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Post by Zenopus on Mar 6, 2022 12:31:28 GMT -6
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2022 12:42:19 GMT -6
I planned on attending a Gary Con once the in-person games continued, but I had to burn through a lot of my vacation time for personal reasons and need to ration out the rest of it for essential things this year. Maybe another time. Hope all you guys' gaming goes well.
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tedopon
Newly-Registered User 
Posts: 86
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Post by tedopon on Mar 6, 2022 15:14:31 GMT -6
It's a different reason every year but again my group made plans for it and again we canceled those plans. Maybe see you next year. Have fun.
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Post by grodog on Mar 6, 2022 15:42:54 GMT -6
Jon and I will be there manning the Black Blade booth during the day, as usual. Jon is also running three sessions of Caverns of Thracia (and the Friday night slot still has one seat available): tabletop.events/conventions/gary-con-xiv/schedule#?query=hershbergerI'll be DMing in Paul's tourney on Friday night, and then playing/running some pickup games other evenings. I didn't submit any events on-grid this year. Allan. |
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Post by scottenkainen on Mar 6, 2022 16:22:34 GMT -6
I have three events in virtual GaryCon, but virtual GaryCon is hardly even a thing this year, and I don't know if I can even find something I want to play when it's not my turn to run. Very disappointing.
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Post by howandwhy99 on Mar 7, 2022 1:09:02 GMT -6
I attend regularly and will again this year. After never having participated in The Garycon Tournament (AD&D) so far, I have thrown my hat in the ring to help DM it. First rounds only however.
My Sunday Diplomacy is filled up, but I am free Wednesday afternoon after check-in for any OD&D Discussion Forum face-to-face dice chucking.
If you haven't attended before, I recommend:
- The Saturday Auction, 4-6ish. It strikes me as the most communal and ceremonious of events. And brings the convention runners out.
- Playing in a game with a game/ product designer. Especially if they are running their own stuff.
- Making a point of greeting the TSR old guard who attend, even if you can't get into one of their games. And let them know they are appreciated.
- Playing Off-Book games, if you can con your way in. Or better yet start your own!
- Greeting people. Unlike other cons, Garycon is historically a bit like Christmas for grown ups. Perhaps less now, but there is a regular crowd and many others who are just as thrilled to be there as you - and you can meet again!
- Bridge of Death
- Getting into town to visit the old landmarks: horticultural hall, 330 Center st.
- Eating out at a very nice restaurant with friends. Your call, but in town has many option and is more economical overall.
- Get the exclusive deals at the dealer hall.
- Grab a T-shirt (apparently older ones are even worth more now). Add to your nerd cred and wear them at the con.
- Attend or at least scout out the awesome wargame room. Preferably while they are in action. The miniatures, ornate tables, and giant boardgames are impressive and can make you giddy even when not playing.
There are a ton of good games being run. And while I am sorry to hear there is less of a Virtual Con presence this year, I am simply grateful to be able to go again.
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Post by Finarvyn on Mar 7, 2022 4:41:07 GMT -6
I'm hoping to go for a short visit. I figure it's around 90 minutes for me to get there, so I may just drive in and hang out for a day and then go home. Looking forward to the folks at the booths, mostly -- Black Blade, Troll Lords, Goodman, maybe others -- so that I can chat with folks I know from online.
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Post by thegreyelf on Mar 7, 2022 6:04:55 GMT -6
I'll be there representing both Troll Lord Games and Elf Lair Games (we are sharing a booth). Stop by and say hello!
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muddy
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 158 
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Post by muddy on Mar 7, 2022 8:07:59 GMT -6
Thanks for posting this. I think I still have two spots open on my Thursday game if anyone is interested. My schedule is pretty full with gaming (including Expedition to Skull Stack Crater and one of the Thracia sessions) but I'd like to meet those of you there if possible. Last (live) GC mrmanowar was there, great guy, hope to get a chance to say hello again if he is around. I'll try to stop by the booths to say hello. |
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Post by fatdragontom on Mar 7, 2022 21:47:55 GMT -6
I'll be there running three sessions of B/X (and I'll also be a special guest too!)
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Post by dicebro on Mar 8, 2022 7:39:58 GMT -6
I will be there.
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 8, 2022 16:50:25 GMT -6
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Post by scottenkainen on Mar 9, 2022 23:17:46 GMT -6
Since I couldn't find anything to play in the virtual selection for Thursday, I might just drive up to the physical convention that day to observe what's going on.
