It wouldn’t be GenCon without a top five list of products from the show. Here is a list of the products or companies that caught my attention at GenCon 2008.

1. The Blake Documents from Catalyst Game Labs
   The book is exciting if you are a BattleTech fan who has been following the Jihad timeline since it provides some concrete information about the events that have been chronicled for the last three years in the Jihad Hotspots books. I have my copy in my laptop bag so I can read it on the way back home. What really impressed me about this release is not only that the book was effectively released in secret and sprung on fans but it was also the manner in which fans online and at GenCon were introduced to the book. Catalyst did an amazing job in creating an almost cinematic event that generated buzz not only about the book release but also about GenCon. Fans who were not here to see this will be salivating at the prospect of what Catalyst will do at GenCon for the 25th anniversary of BattleTech. Anyone looking to build interest for their products and for their future GenCon visits can learn a lot from what Catalyst did at the show this year.
2. Alkemy by Kraken Editions
   Kraken Editions were at the show to display their miniatures as well as given demos of their Alkemy fantasy skirmish game. The figures are exceptional (especially for plastic miniatures) but the game itself seems to be a very fun skirmish system with a lot of opportunities for tactics and strategy in the game. The magic system is unique and builds even more tactical possibilities into the game. With the addition of their English starters and their North America distribution deals this is a game to check out if you are looking for a fun fantasy themed strategy game.
3. Monsterpocalypse by Privateer Press
   Now I’ll preface this by saying that I would be a huge fan of this game if it weren’t collectible. The game is a tabletop version of SNK’s King of the Monsters and, for you old-timers, Crush, Crumble and Chomp. Giant monsters and anima warriors stomp through a city trashing buildings, throwing each other into skyscrapers and crushing tanks. What isn’t there to like? The collectible nature of it ruins this for me as I am just not interested in having to buy blind boosters to get the units that I want. This random purchase is mitigated slightly by the fact that there are only two large monsters for each faction, making it easier to get them or trade for them. You can’t argue with the interest that the game generated on the floor though. The Monsterpocalypse demo tables were swamped for the entire show and Privateer sold out of starters on a daily basis and were out of stock at the end of the show. I think that this will be a very popular game for them and the people I talked to about it seemed to be excited not only by the concept but by the gameplay.
4. Malifaux by Wyrd Miniatures
   I will be the first to admit that when Nate from Wyrd Miniatures announced the game at the last GenCon and mentioned that playing card mechanic that I had my doubts. The demo I had of the game removed all doubts as Eric and his design team have really but together an interesting game that uses a standard deck of cards but builds in mechanisms into the game that build off of the suits and cards in the deck. The idea of having suits that represent the types of magic and limit a unit’s ability to interact or use cards is great. The only thing that would be better is if they printed the cards with an inch ruler on the side so they could get rid of tape measures as well. The game is still in development but looks very promising.
5. Pulp City by Pulp Monster
   Super heroes, ninja moneys and the ability to toss cars across the table at targets are really all I need to get me interested in a game. The developers of Pulp City have created an interesting game and an exceptional series of models that make a visually interesting and exciting game. Morf from Pulp Monster was busy demoing the game for the entire show and all of the scheduled demos were full. And it is easy to see why. The game has alternating activation and a shared Action Point pool that makes it almost impossible for a player to do everything they want, forcing gamers to make choices and ensuring that the game always keep both players in the action. Several demos involved three teams of multiple players and the game never seemed to slow down. Even if you aren’t normally a fan of super hero games this might be something to check out.

Update: An Honourable Mention has to go to Gale Force 9 and their new WarCogs series of tokens. In one of those “get lemons make lemonade” sort of situations GF9 reacted to the lose of their Warmachine accessory licence by not only making a s eries of generic accessories that can easily be used with the game but at the same time answered one of the most glaring critiques of their past Warmachine tokens by creating an open-ended system that can be used with any caster.