Do you enjoy councils and lore creation? If so, As Thou Commandsis the megagame for you!
As Thou Commands is a rules-light system where the players procedurally generate and run fictional feudal Duchies. These Duchies make-up an entire medieval Kingdom, and players’ decisions will have impacts both near and far. Play alternates between drafting narrative elements and participating in council sessions where players attempt to negotiate beneficial outcomes to the thorny issues bedeviling the Kingdom.
The City of Yendor has a long and illustrious tradition of being the centre of trade, a safe place in times of trouble and a model of urban civilisation. It is a cosmopolitan place, welcoming all species (reasonably) equally. It is a place of freedom and opportunity. It is within this city that the game is set, taking us through everyday life within its multicultural walls. There are inter-species tensions, magic, crime, politics and power struggles to experience, whilst at the same time ensuring your team gains fortune and glory.
Players will negotiate, plot, solve crises, gain status, trade and resolve conflicts. The game has no fixed narrative – what happens will depend entirely on how the players collectively choose to play.
Table-spanning maps are inherent to many megagames. They act as a focal point for players across the game and form the core of most mechanical player’s experience. However maps can be difficult to design. Which software product(s) do you use, what resources are available and how do you use them effectively? Just as importantly, how do you make sure the map works well with your design, and helps the players play the game?
In the Map Design for Dummies workshop, John Keyworth walks through finding and updating maps, which software he uses and how he overcomes problems in the design process.
Alex Vince, Chair of the Civil Service Fast Stream Wargaming Network, talks about how his experiences within Megagames led to getting involved in the Wargame profession at work, and chats through things you might want to consider if you want to explore wargaming as a career.
Speakers: BeckyBecky Campbell-Ladley with guests (BeckyBecky Blogs)
Filmed during: MegaCon 2021
So you want to be a megagamer? Not just a sit-in-the-background ignore-the-aliens stay-unmarried don’t-go-to-war megagamer, but one of the ones whose anecdotes will be told across the world, whose mere name will strike fear into the hearts of opponents and excitement into the hearts of teammates.
But there’s no one right way to megagame! On this panel, BeckyBecky, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective Megagamers, is joined by four megagamers with a range of styles: Anthony Howgego (min-maxer), Matty Robinson (roleplay and fun-first), Seumas Bates (creative and collaborative) and Tim Campbell-Ladley (STICK TO THE BRIEF!). They discuss their top tips and advice for playing games in a way that is both interesting for them and fun for those around them.
Is it possible to design a megagame in an hour? Probably not, but they gave it a try!
Ed Silverstone of Reading Megagames chaired a panel of experienced designers who took your prompts and work to build them into a megagame. This intense and chaotic event is perfect for anyone interested in designing a megagame, or just gaining more insight into the design process.
Ed is joined by Alex Beck (Horizon Megagames; Crisis in Elysium, Mirrorshades, Mansions of Madness), John Keyworth (Relics of the Fall, Ur: The Nexus City) and John Mizon (SW Megagames; the hit Den of Wolves).
Alex Beck presents ‘From Memphis Mangler to Watch the Skies – a History of Megagames’.
In this talk, followed by questions and audience discussion, Alex covers what he’s learnt from in-depth research and interviews with key people from the megagame community. Alex clears up some misconceptions and provide fascinating details on what led to today’s megagame community!
Join the organisers of MegaCon 2021 as they close out the Con, reminiscing about the awesome memories from megagames and the other activities that ran throughout the course of the weekend of fun. Harrison is joined by BeckyBecky Campbell-Ladley (BeckyBecky Blogs), Matt Bambridge (Mr Megagame, Megagame Assembly), Chris Brown (Megagame Assembly) and Ed Silverstone (Reading Megagames) to share their experiences over the weekend and chat about the future of megagaming.
The Megagame Assembly Podcast kicks off MegaCon 2021 with this live episode, featuring Harrison Tatem-Wyatt (Megagame Assembly), Matt Bambridge (Megagame Assembly, Mr Megagame) and BeckyBecky Campbell-Ladley (BeckyBecky Blogs), where they talk about some of the events they are most excited about at the Con.
Numquam Retro is an operational megagame of the Italian Front in World War I, a front characterized by its carnage, logistical complexity, tactical blundering, and its ultimate futility. While all these elements will be explored in this megagame, the futility of the conflict will be the design’s main focus, which makes it tonally and mechanically unique (as far as the designer is aware).
This playtest session will outline the umbrella systems of the megagame (Home Front System(s), Logistics System), the unique and relatively simple (e.g. limited player choices) Battle System, and at last, dive into the most unique part of the game, the Morale System. Playtesters will run through one round of the battle system and be invited to stay for a roundtable discussion about the design in general.
