PAIZOCON 2009: You Should'a Been There!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

That sound you heard last Sunday night (heard 'round the world, I'm told) was not Krakatoa II (electric boogaloo?), it was the enormous sigh of relief from me as PAIZOCON 2009 came to a close and did so with a feeling of great satisfaction.

A little over a year ago, I spent a Saturday morning in a little hotel in Kirkland, WA and watched a small group of Paizo fans, led by Timitius and Lilith from our boards, gather and enjoy each other's company as fellow Paizo community members. Right then and there I said to myself, "Self," I said, "We have to take this over and help them grow it." So when it came time to plan the 2009 convention season the first thing on my agenda was How Do We Politely Tell Tim That PAIZOCON is Ours Now and Yet Still Get His Help? Well, it turns out, it was really easy.

I had lunch with Tim last fall and laid the cards on the table. I asked Tim what he thought if Paizo wanted to get into PAIZOCON in a really big way for the second year—as in, so big that we basically ran it as an official show. Tim's face was 100% relief and he was thrilled to get the planning process off his shoulders. I, in turn, was thrilled to take it on and despite many late nights and a lot of work, I couldn't be more happy at how it all turned out.

For me, PAIZOCON 2009 began on Friday morning with my arrival at the Coast Bellevue Hotel. Jeff, Cosmo, Chris, and I set up the sales booth, taped up all the signs, and then waited for the hordes to come. And come they did! It was amazing to finally put faces to names and say hello to a lot of folks that I'd been reading about on the boards for years. Additionally, a lot of new faces showed up as well—folks who maybe lurked on the boards, or were only familiar with Paizo and the Beta and just wanted to come and see what Paizo was all about in person. Our special guests were already at the show and folks like Monte and Sue Cook, Eva Widermann, Wolfgang Bauer, and the entire Paizo staff immediately took to mingling with the attendees.

And then the gaming began! RPGs, board games, card games, you name it and someone was playing it. At times we'd sit there at registration and think, "Wow, it got really slow around here suddenly" and that was because the breakout rooms and the ballroom were stuffed to the gills with gaming, gaming, gaming. Laughter, dice rolls, howls of defeat, and cries of success echoed through the halls of the Coast Bellevue and we knew right then that we'd done something right—PAIZOCON 2009 was going to be a success.

Saturday was a long day of gaming that ended with a huge banquet for the attendees. The food was fantastic, the company even better, and it was pushed over the top by a keynote address from Paizo CEO Lisa Stevens, a lengthy preview of the PRPG by Lead Designer Jason Bulmahn, a preview of things to come by Publisher Erik Mona, and a really boring, stuffy, and not very fun quiz game lamely put together by yours truly. (Okay, so the quiz game was awesome! Most fun I've had in front of crowd since the WTO Riots in 1999.)

Sunday was additional gaming fun as the show slowly started to wind down. Folks began collecting in the lobby and just hanging out—sharing gaming stories, asking the PAIZOCON special guest in the seat next to them about their RPG favorites, and just basking in the glow of a successful and fun weekend of all things Paizo and beyond.

With the show behind me now, I've already started thinking about next year. In fact, as I write this, I'm 15 minutes away from the first meeting to do just that: plan PAIZOCON 2010 and figure how, exactly, we're going to be able to top 2009. For those of you who were there, I hope you had fun and played games to your heart's content. For those who couldn't make it—do not, I repeat, DO NOT miss out on the opportunity next year. I imagine it'll only be better.

Thanks, everyone!

The PAIZOCON 2009 sales booth, manned by a cleverly hidden Vic Wertz.	Erik Mona runs his Spire of Nex preview on Friday.
F. Wesley Schneider runs his Ustalav preview on Friday.	Neil Shackleton shows off one of the hobby horses he brought for his live-action Yetisburg game. He had one pink one and he named it "Sebastian."
Lilith looks over cartographer Corey Macourek's shoulder as he explains how he designs Paizo's GameMastery Flip-Mat and Map Pack lines.	PAIZOCON Special Guest Artist Eva Widermann gets ready to burn her personal seal into a drawing she did for a fan.
Pathfinder Wiki guru Yoda8MyHead discusses Pathfinder with others in the Coast Bellevue Hotel lobby.	Eva Widermann and artist rk post sketch for the fans.
Fray and Wolfgang Baur discuss Kobold Quarterly.	Paizo's Disturbing Customer Servant Cosmo ponders his life as a hobby horse cavalryman in a game of live-action Yetisburg.

