Cards & Boards

Listen up boys and girls, we gonna see our very own comic and games convention from Friday, 18 May to Sunday, 20 May. That’s when the Malaysian Games and Comics Convention 2012 will be held in Kolej Damansara Utama (Damansara Jaya)!

The doors will open from 10am till 6pm daily, with comics, games, cosplay sessions, “24-hour comic” marathons and “24-hour games DevThons”, workshops, masterclasses, and even performances, all on the event’s agenda.

Other highlights include the “Anugerah Pekomik 2012” awards as well as a Jay Tablante Cosplay Photo Exhibition.

Well, this event is sure shaping up to be a geek’s wet dream! You can find out more on their Facebook page as well as their official website. Check out the event trailer as well, it’s cool beans!

The Malaysian Games and Comics Convention 2012 is organised by the Persatuan Penggiat Komik Malaysia (Pekomik) and the International Game Developers Association (Malaysian Chapter), and co-sponsored by Borders, KDU, Banshee Creative, Tourism Selangor, Animation Xpress Asia-Pacific, Gaming Xpress, Zicco Tees and Pixaworks. So make a note of this event in your calendar and see you guys and gals there and then, okay?

So what do you guys think? Do tweet me at www.twitter.com/arcturus_mengsk or leave me feedback below.

We’ve just entered the year 2012, and another holiday season passes us.

2011 was another decent one, games-wise, with polished products being churned out for Magic: the Gathering and the World of Warcraft TCG (WoW TCG). Games companies such as Fantasy Flight Games continued to impress with a slew of awesome products, with Blood Bowl Team Manager: The Card Game being one of the year’s surprise hits.

New box art for the upcoming Fortress America remake from Fantasy Flight Games.

This year should see more interesting releases and products. Apart from the usual follow-up expansions and follow-ups to existing product lines, there should be a couple of gems to look out for.

FFG seems to be setting the pace for the other game companies, as they’ve already lined up a Star Wars card game AND a Star Wars miniatures tactical combat game, after scooping the vaunted rights to the lucrative franchise.

These gaming stalwarts are also remaking Fortress America, a classic Milton-Bradley / Avalon Hill strategy boardgame back in the 1980s, and Nexus Ops, which was recently done by Hasbro and Avalon Hill (just several years back).

Fortress America looks like it will be majorly overhauled – well, the first preview article from FFG gives little away, but let’s see what the finished product will look like eh?

Have something to say? Do tweet me at www.twitter.com/arcturus_mengsk or leave me feedback below.

Mano et mano trading card game (TCG) sessions can only get you so far, and the World of Warcraft TCG is no exception.

My playgroup’s recent rekindlement with WoW TCG has been amped up further with the new Dungeon Decks, featuring three awesomely cool characters: meet Lord Godfrey, Scarlet Commander Mograine, and Vanessa Van Cleef.

So the basic premise is simple: you get your regular (or your best!) 61-card decks, and start taking on a Dungeon Deck. Each Dungeon Deck can be run “automatically”, so no player needs to control it, as the resultant actions (and pain) are resolved semi-randomly.

You and your friends get to go against a common enemy that wields regular, and often, spectacularly powerful allies, equipment and abilities.

I had a chance to have a go at the Scarlet Commander Mograine Dungeon Deck over the weekend, and boy was it amazing fun. Each deck has level difficulties, with Level 1 proving to be pretty easy for our beefed up Class Starters (around half or more of the Class Starters tweaked and modded with our favorite, and stronger stuff).

Level 2 was astonishingly tough going, as the multiplication of damage was pretty insane. Imagine the Commander himself gaining Assault 10 in some turns, and you get the picture. Another masochistic attempt – this time Level 3 – proved to be disastrous as well.

Well, I have to say that things got a lot more manageable once my group fielded much stronger and beefier decks – my improvised Death Knight Ghoul rush, a full-on Horde Shaman and an uber-Priest.

We were helped by quick opening hands, and efficiently grinded out the win thanks to plenty of ally destruction (Priest) and totems (Shaman). The raid ended with an appropriately-timed Turn 7 Zarixx, Herald of Death, which added one 3/3 Ghoul token ally to the pair already on board, and attacked for 12 damage. (Overkill admittedly, since the evil Commander was down to his final point of health.)

After four to five raids in less than two hours, I have to say that these decks are excellent value for money, given that the replayability is pretty darn high. Cryptozoic’s artwork continues to be superb, while the speedy gameplay ensures that downtime remains a minimum. Conclusion: pick up these babies and give your regular WoW TCG decks a fun workout, now! Warning though, don’t underestimate these puppies!

Have something to say? Do tweet me at www.twitter.com/arcturus_mengsk or leave me feedback below.

