Big Game Hunting: Beta Games Night!

by Rae

Last year we invited local tabletop enthusiasts to bring their own ideas to the table and introduce us to their very own games. We had a selection of unreleased games in various stages of development available to play on the night, giving players a rare opportunity to be beta testers for these brand new ideas.

We're pleased to say that, one year later, we are repeating this fantastic opportunity! Proud Lion will once again be hosting a Beta Games Night for local tabletop designers to test out their ideas, get some feedback, and network with other tabletop creators and players. This will take place at our normal board games evening event on Saturday 12 September at Boston Tea Party from 6:30pm until 9pm.

To make this possible, we do ask a few things of our creators and players. For those of you interested in playing these games, we will ask you to sign a basic non-disclosure agreement (NDA) when you arrive at the event. This is purely in the interest of protecting the designers' creations and prevent them from becoming publicised. Please note this is only required if you wish to take part in the beta evening. (Creators please be aware you will also be asked to sign the NDA.)

If you want to showcase your game, we have a few rules that must be followed to ensure the event goes as smoothly as possible. We ask that you email rae@proudlion.co.uk with the following information about your game: title (working title is fine), brief description of the gameplay, current state of your game (alpha stage, beta stage, working prototype, professional prototype, etc.), and how many players it can hold. We have no problem with people having only initial paper prototypes, but please ensure your game is fully playable. Furthermore, all games must be your own creation, and must have been tested by yourself prior to attending the event.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at rae@proudlion.co.uk.

Rae has too many games in her head this week, so naturally wants to add a few more...

Big Game Hunting - AvP: The Hunt Begins

by Rae

It's time for Big Game Hunting! This is a monthly gaming event that takes place on the second Saturday of every month. Players will get a chance to learn and play featured games all day long. Each month one or two different games are selected, and all participating players will also receive a voucher for 10% off the featured game(s). This month we're featuring AvP: The Hunt Begins!

AvP: The Hunt Begins is a tabletop skirmish game where one or more players can play as Aliens, Predators, or Marines from the popular Alien and Predator franchises. Each game comes with highly detailed models of all three factions, dozens of room tiles to make multiple configurations, and a rule book packed with scenarios to play.

The scenarios in the book can be played in order to create a narrative, allowing players to build the characters in the factions they play. This enables each faction to gain new skills as they progress through the storyline.

For those who would rather play a straight-up skirmish, that's fine - there's a free-for-all mode that allows players to do away with the scenarios and simply play a head-to-head game. These modes include Last Man Standing, Capture the Flag, Defend the Post, and more.

During the day, we will be running open demos from 11am to 5pm. Feel free to drop in at any time, we're happy to teach you how to play! We will make every effort to have two game sets available, with two small demo games ready to play, to give as many people as possible a chance to give it a go.

Rae discovered the game Acquire this week, thanks to Ben, who may be regretting that decision!

Free RPG Day 2015 @ Proud Lion!

by Rae

In addition to our normal gaming events scheduled throughout the month, this June sees the return of Free RPG Day! On Saturday 20th June, Proud Lion will be hosting sessions of D&D Expeditions, followed by an evening at Boston Tea Party where we will also be running Dread and Star Wars: Edge of the Empire.

D&D Expeditions is the perfect way to get a taste of 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons. Each Expedition is only a few hours long – perfect for a quick adventure! We will be running two different Expeditions on the day. The first will run from 10:30am until 3pm. The second will be a split session, running in store from 3:30pm until 5pm, then continuing at Boston Tea Party from 6pm until 9pm.

There will be a maximum of four players for each Expedition, and to ensure Expeditions are balanced, pre-generated characters will be made available - no custom characters will be allowed. Tickets are free, but must be reserved via Ticketsource in order to play. Please note this is not a drop-in, drop-out session – please only reserve a ticket if you will be staying for the complete session!

Our evening offerings at Boston Tea Party will also be free but will again require tickets via Ticketsource. Our first, Star Wars: Edge of the Empire, is based on the adventure contained within the Beginner Box, and serves as an excellent introduction into this science fiction RPG. Our second evening game will be Dread, a horror RPG that is centred around a classic game of Jenga. Both games will run from 6pm to 9pm at Boston Tea Party and can support up to four players. Again, both games will be using pre-generated characters for all players.

In order to reserve your space for one of these games, please follow the link below to our Ticketsource page, where you can select which game you wish to play and claim a spot.

