tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352178685012583082024-03-13T00:26:18.601-04:00Weekend WizardryJust another blog about table-top role-playing games from somebody with just enough free time.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.comBlogger231125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-72803206971269638582021-06-01T20:53:00.004-04:002021-06-08T12:19:57.694-04:00Back in the Saddle and Behind the Screen.<p>As I mentioned yesterday, I was able to get an actual face-to-face gaming group started last summer. No small feat in the middle of COVID-19. But the four of us managed to pull it off. We managed to avoid getting sick by following the basic rule of "if you don't feel well, don't show up." And that worked, so yay on us.</p><p>I'm running HackMaster, which should come as no surprise to anyone that has read any of my previous posts. It's the longest campaign I have ran since I ran Shadowrun in the 90s. At least this time the party is more consistent.</p><p>The campaign in a nutshell. There are two nations: The one to the north is dealing with orcs coming from the north, and the one from the south is dealing with hobgoblins coming from the south. These nations help each other, but it's not an easy alliance. The hobgoblins from the south have made contact with the orcs to the north, and are now sending supplies and troops in an effort to mount an orc/hobgoblin offensive at the border between the two nations in order to force both armies to fight on two front. That was a run-on sentence. Our heroes just happen to be at the border between the two nations and have just discovered what is going on.</p><p>Now they have to find a way to stop it.</p><p>To be continued...<br /></p>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-18751351168630862272021-05-31T12:23:00.005-04:002021-05-31T12:23:52.944-04:00Did I say, next week? I meant in under six years.<p>So... that was long gap between posts.</p><p>Real life has a way of putting things aside. Gaming and blogging about gaming just happened to be one of the many things that I wasn't able to do for a while.</p><p>Things have started to improve personally. I'm back living in Illinois and close to family again. I receieved my PE (Professional Engineer) license a few years back and am working at a job that I find rewarding. And despite COVID shutting down nearly everything, I have managed to get an actual face-to-face group to play HackMaster on a mostly weekly basis.</p><p>Since I am gaming again (Well, GMing anyway), I should get back to blogging about gaming again. So starting tomorrow I'm going to get in a few quick posts to catch everyone up on my campaign. After that will be a semi-regular posting about the campaign and whatever thoughts I have on GMing and writing adventure ideas.</p>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-18574726514797446202015-06-24T18:00:00.000-04:002015-06-24T18:00:04.677-04:00A week from today......I will have new posts on this blog. Relevant posts hopefully. With pictures, maybe video too.<br />
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Stay tuned.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-77121927276116191302014-09-14T19:52:00.001-04:002014-09-14T19:54:34.199-04:00Keepsakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, I was cleaning my apartment yesterday when I stumbled upon this.<br />
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It's the final character sheet for my old PC Lt. Hornsby from John Higgins' Engines & Empires Game. It's been over three years since that campaign ended and I am still holding on to this thing.<br />
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It's amazing what it is about role-playing games that turns a normal person into a hoarder. The chances that I will ever get to play Reg again is slim to none, but I still hold on to this character sheet, along with many others from numerous games that I have played in, ran or wrote but never got a chance to run. And then there's the old mud-dice, cardboard tokens and half-scribbled notes from games past. I think part of it is the nostalgia. Not only of the adventure itself, but of those times when friends gathered together to game. At the same time I discovered this sheet, I also found a slew of character sheets my brother used from the old Shadowrun 2e/3e games I used to run and the times we would gather in the living room with our friends and play. I remember each session not only for the game, but for the stuff we went through just to get things going. My fondest gaming memory is not about slinging dice, but me and three of my friends piling into my Dodge Neon and hitting every McDonald's within ten minutes of my apartment in order to get around the 'limit five per customer' stipulation on 49 cent cheeseburger day. Dinner was more of an adventure that night.<br />
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I guess that in the end, it's not too crazy to hold on to keepsakes from gaming. At least in my case, it's because it's more than just about that time my fighter got his first +1 sword.<br />
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Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-32536103726684679222014-01-02T21:25:00.002-05:002014-01-02T21:25:48.602-05:00[New Magic Item] Bag of BagsSorry for the lack of posting. I'm not going to bore everyone with personal junk. Instead I will just dive into blogging again and hope for the best.<br />
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Over Christmas vacation last week, I got inspired for this new magic item. And given that it's a container, that means it belongs in the hallowed halls of...<br />
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<b>Bag of Bags</b><br />
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This canvas satchel measures 12" long by 2" wide by 12" deep with a shoulder strap for easy carrying. Opening the bag reveals that it is filled to the completely with neatly folded burlap that appears to be sewn into the bag itself. No other items can be placed in the <i>bag of bags</i>. However, when the command word, a burlap sack may be withdrawn from the <i>bag of bags</i>.<br />
