Venture-Captain, Minnesota
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Upaynao, you might as well edit your title to say: "GenCon Bloggery!" Then, announce where you are so that people can meet you. Then both you and Gary blog about what a great time you are having so that the rest of us get jealous and hurry over.
That's the tradition!
Hmm
EDIT: Huh, no forum titles! The goblins on my gaming shirt must have eaten them! The two purple shirts that I have are squabbling with each other as I stuff them in my suitcase. Has anyone else noticed that they do this?
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Well, here goes:
Arrived in Indiana around 4:00 pm, got to lurk around visit the Sagamore ballroom, before being shown around town by my ride and person who can put up with me Brendiven.
After buying a new set of player dice since I left mine at home, I peeked into the Sagamore again before retreating to my room in the Mariott and re-reading tomorrow's scenario 8-13.
I have a couple hours to kill, so I post and got chastised by Hmm.
I'm about to drop down to the Mariotts' main floor. My phone is charged and Netflix isn't cutting it anymore.
Edit: Am downstairs wearing a Saint Seya Tshirt, by the fake fireplace.
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Venture-Captain, Minnesota
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I have a couple hours to kill, so I post and got chastised by Hmm.
Of course I chastised you! Killing GenCon hours like that! We might need them later!
Have either of you seen my brain ambling by? I sent it ahead to GenCon about a week ago, and am hoping to reunite with it on Wednesday.
Hmm
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Hopefully your trip will be safe and quick.
Got in yesterday, went to Shapiro's deli for lunch with Gary, took a brief nap, then we hit Scotty's. -- both to show Gary where it is at and to pick up a specs goblin mug and t-shirt.
Cleaning up, getting some coffee, heading to Sagamore then running Lyrics of Extinction this afternoon.
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Well Silent Tide was a blast. Nothing like criting with a bastard sword (twice) to cut down enemies quickly.
Interesting party that included a golbin and a kobald! As PCs!
Thanks to Bob for agreeing to run the first PFS adventure!
Now I am outside the Sag.havng failed my disable device I can get in!
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I mean, I don't know if I can tell... it's pretty awesome though.
Met up with Hmm and Gary to enlist the aid of VC Mark Stratton who took us on a quest to slay the food demon. Stowed food away and met Jen McTeague and Rigby down by the elevators as I got my tickets and lanyard.
Now to grab my stuff and get ready to make a depressingly bad impression on whoever is signed up for 8-13.
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Venture-Captain, Minnesota
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I arrived in Indianapolis at 9:30. Everyone's been super generous and kind so far. Chad Newman was awesome enough to pick up me, Landon Hatfield & Joe Smith from the airport, and VC Mark Stratton helped Gary Bush, Upaynao and myself get groceries. In between the two car trips, I helped stuff GM Packets, fold volunteer shirts and organize badges while we rocked out to awesome tunes. I got to see Tonya's lovely family, meet a whole bunch of great people and had fun working and chatting.
Landon Hatfield and I ran off to Scotties for lunch and there was NO line. It was amazing. Scotties goes all out with its decor, costumed wait staff and specialized GenCon menu. I'm just happy that I got to do Scotties BEFORE it became a GenCon madhouse.
Then I got to hang out with the best roommates one could ask for... Rigby Bendele and Jen McTeague are awesome funny people. We got joined in our room by Quinn Shannon (GM Chie!) and Andrew Hoskins -- and we all got to laugh as we discussed our future Starfinder characters.
I got to see my fellow Minnesotans in the lobby... Jack, AJ, Neal, Ray, Ryan and others. In a little bit, Rigby, Andrew and I will be heading to the VC dinner.
My GenCon's been going great, and I hope that all of you are having a good time too!
Hmm
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Venture-Captain, Minnesota
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All right, throw a carload of GMs a bone: what's the GM boon this year?
Tier 1 Rougarou
Tier 2-3 CATFOLK!!!!!
Tier 4-5 Naiad
This was only available if you traded in your PFS GM Boon.
You may pick from one of two large spacefarer races, Haans or Sarcesians.
