Dexcon 17 and OSWARP in New Jersey (July 4th Weekend)

On Fourth of July weekend, I’ll be heading across the mighty Hudson River to the hinterlands of Northern New Jersey for DEXCON, specifically to take part in OSWARP (Old School Wargames and Role-Playing) mini-convention. It will be playtests galore as I bring the first two parts of The Four Phantasmagorias DCC RPG adventure series to the table, and the second playtest of my upcoming METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA adventure. Event registration is now live, so if you’re in the tri-state area and looking for some Old-School gaming (and are free Fourth of July weekend), consider coming on down.

In addition to my own humble presence with DCC RPG and MA, old-school games such as D6 Star Wars, classic Traveller, Swords & Wizardry, Stars Without Number, OD&D, AD&D, Adventures Dark & Deep, Call of Cthulhu, and Champions are on tap, as are a bevy of new school games and classic wargames. I’m still hashing out the details of my weekend, but I’ll certainly be around for Thursday, Friday, and part of Saturday.

Here’s the scoop on what I’m running:

R0235: Dungeon Crawl Classics; "The First Phantasmagoria" presented by Michael Curtis. An OLD SCHOOL Game - Part of the OSWARP Mini-Convention at DEXCON 17! Strange symbols appear on you flesh and the most learned minds in the realm cannot fathom why. Perhaps those eldritch priests who serve the Great Dreaming God, Cthulhu, can help decipher them. What could possibly go wrong there? "The First Phantasmagoria" is the beginning adventure in a multi-part adventure saga from Goodman Games. Thursday, 8:00PM - 12:00AM; One Round; All Materials Provided. Beginners Welcome; Fun, All Ages. 

R0269: METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA (1976); "Level of the Lost" presented by Michael Curtis. An OLD SCHOOL Game - Part of the OSWARP Mini-Convention at DEXCON 17! A formerly sealed section of the Warden has been opened and rumor has it that one of the fable command rings awaits beyond the entrance. Does your band of explorers have what it takes to overcome the hazards of the Level of the Lost and emerge with this potent artifact? This adventure is highly dangerous, but highly fun! Friday, 2:00PM - 6:00PM; One Round; All Materials Provided. Beginners Welcome; Fun, All Ages. 

R0288: Dungeon Crawl Classics; "The Second Phantasmagoria" presented by Michael Curtis. An OLD SCHOOL Game - Part of the OSWARP Mini-Convention at DEXCON 17! Venture back to the Drowse to enter the Forest of Childish Delights. Inside lies another part of your quest for the Four Phantasmagorias. But things (and people) turn weird once they cross the verge of the woods, so be forewarned. This may make overcoming the eclectic collection of enemies birthed from bloodstained fairy tales a tad difficult to overcome. "The Second Phantasmagoria" is the second adventure in a multi-part adventure saga from Goodman Games. Friday, 8:00PM - 12:00AM; One Round; All Materials Provided. Beginners Welcome; Fun, All Ages.

Hope to see some familiar faces (I know I will just looking at the folks who are running games) and to meet new gamers. Feel free to bring stuff for me to deface if you want my scrawl on something. Depending on my final schedule, I may actually play something this time around, too.

Summer on the Convention Trail

Hey, looky there. It looks like I’ll actually post something here before the month runs out.

OK, so every now and then I get to pick the lock on my cage and escape into the wild for a few days before a refugee from Animal Planet comes and shoots me with a tranquilizer dark and hauls me back to the Freelancer Designers’ Home for the Mad. As summer creeps up, I know for certain I’ll be out and about and those of you interested in meeting me in the flesh can find me at certain venues. If history is any indicator, I suspect your second or third question for me will be “When’s Stonehell 2 coming out?”

As of right now, I’m scheduled to attend three conventions this summer, with a fourth a strong possibility. Here are the stops on my Summer Rampage Tour:

June 6^th-9^th: North Texas RPG Con—I’ll actually be arriving on the 5^th, so you’re sure to see me if you’re an early arrival at the hotel. I’ll be looking to play something because I’m a busy man that weekend once the con officially starts. I think all of my games are filled, but you’re always welcome to come by and see if there’s a no-show or two. I’m really very accommodating. My schedule is:

Thursday, June 6^th @ 6 PM in Trinity III at Table 4: DCC RPG—“Frozen in Time”
Friday, June 7^th @ 10 AM in Trinity III at Table 8: DCC RPG—“A Night on the Town”
Friday, June 7^th @ 6 PM in Trinity IV at Table 7: Shiverwhen Playtest—“The Perils of the Book Trade”
Saturday, June 8^th @ 10 AM: I’m actually playing! “Metamorphosis Alpha” with Jim Ward. I’m two for two in MA with Jim at the helm. This means I’m likely a casualty this time around.
Saturday, Jun 8^th @ 6 PM in Trinty IV at Table 7: Labyrinth Lord/Mutant Future—“The Great Stonehell Laser Massacre”

July 3^rd-7^th: Dexcon in Morristown, NJ. This one is not 100% guaranteed yet, but do to its proximity to my base of operations and the good things I’ve heard about it, it’s likely I’ll be attending and running some DCC RPG. More details as they emerge.

July 12^th-14^th: Connecticon in Hartford, CT: Hey, look it me! I’m a Tradition Gaming Guest of Honor at Connecticon. I’ll be bringing DCC RPG and doing another Shiverwhen playtest. My schedule is:

Friday, July 12^th @ 8 PM: DCC RPG—“Frozen in Time”
Saturday, July 13^th @ 9 AM: DCC RPG—“In the Court of Chaos”
Saturday, July 13^th @ 8 PM: Shiverwhen Playtest
Sunday, July 14^th @ 9 AM:  DCC RPG—“A Night on the Town”

August 15^th-18^th: The mother of all conventions, GenCon! It’s my first GenCon ever. It’s taken more than 30 years, but I finally get to attend the biggest RPG convention in the U.S. if not the world. I’ve got a bunch of games schedule and it’s also likely I can be found at or around the Goodman Games booth in the exhibitor’s hall in between events. My schedule is:

Thursday, August 15^th @ 7 PM: DCC RPG—“The Croaking Fane”
Friday, August 16^th @ 9 AM: DCC RPG—“Frozen in Time (zero-level funnel)”
Friday, August 16^th @ 7 PM: DCC RPG—“The Croaking Fane”
Saturday, August 17^th @ 9 AM: DCC RPG—“Frozen in Time (1^st level heroes)”
Saturday, August 17^th @ 7 PM: DCC RPG—“A Night on the Town”

Crap. That's a lot on my plate this summer. I better get back to work.