Until next year!

Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager

PAIZOCON Wrap-Up, Episode I

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

PAIZOCON has come and gone, and we're all still recovering from the unbelievable amount of fun we had this weekend. Those of you who were there doubtlessly have your own favorite moments, but for those who weren't, I'd have to say my high points were playing Wes's imp familiar during the Pathfinder Society Interactive, possessing the spirit-medium Sean during the same event, running panels, hearing hundreds of people yell out Paizo trivia answers at the banquet (and yes, I'm in fact the youngest editor—don't be fooled by Wes's beardlessness!), and kickin' it into the wee hours of the morning with a number of our favorite fans and contributors. I'm sure several other Paizo staffers will be on here in the week to come sharing their favorite con memories and photos, but for now, I wanted to show you all pictures of two particular events that stand out in my mind:

These pictures were taken on the first day, and totally blew my mind. In order to make it easier to read on the bus, superfan Mark Moreland (aka Yoda8myhead on the boards) decide to rip the text from all 18 Eando Kline Pathfinder's Journal episodes and bind them into a single, totally beautiful chapbook, complete with Jason Engle's art on the cover. As I'm particularly attached to Eando, it warmed my heart to see everything collected under one cover.

And of course, as Wes will happily tell you, no account of PAIZOCON would be complete without a photo of me manhandling Mr. Reynolds. But that's what you get when you insist on channeling the spirit of the great and powerful imp Chumley...

Thanks again to everyone who attended the con, and hopefully we'll see even more of you there next year!

James Sutter
Fiction Editor

PAIZOCON: The Aftermath

Monday, June 15, 2009

After three incredible days of gaming, chatting, drinking, and nerding out, pretty much all of us here at Paizo are totally wiped. So we're taking today to gradually ease back into things, mostly by dishing about the con, nursing hangovers, and reading Wayfinder, the remarkable fan-made magazine that totally knocked all of our socks off. Thanks a ton to Liz "Lilith" Courts, Hugo "Butterfrog" Solis, Adam Daigle, Ashavan Doyon, David Schwartz, Thomas McQueen, and all the Wayfinder staff and contributors for putting together what really was one of the highlights of the show. Also a ton of thanks goes to everyone who came and made PAIZOCON 2009 such an incredible weekend! We'll be posting our pictures and musings from the con throughout the coming week, but until then, safe travels to everyone heading home and thanks for making PAIZOCON more successful than we could have imagined!

F. Wesley Schneider
Managing Editor

Countdown to PAIZOCON

Thursday, June 11, 2009

PAIZOCON is tomorrow! The massive event schedule lists all of the awesome activities attendees can expect to take part in, but here are some of the real gems that I'm looking forward to:

As I mentioned in Tuesday's "Countdown to PAIZOCON" blog, guests and Paizo staff will have the opportunity to wine and dine together during Saturday's banquet. One of the reasons I'm most excited about the banquet is the opportunity to meet fellow Paizonians. Having gotten to know so many of you on the messageboards, it will be fun to finally meet some of you face-to-face! In addition to Publisher Erik Mona's preview of upcoming Pathfinder products and CEO Lisa Steven's keynote address, attendees can expect one very special surprise. I can't say what it is (under pain of death), but you all should be very excited!

One of the neatest things about PAIZOCON is the myriad opportunities to get the inside scoop on Pathfinder, Paizo, and the old days at TSR. Between “The Pathfinder RPG and the Future of Paizo" on Friday, and "What's New with Pathfinder?", "Secrets of TSR Revealed!", and the "Pathfinder Fiction Discussion" on Saturday, guests should expect to get firsthand knowledge about the juicy details of the publishing industry, as well as an exciting look at all of the goodies (and there are many!) that Paizo will be working on in the near future. I plan on attending as many of these seminars as I can!

Speaking of seminars, there are a ton about how to begin writing for RPGs and break into the game industry. Here's a brief list of some of the seminars that I hope to attend myself: "How To Break Into Print in Kobold Quarterly," "Designing Dungeons with Monte Cook," "Secrets of the Publishing Industry—Your Questions Answered," "Pathfinder Society Open Call Workshop," "Build a Pathfinder Society Scenario with Sue Cook and Joshua J. Frost," and "Game Design Self-Editing Workshop by Sue Cook."

