Category Archives: Conventions

Actions and Consequences

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Given the title you’d think this was attached to John Wick, but it’s decidedly not.

My last panel of the weekend was about running a game that includes “that guy”. I was moved up to the moderator position for this one, so I had limited chat time, but did get to (try) to guide the conversation. I put ‘try’ in there because we had a really excellent panel of creative and sharp people. As we were sitting and chatting before the official panel started we were covering various topics in a startlingly inattentive way. Somebody said, “train of thought derailed… no survivors…” and that was immediately met with “Oh No! All those poor, theoretical thought people!”

Theoretical thought people sort of became an unofficial theme as we rolled into our discussions. It was a whole lot of fun and I was really happy to have such a great panel of folks to work with. Below are my panel notes. The fixes listed are mine alone. The rest of the panel had some great suggestions as well.

Panel description:

One of the biggest problems that can be encountered with running games at events is That Guy. Everyone has heard of a That Guy. They’re the Murder Hobo, the Horny Bard, the one player who doesn’t care about the story or progression or the rest of the party. Our team of Game Masters will share their stories, and discuss tactics to curtail these behaviors.

Loose Outline:

Introductions ~ include: are you currently running a game? Are you currently playing a game?

Definition – what is your definition of “that guy” (or girl – let’s not narrow it too far).

Connected to above – Are there specific types of or styles of “that guy”?

Do you believe in session zero? Will it stop “That Guy”?

Do you have, use or are familiar with player consent question lists? Should GMs use those?

What about personal connections? Does the DMs boyfriend always get special treatment?

Ask the audience for (short) specific examples and see how the panel would handle it?


Example types of bad players:

Rules lawyer(s) – Rules as written OR rules as DM says that’s how it works…
Fix – ask them to help you, and track all the rules (and changes) you make and use.

Instigator – Rogues stealing party treasure, fighting internally, “Leroy Jenkins”!

Fix – actions and consequences, set the tone to your own game, DON’T ROLL – make rulings

Spotlight Hog – player talks over everyone else, jumps onto doing the same action as others

Fix – sandwich compliment(s) around issue. Often just excited~

The Cheater – Faking rolls, “fixing” the amount of gold they have… etc.

Fix – Don’t tell them if they need to roll high or low

The Power Gamer – trying to be super powerful, stretching the rules, pushing limits. Hard to DM

Fix – Use them OR ask them what they’re goal is and then put the next steps on them.

Also – The bad guys learn… how will they grow the character if combat isn’t a challenge?

The Immersion breaker – pulling people out of the mood IF you’re hitting on all the wrong notes

Fix – land

The Meta-gamer – can’t make the separation between player and character knowledge

Fix – ask the player if they think they would know something

The Boss / Critic – who thinks they know it all and tell everyone else what to do or tell them it’s wrong

Fix – direct, call out the behavior

Flippant – Just not paying attention, constantly on the phone, don’t really seem to want to play

Fix – try to engage them a little, see how they respond

IF it doesn’t work, give them an option to leave (and talk it all out) {EPIC DEATH EXIT?}

Communication is key!

My personal house Rule #1: It’s just a game.

We’re here to have fun, and if we’re not having fun, then why are we doing it? Get out there, play games, have fun!

Dark Lording for Fun and Profit

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This was my next to last panel at the convention this year. It had a solid moderator and I was able to chat with my fellow panelists about what it takes to create a really solid story antagonist and what that might look like. There were some excellent bits tossed around and I don’t remember many of them very clearly. These are the notes I was working from, so if you’re trying to create a lasting ‘bad guy’ for your game (or story even) hopefully you can find some inspiration.

Panel description:
Having an antagonist is great, but what takes them past the level of mustache-twirling villain, and into the realm of the Big Bad Evil Guy? Panelists will discuss how to build the structure of minions and influence for your BBEG to stand on, so the heroes have to climb in level to reach them before the final showdown.

My notes:

Antagonist is a better term than “Big Bad Evil Guy”. The best antagonists don’t see themselves as the bad guy. How scary was the operative from Serenity? Who did you hate more from the Harry Potter series, Voldemort or Delores Umbridge?

