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Walking Dead Wednesday: Upcoming Gen Con Events

Sorry, no Pit session today but this past weekend marked the annual Gen Con event list release. While the list isn’t exhaustive, as it only includes those that registered events during initial registration period, it is the bulk of the events that you’ll see and a good bell weather for what is hot right now.

So what does this have to do with The Walking Dead? Well, the event listings are quite strong this year. It looks like Mantic’s US-wing is putting some much appreciated weight behind the game and I’m happy to see it getting a lot of attention. (note: I’m not affiliated with any of these events)

First up, we have a repeat event from last year: “The Walking Dead: Unhappy Campers”

This event is two to four players and pits two groups against each other in an asymmetrical fight over a wayward survivor.  Expect the event to be pretty tight, mechanically, since it is the second year running it.  The event also caters to beginners so that is a plus for exposure.

Next is the “The Walking Dead: Walker Challenge.” This one is new to me and is right up my alley as it is a race to kill the most walkers with your survivor group.  Likely a good event for those that want to shun direct player conflict, this event is open to up to eight players.

Last is “The Walking Dead: All Out War Tournament.”  This is also a first for Gen Con and is going to be for your more experienced players craving direct player vs player interaction. It is listed to run for 9 hours but that shouldn’t deter you as that time usually includes time for the final rounds, which only a few players will participate (though I don’t know exactly what format the tournament will be in so this could change).  The tournament is open to up to sixteen players and is the only even where you will need to bring your own material.

So three event types total for Gen Con 2018 (so far) and that is a very good omen for the state of the game.  The tournament is the only event with one listing but both the Unhappy Campers and Walker Challenge have multiple runnings throughout the convention 4 day weekend.  Get your wishlists ready and make sure to sign up! (note: I’m not affiliated with any of these events)

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4 Comments

  1. Michael C Carter

    I would expect the tournament to be swiss style and every player to play every round (no elemination) – winner is the one with the best record. Most games that have a hobby aspect do not eliminate players – if people spend the time to build and paint a force and pay to play, they expect to play every round (as opposed to things like Magic, where there is no hobby aspect).

    • Christian

      Huh. Good call about the hobby aspect. I come from X-wing and Armada tournaments where the hobby aspect is very minimal. I think if the tournament grew larger, they would likely need to run a “finals” but with 16 players, you wouldn’t necessarily need it since you could run about 4 rounds and determine a victor.

  2. Russ Spears

    Walker Challenge with Axel, Clementine, and Tyrese (I don’t care ’bout no point limits!) would be a thing to behold.

    • Christian

      It would be cool to build your own walker killing death group but I think they will have set groups to use. Tyreese has some great stats for walker bashing. Axel and Clementine got pretty lucky (especially Axel 😀 ). Rick (Disfigured) is real beast as well since he automatically gets a “!” for free. Either way, that event sounds light and fun and won’t kill your whole day like a tournament will.

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