Sacrosanct
Legend
GaryCon is wrapped up. Lots of things that were going on this weekend, some good, some not so good some absolutely wonderful. My opinions (for whatever my opinion is worth)
First, I absolutely loved to see some people face to face in person and not just online discussions, including one member of these forums who played my game! (and I didn't know it until after the game lol--hope I did well). One of my highlights was getting a big hug from Darlene the Artist. As you may or may not recall, I reached out to her after the attempted blackmail from LaNasa and Ernie, and she did my title logo for Twilight Fables. She is not only the consummate professional, but she is also one of the nicest people you will ever meet.
Spoke with Larry Elmore as well, and I'm 99% convinced that he has no idea the shenanigans LaNasa is doing. He always bends over backward to help people who ask, so I'm certain he was just helping them out by doing the art (for TSR and Wonderfilled) simply because they asked. That's the kind of person Larry is--a helper for anyone and everyone. Whatever stuff LaNasa and Dinehart do, please do not lump Larry into that just because he did art for them.
Garycon was technically mask required. It didn't turn out that way. more than 50% of people were not wearing masks. The hotel staff half-heartedly attempted to enforce it, but as soon as they turned around, people took their masks off. It didn't help when Luke and everyone else running the con weren't wearing masks either, so it sent a clear message. That was unfortunate.
Another great thing I got to experience was all the hard work Benjamin Riggs, Paul Stormberg, and Pat Kilbane did in chronicling the history of both the game and the man behind it. I cannot recommend these folks' books/documentaries enough. Especially in this day and age, where we are so quick to entrench ourselves in confirmation bias and tribalism, where we deify or demonize others at a pin's drop, or based on the history, we THINK we know. Ben, Paul, and Pat all put things into context and perspective. I think that cannot be appreciated enough. They gave a lot of information and insight not only into Gary's life and who he was both as a man and as a company leader and visionary, but there was a LOT of information and interviews about all of the personal relationships he had that none of us know about. Let's just say it reaffirms why we shouldn't deify or demonize anyone. I also learned a lot about Lorraine's tenure that I'm betting most of us didn't know (being proud of kicking the Jimi Hendrix experience off of her college before their concert is both telling, and a weird thing to be proud of). I didn't know just how much one of my favorite products, the Core Rules CD rom, was a huge debacle for its development. When the books/documentaries come out from these folks, you need to see them.
The resort itself was very nice, I made sure to spoil myself by eating really well
Jamison Stone and Satine Phoenix's wedding was enjoyable to watch. I didn't play in any of Jim Ward's games, but watching them, it seems he tries to kill PCs when he can. I found out one of the ways to get Tim Kask riled up instantly is to mention LaNasa lol. Can't say I blame him. TSR Con was...lackluster. It seemed less like a convention and more like "slightly more busy than normal" with visitors. When I approached, the sign on the door said "closed". I asked if they were open and the person (not Leason or LaNasa) was actually very nice and said they were. Had no idea their sign said closed. Kinda par for the course though lol. Absolutely no sign of SF: NG anywhere. Did see their Dungeon Crawl game though.
But lots of games. Lots of fun playing games. I was reminded that when running the same adventure for different groups, they all approach it completely differently. I love that. One of my favorite rooms was the Legends of Gaming wargaming room. Those huge tables were impressive.
Finally, I had a great time just playing games with folks. That's what it's all about. Regardless of personal differences we all may have had outside of this weekend, we all got together and were kind to each other.
Let's continue to be kind to each other.
First, I absolutely loved to see some people face to face in person and not just online discussions, including one member of these forums who played my game! (and I didn't know it until after the game lol--hope I did well). One of my highlights was getting a big hug from Darlene the Artist. As you may or may not recall, I reached out to her after the attempted blackmail from LaNasa and Ernie, and she did my title logo for Twilight Fables. She is not only the consummate professional, but she is also one of the nicest people you will ever meet.
Spoke with Larry Elmore as well, and I'm 99% convinced that he has no idea the shenanigans LaNasa is doing. He always bends over backward to help people who ask, so I'm certain he was just helping them out by doing the art (for TSR and Wonderfilled) simply because they asked. That's the kind of person Larry is--a helper for anyone and everyone. Whatever stuff LaNasa and Dinehart do, please do not lump Larry into that just because he did art for them.
Garycon was technically mask required. It didn't turn out that way. more than 50% of people were not wearing masks. The hotel staff half-heartedly attempted to enforce it, but as soon as they turned around, people took their masks off. It didn't help when Luke and everyone else running the con weren't wearing masks either, so it sent a clear message. That was unfortunate.
Another great thing I got to experience was all the hard work Benjamin Riggs, Paul Stormberg, and Pat Kilbane did in chronicling the history of both the game and the man behind it. I cannot recommend these folks' books/documentaries enough. Especially in this day and age, where we are so quick to entrench ourselves in confirmation bias and tribalism, where we deify or demonize others at a pin's drop, or based on the history, we THINK we know. Ben, Paul, and Pat all put things into context and perspective. I think that cannot be appreciated enough. They gave a lot of information and insight not only into Gary's life and who he was both as a man and as a company leader and visionary, but there was a LOT of information and interviews about all of the personal relationships he had that none of us know about. Let's just say it reaffirms why we shouldn't deify or demonize anyone. I also learned a lot about Lorraine's tenure that I'm betting most of us didn't know (being proud of kicking the Jimi Hendrix experience off of her college before their concert is both telling, and a weird thing to be proud of). I didn't know just how much one of my favorite products, the Core Rules CD rom, was a huge debacle for its development. When the books/documentaries come out from these folks, you need to see them.
The resort itself was very nice, I made sure to spoil myself by eating really well
Jamison Stone and Satine Phoenix's wedding was enjoyable to watch. I didn't play in any of Jim Ward's games, but watching them, it seems he tries to kill PCs when he can. I found out one of the ways to get Tim Kask riled up instantly is to mention LaNasa lol. Can't say I blame him. TSR Con was...lackluster. It seemed less like a convention and more like "slightly more busy than normal" with visitors. When I approached, the sign on the door said "closed". I asked if they were open and the person (not Leason or LaNasa) was actually very nice and said they were. Had no idea their sign said closed. Kinda par for the course though lol. Absolutely no sign of SF: NG anywhere. Did see their Dungeon Crawl game though.But lots of games. Lots of fun playing games. I was reminded that when running the same adventure for different groups, they all approach it completely differently. I love that. One of my favorite rooms was the Legends of Gaming wargaming room. Those huge tables were impressive.
Finally, I had a great time just playing games with folks. That's what it's all about. Regardless of personal differences we all may have had outside of this weekend, we all got together and were kind to each other.
Let's continue to be kind to each other.
