Convention - Gamehole Con

Gamehole Con returns to Madison from November 2nd through November 5th this year. I'll be a special guest again, but there are plenty of other reasons to check out this growing convention.

Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition

If you really want to see how popular the current edition is, this show has a lot of things going on. There are Epic level con games with massive amounts of players, a variety of Adventurer's League storylines (including one I had a hand in), and guests like Mike Mearls and Jeremy Crawford.

Xanathar's Guide For Charity

Gamehole has hooked up with Extra Life to provide a couple of  'celebrity D&D' games to raise money for charity in the style of Acquisitions Incorporated. They are also offering early copies of the highly anticipated Xanathar's Guide to Everything, proceeds of which will go to charity.

True Dungeon

Last year was the first year True Dungeon appeared outside of Gen Con. It's back at Gamehole Con this year, set in the universe of Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller books.

Milwaukee Company of Gamers

The always impressive board game library of MilCog will be on the road. It's an excellent place to try board games before you buy.

Come play games with me

I'll be running Firefly and Chill this year as part of my Guest of Honor duties. All my games are currently sold out, but the vagaries of con attendance usually mean I have one or two open seats when the time comes for game. Will I run two full boat sessions for Firefly with 9 players each? Only time will tell.

Appearances - May 2016

I have two appearances coming up!

First at 42 Ale House, on Friday, May 20th, I'll be hosting another edition of Dungeons and Dragons and Drinking. I'll be talking about a variety of RPGs, then mingling with everyone. It's there for players looking for groups, groups looking for players and the curious who want to know more about pretending to be an elf.

Then, over Memorial Day Weekend, I'll be a guest at this year's Nexus Game Fair. I'll be running Firefly and CHILL at the convention, and sitting on a few panels too.

Come say hi!

Gamehole Con - Schedule

I'll be in Madison the first weekend in November as a Guest of Honor at Gamehole Con. It looks like all my events are full, but you never know when people will drop out and you can just walk up to a game. You should also be able to find me just wandering around the show. Check out my schedule after the jump.

Classic Con Report - Nexus Game Fair 2015

High light:  Walking through the con and just stopping and talking to people be they friends, fans or other pros.

Low light: Many of the seminars and panels were sparsely attended. Everyone was too busy playing games, I guess.

Best experience: The Milwaukee Company of Gamers bringing their truck full of games and letting me play games that I might take home at a later con.

Worst experience: Save Game and Atomic Robo were underattended. Ghostbusters Fate rocked, so maybe more Fate adaptations of popular media to get people on board with trying it out.

Best bargain (had to buy it, no freebies): Both the silent auction and the trade booth allowed me to get some good deals without spending money.

Best Freebie: My business dinner with Jason Hardy, the Shadowrun developer, about [REDACTED].

Most welcome surprise: Meeting fans of this very blog. Sometimes, writing can feel like you're just screaming into the darkness. It's nice to see I connect with people and that they care enough to seek me out.

Most unwelcome surprise: The scratch in my passenger door that one of the hotel guests left on Snubfighter.

Games played: 
Ghostbusters Fate
Feng Shui 2
Colt Express
Firefly RPG
Tales of the Arabian Nights
Eldritch Horror
Kaiju Incorporated

Coolest booth and why: The con shirt makers could customize your shirts at the show. I know have a shirt with my Twitter handle on it!

Strangest moment: Having a small but fierce following show up at my various events. You guys rock.

Favorite item available in the Exhibit Hall: Dojo, a card drafting kung fu battle game, is now on Kickstarter.

Stuff traded:
Pathfinder Card Game packs
Forbidden Lore Eldritch Lore expansion

Stuff got for free:
Guest of Honor experience
Nexus T-shirt
Nexus plastic cup

Stuff that was wanted that was unavailable:
I'd love to see more board game prototypes at the show.

Things to buy after Nexus:
Colt Express is likely going to punch, shoot and run its way into my game library.
Likely to pick up the expansions for Eldritch Horror, which I enjoyed much more than it's older sibling.

Best Quote:
"Acquire! Acquire! Acquire!"

Nexus Game Fair - Schedule

This weekend, from June 25th - 28th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel - Milwaukee Airport, I'll be a Guest of Honor for the second annual Nexus Game Fair. In addition to the tournaments and MilCog's ginormous board game library, I'll be involved with games, panels and wandering around talking with designers. Here's where I'll be officially:

Thursday - 7 PM: Ghostbusters - Satanic Panic (SOLD OUT)

I'm running a session of my Fate hack for Ghostbusters at the show. We'll make up a franchise and get down to busting heads...in a spiritual sense of course.

