Would you rather go to PAX East 2014 or to your Prom?

Wednesday, March 12th, 2014

T-Minus 29 DAYS, 09 HRS, 36 MINS, 41 SECS

We are now less than a month away from PAX East 2014. Even better, they released the schedule of panels and tournaments moments ago. There is a slight catch, though. I’m actually not sure if it’s complete. One reason is that they don’t have the “Magic: The Gathering” tournaments listed on there. Also, from the persons themselves, there are panels I was told were going to be there that are not. Finally, usually the official PAX twitter handle tweets out big announcements like this. We’ll have to see in the next few days, I guess. However, for now we can get excited about what IS on the schedule.

Friday, April 11th

If you’re a miniatures player then you’ll be interested in this. As soon as the doors open there will be “Warhammer” and “Warmachine” tournaments in the Tabletop area. Keep in mind though, a lot of these tournaments are set up for new and casual players. However, there is a 500-point, 10-player tournament. There is no word if there are prizes for this. The other tournaments they have listed do have prizes you can earn throughout the entire weekend.

Something that may give a shot (if my schedule allows me) is the “Star Wars: X-Wing” miniatures tournament. These are 100-point tournaments and are hosted by Fantasy Flight Games. The cool part is that they will be awarding promotional prizes  to the participants. Which means I don’t think I have to worry about being bad at the game!

Later that afternoon, Battleground Games & Hobbies owner, Derek Lloyd, will be participating on a panel titled “What is Happening to Tabletop Roleplaying Games?” Here is the official description from the PAX East website:

“The past 20 years have been a roller-coaster ride for RPGs. The release of ‘Magic: The Gathering’ in 1993 changed the fundamental nature of the hobby gaming industry and forever altered the business of making and selling RPGs.  Explore the recent history of the category through the lens of Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder, and hear predictions for the future of the hobby.”

So, if you’ve got the time, go support him. Don’t forget to bring some underwear to throw at him while he’s on stage. Maybe we can make some signs as well. If you have any ideas, then leave a comment below.

Another event I may give a shot are the “My Little Pony CCG” tournaments. If you’re a Brony or Pegasister at heart, or are obsessed with card games in general like I am, then you may want to give these tournaments a shot. This tournament will be a sealed tournament. Don’t worry if you can’t make it to this one, they have other tournaments listed throughout the weekend.

Saturday, April  12th

Get ready for another fun filled day. Hopefully your feet won’t be hurting you as much as mine will be.

To kick things off, there will be an “Android: Netrunner” tournament. You’re required to bring your own decks for this one. It will be run by Fantasy Flight Games and they will have promotional prizes to give out to the participants. I haven’t played this in a more-than-casual setting, so, I am looking forward to this one. I hope I can make it.

The biggest thing I hope to be in is the “Magic: The Gathering” panel. That will be held at 1:30 PM in the Albatross Theatre. I plan on live-blogging from inside. So, if you can’t make it for some reason, I suggest to subscribing to my Examiner feed so you can keep up-to-date with all the news coming out of there. Here is the official description of the panel from the PAX website:

“Gods, heroes and monsters! What challenges will Planeswalker Elspeth Tirel face next? Learn more about this Hero’s Path as we Journey Into Nyx in the third set of the Theros block. Do you have what it takes to complete the Hero’s Path? Come by the Magic: The Gathering panel to get a glimpse of the Journey Into Nyx, get the inside track on the Prerelease and talk to some of the key R&D and Program leaders from Wizards of the Coast.”

The panel will be hosted by Mark Purvis who is the Brand Director for Wizards of the Coast. I wonder if other people will join him though. There were quite a few people last year on the panel.

Sunday, April 13th

This is usually just a day for me to enjoy the rest of the convention. I remember last year it was a little annoying because I had to drag all my bags to the convention center because I had to check out of my hotel.

Now I know I only live about 30 minutes outside of the city, but getting a hotel during the convention is really worth it, I think. It’s convenient because I feel I can come and go whenever I want to. If I wasn’t staying close in the city, I’d feel stuck. I want to be able to enjoy myself and not have that thought worrying over my head. It also allows me to be able to meet more people and hang out with them over the course of the weekend. Also, I’m staying on the edge of Chinatown in the Theatre district this year. With that said, I definitely plan on getting dinner at one of my favorite spots “The Gourmet Dumpling House.” This place is always packed, but well worth the wait. Let me know if you’d like to join.

Time permitting, there is something that you all may want to check out. The creators of “Penny Arcade,” Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins (along with Scott Kurtz and a special guest), get together and play a live game of “Dungeons & Dragons.” If you’ve never seen it, I highly recommend checking it out on YouTube. There are clips of their entire playthroughs from PAX Prime. They are extremely entertaining.

About the author

Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!

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Tags: Android Netrunner, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic the Gathering, pathfinder, pax east, Simeon Cortezano, Warhammer, Warmachine
Posted in Blog, Board Games, Card Games, Dungeons & Dragons, Events, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Miniature Games, Pathfinder, Role-Playing Games, Warhammer 40K | 1 Comment »