In order to ensure as many people as possible get a chance, we are limiting each player to playing only one of the above games on the day.

Click here to reserve a ticket for Free RPG Day!

However, that doesn't mean you can't bring your own games! Feel free to grab your friends and run an RPG of your own along side us in the evening. We'd love to see more people getting involved and trying out different RPG systems! We'll see you all on Free RPG Day!

Rae has a lot of RPG stories in her head this week!

Big Game Hunting Live - Colt Express and Takenoko

by Rae

It's time for Big Game Hunting Live! This is a monthly gaming event that takes place every month.

(Please note that May's Big Game Hunting Live has been pushed back a week to accommodate for Free Comic Book Day at the beginning of the month, and will be taking place on the 16th May.)

Players will get a chance to learn and play featured games all day long. This month we're featuring two excellent games: Colt Express and Takenoko!

In Colt Express, you play as a bandit, determined to become the richest bandit the Old West has ever seen. But you're not the only one who's decided this here train is yours to plunder, and you'll be competing against your fellow bandits to get the most loot! This game features a 3D train which allows players to run on the roof, move through the cars, and punch or shoot their way through opponents in an attempt to gather the most wealth from the passengers. Players have to watch out for the Marshal, though, who will make that task even more challenging!

In Takenoko, players are caring for the bamboo garden of the Japanese emperor. Not only must they ensure that the three types of bamboo continue to grow by irrigating and cultivating plots of land, but they must also look after the sacred panda who inhabits the garden. The panda will help itself to its share of bamboo, so it's up to the players to ensure the panda's appetite is steered in the right direction.

During the day, we will be running open demos from 10:30am to 5pm for both games. Feel free to drop in at any time, we're happy to teach you how to play!

See you Saturday 16th May!

All participants will receive a voucher that entitles them to 10% off Colt Express and Takenoko.

Rae thinks there are too many board games and not enough time to play them all!

TableTop Day 2015 [Gather Your] Party! Exhibition Games

by Rae

At this Saturday's TableTop Day evening event at 2PIGS, we will be running three exhibition games (in addition to all the other awesome games available). These are Star Wars: X-Wing, Star Trek: Attack Wing, and D&D Attack Wing!

Star Trek: Attack Wing – Borg vs. DS9

In this oversized mission, players will be taking sides with either the Oversized Borg Cube or the DS9 to see which team will be the last one standing! Players are asked to bring a 60-point fleet of one or two ships following the standard fleet-building rules. Both the Borg and DS9 will be balanced against the opposing number of players to ensure an even match. The winner (by player ballot) will win a Tactical Cube 001!

D&D Attack Wing – Tiamat, Dragon Queen

Players will be faced with their greatest challenge yet – Tiamat herself. Bring a 80-point legion following standard legion-building rules to team up against the queen of dragons! But be warned, Tiamat may not be alone, and her own army could be more than one bargains for. The winner (by player ballot) will win an Young Bronze Dragon!*

Star Wars: X-Wing – A Podrace in Space

In this game variant, players will not be duking it out over a star map; instead they will be racing around our Pitchcar track in a Deathrace-style showdown! Players will complete one of three laps of the course, picking up random one-use secondary weapons as they move over bonus tokens on the track. The first one to the finish line will win a Han Solo alternate art promo card!

Players are invited to bring a single fighter ship and manoeuvre dial. All ships must have a small base, and cost no more than 30 points. No upgrades are allowed, and all primary weapons, boost, and cloaking abilities will be disabled. Ships with shields will not be able to perform any manoeuvre higher than a “4”. Please bring any required tokens and manoeuvre templates with you.

Doors for [Gather Your] Party! open at 6:30pm, with games set to start at 7pm. Tickets cost £3 in advance, or £5 on the door. See you there!

* The prize for D&D Attack Wing was previously listed as an Aarakocra legion. This was in error, and has now been amended.

Big Game Hunting Live - TableTop Day 2015 Schedule of Games

by Rae

In just a week's time, we'll be inviting you all to come and play games with us from 10am to 11pm for International TableTop Day! On 11 April players can get involved in tabletop games in three different locations during the day and potentially win some awesome gaming kit in our prize draw. You can also get yourself a ticket to our special evening event, [Gather Your] Party! To get more details, check out our previous posts for the daytime events and the evening party.

Here at Proud Lion, we've got a full day planned of several different games. For those of you who want to plan your day to get as much gaming in as possible, here's a look at our current game schedule!