Finally (and perhaps best of all) expect to play lots and lots of games. Pathfinder Society scenarios will be run every day throughout the convention, and special events such as Sean K Reynold's "Into the Scarlet Monastery" (a Pathfinder RPG rendition of one of the most iconic dungeons of the most iconic MMO), Jason Bulmahn's "Fight Club" (wherein you characters will be brutally savaged by monsters), and master of horror James Jacobs's "Unspeakable Futures" (a Pathfinder RPG variant set in an apocalyptic earth ravaged by the Elder Mythos) are sure to be crowd pleasers. I might even have to sit in and watch some of these games being played—they sound that awesome.

I've quickly run out of space in my excitement to tell you about the ridiculously fun things to expect at PAIZOCON, so I'll end with this:

PAIZOCON is tomorrow baby! WOOT!

David Eitelbach
Editorial Intern

Countdown to PAIZOCON

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

PAIZOCON approaches! In less than a week's time, Paizonians from throughout the country and around the world will arrive in Bellevue to take part in the furious and fun convention here at the Coast Bellevue Hotel. As a little teaser for what to expect, I spoke to Events Manager Joshua J. Frost and Pathfinder Lead Designer Jason Bulmahn about some of the most exciting events attendees can anticipate.

On Saturday, PAIZOCON attendees will enjoy an enormous banquet, as the Paizo staff and attendees mingle with one another, swap stories, and chow down on delicious food. Highlights of the banquet include a preview of the Pathfinder RPG and a Q&A with Jason Bulmahn, a five-round quiz game with special prizes, a keynote address by CEO Lisa Stevens, and a preview of unannounced products by Publisher Erik Mona.

Jason Bulmahn's Fight Club will also be a particularly fun highlight of PAIZOCON. Only one word most accurately depicts the Fight Club: Meatgrinder. To put it simply, players are seated around four tables and given a stack of 3rd-level characters to chew through. Jason runs around each table activating monsters; it's up to the players to accomplish the task of slaying impossibly tough creatures (or each other!) with their measly characters. Expect death and mayhem. Points are distributed according to damage dealt to monsters and who delivered the killing blow, and subtracted when a character dies. Prizes will be awarded for—among other things—the most points, the most damage dealt, the most deaths, and the quickest death.

The Pathfinder Society also boasts a number of special events for PAIZOCON. To begin with, attendees will be able to run through all four June scenarios, as well as a mid-level and high-level scenario, using pregens or their existing Pathfinder Society characters. On Friday, Pathfinder Society will host an Interactive, in which attendees can battle against one another using their Society characters in a Grand Melee and participate in a joust. These are just a sampling; other activities will be included in the Interactive as well!

It should be noted, however, that characters must bring their own Society characters to participate in the Interactive—to create a Pathfinder Society character, just head to the Pathfinder Society homepage and download the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play.

I hope you're all as excited and impatient as I am for the craziness to ensue this weekend!

David Eitelbach
Editorial Intern

New PAIZOCON Guests! New PAIZOCON Events!

Friday, March 27, 2009

Hello there future PAIZOCON 2009 attendees! Today's blog is all about our upcoming fan con and the events and guests you can expect to see there. In case you've been asleep under a bridge in Tasmania and have no idea what PAIZOCON is, please click here and find out. You can also purchase your 3-Day PAIZOCON badge and your $5 Pathfinder RPG Preview Banquet tickets. Hotel information can be found here.

Additional Guests
In addition to Monte Cook, Sue Cook, Eva Widermann, Wolfgang Baur, Clark Peterson, and the entire Paizo staff, we're announcing five new special guests today as well! You can view the complete guest list here.

Lou Agresta
Fantasy game design crept up on Lou Agresta in 2005, when diamondthrone.com accepted his first articles on true names. Until then a writer of travelogues, indie comics, fashion essays, and torturous, self-indulgent philosophy tracts, his more recent adventure credits include SAW #1 and #12 of the Trodoon Gate Saga (LPJ Designs), The Bloody Fix and The Punctured Vein with Rone Barton (O0negames), and Pathfinder Society Scenario #8: Slave Pits of Absalom. Lou is one of six authors from the Great City Campaign Setting (0onegames), a contributor to Sinister Adventures, and chief-scribbler over at the RPGAggression blog. A member of the Werecabbages freelance writer's guild, he also had his fingers in both the GM Gems and PC Pearls collaborations (Goodman Games) and has made guest appearances as Cthu-Lou on the Atomic Array podcast. Lou's set piece, slated for Pathfinder #24, will likely prove the last of its kind. Dungeon acquired his first adventure, written with Nicolas Logue, then canceled the magazine, leaving Lou forever haunted by the fear he is somehow responsible. Lou lives somewhere in upstate NY with his wife, daughter, a dog, and a couple of horses. While he has sometimes worn a kilt and ridden a tractor, no one has ever caught him doing both.

