games for May

May's two bank holidays with a half term apparently means games in Norwich. we went to three games events during May.

first was Diceni which had such a good energy. everyone was friendly and excited and it was just lovely. there were people selling miniatures and demonstrating games and a raffle and a painting competition. we'll definitely go again. i also went and got myself a copy of Metal Hammer with Ville Valo on the cover to please my inner teen and current adult.

then, the next day, there was a trading card game market that was almost entirely Pokemon. i was expecting it to be a mix of games with a high percentage of Pokemon but the amount of Pokemon and almost nothing else was a bit of a shock. 

now, not to be rude about the current state of Pokemon card collectors but going to the same space for another games event the day after Diceni made the difference in energy between the two really obvious. i heard a parent explaining to a child how the point is to buy the cards so you can sell them again and the kid was like why and the parent was like i don't know, that's just what it is. and i felt sad about it and sorry for people that actually enjoy Pokemon. 

but we found a box of MTG cards, 5 for £1 and got a good little haul. i found this pigeon first in the book as a shiny and then swapped it for the cheaper not shiny version because i can see the artwork better that way. i didn't think i'd ever own a Magic card from the Spiderman set but then i saw this pigeon.

below, Brother Cadbearl is sharing the lunch we had to decompress from all the Pokemon. the pastry at the back is pistachio and at the front is apple and rose, they're huge and delicious and if you're ever in Norwich go to Shako Mako, always incredible. 

 

 

third and last was the traders day at the games festival. i got some ds games, Will got some miniatures from someone we'd seen at Diceni and i got 3 StreetPasses which is one more than last year's games fest traders day so very exciting. i didn't get Take A Break's Puzzle Master and i partly wish i owned it and partly am perfectly fine about not owning it so i think i made the right choice of simply taking a photo. hopefully someone who will treasure it purchased Take A Break's Puzzle Master.