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My flight in was fairly uneventful, if a little uncomfortable due to seat belt signs remaining lit for the last hour after two cups of water and a ginger ale. Melvin Ngo was patiently waiting for our lift to arrive, and after a decent wait at the baggage claim, Chad Newman whisked us away to the Westin. Construction has made the streets treacherous, but we arrived with half an hour to spare for the VC dinner. The line to check in was noticeable, but apparently worse an hour ago. I bid farewell to Melvin and ascended to my 9th tier room.
Meeting two of my roommates, another Steve and I think Todd? (Terrible with names.) We produced VC polos and adventured to the elevators, where a wild OPC and OPC family were encountered. We tracked them to the Marriott, where I failed a Survival check and got caught in an elevator going down instead of up. This cost me a precious spot at the head of the line, leading to an interminable wait to hit the buffet.
As always, the GenCon VC dinner was star-studded, seeing some familiar faces and more less familiar faces with familiar names. Jack, Mark, Hillary, Dan, John, Thurston, you know all the yahoos. While our discussions were of course sekrit squirrel content, I did get it pointed out that the guide now allows VCs to travel to Origins to fulfill the mandatory yearly attendance. Much appreciated for the increased flexibility, although next year I think PaizoCon is still my goal.
Exiting the VC dinner, I attempted to locate the pre-GenCon game location set up by James Risner. A helpful stop at HQ pointed me and Phylotus in the right direction, but after traversing the entire hall and seeing we'd have to exit the building to cross the street and enter Union Station, we turned back. Sorry Wei Ji!
Oh, and I should mention that I traded my special edition Starfinder book to Phylotus for his regular copy. I even got Thursty to sign it before he was too drunk. But on our way back to the Westin to retire for the night, I caught sight of John Compton chilling with Thursty outside of the Sagamore. We then proceeded to chase Thursty off while getting books signed by John, forcing us to keep him company until the Canadian's return. One of the France VCs assisted, discussing translations for scenarios to help grow the base across the pond. And Thursty's return precipitated a lovely bilingual conversation, before we took off.
Now I sit in a much too cramped room, winding down to sleep and rise to the call of Starfinder quests and pregen specials. See you all in the Sagamore!
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John Compton coming by my Starfinder Quest table, grabbing the table tents I made for space combat and exclaiming "These are so cool!!!"
I'm not at the con, but I am interested in learning more about your table tents, as I'm running SFS on Saturday and I'm trying to brainstorm the best way to explain starship roles to people.
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Chad Newman arrived at the airport in his chariot to pick up myself, Hillary, and Landon. That kicked off an excellent first day- sorting shirts for GMs, checking into the Westin for myself, James Anderson, Michael, and Adam (quite the Northen California contingent!) l, running a slot of 8-23 to iron out some kinks at Scotty's before committing to it this weekend, stepping into the VC dinner for Wendy-Ann and John, and finally getting some Starfinder quests in thanks to Stephen from NYC. Time for some rest!!
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Slot 1: I ended up on the Island of Misfit GMs, so some of us played a game of Champions Chalice 1, and now I'm waiting in the Starfinder line. Ah, Thursday's at GenCon.
Feel free to say hi if you see me. I look different than I did last year, partially because Hmm awesomely braided my hair this morning. You can find me by looking for the lisa frank suitcase.
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Venture-Captain, Minnesota
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The table tents are dead simple, Jhaeman, but no less brilliant for being so. They are simply marked with the phases of combat, and Gary switched out which one was on top so that we could all keep track. I made a set this morning when my table of the Confirmation fell through. More prep time, yay!
That said... Natalie made a phenomenal set of handouts for the different starship roles. (These handouts include the same information found in the handouts from the appendices of Into the Unknown and Claim to Salvation, only they are printed larger, with bigger headers for readability.
_____
After my table fell through, fellow Minnesotan Kyle Maciej gave me a tour of GenCon. Oh my god. The crowds. This place is a madhouse, especially right around the GenCon store. I did not make it into the store this morning since the crowds were overwhelming, and instead took a brief sanity walk down Georgia street.
I hope to grab a real lunch soon!
The VC Dinner was great! We discussed [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] and chanted Linda's initials often with great enthusiasm and gusto. "LZP! LZP!"
The best part of the VC dinner was meeting all the folks who organize the other regions. I wound up being a social butterfly and scooted around to as many different tables as possible to say hello to people I only recognized from the PFS boards. I sat with Mike Bramnik who is a GIANT and made me look even more gnomish when I was standing next to him! Also at our table were Todd Morgan, the RVC for Minnesota and a lot of other places, Alison Oomes, and the tireless Bob Jonquet, scheduling guru of GenCon.