Rob McCreary
Rob McCreary was born in Japan and raised in the United States. He started gaming when the red Basic D&D boxed set came out. Rob currently lives in Prague, Czech Republic, where he is an English teacher by day and freelancer by night. Rob made it to last year's RPG Superstar Top 4 with a combination of coin belts, ziggurat-filled jungles, and monkey-goblins. Thus far he has contributed to the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, several Pathfinder Bestiaries, and the upcoming Dungeon Denizens Revisited. Rob is currently scrambling to finish writing the final installment of the upcoming Legacy of Fire Adventure Path, "The Final Wish."

Jason Nelson Jason Nelson is in the job market as a professor of education (have doctorate, will travel!) and a devoted Christian who lives in Seattle, Washington with his two kids, Allen and Meshia, and has been gaming since 1981. He's hardcore enough that he uses the name of his first-ever D&D character, Tjaden, in his email address, and he's also devious enough to have slipped the name of his fiancee into the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, to her great amusement and delight. Jason was some combination of lucky and good enough to make the Final Four in the inaugural RPG Superstar and has also written a number of adventures and articles for Dungeon and Dragon magazines (ah, memories) and over a hundred webcolumns for Wizards of the Coast, including the long-running "Save My Game" and "Behind the Screen." More recently, he has contributed to Dungeon Denizens Revisited and several Pathfinder Bestiaries, co-wrote Osirion: Land of the Pharaohs, and is the author of "The End of Eternity", the fourth adventure in the Legacy of Fire Adventure Path. It's awesome! You should totally go buy a copy!

rk post
Just prior to graduation from Northern Illinois University in 1994, rk post started freelancing in the fantasy gaming industry doing interior illustrations for several major game companies, gradually teaching himself how to paint with acrylics and eventually oils. rk garnered a staff illustration position at TSR in the fall of 1996 painting cover illustrations for games and novels. rk left (then) WotC in the winter of 2000 and now he doubles as a full time freelance illustrator and senior artist for Big Fish Games in Seattle. rk has contracted and worked with White Wolf, WizKids, Fanpro, Microsoft (Mythica, X Box), LucasFilm, 20th Century Fox (Aliens vs. Predator series), Sega (Dreamcast), Nintendo, Ballantine Books, Science Fiction Book Club, Hasbro (television and animation), Marvel Entertainment, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, the History Channel, and Blizzard Entertainment (Diablo 2, World of Warcraft). rk post has his collected works available in a hard cover art book, Postmortem: the Art of rk post through Cartouche Press (www.cartouchepress.com). New and continuing work can also be seen at www.rkpost.net and www.myspace.com/rkpost.

Neil Spicer
Born in the shadow of North Carolina's Blue Ridge mountains, Neil Spicer started gaming in the early '80s. His first foray into RPG design began with a simple fanzine devoted to Alternity's Star*Drive and Dark.Matter campaign settings titled Action Check. Since then, he's written a handful of D20 PDF products for third-party publishers and co-authored a softcover D20 Future supplement called the Future Player's Companion through the Game Mechanics and Green Ronin. Neil somehow managed to survive Paizo's RPG Superstar 2009 contest and emerged with an opportunity to write Realm of the Fellnight Queen, an Pathfinder Module scheduled for release in January 2010.

Events

Below is just a small sampling of the events you can expect to see and participate in at PAIZOCON 2009. Event sign-ups will go live in May. We still have a few badges left—don't be left out, buy yours today! In addition to the events below, Pathfinder Society members of all levels and experience will be able to participate in a Friday night interactive penned by Erik Mona and Joshua J. Frost that's sure to keep people talking for years!

Pathfinder Society Scenario #23:
Tide of Morning by Steven Robert (for Tier 1–5)
Venture-Captain Dennel Hamshanks sends you to convince an Andoren druid named Hemzel to allow the Pathfinder Society to study his recently discovered lorestone, a minor magical item that unlocks some of the mysteries of the ancient Andoren druid circles. When you arrive and find Hemzel murdered and the lorestone missing, you must race against time to recover the lorestone and stop Hemzel's murderers from using it against the druids of Andoran.

