It would be really cool if you could include some sort of Paizocon logo header card on the front of those videos.
Consider it done. I'll be including a title with the seminar name, so I can incorporate it into that title page. Is the Paizocon logo available for download (.psd, .ai or a large .jpg)?
EDIT: I did manage to record the last two of the seminars I had on the list, so we're looking at the full 4-5 hours of informative goodness.
That's going to be worth waiting for!
Looking forward to the seminars-by-proxy! :-D
Contributor
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This con was incredible! Everyone there was so friendly and happy, and I even got to sit down and chew the fat with Lisa Stevens for a good half an hour before I even realized she was THAT Lisa (and for another hour after that). She and the rest of the Paizo crew spent a lot of time out amongst the masses, making us all feel welcome and generally being the friendliest industry innovators I've ever met.
I think Timitius, Lilith, and the entire Paizo staff have earned themself a special place in the afterlife for all the work they put into this weekend. It was the most fun I've ever had at a con.
Yay, Gary rocks! I was at his table staring at him out the corner of my eye!
*sends ninja-frogs to stalk*
Hey Hugo, I need your pathfinder society number so that I can complete my sheet for the game you ran.
Thanks!
Here you go Nani, 2735, Hugo Solis
Thanks for the patience ;)
Paizocon was a lot of fun - if draining. The banquet was MOST excellent - even the roast beast was edible -, the overall events were entertaining to run / participate in and the 6 AM PST wake-up times were not really overly onerous.
Barring a phenomenal flood of income in the next year, the upcoming wedding, receptions and honeymoon next year will wipe out any chance to attend Paizocon for my fiance and I in 2010.
It was great to have met - mostly in passing - so many Paizo staffers and messageboard regulars.
Sir Charles Evans - you SO owe me an autograph. :)
Lillith and the plethora of artists and authors who contributed to Wayfinder deserve truly grand praise for hard work that turned out so well.
The acknowledgements of the contributions of the messageboard community, as others have stated, was profuse and sincere. The appreciation made the con truly worth while to attend.
And remember fellow GM's: Kill Zem, Kill Zem All!
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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PaizoCon was great, Great, GREAT. It was, strange as it may seem, my first-ever gaming con in 28-1/2 years of gaming. Boomer and I went to VCON last fall, but it was more of a scifi con with gaming as a little slice of things, but this one was straight-up gamer central.
One of my other "lives" is in educational research, and this con was great like that in terms of not just playing fun games and learning some things at panels, but meeting people whose stuff you've read or seen or played or enjoyed, or people you only know via the intarweb tubes, and just hanging out in real life with a bunch of awesome folks from all over the country and even the world. Sometimes talking gaming with Wolf Baur, sometimes talking basketball with Greg Vaughn and Shiraz Agresta, or sometimes sharing kid pictures and parenting stories with Keila (I think I'm murdering the spelling) from Bozeman, Montana and BOASTING CHAMPION of the Grand Convocation.
There were too many highlights to name, really, but the banquet was terrific, even though the BRAZEN STRUMPETS fell ever so slightly short; but we still upheld the honor and glory to the "random prostitute table" in the back of the 1st Ed. DMG! Also, getting to hang with some of my Superstar compadres, Boomer, Rob, Russ, and Neil.
Having no real basis for comparison, I can nonetheless categorically say that PaizoCon 2009 is the best gaming con I've ever attended, and anybody who considers themselves a Paizo fan should start filling their piggy bank for the next one.
Viva la PaizoCon!
...even the roast beast was edible...
You, of course, meant to say "roast BEST", right? Check with Eric (oh, okay, Erik) on the spelling. :)
M
PaizoCon was my first convention and I plan to go again next year. Indeed the banquet was sublime... the Pathfinder preview was delicious.
I wish I had been able to contribute more to the trivia challenge, but I now have one year to study up so that Razmiran Faith Barge Union #107 does not triumph a second time!!!
