Yes, at Gen Con Indy 08, we’re back!

The Play Collective ^[1] returns for its second year, a juggernaut of gaming goodness, enthusiasm and energy! And this time, we’ve brought a friend…

This year the Play Collective and the bold adventure that is the Ashcan Front ^[2] have joined forces to grow our space together. You’ll be able to browse the fine works on display in our half of the booth, then simply stroll a few feet to finger through the assembled ashcans offered by the Front.

The members of the Play Collective are brought together by our passion for independent publishing, creation and design. We want to share our enthusiasm, inspiration and practical advice. If you have a great idea for a game and wonder how to shepherd it through design, presentation, marketing and sales then you need to be right there at our booth, talking to us.

If you want to talk game design and publishing with us, the we’ve got a huge range of experience and skills so that we can give you the right kind of help. Graphic design, marketing, game systems, con presence, artwork, we have experts in every field you could want to talk about.

So, who are we?

The Collective is made up of Vincent Baker, Tony Lower-Basch, Emily Care Boss, Joshua A.C. Newman, Elizabeth Shoemaker, Robert Bohl, Matt Machell, Judd Karlman and me, Malcolm Craig. Every single one of us has been through the process of design, sometimes many, many times. Some of us are on the booth for the first time, others were part of the Collective last year. But, regardless of all that, we share an enthusiasm for what we’re doing.

We’re not just about talk though. We have all put our expertise into practice and the Play Collective can offer you a stunning range of the absolute best in games. We have brand new releases, recognised favourites, even some stuff you might not have encountered before.

Vincent Baker ^[3] will be offering all his usual goodness in the form of the outstanding ‘Dogs In The Vineyard’, ‘Poison’d’ and the first Gen Con appearance of ‘In A Wicked Age’.

Robert Bohl ^[4] will be stepping up this year with an ashcan of his punk-rock sci-fi game of teenage rebellion, Misspent Youth. Kick The Man’s face in while your friends hold him down.!

Emily Care Boss ^[5] presents her latest work ‘Under My Skin’ alongside her wonderful games ‘Breaking The Ice’ and ‘Shooting The Moon’ and a free quickstart version of ‘Sign In Stranger’.

Judd Karlman ^[6] will have copies of the stunning ‘Dictionary of Mu’ tucked under his arm and he’ll also be bringing the ashcan version of his starter story game, ‘1st Quest’.

Tony Lower-Basch ^[7] brings you superheroes with heart in the form of ‘Capes’. But not just that! There’s a super-secret release for Capes as well! What will it be?

Matt Machell ^[8] brings his brilliant game of failing conspiracies, ‘Covenant’. Not only that, but he’s bring along some ashcans of his skirmish wargame of two-fisted action, appropriately named ‘Pulp!’

Joshua A.C. Newman ^[9] won’t just have the thought-provoking ‘Shock: Social Science Fiction’, he’ll also have the mighty ‘Beowulf’ in ashcan form.

Elizabeth Shoemaker ^[10] will be launching her hotly anticipated game ‘It’s Complicated’. And she’ll also have copies of the Ben Lehman penned ‘XXXXtreme StreetLuge’!

And I, Malcolm Craig ^[11] will be there with the new ‘Hot War’, a slightly new ‘Cold City v1.1’ and the indefatigable old warhorse of a|state.

In addition to all of the above, we’re delighted to have books by the originators of the Ashcan Front on our shelves. ‘Dust Devils: Revenged’ by Matt Snyder ^[12] plus ‘Bachannal’ and ‘My Life With Master’ by Paul Czege ^[13] will be available throughout the con.

So hey, do swing booth 2039 and say hi, check out some demos, have a chat and buy a few games!