Be creative.Not everyone is a mastermind with 56 plot lines weaving in and out of their minds, but do any little bit you can. Take on something small if you feel like you don’t know where to start. Look at your character and create from there. What do you really know about? Slide some of that into your character, and use that as a starting point.

Crazy example – If you’re a hair stylist, allow your character to wear a hair style that you’d love to see, then leap off from there and make it a quirky part of that character – the character constantly tries to get others to color their hair or braid their beard or something. Those little bits of flavor make a very rich game. Then… grow that.
In the ‘Big City’ there’s a fashion explosion of magical hair styles. Hair stylist becomes the new, hot profession. This proliferates and generates lots of requests to learn at the top school.
Only this so called school is secretly backed by the mind flayer society. They’re creating these techniques to cause hair to fall out and skulls to soften so they don’t get hair in their teeth and their meals are easier to get to.
And they in turn get all the ‘product’ they use from a magical factory / distribution center where the true big boss is running the entire thing.

Your heroes can do the traditional ‘missing person’ quest to get into this OR they can get one of these hair styles. When their hair all falls out they can quest for new hair!

Work with what you know and use it.

Antagonists don’t just stop being ‘bad guys’ when the players aren’t around. Players leave and come back and things have changed. New guards in town, less favorable deals at the potion shop, any sort of thing that might hinder the quest, even just a little.

Example – in a game I run one smaller antagonist cut a deal with the players. The players left that area. When they returned they found the deal was in place, but the small antagonist was now the head of a bureaucratic structure (that he created using charm spells) that was doing tons of shady things, but with an entirely legit staff. His new position changed the leverage point for the players.

In the end, keep notes. Write down a handful of small things and circle back to them when they fit. You don’t have to be a mastermind, you just have to be mindful. Hopefully there are some game masters out there that get a little bump from this!

Let’s Get Cozy!

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Cozy fantasy is more popular than ever. Why do we love it so much? What makes a story cozy? And is there such a thing as too cozy? We’ll talk favorite tropes and recommend lots of books as we celebrate this warm and fuzzy genre.

I was asked to be the moderator for this panel and happily accepted. Being the moderator means asking the questions and helping to guide the conversation, not (necessarily) giving one’s own answers. I’m going to put the questions here, along with some brief notes on what my answers would have been. Sadly, this panel was not recorded and I kind of wish it had been. My fellow panelists were delightful and had lots of great commentary. The audience was one of the better attended panels I’d seen for the weekend and they were actually really great too. Perhaps it had something to do with the topic itself and the type of person that might be drawn to that? Whatever the case, I did my best to keep the conversation moving along and staying lively. I was quite happy with the whole thing. Probably best of the weekend.

After introductions, How do you define a cozy fantasy?

What are the defining elements? Is it possible to quantify a ‘warm hug’ vibe?

How much conflict is too much conflict? There has to be some to make a story, right?

‘Cozy’ as a sub-genre is generally thought of as a 2020s arrival to the scene ~ are there older stories that fit?

Do we think this ‘cozy’ movement is a direct reaction as a response to the current socio-political environment?

If yes – do you think it will last?

If it doesn’t, will there be any of these works that transcend the movement and have saying power?

Here it is – what is your recommendations list?

So, you’ve indulged. You gave in to your sweet tooth. You’ve consumed all the gooey sweetness you can handle… what do you follow these with (other than many some insulin)?

Those were the questions and the panel easily filled an hour chatting about various aspects of all those things. Given some concern from the folks running the show that only 3 panelists might not be enough, I think it was great.

Coziest picture I have... now I want sweets...

Here are some of my notes on the questions I generated for everyone else.

Cozy really is a feeling. That feeling can be prompted by lower/personal only stakes in a story. No overwhelming things tying the world to the character. That’s not to say there isn’t war or political unrest or danger, just that it’s distant. The story is smaller in scale – often a single location. It’s personal, and often relates to family (found is a particularly common part of that) or a positive romance. Generally the story must have some version of a happy ending. There’s a certain calmness to things, as opposed to the rush and chaos of so many epic stories. It is hard to define that feeling, but it is an important part of this sub-genre.