...even the roast beast was edible...You, of course, meant to say "roast BEST", right? Check with Eric (oh, okay, Erik) on the spelling. :)
M
^_^ No, I meant roast beast, the dark brown meat-like substance on the carving station was definitely something that might ... have not been animated. ^_^
Although Erik Mona is correct on the pronunciation of bestiary. I just HAD to verify that, since so many enunciate the word incorrectly - myself included. Ooops ^_^
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As Paizocon is finishing up, and everything is packed away, I feel both a deep sense of satisfaction and a small sad sigh. My best memories of Paizocon are as follows:
- Getting mistaken for Nani Wahine everywhere I went!
- Talking about horror with Wesley Schneider, and running around a creepy town where we suspected the locals were all out to get us.
- Going to the Grand Convocation for Pathfinder Society and meeting Sean Reynolds while he was channeling Calistria. Frightening, and full of Win.
- Getting slaughtered mercilessly by Jason Bulmahn's unfair fights. More than once.
- Meeting all the amazing people at Paizo, and finding out not only are they as cool as I thought they would be from reading their adventures (and as twisted), but they are friendly, real, funny, and just simply amazing people. Also, they all allowed me to ambush them for autographs with good grace.
- Being with 250+ people who are mature and experienced D&D players, making references to gaming and everyone getting them, and having many engaging and evocative conversations all weekend.
All in all, the Con was an amazing, priceless and unforgettable experience.
I did manage to record the last two of the seminars I had on the list, so we're looking at the full 4-5 hours of informative goodness.
Cool! I can't wait. :)
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This con was incredible! Everyone there was so friendly and happy, and I even got to sit down and chew the fat with Lisa Stevens for a good half an hour before I even realized she was THAT Lisa (and for another hour after that). She and the rest of the Paizo crew spent a lot of time out amongst the masses, making us all feel welcome and generally being the friendliest industry innovators I've ever met.
I think Timitius, Lilith, and the entire Paizo staff have earned themself a special place in the afterlife for all the work they put into this weekend. It was the most fun I've ever had at a con.
Immora - Thanks for running the scenario yesterday morning. I had a great time. (Allwyn)
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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Thanks to the miracle of the intarwebs, I can correct my spelling/memory/new name overload and throw a shoutout to fun times sharing kid pictures and parenting stories with Keani/Nani Wahine and Colton/Dreamweaver from Bozeman, Montana, discussing the relative merits of buffalo, beef, and beefalo after surviving Michael Kortes' jungle of doom and then Life-Size Yetisburg! For that matter, it's fun switching sides of the screen with folks, like Neil Shackleton as a co-player in Gunked in Goop and then turning around and running Yetisburg! Just a fun chance to see different sides of folks all the way around.
For con attendees, I'll also throw a shout-out to the value of downtime. The first time I went to an educational research convention, I was running from session to session at a punishing pace and kept wondering what people were doing "wasting" their time in the lobby or the hallway. I learned, though, that the official sessions are only part of the fun of a con. A lot of it is connecting with old friends, making new friends, or transforming online connections into in-person connections. The things you take home in your mind will be the great games you played, but it will also be the conversations you have here and there just hanging around with famous and less-famous people and pretty much all of them are pretty cool, fun folks. Of course, it also gives you the chance to eat, rest, and other slightly important things.
I guess I'm saying by all means sign up for events and have a great time, because you will, but also do your best to leave at least a little wiggle room for yourself. Hang out in the open game room and you might find a pick-up Cthulhu game with Lou Agresta (sorry Lou), or find yourself hearing some great stories, or sharing some of your own. You might also find time for the two to cross over. I ran a session on Sunday morning that was basically outtakes or a director's cut of things that had been left on the cutting room floor from my "End of Eternity" adventure. Our time slot was up at 12 noon, but people wanted to just keep on gaming. So we did, for like 2 more hours, and we had a great time (sorry I didn't have more evil guys for the paladin to smite).
Anyway, I had big fun (as if you couldn't tell by my numerous posts to that effect on the PaizoCon threads), and you (ALL OF YOU) should totally go next year!
I want to add to what Jason said. I'm sitting here in my hotel room, everything packed, not really in any hurry to leave (as my flight departs at 1:15 PM local time). And I keep thinking back over all the hallway conversations, meetings with folks outside the actual tracks and seminars and organized events. And it's amazing how many of my memories of PaizoCon are going to involve all of those non-organized encounters.
