Wednesday In Wisconsin.... OK, Can it possibly get any better ?

I have arrived in Wisconsin, Lake Geneva to be exact... So like any disciple of Gary Gygax.. I sought the plaque at Lake Geneva... Very easy to find

Right in front of the fountain that is right next to THE RIVIERA

Next,I registered for the con and Ran into Heath from Australia

not too bad for a guy who drove here from Philly and was up since the 6 AM the day before

Talking To many people, including Luke Gygax... no pic yet

Edwin asked for a ride to FRANKENPARTY... The person I was supposed to pick up was not feeling well, but I hate showing up alone... So after meeting Franks wife, Debbie and giving the hostess an of Blue Mountain Wineries  White Merlot (My Personal Favorite) I settled into some Serious socializing

Franks wife in her Kitchen, she owned a bakery and does all the cooking,  Everything was incredible and they really made you feel welcome in their home

I really enjoyed talking to everyone, Andy, Simon and Bernie from England were great.

I managed to finagle my way into the Firefly game... with Margaret Weis... Spent some time talking to Daniel who is running the game...After much begging and pleading, he asked mye to run the NPC bad Guy....



I really hate to be intrusive when it comes to Pictures so don't be upset if all my pics are not put up.

Dice Envy... where do I get this set ?

This was Gary Gygax Desk until it was given to Frank

Frank 

FINAL prep for the travel

Here is where I will be keeping somewhat of a live journal up to when the con starts


A Place To Stay: 2/28/16

OK, got my head a place to rest for a few hours on Wednesday Night... All I gotta do is Get to Wisconsin, check in at the con (since I plan on driving all night) Pick up a Friend of Ernest Gary Gygax Jr., Take him To Frank Mentzer's open house and home later in the evening, then take him to the Con in the morning... Very grateful to Scott for a roof and warmth... and saving me from having to Show up to the gathering on my own

Who is Frank: He is one that was in charge of these:

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03/01

Waiting on loading up, then a nap.... Then it is off tonight. It has been a long time since I was on an adventure by myself. Kinda scared and excited.... My last true adventure by myself was going to North Carolina to see a friend a long time ago, but when you are married 21 years, you don't do much

We did drive to Florida overnight 11years ago and that was pretty good adventure....ended with another Disney baby.... I am going to miss my girls something terrible.... I love my wife and appreciate her support for me doing this.....

Stories from the Kinniggetts of the the Tabletop

OK, here are some true incidents that as a DM / GM / Animator / Storyteller/ Player that are worth retelling:

Now the list of infamous lines from our games has long been lost and we relied on pen and paper... so I will do my best to create the list over


-------------------------------

As we were approaching a den of creatures and hear them but not see them, our fearless fighter goes and says
        Player  "I shoot them with an arrow"

                   DM "How are you going to shoot them?"

        Player:  "Shortbow"

--------------------------------

The Party, having a folding boat, prepares to head down the river... player takes out the boat, says the activation word "Float".... Whereas another player says "GO, GO, Gadget Boat!"

-----------------------------
At a convention Running "So you think you have an attitude" the Female dwarf passes out and one of the other dwarfs says,

              "I jump the passed out female"

and a second dwarf says "I jump on him!"

The first dwarf rolls a dice and then says "I like it!!"

                     I lost it and it took me 15 minutes to recover

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A little background is needed for this one. We attended many cons, and usually it was my gaming group and another gaming group we all played in... They usually ended up with 10 people in their room and their tub was filled with alcohol... when you walked into their room, usually you got cheezits thrown at you like throwing stars... literally they had boxes and boxes and all out cheesit war

We were checking out and passing the room as the Maids were entering, and we heard them say: "Ain't no way I am cleaning this Fucking mess"

---------------------------------
We Were starting a new campaign and we were in a town.. I was playing a Kender, Steve was a Militant Black Zulu Warrior, Dave was a Fighter and the Other Greg was a Fighter...
In the middle of the night the town gets attacked so we wake up and start heading down to fight...

The Zulu yells out the window "Shut the Fuck up, I am trying to sleep!!" 

UPCOMING LEGACIES GAME DAY and Tuesday Game Nights

Another Mini One day con I will be attending...

LEGACIES GAME DAY
CLASSIC GAMES. CLASSIC ADVENTURES.
 - LEGACIESGAMEDAY.COM

Do you still play classic role-playing games from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s? Legacies Game Day is a chance for you to socialize and game with others who still enjoy the originals and their retro-clones.
Brookline Fire Hall
Havertown, PA 19083
10am - midnight.


I will be running

So You Think You Have an ATTITUDE !!!

and

AAAAHHHH

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You can also find me running or Playing games Tuesday Nights at

Steel City Coffee House

Corner of Main and Bridge, Phoenixville, PA 

Steel City Coffee House will be shutting its doors on Tuesday nights to allow free-range gaming! Multiple tables for multiple games will be available, and coffee drinks will be available for purchase. 

