The Inside Scoop on Gaming

As a general rule, I do not like card games. In fact, I don't like many games at all that are not roleplaying games. But what about a card game about roleplaying games?

CONTENT

As the name implies, Geeks: The Convention is a game about gaming conventions. The box contains two types of 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" amusingly illustrated cards: 40 Geek cards (each labeled "Annoying," "Boring," "Frightening," or "Revolting,") and 125 Convention cards.

Two or more players receive a "busload" of eight Geek cards placed face-up and a hand of five Convention cards kept hidden. The object of the game is to be the last player with Geeks in your busload.

The Convention cards come in six varieties: Game, Geek Break, Uh-Oh, Luckily, Snack, and Attribute. The Attribute cards are subdivided into the same categories as the Geeks themselves: Annoying, Boring, Frightening, and Revolting.

On their turn, players must play a Game, Geek Break, or Uh-Oh card. Game cards call for all other players to play specific Attribute cards or lose a Geek to the Bus Depot (the Geek discard pile). Geek Break cards let the player gain new Geeks, and Uh-Oh cards cause a specific player chosen by the player playing the card to lose a Geek. Luckily and Snack cards can prevent the loss of Geeks, among other little tricks. If a player doesn't have a Game, Geek Break, or Uh-Oh card to play on his turn, he must cry out "Yrag Xagyg save me!" and discard a Convention card from his hand. At the end of a turn, the players refill their hands up to five cards.

The real fun begins from playing Attribute and "Spam" cards. When certain Attribute cards are played in response to Game cards, they call for Geek gains and losses of their own. Spam cards can be of any card type and are marked with a red circle-S; these cards can "spam" other specific cards, preventing Geek loss, seizing the turn for the player who plays it, and sometimes causing other special effects.

And speaking of special effects, some cards of various types have "Special FX" that allow them to do something other than their usual functions under certain conditions, such as Convention card stealing.

All of this makes the game just as fast-paced as the promo copy suggests. I played three two-player games with my wife and one four-player game with my gaming group, and they all enjoyed themselves. Playtime took about 30 minutes -- ideal for a little post-roleplaying session game.

The only drawback I noticed was that the game lost something when played two-player -- the Game, Geek Break, and Uh-Oh cards didn't show up in our hands often enough, leading to a whole lot of discarding and "Yrag Xagyg" yells before the action got going again. And, of course, turn stealing with Spam cards just doesn't mean as much when it would be your turn next, anyway…

Some of the rules took a second or third read-through before they made sense, but on the whole, everyone picked up on the game very quickly -- in less than 10 minutes, give or take.

STYLE

The art on the cards is half the fun. Players fought over their favorite Geek cards and laughed (and, in some cases, gagged) at the Convention cards. Some of the cards also feature humorous quotes; I'd have like to have seen more, but many of the cards are hard pressed to fit on all of their game effects as it is. All the cards allow roleplayers to laugh at ourselves and this bizarre little subculture we've created with a classic Mad Magazine-style flair.

CONCLUSION

I do not like card games, Sam I Am. I warned the guys at Torchlight about that fact before they sent me this game to review.

But I liked this one. I liked this one a lot. I liked it so much, I wouldn't mind ending every game session with a round of Geeks.

So if you're a gaming geek with a sense of humor, get this game. And if you're a gaming geek without a sense of humor… get a sense of humor, and then get this game.

Geeks: The Convention
Geeks: The Convention Playtest Review by Dan Davenport on 19/01/02 Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!) If you're a gaming geek with a sense of humor, get this game. And if you're a gaming geek without a sense of humor... get a sense of humor, and then get this game. Product: Geeks: The Convention Author: David Matalon Category: Card Game Company/Publisher: Torchlight Games Line: n/a Cost: $24.95 Page count: n/a Year published: 2001 ISBN: n/a SKU: TOR 0100 Comp copy?: yes Playtest Review by Dan Davenport on 19/01/02 Genre tags: Modern day Comedy	As a general rule, I do not like card games. In fact, I don't like many games at all that are not roleplaying games. But what about a card game about roleplaying games? CONTENT As the name implies, Geeks: The Convention is a game about gaming conventions. The box contains two types of 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" amusingly illustrated cards: 40 Geek cards (each labeled "Annoying," "Boring," "Frightening," or "Revolting,") and 125 Convention cards. Two or more players receive a "busload" of eight Geek cards placed face-up and a hand of five Convention cards kept hidden. The object of the game is to be the last player with Geeks in your busload. The Convention cards come in six varieties: Game, Geek Break, Uh-Oh, Luckily, Snack, and Attribute. The Attribute cards are subdivided into the same categories as the Geeks themselves: Annoying, Boring, Frightening, and Revolting. On their turn, players must play a Game, Geek Break, or Uh-Oh card. Game cards call for all other players to play specific Attribute cards or lose a Geek to the Bus Depot (the Geek discard pile). Geek Break cards let the player gain new Geeks, and Uh-Oh cards cause a specific player chosen by the player playing the card to lose a Geek. Luckily and Snack cards can prevent the loss of Geeks, among other little tricks. If a player doesn't have a Game, Geek Break, or Uh-Oh card to play on his turn, he must cry out "Yrag Xagyg save me!" and discard a Convention card from his hand. At the end of a turn, the players refill their hands up to five cards. The real fun begins from playing Attribute and "Spam" cards. When certain Attribute cards are played in response to Game cards, they call for Geek gains and losses of their own. Spam cards can be of any card type and are marked with a red circle-S; these cards can "spam" other specific cards, preventing Geek loss, seizing the turn for the player who plays it, and sometimes causing other special effects. And speaking of special effects, some cards of various types have "Special FX" that allow them to do something other than their usual functions under certain conditions, such as Convention card stealing. All of this makes the game just as fast-paced as the promo copy suggests. I played three two-player games with my wife and one four-player game with my gaming group, and they all enjoyed themselves. Playtime took about 30 minutes -- ideal for a little post-roleplaying session game. The only drawback I noticed was that the game lost something when played two-player -- the Game, Geek Break, and Uh-Oh cards didn't show up in our hands often enough, leading to a whole lot of discarding and "Yrag Xagyg" yells before the action got going again. And, of course, turn stealing with Spam cards just doesn't mean as much when it would be your turn next, anyway… Some of the rules took a second or third read-through before they made sense, but on the whole, everyone picked up on the game very quickly -- in less than 10 minutes, give or take. STYLE The art on the cards is half the fun. Players fought over their favorite Geek cards and laughed (and, in some cases, gagged) at the Convention cards. Some of the cards also feature humorous quotes; I'd have like to have seen more, but many of the cards are hard pressed to fit on all of their game effects as it is. All the cards allow roleplayers to laugh at ourselves and this bizarre little subculture we've created with a classic Mad Magazine-style flair. CONCLUSION I do not like card games, Sam I Am. I warned the guys at Torchlight about that fact before they sent me this game to review. But I liked this one. I liked this one a lot. I liked it so much, I wouldn't mind ending every game session with a round of Geeks. So if you're a gaming geek with a sense of humor, get this game. And if you're a gaming geek without a sense of humor… get a sense of humor, and then get this game.