Lock and Load Day Zero: Pre-Convention News and Photodump

Lock and Load is up and running, and we’re amazingly lucky to have Kuen Kuen, our US correspondent 😉 to tell us what’s going on in that amazing convention…

So, Lock and Load 2012 is right around the corner; exactly six hours away from the time of writing this. I was able to get a few sneak peeks around the convention hall and speak to some of the Privateer staff beforehand.

As PP Creative Director Ed Bourelle puts it, Lock and Load is a celebration that Privateer puts on specifically for their players and fans. Unlike some other conventions out there that market themselves as trade shows or a competitive tournament, everything on the events list is for con attendees to be furthering their enjoyment of the game and hobby. 2012 is their second year of Lock and Load, and it is expecting 400 attendees.

In the day before the convention, I’ve taken the chance to meet other players from all around the world. I’ve met people from the UK, Italy, Denmark, Iceland, and all across the United States. So if you’re not from the US and are thinking about making that big trip to visit Lock and Load, know that Lock and Load has definitely become an international destination.

Already I’ve seen some fantastic armies and conversions that players have brought from all around the world. Hopefully I’ll be able to take more pictures of the armies that people have brought over course of the convention.

I’ve managed to learn and play a few games of the new Bodgers game Heap with Designer David “DC” Carl. This is a fantastic small-box game for 2-4 (ideal for 4) players that takes about 30 minutes per game.

Theoretically, like the other Bodgers games (Infernal Contraption and Scrappers), Heap is a non-cooperative, symmetric, non-zero-sum game with a high degree of randomness.

Thematically, the game revolves around building four vehicle by adding modular components to it. The game is divided into two phases per round, a “building” phase and a “battling” phase (unofficial names). In the first phase players draw and place cards that represent vehicle parts that give them some immediate benefits. In the battling phase players use their remaining cards to attack other players and block incoming attacks; the last player standing wins the trick. Each game typically consists of three to five rounds.

Mechanics revolve around trick-taking (including the win condition), and to that end, card advantage is a big deal in this game. This includes card selection and hand construction as key strategies. Minor strategies include bluffing and politics.

Convention goers starting tomorrow will be able to get their hands on the following new releases:

Warmahine: Colossals hardcover and softcover, Stormwall, Conquest, Kraken, Nemo3, Vlad3.

Hordes: Sons of Bragg, Captain Farilor, Road Hog, and the new Extreme Carnivean sculpt.

Also available are the Infernation Contraption (Second edition) and the new Heap game.

You should be expecting these products to be publicly available soon, with street dates ranging from June to August.

And that’s what we’ve got on day 0! Hopefully we have more info for you in the subsequent days! Incidentally, I am also toally blown away by the people who are painting their Colossals on the spot (and also having them fully painted. Mindblowing.)