World of Warcraft (WoW) Trading Card Game (TCG) fans take note, for there’s new stuff to be bought at your favorite game store!

The new Dungeon Decks, 2011 Fall Class Starters and Thrones of Tides expansion packs are now available. Yup, triple whammy in time for the coming holiday season? Need stocking stuffers for yourself, or friends? Look no further than these bunch of latest WoW TCG products!

The Dungeon Decks feature all-new treasure cards which make awesome upgrades to your existing decks. You can also buy one of the Dungeon Decks, which give you an awesome quest way of playing WoW TCG.

Beginners and experienced players will love the new Class starters. A follow-up to the very awesome 2011 Summer Class Starters, this special 61-card product gives us ten new heroes, and each deck contain one booster pack (from the War of the Elements expansion). Pretty darn worth it, for RM50 a pop I say!

And to sweeten the deal, each of the Fall Class Starters will have one random common, uncommon, rare or epic reprint from an older WoW TCG expansion block. Yes, these reprints mean that they return to the current Core format! Wow indeed!

Finally, if you’re looking to crack just booster packs, look no further than the Thrones of the Tides that just came in. Murlocs, and all forms of new monstrosities plus the usual plethora of allies, abilities, quests and equipment are in this set. Well, go crazy, but not too crazy!

The latest WoW TCG products were sighted in Comics Mart, Mid-Valley Mega Mall and ought to be seen in better game shops. Good luck hunting for them!

Have something to say? Do tweet me at www.twitter.com/arcturus_mengsk or leave me feedback below.

Think you can do better? Then show them at MaGaCon!

In case you missed out on the news last month, we will be having our very own games convention this month, during the weekend of December 17 and 18. That’s when MaGaCon takes place, which its organizers is touting as “Malaysia’s first annual independent Analog and Digital gaming convention, run by gamers, for gamers.”

Card games (both the standalone, non-collectible kind and the collectible and tradable kind), boardgames, tabletop miniature games and electronic games will all share the spotlight with competitions, exhibitions and demos all happening in Kolej Damansara Utama (KDU), Damansara Jaya, in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

We’ve just heard that side-activities will include some live-action role-playing (LARP) as well, in order to spice up the scenery. In what could be a first for Malaysia, LARP participants will take part in a an actual real-life “adventure”, in which everyone needs to complete “quests” and the like, in order to score points, and possibly swag!

There will also be Monopoly Deal and Monopoly Classic tournaments, with winners standing the chance to take home Monopoly Live sets worth RM200 each, courtesy of Hasbro Malaysia.

Have something to say? Do tweet me at www.twitter.com/arcturus_mengsk or leave me feedback below.

Game conventions are rare in Malaysia – yours truly could remember only one a few years back, which was held in a major Klang Valley shopping mall.

Well, looks like there’s another one coming up in December!

The name of the event’s MaGaCon, which is billed by the organizers as Malaysia’s “first annual independent analog & digital gaming convention,” run by gamers for gamers.

The event is slated to be held in the Kolej Damansara Utama (KDU) University College (the Damansara Jaya campus) over the weekend of the 17th and18th of December.

The highlight of MaGaCon will be the “Gamerlympics,” where the search for the “Game Lord of Malaysia” will take place, with the ultimate prize being  an all-expense paidtrip to the Penny Arcade Expo next year.

For trading card game enthusiasts, especially the hardcore competitors, there will be the prestigious Magic: The Gathering Grand Prix Trial Kuala Lumpur World Championship event taking place then.

Miniature gamers and boardgame fans will be keen to know that there will be Warhammer 40K, Settlers of Catan and Monopoly tournaments to keep them busy.

Those who prefer video games might want to check out the various Xbox 360 and PC game sessions then.

The more casual visitors who prefer the more fun events will want to check out the MaGaCon Event Achievements, which are supposed to be themed mini events and interactive.

Incentives in the form of exclusive prizes can be won by simply fulfilling and completing the achievements of the “40k Fanboi”, the “Planewalker’s JourneyThrough Worlds” and “Technocrat” events.

Naturally, you will be also glad to know that anyone visiting the event will be free to house themselves there and get their respective games on, in designated “freeplay areas.”

So far, MaGaCon is co-sponsored and supported by Microsoft Malaysia, Asus, GameAxis Malaysia, Games Workshop, Hasbro Malaysia, Meeples Cafe, Legio Malaysia, BoardgameCafé, Outpost Toys , FnD Mindspot, Wynet Solutions, Scratchdisk and KDU University College.

Check out the website and the Facebook group for more updates!

Curious or have something to say? Do tweet me at www.twitter.com/arcturus_mengsk or leave me feedback below.

So are you ready to try out some new Magic cards? Well, judging by Wizards.com and Mananation.com spoilers, not just any Magic cards.

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