MEGAGAMES @ Origins 2020
The Megagame Coalition and allied organizers are proud to present 10 events for Origins 2020!
Click the images in our schedule below for more info!
Looking to volunteer and get a free badge? Click here!
Wednesday June 17th
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No morning events Wednesday
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Thursday June 18th
Friday June 19th
Saturday June 20th
Sunday June 21st
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Origins comes to a close
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Full Descriptions
Player Count: 25-60
Game #1. Wednesday June 17th: 6pm – 10pm
Game #2. Sunday June 21st: 9am – 1pm
Earth 2047 :: SETI has picked up a strong radio signal from another arm of the Milky Way. Based on its pattern, it has to be intelligent life.
First Contact! The Venkari (pronounced “Ven-CAR-E”) are warning us about an evil species called the Drox. The Drox are some sort of DNA elitists hellbent on purifying the universe…. and their spreading towards Earth!
The Venkari have (apparently) come to our aid. Due to their distance from us, they’ve chosen to send digital blueprints of some critical technology, since they can’t physically get to us in time. The first two digital blueprints are for a Jump GATE and a Jump SHIP. Navigation and logistics in space will be challenging, because we’ve never really had to do it before…… Better learn quickly.
You’ll love UberSpace Legacy if:
- Sci-Fi fan and want to be “in the mix” and participating
- You like Resource Management, Engine Building and Tech Escalation
MegaGames: An Overview of a New Hybrid (Seminar)
Seats: 60
Thursday June 18th: 2pm – 3pm
This overview seminar of megagames will cover their history, diversity, and most importantly, their potential. Fun, educational, and highly interactive, the
You’ll love this seminar if:
- You’ve experienced a megagame on in the past and want to know more about the broader culture and “what’s out there”
- You’ve heard of just how awesome megagames can be and want to know more
- If you’re an educator or analyst and want to learn about the practical applications of megagames!
Sickle: A Scythe Fan-Made Megagame
Player Count: 20 – 90
Thursday June 18th: 6PM – 10PM
Join 60+ other players to fight, negotiate, and harness powerful new technologies as prominent political factions, scientists, and industrialists involved in the power struggles of Eastern Europa.
At the center of the chaos is the mysterious Factory. Originally constructed by Nikolai Tesla, the Factory produced wondrous technologies utilized by the great armies of Eastern Europa to destroy each other during the Great War. And although the Great War is over, the power struggles are just beginning.
Sickle is a fan-made megagame set in the 1920+ Universe created by Jakub Różalski and is home to the award-winning board game Scythe by Stonemaier Games and the upcoming video game, Iron Harvest by King Art Games. We thank Stonemaier Games for their support and encouragement in this and other fan-made projects!
This will be the third major convention for Sickle after successful runs at Gen Con and SHUX 2019!
You’ll love Sickle if:
- You love exploring interesting alternate history settings
- You like settings driven by bizarre technological breakthroughs like Fallout or Crimson Skies
- You love the lore of board game Scythe and the broader 1920+ art universe
- You like games with tonal limits but freeform gameplay, like modern matrix games
- You love forcing your frenemy to collaborate with you in order to accomplish a common goal
Player Count: 20 – 43
Saturday June 20th: 5pm-11pm
In this Battlestar Galatica-inspired megagame, a small fleet of interstellar vessels tries to survive while maintaining civil society, fending off a military threat from without and infighting from within.
It is the 27th Century, and freedom is under attack. The inhabitants of Wolf 1061C have ambushed and defeated all the fleets of the Old and New Nations of Earth, except for the Aegis, a lone battlecruiser, and its jumbled armada of mostly civilian vessels, drawn to the narrow band of safety the Aegis provides. That fleet, home to thousands and the Interstellar Council-in-Exile, must survive. Can you make the difficult political, military, and logistical choices to weather this long-term crisis?