10am-11:30am: Small games (Batman Love Letter, Age of War, Where Art Thou Romeo, Council of Verona, and more)

11:30am – 12:30pm: Munchkin, Fluxx

12:30pm – 2pm: Dark Seas, Dead Man's Draw

2pm – 3pm: Castle Panic/Munchkin Panic, Forbidden Desert

3pm – 4pm: Alhambra, Geek Out

4pm – 5pm: Terror in Meeple City

For small games, we will be able to sit up to eight people. For all other games, we will have space for up to four players, running multiple games where possible. While we do want to encourage people to just turn up and play, if there is a particular game you have your heart set on, you can claim a spot at the table in advance by sending an email to shop@proudlion.co.uk. (Please note that if you book a spot and do not arrive by the game's start time, your spot will be given to another player.)

In addition to this, we will have a few all-day games and spot prizes to award in store. You will be able to guess how many dice are rattling around in our dice jar, find the hidden Lost Legacy, and get your hands on some vouchers and gaming promo stuff!

If you're planning on coming in, feel free to let us know on our Facebook event (or click here for the[Gather Your] Party! event). Until then, play more games!

Rae is looking forward to a full Easter Sunday of friends and gaming.

Big Game Hunting Live presents TableTop Day 2015 [Gather Your] Party!

by Rae

For this year's International TableTop Day, Proud Lion are proud to present the TableTop Day 2015 [Gather Your] Party! Join us from 6:30pm until 11pm at 2PIGS in Cheltenham for an epic evening of board and party games! We will be playing host to an assortment of games, including:

• Cash 'N Guns tournament, where players will compete for a place at the top table, the Mafia Don Showdown!
• exhibition-style Star Trek: Attack Wing, where players are invited to bring a 60 point fleet (one or two ships) to join forces with the Oversized Borg Cube or help defend the DS9! *
• Star Wars: X-Wing "Podrace In Space", where players are invited to bring a single ship (points TBD) and speed through two laps to be first to the finish line! This is just a bit of fun for TableTop Day! *
• D&D Attack Wing custom scenario, where players are invited to bring a 80 point legion to combat each other over hand crafted tabletop scenery! *
• late night game of Cards Against Humanity, minimum age 16 - please be aware this game can be considered offensive and may not suitable for those of a sensitive disposition!
• Dead of Winter (TableTop Edition), a new and very popular post-apocalypse game where humanity is struggling to survive a zombie infestation, but a betrayer hides amongst them...
• Pints of Blood: it's Shaun of the Dead in board game form. Seriously. We may even put the soundtrack on!

Several more games will be available to play, but feel free to bring your own as well! Every ticket purchased includes one entry into the Cheltenham TableTop Day Prize Draw. More details about the prize draw will be available soon.

* Please contact Proud Lion to reserve a slot for the Star Trek: Attack Wing, Star Wars: X-Wing, or D&D Attack Wing games. Participation is open to all ticket holders.

A free buffet will be available to all ticket holders in the venue, and drinks will be available for purchase from the bar.

So what are you waiting for? Get your tickets now!

Tickets are available for ages 14+. Children under 14 are free when accompanied by a paying adult (maximum two children per adult). Advance tickets will be available for purchase until 5pm on the day. Tickets purchased online will incur a 50p booking fee. Tickets on the door will be available from 6:30pm for £5.00.

Rae is starting to wonder if she can clone herself and play all the games.

Big Game Hunting Live presents TableTop Day 2015

by Rae

Every year, Proud Lion takes part in an event devoted to encouraging people to play more games: International TableTop Day! This year the local gaming community in Cheltenham is joining forces to bring you the biggest and best TableTop Day yet. On Saturday 11 April 2015, take part in a Camden Crawl-style game day, where an assortment of locations will leave players spoiled for choice!

What is International TableTop Day?

International TableTop Day is an annual event celebrating tabletop gaming. People are encouraged to play more games, anywhere they can, and encourage others to join in. Many locations run open gaming for anyone to get involved, as we are! For more information about TableTop Day, how it began, and other events running on the day, check out the official website at www.tabletopday.com.

Where can I play games during the day?

Here at Proud Lion, we'll be offering a selection of card and dice games throughout the day, as well as a few of our favourite board games. Some of the games on offer include King of New York, Forbidden Desert, Munchkin Panic, Fluxx, and Ninja Dice! More details about when you can play these (and more!) will be available soon. All games will be open to the public, so just turn up and play! Proud Lion will be hosting open gaming in store from 10am to 5pm.

