For my part, the *big* difference was the number of seminar slots we were given. In early planning, it had looked as if there would be nothing much for me to do at the Con besides running Tarsh War and Credo sessions. But as the day grew nearer and the freeforms and guests dropped like flies, great Chaos Voids opened in the heart of the programme. Following in the path of Magasta, the boys from the Megacorp leapt manfully down the plug-hole...
As usual, I can only comment on the events I participated in.
Jane Williams - Sartar the Brave Boris Mikey - The Day the Fire Died Rick Meints - Waltzing and Hunting
Thanks, guys!
Saturday afternoon was meant to run as a succession of three seminars: "The First Age", "Sandy Live and Uncut", "Carmania". In the event, Sandy and I took questions on anything and everything for a three-hour session, occasionally reverting to the "programmed" subjects (when Con invigilators walked in), but more normally following wherever the subject led us. It was great fun, but I pity the poor transcribers. The seminars closed with Sandy recounting the origins and history (both Chaosian and Gloranthan) of Pamaltela, in a remarkable tour-de-force. While this was going on, Chris Gidlow had been running a mostly-costumed session of "Tarsh War": I was lucky enough to turn up at the grand finale and see the tribes succumb.
Saturday evening's Storytelling started small and grew as it went along. Highlights were a Praxian vision-quest by Eric Schmidt, Nils Weinander's East Isles tale of the Rock Eater, and the Baron von Moosehsunchen jokes (discovered in the bar on the first night); the big prize went to Scott Schneider for his Raven's Stepladder, even after he lost big marks for neither wearing his Raven costume ("It's moulting") nor belching at the appropriate juncture.
After this came the readings. Chris Gidlow and I shocked the audience with his blasphemous Seleric Verses; Scott read selected chunks of Harmast's Saga; MOB's lack of potty training was exposed to the world; and I read every page of Mike Hagen's "Tales from the Black Galleys" that I could find. As for the later storytelling, "Speed Prax", perhaps the least said the better: one wonders if Greg realised how dangerous it was to name his largest continent "Genitalia"...
Sunday lunchtime was a good time for ambling and chatting; after noon, Sandy, Scott and I held a "GMing in Glorantha" session (world-spanners versus farm-boys?); later, the Six Davids' "How to get Published" panel was interesting, especially given Robert David Heinsoo's Chaosium-centric contributions.
On Sunday evening, the "Red Devastation" miniatures rules by John Medway and Rob Smith received intensive playtesting in two battles, which were afterwards refought (at sometimes excruciating length) in the form of inquisitions (by the Lunars and Harrek) and post action reviews in the Megacorp suite. And so to bed...
Still, despite being dealt some of the worst imaginable blows by various illnesses and misfortunes, not to mention the inclement weather, the Chicago RQ-Con Committee produced a memorable and exciting convention. Andrew Joelson and his co-workers should be congratulated for their heroic efforts at the eleventh hour, in the face of difficulties that would have made lesser mortals curl up and die.
See you all this summer in Victoria!
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