I've actually been to several different conventions before. Big ones like GenCon and DragonCon. Small ones like StellarCon and ConCarolinas in my home state. And now PaizoCon way out here in Seattle. If I had to rank them all, PaizoCon gets top-billing. In fact, I actually skipped GenCon this year just to come to PaizoCon instead. It was totally worth it. The experience has been that good.
I think one of the major differences about PaizoCon over other conventions is that I'm primarily a gamer. Or, rather, I go to gaming conventions, primarily to meet other gamers, play games, and talk about (or learn about) new developments in gaming. And maybe buy a new gaming product or two that I didn't have before. I was able to do all those things at PaizoCon. And, I got to do them alongside so many other people who were here for the exact same reason.
In addition, I love the size of PaizoCon. Capping it at 250 attendees (and I don't even think the entire convention sold out, did it?), is a great move. It keeps the convention small enough that you actually can meet just about everyone. And that includes all of the Paizo staff. All of the gaming guests. And anyone you've interacted with for a long time online, but just never met in-person.
I also think it's a great move to keep PaizoCon in Seattle. I know it's further (geographically-speaking) for some people to go than other conventions. I flew on a 5+ hour direct flight from the east coast. But, in all honesty, I think it helps to have the convention in Paizo's hometown, because that keeps all of the Paizo staff that much fresher, involved, and engaged with the fans...because they don't have to face a long flight to and from the convention themselves. And that lets them invest their time and energy in making PaizoCon that much more awesome.
And awesome, it was...
I said lots of thank-you's and nice-to-meet-you's to everyone yesterday. And if I see a few more folks leaving the hotel again today, I'll be sure to say all that again. But I want to publicly say here on the boards, as well, that it truly was great to meet so many of you. I'm typically a bit of a wall-flower in social situations, but the energy, enthusiasm, and encouragement from everyone really helped bring me out of my shell. I was amazed at how inclusive everyone made me feel. And that's really the best part of belonging to this entire network of fans, contributors, and supporters of Paizo and gaming, in general. The experience was awesome, because all of you are awesome.
And I know I'll make every effort to be here again next year.
Sincerely,
RPG Superstar 2009 (a title I'm not going to shy away from anymore)
Neil Spicer
Hey, Neil!
Our flight leaves at 1:00--and we have a Lincoln Towncar coming to pick us up at 10:30. Do you want to ride to Seatac with us?
EDIT: There are three seats and only two of us.
Actually, Paizo's giving me a ride back to the airport. Ross Byers is picking me up between 11:00 and 11:30. But thanks for the offer! It's yet another indication of how hospitable everyone's been out here. Have a safe trip home!
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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That was seriously fun Jason. I mean it. I can't wait to run my group through the boat trip. That was a really fun thing.
I'm so glad. The sailing rules were partly in the manuscript but also partly just winging it, but it's the kind of thing you can really just spitball and play for fun value (BTW, the air walk idea from the druid was genius) - when it gets to a place where it's tedious, hey, the rest of the journey goes smoothly and you arrive! I hope you had fun getting to play the genie - and who doesn't enjoy a crit for over 100 points of damage? :)
You guys were great sports and I had a great time too.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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Actually, Paizo's giving me a ride back to the airport. Ross Byers is picking me up between 11:00 and 11:30. But thanks for the offer! It's yet another indication of how hospitable everyone's been out here. Have a safe trip home!Hey, Neil!
Our flight leaves at 1:00--and we have a Lincoln Towncar coming to pick us up at 10:30. Do you want to ride to Seatac with us?
EDIT: There are three seats and only two of us.
That's the Superstar treatment! Long live the king! Superstar Powers Activate! (fist bump)
Superstar Powers Activate! (fist bump)
I SO want a copy of that picture. Who took the camera shot? Anyone remember?
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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Superstar Powers Activate! (fist bump)I SO want a copy of that picture. Who took the camera shot? Anyone remember?
