WizarDru
Adventurer
Yes, it's a week late, but here it is.
[fanfare]The patented WizarDru 2004 Southern Exposure Convention Report! [/fanfare]
(Ahem.)
Anyhow, let's get to it.
Opening thoughts: Shorecon is dead. Long live Southern Exposure.
Well, in a manner of speaking. Shorecon 2000 was my first Shorecon, and it was an awesome thing. Thousands of folks gathered for gaming, including the Robot Death Arena (hosted in the dealer's room, believe it or not). Then came 2001, with Shorecon occuring two weeks after 9/11. Shorecon never truly recovered from the crushing blow of the poor attendance of that weekend. Last year was fun, but financially was still saddled with the losses of the past. In the last year, the con suite was run by Double Exposure, a local company that runs several other conventions in the area...this year, they took up the reins of Shorecon, and Southern Exposure rose from its ashes. In some ways, the convention was improved considerably, this year. In other ways...well, it's a growth year, one hopes.
Pre-convention: Let's get this one out first: ENworlders got a discount. That's pretty darned awesome. I have no idea who took advantage of that deal, but I hope more than two people did. Ironically, Valanthe and I had
pre-registered long before that, so they offered us some free t-shirts. Nice. The program went up on the website the week before the con, which was nice. I had actually expected a print copy prior to the 'con, but I understand how these things change, right to the last minute. Minor quibble. Unlike last year, someone actually ANSWERED our e-mail, and there was definitely an increased feeling of organization throughout the administration aspects of the convention. The whole thing felt like they'd listened to some of the eedback. We had some issue with the hotel itself, but they were minor, and we'll talk about them later.
Day One, Thursday: We weren't there. Sorry about that. Instead, I enjoyed a meal with Valanthe, kids-free, and then Scorch joined us for Shaun of the Dead. Seeing an grown-up movie with my wife and friends? Awesome.
Day Two, Friday: We got off to a later start than intended, this year. We had initially planned to reach the convention by 9AM, to make a 'Ticket to Ride' game...but waking up late was a rare treasure, and we savored it.
One short ride down the Schyukill and over the bridge, and to the Clarion Hotel we go. Registration was ultra-quick, and we were off. The dealer's room was open, but still setting up, so off to the initial con run-through.
First up, review the program for Friday. The day worked out to roughly three big slots, iirc. That was 9AM-1PM, 2PM-7PM and 8PM-12PM, or something similar. This year, instead of asking at the administration desk to sign-up for events, mass sign-up sheets dominated a wall near some of the events rooms. We quickly signed up for several events in rapid succession, although a couple had already filled up. The classic conflict of events occured, with the prerequisite hard choices being made.
The room assignments were a little different this year. Whether this reflected a different aesthetic or lessons learned, I couldn't say. The 'con suite was now far, far away from the board game room...a fact that prevented us from visiting it very often. The dealer's room was now located in what had been the CCG room last year, and the adjoining board game room was now the miniatures battle room. Functionally, this meant the board game room had nearly three times as much space (Yay!), the dealer's room was slightly larger (physically, anyhow) and the minis room was much smaller. The RPGA last year was set in a huge ballroom....this year that was the PC gaming room and con suite. The smaller suites that last year had been for panels and such were now for the RPGA. The practical effect was that RPGs were held in a quieter location, something which I think was a positive step.
Now, about that dealer's room. Last year featured the Wall of Dice. This year....well, not so much. Reaper didn't make the trip this year, so no huge choice of minis to search through. Chessex didn't come, so now thousands of dice to choose from. Three good game stores DID come, though, and a weapons dealer. It wasn't much to look at, so no pictures. We bought plenty, you understand, but it just wasn't a notetworthy room. On Saturday, a minis dealer did show up, selling primarily Chronopia materials.
On my first pass through the room, we purchased some Pirates of the Spanish Main (someone would buy the entire stock the next day!), the D&D Basic Set and the Monster Manual III. (I turned to Scorch, cracked open the book and said "You smell that?" Him:"No, what?" I replied "That smells like PC Death!") Then it was off to see if we'd be the alternates in a game of Alhambra.
But no such luck! The game was full up, as you can see....so let's play Pirates of the Spanish Main, instead!!
ARRRR! Valanthe's Pirate fleet sends Her Majesty's Fleet to the bottom of the ocean. Scurvy Dogs!!
After that, we had lunch, and returned in time for the second session for the Heroquest Tournament. Best described by Aethramyr as "D&D using Risk rules", we entered first as just three players; but Aethramyr showed up a half-hour into the game, so we did some quick shuffling, and got him into the fun, too!
For those who've never played it (and prior to this 'con, that included us), Heroquest is basically a little bit like D&D lite...there are four basic characters (elf,dwarf, warrior and wizard), although for the tournament, two new ones were added (cleric and thief).
