Origins 09

Remembering Origins 2009 

by Matt Cutter

Origins 2009 was somehow low-key and epic at the same time. We came, we gamed, we succumbed to a buying frenzy. I wasn’t able to experience everything Origins had to offer this year (that would be impossible, not to mention improbable), but I saw many things Savage and thrilling. We came, we rocked, we threw dice. I’m far too tired to figure out how that goes in Latin. 

Wednesday morning I pulled myself out of bed and resumed packing where I’d left off at midnight the night before. Finishing up proofing on the next Deadlands Plot Point kept me busy right down to the wire, but somehow I was able to throw together all the minis, terrain, and accoutrements I would need to build a reasonably complete Old West town. In a stunning coup, I also remembered to bring clothes and a toothbrush. Leaping into the Accord, I sped out of the sunny, humid swamplands of Maryland toward the Land of Mystery, the frontier—Ohio. 

It was a seven-album drive (about 6 hrs.) before I pulled in at the Hyatt. I’ve traditionally been a Crown man, but let me tell you…they do it right at the Hyatt. Plus, the elevator from your room opens at the Big Bar on Two. Lap of luxury, right there. 

It wasn’t long before my first text message came in (courtesy of Deb, the best con secretary ever), informing me that people were seeking the Dude, and inquiring as to his current location. Far out. I convened with the Savage Crew in Delaware (the room, not the state), and that was when I got a few very nice surprises. 

First Heath bestowed upon me a pair of custom-made Chessex dice, inscribed with the word ACE! where a 6 should be. They now sit easily among the best Wild Dice I own (right next to my TGTT Wild Die), and they roll very nicely. Big shout-out of thanks to Heath for bringing dice for the whole crew! 

Next, the irrepressible Shane Hensley came in and threw a black, athletic-weave cloth at me. I held it up and realized I was looking at my Pinnacle staff shirt, in the official black with gold logo. Unable to restrain, I lifted it up with a smile. “My shirt!” What a great feeling. 

Since everyone was feeling good, I figured we’d get the Bad Times rolling (for the characters, at least). I had invited some Savages to come prepared with Legendary Deadlands heroes (90 XP), and they did not disappoint. I daresay they were even a little cocky about their prospects. But when the posse arrived at Sawgrass Ridge to deliver their prisoner, La Bandita, they found the town just about empty of citizens, except for a madman up on the saloon balcony, and a hanged man inside. They were ready to cut a caper, though, and hijinks ensued—insane cultists, followed by a small swarm of rattler young ’uns. 

Since the cowpokes were working on unravelling the mystery of the dead town, I did what had to be done: unleashed the full-size rattlers. And they just kept comin’. In the end the heroes prevailed (thanks to a clever loophole provided by Clint), but they’d lost five of their nine Wild Cards to rattler slam attacks. Let me tell you, you really don’t want to be standing under that Cone Template when the rattler comes down. Seriously. 

After the game we had a reunion in the Reality Blurs suite. I’d tell you about Thursday morning, but it seems my body vetoed the idea of getting up due to sheer exhaustion. I woke up, looked at the clock, and muttered, “Power must’ve gone out. It says 12 zero-zero.” My extraordinary roommate Cheyenne deadpanned, “No…it’s actually noon.” D’oh! 

That afternoon consisted of some booth-time (where I hung out with the terrific Studio2 crew—Jim Searcy, Erik Hess, and also-Savage Joel Kinstle) and a bit of walking around the exhibit hall. Every time Peter Mayhew was announced, I threw back my head and let out a throaty Chewbacca roar in his honor. 

Friday was demo day for me. I ran another session of Deadlands, this time a Savage Tale from the forthcoming Last Sons, called “Meet the Achesons.” Many thanks to Nate and the karaoke guys for joining in, and especially to Cheyenne for sitting in as a “teaching player.” Let me tell you, demos rock when one player explains just how each of his die rolls is working ruleswise. In the end, the valiant cowpokes truly met the Achesons…and every single one of them perished. Sometimes the cards and the dice fall that way. But everyone had fun, and a copy of Deadlands Reloaded was purchased as a result. Mission accomplished! 