Why Choose to play in my games - Gary Con !!!

When I attend a con, and commit to running the most games of anyone attending, I like to be taken care of... and when someone overbooks a VIP game, TOUCH BASED WITH ME ON PERSONAL LEVEL 
The problem is, they do do not feel they have done anything but be fair (Which would be true if I walked off the street and was only an attendee) 

----------------------------------------------------
 My Shameless PLUG Page for my Games at GaryCon

What good is a game without players ? 

Well, without players, I am left to wander the halls aimlessly and feel completely left out as others game around me... 

Now, I know you are wondering      
                           "Just how good of a Dungeon Master are you?"

Last year I attended a local con in the Philly burbs, I had 3 players for Attitude (mainly due to people who got the remaining slots and dropped out) and 2 of those played in the next game I ran 

After that, I ran AAAHHH for 8 people.. after the game I had 3 players come up to me and say that had never played a game where the DM kept the flow going, took people aside to give them info as the party split to question different people, passed notes and kept the game moving with Role playing and puzzles 

YES, I am that good.... does not mean I am for everyone (If you want to Meta game, and insist you can hit 2 monsters with a sword 30 years apart and in different rooms on the some initiative... I may not be the DM for you)

One of the first cons I ran games at in NJ

So at Defcon 3, I won best Game Master... and I won for Defcon 5 ( I was not eligible to win for Defcon 4 and was on Staff for Defcon 6 and it was discontinued after 6)

At Defcon 3 I ran a few games, but on Saturday, I managed to lock my Keys in my car and had to get a ride home for my spares, this led to me rearranging the games I was running.... i was not even thinking of anything when I attend the award ceremony... completely shocked to win

SO, I submit that you will enjoy the games I have created and these are my show pieces... 

By The light of the Slippery Moon and Foo-Fuu Toon are the only ones I have created Specifically for Gary Con.... 

I measure my games by the amount of conversation they create: I love that my games are talked about during the con... My goal is to create the most buzz at the con... 

Entrance to Classari                                       EG3-204 03/03, 8:00am 03/03, 12:00pm

Foo-Fuu Toon… Catch that Bird               EG3-203 03/03, 6:00pm 03/03, 8:00pm

So you think you have an Attitude !!!           EG3-203 03/03, 8:00pm 03/04, 12:00am

PizzaToon / A Toon Love Story                      EG3-2090 3/04, 8:00am 03/04, 12:00pm

AAAAHHHH                                      EG1-20703/04, 4:00pm03/04, 8:00pm

By The Light of the Slippery Moon              EG1-207 03/04, 8:00pm 03/05, 12:00am

Daytoona Beach Party Bingo Blast               EG3-212 03/05, 10:00am 03/05, 12:00pm

The Quest for the Gate Between Worlds       EG3-213 03/05, 4:00pm 03/05, 8:00pm

AAAAHHHH!                                  EG1-208 03/06, 2:00pm 03/06, 6:00pm

If there is one game to play in, I would choose AAAHHH, it is otherwise known as Ding Dong, The Lich is Dead.....and that is all you will get out of me regarding that game

BTW: I am the only one running any Toon Games, if you have never played Toon, you should try it.... 

I contacted Steve Jackson games and unfortunately, they no longer support Toon, The Roleplaying Game and are not able to provide any promotional items, I was hoping for a banner or mini posters...

So I have done what I could to Procure a sensational focal piece... This is the table covering

The Toon Commandments

1.      FORGET EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT ROLEPLAYING.
2.      ACT BEFORE YOU THINK.
3.      KNOW THE RULES - CHECKING RULES IS SLOW. SLOW IS BAD.
4.      KNOW YOUR CHARACTER AS YOURSELF.
5.      IF YOU WANT TO DO IT, EXAGGERATE IT.
6.      IF IT'S SIMPLE, COMPLICATE IT.
7.      IF YOU'RE IN A JAM, DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO MAKE IT WORSE,
8.      WHEN IN DOUBT, RECAP.
9.      WHEN YOU CAN'T RECAP. MAKE SOMETHING UP.
10.  WHEN YOU CAN'T MAKE SOMETHING UP, CHEAT.

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From: Greg barry [mailto:gmbarry@msn.com]
Sent: Friday, January 15, 2016 8:34 AM
To: 'conventions@sjgames.com'
Subject: Gary Con

To Whom it may concern;

I will be attending Gary Con in March of this year and I will be the only person running Toon, The Role Playing Game.  In fact, I will be running 3 separate sessions of Toon.

I have listed the games below.

I was wondering if there are any posters or support material available for Toon, I realize this is a shot in the proverbial dark as this game has sat idle in the catalog for many years.  I still run it from time to time at gatherings and cons and people love the break from other less serious RPGs.

So, if somewhere in the corner there is a bag of many things containing Toon material or if you can invoke a cosmic shift, I would be most grateful if you could dust some of it off and let me know.