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The user determines the capacity of the sack when it is withdrawn (in cubic feet), but each <i>bag of bags</i> is limited to a total of 10d10 cubic feet of bags. The sacks themselves are very durable, but cannot carry more than 50 lbs per cubic foot of volume and possess no other magical properties.<br />
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Burlap sacks withdrawn from the <i>bag of bags</i> may be returned to it provided that there is at least 1 cubic foot of sack still within the satchel. Once the bag of bags is completely emptied, it becomes a non-magical canvas satchel with a carrying capacity of 10 lbs.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-78668603696367421382013-09-28T18:56:00.000-04:002013-09-28T18:56:05.074-04:00GaryCon V Recap Post- Part III: The WeekendLadies and gentlemen, sorry about the delay. This is Michael here, and I kinda agreed a while back to write up my last two days of GaryCon to get the lead-in to Dave's last two days. Sadly, I've been having a host of issues, so I've kept things delayed... a few months. I really need to finish this up. SO! Where were we?<br />
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Saturday started pretty well honestly. It was the one day Dave and I were going to be sharing two games, and the first game was Mutant Future. Or to be more accurate, using the Mutant Future setting to play out an episode of THUNDARR THE BARBARIAN! Ah, nostalgia and kids' shows. And the GM honestly rocked. <i>( <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/109494420214542168341" target="_blank">+Tim Snider</a> of <a href="http://www.savageafterworld.com/">The Savage Afterworld</a>- Dave)</i> I won't go too heavy into details, god knows Dave might want to, but this was a GREAT game, with the GM playing up the motif with the opening credits played on his laptop, as well as a commercial break. Lots of fun, imaginative playing of the setting, and honestly we really abused some of the opportunities we got. Great game and great start. I think we kinda beat it a bit early, got handed free settings books for if we wanted to do Thundarr ourselves, and went off to eat some before our next game. <i>(Long story short, I managed to quadruplicate Ookla to defeat the enemy. -Dave)</i><br />
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Again, that was intended to be our first game, and I was looking forward to my second as well. See, the followup was a game of Dungeon! I really love that game, and I do need to get a copy of it myself. <i>(I got one! -Dave)</i> Wizards of the Coast did a reprint of the game so if you like board games, pick it up. Again, it was hosted by the creator of the game, who's name escapes me, Dave will probably correct it in. <i>(David Megarry -Dave)</i> And he told again the story of the game, showing the first edition and the tables it was originally played on. Very cool stuff. Sadly, I got to feeling unwell by the time the history was told, and had to excuse myself. So I got to miss out on the actual game itself. Went back to my room and rested most of Saturday away, using my laptop to keep in contact with people online and post some in forums. Even sick, I did some role-playing. Shush.<br />
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And that takes me to Sunday, and the last game on my list. The one I'd been looking forward to all con. Call of Cthulhu. Honestly, I'd never played it and I'd wanted to for SO LONG. I love the Lovecraftian setting and I really had been looking forward to it. By the time I got there, there were about five other players waiting, and more showing up as we settled in to talk and chat. Friends and people I'd met from prior cons, I was really looking forward to the game!<br />
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And the GM never showed up. Nobody knew what happened to him, where he was. Talked to the con staff, they had no idea what was going on. Table was bleeding players as people went to try and see if there were openings in second pick games when yet again the awesome con staff came through. There was someone with some experience in Call who was willing to GM for us. Great man, I REALLY wish I could remember his name (I am HORRIBLE with names) <i>(Don't ask me, I was playing Traveler at the time- Dave)</i> who more or less ran us through a condensed form of one of his basic sessions. Dave came along during the game, his own game plans kinda shot, and he sat to watch a good deal of the fun as we tried to investigate through a mysterious death and tragic murder. <i>(No, my game went pretty well actually -Dave) </i>All of it looked to lead up to an occult conspiracy and a plan to summon an elder god, and two of our impromptu group got captured by cultists and held in a prison under their base. The rest of us came in, not knowing they were trapped, and confronted the leader of the cult...<br />
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And I will admit part of this was my just being kinda tired and feeling ready to head home, but... When the cult leader asked us if there was anything he could say to get us on his side? I sold everyone out, kinda. I'd been hired, NOT paid, and had been working this nonsense without any hope of recompense. I think it rather tickled the GM that I was more than happy to be paid off, and my detective left the rest of them behind to cash his check and get on the first ship he could find to France, get as FAR away from all that nonsense as he could. Honestly? Great end to my last day.<br />
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Dave and I had already packed up the car so, we left. Got lunch at a nice out of the way place with... Crap. Dave, tell the rest of the story, my brain is pudding for names.<br />