Pathfinder Society Scenario #24:
The Decline of Glory by Tim Hitchcock (for Tier 1–7)

When the son of a famous Pathfinder gains control of his father's holdings in Taldor, the Pathfinder Society decides to build a new lodge there as a base to explore the many ruins of that crumbling empire. Unfortunately, the Taldan Phalanx has its eye on the holdings and an ancient curse has turned many of the residents into the walking dead. Can you survive the tangled web of Taldor's politics and fight off the echoes of the past or will you, too, see your glory decline?

Pathfinder Society Scenario #25:
Hands of the Muted God by Clinton J. Boomer (for Tier 5–9)
When the man who would be the Muted God wordlessly stepped beyond the gates of the Starstone's Cathedral, his thousand and one faithful ringing the Ascendant Court watched with the silent contemplation that is their highest sacrament. When he failed to emerge, many of his penitents abandoned their vows but a small sect remained loyal and worshipful. You and your fellow Pathfinders are sent into the mountains north of Absalom to follow the path of a doomed party and uncover the secrets of the Muted God. His loyal band of followers, called the Hand, will stop at nothing to keep you away from their shrine—even forming an alliance with some of Golarion's most evil denizens.

Pathfinder Society Scenario #26:
Lost at Bitter End by Joshua J. Frost (for Tier 7–11)
When a Pathfinder Society Priest of Nethys disappears in northern Geb while studying the Mana Wastes, the Society sends you to uncover his whereabouts and find his journals. Arriving in the town of Bitter End, you find it deserted but for a few mysterious creatures never before seen on Golarion. Those creatures quickly lead to more and soon you're embroiled in a mystery that could affect the very fabric of reality. Will you solve the mystery of Bitter End or find yourself lost forever in the Mana Wastes?

Cursed Lot: New Beginnings, GMed by Jason Bulmahn
Last year, a group of brave, but horribly cursed adventurers set out on a brave adventure. While one succeeded to be rid of his terrible curse, the rest suffered and even worse fate. This year, a new band of unfortunately cursed heroes takes on an even greater challenge... to rescue a missing dog. How hard could that be?

Fires Over Brinestump, GMed by James Jacobs
It's been three years since the last time goblins have been a problem on the Lost Coast, but last night, a band of Licktoad Goblins from the Brinestump Marsh lit a merchant wagon on fire. The lone survivior almost made it to the town of Sandpoint before dying of his burns, and shortly after his body is discovered, fireworks bloom over Brinestump Marsh, lighting the night sky south of Sandpoint in an unmistakable display of goblin celebration. Why are the Licktoad Goblins on the march? Who gave them fireworks? Does this herald the advent of another goblin invasion of the town of Sandpoint? A Pathfinder RPG adventure for six 1st level characters.

Into the Scarlet Monastery, GMed by Sean K Reynolds The zealots of the Scarlet Monastery have been a blight on the world for three years. Reviled by all, they hate against all nonhumans, accuse their enemies of spreading plague, and lynch innocents in the name of their crusade. Now is the time to defeat their Commander. But are two orc warriors, a troll mage, a warlock, an undead rogue, and a minotaur druid up to the task?

Before Nightfall, a PFPRG Playtest for a work in progress, GMed by F. Wesley Schneider
Forsaken, some places are best left to their haunted memories and the shadows of things best left forgotten. On the Ustalavic frontieer, one such ruin has long loomed over the lives and nightmares of the local peasents, a monument to terrors that can never be forgotten. Now a terrible new life has returned to the dreaded citadel, one that seeks to renew the horrors of centuries past. Take up arms and explore the deadly grounds and labyinthine courtyards of a soon to be infamous gothic castle, offer your advice and feedback on what makes for exciting horror roleplaying, and participate in the creation of a terrifying new adventure written in the tradition of one of the most famous horror RPG modules of all time.

Short Fiction Workshop
Paizo Fiction Editor James L. Sutter and Editor Christopher Paul Carey critique your short fiction! James and Chris will critique your story from an editorial viewpoint and go over it with you, focusing especially on the opening and those red flags editors use to quickly reject stories, helping you hone your writing and make it past an editor's initial cut. Please note that workshopping will be on a first-come, first-served basis during the listed timeslot—you can sign up so you don't have to wait around the whole time.

