luke
09-02-2003, 12:27 AM
Just returned from DragonCon. Haven't slept more than 2 hours in the last 30. I'm tired, but I wanted to give a rundown of the con before it starts sliding away, and before I get really busy this week.
So let me do a blow by blow and you can ask questions about stuff I gloss over:
Friday:
Due to arrive in Atlanta at 6:45 (where I will meet my brother at the airport) in time to get to the con, pick up my badge, and sit in on the last half of Don's Bound in Darkness game.
Nope. Flight delayed 2.5 hours. End up getting to the con and getting registered by 10:30 pm. Great. We meet up with Don and Jo, meet Will and Virginia, ditch our stuff at the Marriot. Friday's a bust, but we watched Blade 2, which rocked and ate at the Hard Rock Cafe, which did not.
BTW, the Marriot really is science fiction. It's like being in a zaibatsu arcology from a Gibson story. We'll post pictures. It's wild.
The other notable sight at the con is the costumes. Easily a third of the con goers are done up. From storm troopers, bikini wearing fairies, highland scots, ghost busters, borg, sailor moons, spidermen, the tick, roman legionaires, orcs, goths, space marines, to cobra troopers. It was quite a sight indeed.
Saturday:
Exorbidantly overpriced breakfast. Ugh.
Then a ran a huge melee demo at 1. 9 people in one session. Definitely a bit of a strain, running first timers through it. Dro played a Named Orc, who got rope-a-doped, knifed and axed in the legs. Hart played a Troll Ironshield (sans shield), who took on 7 of the 9 players on his own before submitting to their blows.
Food court dinner after that! And I met up with my old friend Toby, who was an big inspiration for me to write my own game. (He has set #3).
Saturday night, I made Hart sit in on Don's Bound in Darkness game. Too much esoterica for his head, apparently. Fortunately, the other players enjoyed the scenario thoroughly and two came back for more Sunday.
After that we played Are You a Werewolf for a couple of hours. Dro didn't want to play, he just read his gamer porn. Hart didn't want to play either, but I made him. After one game he was hooked. Oh, and I was a werewolf, and I did win.
Late saturday night, Hart, Dro and I played in an Unreal Tournament. It was a blast, Hart and I got our asses handed to us, but Dro was master-killer.
Oh, and I got many comments on my "Nerds Unite" t-shirt. (http://www.nerdnyc.com/store.php)
Sunday:
A tour around the sad dealers' room and not so sad exhibitor hall. Hart and Dro bought cool t-shirts.
Ran VGP at 1 pm for a full table of very cool kids. Hart pronounced it: "One of the best Burning Wheel game EVER!" I think everyone had a good time. They actually succeeded in saving the squire without blindly rushing to their collective death! I was most pleased.
After that, it was Subway for dinner. Ah Subway, nothing succors me like your Veggie Delight. So cheap, so not filling, yet not junk food. Alas.
After dinner we played Are you a Werewolf. Hart won two games! Once by nabbing the werewolf, and once by hiding his furry nature so well and devouring all the villagers!
At 8 pm Sunday night I ran a playtest of Poisonous Ambition for a select few from the demo games who were invited back--Drew, Jim, Glen, Tom, and Drew's other friend-- plus my cadre of elite gamers: Dro, Hart, Don, and Toby.
I would like to out Don right here and now on the forum: He's a freaking off the hook maniac in-game. He's one step away from being a game-jacker. But he's yet to cross the line, and he's so darn fun to play with and he eventually reigns himself in. Suffice to say, Don ate Tom (though Tom had it coming).
PA was utter mayhem, but I think folks had a good time, and I think the adventure will work as "level 2" introduction into BW.
After running PA, I was beat. We got a bite to eat, pre-packed up all the game stuff, and then headed down to netgaming to play in the open-gaming session until dawn. Of course, they cancelled open-gaming. And there was nearly a riot.
What was there left to do but talk game until morning? Don and I talked for a good long time, while Dro, Hart and Will were bored to tears. Glen joined us an opened up the conversation a bit, but Hart was geeked out and just went to bed.
Dro and I stayed up talking until we had to leave to catch Hart's flight.
The ride home was smooth and easy. Hopefully Hart got home ok, I haven't heard from him yet.
All in all, DragonCon was a lot of fun. Though I was, ultimately, disappointed. I could have run many more games, it was my ignorance of the con gaming track structure prevented me from maximizing my time there. Ah well, there will be a next time!