As for conflict? I once read part of a series where the author specifically set out to create something that had no conflict. The best way to describe it would have been character notes. Nothing happened, we just learned about this person. I say part of a series because she never finished writing or publishing it (to my knowledge). Nothing happened, so nothing happened with it. It just withered in place.

Earlier cozy stories. I wish I had better notes on some of the things others brought up, but my best example was “Howl’s Moving Castle”. I also asked about “The Hobbit”, but the consensus seemed to be that Hobbits themselves were cozy, the story with spiders and dragons and changing the world didn’t actually fit.

As with any literature response to political times, most will fade away and be noted as ‘of their time’, but any truly excellent writing and good story will sustain past the current moment. Only time will really tell for this question.

Skipping ahead – the next thing really can be heavier. I wouldn’t suggest going overboard. Don’t jump directly from a cozy to something like “The Poppy War”. Too jarring and would just not work out well. It would be very easy to just slide into cozy land and stay there, but sometimes you need more than the sweets. Dig up a solid recommendation from a friend and go there next.

And finally – the list of what I felt fit into the category (along with some I found at the con). I’m not going to link them here, other than the first. I’ve read a number of these, but not all of them. I’d be interested to hear if there are any that should be added to this list.

Tea & Treachery at the Infinite Pantry by Jo Miles. They were an excellent panelist – go buy their book!

The rest in no particular order:


Rewitched by Lucy Jane Woods

Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by Ursula Vernon (writing as T. Kingfisher)

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’niel

The Honey Witch by Sydney Shields

Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis

Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

The Spell Shop by Sara Beth Durst

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

A Pslam for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers (Hugo winner)

Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by rebecca Thorne

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

and lastly, for this list – Greenwing & Dart series by Victoria Goddard.

This was the sort of panel I hope to end up on again. Lots of good stuff here – including some books I’m off to read now!

Knights of the Virtual Table

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My first panel “at” the convention was a fully virtual panel. No physical presence at all. I’m glad we were able to present the panel again this year, and do it in this format. It wasn’t a bad panel, but my connection at the hotel was not fantastic. Maybe, if we keep rolling with the virtual format we’ll actually get to a place where we can have some pre-set questions and get some screen sharing time in.

The description:

Come one, come all to the virtual table! In this online age, virtual tabletops have boomed in popularity, revolutionizing play with tools such as dynamic lighting, built-in soundboards, and combat trackers. It has never been easier to find a game, and connect with other players around the world. But with technological ease comes technical difficulties. Come listen to experienced GMs and players discuss the advantages and disadvantages of virtual tabletops versus in-person play!

Panel: Jana S. Brown (mod), Swift Crescendo, Angela Yuriko Smith, ME!

My Notes:

I have been a player and game master for a long time. As happened with so many, when we weren’t able to get together in person in the bad old days, we went online. I just kept it going – it is simultaneously easier and more diverse than many of my previous games. We now post our live play games on my YouTube channel for all to view.

First – COST.

It’s important to understand that playing a virtual game automatically has a cost associated with it. That is a limiting factor right from the start. The simple fact that playing like this demands a computer/phone/tablet (depending) and an internet connection. This is a limit for some people. We’re already here, so we can move ahead with an understanding that your party can get there – but it’s important to remember that starting cost.

Where do you connect?

How do you play? Do you have cameras on and do theater of the mind OR are you audio only while navigating a map in a virtual environment? There are a number of places to play, with various costs associated.

Play Tabletop Games hosts a wide variety of games – with per session costs. There are some that are free, others that cost. I have seen a range from $10 – $50 per session from the top GM lists.

Roll20 – Free to use, subscription for more options (from $50/year to $150/year)

Foundry VTT – One-time $50 payment by the Dungeon Master required

Fantasy Grounds – Free to use, subscription or purchasable license required for DM only (requires a download – and that may change your ability to connect based on your computer)

Owlbear Rodeo – Free to use, paid subscription available ($40/annual or $80/annual)

https://new.tableplop.com/ – Free to use

Tale Spire – digital, graphical – looks like it’s 3D (cost $25 on Steam)

There are TONS of digital tools out there for anything you can imagine. Character sheets, random generators, random everything generators, map tools, audio tools, and a massive list of advice videos about which of those tools are the one you should totally use.

