20 Days Till GaryCon! Memories of GaryCon IV: Day Three.

Previously on Weekend Wizardry...

Since the video above is from both days two and three, I figured I would use it yet again to fill in some of the blanks.

So Day Three... For a Saturday it was kind of just there as far as gaming went. On one hand, I had a bit of a letdown at the beginning of the day. On the other hand, I did gain a few new experiences that went very well for me.

To start with, I had a level 5 HackMaster game I was running that required pregens. Pregens that I did not have at the time. So I needed to roll up six fifth level PCs in the course of a few hours. I also needed space to lay out my books while I did this, which the desk in my room did not allow. So I went to the bar at around 7am to get started. Only to get kicked out because the staff had to clean up. So I moved to the restaurant where open gaming was held. Only to get kicked out of there because the media was doing an interview with Luke Gygax in there. I finally found a table to sit at in the lobby and came up with a group of PCs.

Around noon the game began, and it was slated to be pretty big. The event was full, or close to it when the convention started. My brother and friend Paul being two of the people signed up. As the game started, it turned out Paul and Michael were the only players to show up. Blown off again. And this time I wouldn't get any new players to fill in until much later. As the video shows, Paul and Michael were playing three PCs a piece to keep things from being a slaughter. By the time our time had run out, Jerimy Grafenstein of Kenzer & Company had found four people looking for a game and managed to get them hooked up with us. The game ended up being a success. In another nice turn, I managed to run combat without using minis and mats. Not a big deal for old school gaming, but they are a big help when playing HackMaster.

Later that evening, I played in my first Pathfinder game. Having stopped playing D&D after 2nd Edition, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was also the old newbie in a group of Pathfinder vets. The good news was that everyone from the Pathfinder Society, players and GM, were incredibly helpful. I also got the Pathfinder novel Prince of Wolves as a bit of swag from the game. And apparently, if I read the book, one of my future PCs will get a +2 holy rapier from the Pathfinder Society. I haven't read the book, but I did buy the Pathfinder Core Rules when I got home.

I guess overall, Day Three was a day that started bad, but got better as it progressed. Next week, we wrap up the memories of GaryCons past and look towards creating new memories of games yet to come.

27 Days Till GaryCon! Memories of GaryCon IV: Day Two

I've decided to use the vlog from last year for Day Two as that is the day that gets covered the most in video.

 

94 Days Until GaryCon!

Dear Amazon.com,

I realize that I have yet to play Pathfinder outside of that one time at GaryCon, but that doesn't mean I am ready to sell my Core Rulebook back.

Note to self, play Pathfinder at GaryCon again. Just because.

G is for GaryCon (Followup)

If you haven't seen them already, here are my vlogs from GaryCon for days zero, one, two and three.

First of all, it looks like plans are underway for GaryCon V. The estimated attendance this year was around 550 people. At the rate things are going the convention may have to move to a bigger venue as The Lodge. I actually wouldn't be opposed to that. When GaryCon II was first held at the Lodge, I thought it was a great venue. It was big enough for all the con-goers and had great amenities like a Friday night seafood buffet and a Sunday morning brunch as well as a bluegrass band in the bar on Saturday night. It was a gaming convention with a little bit of everything else to keep things interesting. Then the hotel changed management and next thing we know, the restaurant is closed for the convention save for some burgers and overpriced bags of chips. This year saw a limited menu of "gamer grub", but it pales compared to the good breakfast I had with the Geekpreacher two years ago.

As far as gaming went, I overextended myself this year. At GaryCon I, I sat and played what would become HackMaster Basic with the Kenzer & Company D-Team. At GaryCon II, I ran my first HackMaster Learn to Hack and played Aces & Eights. At this year's convention, I tried to run and attend as many games as possible. And I ended up too tired to engage in any of the festivities in the bar afterward.

GaryCon IV Vlog: Days Two and Three

I know it's late but here are some more scenes from GaryCon IV.

After the last clip, we finally got four more players to complete the Hackmaster game. Later that evening I played Pathfinder for the first time. Being that it was my first experience with anything post-2nd Edition D&D, I have to say that I enjoyed it. I even went so far as to order the Core Rulebook off of Amazon as soon as I got home.

I'll have more to say about the con as a whole later. I'm going to unwind now that I am home and prepare for going back to work tomorrow. Overall though, I had fun, and it was a worthwhile vacation.

GaryCon 2012 Catalog is up!

Apparently, the event catalog for GaryCon IV went up last weekend. Sign-up for events start on the 29th. Just a reminder that I am running an open event on Thursday, "Last Varmint Standing" (number 110602). So be sure to stop by the table and take your turn at Aces & Eights. See you there!

Important GaryCon IV News!

The new website for GaryCon went up last week, and with it came a couple of important announcements.

First, if you register for the event before December 31st, the cost for a 4-day badge is only $30 instead of $40.

Second, if you are staying at The Lodge at Geneva Ridge for the convention, the special rate for the hotel goes up from $79 a night to $89 a night on January 1st. Get your room before the end of the year, and don't forget to mention that you are staying for the convention to get the GaryCon Special Rate.

Finally, The Pathfinder Society will be running games at GaryCon IV. This is going to be interesting.

I'll probably get registered next weekend, as well as deciding what games I am going to run. I'm leaning towards an open Aces & Eights Shootout and possibly another go of my intro adventure for HackMaster Basic. I'll let you know what they will be next week.