As has become my habit, I spent two days at LinCon, a big four-day gaming event in Linköping. This is two hours’ drive from my home, and my nearest big gaming con. For some reason Sweden’s capital where I live has nothing on a similar scale. I played eight games, seven of which are favourites of mine that I actually own but didn’t bring. There are several free lending libraries of games at the con.
- Gaia Project (2017). A re-skinned Terra Mystica, i.e. another highly replayable and varied Euro cube-pusher.
- RoboRally (1994). Program a robot using a random set of instruction cards and then see your plans unravel as another player’s robot bumps you off track and laser-zaps your rear.
- Tigris & Euphrates (1997). Tactics and resource management in Bronze Age Mesopotamia.
- No Thanks (2004). Short abstract push-your-luck.
- Steampunk Rally (2015). Build and drive your own brass-encrusted early 1900s scifi vehicle along a bumpy race track. Hadn’t heard of this one before, but I’d be happy to play it again.
- Qwirkle (2006). Abstract: illiterate Scrabble.
- Innovation (2010). Intricate card game about advancing civilization.
- Stone Age (2008). Worker placement game centred on a Neolithic village with surrounding natural resources.
At the con auction I bought Hanabi and Sid Meier’s Civilization – the good 2010 game, not the crappy 2002 one that I bought by mistake at last year’s con. I sold Death Angel, Hand of the King, Codenames Deep Undercover and Castles of Mad King Ludwig.
2018 was my sixth LinCon. Here are my impressions of last year’s con.
Aardvarchaeology - by Dr. Martin Rundkvist 
Those are fine-looking sideburns, worthy of James Onedin or Isambard Brunel.
We had a somewhat smaller con in Skellefteå two days ago.
– – –
I am just watching the counting of the votes in the Eurovision final. As I do not favor any particular song, I am free to ponder the somewhat surreal nature of the business.
Kitsch, but occasionally fun.
With Australia participating, it would be logical to add Canada and USA. I can se Ru Paul and Madonna fitting right in.
– – –
Ingrosso (relative of the other Ingrosso) is in the lead this moment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There’s a certain amount of confusion in Australia regarding our involvement in Eurovision. Having been invited a couple of years ago just as a courtesy, we seem to keep turning up – possibly like an annoying distant relative who insists on coming to visit, just because people are too polite to say “Don’t come back” 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Back when I was still living in Sweden, LinCon was my “go to” gaming convention (not at all hindered by having forcibly taken over the Kiosk in 1994, then running it through to 1996-1997 (or so)). Of course, for a chunk of that time, I was actually living in Linkeboda, so it made it relatively easy to be there.
Instead of spending the weekend at LinCon, I spent almost all of last week (and the prior weekend) on a field near Simrishamn, meeting assorted people from Nordmark, as well as gaining my free scholar braid.
LikeLiked by 2 people
As mentioned before, both the social democrats and the conservatives (the two biggest parties) have made an U-turn about immigration and refugees (incidentally confirming my prejudices against both).
In April. the PM (a social democrat) said “if there is people in Sweden to do the work, it is unnecessary to bring people here from the other side of the world, implying it is unnecessary to provide worker’s permits for more immigrants.
Today an article in Dagens Nyheter proves in detail that those non-refugee immigrants recently granted work permits work in areas where they do not compete with Swedes as there are too few native specialists. Hopefully this may shame all but the worst populists into checking their facts or getting called out on their BS.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey, “Incels,” Women Don’t Owe You Anything https://bit.ly/2L3Bjj2
“What Happens In The White House, Leaks From The White House” https://bit.ly/2L6dXZR
LikeLike
The ancient genomes of the Tsimshian indigenous people (british Columbia) left tell-tale markers on the trail of their past https://phys.org/news/2018-04-ancient-genomes-tsimshian-indigenous-people.html
The Tsimshian were a continuous population through 6000 years ago to the present.
LikeLike
Researcher warns China’s program ‘riskiest environmental project in history’ https://phys.org/news/2018-05-china-riskiest-environmental-history.html
“China is doing a much better job of improving environmental safeguards inside China than internationally,” said Professor Laurance.
LikeLike
Venus should be clearly visible after sunset, Mars will be visible before sunrise.
– – –
High-definition archaeology reveals secrets of the earliest cities https://bit.ly/2rM40rL
LikeLike