Here are some that I think are important:

Random Name generators – my party always wants to know names. Have a list handy OR grab a random generator.

My go to is Fantasy Name Generators

Maps. I am super visual, and I love using Inkarnate

Those were all the notes I had prepared. In the end the path wound its way hither and yon. If you’re really interested in hearing what my co-panelists had to say you can pop over to good ol’YouTube and check out the whole panel – it was virtual so they recorded it!

Balticon 60!

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Over the past Memorial Day weekend I was once again invited to be a participant in the annual science fiction convention put on by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. I’ve been attending for a long time, and I’ve been a panelist for at least a decade, and probably more. Providing a standard “con report” just doesn’t seem to be… fair? True? I’m not sure I can give a point of view that somebody who does not regularly attend conventions would really find usable. I see things that many con goers would not, simply because I am so familiar with how things work. I miss things that a newcomer might crash into just based on experience.

I was having a discussion with another panelist comparing this convention to another that we have both attended in the past. The ‘other’ convention did not fare well in the comparison.

I don’t think that I’ll be going to The Other Con this year, or perhaps again at all. My last trip there was a less than ideal experience. It isn’t worth my time, effort and treasure to go and put myself through a bunch of nonsense for such minimal returns. I have thought The Other Con to be dying for many years. Most of the people I know who used to attend have moved on to other things. They are not moving toward newer, more modern thinking in order to attract a more youthful audience. This will kill them eventually. Of course this death has been long predicted and has yet to come to pass.

In that aspect, I think Balticon is doing the right things. This year seemed to have a more youthful feel to the attendees, and attendance numbers did look stronger (pure speculative observation on my part). There were V-tubers and panels about virtual games. There was still science and art and publishing, along with costuming and music and so many other things – and that was all good in my opinon. There were thriving conversations and lots of camaraderie that I hadn’t seen there for a while.

The Other Con – I think they have a team of people that have not grown, nor changed in many decades. They demand that others bend to their plan, but have no real plan. Panel timing is a great example. Balticon has now given a half hour between panels for moving around and clearing the room. It means (potentially) fewer panels, but it helps all the guests and panelists feel better about things like that.

I try not to rant and rave about things going wrong. Fandom is a small community and, in the end, a volunteer one. I have worked on many a con staff and understand how difficult the behind the scenes world is. That being said, I know The Other Con can do better… and they chose not to. It’s the choice that bothers me more than the problems.

Please don’t get my wrong. I do understand that Balticon has its issues. Yes, I know about things in the past that are the source of bad feelings and enmity toward people there. I can’t say it’s a perfect con and I support my friends that have (much as I have with The Other Con) to just not go there anymore.

My weekend in Baltimore was bittersweet. It was the first time I’d gone to a convention since Beck’s passing. I was able to connect with old friends and discuss all the glorious memories we had made there in the past. There were some new friends and interesting experiences. There were the panels too! Some panels were good, others were disappointing – and one was a complete panel no-show. Terribly disappointing because I really wanted the details from that one.

I’m going to post about each of the panels I was on individually. Hopefully folks will get something good out of my notes. All in all, it was a good weekend. I hope they ask me to participate again next year.

60!

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No, not my age. At least not yet.

I have been invited to be a panelist at Balticon 60. I’m very glad I’ve been invited again. I’ve been going to Balticon (the annual science fiction convention put on by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society) since #27. I wasn’t a panelist the entire time.

My very first year at the convention the artist guest of honor was Don Maitz. I had no idea who he was, or what was going on in general really, but I walked into the art show and was blown away. I immediately saw his full size painting _40 Thieves_ and couldn’t get enough. Then there was an author reading something cool to some fans who just happened to catch him in the hallway. Panels, games, and an entire convention of people interested in the same stuff I was! Stunned and happy by the end. I definitely wanted more.

A few years into my convention journey I went to a panel and only one of the actual people who were supposed to be on the panel actually showed up. The single panelist was a bit put out by this and decided to just grab a couple of people from the audience to fill the seats and make the panel go. I got asked to sit on the other side of the table for the first time. I was hooked. It was very cool to be on the “making it go” side of things.

