GaryCon Journal Tuesday and Wednesday

So, meet up with with George and we hit the road... George and I get along so well that taking this trip is a pleasure.. It is just the 2 of us and we decided to drive through the night. The reasoning being that we would be too excited to get there and would not sleep anyway. Getting a hotel for maybe an hour of sleep is not going to be productive. Plus George and I can have music and comedy mp3s if we every stop talking..

So after driving through the night  and having a great time (I hope George concurs) we get to the IHop at Kenosha

had something to eat and went on our way to the Grand Lodge at 4:00 in the morning... Explained to the clerk that we arrived way earlier than planned and we would be resting in the lounge

After resting for a bit, we went out to Joni's Diner, found the Pizza place (it's near Bitner's) and drove about

When we returned I saw Stephen Lee and several people and they decided to get lunch.. so I joined them, it was a great conversation... George texted to see if I wanted to go to Taco Bell, and I said I was ok, when he returned the Engine light was on in the truck

After meeting up with several people and texting, we had been invited to Next Door Pub by Craig Martell and Stephen. So I was seated next to Nate Sims, one of the guys I have know since GC8.. 

PUBLIC DISCLAIMER: So many of the people I meet at GaryCon are amazing and friendly and make you feel like Family - and I sincerely say they are some of the best people I have ever met

Nate is one of them, like George, I would happy on a 12 hour road trip with just him and I and we would talk the entire time 

Craig, Duck, Eddie(?) and Nate

I was reintroducing myself to Duck and reminded him I was in Heidi's game last year and we had walked across the parking lot early in the con... then he said... YES, I still have your card..

Scott, "Evil"Stephen, Guy Martelle

Donna and Ernie (KC under the table)

Donna is Great and Ernie tells great Stories, he was telling how someone wanted him to make sure that Joe Manganiello say something in hopes he would endorse it and Ernie was like, hey, the guy is here to game, I would not do that to him... So I told him I was more excited to play in a game With Margaret (Weis) than Joe the next day

We return from Pizza, meetup with a few people and go to the Kick off party. I sit down at a table  and Across from Me sits Zeb Cook and his wife... Then Tom Wham sits down almost next to me.. I have never met Tom but admired his stuff... 

I introduce myself to Tom and then I tell him that he will find himself feeling vary gracious toward me and that he will want to draw me a snit, all the while he is looking at me like I am crazy... my friend George sits down between us and we all talking.. then George nudges me and Tom has a sharpie out, I hand him a dice bag and draws a Snit on it... 

I felt bad because I later found out Tom was not feeling well... I will tell you, it was a great moment

Last year I ran a Drunken Dwarves game and one of my players was Daniel and another was Meinke. She is from Germany and does a lot of gaming via remote... I have no interest in playing remote, but for Her and Daniel, I will try it 2X with an open mind...So they came in with friends and we were enjoying spotted Cow so we played a few rounds of Fuji Flush and had lots of fun to KICK off the Con

Next year I will bring her a deck. 

AMAZING DAY AND NIGHT

More Pictures - Updated 3/14

GMDAY 2019 - Heading to to Lake Geneva Wisconsin for GaryCon 11

Now that I am basically packed and ready for GaryCon, I thought I would muse on a couple of things...

When I became aware of GaryCon, I had dreamed of going for many years... Then my wife said GO, Get the hell out of the house and have fun... That was GaryCon 8

I had no idea what to expect, I was with an experienced Con goer and he knew many people, and that really made the difference

One of my great things is networking people, so I make sure to take a couple of people under my wing and introduce them to others.. 

Somehow people like me, I am always amazed at the amount of goodwill I get... 

That is what keeps me going to GaryCon... That people will find a way to include me in their game and getting lucky in Registration to get the games I want

It is the Friends I have made since that first GaryCon that continues... The people I only hoped to meet that know me by name, steal my pictures (Margaret Weis) and allow me to meet others

It is using my goodwill to promote The Bodhana group and Save against Fear Convention

I look forward to meeting up with friends and meeting new people. 