Around the corner at the 2PIGS, Pork Chop Gaming will be hosting tables full of epic games! Join in for some Warhammer 40K, Star Trek: Attack Wing, Star Wars: X-Wing, Wings of Glory and more. Pork Chop Gaming will be hosting their event from 10am until 6pm.

Slightly further afield you'll find St Paul's Boardroom! Based at St Paul's Church, this is where you'll find eurogames, co-ops, and classics. Some of the games you'll find here include Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan, 7 Wonders, and Five Tribes. St Paul's Boardroom will be running from 10am to 6pm.

Why should I go to more than one place?

You mean besides trying out a bunch of new games and meeting like-minded gamers? How about a prize draw where you can win some cooling gaming stuff? To encourage people to try out new locations and expand the local gaming community, Proud Lion will be hosting the Cheltenham TableTop Day Prize Draw!

The rules are simple. When you go to any venue, you can pick up one of our TableTop Day flyers. Play at least one game at any of the participating venues to get your flyer stamped or signed by the organiser. If you collect two stamps, you will earn one entry into the prize draw. Collect three stamps to get three entries! You will also receive one entry to the draw if you purchase a ticket to [Gather Your] Party! (more details below).

Prize draw? What kind of stuff could I win?

Prizes are currently set to include a month's membership with Pork Chop Gaming, a Munchkin hoody, games, vouchers, and more! A full list of prizes will be available soon.

What is [Gather Your] Party?

[Gather Your] Party is a Proud Lion hosted event taking place at the 2PIGS! Just in case we haven't packed enough into TableTop Day, in the evening we will be running even more gaming! Some of the events include a Cash 'N Guns tournament, exhibition-style Attack Wing games, and a late night game of Cards Against Humanity. There will be food, there will be a bar, and there will be a lot of gaming going on! Details about how to get tickets for this event will be available very shortly.

Questions? Comments?

Feel free to contact us at shop@proudlion.co.uk. If any other venues are participating in tableTop Day and would like us to help spread the word, please do get in touch!

Rae has decided that gaming is definitely more important than sleep.

Ramping up! EPOSible! Comic Wars! Gaming Tournaments! And TBCF16!

by Ben Fardon

Phew! What a busy time here at Proud Lion!

The shop itself has just seen several great upgrades in the past few weeks.

We've finally taken delivery of a folding access ramp. If anyone needs to make use of it, please ring either of the doorbells by the front door and we'll bring it out and set it up for you.

This is great news and something we've been working towards since we relocated the shop last year.

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Apologies to anyone who has noticed that our email newsletter has become a little intermittent over the last few weeks. We're in the middle of an extensive EPOS upgrade that propels Proud Lion into the 21st Century with barcode scanners, touch screen tills and all manner of other great functions. This will allow us to unveil a host of excellent new features to our services in the coming months, and should speed up the queues on big events like Free Comic Book Day.

I'll keep you posted with the new developments as they become available and I'll endeavour to keep up-to-date with the mailing list during the upgrade as best I can. Thank you for your patience.

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Thank you to everyone who has completed the DC Convergence order form we've been circulating in February; it's been a huge help! We have a little bit of every Convergence title on order for the shelves, with extra of the main title and the seemingly standout offerings like the Harley Quinn and Batman: Shadow Of The Bat issues, but I'd still advise you to pre-order anything you know you want to avoid disappointment!

To do so now that the survey is closed, please email shop@proudlion.co.uk.

The aim next week is to bring you a roundup of all of the Secret Wars titles on offer from Marvel in May. I'm also delighted that after the frustration of Convergence, I find myself actually very excited about the following launch of DC's new Divergence titles in June!

“This heralds in a new era for the DC Universe which will allow us to publish something for everyone, be more expansive and modern in our approach and tell stories that better reflect the society around us,” said DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Dan DiDio.  “Whether you’ve been a DC fan your whole life, or whether you are new to comics – there will be a book for you beginning in June.”

More on that at the end of this month. Stay tuned.

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We've just had our biggest weekend of gaming tournaments thus far, with both a Marvel Dice Masters Rainbow Draft and a Star Trek Attack Wing OP yesterday, followed by a really fun Netrunner draft tournament today. Our huge thanks to everyone who helped to get the word out about these events, and congratulations to all of our players from this weekend, not just the winners. Fantastic sportsmanship conduct throughout all of the events; you're all a credit to the local gaming community.

