Monday, August 13, 2012

OSRCon Photos

I'm still recovering from OSRCon, which ran last Friday and Saturday, but I thought it'd be worthwhile to post a few photos from the convention in the meantime. I had a blast, as I did last year. It was great fun to have the chance to play through Dwimmermount with a new batch of gamers (about which I'll talk at greater length soon), as well as to hang out with fellow guests Ed Greenwood, Ken St. Andre, and Lawrence Whitaker.

Here are a few of the highlights, with brief commentary:
This is from my Friday night session of Dwimmermount. I had seven players, including Ken St. Andre, who's off-camera to the left. I have to admit I was more than a little floored -- and intimidated -- when Ken asked if he could sit in on my game, given that I was running "That Other Game" (as he calls D&D). Needless to say, the session was extremely memorable and deserves a post of its own.
This is a shot of the map I draw on a dry-erase mat so as to speed up mapping during the sessions. We used miniatures mostly to identify marching order and the like, but I also think it added a bit of visual interest to play.
This is my Saturday morning Dwimmermount session, which also had seven players, including Brendan and Ram.
 Saturday afternoon saw a panel, on which Ed Greenwood and Ken St. Andre sat, telling tales of their early days in the hobby. I found this particularly interesting and I dearly wish there'd been a recording of it.
Here's me, looking typically goofy, on the same panel, seated next to Lawrence Whitaker.
Me, looking goofy again, along with my betters.
Ken St. Andre, proving that old school gamers aren't wimps, does a one-handed push-up right after the panel has ended.
On Saturday afternoon, I was lucky enough to play in a Forgotten Realms adventure refereed by Ed Greenwood. Ed really knows how to run a game and hold his players' attention. Much like my experiences with Ken, this is really deserving of a post of its own.
All in all, OSRCon II was a great success. We all owe a big debt of thanks to organizer Chris Cunnington and to the fine folks at the Lillian H. Smith library for making this happen once again. I know I'm already looking forward to next year.

16 comments:

  1. Seems like a grand time was had by all. I'm looking forward to the session write ups. :)

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  2. Did you insist on that ostentatious chair James, or was it provided? ;)

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  3. James I agree. These public talks by the pioneers of RPG's should be recorded as standard operating procedure. They would instantly go viral around the OSR blogs, and forums.

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  4. The chair was provided. I found it actually was quite uncomfortable, since it sat very low to the ground, something a man of my limited stature doesn't exactly need :)

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  5. Looks like a great time. Rob and I need to get up there next year. We're only a few hours away.

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  6. I loved listening to Ed Greenwood talk about making money by selling letters to Penthouse until he found out that he could make money selling articles to The Dragon magazine!

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  7. I'd still like to come up for this gathering, one year :D

    grodog

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  8. What rules did Ed Greenwood (ostensibly) use for the Realms?

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  9. It certainly has the right look for a GM's chair!

    I'm also quite impressed by the feats of physical might on offer. I don't think I could do a single one-handed press-up, and I'm relatively young. Then again, I'm not a proper old-schooler!

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  10. Me too. It seems like a long way to go -- for me -- for a small gaming convention, but it also looks like a lot of fun.

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  11. Second Edition AD&D, nominally at least. I don't remember seeing any rulebooks on his table.

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  12. Yeah, he was listed as playing 2nd Edition, but as far as I could tell he was playing with some tiny subset of the rules. It was very much a *role* playing game.

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  13. I concur: Definitely need to hear them session writeups.

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  14. I had a great time, even though I could only attend on Saturday. I very much enjoyed Lawrence's RQ game, the panel, and then running a CoC session. I hope to attend next year, and have the opportunity then to check out Dwimmermount!

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  15. Couldn't agree more.

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  16. I was struck by Ed Greenwood's honesty and openness about writing in the game industry. I was equally compelled to what Ken St. Andre's idiosyncrasies paint the walls. As the games, I'm still fixated on the Dwimmermount 'Tube Room' and how many hobgoblins can be stuffed into an air vent. Overall, an eclectic and motley collection of gamers. Brilliant.

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