BorderCon 2011 - You Come, We Host, We'll Conquer!
All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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Hi folks -
Late Feb - Time to get some info out to you all so we can book early for the most laid back 4 days on the gaming calendar. If anyone tries to lay claim to a more laid back event...I'll bring in dentist chairs! 
Some things we cannot improve on -
The people that attend. They are awesome and we hope you'll all be back again. Although we promise to douse them in 50% more awesome sauce this year. 
Things we can improve on include - Info booklets so everyone knows the times that things like Dinner, Charity Auctions and other little mini events may be running.
So what is BorderCon and why should you attend?
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All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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What is BorderCon?
BorderCon is 4 days of pure gaming heaven (now with awesome sauce).
No major tournaments or wall to wall special events means that the focus is on relaxed social gaming. This is a time to make new friends, catch up with old ones.
It is a time to give in to the cult of the new and see what goodies other people have in their box and a chance to set up nostalgic marathons with games you've loved for years.
In short BorderCon is anything you want it to be. We just provide the space and a chance to get away for the weekend.
It's that simple. We encourage everyone to bring a box of their favourite games and we usually have well over 100 different titles to choose from.
When is BorderCon?
BorderCon is held over the Queen's Birthday Long Weekend in June.
Dates - This year the event runs from Friday the 10th of June to Monday the 13th of June.
Times - Doors open at 5pm on the Friday night and close around 2pm on the Monday. Both days of the weekend start at around 9am and we close some time over midnight when we can no longer physically turn over cards or advance our marker on the score track. The time in between is usually punctuated by many a wise crack...usually at my expense. 
Where is BorderCon located?
BorderCon is held in Albury, NSW. You can find us here -
http://www.whereis.com/nsw/albury?id=3C8A4E66FBD96C
We are neatly located in a rather central position between Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra.
Who Runs BorderCon?
BorderCon is run by the local gaming club, Border Games Albury Wodonga. We have some 40 odd members but they are not all board game players. Our club also has a Minitaures arm, Role-playing arm and a CCG arm.
That said, BorderCon is our annual Board Game event, so no need to worry about those other elements infringing on space.
Entry - Border Games pays for the venue...BUT...we have succumbed to financial pressure over the past 12 months. Due to rents and electricity costs going up substantially, the club is not carrying the war chest that usually helps support BorderCon.
As a result we will have to ask for an adult only entry fee of $5 per head. This one fee will allow you access to BorderCon for all 4 days.
We hope people don't get too upset by it - but we have no choice.
What is the Venue?
We have been hosted for years now by the Hume Inn in Albury. The Hume Inn has been sold to new owners (which slowed me down in getting this list up) but I have personally met with Mark and he was very supportive of our cause and seemed like a nice guy (it was the vibe of the thing).
So it appears that we will have all the usual things in place for us and he is even happy to book gamers into the rooms closer to the function room to shorten the walk to bed in the wee small hours. 
BorderCon takes place in the function room, which means that gamers staying at the hotel can game till they drop and then drag themselves the 15 metres required to reach their room. Sweeeeet!
More details in the next entry for the Hume Inn.
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2.
Board Game: Hotels
[Average Rating:5.35 Overall Rank:7725]
All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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The Hume Inn is not the Ritz, but it has supported us since the first days of the Australian Games Expo (must be7-8 years ago now?!) and as such it does feel like our own Geek space.
It comfortably holds 100 so the inside gaming is pretty comfortable.
There are several big events in town over the long weekend so I strongly recommend that you book ASAP. I cannot stress the need to book early as I have heard of a mid sized group or two that are looking to make the trek this year.
You can catch them on the following -
Ph - (02) 6021 2733
Email - enquires@humeinn.com.au
Website - http://www.humeinn.com.au/
The new owners are Mark and Tiani Bonetti. Be sure to let them know the reason for your stay as that kind of feedback helps us to secure their support in the future.
I won't go into price details this year as the website should have it all.
Alcohol will again be provided upstairs and I'll be polling for choices (wheat beers were popular last year) closer to the weekend.
They are not licensed for BYO.
So GET BOOKING! Even if you think you are booked, a simple check wouldn't be a bad idea given the change of ownership.
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All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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Ok so I'll use this Item to capture the 'who's who' as to who is coming in 2011.
BorderCon is as much about catching up with pals and having a laugh as it is about the gaming. It's our Con in the middle of the year and a great chance to escape your local environment and have a weekend away.