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<i>Afterwards we hung out with <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/110317956039473489083" target="_blank">+Christopher Stogdill</a>, <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/110979821397474009432" target="_blank">+Carolyn Stogdill</a>, <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/110944531714199191613" target="_blank">+Paul Raasch</a> and <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/109999625643365722602" target="_blank">+Scott Schwartz</a> at Hogs & Kisses in Lake Geneva for lunch before heading home. Overall, it was a great time.</i><br />
<i><br />In related news, GaryCon VI has officially been announced for March 27-30, 2014. For more information go to <a href="http://garycon.com/">garycon.com</a></i>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-51730985708510123282013-05-12T18:31:00.004-04:002013-05-12T18:31:44.463-04:00Happy Birthday Baby Bro!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Can't you tell how excited he is to turn 36?<br />
<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-72687666343545988522013-05-06T21:54:00.001-04:002013-05-06T21:54:03.557-04:00The GaryCon V Recap Post- Part II: Friday<i>[This is a continuation of the belated recap of GaryCon V that took place in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin last month. This recap also features my brother Michael as a guest blogger.</i><br />
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<i>Also, I need to get this done so I can move on and blog about other things.]</i><br />
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<b>Friday</b><br />
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One of the things I told myself I was going to do Thursday was to get everything together for the Shootout. That didn't happen, so for the second year in a row I was scrambling to get building models assembled and paper minis cut out. The glue sticks I purchased for the models didn't work at all, so I had to run back to Wal-Mart to buy tape. As for the minis, it turns out that I didn't have them with me when I left upstate New York. And my attempts to print out copies from the hotel's printer failed spectacularly as they didn't have any PDF viewers on their office computer. I decided to make do with the fantasy minis I used the day before and continued on. My only interruption being when Michael came back from his 9am game earlier than expected. I'll let him explain.<br />
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So 10 comes around and I have six buildings done and no minis. I head downstairs to my table and sure enough, it's full. Really full. I would say at least a dozen players lined up to start shooting. I explain the miniature situation to everyone, and was blessed with a player that offered his own minis to use for the game. The only thing was, he didn't have western minis. He had Star Wars HeroClix. So the old western town is now populated by stormtroopers, rebel soldiers and Wookiees.<br />
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In other words, classic DIY old-school gaming. The game went well. Though I noticed people stayed to the outskirts of the map and would 're-spawn' in the same locations over and over again to avenge their slain players. Three and a half hours later there were four survivors (despite the title of the game), and I began making plans for a 'sequel' that would involve a few more things that would encourage people to interact with the environment. Michael seemed to have fun playing as well, which was good seeing as this was essentially a replacement for the game he was going to play.<br />
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After the game Michael and I headed for the bar to grab some lunch. We ended up sitting in on yet another seminar as Rob Kuntz spoke about his thoughts on the gaming industry and where he thought it should go. Long story short, he's a big fan of "rules-light' gaming and thinks things went downhill the moment skill systems came into play. Can't say that I completely agree or disagree. I love rules-light games for the freedom they give to players and GMs, but it's also nice to have certain rules in place to make sure things are adjudicated fairly.<br />
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That evening I was supposed to play in my VIP game with Frank Mentzer. But having played in a game of his last year and gine to his seminar the day before, I felt like I pretty much got the whole story from him. So instead I headed for the Kenzer booth to play some HackMaster. Steven Johansson was our GM, and he was challenging to say the least. It was one of those games where if you didn't think fast, you were dead. And I was. The rest of the D-Team showed up later and joined in and that was when things began to shift.<br />
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Now, I love the guys from Kenzer. David Kenzer once responded to a letter I wrote him back in 2001 when I seriously considered starting my own game store (I chose to get my engineering degree instead), and Brian Jelke forwarded my resume onto some of the higher ups at the company he works for when I was out of work. And of course Jolly and Barbara Blackburn are sweethearts. But here's the thing, most of the Kenzer crew have known each other since high school. So when the entire gang was there, I felt like I was intruding on someone else's game. I think Michael felt the same way when he joined in, but in his defense, he had his second game of the day fall through not more than five minutes prior. It was not his day.<br />
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The rest of Friday is a blur for me. I didn't get into a Werewolf game as I had planned. fatigue was starting to set in and had a full day of playing ahead of me for Saturday. So I called it a night and went to bed.<br />
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Hopefully I will have the next (and final) installment of this series up a lot quicker than this one took.<br />