Our goal? The royal family's been kidnapped! Round one players rescued the Princess. Our task: rescue the prince! Here's the note we found, from X. It's typical super-villain-esque mockery, daring us to solve his deathtrap. Onward!
Here we are, making our way through the dungeon. Like a well-oiled machine, we were killing the monsters before they even had a chance to blink. You're given the opportunity to name and grow your characters. I named the dwarf GRUMP and the elf FOPPY.
Beware the fickle hand of the DM!
Here's Craig, who ran all the HeroQuest events. He was great. He made his own customizations to the maps, was a good DM, and rolled with the punches pretty well.
Here we see the final showdown! An evil sorceror summons a gargoyle in the middle of a dimensional rift, while the prince, trapped in a suit of armor, cowers nearby. One titanic battle later, we emerge victorious, wounded but with no deaths.
I'm voted as winner of the event, with Aethramyr in second place. The others act as alternates for the Finals.
Here's a group shot of all of us, after the game.
After that, we sneak out to dinner. Where? Well, you'll see it tomorrow night.
But, wait! What about the 8 o'clock slot, you ask? Glad you did. It was RPG time!
Although I considered playing in the Formula De torunament, instead I headed off to "The Horror of Hag Hill", a Judges Guild adventure, or so I'm told. It was D&D 3.5, and I played a halfing Rog2/Sor2. We had a BLAST. It was fun as hell, and I was voted winner for the table here, but this an RPG. I think that just means I made the group laugh the most. Here we are, with my shiny forehead, trying not to fall off a rooftop or down a hole...again. (And yes, that is a Gameboy Advance SP with Pokemon FireRed loaded in it. What's your point?)
Meanwhile, across the room, Aethramyr and Valanthe are delivering the worst. baby. evar. in a Call of Cthulu game, where everyone's just trying to get out of town. Many SAN points are lost. A good time is had by all. (Note: for those who care or track such things, I noted a LOT of female DMs at the con. I'd say nearly 50%, which was suprising to me. And Cool.)
By the time both games are done, my allergies are killing me in the worst way. Happy, tired and coughing, I retreat to the comfort of a hotel room. Villains have been beaten down, otherworldly babies have been delivered, and fun looms come the morning.
Up Next: Saturday! The ENworld Gathering (such as it was), dinner, more games than time and pics of the cool terrain layouts from the miniatures room!
[fanfare]The patented WizarDru 2004 Southern Exposure Convention Report! [/fanfare]
(Ahem.)
Anyhow, let's get to it.
Opening thoughts: Shorecon is dead. Long live Southern Exposure.
Well, in a manner of speaking. Shorecon 2000 was my first Shorecon, and it was an awesome thing. Thousands of folks gathered for gaming, including the Robot Death Arena (hosted in the dealer's room, believe it or not). Then came 2001, with Shorecon occuring two weeks after 9/11. Shorecon never truly recovered from the crushing blow of the poor attendance of that weekend. Last year was fun, but financially was still saddled with the losses of the past. In the last year, the con suite was run by Double Exposure, a local company that runs several other conventions in the area...this year, they took up the reins of Shorecon, and Southern Exposure rose from its ashes. In some ways, the convention was improved considerably, this year. In other ways...well, it's a growth year, one hopes.
Pre-convention: Let's get this one out first: ENworlders got a discount. That's pretty darned awesome. I have no idea who took advantage of that deal, but I hope more than two people did. Ironically, Valanthe and I had
pre-registered long before that, so they offered us some free t-shirts. Nice. The program went up on the website the week before the con, which was nice. I had actually expected a print copy prior to the 'con, but I understand how these things change, right to the last minute. Minor quibble. Unlike last year, someone actually ANSWERED our e-mail, and there was definitely an increased feeling of organization throughout the administration aspects of the convention. The whole thing felt like they'd listened to some of the eedback. We had some issue with the hotel itself, but they were minor, and we'll talk about them later.
Day One, Thursday: We weren't there. Sorry about that. Instead, I enjoyed a meal with Valanthe, kids-free, and then Scorch joined us for Shaun of the Dead. Seeing an grown-up movie with my wife and friends? Awesome.
Day Two, Friday: We got off to a later start than intended, this year. We had initially planned to reach the convention by 9AM, to make a 'Ticket to Ride' game...but waking up late was a rare treasure, and we savored it.
One short ride down the Schyukill and over the bridge, and to the Clarion Hotel we go. Registration was ultra-quick, and we were off. The dealer's room was open, but still setting up, so off to the initial con run-through.