When Todd heard that I wanted to get my Starfinder rulebook signed by everyone so that I can put it up for SkalCon charity auction, he offered to take it through the insane store for me to get all the Developer's signatures. Have I mentioned that Minnesota has an awesome RVC?
Much of the dinner was a sea of VC Red Shirts. Andrew Hoskins wore his red shirt "One Last Time" and I sang the Hamilton Song to him to commemorate the occasion as he shifts from VC to doing other cool things. Ignoring the red shirt trend, Lucas Servideo looked particularly dashing in purple shirt, tie and purple beard.
Have I mentioned that I like purple?
I should go find lunch. Enough updating!
Hmm
Venture-Captain, Netherlands
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Then I got to hang out with the best roommates one could ask for... Rigby Bendele and Jen McTeague are awesome funny people. We got joined in our room by Quinn Shannon (GM Chie!) and Andrew Hoskins -- and we all got to laugh as we discussed our future Starfinder characters.I got to see my fellow Minnesotans in the lobby... Jack, AJ, Neal, Ray, Ryan and others. In a little bit, Rigby, Andrew and I will be heading to the VC dinner.
Hmm
I miss you all so much :(
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Quest slots are done! Two fine tables of Starfinders managed to succeed in solving the mysteries of Into the Unknown, and as usual both tables were wildly different in approaching the same scenario. Now I reset, maybe grab something to snack on from the Westin cafe before delving back into the Sagamore to run the next pregen special!
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Picked up Starfinder core after 1.5 hr line.
Played 9-1 with Fromper, 2 good players, and one that apparently has never read the code of conduct for PFS. One headache-inducing slot later after that, picked up ticket for Starfinder special but was in no shape to play.
Found T1 Gm in hall to give ticket to, then exercised poor judgment going to TMBG concert w/Fromper + other fellow from FNSLGS back home.
Now trying to relax and rest in hotel.
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Got to run Claim to Salvation for Chad, Gino, and Tina, along with some other yahoos that showed up. We were all a little punchy by the mid-point, something to do with overwhelming space combat. I'm not made to rock three slot days anymore. Thankfully, tomorrow is a two slot day, and Friday I actually sit in on a multi-table special I know nothing about!
I was lucky to be able to hit the dealer hall between slots and collect my Dicey Peaks Kickstarter copy as well as my Dynamite Nurse launch party ticket. Now I just need to secure dice and Season 9 t-shirts at some point. Just glad I don't need anything Starfinder related from the store, given the news breaking today.
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Had a great table yesterday with June running 9-01. If any of you ever have the chance to let June run for you, take it. Dude is pretty much a pinnacle GM that always gives people a great time.
The second table was 8-24 and I believe the Prinnys drove people to utter madness. With many screams of "We're Prinnies doood!' As there was more than one at the table, the insanity went from zero to curled up in a corner crying within about ten minutes.
Awesome times.
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It's always an amusing time to see my handle provoke a reaction. I was introducing myself to the table this afternoon and brought up the forums. Jeff's response was quite enjoyable. It was also nice to get to sit with Neil Shackleton, and run them through a very nice romp on Akiton. Even if the final battle had some near death experiences and a BBEG that almost escaped.
Rewind a bit, and I was moving sluggish this morning. Sleep was at a premium last night, so I got to my table about ten 'til. Need to avoid that tomorrow. However, my table had been booked with another crew by mistake, leading me to question if I was right or wrong about my assignment. Once the marshal handled that issue, I sat down to be ready to run. No table materialized, and I joined the throng before the overlords to be reassigned. No such reassignment was required.
So I went back to bed. :P
Thankfully, the housekeeping staff woke me in time to head down to the dealer hall. I managed to wait through the Paizo line twice in an hour, because I was still shaking off the fuzzies and forgot I meant to grab the GenCon module as well. And I grabbed some Starfinder pawns to make my remaining slots a little better. (They were put to good use this afternoon!) So now I have Paizo loot for those who requested it, along with a nifty new Pathfinder pin.
