We can’t let too many cats out of the bag, since we’re still tallying events, but here’s a quick sampler of what’s on tap for 2010:

• Bad Muthas: Tales from the Funk
• Call of Cthulhu — now in traditional and Pooh flavors.
• Crawlspace
• The Dresden Files
• Living Forgotten Realms
• Pathfinder
• TC Realms
• The Unexplained

Plus longtime favorites like the Realms LARP, the traditional Bar Room Brawl from Jim Doyle, story games orchestrated by Charlton Wilbur, whatever genius the inestimable Dr. Nik has concocted and the horrific imaginings of Andre Kruppa.

Friday afternoon, we kick things off with the Game of Thrones extravaganza. This popular event is back for its seventh year, thanks to Justin Berman and his assistants. If you are arriving early join in the fun, as no less than three boards of Game of Thrones will be running at once. Be sure to sign up early as slots fill up quickly for this game.

We have board game tournaments this year. BANG! will be back on Sunday morning after a one year hiatus.  So strap on your shooting irons and step out into the dusty street for this fun tournament. On Saturday we have two more big tournaments planned. In the evening Carnage will present its 2nd Annual Dominion tournament.  Come see what all the buzz is about in this fast paced card game.

And finally (because Robert asked for it…..), Carnage the 13th will be offering its first ever Endeavor tournament!  Saturday afternoon Endeavor will be all over the board game area.  Players will play two games with the five top combined scores moving on to a final table Sunday morning at 10am.  So join in the fun with these three great tournaments.  (And there may even  be a prize or two if you do well enough…)

If you are not into tournaments, Carnage has many other board games to offer.  The following games have been confirmed for this years convention.

• Android
• Battlestar Galactica
• Betrayal at House on the Hill
• Brass
• Carcassonne
• ZOMBIE Carcassonne (shuffle…shuffle…shuffle…mmm brains!)
• Carson City
• Dixit (2010 Spiel de Jahres winner)
• Le Havre
• Agricola
• Puerto Rico
• Princes of Florence
• Tigris & Euphrates
• Race for the Galaxy
• Starcraft
• Cyclades
• Arkham Horror
• Axis and Allies: Double Blind
• Shadows over Camelot
• Space Alert
• War of the Rings (Collecters Edition)
• WizWars
• Conflict of Heroes
• Empire Builder
• 18XX
• Ticket to Ride (VT/NH Special Edition/Marklin)
• Titan
• Power Grid
• The Great Space Race

And many more!  We are still looking for some games. So please check the list above with my list of wants and let us know if you are interested in running a game or two at the convention.  We can never have too many games.  It is always games, games and more games!

Players pit their clan samurai, ninjas, shugenja and courtiers against the forces of the other clans. All the clans are looking for honor, power and glory. Players can choose to play one of the nine different clans or the evil of the Shadowlands.

Crab Clan: The Defenders – They guard the walls of the south and protect Rokugan from the evil of the Shadowlands.

Crane Clan: The Artisans – They are the providers of culture in Rokugan. They practice many types of art, including the way of the duelist sword.

Mantis Clan: The Seafarers – The newest of the Great Clans of Rokugan. They struggle to find their place and to become accepted by the other Great Clans.

Phoenix Clan: The Shugenja – These are the scholars and magic users of the realm. They look to unlock the secrets of the universe itself.

Spider Clan: The Unknown – They are a mystery, an enigma. They strike fast and fade back into the shadows of Rokugan.

Unicorn Clan: The Explorers – Rokugan is a protective land. Outsiders are not allowed in. The Unicorn are the only connection to the lands outside Rokugan.

Lion Clan: The Warriors – They are Rokugan’s army and its law.

Scorpion Clan: The Underhand – They use deceit, lies and blackmail to crush their enemies and rivals. Rokugan needs them to do the dirty work the other Clans won’t.

Dragon Clan: The Mystics – They are the monks and mystics of Rokugan. They study the power of the universe to better understand.

The Shadowlands:  The Evil – These are creatures of nightmare! They are the horde in the night:  the undead, the goblins, the trolls and the oni. Beware their evil.

The L5R card game has been around since 1995 and has cultivated a loyal following. Part of its appeal is the storyline of the game. Players can affect what happens in Rokugan through tournaments. Carnage has presented L5R tournaments in the past, but unfortunately the game went through a lull in the mid 2000s. We are pleased to say that Carnage brought back the L5R Swords tournament last year and that this year we are planning on even more L5R events. Rokugan is returning to Carnage!

If you want to check out more about L5R please check out: http://www.l5r.com.

Also check out both Quarterstaff Games in Burlington, VT, and Triple Play in West Lebanon, NH. They have both organized and casual L5R play.

Stay tuned for more updates on the Carnage L5R events. But plan on bringing your sword and your honor if you plan on making your mark in Rokugan!