Work has also begun on bringing you our biggest and best TableTop Day event to date, on Saturday 11th April. Further details to follow, but for now you can follow the news at our TableTop Day 2015 Facebook event.

We're aware that not everyone uses Facebook, so work has begun on bringing a dedicated forum to the Proud Lion website; initially for gaming, but eventually intended to expand to include comics, TV, films, and more. This should hopefully create a place for everyone to discuss our favourite hobbies!

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Finally, we're all booked in for the True Believers Comic Festival 2016 on Saturday 6th February next year. Save the date!

Ben Fardon really enjoyed Power/Rangers!

Big Game Hunting Live - three tournaments, one weekend!

by Ben Fardon

This weekend sees Proud Lion play host to not one, not two, but three different organised play/tournament events, and we have tickets still available for all of them!

On Saturday 28th February from 1:30-5pm we're hosting our second Marvel Dice Masters tournament! This one's a Rainbow Draft where your ticket price includes 12 Uncanny X-Men Dice Masters boosters packs (RRP £12.00), and you and your fellow players will open, select, pass and assemble your team from the cards and dice you open on the day. A great level playing field for both new and experienced Dice Masters players.

Each player will receive a Magneto card as a Participation Prize, with further prizes for the winners. Tickets cost £12.50 each.

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Thirty minutes and one quick rearrange of the store later and we'll be rolling up our sleeves for our latest Star Trek Attack Wing OP and our first Open Format STAW event. This OP runs on Saturday 28th February from 5:30-11:30pm.

The Open Format means ANYTHING GOES (provided it fits within the scenario build cost). We're even expecting to see a few of these monstrosities make it to the table!

This is a constructed tournament and each player will receive a blind booster (RRP £12.00), along with the Advanced Targeting Systems Resource Card, plus further prizes for the winners. Tickets cost £15.00 each.

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Then on Sunday we round out our big weekend of gaming with our first Netrunner LCG Draft Touurnament, Cyber War! Running on Sunday 1st March from 11am-8pm, this sees players drawing cards from three special Cyber War products produced by Fantasy Flight Games to allow players a break from the usual constructed LCG play, again creating a level playing field for new and experienced players alike.

Each player will receive one Draft Starter Pack (11 cards and 2 IDs provides a fixed core of essential cards for both Corp and Runner), one Corp Draft Pack (a selection of 40 randomized Corp cards) and one Runner Draft Pack (a selection of 40 randomized Runner cards). The cost of these items are included in the ticket price.

The overall winning player will receive £25 worth of Proud Lion vouchers, enough to cover the cost of the next two Netrunner Data Packs (and still have change for a comic book!). There will be additional prizes of £10 worth of Proud Lion vouchers for runners up, TBC. Tickets cost £20.00 each.

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We do our best to make these events fun and lighthearted; we want to enjoy running them and support the local gaming community in lots of different ways, with Organised Play being a key part of that.

I hope to see some of you this weekend and good luck to all of our players!

Ben Fardon is itching to throw down with a D&D Attack Wing 3BG build, but there just isn't enough hours in the day right now!

Big Game Hunting Live - XCOM: The Board Game

by Rae

It's time for Big Game Hunting Live! This is a monthly gaming event that takes place on the second Saturday of every month. Players will get a chance to learn and play featured games all day long. This month we're featuring XCOM: The Board Game!

XCOM: The Board Game is inspired by the video game franchise, XCOM. The developers have done everything they can to bring the best elements of the video games to their tabletop counterpart. The result is a fast-paced strategy game that sees players working together to stop an alien invasion. Unlike other board games, however, this one features a digital app, required to play the game. While this initially sounds a bit strange, playing the game with an iOS or Android device (and soon through the website as well) actually makes the game feel that much more intense, challenging, and fun. It also adds functionality to the game that you could not imitate with tokens or cards, making the app a core element of the gameplay rather than just a gimmick.

What makes this cooperative game so immersive is that every player has a particular role to play, with unique responsibilities that will be impacted by everyone else. For example, one player's role leaves them in charge of funding, but everyone else has the ability to spend those funds for their own actions! The first phase of every round is timed – each player has a certain amount of time to complete a particular task. The app keeps track of the time you've used – and if you run out. The second phase resolves all the actions that took place in the first, and determines the effects on the next round. Like most cooperative games, there are multiple ways to lose, so staying alive to see the final round is crucial.