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And that's where I come in. The next installment is of course Saturday and Sunday's gaming, but while Saturday was Dave's big day of events, mine was Friday. Three games, my one VIP, everything set up to be my BIG day at the con. So how do things go?<br /><br />Well, I get up early as usual for a day off (6, 7am maybe?) and already we're in the point where Dave's got to get ready for the shootout. I know my brother loves craft work, but honestly I don't. And to be honest, I was kinda glad I wouldn't be sticking around too much to help out in construction. Oh, I'll do it. And I did do it, but it's not like I enjoy it. (BTW, Dave? No more Exacto knives. Next time, we get a pair of strong craft scissors and use them instead. Maybe a bit wide of a cut, but would be MUCH better for the long cuts.)<br /><br />So, of course I'm getting ready because my game started early. My ticket read 8, but I knew it was a 12 person game with scheduled times at 8am and 10am so I knew something was up. I got ready to head down early, getting to the table with plenty of time to wait and be ready... to find nobody there, and that the game was officially scheduled to start at 9. Fun. So I went back to the room to help cut more buildings and get a drink. Just a bit of time killing, I headed back early anyway just to make sure I got a seat. No problem, right?<br /><br />By which point someone from the con staff (I'm sorry sir, I don't remember your name but you were a very kind person) had come by to tell those of us already waiting that the game about the news. Apparently the GM for it (Frank Mentzer, huh. Same as Dave's) had wanted to schedule his game for 12 people at 9am. But to work in the system, they split it into two blocks of six, and had times scheduled at 8 and 10, but a correction in the book telling everyone the game started at 9. Apparently that was not enough for Mr. Mentzer, who canceled the event. According to him, he'd canceled it three days before. (Which wouldn't have helped those of us who'd scheduled it far in advance.) The people of the Con staff, they just found out about it that morning.<br /><br />Now, the staff of GaryCon? Awesome people, every last one. We were asked (those of us who came in at that point) if we wanted to have help finding another game, but as it was the Mnetzer game was the one thing that was going to keep me busy and away from part of the shootout. So instead, I went to head back to the room to help Dave get things set up so we could head down prepared and on time.<br /><br />I don't need to say much about the shootout of course. Dave's game went about as he said, aside from the typical 'we've gotta print out this extra thing' that always goes with any game these days. Still, I did my best to survive, and we had a large pile of corpses at the end, along with quite a few people more than happy over the event. Always good to make friends over dead bodies. And yes, we all died on the outskirts of town, was a right pain in the arse to get inside. Plus, the session might have taken about four hours, but in the game's time? I think the shootout itself lasted about 3 minutes. At best.<br /><br />Of course after that was lunch, which went kinda well, and the overheard event about game design. Gotta agree with Dave on this. Rules light SOUNDS nice, until you realize that you're entirely at the mercy of your gm. Heck, even rules-heavy you're at the GM's mercy too many times, but the more rules you have, the less you have to wonder at your defaults.<br /><br />I'll get back to that.<br /><br />So. Last game of the day was yet again, another system I haven't tried before. I've heard a lot of people playing Pathfinder, even Dave got to try it one year.<i> (Last year to be exact- Dave)</i> Wanted to make my own break into the system with something that might be easy, and let's be honest. Pre-gens are supposed to be available at a con, right?<br /><br />Except by the time I got there someone else who was brand new was already at the table, being told he had to read a printout from the website. And there was apparently some huge reading he'd have to do just to get the setting. Everyone else already at the table was watching the guy try and just figure out the campaign setting, there was nothing mentioned about the basics. After waiting around for a few minutes too long holding on to my ticket and waiting, Iunno, to be noticed there at the table I wrote the Pathfinder game off and went back to the room to relax a bit.<br /><br />Soooo... Yeah. that wasn't even the capper to the night. Dave had eventually decided to play with the D-team, and I got bored of laying around the room. So I went out just to look around, but I was fool enough to bring my dice with me. Dave dragooned me into playing the game with everyone, they needed a warrior and had a stack of pre-gens. I grabbed a dwarf, started along on front of the party. Apparently we were in a sewer or something, very watery area, but we came out into a dry spot above the water line. Two kobolds attack us, I advance to engage... And apparently without warning there's a water pit in my path. Asked what my swimming is at, can't find it on the sheet. Well, that's apparently not a default skill and five seconds into the thing to happen after I sit down, I apparently drown instantly falling into a puddle. Completely gone from view, lost forever to time. I waited there long enough to watch another person instantly drown by stepping into the same spot, then went back to the room and watched Real Genius.<br /><br />My Friday, ladies and gents.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-74479700413310996592013-04-04T21:55:00.003-04:002013-04-04T21:55:29.456-04:00Finally! The GaryCon V Recap Post- Part I: ThursdaySince I have slacked off on completing my blogging about GaryCon V, I decided that it would be a good idea to bring in a guest blogger. And who better than the man that shared a hotel room with me all convention long, my brother Michael. You know, this guy.<br />