One thing before the list: If you are looking for a chance to do some gaming soon, then save the date of June 19th for a Game ’n Grill game day at Memorial Hall in Essex, VT, presented by Green Mountain Gamers. The game day will feature open board gaming, some teaching sessions, RPG scenarios and a Dominion Tournament. Check out more details at their website: www.greenmountaingamers.com.

Look for Carnage members in attendance at the Game ’n Grill. Come tell us in person what games you want to see or just come hang out and play some great games.

So, on with the list…. We are looking for people to run some of the following games. They are a little mix of the old and the new, some wargames and some euros. If you see something you would like to run, please drop us a line!

• Acquire
• Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery
• Battlestar Galactica
• Brass
• Carcassonne
• Chaos in the Old World
• Cyclades (NEW)
• Descent
• El Grande
• Power Grid
• Power Grid: Factory Manager
• Founding Fathers (NEW)
• Galaxy Trucker
• Tales of the Arabian Nights
• Last Night on Earth
• Betrayal at House on the Hill
• Touch of Evil
• Fury of Dracula
• Advanced Civilization
• Sword of Rome
• Imperial/Imperial 2030
• 18XX
• Age of Steam
• Le Havre
• Pillars of the Earth
• Dungeon Lords (NEW)
• Puerto Rico
• Kingsburg
• Railroad Tycoon (Railways of the World)
• Empire Builder
• Dune
• History of the World
• Titan
• Memoir ’44
• Shogun (Milton Bradley)
• Small World
• Vasco De Gama (NEW)
• At the Gates of Loyang (NEW)
• Race for the Galaxy
• Settlers of Catan
• Rise of Empires
• Runewars (NEW)
• Shadows over Camelot
• Ticket to Ride (any variations)
• Samurai
• Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization
• Die Macher
• Britannia
• Roborally
• Dominion
• Stone Age
• War of the Ring
• Stonghold (NEW)
• Princes of Florence
• Chicago Express
• Steam
• Railroad Crayon games
• Zombie State: Diplomacy of the Dead (NEW)
• Invasion from Outerspace: The Martian Game
• Starcraft
• Twilight Imperium
• Tigris & Euphrates
• Agricola
• Android
• Caylus
• Pandemic
• Endeavor
• Conflict of Heroes
• Here I Stand
• In the Year of the Dragon
• Mare Nostrum
• Friedrich

That is a lot of games! If you see something you would like to run, please let us know. You can email us at info@carnagecon.com with any questions or use the GM submission form on the website. If you have another game that you want to run and it is not listed here…send it to us! I know I missed a lot of great games!

Carnage the 13th looks forward to another solid lineup of RPGs and LARPs in a wide variety of genres and systems, from the most recent indies to well-established favorites. We welcome game masters both new and familiar—if you are a GM, please sign up by July 26 in order to make it into our printed convention booklet.

The Topic is Terror

For those who want to play along, Carnage’s theme this year is horror, with an emphasis on the slasher variety a la Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. GMs have the opportunity to get creative incorporating the tropes of the genre into their games. At the same time, we welcome every other sort of role-playing adventure, from Gygaxian dungeon crawls to the latest in indie hits.

Architects of Nightmare

RPG and LARP recruitment is off to a rip-roaring start this year with the sign-on of fiction author and GM CJ Henderson and the confirmation of a number of highly respected regulars from past years. Fresh new blood from the regional gaming and con scene joins us as well for Carnage’s 13th annual weekend of frighteningly good gaming fun.

Thank Yous

Speaking of past years, we would like to thank all of the phenomenal GMs who ran RPGs at Carnage 12, including:

• Big Daddy Al
• Neal Byles
• John Crossley
• Jim Doyle
• Kalvin Jay
• Andre Kruppa
• Tom Loney
• Gaylord Newcity
• Pathfinder judges
• John Prushko
• Realms LARP organizers
• RPGA judges
• Rob Snow
• TC Realms organizers
• Micah Warren
• Charlton Wilbur
• Brad Younie
• and all the other fantastic GMs who ran adventures

Passing the Chainsaw

A special thanks is due to Dr. Nik, who stepped down last year after serving for many years on the Carnage board in a variety of positions including President and RPG Field Marshal. Nik’s energy, drive and organizational ability will be sorely missed—but not his legendary GMing! We are exceptionally pleased to note that Dr. Nik will run even more of his renowned Carnage games than usual—both RPGs and a LARP—now that he no longer has board responsibilities. Special thanks as well to another noted Carnage GM, Tyler Dion, who has stepped up to help fill Dr. Nik’s shoes on the Carnage board. Welcome, Tyler!