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muddy
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 158
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Post by muddy on Mar 10, 2022 15:48:42 GMT -6
Since I couldn't find anything to play in the virtual selection for Thursday, I might just drive up to the physical convention that day to observe what's going on. I still have two seats open for my 1:00 A Tale of Two Temples session if you are interested. Old school dungeon crawl using Blueholme. |
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skars
Level 6 Magician
Posts: 407
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Post by skars on Mar 15, 2022 17:36:46 GMT -6
I was worried I would have to cancel, but fortune has smiled upon me and I will be arriving Wednesday for my third GaryCon. The beer sharing social on Saturday night is usually pretty fun too, folks bring in their favorite brews to share. I'm going to attempt putting some in my luggage, hopefully it arrives in one piece or Im going to smell like "Blind Pig" all weekend
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 16, 2022 11:59:25 GMT -6
skars Great to hear that! This board has gotten the most affirmative replies out of the various forums where I asked about Gary Con. Just one week until travel/arrival day!
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muddy
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 158
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Post by muddy on Mar 18, 2022 14:59:23 GMT -6
The friend I was attending with will probably not be making the con because of a death in the family. If anyone from the board wants to join one of my sessions, please stop by even if they are listed as full, I will let you join in.
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lige
Level 2 Seer
Posts: 42
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Post by lige on Mar 19, 2022 0:13:58 GMT -6
I’ll be there! Running a couple of games - it’ll be my tenth counting the virtual year.
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Post by paleologos on Mar 20, 2022 15:24:42 GMT -6
Just a few more days to go!
Very excited - the pandemic nixed my in-person gaming sessions, so this will be the first time at the table in a couple of years, for me.
And thanks for the heads up about the beer-sharing! I'll be sure to pack a few...
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Post by howandwhy99 on Mar 27, 2022 15:57:55 GMT -6
Had a great time the last 4-5 days as I, like everyone else here, has gamed every minute for close to 100 hours.
In fact, I am still listening to Col. Wesely tell us about the history of his game, Arneson and the Twin City group, and Gary Gygax turning into a worldwide phenomenon.
I just wanted to say Hello to everyone I just met in person and may even have played in your game.
Thanks for a great time and bringing back great convention play after a nearly 3 year hiatus.
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Post by DungeonDevil on Mar 28, 2022 9:43:06 GMT -6
Is there video of this -- or at least a transcript? I love learning about the primordial days of the hobby!
Not being snarky or anything, but what is VIX?
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Post by scottenkainen on Mar 28, 2022 14:49:10 GMT -6
VIX is XIV written for a mirror. You have to decipher the code of these posts!
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Post by scottenkainen on Mar 28, 2022 15:03:06 GMT -6
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 28, 2022 15:45:17 GMT -6
VIX is XIV written for a mirror. You have to decipher the code of these posts! I fixed that in the subject line. Once this thread peters out I'll merge it with the original GC XIV thread. |
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Post by Finarvyn on Mar 28, 2022 15:54:27 GMT -6
My GaryCon experience was interesting. Started out when I realized on Thursday that the one-day passes for Saturday were all sold out and none would be available at the door.  Then I found that I could get a "spectator" pass (wander the grounds but no gaming) but only 7 were left and I needed two. Put one in my cart and spent a few minutes trying to figure out how to put a second in my cart and realized that the numbers were NOT sequential so someone else had bought one in the time it took for me to buy mine. Then I needed to double-check with my son to see if I needed a third (answer was no) since at this point I figured there were only 4 remaining. Too exciting. Drove for 90 minutes to get there. At the GaryCon venue all of the parking was taken except for at the airport. Quite a hike away, potentially, but they had a shuttle to get us to the main facility. Found the "will call" place to pick up my passes and found I needed my vaccine card, which I always carry but hadn't even considered that I needed to have in order to get in. Found the vendor room after quite a subterranean "dungeon crawl" through twisty and turning hallways which were clearly under construction. Got to meet the guy at the Hammer table booth, which was fun since my wife ordered a Hammer table right around the time of Covid and we haven't gotten it yet. When he saw my nametag he gave me a hug and thanked me for my patience, then mentioned that I'm the guy who he wasn't supposed to talk to since my table was supposed to be a surprise. (I told him that the surprise was long gone.) I did get to see what my table would look like eventually and was able to make some suggestions on how it should be put together, although most of those things will be determined by my wife. (He did take notes on my preferences.) My friend saw my SW WB game at the Black Blade booth (I think) and he bought a copy even though I have a bunch at home. Got to meet Jason (finally) and Steve (again) and Tim (for the first time) at the Troll Lord (and Night Shift) booth. Sad that I already own most of the stuff there. Had some great conversations with nice people, and honestly hooking up with some of these folks was the main reason I went to GaryCon in the first place. (Missed Jim Ward somehow and Joe Goodman didn't go to the Con. Both of those made me sad.) Got some deals at the TLG booth and bought some green dice for my wife and by then it was well after lunch and I decided to head home. Great trip, and I can't wait until next year. That's my report.  |
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Post by howandwhy99 on Mar 29, 2022 15:49:54 GMT -6
Is there video of this -- or at least a transcript? I love learning about the primordial days of the hobby! Not being snarky or anything, but what is VIX? Major Wesely is a great talker and if you just attend one of his games he will almost certainly tell you about whatever you're interested in. He has been here from the beginning: when Arneson made "Blackmoor" as a "Braunstein-like" game. There was nothing else similar. Checking Youtube quickly, he has at least one interview. youtu.be/n1SZJjZ-U9ISleep-dep must have caught up with me for the Roman numerals 😀 I blame that brazen head game I snuck into (which apparently has nothing to do with bald-faced lying) |
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 29, 2022 18:22:20 GMT -6
I blame that brazen head game I snuck into (which apparently has nothing to do with bald-faced lying) Ah, I didn't realize you were in that game! Did you play Olaf & Haldor? |
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Post by howandwhy99 on Mar 29, 2022 20:07:48 GMT -6
Yep. And I enjoyed playing something unusual. Having 2 characters was an advantage in and of itself.