Players will take on the roles of starship captains, politicians, and others trying to see the fleet through this harrowing time. The game has a focus on managing resources, as well as various units and assets – however, talking and negotiating with other players in a high stress environment will be crucial in order to achieve success. And one must always be on the lookout for The Wolf within.
Den of Wolves is a modern megagame classic from the Uk-based megagame group, Southwest Megagames.
You’ll love Den of Wolves if:
- You like Battlestar Galactica or classic military sci-fi in general, and the Battlestar Galactica board game in particular.
- You’re looking to play a true megagame masterpiece and see how it works to help design your own games.
- You want to toss your friends out of an airlock while they shout at you about due process.
American Crosshairs
Player Count: 16-55
Friday June 19th: 9am – 1pm
In this land of immense beauty and bountiful natural wealth, it’s time to carve out your piece of the Central American Pie.
Central America sits at the crossroads of the Americas and in the crosshairs of rival global superpowers – a nexus of Cold War geopolitics, narcotrafficking, and neoliberal economics.
Join 15-55 other players in exploring the complex web of temporary alliances in this megagame of revolution in the face of global financial and geopolitical pressures. In other words, while the revolution has triumphed, the economic, military, and political realities remain the same.
Mature Content Warning. See Overview document for more details and player expectations.
Check out the Game Overview here!
- You have ever thought of overthrowing the corrupt oligarchy funded by those imperialist fruit companies.
- You enjoy exploring fascinating periods of history through mature, interactive settings.
- If you are thematically a fan of Twilight Struggle, the GMT COIN game series, or Junta.
- If you like your enemies [REDACTED] and your friends [CLASSIFIED]
National Security Decision Making Games (NSDM)
Player Count: 10-200 (highly flexible system)
Cold War Scenario: Friday @ 2pm
Contemporary Scenario: Friday @ 6pm
Near Future Scenario: Saturday @ 12pm
The National Security Decision Making (NSDM) Game is a fast-paced, challenging simulation of contemporary politics and eternal strategic principles. This event simulation system evolved from the geopolitical exercises used by senior U.S. Government officials to explore geopolitical options. NSDM has been presented at the U. S. Naval War College, the U.S. Air University, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and at a wide variety of civilian venues such as Origins, Gen-Con, DragonCon, Fall In, Cold Wars, and Historicon.
Each of the players in this political-economic-military seminar game occupies a role in which he or she can affect the formulation of national policy in their country. Most players find NSDM to be intellectually stimulating, vigorously competitive and unlike any other gaming opportunity they have ever had.
You’ll love NSDM games if:
- You favor more freeform, narrative megagames with realistic tonal limits
- You love to be intellectually challenged and learn about foreign cultures and their internal dynamics
- You are looking to experience on the pre-eminent geopolitical simulation systems
- You love unleashing your inner Machiavelli!
Mischief of Faction
Samuel Bassett
Player Count: 5 – 25
Saturday June 20th: 9am – 11am
Sunday June 21st: 2pm – 4pm
Michief of Faction is a social deduction game where players passing policies to accomplish their faction’s agenda and rig the political process in their favor.
You’ll love Mishcief of Faction if:
- Enjoy raw politics and social deduction
- Want a meatier version of two rooms and boom
- Find pleasure calling friends and family fascists
- Seek introvert spaces in larger megagames
Megagame volunteering @ Origins
We’re looking for
EMPATHETIC,
QUICK-THINKING,
OR OTHERWISE AWESOME
NERDS
to join the Megagame Volunteer Corps @ Origins 2020!
Volunteer for two events and get fun perks! Including:
- A free Origins badge ($85 value)
- Free tickets to megagame events!
- The endorphin rush of being the one who actively brings joy to people’s lives
- Experiencing megagames & Origins from the other side
- Meeting and hanging out with a bunch of super cool people!
- Our eternal gratitude
Words from previous volunteers
I LOVED being part of the team at Gen Con, everyone was so welcoming and friendly and awesome, and getting to see the games being played and talk to the designers/control players before, during and after the games was a fantastic insight.
It was an awesome time!