Friday - 10 AM: Feng Shui 2 - Demo

I'm pinch hitting for Cam Banks who had to cancel his appearance at the con. As a Feng Shui 2 backer, I'm excited to get the game on the road and kick some butt!

Friday - 6 PM: Fun Facts About Fate

If you've ever wanted to pick my brain about Fate, here's your chance. I'm talking about the different variations and my experiences working with Evil Hat.

Friday - 7 PM: Firefly RPG - All In The Family (SOLD OUT)

I'm running an adventure out of one of the books for a Full Boat: 9 players, each taking a role of the Serenity Crew!

Sunday - 1 PM: Atomic Robo RPG - Neil DeGrasse Tyson Is Missing!

Sign up as Tesladyne interns assigned to pick up the famous scientist for a meeting with Robo...and then brainstorm to figure out what happened to him!

Even if events are sold out, don't fret. I'll be running these events again at Gamehole Con in November, and feel free to swing by and see if people dropped out.

Appearance - International Tabletop Weekend

Come play some games with me at my favorite bar in Milwaukee!

42 Lounge hosts International Tabletop Weekend, which expand Tabletop Day over Saturday and Sunday. I'll be there both days, running two of my favorite board games (and playing a few more).

On Saturday, at 4:00, I'll be running Fortune and Glory, which team up players to race around the globe and keep priceless artifacts out the hands of an Evil Organization.

On Sunday, at 4:00, I'll be running Star Wars: Imperial Assault. I'll be looking to crush up to four Rebels as the Imperial player in this campaign style board game.

MKE RPG - On Facebook

If you ever want to come play games with me, chances are I'll be running something for MKE RPG at 42 Lounge or 42 Ale House, one of two excellent geek bars in the Milwaukee area. I run playtests, one shots, blog hacks and a variety of games, so if you're in the area, sign up for the group and see what's coming up on the schedule.

Gamehole Con - Guest of Honor

I've been added to the roster of Gamehole Con's special guests. The convention takes place November 6th through 8th in Madison, Wisconsin at the Alliant Energy Center. Got any suggestions for events or panels you want to see me run?

Midwinter Gaming Convention - Schedule

This weekend brings Milwaukee's first gaming convention of the year. If you want to stop by and say hi, here's where I'll be for sure:

Thursday:

7-11 PM
Wright Ballroom A

Monster of the Week: Last Rites

Just outside of a small town in Texas, a divorcee encounters the supernatural. She needs hunters to help her out. Will you snark like the slayer? Flash your badge and dig through your files? Load your shotgun with rock salt? Choose your playbook, forge your bonds and get to the bottom of the Last Rites.

Saturday:

7-11 PM
Wright Ballroom C

Firefly RPG: Where We've Been, Where We're Going

Join lead writer/line developer Monica Valentinelli and writer Rob Wieland as they discuss the Firefly RPG corebook and the existing supplements for the line. Then, ask your burning questions about what 2015 has in store for you! For more info about the Firefly RPG, visit www.margaretweis.com.

7-11 PM
Wright Ballroom A

Firefly RPG: Bucking The Tiger

Take on the roles of the crew about the Serenity in this session of the hit RPG run by one of the designers of the game. When an old friend sends a message to settle up an old debt, what starts as a luxurious week at a casino turns into a murder mystery mixing up Alliance colonels, Browncoat raiders and Triad gangsters.

Firefly RPG - Play It With Me

Folks in Southeastern Wisconsin have a couple of opportunities to play Firefly RPG with one of the members of the Firefly RPG staff!

MKE RPG (Milwaukee RPG Group) is hosting a Space Cowboy-themed game day on Saturday, October 11th from 1-5 PM. I'll be hosting a Firefly RPG game and be on hand to answer any questions about the RPG. The event takes place at 42 Lounge, Milwaukee's elite geek bar.

Fantasticon Milwaukee will have demos during the show.

I'll be running:
Saturday at 2 PM
Sunday at 10 AM

Nexus Game Fair Schedule

I'm a guest of honor at the Nexus Game Fair here in Milwaukee, WI from June 19th - June 22nd. There are a lot of excellent people at the show, but, for some reason, if you want to come and see me instead, here's where I'll be. The demos are all sold out, but there are plenty of tickets available for the Firefly seminar.

Thursday, June 19th:

6 PM: Camelot Trigger Demo

Friday, June 20th:

4 PM: Firefly RPG seminar

7 PM: Save Game public playtest

Saturday, June 21st:

Noon - Firefly Demo "Bucking the Tiger"
6 PM - Firefly Demo "Bucking the Tiger"

In addition, my friends at Plot Points podcast will be doing a live show at 8PM on Friday.