Everyone’s con experience is always different: apologies to all those nice people I fail to mention and great stuff I omit, but here are just a few of my impressions.
Friday, and I arrived early with the con books, so could say some initial hellos and enjoy the production-line experience of stuffing welcome packs. After the welcome, it was straight into ‘Harem Nights’, Simon Bray and Martin Hawley’s raucous Fonrit-meets-Arabian-Nights freeform. Having an essentially minimalist approach to freeform costuming, I was as ever awestruck by the lengths many of the players go. Still, as Old Wakim the storyteller, I was glad to be able to do my bit to raise slave revolts, play my role in the conspiracy to kill Garangordos the Slaver God (though alas I didn’t actually manage to be one of those who struck the final blow), spread lies and rumours, exalt the manifest virtues of Man at Fanjosi and, above all, protect my little winged dog, whom everyone seemed to want dissected and dismembered. Ian Cooper was a splendidly oleaginous celebrity doctor, and Dan Barker led the conspiracy with vigour. I felt obscurely pleased that I seemed to be one of the few characters not gaining, losing, selling, seeking or, um, handling penises…
That took us until late, and then it was time to unwind and chat a bit (always one of the joys of an event like this).
Next morning, after the HeroQuest panel, I had to spend some time doing some last minute tweaks to my ‘Birth of the Goddess’ freeform, in part because of a timetabling clash, in the process having to create a character for Sean Varney (who, truth to tell, doesn’t really need a character since he can be unleashed in any freeform in the complete confidence that he will wheel and deal at will). However, my Mythic Russia panel proved unexpectedly well-attended and encouragingly enthusiastic -- many thanks to those of you who came along and contributed your thoughts and ideas, to several of which I am going to have to give serious thought, from fairy tale roleplaying options for the very young novitiate gamer through to flipping round the notation so that 1w2 is rendered as a rather more intuitive 2m1 (m? masterstvo).
Incidentally, the short Mythic Russia preview/promo booklet that went out in the con pack will soon be available as a PDF on the Firebird site which, as has been pointed out, is indeed actually _at_ http://www.firebird-productions.com/ !
Later on Saturday, we held the Unspoken Word tea party: not so much a hard sell even, not least because -- beyond Wintertop Fair, which was released at the con -- we have nothing imminently in the pipeline because of current uncertainties about Issaries’s future policies. Instead, it was an opportunity to say thanks to everyone who has supported our efforts and share out some cake.
Simon and I then made the most flying of visits to the independent publishing panel, but had to dash because we needed to get some food before Simon was due to run what looked like a very fun Char-Un game later that evening. The GTA party later that evening offered another opportunity to catch up with people (including some very happy players of the ‘fantasy Roman’ freeform ‘After the Triumph’, which seemed to have gone very well). It seems to have become a much more raucous, whisky-fuelled event later that evening, but lily-livered beast that I am, I think I’m relieved not to have been still there by then.
After two clear days, Sunday turned out grey and wet, which was a shame for
‘Birth of the Goddess’, as I had hoped it could be run in the garden at
Highgrove House. Instead, we occupied most of the ground floor, later
spilling out into the garden as it became drier. What can I say about the
game? It was fun and exhausting when the smaller ‘beta test’ version ran to
Gloranthacon, but the full-size (50-player) version proved even more fun and
even more exhausting. As a GM, you inevitably have great trouble assembling
any kind of overview, as your world narrows to the players in front of you
and the timetable, but people seemed to be having fun and certainly there
was even more weirdness and energy on show than I could have hoped. In part,
this is thanks to a thoroughly splendid and enthusiastic bunch of players,
in part to my first-class co-GMs, Martin Hawley, Rick Meints, Graeme
Robinson, Tim Ellis and Thom Baguley, who kept the pot bubbling admirably.
I still don’t know the half of what happened, and I hope to hear more, but my highlights would obviously have to start with the raucous and infamous Dorkath Sex Hunt. Graham ‘Shividru’ Arnold and Claire ‘Ussoru’ Steyert will undoubtedly burn in hell for it, but they certainly proved inspiring representatives of dissolute Darjiini ways. And the sight of Graham’s leopard-skin y-fronts will take time and therapy to banish from my memory…
Nick ‘Fjordaur’ Brooke excelled himself as a disgruntled and balletic assassin. It was a rather different roles to the scenery-chewing evil ruler he so often plays (and plays well), and I felt he made an extraordinary job of it, not least when teaming up with Mike ‘Renzannis’ Gibb’s artist to allow him to experience a temporary death to enrich his art.
The Darjiini and Rinliddi proved amazingly united, and were ultimately successful in both defending their territory and shaping the new Moon Goddess, which proved to be a creation of passion and water, born of the Oslir and into the child of Gwen ‘Varenkara/Rathavrima’ Mott -- Deezola’s estranged sister -- and Simon ‘Oktog’ Bray, the troll who really did manage to prove that he was a human after all.
The Dara Happans managed to free themselves of Carmanian dominion, with Tom
‘Khasventos’ Zunder leading their armies to level Kitor itself while their
forces and generals were trapped on the wrong side of the Oslir when Hannu
‘Lanvash’ Kokko closed the river. On the other hand, poor Raibanth was the
scene of Darjiini insurrection, the repeated destruction of its bridges,
trashing by the Clanking Mechanical Man and all sorts of other mayhem before
being brought back under the benevolent control of Chris ‘Golden
Figura/Endarkus’ Jones… or at least I think his were the last hands in which
it fell!
The Carmanians saw their lands smashed, by Dara Happans and by Pentan hordes led by Lewis ‘Paulind/Nightmare Spear’ Jardine and his reconciled countryman Chris ‘Arash Khan’ Gidlow. In many ways, this was a classic tale of empire: the Carmanians *knew* that they were the greatest power in the land and so could indulge in personal politics, which meant that while several were personally successful, this was at the expense of their own unity.
I could go on and on: Sean ‘Shornvar Everyman’ Varney getting so rich through begging that he was richer than some kings, Darren ‘Darak Kan Ogag’ Staples’s Blue Moon ninja troll, and many other wonderful characters and gamers. But I had better not: instead, let me just say that if the players had anything like as much fun as I had, I am happy. (And thanks to the unfailingly thoughtful Fabian Kuechler for providing sustenance to me during the lunch break.)
Anyway, after BotG, it was just time for the closing ceremonies and a few hours meeting and chilling before it was time for a late-night drive home. It was a thoroughly exhausting three days, but precisely because there was so much to do and so many people to meet. It was great to meet with Newt Newport and see the RHQN putting on so many games and creating such enthusiasm. The River of Cradles minis event was played on a stunningly crafted board. And so on…
Loz and co have said that they will be back in 2006. We all heard it. They are mad, but that’s not our problem: let’s thank them for Continuum ’04… and make damn sure we hold them to their promise!
All the best
Mark
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