So let's get excited. Drop your name in a comment at the end of this item or geekmail me if you are coming in 2010 and I'll add you to the list!
Local Yokels
Patty (Geekwidow), Her loser husband (present)  and one defending Formula D Champion (Isaac)
Dave (davwj)
Sacha Spinks (the_pirate)
Heather + Dave + Leonard
Bretty
Marky Mark (and the funky bunch)
Glen
Dennis
Scott
Rob
The Dame Nellie Melba's
Aaron Seeber (aaronseeber)
James Smith (greatsage)
Erin (Aneirin) + Rob (Ozludo)
Michael Colston (Morka) +4
Gerald Squelart (gerald)
Rachel Greenfinger (Avatrix) +4
Kerrin Addis (kerrinaddis)
Julian (unhalfbricking)
Tim (TimAA)
Gregor (gmcnish)
Adam(redgamstar) + Josefa + Richard W.
Fraser (Karlsen), Melissa (melissa) +2
Anna (JCwid) + Ryan (rjphelan)
Trev W (treji)
Tim (red_turtle) + 1
Provincial Victorians
Randy (GeneSteeler) + Mel (Passionate_Always) +2
Puerto Rico Pat +1
Nick + Shona (shonagladman)
Ian, Maggie + Joseph (harlequin1)
Dean Glencross (Lortarg) + J E (Darkeva)
The 'Laide Faction
Alvin (Tyndal)
Brendan (brendanm)
Dan (djcassar) + Sarah
Danny B (haos17)
The Hegemony of Wales
Chris (Alleyooper) Dome + Elly
Iain Triffit (trif) +1
Phil Harding (Phil81)
Simon (tiggers)
Steve McIlhatton (Innocent Bystander)
Simon (earlyworm)
Rowan Bartel (AlbeyAmakiir)
Floris van der zwan (hoerem)
The Capitalian Junta
Terry (Tezza), Merran (bluefroggirl) +1
Rene (Amiguero) + Martha...and Ana!
Paul Bradley (batcut)
Kon Stavrinos (MrBaggy)
Phil M (phil m) + Bernard W + Ben F.
John Clark (johnclark)
The QueenTopians
Kevin O'Brien (cyberkev63)
AJ (ajkey)
Kevin Brake (esonlinji)
The Twilight Zone
Murray W (muzzles)
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4.
Board Game: Mexica
[Average Rating:7.06 Overall Rank:353]
All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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One of the great things about BorderCon is that people genuinely want to get to know each other better and enjoy socialising (who would have thunk it?!).
The Saturday Night Dinner Meal has been great for this as it gets our heads out of rule books for a few minutes and as the conversation unfolds, we get to learn things about each other that we never expected.
I will go ahead and book Taco Bills again for the Saturday Night. (6:30pm). That gets us back to the gaming room by about 8:30-9pm.
Let me know if you are coming via a comment for this entry or a Geekmail so I can get a handle on numbers and make a booking. We had over 40 last year.
Taco Bills has never had its day. I'd really like to book out the entire main room this year if possible.
I will do my best to capture a seat for you based on interest in this list, but we will have a novel way to confirm that interest on the Friday night/Saturday morning of the event.
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All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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Rallyman Dual Stage Time Bandit Charity Event
Ok Julian will be managing this fun event which will have a $2 entry fee to be added to the Beyond Blue Charity Total.
Details
Each driver will race over 2 individual stages as a solo competitor. This will mean each player can take part and only lose 10 minutes. Perfect for those gaps between games getting started.
Each driver's time will be recorded on a whiteboard ala Top Gear and we will see who reins supreme by the end of the weekend!
The only requirement is that at least 1 other person is watching you race to make sure those gear cards are being taken and that all standard rules are being followed. Julian, myself and likely a few others will be able to assist in teaching the game to newcomers.
As promoted, this will be run on Julian's mega Rallyman boards of awesomeness.
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All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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Ok time for some mini-event announcements - We will have BorderCon Booklets for all attendees to outline these and more details. Where numbers are limited we will have signing sheets at the bar to book a spot.
Saturday
Formula D (BorderCon Cup 2011) - Singapore will be the Track (Saturday 1pm)
Memoir '44 Overlord - Tigers in the Snow (Sunday mid-arvo)
Poker Tournament - Late Saturday Night
Crokinole - Open play all Weekend
Sunday
Designers Corner 10-12
A Chance for any budding designers to promote their prototypes and get some much needed feedback and playtesting in.
