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Post by GRWelsh on Feb 12, 2020 9:20:16 GMT -5
I'm going to do a mixture of registering for events and allowing free time to play in pick up games with people like Gene and Allan. I'll let you guys know what events I sign up for on 2/22 which is registration day for silver badges.
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Post by geneweigel on Feb 12, 2020 11:04:48 GMT -5
I don't really want to be stuck with anyone who has nothing better to do which is a general rpg trend. I'm going to try to talk to as many people as possible and I'm assuming the Gygaxes are going to be difficult to talk to at the con. What I really want to do is observe old D&D players. I want to talk to Easley about his technique. That is a priority.
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Post by GRWelsh on Feb 12, 2020 13:27:18 GMT -5
I get the impression the Gygaxes and certain other guests may not have much free time and that is one of the reasons I want to register for events. If I want to meet or play with people like Ernie, Elise, Heidi, and Luke. I better play it safe and register for a game or event they are in. I'm not normally an autograph-seeker, but getting them to sign my DMG is meaningful considering since my favorite game is AD&D, period. I like Easley also, and Elmore, but the artists I'm most excited about meeting are Darlene and Erol Otus. I suppose that is because they were around from the era I like the best: the late 70's before everything became so corporate slick. Easley reminds me of the "new" covers released for the core rulebooks in 1983, and Elmore reminds me of Dragonlance which overall I was not a fan of. But there are Elmore pieces I love such as the cover of DRAGON magazine #62 and to this day sometimes when on a bike ride I'll think "that looks like an Elmore sky."
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Post by geneweigel on Feb 12, 2020 14:48:49 GMT -5
Yeah, Easley is really not 100% my cup of tea but having bought so many products (Particularly 2E) that I want to find out what is going on there. Elmore like Easley is okay but I really can't, and couldn't when I met him before, think of anything to ask him.
Erol Otus I put in the same boat as Jeff Dee and Roger Raupp. I kind of liked them but the behind the scenes made me take a second look and now I kind of find them forgettable.
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Post by GRWelsh on Feb 12, 2020 15:53:57 GMT -5
I sold nearly all of my 2nd edition material about 20 years ago. I would have sold it all, but my friend Eric who owns the hobby shop talked me into at least keeping the player's handbook and DMG. I did so only because he and some others in our group primarily use 2nd edition. When it first came out, I liked it for the most part. I liked and still liked the d10 initiative, use of speed factors, simplified weaponless combat, specialization limited to single-classed fighters (making fighters the best at fighting again, since they should have some advantage to make them appealing), and story goal XP since that was already a house rule when the precise calculation becomes too much of a chore and/or the DM exercises fiat on what he thinks everyone deserves. What I initially liked in theory was the specialization of wizards, and cleric spheres, but I don't much care for it in practice as it becomes too limiting for the traditional roles (like playing an entire campaign with a priest who couldn't heal and a magic-user who couldn't cast any evocation spells, I'm not kidding). I liked and still like dragons getting randomized damage on their breath weapon (so as not to telegraph how many hit points they have), and initially liked dragons and giants getting beefed up, but on second thought realized it was a response to player character power creep from the UA-era rules. I initially liked the Complete series of books, the so-called 'splat books' because of the added options involved, but again I found this better in theory than practice. It was like too many skills, too video-game like, and not as much using imagination or cleverness anymore... Also, no longer felt as balanced as original AD&D but bloated instead. At some point I woke up and realized I didn't like it better, and especially when I heard the back story about how EGG was ousted and 2nd edition AD&D was developed, I was ready to wash my hands of 2nd edition and return back to the core three rulebooks of classic AD&D -- which is what I prefer to this day.
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Post by geneweigel on Feb 12, 2020 16:15:45 GMT -5
I was sold on the d10 until I talked to Rob, after he was rolling d6 for everything, then I realized that any step away from boardgame is just another step towards confusing players.
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Post by GRWelsh on Feb 12, 2020 16:55:05 GMT -5
Yep, there's something to be said for simplicity. I still use d6 for group initiative, especially with players just learning the game. But I also like making use of weapon speed and casting times, and use d10 for that in individual initiative. It's not really that difficult, and it is a given that D&D players become familiar with using polyhedral dice and modifiers. The stuff I drop is weapon vs armor modifiers and encumbrance, because even though I like the concepts in practice they slow the game down to a record-keeping grind. Rules I want to make use of again however are weapon length and keeping track of material components for spell spell casting.
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Post by geneweigel on Feb 13, 2020 6:07:44 GMT -5
There is suppposed to be some casual artist gathering at the "ski chalet" at 7pm on friday during con. So that actually is something that I can relate to. I wonder what I should bring? I don't want to lose anything in travelling.
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Post by geneweigel on Feb 13, 2020 6:07:55 GMT -5
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Post by GRWelsh on Feb 13, 2020 9:26:02 GMT -5
How about making copies of the many illustrations you've done for your games over the years, and putting them together in a portfolio or softbound book? That way, you won't risk losing any of the originals. As an example, there is a thread around here with a lot of your drawings and you could simply print that out: doomsdaygames.proboards.com/thread/972/visual-campaignSomething else to include are copies of your D&D cartoons, like the one with orcs from multiple editions, gnoll bard, Logo the lizard man, etc.
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Post by geneweigel on Feb 13, 2020 16:28:06 GMT -5
Wow, I just realized my computer hasn't had thumbnails in forever. I can't believe I made the entire adventure without previews.
What happened once I had so many research files and no visualization so I had a program called "sagethumbs" and it made it possible to see all the covers which in the case of the periodicals was chief.
