Random Inc presents a Phenomenon Labs games convention

• Pheno 2010,000 BC

• Roleplaying games
• The Triptych
• Freeforms
• Team games
• Miniatures & wargames
• Other events
• Schedule
• Entry form
• Location & map
• Banquet & food
• What's a Phenomenon?
• Writing for Pheno
• Pheno archive
• Terms & conditions
• The crew & writers
• Contact Pheno

Roleplaying games

Pheno 2010,000 BC is proud to offer the following roleplaying games, divided into three categories:

• The Triptych
• Freeforms
• Team (tabletop) games

Pheno also offers non-roleplaying events (or at least, events where any roleplaying is an extra...)

• Miniatures & wargames
• Other events

The schedule

Go to General and miniatures schedules...

New Designers

Each year Pheno is proud to encourage writers who are new to writing for Cons to give it a go.

At the end of Pheno the players of new designers' games will be asked to vote for the new writer whose game was the best, and the winner of this will receive a trophy and widespread adulation!

New designers' games are marked with the New Designer Star:

Game ratings

Pheno uses a rating system for games to help you choose games, and to help you anticipate what the GM is looking for in a game.

Games are rated from 1 (little or none) to 5 (really important) on the following: 

• Characterisation — portraying the characters... 1 (play the numbers) to 5 (bring out the deep insights)
• Story/plot — telling a good story... 1 (A-Team) to 5 (Shakespeare)
• Genre — knowing the genre, staying in the genre... 1 (post-modernist parody) to 5 (Tolkienesque total immersion)
• Seriousness — romp (seriousness 1) to the big issues (seriousness 5)
• Rules knowledge — do players need to know the game system (5), or is this a good introduction to it (0 or 1)?
• Advisory rating — violence, horror, naughty bits. This can also be rated like a film: G, PG, M, MA, R.

The Triptych

The triptych: each year, Pheno invites three respected designers to present a systemless single session game. Each game showcases what we consider the best of Pheno roleplaying: characterisation, drama, entertainment, innovation. Each game will be judged separately, but teams competing in all three games will also be eligible for the Triptych Perpetual Trophy.

The Triptych games are all for 5 players.

• Body Corporate — by Andrew Smith
• The Cabinet of Doctor Makundi — by Ryan d'Argeavel
• Floodland — by Michael Hitchens

Freeforms

Freeforms are big games for 15–30 players (or rarely, and insanely, more...) players, whose characters are collected in some kind of social gathering in which they interact, intrigue and politic with each other.

• The Annual Steam and Piston Ball — by Sparks and Duncan (Fractal Snowflake) (1 session, up to 20 players, Changeling: the Lost) Game cancelled
• Billingate — by Stephen Justice (1 session, 15 players, Sci Fi)
• Changeling: Old Monsters — by Joe McNamara (2 sessions: 1 5-player tabletop + 1 20 player freeform, Changeling: the Dreaming)Game cancelled
• A Colder War — Eve of Destruction — by The Troika (Nick Irving, Shaun Tabone, Matthew Cramsie, Mark Kramerzewski, Benj Davis) (1 session, 20 players, political thriller / space opera)
• A Darkened World — by Random (1 session, up to 23 players)
• Don't Know Where, Don't Know When — by Barbara Kearins, Rod Kearins, Stuart Barrow and Robbie Matthews (1 session, 20 players, WWII/romance/comedy/SF/adventure)
• Et in Arcadia ego — by Xole Karman (1 session, 20 players, post Amber (Brand won!))
• Innocence Proves Nothing — by Matt Archer (1 session, 20 players, Dark Heresy)
• Shadowrun: Tribulations — by Duncan "Uncle Dunkle" Harris (2 session multiform, 12 players, Shadowrun) Game cancelled
• This Party Tonight... — by Mike Walker and Sandra d’Argeavel (1 session, 25 players, 80s teen movie)

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Team (tabletop) games

Team games (or tabletops) are the traditional form of roleplaying, for groups/teams of about 5 players with generally one GM. There will be character sheets; there may be dice.

• All Aboard the Fine Balenka — by Terence Janssen (1 session systemless, 6 players)
• AlphaComplexities — by Laurie Flower, Simon Miller and Craig Lawrie (1 session Paranoia, 4-6 players)
• Back in the Biz... — by Random (1 session Shadowrun, 5-6 players)
• The Days and Knights of Landsend — by Marissa Harris (1 session not quite D&D 2nd Ed., 5 players)
• EndOfTheDay — by Andrew MacLennan (1 session systemless, 4 players)
• Falling Water, Blinking Suns — by John and Philippa Hughes (1 session systemless, 5 players)
• The Heist — by Greg Tannahill (1 session systemless/custom, 5 players)
• High Five — by Mark Somers (1 session Shadowrun 4th ed, 5 players)
• A Leaf on the Wind — by Evan Paliatseas (1 session Firefly, 5 players)
• Let Sleeping Rings Lie — by Ken Carcas (1 session D&D 4th Ed, 5 players)
• Orbital Descent — by Mik Bonsall (1 session systemless, 5 players)
• Pathfinder — (1 session Pathfinder, 5 players)
• Team Dragon — by Fish (1 session systemless, 5 players)
• World of Darkness High — by David James (1 session systemless, 5 players)

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