Greg Barry

Director of Animation, Ombudsman, Gadfly and  Collections, Resident fast talker

2426 Donna Lane

Pottstown, PA  19464

484-948-5284

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The reply

Hi Greg,

We don't support TOON anymore ( besides some digital offerings at W23 ) 

But the toon Gods smile upon your request in other way.

Let me have your shipping info and I can send some SJG goodies your way as a thanks for being a TOON fan

: )

Best,

G.

-------------------------
So I was a little disappointed in what was sent, it was a handful of Munchkin cards and bookmarks in a postage envelope...

Last time I contacted SJGames, I got 4 books, some posters and other items I gave out as prizes... at least I could have gotten one game or book to give away... 

GRM - Gaming Reference Materials

OK, SO I was going to write about books that influence people but the list is so large and varied that it really cannot be paired down to a top 40 list.

So, I thought I would present what materials I use when creating a world...


The Dictionary of Imaginary places
The Dictionary of Imaginary places, from descriptions to Pictures to maps.. When I have a world, Continent or Island to create, I can turn through this and see if anything here inspires me. I love this book and it is my number 2 reference book

The Compendium 

I love flipping through this book, Weapons, Armor and Castles. I have used several castles in this book in the worlds I have created. When i bought it, Palladium was the mai publishers of all sorts of supplements for gaming

Arms and Equipment Guide

Not as complete as the compendium, but has a bit more stats for in game....

The Dungeon Masters Guide

So much information crammed into this book... I have read it cover to cover many times.

When creating a game, I like to use some of the lesser known tables and the outdoor information is better than the Wilderness guide.  This is my number one resource 

I do not like how to books... I am not writing or designing based on what someone thinks makes a great dungeon or adventure... How to guides usually only tell one way to make a dungeon or adventure... 

might as well just use modules if you cannot create something well crafted... The main issues I see are too many dungeons are generic,  based on limited experience. 

Read novels, watch Movies. 

Finding Game Players and Games

This is the hardest thing to do, find players...

To me, this means compatible players willing to play outside their comfort zone or try something they may not be into...

I recently tried a Spelljammer game, one of the old TSR worlds. I never liked premade worlds because they usually had classes and rules specific to that would impact the gameplay

I did like Dragonlance to a point but you really had to play the pre made characters .


As a DM, I look for players that really fit my dynamic.

• Bring something to the table other than rolling dice
• Try something new
• Have fun
• Accept what I say as final
• Do not argue rules, we can discuss them, but if you had 2 attacks and think you can attack a third time in a small room, it won't happen
• Don't be an ass, you can have a big personality without being an ass     
• Don't argue with players over little things
• Founding members of a group (Meaning those with the group from the creation who are running games) have a say, but the final decision is on me 

Some of my favorite people and players took a few weeks to get used to

One was Linda,
who came into our group with a Chris, they already had a dynamic going and they brought their characters from another game where she was dominant over his, Chis was such a fun and easygoing guy. We did not know what to make of this and we were debating on if this was what we wanted, we decided that 2 more game sessions and that would be it... by the time that part of the adventure was completed, they were granted votes on new people in our group, I really enjoyed running game and playing in games with them... We all did things outside of the Game nights also

Then was Chris 2
Chris was loud, boisterous and confident.  He took some getting used to but he was a great guy and really loved playing

Then there are those who just click from the time they sit down at the table

Mark - He was an amazing DM and was willing to play anything. He could made the most mundane adventure into an epic. He definitely made the rest of us up our game. We did alot outside of the game when time permitted. Then, he got transferred back to Texas

Steve - One of the most creative and adaptable people I have ever known, he could run many systems and was not afraid to play a self centered Zulu Warrior... some of the greatest moments in games were Steve cracking everyone up. His command of Toon and many different genres was amazing

Scott - Forever changing and challenging us to learn new games brought a ton of different games and he always ran great games.  He ran a Toon game called the Dark Care-bear Adventure... wow, who knew he was secretly watching the Care-bears and writing this. I had so much fun playing in it.

Greg B2 - he was your typical Frat boy... impulsive and always interesting... He introduced us to Battletech and I roomed with him at more than one Con... I did trust him to a point... then he failed to return several AD&D books to me.



I have realistic expectations and sometimes, players who disrupt more than adding to the game or who get upset if one thing does not go their way, need to be removed from the group

I have sacrificed players who came with other players, Once had to let a husband and wife be removed from a group because while she was Great and we would have kept her, there was no way he could stay with the dynamics of the group.

What I have been doing Lately

I am on Several Meetup pages and RPG pages... I always carry my DM Cards

I also try to attend local gaming conventions and I go to gaming stores. I engage people in conversations and try to connect to as many as possible.

As a Player... 

I may push gently to see if I can get a few perks, such as second edition tweeks that do not upset the balance of the game but are completely reasonable

I always try to bring my A game and keep the game moving. I look at the situation and see what can be done to minimize any potential issues.

Even if I am not that fond of the game, I can bring an angle to play