Anyway, the program was blocking the last version of windows when it upgraded and Windows 10 just followed suit. So I just managed without seeing anything.
Long story short I fixed it and found the imagery that I posted to photobucket. Badly scanned. All of it. Looks like I might have to rescan it all for sure. I was thinking of using the art gallery website "Behance" because my painting teacher from high school uses it.
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Post by GRWelsh on Feb 22, 2020 8:30:52 GMT -5
Just a reminder: silver badge registration is today at 1 PM EST/12 Noon CT. Logging on this morning, I just noticed that several games I wanted to get in on are showing as available, but when I go to the specific page where you buy the tickets, it says "0 tickets available" but I can get on a waiting list by clicking the "Notify Me" button. Ernie, Elise and Heidi's games are all showing as "0 tickets available." That sucks. This is why I was afraid of buying the silver badge... It is looking like I needed to buy a gold badge or higher to be guaranteed to get in on all the games I want. Decent games still available will be filled up by 1:01 PM EST in the mad rush of silver badge registration... So, it is difficult to say what I'm even going to get. I'm trying to rank what to try for first, with the assumption that there is a narrow window of opportunity in the first minute or so.
Right now, it looks like I'll be playing cards with Darlene!
P. S. I could be wrong and there may simply be no more tickets available at that tier. For example, Elise and Heidi's games are each showing availability 2/6, and Ernie's are showing as 3/12, so it may still be worth trying to get into those games -- but I'm sure those slots, if they ARE still available, will go fast! I think they way they do it now is that there is no guarantee of getting into any game no matter what tier you are in, and tickets are gradually unlocked by tier (diamond, gold, silver, etc.) so that everyone has a chance to get into every game. Registration may be like the last few seconds of an eBay auction! Who's computer is fastest? "Refresh! refresh! You antiquated piece of crap!"
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Post by GRWelsh on Feb 22, 2020 10:35:18 GMT -5
I'm not planning on filling up every Con day with registered events. "Fun each day scheduled from 8 AM to Midnight!" is too much like a National Sales Meeting, or "work" (which is coming up for me next week btw). Some people burn the candle at both ends at these events, but not me. The upside of not getting into every event I like is having free time for pickup games or encountering "wandering monsters"!
Gene and Allan, during the Con you guys are welcome to come over to my house for steaks or BBQ on the grill any evening. Just let me know. I'll be at the "Oxford" at Seven Oaks.
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Post by GRWelsh on Feb 22, 2020 13:12:35 GMT -5
After ten minutes of trying, I haven't got one ticket yet. I got a rejection message saying I needed to be logged in, even though I already was. And the lag is terrible.
I can see on the forum everyone is having similar problems, so it isn't just me. Very annoying... It looks like we may have crashed the site by overloading it all at once.
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Post by geneweigel on Feb 22, 2020 14:18:41 GMT -5
Are the talks log ins? I wasn't planning on playing anything anyway. Maybe DMing for a bit and thats it.
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Post by GRWelsh on Feb 22, 2020 14:39:53 GMT -5
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Post by geneweigel on Feb 22, 2020 14:39:57 GMT -5
My priority is probably just talking about playing instead of playing. My game is probably going to be nuts and bolts but I want to some of my routine DMing style.
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Post by grodog on Feb 22, 2020 19:22:42 GMT -5
Apparently the registration process blew up again, as it often does. For a summary see followmeanddie.com/2020/02/22/registration-chaos-for-gary-con-12/The upside of not getting into every event I like is having free time for pickup games or encountering "wandering monsters"! Good planning! Gene and Allan, during the Con you guys are welcome to come over to my house for steaks or BBQ on the grill any evening. Just let me know. I'll be at the "Oxford" at Seven Oaks. Thanks, if timing works out, I'll certainly take you up on that! =) Allan.
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Post by geneweigel on Feb 22, 2020 19:49:03 GMT -5
I'm definitely hanging number one and everything else is number two.
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foster1941
Warlock
Duke of California, Earl of Los Angeles, Knight Bachelor
Posts: 475
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Post by foster1941 on Feb 26, 2020 2:17:05 GMT -5
Hey guys - I'm going to GaryCon this year! I'm coming in on Wednesday and leaving super-early on Sunday morning. Staying with my friend Tony ("wheggi" online) who lives in the area - in the Milwaukee suburbs, supposedly about an hour's drive from LG. I've got several Gary-adjacent events in my registration cart that I'm pretty psyched about (Cavaliers & Roundheads w/ Jeff Perren, Don't Give Up the Ship w/ Mike Carr, Boot Hill w/ Allen Hammack, Dungeon! w/ Dave Meggary, Source of the Nile w/ Ross Maker, and a seminar where Flint Dille and Luke are going to reminisce about Gary's Hollywood Years) but no idea if they'll still be there when registration re-opens (they're saying they will, but I don't really trust them). I didn't register for any rpg events because I don't really like playing with randomly-assembled groups of strangers and have been assured by folks who are regular attendees that off-grid "pick up" games are thick on the ground. If I get all the events I want I'll be free on Thursday and Saturday evenings for that type stuff. I'm also hoping to cajole somebody into driving me around town on either Thurs or Fri morning to see all the (in)famous sites - Gary's 70s-era house, various TSR HQs, the site of the Dungeon Hobby Shop, the memorial plaque by the lakeside, etc. If any of you guys are going to have access to a car and are willing to indulge me in that, please let me know!
This will be my first ever visit to LG and my first gaming con in a decade, so the excitement is starting to build. Hope to see you all there!
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