First up, review the program for Friday. The day worked out to roughly three big slots, iirc. That was 9AM-1PM, 2PM-7PM and 8PM-12PM, or something similar. This year, instead of asking at the administration desk to sign-up for events, mass sign-up sheets dominated a wall near some of the events rooms. We quickly signed up for several events in rapid succession, although a couple had already filled up. The classic conflict of events occured, with the prerequisite hard choices being made.
The room assignments were a little different this year. Whether this reflected a different aesthetic or lessons learned, I couldn't say. The 'con suite was now far, far away from the board game room...a fact that prevented us from visiting it very often. The dealer's room was now located in what had been the CCG room last year, and the adjoining board game room was now the miniatures battle room. Functionally, this meant the board game room had nearly three times as much space (Yay!), the dealer's room was slightly larger (physically, anyhow) and the minis room was much smaller. The RPGA last year was set in a huge ballroom....this year that was the PC gaming room and con suite. The smaller suites that last year had been for panels and such were now for the RPGA. The practical effect was that RPGs were held in a quieter location, something which I think was a positive step.
Now, about that dealer's room. Last year featured the Wall of Dice. This year....well, not so much. Reaper didn't make the trip this year, so no huge choice of minis to search through. Chessex didn't come, so now thousands of dice to choose from. Three good game stores DID come, though, and a weapons dealer. It wasn't much to look at, so no pictures. We bought plenty, you understand, but it just wasn't a notetworthy room. On Saturday, a minis dealer did show up, selling primarily Chronopia materials.
On my first pass through the room, we purchased some Pirates of the Spanish Main (someone would buy the entire stock the next day!), the D&D Basic Set and the Monster Manual III. (I turned to Scorch, cracked open the book and said "You smell that?" Him:"No, what?" I replied "That smells like PC Death!") Then it was off to see if we'd be the alternates in a game of Alhambra.
But no such luck! The game was full up, as you can see....so let's play Pirates of the Spanish Main, instead!!
ARRRR! Valanthe's Pirate fleet sends Her Majesty's Fleet to the bottom of the ocean. Scurvy Dogs!!
After that, we had lunch, and returned in time for the second session for the Heroquest Tournament. Best described by Aethramyr as "D&D using Risk rules", we entered first as just three players; but Aethramyr showed up a half-hour into the game, so we did some quick shuffling, and got him into the fun, too!
For those who've never played it (and prior to this 'con, that included us), Heroquest is basically a little bit like D&D lite...there are four basic characters (elf,dwarf, warrior and wizard), although for the tournament, two new ones were added (cleric and thief).
Our goal? The royal family's been kidnapped! Round one players rescued the Princess. Our task: rescue the prince! Here's the note we found, from X. It's typical super-villain-esque mockery, daring us to solve his deathtrap. Onward!
Here we are, making our way through the dungeon. Like a well-oiled machine, we were killing the monsters before they even had a chance to blink. You're given the opportunity to name and grow your characters. I named the dwarf GRUMP and the elf FOPPY.
Beware the fickle hand of the DM!
Here's Craig, who ran all the HeroQuest events. He was great. He made his own customizations to the maps, was a good DM, and rolled with the punches pretty well.
Here we see the final showdown! An evil sorceror summons a gargoyle in the middle of a dimensional rift, while the prince, trapped in a suit of armor, cowers nearby. One titanic battle later, we emerge victorious, wounded but with no deaths.
I'm voted as winner of the event, with Aethramyr in second place. The others act as alternates for the Finals.
Here's a group shot of all of us, after the game.
After that, we sneak out to dinner. Where? Well, you'll see it tomorrow night.
But, wait! What about the 8 o'clock slot, you ask? Glad you did. It was RPG time!
Although I considered playing in the Formula De torunament, instead I headed off to "The Horror of Hag Hill", a Judges Guild adventure, or so I'm told. It was D&D 3.5, and I played a halfing Rog2/Sor2. We had a BLAST. It was fun as hell, and I was voted winner for the table here, but this an RPG. I think that just means I made the group laugh the most.
Here we are, with my shiny forehead, trying not to fall off a rooftop or down a hole...again. (And yes, that is a Gameboy Advance SP with Pokemon FireRed loaded in it. What's your point?)
Meanwhile, across the room, Aethramyr and Valanthe are delivering the worst. baby. evar. in a Call of Cthulu game, where everyone's just trying to get out of town. Many SAN points are lost. A good time is had by all. (Note: for those who care or track such things, I noted a LOT of female DMs at the con. I'd say nearly 50%, which was suprising to me. And Cool.)
By the time both games are done, my allergies are killing me in the worst way. Happy, tired and coughing, I retreat to the comfort of a hotel room. Villains have been beaten down, otherworldly babies have been delivered, and fun looms come the morning.
Up Next: Saturday! The ENworld Gathering (such as it was), dinner, more games than time and pics of the cool terrain layouts from the miniatures room!
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