I had not played purely Holmes before. It was fun. The Wandering Monster was spot on. I was thinking it might be a Flail Snail, but didn't want to ruin the suspense by guessing.
No "thump-thump-thump-thump-slurrrrrp!" noises anyways.
Thanks again for running.
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 30, 2022 15:26:10 GMT -6
You're welcome. That Wandering Monster comes straight from Holmes' Maze of Peril! And they seem even lower in level in that story than in my convention game.
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 30, 2022 15:38:31 GMT -6
Here's a rundown of my Gary Con XIV gaming highlights: Thursday:---"Tower of Ulission", the first part of an OD&D tournament written by Dave Emigh for Winter War in the 1977, and then later published by Judges Guild, run by paleologos (Demos S, who blogs at the OSR Grimoire). skars played in this as well. Lots of riddles and problem-solving in this one, as well as combat. We finished our mission, but there was an unexpected twist at the end that I've never encountered in a D&D adventure before! ---"Hell's Highway", a Mad Max inspired miniatures racing game using modded matchbox cars. I like to play minis games between RPG sessions for a break. In this scenario we raced between checkpoints to earn fuel for our tribe while battling with the other contestants. ---"Lost Crypts of the Fire Opal", a fleshed out version of the AD&D DMG Sample Dungeon by Paul Stormberg ( stormberg here). Great group, great gameplay and problem-solving despite ending abruptly with a near-TPK caused by use of Unseen Servant! We were too clever for our own good. scottenkainen joined in for part of the game. Friday:---"Expedition to Skull Stack Crater", the first game I reffed this year, and the first time I've run this one in public. paleologos, muddy, and GRWelsh played in this one. Fun group and they successfully recovered the intelligent Spear of Decree just before the time was up! ---The annual game of Don't Give Up the Ship, miniatures rules for ship-to-ship engagements in the Napoleonic era, refereed by co-author Mike Carr in the Legends of Wargaming Hall. I was the captain of a French frigate in a huge engagement agains the British fleet. Over 20 players at once! ---The annual Friday night AD&D Legends of RPG tournament organized by Paul Stormberg. My group's DM was Steve Winter, who I always enjoy playing with. The tournament turned out to be an expanded version of Alan Lucien's Tomb of Ra-hotep, which Paul plans to publish later this year (with permission from Lucien). I was with a clever group of players who ended up 5th out of 13 groups. ---Joining the last hour of a marathon 6-hour Tower of Zenopus game run by Dave W. (of RPG Retro Reviews on YT), taking over an 18 STR halfling (!) for another player who left early. The players essentially cleared out the entire dungeon! I always enjoy seeing how others run this ur-dungeon. Saturday:---"Sword of Hope", the 2nd round of the 1977 Winter War tournament, also run by paleologos. I was the only player continuing over from the first group, and got to play one of the same characters. Lots of riddles to solve again, and we successfully completed the quest. These two adventures by Dave Emigh are seriously underrated. ---Brief stop at the Vendor's Hall, where I met Doug Kovacs, DCC artist, and caught up with grodog at the Black Blade booth. ---A rough cut of the forthcoming Gygax documentary, "Dreams in Gary's Basement", plus Q&A with the director, Pat Kilbane. He started with Holmes Basic and is still a gamer, currently working on his own RPG system. ---"In Search of the Brazen Head of Zenopus", which I ran for the 6th time. As noted above howandwhy99 played in this. I also had two players who were in the game in 2019, having forgotten they played in it before! Once again the evil lurking beneath Portown was defeated by Boinger & Zereth & friends. Sunday:---TSR's Knights of Camelot. I watched paleologos play this game on a custom 7'-long board in the Legends of Wargaming hall. I had to leave before it was over, but he ended up winning the four-player game and received a trophy, a customized miniature. It was great to meet skars, muddy, GRWelsh and howandwhy99 for the first time! |
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Then I found that I could get a "spectator" pass (wander the grounds but no gaming) but only 7 were left and I needed two. Put one in my cart and spent a few minutes trying to figure out how to put a second in my cart and realized that the numbers were NOT sequential so someone else had bought one in the time it took for me to buy mine. 