Author CJ Henderson is the creator of both the Jack Hagee hardboiled PI series and the Teddy London supernatural detective series. He has over 60 books and/or novels to his credit, along with hundreds of comics and short stories and thousands of non-fiction pieces. World traveler, cat herder and president for life of the rapidly growing “Bacon For All” movement, this fascinating character, the man about whom Time Magazine said “Who?” is one of the most interesting GMs of our time, if he does say so himself. For more details on this truly remarkable and self-absorbed individual, feel free to check out his website, www.cjhenderson.com, where there are always free short stories, or simply go by his table at the show and chat him up. Those who bring pork products will be given preferential treatment.

Do indeed check out Mr. Henderson’s site, but be sure to come back here for more news on Carnage the 13th as it develops.

This Year’s Theme: Razor Sharp Horror

The theme for Carnage the 13th is horror, with an emphasis on slasher horror a la Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. We encourage GMs to get creative incorporating the tropes of the genre in their games, but don’t feel at all obligated to cram it in there. It’s fun, but we want the traditional historical scenarios and dungeon crawls as much as anything horror-oriented.

Event Submissions

Event submissions will be accepted from now through July 26 at the GM Sign Up section of the site.

Accommodations

As of this writing, Lake Morey Resort is completely booked for Carnage weekend. It never hurts to get on the waiting list, but the successful conventioneer would do well to check the list of hotels and inns adjacent to Fairlee.

The Website

The Carnage website is back with a new design and some new features. You can follow the RSS feed and participate in the discussion forums.

We are hoping to get all of these great events back to the convention in 2010. The EDH on Friday night is always a blast, and I am always looking for new ways give this format a twist. Two Headed Giant EDH?

We of course will be extending an invitation to Ben to come back and run some L5R events at the con, and we are looking to build on his success from last year.

We are always on the lookout for other CCG games and tournaments. If you have any suggestions or know of a game you think Carnage should present, please contact us. We would love to hear from you.

Keep checking back at the new website for more updates!

The board game room was full last year, and we hope to keep it that way going into CARNAGE the 13th! I would like to thank all of the great GMs who helped us out last year:

• Bill Brunton
• Justin Berman
• Jacob Foote
• Josh Winslow
• Doug Jorenby
• Amos Parker
• Richard Nothey
• Sean Wolfe
• Jim Winslow
• Brennan Martin
• Michelle Graham
• Gary Bobar
• Alex Clay
• Matt Miller
• Daniel Beard
• Amy Stender
• Danny Campbell
• Bob Mosdal
• Art Winslow
• Dean Emmerson
• Earl Waters
• Christopher Dondero
• Jeannie Compter
• Neal Byles
• Derk Dunn
• Bob Yates
• Billy DiGiulio
• Matt Golec
• Eric Paperman
• Will Minsinger
• Rick Salamin
• Bethany Creaser
• Richard Creaser
• Doug Gray
• Michele Denault-Reynolds
• Chuck Burkins
• Roland Paperman

I would also like to give a special thanks to John Fitzpatrick, who helped us out at the last minute.

One person not listed above but who GMd in almost every slot has now joined the ranks. So we need to thank Tyler Dion. We are happy to have him aboard.

Now on with this year’s convention. We are planning on another big year for board games at Carnage. There have been some great new games. As always, we are looking for GMs to present these games. If you have a game you would like to run, don’t wait…. sign up now. In the future I will be posting a list of Carnage’s most-wanted games. These will be the games we are hoping to present at this year’s convention. They will include some of the up and coming new games, as well as many old classics.

We are also looking for any suggestions to help make the convention more enjoyable for our attendees. So, if you have any, please drop us a line. We are already planning some new things for the board gaming areas: some new tournaments and a new setup.

Keep checking back here for more updates and information as we get closer to CARNAGE the 13th! (Still in 3D!)

Well, it was apparently time for Carnage to take a step and move forward a bit with all the modern technology available. A couple of new folks with the knowhow and brain power joined the Carnage team and we are off to the races, so to speak.

So what have I got planned for Miniatures at Carnage 13?

Right at the moment things are relatively low key. I’m planning on hitting all the other cons and seeing what is new and hot. And of course talking people into bringing those games to Carnage.

So far on the agenda we have talked about trying to drum up some support for the old Classic Battle Tech. Possibly some Heavy Gear as well. It being Carnage 13, I would like to see some Zombie-oriented miniatures games. I’m thinking of offering one myself. Pretty much anything with lots of Carnage and/or a horror aspect would be great.

On the historical side of things, we have talked about finding someone to run a DBA tournament if we can get the interest built up. I’m also in constant contact with the Maine Gang and I am attempting to convince them to bring the Battle of Sabis to Carnage. They will be premiering the game at their first con in May. I am sure both the con and the game will be a great success.

If anyone out there has special ideas for Carnage 13 don’t be afraid to run them past me. My goal is not to have the most games but to have the best games possible.

Til next time…