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10/21/14

Con on the Cob Post-Convention Post

Now that I have been to my first gaming convention, Con on the Cob, I can no longer consider myself a casual gamer. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy my convention experience, but I figured I should go at least once in my life. Now that I have been to a convention, I can say that I had an absolute blast. I am ready to go again.

Characters and Sessions
I played in five sessions--four of them official convention sessions and one unofficial. Five of our Monday Night Ubergoobers gaming group were able to attend and we had three sessions with all five of us.

Session 1: I played Theddrick, a human cleric, in a Dwimmermount session using Labyrinth Lord. This was a good session to start the Con on the Cob convention experience. The second half of the session was particularly fun. Kudos to +Jim Yoder for running a fun session.

Session 2: I played Pat West, a Tuscon AZ police officer, in a Cryptworld session. I immediately fell in love with the Cryptworld mechanics and we had an excellent group. +Tim Snider did a marvelous job running the session.

Session 3: Our Monday Night Ubergoobers got together for a session of The Esoterrorists (Gumshoe system). +Tim Shorts GMed the session and I played Ben Monday, a history teacher. It was the one session that didn't come to a conclusion so I am hoping we can get back to the setting and characters during our Monday night sessions. Tim did a great job of prepping for the session and running a compelling adventure. This was my one unofficial session at the convention.

Session 4: I played Billam the dwarf in a Dungeon Crawl Classics session, run by +Roy Snyder. Roy did a great job as GM and really liked the DCC rules. This was the one session where all five Monday Night Ubergoober gamers played together in a session run by someone else. It took some willpower for my character to not kill +Rob Conley's charisma 5 character (no one nails low charisma roleplaying like Rob). This session ran long so we moved it to the bar, which seems to be the appropriate place for a DCC session.

Session 5: I played Gnip Gnome (the "G" is not silent), a gnome fighter as +Rob Conley ran a Swords & Wizardry/Majestic Wilderlands session. Lots of great action and groovy opportunities for role playing, which is a hallmark of Rob's GMing. We had a low charisma group (3, 6, 6, 10 and 10) so there was lots of snarkiness and fun unpleasantries with our group.

Purchases
I had a good time spending money and I could have spent a lot more. Here is what I picked up:


Takaways
As I reflect back on my experience, here are some things that come to mind:

  • I really like conventions. I am already looking forward to next year, plus I might add a few other conventions to my calendar in 2015. Maybe one in Michigan to catch up with my high school gaming buddies. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.
  • More sleep and healthier food. I need more sleep and healthier food. We did get a pile of sandwiches from Subway, but I should have packed fruit and other healthy stuff.
  • Play things I would not otherwise have a chance to play. I really enjoyed DCC and Cryptworld--I picked up a copy of each (DCC from Rob Conley). Maybe try to play a Savage Worlds session next time.
  • Meet people. I enjoyed meeting people and making some new gamer friends. Next time around I will be more proactive. 
  • I have two new games that I will play: Cryptworld and Dungeon Crawl Classics. I am hoping to get a few local semi-gamer friends (plus my wife) into a Cryptworld campaign in the next month. Thanks to +Tim Snider for an inspirational session.