It was Em, Boomer's lovely and talented GF. I forgot to take pix at the restaurant on Sunday or even just hanging out in front of the hotel; we totally needed a Superstar team photo and I forgot to round us all up to get one - LAME! I realized about 3 miles from the hotel and thought about turning around and driving back just to get a picture, but my inner "I think I'm ready to go home now" took over. But we totally need to get a copy of that one from the Crab Pot.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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Definitely a blast. I want to do a wrapup post later this week, as there were too many highlights to name. Met a lot of great people (especially Jason, Rob, Boomer, Fray, Hugo, Larry, my roomies Mark/Yoda8myhead and James/SirWulf, the werewolf crowd, but more than I can name now). What I got to see of Sean's game was great, my table of Creeps was a blast, Fight Club was a hoot, and the seminars really taught me a lot. Each day kept getting better, even it its own way Sunday after the banquet, because I had more time to just hang.
Thought it was pretty cool to finish on the dragon-killing table in Fight Club, and to nearly snag that trivia brass-ring.
And yeah. BEST iary is the preferred way to say it, not BEAST iary. Who the hell knew. Other than Paizo.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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I would like to warn everyone that plans on meeting Jason Nelson. Do not do so when gassy food is around.
That is all.
It was sadly, horribly, poisonously true. My apologies to the universe.
But hey, at least I copped to it. I coulda blamed it on Boomer. He was right there. Come on, who you gonna believe? But no... frickin LG alignment... truth... justice... Golarion way...
CEO
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Sincerely,
RPG Superstar 2009 (a title I'm not going to shy away from anymore)
Neil Spicer
That's what I like to hear! It was fun meeting you Neil. I know that we all have a lot of cool gaming product to look forward to from you down the line starting with Realm of the Fellnight Queen next year!
-Lisa
congratz Hugo, you do deserve that book, well earned man :D** spoiler omitted **
Hehe I wish! Mr Mona only allowed me to flip through :D
Hehe I wish! Mr Mona only allowed me to flip through :Dcongratz Hugo, you do deserve that book, well earned man :D** spoiler omitted **
Ooo, who's the illustration on the back? Something new?
Hehe I wish! Mr Mona only allowed me to flip through :Dcongratz Hugo, you do deserve that book, well earned man :D** spoiler omitted **
I bet the temptation to run off with it was there. That's probably why Erik was standing so close. LOL!
I bet the temptation to run off with it was there. That's probably why Erik was standing so close. LOL!Hehe I wish! Mr Mona only allowed me to flip through :Dcongratz Hugo, you do deserve that book, well earned man :D** spoiler omitted **
He was steping on my foot and had a gun against my back :P
He was steping on my foot and had a gun against my back :PI bet the temptation to run off with it was there. That's probably why Erik was standing so close. LOL!Hehe I wish! Mr Mona only allowed me to flip through :Dcongratz Hugo, you do deserve that book, well earned man :D** spoiler omitted **
ROFL! After having a crappy day, I appreciate the laugh mi amigo. Thanks!
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First, I have to say that while I had an absolute blast at PaizoCon 2008 (thanks Tim and Liz!!), this year was even better. I was nervous about the Con losing the small, intimate feel that we had last year with only 30 people, but I am very glad to say that was not the case. Everyone was friendly and interesting and it is simply amazing how far people came to attend the event.
Now that I've caught up on some sleep and can think coherently once more...here's a summary of my awesome experience at PaizoCon 2009:
Thursday Night: Arrive at the Crab Pot after a long, hot car drive without AC – but we’re just in time to snatch the last seats in the waiting area/bar for happy hour. Meet some great people, have a blast sharing gaming stories, and match some faces to messageboard aliases while eating some tantalizing fish & chips. By the end of the evening, I’m no longer confused by having the “real” Nani sitting a few feet away from messageboard Nani!
Crash at a friend’s place a half an hour away, get six hours of sleep.
Friday: After several nightmares about being late for the game I’m supposed to run, I wake up on time…despite setting my alarm for SATURDAY morning…haha. Finish reading the scenario I’m supposed to run. Mostly. Reassured by some kind soul who informs me that "Real DMs read at the table." Nervously participate in my first Pathfinder Society game – by running Decline of Glory for four 1st level PCs. Thank my lucky stars that they play smart and I don’t kill anyone.
****
: Very interesting discussion of the history and future of the Planet Stories line. It's great to see how passionate every single panelist is about the line, and I learn a LOT about the history of sci-fi.
