U-Con to gather gamers for weekend in new digs

If this weekend is for anime fans, next weekend is for gamers — and not just the video game variety.

U-Con, one of the state’s largest gaming conventions, is moving this year from its longtime home on the University of Michigan campus to the Metropolitan Hotel in Romulus near Detroit Metropolitan Airport. It runs Nov. 11-13.

I’ve never been to U-Con (a reader alerted me to it this year), but it sounds like fun. It’s for anyone who enjoys board games, role-playing games, collectible card games, miniatures and more. Hardcore gamers and newcomers are welcome.

Events include tournaments for several games, a charity auction and live-action role-playing where participants travel back in time to ancient China for a game.

There will be a room full of open gaming where anyone can bring a game or find one to play. Gaming company Mayfair Games (Settlers of Catan, Nippon Rails) will also sponsor a room for players to try out its games.

And what con would be complete without a dealer’s room?

Badges range in price from $10-$20, plus some events require additional tickets. Visit the con’s website for all the information.

I admit, I’ve dropped into my recently discovered local gaming shop a couple times and have been a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of board games out there. I had no idea it had grown so much since my days of Risk and Axis & Allies in high school (I always liked Risk better) and, of course, D&D.

I could never play a by-the-book D&D game, though. In my last campaign, we bent the rules so much I wound up with a Ranger/Illusionist/Bard. It was a lot of fun, though.

More recently, I tried Arkham Horror with some friends and enjoyed that. And some in my family have gotten hooked on various versions of the card game Fluxx. (Monty Python and Pirate versions are my favorite, so far, though Zombie Fluxx is pretty good, too.)

Maybe I can find an intense game of Pirate Fluxx at the show.