We’ll Sydney really made me feel at home today as it turned on the waterworks and let the rain fall … my first thought after waking to the sound of rain? – “Bummer, it’s going to be a slow day!”
MOAB is an excellent event, unfortunately there is only a handful of proper, decent sized tabletop gaming events in Australia which makes each event we attend a pretty big deal on our calendar … slow conventions = bad weekends.
But not all was lost, the day did decide that it needed some sun and after some continued drizzle in the morning we were greeted with a rather pleasant afternoon.
The Sylvannia Heights Community Centre is a mixed bag of rooms and spaces which the organisers of MOAB (Sutherland Shire Gamers) consumes a great deal of to run this event.
There is the main hall and then various mezzanines and rooms underneath and off to the side, each hosting their own small tournaments and events ranging from historicals to sci-fi.
As with all tabletop gaming events I have been too, participation games are a big component allowing people to discover new games and helping to raise awareness for games of all sizes and genres.
MOAB has traditionally had at least one participation game put on by some amazing chaps that I have forgotten the names of (sorry!) that showcases gaming for what it actually is … gaming. Not fussing over rules, or the wonders of engineering and digital sculpting … but for gaming, for the fun of it. It’s therefore no surprise that that is where you find the kids, rolling dice and having FUN!
As with all good conventions, they wouldn’t work nearly as well without the support of the traders (like Knights of Dice!), such as our good friends at War & Peace Games, operated by Ian and John. They’re well recognised in the Australian scene and provide amazing support to many tournament organisers.
Australia really has changed a lot over the last 10 years, there is a good healthy scene here of independent designers and producers. It’s great to see some of them here at MOAB, many are a regular fixture like our good friend Drew Edney from Slave 2 Gaming
The Sutherland Shire Gamers are responsible for organising the Bring And Buy section at Cancon (Australia’s largest tabletop gaming convention hosted by the Canberra Games Society and oddly enough held in Canberra each January), and they also put on a good show for the regulars here at MOAB … with the lineup stretching the entire length of the building for the punters who want first look at what bargains can be had!
I resisted to urge to join the line and see what bargains I could discover, but in years past I have parted with more than a dollar or two and picked up some wonderful deals … last year I snagged a massive collection of 54mm figures which proudly adorn the cabinets in my gaming room at home!
The painting competition hosted by Aetherworks was as usual full of some wonderful work … I was asked why I hadn’t submitted anything, all I could do was laugh!
I think there was probably a few more entries last year but regardless the quality of work was amazing and a sheer pleasure to have a peak at!
As for Knights of Dice, we had a slow but steady day. It’s always a big effort for Scott and I to attend these events, we essentially setup a full retail shop complete with metal shelving and racks which we setup and tear down for each event we attend.
Talking with customers and showing our products is always a highlight of each show, the feedback and engagement is so wonderful … especially when customers come back each year and tell the story of the products they bought last time, what they did with them and what they are looking forward to buying and working on next!
MOAB is a 3 day event, held of the Rugby Grand Final weekend in Sydney, New South Wales. The first day is held on the Saturday with events and tournaments happening on the subsequent Sunday and Monday.
Today was a good day and I’m looking forward to the next 2 … perhaps not so much the 850 km (~530 mile) drive home immediately after tearing down and repacking everything into the van!
Hopefully we will see you this weekend, if not … thanks for reading and we’ll see you next time!