-abzu
So let me do a blow by blow and you can ask questions about stuff I gloss over:
Friday:
Due to arrive in Atlanta at 6:45 (where I will meet my brother at the airport) in time to get to the con, pick up my badge, and sit in on the last half of Don's Bound in Darkness game.
Nope. Flight delayed 2.5 hours. End up getting to the con and getting registered by 10:30 pm. Great. We meet up with Don and Jo, meet Will and Virginia, ditch our stuff at the Marriot. Friday's a bust, but we watched Blade 2, which rocked and ate at the Hard Rock Cafe, which did not.
BTW, the Marriot really is science fiction. It's like being in a zaibatsu arcology from a Gibson story. We'll post pictures. It's wild.
The other notable sight at the con is the costumes. Easily a third of the con goers are done up. From storm troopers, bikini wearing fairies, highland scots, ghost busters, borg, sailor moons, spidermen, the tick, roman legionaires, orcs, goths, space marines, to cobra troopers. It was quite a sight indeed.
Saturday:
Exorbidantly overpriced breakfast. Ugh.
Then a ran a huge melee demo at 1. 9 people in one session. Definitely a bit of a strain, running first timers through it. Dro played a Named Orc, who got rope-a-doped, knifed and axed in the legs. Hart played a Troll Ironshield (sans shield), who took on 7 of the 9 players on his own before submitting to their blows.
Food court dinner after that! And I met up with my old friend Toby, who was an big inspiration for me to write my own game. (He has set #3).
Saturday night, I made Hart sit in on Don's Bound in Darkness game. Too much esoterica for his head, apparently. Fortunately, the other players enjoyed the scenario thoroughly and two came back for more Sunday.
After that we played Are You a Werewolf for a couple of hours. Dro didn't want to play, he just read his gamer porn. Hart didn't want to play either, but I made him. After one game he was hooked. Oh, and I was a werewolf, and I did win.
Late saturday night, Hart, Dro and I played in an Unreal Tournament. It was a blast, Hart and I got our asses handed to us, but Dro was master-killer.
Oh, and I got many comments on my "Nerds Unite" t-shirt. (http://www.nerdnyc.com/store.php)
Sunday:
A tour around the sad dealers' room and not so sad exhibitor hall. Hart and Dro bought cool t-shirts.
Ran VGP at 1 pm for a full table of very cool kids. Hart pronounced it: "One of the best Burning Wheel game EVER!" I think everyone had a good time. They actually succeeded in saving the squire without blindly rushing to their collective death! I was most pleased.
After that, it was Subway for dinner. Ah Subway, nothing succors me like your Veggie Delight. So cheap, so not filling, yet not junk food. Alas.
After dinner we played Are you a Werewolf. Hart won two games! Once by nabbing the werewolf, and once by hiding his furry nature so well and devouring all the villagers!
At 8 pm Sunday night I ran a playtest of Poisonous Ambition for a select few from the demo games who were invited back--Drew, Jim, Glen, Tom, and Drew's other friend-- plus my cadre of elite gamers: Dro, Hart, Don, and Toby.
I would like to out Don right here and now on the forum: He's a freaking off the hook maniac in-game. He's one step away from being a game-jacker. But he's yet to cross the line, and he's so darn fun to play with and he eventually reigns himself in. Suffice to say, Don ate Tom (though Tom had it coming).
PA was utter mayhem, but I think folks had a good time, and I think the adventure will work as "level 2" introduction into BW.
After running PA, I was beat. We got a bite to eat, pre-packed up all the game stuff, and then headed down to netgaming to play in the open-gaming session until dawn. Of course, they cancelled open-gaming. And there was nearly a riot.
What was there left to do but talk game until morning? Don and I talked for a good long time, while Dro, Hart and Will were bored to tears. Glen joined us an opened up the conversation a bit, but Hart was geeked out and just went to bed.
Dro and I stayed up talking until we had to leave to catch Hart's flight.
The ride home was smooth and easy. Hopefully Hart got home ok, I haven't heard from him yet.
All in all, DragonCon was a lot of fun. Though I was, ultimately, disappointed. I could have run many more games, it was my ignorance of the con gaming track structure prevented me from maximizing my time there. Ah well, there will be a next time!
-abzu