During the day, we will be running open demos from 11am to 5pm. The app will be managed by the demo runner, so there's no need to bring any devices with you. Feel free to drop in at any time, we're happy to teach you how to play! See you Saturday 14th February! (Nothing says love like saving the world from aliens together, right?)

All participants will receive a voucher that entitles them to 10% off XCOM: The Board Game. You can find the Facebook event here!

Rae tried to solo this one without knowing all the rules first. It ended quickly.

Big Game Hunting - Games on the Horizon: D&D Attack Wing

by Rae

By now, pretty much every gamer has seen, if not played themselves, either Star Trek: Attack Wing or Star Wars: X Wing. These fantastic games both make use of the elegant flight path system, allowing gamers to move game models freely across the vast landscape of a 3' x 3' map. They employ easy-to-understand mechanics to introduce players into the gameplay quickly, but incorporate deck building to allow more experienced players to carefully construct the perfect fleet for their next encounter. Now this brilliant game system is taking on an entirely new theme: Dungeons & Dragons.

Coming to Proud Lion in October, the starter set for D&D Attack Wing brings players into the game with three stunning dragon figures: red, blue, and copper. The set comes with all the manoeuvre templates, manoeuvre dials, cards, and tokens required for a two- or three-player game right out of the box.

Of course, you can't make an army with just one dragon, so you may want to build up your troops with the other models being released as part of Wave 1. The expansion packs currently scheduled for release are the Green Dragon, Frost Giant, Sun Elf Wizard, Sun Elf Guard Troops (6 pack), Hobgoblin Troops (6 pack), Dwarven Ballista, and Wraiths (2 pack).

Still not enough for you? No problem, keep an eye out for Wave 2, currently expected in December! This wave currently includes the Black Shadow Dragon, Movanic Deva Angel, and Aarakocra!

Don't forget to also look out for D&D Attack Wing in-store events coming soon!

Rae needs the dragons. All the dragons.

Big Game Hunting: D&D Encounters - On Creating Characters

As previously announced, D&D Encounters will be starting this week! D&D Encounters is a casual D&D weekly event, running every Wednesday at Proud Lion from 6:30pm, that allows players to drop in and drop out freely. Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis, and the event allows for a maximum of 7 players. If we find ourselves continuously oversubscribed, we will look to add a second game.

In our original announcement, we said we would only be allowing pre-generated characters provided by Wizards of the Coast. However, since receiving the materials for the first adventure, we have discovered that custom characters are allowed - with some limitations. If you wish to create your own character, you may, so long as these rules are followed.

Any characters that players wish to create themselves must be new characters at level 1. Rolling for ability scores is not allowed, and all characters must use the standard set of ability scores (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) or the customising ability scores variant (as described in the Player's Handbook).

The most notable rule that players will need to be aware of is that of character alignment. For the D&D Encounters adventures, characters are not allowed to have a Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil alignment. Lawful Evil alignment is only permitted if the character is a member of the Lords' Alliance or Zhentarim factions. (All characters have the option of joining one of five factions. It is not required, but does have benefits that may help the characters in their adventures!)

If you wish to read the character creation event-specific rules in full, please email us at shop@proudlion.co.uk and we will provide them for you. A hard copy of the rules will be available to read on the day. Pre-generated characters will still be available! See you all Wednesday.

Big Game Hunting: Dungeons & Dragons Encounters

by Rae

From October, Wednesday nights at Proud Lion are about to get a bit more adventurous! Starting 1st October, the shop will be open until 8pm every Wednesday, allowing us to invite players to join in for Dungeons & Dragons Encounters!

D&D Encounters is an ongoing event designed for casual play, allowing you to drop in and play whenever you like. Using pre-generated characters, players are able to take part in individual episodes that make up a larger adventure. While traditional D&D focuses on levelling up individual characters, in these adventures you will be building up a faction. The benefit of this is that, even if you miss a few weeks, you won't find yourself falling behind other players.

Each episode will run from 6:30pm to 8pm. As said above, we will be using pre-made characters, so please leave your custom characters at home for these events. Participation will be first-come, first-served. There are no sign up sheets, just turn up before the start time. More details can be found here on the Wizards Of The Coast store locator.

