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Post by geneweigel on Mar 16, 2022 15:00:34 GMT -5
I think that I mentioned this before, Rob told me a bunch of crap about before there were developers the landscape looked different and not so many hotels. It brewed in the back of my mind so when I got there and I'm walking across town it hit me that Lake Geneva is what the Village of Hommlet was based on just factor out the western part of Main Street. The hill is the Playboy mansion/Hillmoor and the lake would be to the southwest..
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Post by GRWelsh on Mar 17, 2022 8:15:42 GMT -5
I wonder how elements in Chainmail/OD&D are the way they are because they were in a book that happened to be in the Lake Geneva Public Library? That would be a worthwhile research project. I always wanted to ask EGG more about that time period between playing SIEGE OF BODENBURG in 1968 at GEN CON I and the publication of CHAINMAIL with its Fantasy Supplement in 1971. A very fertile time, to be sure, and I'm sure he drew upon his reading at the public library and elsewhere to help detail arms and armor, castles, and mythological beasts. It would be wonderful to find some definitive sources. That would make a great blog article, to find some direct influences on CHAINMAIL such as this one: playingattheworld.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-precursor-to-chainmail-fantasy.htmlIs Rob going to be at this GARY CON? I seem to remember him mentioning playing a Middle Earth tabletop battle... Was it the Battle of Pelennor Fields? I'd love to ask him or Jeff Perren what they remember about this.
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Post by geneweigel on Mar 17, 2022 10:44:57 GMT -5
Ernie was suggesting he was no longer around because he lives in Corsica but I don't know anything. Rob can't be talked to too much at conventions from my last experience with the meeting that went nowhere. Everyone is sitting there waiting to engage in the exciting dinner with Rob Kuntz and he's talking to the waiter the whole time. I wish Rob would return and he could explain why he has this grudge because I don't understand what his beef is. I honestly think he just blurs everyone together and assumes that he did some money deal with me gone wrong but I'm not an "investor". As Gary put it, Rob's problems are not my problems. I mean it sounds cold but it was well put. I sincerely wish Rob the best and would gladly work with him on anything but I don't have resources to throw away.
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Post by GRWelsh on Mar 17, 2022 11:24:20 GMT -5
I think Rob is great creatively, but I can't speak to his business reputation. My opinion on the "writer's advance" is that it shouldn't exist. That would eliminate a lot of problems. I avoid doing business with family and close friends as I think money -- especially big money -- damages personal relationships terribly. Once money becomes a factor people can have sharply different ideas about what 'fair' is.
I always tell my dad that winning a big jackpot lottery would end up being more of a curse than a wish come true. Suddenly, all of your friends and relatives would be saying what an a-hole you are for not sharing enough.
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Post by geneweigel on Mar 17, 2022 11:55:07 GMT -5
Yeah, Rob, needs a rubberized playing field where he can give feedback without flying the scene. The problem with D&D adventures is you can't "duplicate voices and temporarily replace the band with session musicians for the recording" if the content is weak. Its all about the content. Now I don't want to scrutinize everything that he has done but you can tell when Rob is at the helm. WG5 is a clear example of Rob leading with the content and making a good adventure because it isn't Gary's style. We need that Rob back without "edition converters" spoiling the broth.
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Post by GRWelsh on Mar 18, 2022 8:55:07 GMT -5
I'm not sure what happened but my GARY CON schedule got wiped. The only thing I still have scheduled is Ernie's Hobby Shop Dungeon on Saturday, March 26th.
Not a big deal, as I'm sure I'll find things to do... I can still join Zach's game on Friday and find some pick up games. I guess I'll just get on waiting lists for the events I thought I had already scheduled. Otherwise I’ll be one of the ‘wandering monsters’ of Gary Con…
Edit: I got back in to Dave Weseley's Braunstein game on Sunday, so that's something.
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Post by geneweigel on Mar 18, 2022 9:34:20 GMT -5
I'm just going to events on Thursday, the Greyhawk fans thing and Gary doc because I'd rather not be stuck like the last con. If someone asks me to run something formally I'll consider it but I really don't want to be a "human prize" for the fastest clicker then I'll have to deal with someone who is a die hard card player who had nothing to do considering that seems to be the mentality. I have zero wish to finish any game session so don't worry about hurting my feelings. I just don't want to ruin anybody else's schedule.
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Post by GRWelsh on Mar 18, 2022 10:51:07 GMT -5
Gene -- If you decide to run a game, let me know.
Allan -- Same goes for you. I've always wanted to play in one of your Greyhawk games. I love those dungeon maps!