After this, I head out to a dynamite party at Rockbottom Brewery. Hopefully that will recharge me for the final sprint tomorrow before I sit down to invade the Blakros Museum once more!
Venture-Captain, Missouri—Kansas City
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The family and I are westbound on I-70 and should hit KC around 1am. Will come back to fill in some details but for now the highlights:
--Two years ago at GenCon I played Phantom Phenomena for my first PFS chronicle (I chose Harsk because I didn't know any better, lol.) This year I retired my -1 Friday night at 9-00, then played my first seeker scenario (8-25) Sunday morning.
--For the second year in a row my favorite, most powerful RP moment of GenCon came in the Sunday morning slot.
--This was my first year GMing at GenCon. Three fun tables, two for To Seal the Shadow and one for Solstice Scar.
I'll fill in some more stuff when my brain is a bit clearer.
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Saturday was an interesting time. Both tables of Fugitive on the Red Planet fired, and were wildly different. Also, grapple is just as annoying in Starfinder. Then we premustered our table of The Solstice Scar, I played Characters and Chronicles while I waited for things to start, and Kane and Co. were horrible to their foes throughout the whole adventure. (Of course, some of them were horrible back to us.)
This morning was glorius as I arrived for 8-25, the new Seeker scenario, to a skald, sorcerer, cleric/skald, and my bard as the party comp. There was much hemming and hawing as we made our way to our GM, worried about our chances. Thankfully, the last two players brought a monk and a healing cleric. Even so, the first fight required a breath of life, and the pucker factor was too damn high through the rest of the scenario.
The afternoon passed quietly, to include the volunteer meeting after. Then we rushed to grab dinner and assemble the after slot in the JW. Now we play The Ironbound Schism after a long wait for stragglers, and our exhausted minds find ourselves far too prone to laughter to take this adventure seriously. (The Ulfen barbarian and Zon Kuthon warpriest, along with a gnome bard and pacifist cleric CERTAINLY aren't helping.) The winter lodge is now called Fingerhut, and if you've played you can probably guess why.
The thrilling conclusion to our cavalcade of hilarity will return tomorrow, once we've survived this table and had some rest before I fly home.
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Venture-Captain, Missouri—Kansas City
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Saturday was an interesting time. Both tables of Fugitive on the Red Planet fired, and were wildly different. Also, grapple is just as annoying in Starfinder. Then we premustered our table of The Solstice Scar, I played Characters and Chronicles while I waited for things to start, and Kane and Co. were horrible to their foes throughout the whole adventure. (Of course, some of them were horrible back to us.)
This morning was glorius as I arrived for 8-25, the new Seeker scenario, to a skald, sorcerer, cleric/skald, and my bard as the party comp. There was much hemming and hawing as we made our way to our GM, worried about our chances. Thankfully, the last two players brought a monk and a healing cleric. Even so, the first fight required a breath of life, and the pucker factor was too damn high through the rest of the scenario.
I was the skald. It should be mentioned that it was the healing cleric who needed the Breath of Life.
/insert "The pucker factor is too damn high" meme here
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The morning has arrived, and my shuttle is scheduled. I got to chat with Kevin Willis here in the lobby for a bit about our Starfinder experiences. Pondering if I need to grab something from the Starbucks to keep me through the flight. I might be early enough to grab something at the airport, but I'm not sure which price is worse. :P
I think we started the game somewhere around 7pm last night. After opening the new fast food chain, we moved on to the final encounter. It was quickly determined that the best way to rescue the opposing enemy was to kill them and then use breath of life as a very painful dispel magic. The other part of the encounter then appeared, and Bolt Vanderhuge found himself wishing he had actually asked his cleric friend to cast freedom of movement on him. But the party triumphed despite that failing and success was all around. Even if we were out until something like 2am.
My GenCon trip is just about over. Next up is SkalCon, hopefully a little more relaxed as I'll just be an attendee, not a volunteer. I don't know when I'll return to GenCon again. Hopefully when I can swing my own lodging and don't have to be a part of this wonderfully mad machine. I might even do something other than play Path/Starfinder!
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 32
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I was the skald. It should be mentioned that it was the healing cleric who needed the Breath of Life.
/insert "The pucker factor is too damn high" meme here
I'm always glad to give Seekers a run for their money. I mean, you WERE playing around with deity level stuff on multiple occasions.