Pathfinder Society Scenario Open Call Workshop
A future Pathfinder Society Scenario for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game will be decided on at PAIZOCON 2009! Soon, Paizo's Events Manager Joshua J. Frost will put out an open call for one of the fall Pathfinder Society Scenarios—a call that can only be answered by attendees at PAIZOCON 2009! All who contributed may attend this workshop where Joshua will go over why each scenario was and wasn't accepted. For a unique look inside the creative mind of the guy who brings you your monthly installment of Pathfinder Society scenarios, look no further than this seminar! This event will be capped at 20 attendees.

... and much, much more! Don't delay—sign up for PAIZOCON 2009 today!

Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager

Announcing PAIZOCON 2009!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

PAIZOCON returns in 2009 bigger and better than ever! Officially sponsored and run by Paizo Publishing, LLC, PAIZOCON 2009 brings together dozens of hobby gaming's veteran authors, artists, publishers, and designers and gives YOU the opportunity to meet, greet, and game with some of the best and brightest that the hobby gaming industry has to offer.

Hosted by the conveniently located Coast Bellevue Hotel, PAIZOCON 2009 is three non-stop days of gaming, panels, workshops, banquets, and (most importantly) fun! You'll get to rub shoulders with your favorite Paizo Publishing employees and freelancers as well as game with your favorite people from the Paizo Publishing online community.

Attendance is capped at 250 TICKETS, so don't delay—buy your tickets today!

Also, Saturday, June 13, 2009 PAIZOCON 2009 will host a Pathfinder RPG Preview Banquet in the main banquet hall at the Coast Bellevue Hotel. The Coast Bellevue Hotel's banquet hall can hold 250 people maximum, which means there are less tickets available for the banquet than there are for the show overall. Tickets for this event are capped at 225, so sign up as soon as possible to guarantee your seat. You may only purchase tickets for this event if you've also purchased your PAIZOCON 2009 3-Day Badge located here.

During the banquet, attendees will have the opportunity to view Pathfinder RPG products for the first time beyond the walls of Paizo Publishing. We will have copies of the Pathfinder RPG hardcover as well as preview copies of the Pathfinder Bestiary for everyone to flip through and marvel at. Additionally, members of the Paizo staff and PAIZOCON 2009 Guests of Honor will be seated one each at every table in the room, giving attendees the opportunity to chat with the industry professional seated at their table.

Throughout the banquet, there will be games and quizzes with each table acting as a team. Prizes will be given away and one lucky attendee will even win a copy of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game autographed by everyone at Paizo Publishing (to be delivered via the mail upon the game's release in August).

Don't miss out on this unique event at PAIZOCON 2009—buy your Pathfinder RPG Preview Banquet ticket today!

We hope to see YOU at PAIZOCON 2009! Don't miss out.

Joshua J. Frost
Events Manager

PaizoCon 2008

Thursday, May 1, 2008

This past weekend, roughly thirty adventurous gamers descended upon the LaQuinta Inn in Bellevue, Washington to participate in the first annual PaizoCon. In attendance were several of our messageboard family's most visible personalities, including Lilith, Chris Mortika, Pete Apple, Grimcleaver, Timitius (who put together the event), Russ Taylor, and many more. Paizo itself made an appearance Saturday, with Lisa, Vic, James, Wes, and Erik (along with Open Design's own Wolfgang Baur!) answering questions and joking around with everyone at the Game Industry seminar. Josh, Corey, and I stayed shyly in the back, while Cosmo sneaked around the room snapping pictures, including the four presented here.

After the seminar, the Paizo staff mingled with the con's excellent attendees, and eventually a number of Pathfinder RPG games broke out (run by Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, James Jacobs, and Russ Taylor), as did demos of Titanic's upcoming Yetisburg and Falling, as well as Kill Doctor Lucky and Key Largo.

Here's a look at the entire room, including the panelists, during the seminar.

Here's a look at everyone during the seminar.

From left to right: Lisa, Vic, Erik, Wolfgang, James, and Wes, with Lilith off to the right reading off questions.

From left to right: Timitius, James, Jason, and Mike.

To see all of Cosmo's pictures and to get a glimpse at what the elusive bronze dragon editor looks like in his human form, check out this page. For a different perspective, check out Timitius's pictures. For a detailed recap and a chance to weigh in, check out this thread on our messageboards.

Mike McArtor
Editor