Charity Raffle 1:00pm
Lots of great prize support coming in.
Monday
We do the  and play a few games.
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All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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We have had a mid year math Trade run and finalise just prior to BorderCon that has been wonderful.
I'm not sure if David is up for it again (David?) in 2011 so we may need someone to kindly step into his big shoes.
The Math Trade is of course open to the whole country - BorderCon just makes for a nice handover to avoid postage.
EDIT - OK I am running this with John peddling in the wheel like a hamster (doing all the hard work) in the background -
The Australian Mid Year Maths Trade
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All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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Make sure to Subscribe to this list as I will add things in as I lock in new ideas and we get closer.
We do a big Pizza Order for dinner on the Friday Night.
Until I add some more things - thanks for thinking about heading our way.
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All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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Ok food looks like the following -
Friday Night
Pizza Orders
Saturday & Sunday Morning
Breakfast organised by Julian (meet downstairs at 8am for a walk.
Saturday Night
Taco Bills (booked for 50)
Or head to the Commercial Club with Julian
Sunday Night
Booked Hogsbreath Cafe (20) (30)
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All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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I am pleased to announce that this year's Charity will be -
Beyond Blue
Beyond Blue are a great organisation and we hope to raise around $1,500 this year.
All tickets will be $5 each or 5 for $20.
We will have a large number of donated items from some of Australia's biggest game retailers.
Anyone is also welcome to donate any items to the Charity table as these are often fun.
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11.
Board Game: Drinko
[Average Rating:2.00 Unranked]
All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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Ok so we are down to last preparations.
Drinks...
What did we have last year and who can remember what sold well?
I'm thinking about the following options -
 Carlton Draught
 Cascade Light
 We had a wheat beer last year I think? Memories anyone and were they popular?
 Tooheys Old (Dark beer)
 Vodka Cruisers or Bicardi Breezers (any preference here anyone?)
 An assortment of Soft Drinks and Water bottles this year.
Let me know what you think and offer suggestions in a comment please. We will order these late this week.
NB - Please remember - No BYO alcohol in the gaming room. Please support the club by buying soft drinks and water rather than bringing in your own.
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All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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For those not aware the club also offers up a range of snacks to keep the kids amused and give you that much needed sugar rush when the grey matter is failing.
This year we will have -
Chips
Chuppa Chups
Pythons
Red Frogs
Small Chocolates - Milky Way, Mars Bar, Flake etc
All for little more than your lose change.
All prices will be listed in your BorderCon Booklets, which you receive on paying the $5 entry.
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All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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Ok last update before we all catch up.
All the Round Tables are gone!!!
We have a full room of rectangular tables now to maximise space with room for 54 gamers on the bar level and another 40 odd up top.
I feel better now that this is organised.
Tea & Coffee is go.
Microwave - We will also have a microwave available for anyone wanting to zap something for a quick snack or lunch.
2-Player Games - We also have up to 6 tables set up for 2-Player only games as well.
Drive safe everyone.
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All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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Ok time for a little bit of post event book keeping.
Iain (Triff) suffered a bit of bad luck at the end of the Con. There were 2 copies of Tulipmania floating around over the weekend but when it came to pack up time it appeared that the 2 copies got switched as Iain was left with a German Language edition instead of his English edition.
If anyone can help with this (they have the other copy...they know who had a copy) please get in touch with me or Iain directly).
I also have aq single red cube from Dungeon Lords that was handed in and a green memory stick for a laptop. I also have a summary chart (long and narrow) from a Fantasy Flight Game. I suspect it may be from Runewars.
If you know anything or are missing one of these items please get in contact with me.
Cheers,
Neil
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Julian Clarke
Australia
Frankston
Victoria
www.unhalfbricking.com
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I recognise the business decision Charles & Steve have taken. Unfortunately, it doesn't suit me in any respect. I am but a small fish in a pond which is getting bigger.
I will continue to support BorderCon as a gamer, and, if Neil asks, as a retailer. Sydney is impractical for me, & the move towards an even higher public profile, does not help me, where it does pretty much everyone else involved.
I am waiting to see what happens to CanCon's Euro/board gaming facilities and arrangements, but it looks like there is a slot open for a games event in January. I am thinking on this & will discuss with Neil and Ben about sharing dates and reorganising & rescheduling gamers' game events for the future, to suit as many as possible, next year.
Regards
Julian
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BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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