Personally, my most exciting Origins moment was a short meeting in the Big Bar on Two. Over a drink, Shane, Clint, Cheyenne, and I talked about Deadlands, where the story of the Weird West is going, where the product line is going, and what we’d most like to see. Even a few years ago, I never dreamed I’d be plotting the future of one of my favorite settings of all time, sitting across the table from the guy who created it. I took copious notes. We’ve got some big surprises comin’ down the pike, pardners. 

That night we were treated to a short session by Clint, which I like to call “Escape from the Slave Wagon!” Our wanderers of the post-apocalyptic wasteland managed to throw off the yoke of servitude, defeat the slavers, and wipe out the sand wolves that attacked our caravan. But there we stopped. It was getting late, and in a rare moment of total restraint we decided that we should be at the top of our game for the next day’s Pinnacle Seminar. 

Saturday arrived, and as usual I found myself wondering where the time had gone. But soon enough we were gearing up for the seminar. For me, the highlight was the presentation by Sean Preston of Reality Blurs (giving us the lowdown on the upcoming Realms of Cthulhu—can’t hardly wait for Gen Con!). I also got the chance to peform Clint’s new masterpiece of filkery live for the Savages (you should be hearing it soon), as well as an encore of “(The Man They Call) Shane.” 

We followed up with the annual The Game’s the Thing Savage Roundtable, hosted by Reality Blurs and conducted by the double-dynamo of Ron and Veronica Blessing. I won’t give away any surprises from that little get-together, but I would like to thank Ron and Vern for bringing the recording equipment, and for taking the time to record a little of my Cutterwaulin’ for posterity. Let’s hope my thrashed vocal cords sounded okay on tape. 

Finally we came to the capper, Savage Saturday Night. We showed up a little late from the hotel restaurant to find five tables chock-full of Savages gaming hard. What a fine sight! Since there was no more table space, we had to cut another caper—with ensuing clandestine hijinks. Slipping backstage at the convention center, I raided the table stack and built myself the biggest game table ever. I erected a big ol’ town right in the middle, and everyone still had room for characters and dice rolling around the edges. Standing at one edge, I could barely reach the center of the table to move minis. For Evil Mike and Norm there was no hope! Ha! Ha! 

And talk about your All-Star Posse! From my left, I was looking at Ron and Veronica Blessing, Michelle and Shane Hensley, Evil Mike, Norm, Clint Black, Stacy Young, the forum’s own JacobTHG, and Sean Preston (playing a discombobulated mad scientist). Yep, you counted right. That’s ten players, but I think we pulled it off. 

The sizeable posse arrived in Backlick, CA, in the Great Maze. They’d been hired by the Wasatch Corporation in Perdition to retrieve a lost shipment of ghost rock, after the last recovery squad failed to return. There they met Lacy O’Malley himself, followed by a showdown with the Angel o’ Death (who was lookin’ to claim the town—and all that ghost rock—for the Church) that ended with a big boom. Before long, an ironclad full of Kang’s Maze Rats approached, and sure enough they wanted the shipment for themselves. Kung fu masters and Chinese ogres fought hucksters, outlaws, and bounty hunters in a battle that raged through Backlick. Again, everything ended with a boom. The moral o’ the story bein’…if you ignite weaponized ghost rock with dynamite, it’s gonna do a little more than just burn. Count on it! 

It might sound like everyone died…but I’ve actually got the sequel planned for Gen Con. It will be Epic. Be there for Savage Saturday Night in Indianapolis, and join in the carnage! 

Sunday morning was our traditional Breakfast of Savages, where we gathered, exhausted, to dine on the buffet and drink all the coffee I could get. Making a last-minute run to the Exhibit Hall, I purchased a toy sword for my son, wrapped up a few final acquisitions (including Deluge by John Goff, and the Fantasy Companion), and jumped back into the blue Honda. Seven hours later I was back in the swamps, ready to hunker down and finish up Space: 1889…but in my heart wishing Gen Con would come quickly. 

It’s hard to be civilized. Give me the Savages any day.