The adventure we will be featuring for the encounters will be Tyranny of Dragons! You and your companions will struggle against the Cult of the Dragon in their attempt to free the multi-headed dragon Tiamat from the Nine Hells!

See you in October!

Rae's obsession with dragons seems to be growing over time.

BGHL Games Night: Calling All Game Designers!

by Rae

As board game enthusiasts, it has come to our attention that we have a fair few designers in the area! 

We've spoken to several people who have games they've created, but are in need of testers to play through them. On Saturday 13th September, we want to bring together game designers and potential beta testers. Creators are invited to bring their designs for open play at our Big Game Hunting Live Games Night, hosted at the Cheltenham Boston Tea Party.

To make this event possible, we do ask a few things of designers. If you have a game beta you would like to bring, please send a direct email to shop@proudlion.co.uk and provide us with the working title of your game and a brief description of the gameplay. Initial prototypes are perfectly acceptable, but the game must be fully playable! Please make sure you have tested your game yourself before the night.

We also have one thing to ask of test players. Any player testing a beta game will be asked to sign a simple non-disclosure agreement (NDA). This will be in place purely to prevent details of the game designs from becoming publicised and to protect the designers' creations. Please note this only applies to people involved in testing, and there is no obligation to be involved!

Feel free to email us directly at shop@proudlion.co.uk if you have any questions.

Rae is looking forward to seeing the games created by local minds!

Big Game Hunting - Games on the Horizon, part three

by Rae

Here's a preview of even more new games coming soon to Proud Lion! All games can be pre-ordered at a 10% discount from Proud Lion.

Shadowrun: Crossfire – RRP £40.00 (pre-order price £36.00)

Shadowrun: Crossfire Expansion Pack - RRP £13.00 (pre-order price £11.70)

Set in the fantasy, cyberpunk world of Shadowrun, this cooperative deck-building game has players taking on various jobs and fighting together to overcome tough obstacles in their way. With multiple roles to play and a handful of different scenarios to try, Shadowrun: Crossfire provides challenging gameplay in a setting where teamwork is vital to your survival.

Loot Letter – RRP £10.00 (pre-order price £9.00)

Ever wondered what would happen if you mixed the beautifully simple game Love Letter with a parody RPG adventure game like Munchkin? Me neither, but here it is! Rather than trying to gain the romantic favour of the princess, Loot Letter has players trying to get their hands on the greatest treasure before their opponents! Loot Letter is available as both a boxed edition and an unboxed edition, which includes a velvet bag for storing the game.

Munchkin Panic (RRP: TBC)

It's another Munchkin hybrid game – this time, it's being combined with the excellent semi-cooperative game, Castle Panic! In Munchkin Panic, you must work together to defend the castle from the onslaught of monsters. However, each monster carries a certain amount of loot, and only one can end the game as the Master Munchkin!

Warhammer 40,000: Conquest – RRP £34.00 (pre-order price £30.60)

Prepare your army, capture the planets, and claim their assets to strengthen your resources. In this living card game, players build their decks to create a powerful warlord who is able to dominate the planet sector – or is simply strong enough to destroy their only competition.

We'll be hosting a launch event for this game, in conjunction with Pork Chop Gaming. Full details TBC.

The X Files – RRP £50.00 (pre-order price £45.00)

Fans of the classic TV show will be pleased to see this release! Play as Mulder, Scully, and the rest of the X Files team to investigate paranormal mysteries. But be wary of the player in control of the Cigarette Smoking Man, who will be actively trying to manipulate the situations and steer the agents in the wrong direction!

XCOM: The Board Game (RRP: TBC)

Humanity is on the brink of destruction: an alien invasion has just begun, and time is running out. It is your team's mission to take down UFOs, discover the aliens' plans, and end the invasion – all without allowing the governments that fund your entire operation to collapse. This new board game comes with a companion app, which can be downloaded to a device or accessed online, which is integrated directly into the gameplay to make it a truly immersive experience.

Rae has had an idea for a new board game: you play as parents desperately trying to survive the school holidays...

Big Game Hunting - Games on the Horizon, part two

by Rae

Here's another round of new games coming soon to Proud Lion! All games are available to preorder from Proud Lion at a 10% discount (unless otherwise noted).

Walking Dead Dice Game – RRP £17.00 (pre-orders closed, due out this week)

This competitive press-your-luck game gives players the chance to play as one of four main characters from the hit TV show – Rick, Carl, Daryl, or Michonne. Roll your dice to fight off walkers and be the first to escape the location! (Preorders for this game have now closed. Look for this game on shelves this week.)