So, here we are some decades later at Balticon #60. I’ve been gifted with the chance to discuss all sorts of things over the years and sit with some amazing creators. 

I’m looking forward to this year, but I also expect this year to be bittersweet. My wife won’t be there for the first time since we started this crazy trip together. I will still get to see my friends (those who are still attending, but that’s another matter) and go to dinner, but it won’t be the same. Admittedly, Beck’s attendance had been limited over the last couple of years as her health struggles kept her away from anything with extended walking times involved. She still made the trip down for dinner. She could still hang with any discussion about whatever bonkers topic we came up with. There was a certain intimacy about our trips – and a shared history. I won’t have that intimacy, nor will I have the shared history anymore.

Will I make new memories? I’m sure of it. It simply won’t be the same. Too much is gone. Nothing could be the same. So I will move forward and attend to my panels. I will discuss myriad topics and share meals. It will certainly be a new kind of adventure.

IF you’re in the area and get to the convention, this will be my schedule:

 Start Time      Duration            Room Name          Session ID                      Title
Fri 7:00 PM    1 Hr          Virtual Panel Room 1       704         Knights of the Virtual Table                     
Sat 7:00 PM    1 Hr          Mount Washington           965         Curling Up with Cozy Fantasy                     
Sun 11:30 AM   1 Hr          St. George                 706         Dark Lording for Fun and Profit                   
Sun 1:00 PM    1 Hr          St. George                 699         Actions and Consequences: DMing THAT Guy 

Being a bad guy without being a “Bad Guy”

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“You can be a bad guy without being a Bad Guy” – Zangief.

Explore the complexities and challenges of embodying morally ambiguous personas in role-playing games. Learn strategies to develop nuanced and compelling antihero characters, delve into the psychology behind their motivations, and navigate the delicate balance between immersion and maintaining a healthy gaming environment.

I had a little bit of anxiety heading into this panel. It was one that could have gone very wrong. I was asked/volunteered to be the moderator for this one. I started off with a bunch of notes and lots to say – but shifted to make sure I had a series of questions for the panelists to really dig into. I did lead into things by stating in my introduction that I had deep feelings about this topic that lead all the way back to the 1982 movie starring Tom Hanks as Robbie, the troubled college student in “Mazes and Monsters” (and I still think it’s unforgivable).

Here are the questions I came up with:

What are some techniques you have for creating the safe gaming environment you want?

Once you have the group / environment you want, do you set limits on what your characters can and can’t do? Follow up – how are we defining ‘bad guy’?

What are some strategies or approaches you can take as a player to be the anti-hero / bad guy without wrecking the game for everyone else?

As a game master, what tactics can you use to create compelling drama without letting the game play get out of hand?

What are your favorite aspects of playing out the ‘bad guy’ ~ and how do you do that while keeping in mind all those questions we just covered?

What are some strategies for taking steps back or making a move to help somebody in your group who is struggling?

I also wanted to include my notes here – before I was in charge of the discussion, here’s what I wanted to keep in mind:

One of the most enjoyable aspects of role-playing is exactly that – it’s a role. It’s not really YOU, right?

Creating a character that wants something is a part of this. Motivation, desires, needs… how do those make this character act? Is it the choice you’d make in the real world? Maybe not.

Give your characters secrets. What would they do to protect those secrets? Is honor vs. embarrassment a driving factor for your street samurai?

Consequences are NOT your consequences, but just because it’s not the real world doesn’t mean they don’t exist or won’t effect you.

Don’t become “that guy” or “that girl”. Yes, your character might be a bit homicidal. Deciding you’re in a bad mood so you’re going to kill all the other player characters is a group stopper. Don’t wreck it for everyone else. OR consider making your ‘bad guy’ character have a specific arc. Talk it out with the game master. A spectacular, massive, explody death is really memorable for the other characters and can push a story along. Yes, you need to make a new character, but that can be OK too.

