

Scrapheap: Start Here!

Scrapheap is a fast-paced and violent tabletop skirmish wargame based around post-apocalyptic gangs in a bleak and desolate (and somewhat radioactive...) future.  Inspired by properties such as Judge Dredd, Mad Max, Necromunda, etc. Scrapheap puts players in charge of opposing gangs of 3-11 miniatures.

 

Gangs battle for territory, loot, and power.  Scrapheap is inspired by warband-building games from the 1990's and allows players to build custom gangs with unique characters, abilities and weaponry.  Gang members will gain powerful abilities and bonuses for victories, while suffering debilitating wounds, injuries and penalties if they fail to survive encounters.

Gameplay is driven by each player's deck of combat cards, as well as a 2D6 dice system using a three-tiered result design borrowed from the PBTA game engine (games such as Dungeon World, etc.).  Scrapheap is intended for play at 28mm, but may be scaled down (or up?) for other scales as needed.  A minimum 3'x3' playing surface is recommended, with 4'x4' being the normal table used during playtesting.

 

 Combat Card decks come in pairs, each with matching tin cases.

Red combat card deck.

 

Scrapheap is sold in two-player starter sets, each featuring two opposing coloured decks of combat cards.  There are three colour combinations available, with a fourth pair available only in the Launch Edition MegaPack (which includes four decks instead of two, and includes the token set - all at a slight discount).

 

Launch Edition MegaPack Contents

 

A set of custom Scrapheap tokens is also available, though not entirely necessary.  If players have a decent amount of game tokens on hand, they can probably get away with just using those.

 

Scrapheap Token Set (double-sided, colour)

 

The PDFs included with each purchase provide a Rulebook and separate set of Appendices.  The Rulebook teaches you the game, while the Appendices are the references you'll be using during your games of Scrapheap.  Scrapheap includes rules for various locations and environment, several scenarios, rules for NPCs (Non-Player Characters), companions, and even Pit Fighting encounters. 

 

Each set of Scrapheap decks includes a PDF download for the Rulebook and the Appendices (the game reference manual).

 

 

Disclaimer: Please be aware that when ordering a set of combat card decks - while the tins arrive in shrink wrap, the cards are sometimes mixed between the two tins and will need to be sorted upon arrival.  Occasionally the person packing them sorts them correctly between the two tins, but not always.

 

 

Print-to-Order Products

For all of my current projects I use The Gamecrafter, a print-to-order company based out of Wisconsin.

 

 

As a one-man shop who does game design as a hobby and not a full-time business, this means I don't have to worry about dealing with factories, stocking, shipments, warehousing, mailing, dealing with returns, etc.

 

The downside is that costs are higher, and products are not shipped for 1-2 weeks once ordered.  This generally depends on your place in the queue of orders.  When placing an order, you can see what number you are on your order details.  It will frequently be between 800-1200, and I find the folks at The Gamecrafter tend to plow through roughly 100 orders per business day.

 

They provide a pessimistic "estimated shipping date" which seems to be based on worst-case scenarios, as I've never had them ship anywhere near the projected date.  They have always shipped far sooner than advertised.

 

There is an option to pay double the price to push your order to the front of the line (sadly the designer gets no cut of this additional 100% profit...), but I don't believe anyone is in that kind of a rush to buy a game or some tokens!

Convention: Siege of Augusta (Jan 12-14, 2024)

TurnStyle Games will be attending Siege of Augusta, a wargaming convention held in Augusta, Georgia on the weekend of January 12-14, 2024.

 

I will be running Shoot N' Skedaddle on Friday afternoon, leading to Scrapheap on Friday evening/Saturday morning, and then Caverns, Crypts, & Catacombs Saturday afternoon/evening.

There are no sign-ups, so simply swing by and let me know you want to get in on a game.

Here is a list of the events as of the time of posting:

Siege of Augusta 2024, Events

 

 

Grimdark Dice: Replacement Dice for Warhammer 40K, 2nd Edition

While I've retired from "modern" Warhammer 40K (as all sane people do), I do occasionally still play 2nd edition, my high school sweetheart.

 

Struggling to find proper replacement dice for the unique Sustained Fire Dice, and Artillery Dice, I designed a set to use for the game, available here:

 

 

BATTLEGROUP TOKENS: Start Here!

I have designed numerous sets of tokens for use with PSC's Battlegroup series of games (previously by Iron Fist Publishing).  Below are links for various WW2 sets of tokens, along with four options for the newer NORTHAG/CENTAG games centered around the Cold War.

Details are included on the game pages themselves.

ZONA ALFA Compatible Tokens

While I don't personally play Zona Alfa at the moment, I designed a set of tokens for a friend who requested some to use with the game.

 

These are not official products, nor endorsed by Zona Alfa or its creators, etc.  These are fan-made supplement, and are suitable for many other skirmish games as well.