Harley is lame,
But the Vinotok Rawks.
It's been said here before, but it bears repeating:
"So much going on that I don't have time to talk about it."
Which is good, really, right? If I had the time, I'd likely be unemployed and have nothing to write about.
Anyhow, the news that's fit to report, in summary:
- Gen Con rocked as Gen Con always rocks. I miss my people, and it's a shame I see so many of them only once a year. I got into: comparing scars with Astrocat (he won, by about a foot); chilling with DCCfan and his kids (and hear a dad point at one of my maps and say, "Do you remember how you almost died here?"); meeting Paul Kemp; hosting a great panel discussion that almost ended in a Jets vs. Sharks style brawl; meeting Jeremy Jones of Kobold Quarterly; teasing the Paizo staff that all our DCCs were Pathfinder compatible; finally seeing Goodman Games win an ENnie; finally spend quality time with Hershberger and Brenden ... and I know I'm forgetting things. It was fun, a lot of fun, and we'll be back again next year. My one regret is not running any games for all the folks I love, which brings us to ...
- Tacticon, where I *did* run games. A whole lot of 'em. Maybe not Iron GM style, but still 4 sessions in 24 hours. The players were downright awesome, ranging in age from 60+ (she was just getting into RPGs) to 10 (he had never played 4E before). A blast. Tacticon is just the right size for a "gamer's convention;" big enough for critical mass, not so large that the people get lost in the shuffle. A DGA board member invited me to return as guest of honor for next year's GenghisCon, so that should be fun. Those Denver Gamers know how to take care of you. Plus, my father drove down 4 hours just to show up for lunch, so it was kind of a 4 star weekend.
- Interviews. Whew, who is sick of hearing about Harley, yet? The Tome Show interview was announced a couple posts ago, and now the Kobold Quarterly Interview is up. Jeremy Jones, the same visionary that brought us the Shared Worlds summer camp is responsible for the interview. He did a great job, and made sure I didn't sound too stupid. I need to run some games for him, or write him into an adventure or something, as he's been nothing but great the entire time I've known him.
- 4E DCCs/Master Dungeons ... are doing awesome. Haven't read one bad review yet. (They're coming, I'm sure.) We've been working on these for a long time, so it is great to see people using them in their games. Next batch hits the street next week, and Joseph has some incredible plans in store. This isn't an attempt to drum up enthusiasm, it is just a recognition of the crazy things he has planned. Seriously. Madness this way lies.
- Technobi getting married in Italy while I'm in Colorado. This one is a bummer for me. I've let down a friend and missed an important date. Grumble.
All right. So all in all, a pretty lame update. How about something exciting? How about an adventure into the unknown?
Okay, but only because you asked so nicely.
This weekend H and I are backpacking up over the Maroon Bells (14,000 feet, baby) in time to make it to the Vinotok festival, billed as: "Based on a smattering of Viking traditions and entirely fabricated, full-contact drinking ritual, Crested Butte's Vinotok festival is hands-down the best pagan ritual we know of."
"Saturday's activities commence at dusk with an event inexplicably dubbed, Mumming, during which CB residents parade through town dressed in medieval garb, pausing at restaurants to sing cheers and slam shots. Then there is the "Passion Play," an elaborate act in which the Green Man - representing the most virile guy in town - beheads the Great Grump, a 20 foot tall effigy on wheels symbolizing last year's gripes.
The play doesn't always go as planned. "I missed part of the thing," says one-time Green Man Alan Bernholtz, "because I was too busy being fondled." Finally, the Grump - along with splintered skis - are burned in a massive bonfire. Then the people disrobe and rage late into the night."
Heh. Now that's my kind of party.
//H