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Post by geneweigel on Mar 18, 2022 11:28:40 GMT -5
I'm always in-game... Seriously, I'm just whatever because who knows who is going to be there and how its really set up? I have a feeling that as soon as I formalize it in anyway then its out of my hands and I don't need to cater to random sourpusses. So its a vague Friday game with codename "Operation Blondie". Bring a few characters. "Gandalfs" will mostly go after "Gandalfs" and "Frodos" will mostly go after "Frodos". I think that I can handle anything, I'll just review and write down your whole bag of tricks but if there is new content write out something that you can hand me quick. To get the ball rolling fast. Its going to be a little harsh but I promise it won't be an absolute death tournament unless you're really suicidal. So don't freak out when your cherished character is greased. My policy is that I'm on your side as well as the monsters. That sort of game reality.
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Post by GRWelsh on Mar 18, 2022 12:33:53 GMT -5
Great! We're on for Friday... vaguely. I won't freak out if my character dies, that's all par for the course to me. I'm glad you brought it up, though, since it is definitely a "thing" these days. In the current campaign, I had every player roll up a secondary character for "if it happens." Even so, one of my players -- Brian -- had his main character die and he quit my game. He said he felt "targeted." I should have had them all sign disclaimers before starting! "Sign here, and here... This is acknowledgement your character might die, be dismembered, petrified, level drained, etc. and this is confirmation you won't freak out if it happens." Well, Brian isn't the first player to have a character die in my game. In the online game, Scott and Mark each lost characters not long before this. I've been killing characters for decades! Since we're all in our 50's, you'd think this wouldn't still be a "thing" but it is.
Don't worry about me, I'll be cool no matter what happens. I'll just be grateful to have someone DM the game! Let me know what level character to play. I've never brought an in-campaign character to a convention before, I thought it was all pre-generated characters for con games.
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 18, 2022 13:08:54 GMT -5
I'm not sure what happened but my GARY CON schedule got wiped. The only thing I still have scheduled is Ernie's Hobby Shop Dungeon on Saturday, March 26th. Not a big deal, as I'm sure I'll find things to do... I can still join Zach's game on Friday and find some pick up games. I guess I'll just get on waiting lists for the events I thought I had already scheduled. Otherwise I’ll be one of the ‘wandering monsters’ of Gary Con… Edit: I got back in to Dave Weseley's Braunstein game on Sunday, so that's something. If you put the game tickets in your cart, but don't check out, it returns them to the pool after 2 hours.
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Post by geneweigel on Mar 18, 2022 13:10:24 GMT -5
I usually give a spiel beforehand if you're not careful or you're too careful to set the tone.
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Post by GRWelsh on Mar 18, 2022 13:21:50 GMT -5
If you put the game tickets in your cart, but don't check out, it returns them to the pool after 2 hours. Yeah, that's most likely what happened... Failed intelligence check.
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Post by grodog on Mar 20, 2022 16:02:01 GMT -5
If you get a confirmation email, you should be able to get GaryCon admins (ping Skip Williams or Dave Consnt) to fix it, perhaps.
If you never got the email, then your cart probably expired as Zach mentioned.
Allan.
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Post by geneweigel on Mar 22, 2022 13:19:24 GMT -5
So I'm letting them know I can be a backup DM for 2 AD&D games if necessary on Friday. I just felt bad and its AD&D. So we'll see how that goes.
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Post by GRWelsh on Mar 22, 2022 13:25:15 GMT -5
Yeah, I saw that on Facebook. Nice of you to make that offer.
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Post by GRWelsh on Mar 23, 2022 12:08:22 GMT -5
Safe travels, guys!
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Post by geneweigel on Mar 23, 2022 15:52:54 GMT -5
Yeah, bon voyage, I'm stressed out from all this running around just to prep for my absence so maybe it'll be a load off when I get there.
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Post by GRWelsh on Mar 23, 2022 18:24:47 GMT -5
Well, I finally made it to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin! I guess this is how religious people feel when they make a pilgrimage... I was flashing back to being 13 years old and knowing TSR was in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and wondering how so much cool gaming stuff could be coming out of this little town. A big reason was Gary Gygax of course. As I was driving into Lake Geneva, I saw a fen with a tamarack stand... It was scenery that could have been in B2 or T1!
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Post by geneweigel on Mar 23, 2022 19:13:23 GMT -5
I recall the last place I was the gas station on the east end and bought a souvenir Wisconsin cow cheese mug that immediately broke.
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