Erik Mona mentions that an additional 150 subscriptions would secure the line -- and subscriptions get you 30% off the cover price for each new release and 20% off of old releases. Go subscribe, people!! At least pick one up and give it a try! (A new book is released every other month). Oh, and I love the new pulpy look of the covers!
****
Make a quick run to the deli for dinner. Race back to the hotel for the PFS Interactive.
SO. MUCH. FUN!!!!!
Saturday:
Grab a bagel and head to Ballroom 2 to run another table of Decline of Glory. Laugh uproariously at the 6th level rogue's string of bad luck (just prior to the final encounter) that ends up with the rogue unconscious for 3 hours -- thankfully the player is a great sport and enjoys the humor of the moment.
A sunny walk to Taco Del Mar for lunch and a very necessary stop by Starbucks for an energy boost.
Back to the hotel to play my barbarian in her very first PFS adventure, Tide of Morning. Despite being, shall we say, "caught up" in some trees for the entire final encounter, I have a great time smashing things and running around with a burning cloak.
****
Panelists: Pierce Watters - director of sales/editorial guru, Chris Carey - editor, James Sutter - editor, Erik Mona - editorial intern, Lisa Stevens - warehouse laborer ;-)
Points of interest:
- Actual novels coming soon
- Concern over conflict/strain between novels and RPG...novels will NEVER break the campaign setting
- PF Fiction easier to accomplish than Planet Stories (less "education" for sales)
- Mass market paperback size
- Sutter: known since day 1 wanted to do it, just a matter of doing it right
- Mona: Not on the starting line, but a toe away from it; "soon go for the gladiator thumb" (from Lisa)
- Mona: No PF books in 2009, but "At PaizoCon 2010 I will either be personally selling you a PF novel or I'll tell you the release date"
- Lisa: we want to set a new bar for tie-in fiction
- Chris: aiming for small-scale, character-driven fiction
- Sutter: Not doing Open Calls right off the bat, too dangerous with a new book line; first year, expect a lot of outside authors with names you recognize; contemporary adult fantasy with ADVENTURE bent
- Mona: start with established authors, but will do Closed Calls including core freelancers, especially for an anthology of short stories
- By end of Monday (June 15), will have solicited all PF material through April 2010
****
Head over to the Preview Banquet, after discovering that I've been sitting in front of taig for the last two seminars, which was a nice surprise! (Sorry you didn't get to spend more time at the Con, Mike! Next year!)
Have a great time chatting with the rest of the Best-masters: (the "real") Nani, Kyle ("Jarina"), Jon (my husband), Randy ("NiT"), Neil Spicer, Greg Vaughan, Michael Kortes and one other person I can't remember (eek, sorry!). Vaughan refuses to tell me how he knew my PFS barbarian was after his soul during the Convocation -- apparently I had that "soul-stealing look about me" -- but he does dispense some parenting advice.
Sunday: Sean K Reynolds slaughters my EXTREMELY unlucky undead rogue in "Into the Scarlet Monastery" -- but hey, if you have to go out, you should go out under a blaze of smiting agony! And the death was quite worthwhile in the end, as Zugg, twin to Zug the orc fighter, joined the fray and critted into oblivion the evil...er, good?...bastard who dared to strike down Blackfeather. Plus Sean let me keep both minis...yay!!! :-)
Walk over to Whole Foods for lunch with Nani, Kyle and Robert Emerson. Fun talking with you three!!
Build a PF society scenario with Josh Frost, Sue Cook and a room full of creative people; followed by some lessons on self-editing from Sue - including an anecdote (not her own, fortunately) on the dangers of using the find/replace feature in Word...think about what happens when you replace "mage" with "wizard"...and you will know the origins of the word "daWIZARD"...lol.
Drive home and crawl into bed, dreaming of next year's PaizoCon!!
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And I must say, the memory of Steve the valiant farmer will live on...and if you were there, you know what I'm talking about ^_~
Poor, poor steve...oh, yeah, and the dwarf barbarian pc that got killed >_>
Alas, poor Steve, we hardly knew ye. Ah, Trosk is riding whales and quaffing with Cayden now. :)
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Director of Brand Strategy
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I have uploaded all my PaizoCon pictures to a Facebook gallery (here) so people can see (and hopefully tag) all the pics I took, not just the selection I tweeted throughout the weekend.