Gary Con XVI was held this past weekend in Lake Geneva. By all accounts, the gathering was a success, although sadly tempered by the recent passing of
Jim Ward.
Celebrating 50 years of Dungeons & Dragons
My friends and I remained in Lake Geneva between Founders & Legends and Gary Con, signing up for a game with Bill Webb on Tuesday, and playing Dragonchess in the Legends of Wargaming room on Wednesday.
Against the Legion of Doom!
The Bonecrushers, a unit of ettin skirmishers, attacks!
The event was great fun, and only possible through the support of Doug Behringer, who once again lent me the miniatures necessary to stage the event.
As I was photocopying some additional reference sheets in the GMs Lounge, who should I bump into but
Douglas Niles, who kindly signed my copy of the Battlesystem rulebook!
The Best Laid Schemes:
Illustration by Jennell Jacquays
An hour after concluding my miniatures scenario, I ran "The Wererats of Relfren" using BECMI (including rules for unarmed combat and weapon mastery).
It was fun to watch the players solve the mystery, although we couldn't finish the entire scenario within the four-hour time slot (even playing for an extra hour).
The town and its inhabitants really came to life, and I highly recommend using this adventure, although one should plan for two sessions.
The Wish, Part 2:
The ground floor of the gnome wizard's tower.
The following morning, I was fortunate enough to be able to walk up to a seat at "The Wish, Part 2" run by none other than
Harold Johnson.
This AD&D 1e scenario was highly entertaining, not only due to it's use of miniatures and dioramas, but also because it's a truly excellent adventure.
In Pursuit of the Slayer:
On Friday afternoon, I ran "In Pursuit of the Slayer" by Carl Sargent, another BECMI scenario from the pages of Dungeon magazine.
As with "The Wererats of Relfren" I used pregens from AC1 "
The Shady Dragon Inn", modified by adding wrestling ratings and weapon mastery.
It's a fast-paced adventure, and the group fired through it, finishing well within the four-hour time slot.
Nexus of Elder Evil:
My high school friends and I participated in the 6th Annual Gary Con, Legends of Roleplaying Tournament, along with Zach Howard of
Zenopus Archives and co.
The scenario represented a sequel of sorts to last year's "Ruins of Elder Evil" and was, as usual, deviously conceived.
Despite a great start, we became stymied by one of the puzzles, and failed to complete the scenario, tying for 11th place among 16 teams (a better showing than last year!)
Warriors of Mars:
A unit of tharks mounted upon thoats.
As a big ERB fan, I needed to participate in this event, using the "
Warriors of Mars" rules by Gary Gygax and Brian Blume.
Our host owns a fantastic set of Barsoomian miniatures, and runs the scenario every year.
The event was a lot of fun, and I'm eager to share photographs with members of the ERB fan community, one of whom owns a complete set of Heritage miniatures.
The Voyage of the Theseus:
On Saturday afternoon, I signed up for a
Call of Cthulhu game "The Voyage of the Theseus".
The scenario begins on the colony ship Theseus in the year 2100, when orders arrive to intercept a mysterious object that is approaching our solar system.
The game was a fitting blend of science fiction and Lovecraftian horror, and was quite memorable.
Orc's Drift:
A unit of orcs attacks the enemy
The final event at Gary Con for us this year, and quite literally the grand finale, was a game of "Orc's Drift" on Saturday night.
We took control of various contingents of orcs attempting to overrun a tiny but well-defended enemy supply depot, using the Chainmail rules.
Highly recommended, for anyone who hasn't yet participated in this Gary Con tradition.
Seminars:
Between all the time devoted to gaming, my friends and I were able to attend a couple of panels featuring Ed Greenwood.
As usual, another memorable Gary Con in Lake Geneva!
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