Play doesn't have to involve sitting down. From Wink Murder to Werewolf to open Nerf warfare, most of us have played social games. Now imagine someone turned creation of social games into an artform, then ran them in a large hotel in the middle of a convention. The Haberdashery Collective are doing just that, and you can check out their existing games and previous work here.
What's on
We're running three different types of social gaming event at Nine Worlds this year.
DROP IN AND PLAY!
We'll be running quick "drop-in" games in various places around Nine Worlds during some breaks between sessions! Join us for a quick and frenetic bout of Lemon Jousting, a quick-draw shootout in Standoff, fox your friends in Danish Clapping, and much more. These games are open to everyone! Look for the bowler hats and people having game-shaped fun!
SOCIAL GAMING WITH THE HABERDASHERY COLLECTIVE
- Friday 3:15pm - 4:30pm in Marlborough
- Saturday 10:00am - 11:15am in Concorde
- Saturday 3:15pm - 4:30pm in Wellington
- Saturday 6:45pm - 8:00pm in Somerset
- Sunday 3:15pm - 4:30pm in Marlborough
Come play games with us and other attendees! These aren't board or card games you play around a table, or even the games you'll be seeing us run in a corner or open space during a break between sessions here at Nine Worlds, but Big Games for which we need a whole room to play. Exactly what we play will depend on how many of you join us, but be prepared for moving around, strategizing with and against other players, assassinating monarchs, building towers, Nerf guns, some silliness, blindfolds, pillaging villages, smuggling opium, and much more!
- Important note: Our game sessions are for adults rather than kids! Our aim is to provide a "safe space" for adults to enjoy playing these games without needing to feel self-conscious, and so there is an age restriction of 16 and over for our scheduled sessions. As noted above, however, everyone is welcome to play our "drop-in" games around the convention!
- Accessibility: We will tailor the games run in each session depending on who attends; we have a range of games which can accommodate those with various accessibility concerns. If you have a hidden disability, please come and chat to us before we start the session so that we can accommodate you!
THE HABERDASHERY'S HOUSE OF BROKEN GAMES
- Sunday 10:00am - 11:15am in Comet
You've hopefully seen us around Nine Worlds with our mini games in various places, or may even have already come to one of our earlier sessions - now, you get to peek behind the curtain at a few of our less-polished (and perhaps even downright broken!) games, playtest with us, suggest refinements, and maybe come up with entirely new games!
This session is primarily for those who have an interest in designing social games - either who do so already, or would like to get more involved.
What will we play?
For each of our Social Gaming sessions, one of the below games will be the "feature", along with a raft of smaller games - some of which you might have seen at our Drop-In games, others not so much... Examples include Engineering Corps, Ninja, Blind Duelling, and Towers of Zen will likely feature, plus lots more!
Stratego-go-go!
Can your team defend their Monarch from the opposing Assassin? Conscripts, Merchants, Engineers and Traps all come into play in this board game conversion brought up to life size!
Schooner or Later
You are a C19th merchant trader for one of the three great maritime nations: England, India or China, plying the high seas and trading spices and tea. You could dabble in opium smuggling for the long term gratitude of the East India company, but beware of customs agents, they won’t stand for that sort of thing…
Angrygrams
Similar to an infamous word-building board game, but involving much more combat! You have a set of seven letters, with which you must make one word during each five minute round. If you don’t like your letters, challenge someone else for one of theirs, and play rock, paper, scissors, with the victor choosing which letter to trade. If your word is applicable to the theme of that round, double points!
Mask-A-Pony
We discover whether you are an upright and honest beef salesman, or if you are happy to make your supplies go further by adding a little horsemeat into the mix... You too can experience the delight of choice as you try to buy low and sell high, and ponder whether a little bit of extra protein might just help pay the mortgage…
Viking Monopoly
A game of Viking conquest, as teams aim to settle and fortify, or plunder and pillage, villages in a new and foreign land...
Unlimited Port-ential
The lot of a trader on the high seas is a rough one... particularly when their maps have all been blown overboard! Merchants must discover the location of the ports they have been tasked with carrying cargo between, while plotting some new maps in the process...