Smash Up: The Big Geeky Box – RRP £17.00 (pre-order price £15.30)

Fans of Smash Up will be looking forward to the release of the Big Geeky Box. This expansion adds a brand new faction, the Geeks, inspired by TableTop and Geek & Sundry and featuring Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day! Collectors will also be pleased to discover the box has been designed to fit and neatly organise all your original and expansion cards.

Doomtown: Reloaded – RRP £34.00 (pre-order price £30.60)

This will look familiar to those who played the collectable card game Deadlands: Doomtown. This version is an expandable deck-building style game. Utilitse the poker symbols on the cards to build your town, assemble loyal townsfolk, and keep control – but look out for the other factions trying to seize Doomtown, and be ready for the next shootout!

Dead Of Winter – RRP £50.00 (pre-order price £45.00)

This Plaid Hat Games release is the first in what will be a series of Crossroads games, focusing on pitting a small group of people against both external and internal conflicts in an effort to survive. Dead of Winter sees your group struggling in a world where humanity is becoming a race of flesh-eating monsters. This is a meta-cooperative game where you're all working together to survive, but you all have your own objective to achieve.

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Skull & Shackles Base Set – RRP £50.00 (pre-order price £45.00)

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Skull & Shackles Character Add On Deck - RRP £19.00 (pre-order price £17.10)

This stand-alone Pathfinder adventure throws players out into the open sea. Deal with rival pirates, fantastic sea monsters, and confront the Hurricane King in this deck-building RPG that will test your characters to their limits! You can also expand your character choices by picking up the Character Add On Pack.

Pandemic: Contagion – RRP £25.00 (pre-order price £22.50)

The original Pandemic sees players fighting to cure diseases before epidemics wipe out the world population. In this version, you are instead playing the diseases themselves – and this time, there is no cure. Be the first disease to take out humanity!

Stay tuned for even more Games on the Horizon, coming soon!

Rae may need to get a second bookcase for her growing game library.

Big Game Hunting - Games on the Horizon, part one

by Rae

Looking forward to adding some new games to your library? Take a peek at what's coming soon!

All of these games are available to pre-order from Proud Lion. All pre-orders qualify for a 10% discount.

King of New York - RRP £35.00 (pre-order price £31.50)

This stand-alone expansion brings the dice-rolling monster battles of King of Tokyo to New York. Players get the chance to take over districts of Manhattan in an attempt to destroy the other monsters – or just to earn themselves some fame! Featuring a larger board and six brand new monsters to play, this is not one to miss.

Firefly: Blue Sun Expansion - RRP £30.00 (pre-order price £27.00)

We all know the map for the Firefly board game isn't big enough, right?! So how about a 10” x 20” board extension? The Blue Sun expansion does exactly that. It also offers additional cards for just about everything – crew, gear, jobs, and a new Nav Deck, just for starters. Also included are three new Story cards to keep players busy, and two more Reaver Cutters – as if the first wasn't dangerous enough!

Car Wars Classic - RRP £15.00 (TBC) (pre-order price £13.50 (STC))

The classic Steve Jackson game returns! First you choose a car, with its own combination of weapons, armour, and upgrades. Then you take that car on the road, and try to survive. Keep your driver alive, and you can earn enough cash to get yourself bigger and better cars. There are two ways to win -  finish the race first, or simply destroy all your opponents!

prototype shown (taken from Board Game Geek)

Firefly Dice - RRP £TBC (pre-order price £TBC)

If you're looking for a quick hit of Firefly goodness, but don't have the table space or time available for a full-on game, this might be worth a look. Taking on the concept of the press-your-luck game style, this dice game has you looking for crew and trying to finish jobs – before the bad guys finish you. Details and final art for this one are still under wraps, but hopefully we'll get to see more soon!

Five Tribes - RRP £45.00 (pre-order price £40.50)

The sultan of Naqala has died, leaving a place of power up for grabs. Players have to successfully manoeuvre the people of the five tribes of Naqala and invoke the power of the Djinns to claim the sultanate for themselves. This mancala-style game by Days of Wonder is easy to learn, but difficult to master, and will likely have you dreaming of meeples...

Stay tuned for more Games on the Horizon, coming soon!

Rae is still trying to build the perfect Klingon fleet for Star Trek: Attack Wing.