It is what you make of it... 

My Goals for this Con are simple

1        Margaret Weis signature on latest book
2        Steve Jackson to sign my book and vinyl poster
3        Get a Signature for my Foster daughter
3        Elmore print  - or Chromatic Kingdome poster print
4        Promote Bodhana
5        See as many friends as possible

We live in SAD times for Role playing

inCONclusiveness

Dictionary result for inclusiveness

noun

1. • the practice or policy of including people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those who have physical or mental disabilities and members of minority groups.

     
     

     "the school promotes an attitude of tolerance and inclusiveness"

   
   

Sorry that it is a bit rambling,  there were many things I addressed over several days and will try to make it coherent at some time

This is the sad word that is damaging everything. Because it is being used as a WEAPON by Social Justice Warriors in order to make the 99% buckle to an unseen pressure by less than 0.01%

You do not need Due Process, Courts, convictions, only the slightest allegations

And it is trying to take over Role Playing and RPG Conventions

When you effectively elevate the codes "Diversity" "Inclusiveness" and "Safe spaces" What you are telling peopel is that no game can contain only males and must have women, Asians, blacks, Latinos and not a male running games and 1.6 people have to lgbtqrofads or some other non straight person in order to have a proper game at a con

GaryCon... It no longer respects people who are not Social Justice Warriors. GenCon flaunts it's inclusiveless and I would never consider going back as a paying attendee

SO Frank was removed, not based on his behavior at GaryCon, but for something outside of the con... Not for violating any rules AT the con but because people (or Persons, or whatever term they use that has no scientific basis) complained about his behavior not relevant to his being at said con..

There are many ways to look at this...

One, any blackmail can result in removing a guest of honor, no matter how close the Con is

Two... it is too late for people who take exception to this to back out

Three, we can look at this going forward and decide if we want to take a chance that our games may not occur next year if our FE Guest is targeted by whatever caused this debacle...

I will leave everything to the rules lawyers (The SJWs) who have become final the arbiter at Gary Con Gaming Convention

For the Spirit of the game is truly Broken

NOT Everyone can Play Football..

What I mean is it is our differences that make us strong, we did not live in a Wussy society until the last 14 years. Yeah, people are tough at their keyboards (Trust me, I am an asshole in real life also) 

I am too old to play pronoun games and not PC enough to care

Should you go there, here is my Pronoun:  
The almighty Dungeon Master of the Table who is final arbiter of everything set forth within the game

And NO, you cannot shorten it

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

We play RPG's because they were tough, your persona should die, that is why we bring extra sheets.. 

RPG's were never meant to be safe... No one is guaranteed to be a fit at every table. Over the years my groups have rejected many who just did not fit into the group dynamics. It was never based on race, ethnics, preferences.. It was based on whether you were a person who added to the group or was going to be a pain in the ass

He responded according to Human nature. Luke knew the situation and concerns, yet choose to make him a GOH this year.  He made a commitment to Frank and then canceled the commitment 2 weeks before the con. 

Sounds like a pissing match over something that did not happen at GC. 

I am really critical of the word TOXIC being used in the statement. Sounds like if someone is TOXIC, they were being banned. I would not want to be around someone who was labeled TOXIC

Also, if someone violated GaryCon policies, why would you offer for them to come to the Con ? 

"His past misconduct and threatening behavior violate the ethics and harassment policies established by Gary Con."

"Frank’s harassing behavior, threatening communications, tone-deaf and unapologetic responses are unacceptable to say the least and not the kind of behavior that represents what Gary Con is about. This form of toxic aggression is detrimental to the safe space we as a gaming community strive for."

As someone who is a Defender of the Faith and refuses to play the SAFE versions of WOTC, I was there when D&D was being persecuted back in the 80's.. I was there playing this crazy game and getting friends into it. I was there when we had our 4-H Club and manned the booth every year at the Fair telling everyone about this game... We even had people coming up to us telling us we were going to hell

We were polite and respectful.... We were the outcasts, We were the ones who found a game and a passion...