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Since Michael and I weren't always in the same place at the same time, we should be able to give you a broader view of the convention. And in those cases where we were together, hopefully different perspectives. And we have both agreed to not go easy on each other, so this should be fun.<br />
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<b>Thursday</b><br />
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Okay, new rule for GaryCon VI, NO MORE 8AM GAMES! As both a player and GM it is way to early in the morning.<br />
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My 8am HackMaster game was what I would consider a success. I already had four preregistered players to begin with, and fortunately had two walk-ups come up to fill the fifth and sixth slots. In this case the walk-ups were Patti and Jesse, people I knew from previous GaryCons who played in my A&8s Shootout last year. This was the last year that I would be running this particular adventure. And it still amazes me that despite being the author, I keep forgetting key points about the final encounter, such as the use of missile weapons by the enemies. But things wrapped up well and I found out that fellow HackMaster GM <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/117261734716919756127" target="_blank">+George Fields</a> would be using my adventure in his home campaign. So overall it was a good way to go out.<br />
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After grabbing lunch, Michael and I headed to the bar to listen to Frank Mentzer talk about his time at TSR and his friendship with Gary Gygax. I had heard some of these stories last year when I played in Frank's OD&D game. As someone that never got into the history of things at TSR until much later in life, it was an enlightening discussion of the process of game design, game accessories and the unfortunate ouster of Gary Gygax from the company he helped found. Frankly, I hope these seminars continue at future conventions with more guest speakers.<br />
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My evening game was my Basic D&D game. This one filled up right away, but I managed to squeeze one more person in. This was the adventure that I spent the most amount of prep time on. It was also the one where I tossed everything out within an hour of starting. That's not a bad thing in the slightest. The adventure as written was pretty much a 'railroad' adventure requiring the party to behave in a certain way and for various pre-written events to occur in a particular order. The players pretty much prevented that from occurring by committing the number one gamer sin, splitting the party! One elf with an invisibility spell was able to scout ahead for everything. In turn, I was forced to take the information written within the adventure and just wing it. What was supposed to be a one-shot where the players solve a mystery and gain a tidy sum of gold turned into the acquisition of a fort and the plotting to get involved in a scheme of their own.<br />
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I don't remember much of what followed that night. My best guess is that I went back to the hotel room and went to bed. I had decided to front-load all the events I was running to earlier in the con, and had just one more to do the following morning. But that is another story.<br /><br />******<br /><br />Huh, I'm supposed to add to this? Little secret here people, my brother may protest that he's unable to write, but the truth of the matter is that what he actually needs half the time is motivation. The kick to the ass. I guess that's what I am for this so let the buttock prodding begin.<br /><br />First off, go ahead and insert my photo in again. Yeah, that's right. Most appropriate picture of me most of the time. This is the man talking here.<br />
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJg4r86ivecUwwUt97QN-MtoPKbfrLhEKJr1DlseFGNb_9svFSpqJHWTbjv6ieKcpEy89B_XNQYgSa3vG37y_a4y8fM_1IZ9GDBYD-u9ct_oXrcSuYmrtoacAuygUZNTOUxlK-cubuaJGs/s1600/babybroannoyed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />Much better. Now, I think Dave already discussed Day 0 here already. Could get into it much, but won't. I spent the prep days setting myself up for GaryCon in completely different ways than my brother. See, while Dave's a GM and ran, what... Three games over the weekend? I'm a player, and as such my time was spent gaming instead.<br /><br />Well, was meant to be just a busy vacation weekend at least. My plans were simple. Play as many new games as possible this weekend. If I haven't played it, I'd try it. Simple as that. So Day 1 started with the DCU game, 'DGS Presents: Big Trouble in Gotham's Chinatown!' First year trying a Dead Games Society game and I THINK it went off pretty well. Played the Huntress, dealt with some evil group trying to steal an artifact for magical power. With NINJAS! Bit of an issue as I got labeled a killer for taking out a ninja with repeated crossbow bolts, but the guy playing Hawk gutted two, maybe three ninjas and nobody got on him for it. So unfair.<br /><br />Still, we did pull it off and saved the day, and freed Katana from Mind Control. So that's good.<br /><br />After that was the aforementioned lunch and the 'TSR with Gary Gygax (1980 to 1985)' event. Which conveniently enough took place in the very same bar we were having lunch in, we got to sit with our drinks. For me though, this was where I started having restless problems and had to leave half-way through. Just can't sit still at times, unless I'm being active.<br /><br />So, as that was my last event for the day, this is where I go into how my prep differs from Dave's. For one thing, not being a GM meant that I didn't spend off-time prepping for other events for the most part. Being Day 1, the shops hadn't been set up yet and there were fewer people around than you'd expect. Slow first days and all. But that honestly suited me, I'm nowhere near my brother's level of social activity. For that, I spent some prep work beforehand to keep myself entertained.