Garycon V:
Report from the Hinterland
My observations/experiences from the convention follow. I’m going to give snap-shots of what I
was involved in, etc. and then go into some details. They are a mix of many things, and since I was so busy, and
scored as much as 2-4 hours sleep per day during the convention, these will not
be listed as day-by-day. The whole
experience was a whirlwind for me as there were so many things personal,
professional and unexpected going on.
Personal Highlights:
Speaking at length with Ernie, Luke and Alex Gygax; my long-time best
friend, Allan Grohe (who I roomed with); cavorting, talking, and gaming with my
good friend Guy Fullerton (Chaotic
Henchmen and Apple employee extraordinaire; and accompanied by Josh, his
friend and gaming buddy) who surprised me by showing up at the convention; and,
as a huge additional bump to the surprise meter, reuniting with long-time
friend Mike Reese (Tractics, Fast Rules);
talking with long-time buddy Michael “Gronan” Mornard; and being befriended and
interviewed by, and having many long conversations with, the D&D
Documentary team lead by the engaging Anthony Savini and James Sprattley (see
pictures, below).
More…
Conversing with my old friend John Bobek (The Games of War, International Wargamer Editor bitd, and long-time
educator); Jon Peterson (Playing at the
World); Zach Glazar (Lesser Gnome
Games); Bill Hoyer (IFW President/TSR Alumnus bitd); Mike Carr, David
LaForce & David Megarry (all three TSR Alumni; and the latter two present with
their charming wives); Paul Burdick; Mark from Creative Mountain Games; the “Three
Amigos” from Eldritch Enterprises
(w/Frank Mentzer accompanied by his charming wife); Dale Leonard (and his
future wife-to-be); the ever-industrious Paul Stormberg (the Collector’s Trove); and two ex-TSR
stalwarts, Harrold Johnson and the irrepressible Bruce Heard.
This is a list of friends, ex-IFW members, associates and
pre- and post-TSR professionals that could only have been exceeded by the additional
appearances of Len Lakofka, Don Lowry, Darlene, Lou Zocchi and others of
similar stature from back-in-the-day.
Lost City of the Elders. I DMed LCotE 3 times.
The overall reaction was very good. Some parties got into more combat situations than others
did; but all of them experienced the same strange dimensional environment; and
in doing so they had to contend with many out-of-the-box situations that at
once challenged their acclimating to it in order to become fully operable as a
party thereafter. Key phrases that
describe these challenges: time
compression; gravity change; ultra-magical complications.
Every party rose to the challenges; and it was interesting
to note how the reactions came down and set the tone each time for dealing with
more OotB thinking regarding this ultra-fantastical place that challenged Gary
Gygax back in 1973.
When I DM it at conventions again I will do so in open
gaming where the adventures continue over days, thus allowing the explorations
to build as its many mysteries are uncovered. The sessions were 6 hours in length; and it is noteworthy
that at LGGC #2 the adventure went to ten hours, thus allowing for the
adjustments and more exploration/encounters to occur.
Play, Design and Form (seminar): Inspirations from the Playtest of D&D: Though it had a rough start with the
listing being accidently dropped from the convention program, it finished
strong, with good attendance and many thoughtful questions, especially those
posed by veteran ex-TSR Games designer, Harrold Johnson.
This followed up in medium strides on open form, models in
the RPG industry and entrenched formats, all of which was juxtaposed with those
we adopted in the playtests and that were inherent to the game, 1974-1977. This had a direct relation, in parts,
to what I had touched upon in my recent GrognardGames interview as posted on
Youtube.
The Dungeons & Dragons Documentary Interviews (2 of
4): This was part of the
unexpected. I was not aware that
these folks were present until they approached me and we started a
discourse. What a crack group of
professionals! Anthony Savini
(Director) took the lead and I became instant friends with all of the team
members.
The interviews took place Saturday and Sunday; and with my
lack of sleep, I was on overdrive by Sunday, but they were ultra-pleased,
stating (on their
Facebook page) that I gave them one of the best interviews to
date.
There was a sort of reticence on both sides at parting the
ways, in fact. And I was recently
appraised by phone that they wish to follow-up with two additional
post-convention shoots, which are scheduled for April. I will post more when we solidify the
actual dates. In between, enjoy
the pictures, below.
Overall Reaction to the Convention: I will state it simply. It was one of the best conventions I
had been to in a while. Garycon is
a definite hit! A hit, if you are
more than an Internet-only presence gamer, that you should not miss!
