Re: Cheap flights to Toronto

From: me1stra <melstra_at_...> <melstra_at_...>
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 20:24:17 -0000

> > Frankfurt or Koln-Bonn to Toronto for 400 euro.
> > London to Toronto direct for 265 pounds.
>
> Which is, by most people's standards, still an awful
> lot of money.

True true. No argument there.

If, however, I may approach the problem from a different angle, I think it might be helpful for some of those of you attending the convention-- or to anyone who has been to a large, game-specific convention to provide some testimonials on just why it's worth spending so much money. How about we hear from folks on why they go and what they enjoy? I'll bet there are quite a few people on this list who have never been to a Gloranthan convention...even if you've been to Origins or GenCon you have no idea how different it is to be at a Gloranthan Convention!

As for me...I don't play too much HW, but I do enjoy the world and I'm looking forward to the convention. I was fortunate enough to attend Tentacles in Bacharach, Germany, in May/June of 2001. It was a wonderful experience. Most people I meet on a daily basis don't really know or care anything about gaming. Those who have even heard of RPGs pretty much think I'm doing D&D or maybe Pokemon or Magic. (Similar in being fantasy games, but hardly comparable...). Trying to explain Glorantha to those who barely have heard of gaming in General usually ilicits some interest...but without some spare hours to get into detail, I've lost them before I've begun. From the moment I arrived at Tentacles, I knew that everyone there not only knew about Glorantha, but probably knew a Heckuva lot more than I did. As a neophyte, I was basically an observer. I did a lot of observing-- I found folks vehemently discussing HW esoterica in castle turrets, strapping on swords and shields for LARPs (they call them freeforms in Europe), trading single malt Scotch for German wine, and if they were lucky, getting the chance to gnaw on Greg's ear for a little while with questions and story ideas. I watched seminars in which people had the "aha" experience of suddenly realizing the point behind some of the decisions made both in the printing of Gloranthan publications and in the creation of the world. I watched actual gaming sessions where gamers from all around the world (some with less than ideal English skills) somehow came together in 2-3 hours to glorious victory in true heroic RPG fashion. I got the chance to wander off with friends I'd just met (and hope to see again) and explore the town of Bacharach, realizing that many/most of the gamers out there (particularly in HW) actually do have social skills and can be great fun to hang out with, even when they're not gaming. I watched people pay ludicrous amounts of money for boxes of hamster food, just because it happened to be named after a Gloranthan term. (The auctions were really spectator events).

In short, attending a Gloranthan convention is like finding a bunch of kindred spirits where you all share the same "in-joke". It's certainly worth doing at least once in your life. And it's definitely worth saving your money for.

Besides, wouldn't you like to know what some of these goofs really look like? :-) To those who have been to cons before-- please take a minute to share your experience. There's still plenty of time to preregister and as you can see, flights are not FREE, but they're certainly attractive.

Hope to see you at GCVIII!

-
Melanie  

Powered by hypermail