Reasonable example: I played an anti-paladin. He was a cold hearted killer and had 0 remorse about it at all. He was being guided by a deeply evil wizard… who lied about being a ‘good guy’. We had to team up with 2 ‘good guy’ characters and a true neutral wizard to save the world (balance and all that). The group had a little bit of infighting based on goals, but it made for great tension and a spectacularly messy death for my character in the end.

Unreasonable example: I ran a big one shot session for a friend’s birthday. Co-DM with my friend John. Ten players – two teams of 5, each trying to claim the birthday throne. It was designed to be a battle royale. What happened was one player picked out another and just hounded her. Singled her out and didn’t let her do anything else except constantly defend or deal with being taken out of the action with any of the others. I found out after the fact that made the attacked person cry and now she’s not interested in playing anymore. Don’t be that jerk.

Making a Book Club Work

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Selecting books, recruiting members, and achieving longevity; what goes into a successful book discussion group?

I suspect I was asked to be part of this panel because of my long term connection to Watch the Skies and our 25+ year history as a club. The pre-convention notes were a little thin on this one and I was a little concerned. Turns out there was no need to worry. It was a small panel crowd and lots of lively bits were covered! Here are the notes I had going into the panel:

IF you read my bio at all, part of that list is a group called Watch The Skies. That group started back around the year 2000 as a science fiction and fantasy reading group. We are still going strong here in 2025. We have a lot going on, and a lot of aspects of the group that are only tangentially related.

First – the books (and how to pick them).

We have everyone write a secret selection they want to read on a slip of paper, then drop it into a small bag. Somebody who didn’t add a slip of paper in, reaches in and picks the book for next month. We do have some rules… we try to stay within science fiction / fantasy as a category. Some have been more loose than others. It needs to be in print currently. It should have been in print long enough to reach the paperback stage – we’re not out to bankrupt anyone.

Track your books. Keep that list someplace accessible. Our group has more than 225 titles we’ve discussed over the years.

Next – the social contract.

We’re here to have a chat about the book we read. We’re not here to crush anyone’s opinions, treat them badly or ostracize anyone. It’s meant to be a friendly, social thing. IF somebody picked a totally awful book, discuss the book, not their taste in books. Understand that not every book is for every person, and that’s what makes this fun. We’ve had our share of people come and go over the years – and some that went were the ones who bashed the choices of the group and didn’t bring any discussion points because they refused to read the book. Can’t help those people.

The Social – a big part of what drives it all.

We chat about books. Once we’re past the book chat, our topic wander all over the place. Don’t fear that, add to it. Mix in other social aspects. We’ve done book / movie trip combos for those willing. We have a social media presence (yes, it’s still Failbook) with more than 230 members. We don’t have a huge presence at each meeting, but we definitely have a core who show up on the regular. We connect with each other on our book review platforms. This is a social thing!

The Place – where do you meet?

We started as a book group in a Barnes & Noble. That was a draw back then. The corporate overlords took away the chairs and then the groups. We took our name and our group to another store. Eventually, that store decided it wasn’t for us (they treated us pretty poorly really). We went to another book shop. It’s a wonderful place, but they have many cats and that keeps some of our members away (allergies), combined with a limited meeting space. These days, we’re one of the most consistent and successful groups at one of the branches of our local library. Libraries (and librarians) are awesome. Go there.

In an important development – we also meet via Zoom (and you can join us too). This access is a big deal! There are more than one members that can’t get to our meetings in person for various reasons. Zoom is our connection.

The Extras – what other things add to the mix?

We do other things too.

We’ve participated as a group in small “comiccons” in our area, hosting a table where we gifted donated books to the kids that showed up. We volunteered, acted as cosplay judges and generally just had a good time.

Our members have a presence at many conventions both here and further afield. I’m here at Balticon this weekend. Some dear friends from the group will be headed to Confluence in July. We do our best to bring others on board, even if it’s only briefly.

Do your homework! IF you’re at a con and you’re talking to say… authors and artists and other creators make a connection! Invite them to join you. Ask them about their book and see about getting that onto the selection list – so they can call in or visit and talk about their work. See who is in your area by going to local author events and chatting with folks. Talk to the booksellers. Reach out to distant authors online. You won’t always have success, but other times you’ll be shocked by who’s happy to stop by and read to you!