<br /><br />Now, Dave didn't mention because he doesn't think like I do, but sometimes you'll have downtime and no interest in going out to do stuff. For that, I brought a few minor things that helped over the four days. Three DVDs, of which I only REALLY watched one. A Laptop of my own this year, which got a good deal of my attention, and most of all a mini media player. Which kinda took away the afternoon on Thursday, spending my time listening to audiobooks and relaxing. It wasn't going to be my busy day. That was supposed to be the next day. But... Well, I'll get to that when we roll to Day 2.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-74802998522211181942013-03-22T23:56:00.001-04:002013-03-22T23:56:27.467-04:00Pics from GaryCon VThese are mostly pics of some of the events I participated in and the people I hung out with. But they should give you a feel for what was going on at the convention.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/117261734716919756127" target="_blank">+George Fields</a> </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/100243476201957689834" target="_blank">+Jolly Blackburn</a> holds court with some Kenzerites.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Geekpreacher <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/105550972877249958466" target="_blank">+Derek White</a> </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My buddy Paul runs a late night game of HackMaster on Saturday.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More of Paul's HackMaster game.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lobby of the Geneva Ridge Resort on Sunday afternoon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunday gaming at the Kenzer booth.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/100243476201957689834" target="_blank">+Jolly Blackburn</a> runs a HackMaster demo.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/104304976002506977254" target="_blank">+Barbara Blackburn</a> and <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/110979821397474009432" target="_blank">+Carolyn Stogdill</a> </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/110317956039473489083" target="_blank">+Christopher Stogdill</a> , <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/100243476201957689834" target="_blank">+Jolly Blackburn</a> and <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/117261734716919756127" target="_blank">+George Fields</a> </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone cast Blur on Jolly</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George points and laughs at Jolly while Chris gives mocking encouragement.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris and Carolyn</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jolly trying to remember my name.</td></tr>
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<span id="goog_1328764230"></span><span id="goog_1328764231"></span><br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-20384714731541802822013-03-19T21:45:00.000-04:002013-03-19T21:45:20.691-04:00There Will Be a GaryCon V Post!I was planning on vlogging my way through GaryCon V, but the presence of hundreds of people at the Geneva Ridge Resort put a damper on the wi-fi. My video of the events of "Day Zero" would have taken over eight hours to upload back in Wisconsin. And my constant worrying about the video on Thursday led to me not preparing for a game on Friday until the 11th hour. So I decided to eschew any "journalism" and focus more on enjoying my vacation, which is really what my trip to GaryCon was about.<br />
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Anyway, without further ado, here is Day Zero.<br />
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-67306217192280126452013-03-13T23:48:00.002-04:002013-03-13T23:48:27.635-04:00GaryCon is Tomorrow!And I do have some content to add about it! However, I committed to doing a vlog about traveling from my brother's apartment to Lake Geneva and all relevant subjects about it. The video has been recorded, but now I'm waiting for the Flip program to finish compiling all the small vids into one video to upload to YouTube. So as soon as that's done I'll append it to this post for all to see.<br />
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But just for a Cliff's Notes version, things are pretty awesome right now.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-20643180245830269282013-03-12T22:55:00.001-04:002013-03-12T22:55:21.091-04:00Two Days Till GaryCon!Ugh, I hate travel days. I got slightly more sleep last night than I did the night before. Then it's five hours of sitting in a cramped plane or hauling heavy bags throughout the airports. By the time my mother and stepfather picked me up at O'Hare, I was just plain miserable. I needed lunch and a nap and not much else.<br />
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However, fate would dictate there be more to today. That's because today's my 39th birthday, and there was celebrating to be had. So after a two hour nap, we were off to a nice restaurant for a great meal and one of the best gin martinis I have ever had. The second half of the day more than made up for the first.<br />
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Now, it's back to bed to get ready for tomorrow. I'm (hopefully) meeting an old friend for lunch tomorrow before picking up Michael and heading to Lake Geneva. See you all there.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-30980939596607607912013-03-11T21:43:00.000-04:002013-03-11T21:43:30.588-04:00Three Days Till GaryCon!I managed to get a total of two hours sleep last night.<br />
<br />
Yeah.<br />
<br />
So now here it's almost 9pm Eastern and I have to get every last minute thing packed and accounted for before I catch my flight tomorrow. Ideally, I'll be at the airport by around 8am. Which shouldn't be a problem since I live about fifteen minutes away from it.<br />
<br />
I did manage to get the last of the paper minis I need printed. Mad props to Ze Bullete at <a href="http://dungeonsndigressions.blogspot.com/search/label/Paper%20Minis">Dungeons and Digressions</a> for all the work he put into his paper minis.<br />
