Game Description
What is a Megagame?
Megagames are amazing fun. It's like a cross between a role-playing game, a board game and even has a few LARP elements. Whilst it can be a bit daunting playing a huge, dense game with lots of players, it turns out that megagame players are some of the friendliest, funniest players you'll ever meet and the Control team are always super helpful too. I would definitely recommend megagames to those that are keen on role-playing, gaming with an emphasis on social interactions, and chatting! I've met really good friends through megagames too!
Richard
Megagame Player
I went to my first megagame just over a year ago and became instantly hooked. It’s like nothing I’d ever experienced before: like a huge board game, role-playing game and tabletop war game all rolled into one. I’ve made lots of friends and introduced my own friends to the genre too. John at South West Megagames has been fantastic at organising games and being welcoming to all comers, and I’m proud to say I’ve since helped him in running some of these amazing experiences as a member of the Control team.
Matt
Megagame Player
When I play a megagame I rediscover the excitement and intrigue I had when I played and imagined games as a child. Heroic speeches, betrayal and epic sagas unfolding in a village hall. Everyone should play a megagame - they are fast paced, dramatic and incredibly social. I have had no other experience like them. It's hard to find as many interesting decisions, complex negotiations or good old fashioned fun as you will find in a megagame.
Connor
Megagame Player
Megagames are a type of game originally created by the London-based group the Megagame Makers. Megagames aren't easily defined because different megagames can vary wildly in scope and functionality. But there are some common themes throughout most megagames that can be used to explain the concept.
As the name implies, megagames require a large number of players - very few megagames have fewer than 20 or so participants, and most have somewhere between 20 and 60 players, although numbers can go up into the hundreds. The games are played "live" in a single venue, and tend to be played with pen & paper/face-to-face experiences rather than involving technology. Megagames often use some written rules and physical components, like a board game, but they are used as a framework - giving economies, armies and other resources a very tangible feel, so that the players' decisions have visible impact. The focus of a megagame is player interaction, with players having to communicate with each other in order to manage information, broker deals and make hard decisions.
Megagames are as challenging to play as they are fun. They bring the imagination and freedom of Roleplaying games, the decision making and satisfying challenge of Board games, and mix it together with a simulation of a big crisis. Together, you have a very exciting day that might also teach you a few things...
