Article:
Origins 2010 Convention Report

Every year, thousands of gamers come to Columbus, Ohio (USA) from all around the United States in order to attend the Origins Game Fair. With major sponsors like Mayfair Games, Rio Grande Grames, and Troll&Toad.com, they are able to bring the best of every kind of gaming. Whether you're looking for board games, miniature wargaming, tabletop, CCG, or LARPing, there's something to do.  And, like any convention, there were plenty of people in costume.

The Convention

Starting on Wednesday and running through Sunday is tough for anyone. Origins had a lot of new volunteers, which made registration for events a little bit slow. In their favor, though, it seemed like attendance was down from years past. Maybe it was just my opinion, but the exhibition floor was not packed and there were large parts of the convention center that were empty that used to be filled with tables and various pick-up games.

Other than the slow check in and a few last-minute organizational changes with the LARP games, I was pleased with how the con ran. There were plenty of opportunities for us to meet with some of the major players at the show (including Brian O'Halloran, Rio Grande Games, and Origins Dungeon), but due to some delays at check-in, I missed a lot of those opportunities. I did get a brief period of time to talk to Cam Banks from Margaret Weis Productions about Serenity: Big Damn Heroes Handbook (Best Roleplaying Game Supplement) and their new tabletop game based on the hit TV show "Leverage."

Board Gaming

Obviously, with major names like Mayfair and Rio Grande, you can expect some serious firepower when it comes to board games. Origins gives a great venue for companies big and small to release new games, often for the first time. While GenCon might be a bigger convention, Origins is about a month ahead of time, so here's your first chance.