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Hopefully there won't be any delays sue to the weather. It's finally warming up here, but I understand it's still cold back home.<br />
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Tomorrow's blog will most likely be a vlog since I'll be traveling. I'll be bringing my Flip camera along with my webcam to take video during the con. Hopefully i will have plenty to share.<br />
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Later.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-57296683014412234732013-03-10T21:45:00.001-04:002013-03-10T21:45:49.778-04:00Four Days Till GaryCon! Okay, looks like I found the solution to my minis problem. If you are looking for some high-quality fantasy paper minis, look no further than <a href="http://www.thefantasytrip.org/pieces.php">The Fantasy Trip</a>. There are tons of well drawn figures there.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow is going to be a weird day for me. Due to GaryCon and my birthday falling within the same week, I decided to head out to Chicago a day earlier. But this means that I have a one-day workweek this week. And with my job, I'm not getting a lot of projects dropped in my lap since I won't be around to finish any of them. It should make things interesting to say the least.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-43507597072013870762013-03-09T20:04:00.000-05:002013-03-09T20:04:55.007-05:00Five Days Till GaryCon! First, I can't believe that I didn't think of this sooner. But the solution to yesterday's problem was realizing the a mat that could be rolled up could also be folded.<br />
<br />
Second, it looks like I'll be checking my bags after all, since I will be bringing a few of my pained miniatures with me for my HackMaster game. I suppose it is possible to get them by the TSA without issue. But I am seriously debating whether or not it would be worth the hassle. I am trying to find some good paper minis to bring with me. I'm having some luck with the PCs, but I need ones of kobolds and dogs for my adventure. Alternately, I could use some sort of token or pawn as a stand-in. but I need to get them fast and cheap.<br />
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Other than that, I just need to make sure I have all my other stuff (i.e. everything not game or clothing related) packed and ready to go Tuesday morning. <br />
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-76588315098926318092013-03-08T23:33:00.001-05:002013-03-08T23:33:06.755-05:00Six Days Till GaryCon! Off the Grid?It just occurred to me that I won't be able to take my game mat to GaryCon. It's too long to fit in my bags, and when rolled up it could easily get lost on the plane. I forgot that I got around this issue last year by having a set of disposable grids printed on poster paper. But I used them all up gaming last year.<br />
<br />
While most games don't really require the use of minis and mats to work, my Friday morning game does since all it is is a big combat for about a dozen people at a time. So now I need to figure out how to get a grid laid down for one game without shelling out a lot of money.<br />
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Any ideas?Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-20149772451311617822013-03-07T22:00:00.000-05:002013-03-07T22:00:22.330-05:00One Week Till GaryCon! Getting Closer.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pkEkfHeuX9VHl5ICdw8zx-oV8Xs94-DtAQvibEEpSJNq801LKnITx_zbMWzCjr-vOmKrUP4kEfALi6SWXauUm9NTTJyTqIT8QzEgHStVP270qW-IT_ST6NEJT6EO3gOZl53axRYakEUD/s1600/SSPX0017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pkEkfHeuX9VHl5ICdw8zx-oV8Xs94-DtAQvibEEpSJNq801LKnITx_zbMWzCjr-vOmKrUP4kEfALi6SWXauUm9NTTJyTqIT8QzEgHStVP270qW-IT_ST6NEJT6EO3gOZl53axRYakEUD/s320/SSPX0017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The first of my bags are packed for my trip. Five days worth of clothes are in this blue bag. Since I will be staying at my mother's house on Tuesday and Sunday I have the luxury of doing laundry before heading home. Just one more bag and I'll be ready to get on the plane and head home to the Midwest.<br />
<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-91149416501016833922013-03-06T21:39:00.000-05:002013-03-06T21:39:53.388-05:008 Days Till GaryCon! Employment Opportunity!Just read this on the <a href="http://www.kenzerco.com/forums/showthread.php?60036-KenzerCo-looking-for-an-intern&p=1198598#post1198598">Kenzer & Company Forums</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Interested in learning the nuts and bolts of running a hobby game
company? We are currently looking for a part-time intern. We are looking
for a reliable, responsible, detail-minded, organized individual who
does not mind doing manual labor. This job will included but not be
limited to: Warehouse duties: packing product, shipping orders, moving
boxes, transporting orders to post office and UPS, etc. Convention
duties: set-up, take-down, working the booths, running demos, etc.
Proofreading and playtesting. Extensive knowledge of our products is a
plus. This job would be a maximum of 10-20 hours per week. A reliable
vehicle is required. Must live in a reasonable proximity to our office
in Waukegan, IL. Please email <a href="mailto:Jennifer@kenzerco.com">Jennifer@kenzerco.com</a> subject: INTERN, if interested.</b></blockquote>
As I have mentioned in the past, the Kenzer crew are a bunch of great people and I am a huge fan of their products. So if any of you that live in the northern Chicago suburbs, this may be an opportunity worth seeking out.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-88021902244691084672013-03-05T22:11:00.000-05:002013-03-05T22:11:02.605-05:009 Days Till GaryCon! Now Is Not The Time To Panic.Ever have a deadline for something that you are given notice months in advance, yet by the time that date is almost upon you you realize how much you have yet to get done?<br />
<br />