In the past we’ve been host to authors (big names and local), editors, artists and musicians. We were a venue where they could promote and discuss their work, AND we got insights that other readers wouldn’t necessarily get. Winning all around.

The Zine.

I think the one thing that makes us special is that we also publish a fanzine each month. We’ve published 11 times a year since 2002 (about 23 years now). We have a cover art piece every month. We have articles, convention lists, and advertisements for friends of our group (not just anyone).

We are HUGO eligible (not that we get any love, even from our own membership).

This is your chance to make that extra connection with the creatives in your area and really push your group to be something special.

Coming Out of the Dungeon

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From classic dungeon crawls to slice of life storytelling, role-playing games have evolved and mutated in the fifty years since their conception. Many vintage games and titles are still played, though their presentation and execution may differ from the original intent. How are modern players clashing with old-style expectations, and how can you blend nostalgic charm seamlessly into your current games?

This was one panel that I totally misunderstood before the convention. I had a handful of notes about games that were NOT old school D&D, but that was not the direction of the panel at all.

How do we deal with all the history various games have now? Is there a way to bring some of those things forward to use in a modern game?

This is a panel that I wish was recorded. It was a nuanced and interesting discussion with players from various backgrounds. That is always the danger when talking about older versions of games – there was a distinct lack of diversity. There are any number of old adventures, adventure settings and interactions that would be considered “problematic” by a lot of folks today.

Can some aspects of those games and adventures be updated? Certainly. There are examples of many classics being updated to the latest game systems and being republished. Are there some that likely won’t make the cut? Absolutely. Dark Sun was a prominent one in the discussion as a significant portion of that setting revolved around slavery. There was a small mention of the 1st edition module series “Aerie of the Slavelords” and A2 “Secret of the Slavers Stockade” in particular. Those have some very specific issues. Could they be mined for ideas and maps? Maybe – but you’d very much have to have clear boundaries and discussions with your players as to how they feel about topics like that and if they are suitable for game play.

A good topic, a great discussion and one I hope to revisit – at the very least so I can take better notes.

So you want to be a Game Master?

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First time Gamemastering? Are prospective players asking whether you run your table Rules as Written or Rule of Cool, but you don’t know how to answer? Are you new to TTRPGs and want to get your friends to join you at the table? Have you wanted to give your Forever GM friend a break? Come to “So you want to be a Game Master?”, where our panel of experienced game runners will teach you how to lead an RPG, and ensure the fun is spread evenly around the table.

The home set up.

I’ve done posts and videos about being a DM before. I’ve also run a workshop at Balticon in the past for first timers. I like the idea of empowering others to invest in creating something wonderful and fun for everyone. For the record, I am very much a ‘rule of cool’ kind of game master. Here are my notes for this panel:

My personal house Rule #1: It’s just a game.

We’re here to have fun, and if we’re not having fun, then why are we doing it?

Finding an RPG you like is partially about the game itself and partially about the people you’re playing with. Both parts matter. These games are by their very nature social. The single biggest challenge is finding a group, or a series of groups of people that you really, truly enjoy gaming with. The people are the key to it all.

As for the games themselves, part of that is learning what your group is into, and what you are all looking for in a game.

How many people do you want the game to handle?

You don’t have to be an expert on fantasy lore or a master rules lawyer; anyone can be a GM.

The hardest part of it all, battling the demons of three to five other people’s schedules.

Find inspiration (in art, in books, in movies, in conversation with others)

Prepare to the amount you feel comfortable with – SET A SCENARIO, NOT A STORY PLOT

Roll with choices your players make – be flexible

Adapt encounters that were ‘missed’ into something else later in the campaign (save your work)

Keep a list of names (like sounding names from a similar area – on hand just in case random NPC)

Keep notes – particularly of who all those random NPCs are, b/c they might stick and come back (Cabbage guy from Avatar the Last Airbender anyone?)

Feel free to watch shows like critical role – but understand what they’ve got going on behind the scenes (and if you don’t have that, how can your game match that?)

Even the best, luckiest and most talented groups don’t last forever, and sometimes that’s what makes them truly magical. Take advantage of having fun while you can.