Yeah, that's me finally getting all my buildings printed for my Aces & Eights Shootout.<br />
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And I still have a few other things I need to get squared away before next week.<br />
<br />
Yipes!Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-8946895603021492052013-03-04T21:19:00.000-05:002013-03-04T21:19:01.127-05:0010 Days Till GaryCon! Lest We Forget.To those of us gamers that willingly take up the screen. To spend hours prepping monsters that will not be fought, planting clues that won't be sought, crafting villains that won't get caught. To put up with players that accuse you of cheating, playing favorites, and being unfair. To those of us that play games, but don't get to be called 'players'.<br />
<br />
Happy GameMaster's Day. We couldn't do it without you.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-69436087011515910362013-03-03T21:25:00.001-05:002013-03-03T21:25:31.113-05:0011 Days Till GaryCon! Time to Start Packing.First of all, The Dead Games Society will be throwing a 70s theme party in their suite on Friday Night at 9pm. I have a game running at that time, but I might be able to stop by late.<br />
<br />
I'm in the process of packing for the con, and am having the issue of what size bags to bring. My big concern having to do with carrying books with me through the airport. While I can run HackMaster from HMB and D&D from the Cyclopedia, I still need to bring my Aces & Eights book for the shootout and my Hacklopedia of Beasts just to get it signed by the rest of the D-Team. Plus there's the unwritten rule of not checking any bag that has anything you can't live without on your trip. And since I don't want to pay and extra $25 on each trip, that means packing light so I can bring everything as a carry-on.<br />
<br />
So it looks like it's going to be a backpack and small suitcase for this journey. Likely doable, but definitely stuffed to capacity. Thankfully most of the time my bags will in my room and not carried around. But it's one of those little things you have to deal with when you travel, even if it's just to game.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-35178008379742373612013-03-02T23:23:00.000-05:002013-03-02T23:23:10.136-05:0012 Days Till GaryCon! Good Signs.You know that GaryCon is rapidly approaching when <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/102210213162064249789" target="_blank">+David Kenzer</a> takes a break from working on the HackMaster Game Master's Guide <a href="https://plus.google.com/102210213162064249789/posts">to see who else is going</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYX8FRnoPwpIb46b2DKS_JCGodyYcZlyVcqzC8xPKpmuq03dVDu4UW0j6MvfujgTyQ6Yczh4sK6waOu_E6K88HrWFs7_zj86scxRc-FXGnQlqg4GAacYx1u78sJ-b7R3N5O5btT6keChZq/s1600/imagejpeg_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYX8FRnoPwpIb46b2DKS_JCGodyYcZlyVcqzC8xPKpmuq03dVDu4UW0j6MvfujgTyQ6Yczh4sK6waOu_E6K88HrWFs7_zj86scxRc-FXGnQlqg4GAacYx1u78sJ-b7R3N5O5btT6keChZq/s320/imagejpeg_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now I just have to make sure I get him to sign my "Air Mail Stamp" Hacklopedia of Beats (top left).<br />
<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-75810454219377216502013-03-01T23:50:00.001-05:002013-03-01T23:50:32.826-05:0013 Days Till GaryCon! Memories of GaryCon IV: The ConclusionSunday was kind of a non-starter for me. Despite my intention to close GaryCon IV, I had the urge to get going early in the morning. So around 10am, Michael and I checked out and made the ride back to Chicago. Once we got there we kind of realized that my flight back to Elmira wasn't going to be for another 24 hours, so we had to find something to do.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJg4r86ivecUwwUt97QN-MtoPKbfrLhEKJr1DlseFGNb_9svFSpqJHWTbjv6ieKcpEy89B_XNQYgSa3vG37y_a4y8fM_1IZ9GDBYD-u9ct_oXrcSuYmrtoacAuygUZNTOUxlK-cubuaJGs/s1600/babybroannoyed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJg4r86ivecUwwUt97QN-MtoPKbfrLhEKJr1DlseFGNb_9svFSpqJHWTbjv6ieKcpEy89B_XNQYgSa3vG37y_a4y8fM_1IZ9GDBYD-u9ct_oXrcSuYmrtoacAuygUZNTOUxlK-cubuaJGs/s1600/babybroannoyed.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We could have been gaming until 6pm. But you just had to get antsy, didn't you?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To be honest, there isn't much left to talk about after heading out. I hung out at my brother's apartment the rest of the day, and then headed back to O'Hare the next morning. I did realize that getting a rental car was a nice perk for the weekend, but the cost outweighed the benefits since it was parked in the hotel lot for four of the five days I had it. I also realized my need to pace myself in the future so I wasn't hitting the pillow before midnight. In all, GaryCon IV was the con where a lot of stuff should have happened, but didn't. And that's all on me. Hopefully, things will work out better at GaryCon V. Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435217868501258308.post-16513477630446656702013-02-28T21:59:00.000-05:002013-02-28T21:59:03.042-05:0014 Days Till GaryCon! The Chalet.So in addition to being <a href="http://weekendwizardry.blogspot.com/2013/02/23-days-till-garycon-improv-at-garycon.html">the site of improv on Wednesday night</a>, the new chalet at the Geneva Ridge Resort will also be the site of gaming during the con. Now this should be a good thing in that it gives more room for gaming and allows future GaryCons to stay at the resort. On the other hand, the chalet is new and it seems that a shuttle is required to get there from the main hotel. Since some games will be held at the hotel proper, I'm just a bit concerned that some people may not realize that there is a 'second site' for the con if that's where their game is scheduled to be.<br />
<br />
Of course, there really is no way to know how things will work out until the convention. Hopefully there will be enough logistics and communications in place to make everything work smoothly.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06346892249648511888noreply@blogger.com0