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Life, the Universe, and everything Nerdy

  • Terminal City 2016

    Terminal City 2016

    One of our favourite conventions took place this weekend. Terminal City Tabletop Convention happened in Burnaby at Bonsor Recreation Centre. This year we were able to attend both days, and our friend Chris joined us.

    Saturday was the busier of the two days, both in regards to attendance and the number of games we played!

    It’s also the day the ever popular Board Game Silent Auction takes place–something we always look forward to. The auction is a great chance for us to find new homes for games we don’t play anymore (it’s only $2 per entry) and it’s a chance for us to pickup new-to-us games for a good price.

    Friend Chris and DM Sean playing 5e.

    Even since Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition was released I wanted to give it a try. I’d heard good things about it, namely that they really slimmed the system down and put a greater emphasis on actual role playing. Plus watching Critical Role just helped to increase my interest in the game. DM Sean was hosting an intro to D&D5e session using the Starter Box, and we were fortunate that there was space for all three of us to jump in.

    Sean was a great DM, helping us learn the system, and weaving an interesting story that put the system into action. Overall I was impressed with 5e and am looking forward to getting my hands on the Player’s Handbook and possibly running my own campaigns in it.

    Learning Machi Koro at Terminal City.

    After lunch we borrowed Machi Koro from the library and Chris taught us. It’s a deck building game that’s part strategy, part luck. On your turn you roll a die, which activates abilities in your city, which in turn earns you money. You use the money you earn to build more buildings, and eventually build landmarks. First person to build all their landmarks, wins. I LOVED it. So much so that we ended up purchasing a copy… *cough cough*.

    Next up was a 6-person game of Star Trek Attack Wing. We learned this last year at Gottacon, but it’s a fun game nonetheless. In a simple game, players control various Star Trek vessels and try to blast their opponents out of the sky, being the last vessel standing. This is done using certain ship maneuvers (each ship is different), and different attack abilities. Then you roll dice against your opponent. There are characters and technology that are added to your ships to help enhance them. In a more advanced game, you play certain scenarios based out of the Star Trek universe.

    Castle of Mad King Ludwig

    I taught Castles of Mad King Ludwig for our last game of the day. Players are trying to build the craziest castle to impress the Mad King. They do this by purchasing rooms and adding them to their own castles. You get points for particular arrangements, having the most of a certain type of room, and having the most square footage of a certain type of room. This is one I really enjoy that’s on my wish list.

    It’s amazing how quickly a day can go at a convention! Only a few games played, but it takes up the whole day.

    The next day we checked out proto-alley. TCTC has always been a big supporter of game developers, always making room for them to demo and get feedback about their in-development games.

    First up was Overpopulation. You’re randomly given a type of government, which gives you your starting resources. Then you have to balance building resources, keeping your people alive, and earning points.

    The lovely cards that make up Townbuilder.

    Next we checked out TownBuilder, to see what designer Eric Raué had done in terms of updating since we last played. This game is part resource management, part deck building. Both Blair and I love it, and we can’t wait for it to eventually go up on Kickstarter.

    Next we played Eric’s new proto-game, Garden of Shadows. Here you play as ninjas trying to wreck havok during the Emperor’s party.

    All in all we had a blast again. Thank you Shannon for coordinating another great year of Terminal City.

     

     

     

  • Tabletop Day 2015

    Tabletop Day 2015

    Happy International Tabletop Day!

    We hosted another Tabletop Day event. This time we were at Pastime Sports & Games, and the store sponsored the event with prizes and event space. We had to host it on Sunday, even though the official ITTD was Saturday. But that didn’t discourage people from showing up, we had 50 attendees  throughout the day who were eager to play board games with us.

  • Terminal City 2015

    Terminal City 2015

    This past Saturday, Blair and I attended Terminal City Tabletop Convention in Burnaby.

    In it’s second year, Terminal City is a two-day convention dedicated solely to tabletop games. This year’s event moved across the street to the Bonsor Recreation Centre in the Metrotown neighbourhood of Burnaby. Like last year’s event, this year’s TCTC was packed with gaming demos, tournaments, an awesome silent auction, a dedicated indie game section, and a kids’ zone.

    “Teacher Wanted” sign at TCTC.

    I love the friendly environment of this convention! A neat feature was the “Players Wanted” and “Teachers Wanted” signs that were available. If you were wanting to play a game and looking for more players, or wanting to learn a game, you could borrow one of these signs so that people knew you were looking to game. It was a great way to break the ice because then folks could simply jump in on a game without the awkwardness of trying to figure out if there was room for you. We met a lot of awesome people this way.

    We arrived about an hour into the convention having started, so we weren’t able to jump into some game demos. Instead we checked out the con to see what folks were playing, had a peek at the silent auction, and went over to the proto alley.

    Because the game demos had already begun, we borrowed a copy of Tokaido from the lending library. Blair really wanted to learn some games that have been featured on Tabletop, so this was a great opportunity to do it.

    Learning Tokaido.

    Our friend Adrian from Giant Monster Games had spotted us with a “Teacher’s Wanted” sign on the table. He jumped in to teach us and another couple how to play. Tokaido is a fun, easy going game that’s quick to learn. It requires a bit of strategy, as you need to figure out what goals you want to achieve and how much risk you’re willing to take (since other people can fill up spots trying to earn pieces towards goals too).

    After that we borrowed a copy of Forbidden Desert. This time around we had Shannon, the TCTC organizer, as our game teacher! He taught us and another newbie how to play.

    Our completed ship in Forbidden Desert.

    I have to say, I loved this game so much we may have purchased a copy during the con…. This is another one that’s easy to learn, but it’s also a team game, so you have to work together to find all the pieces to your flying ship before the desert kills you. Originally we thought we’d won this game, but looking at the rules again a few days later it turns out we didn’t.

    The next game on deck was Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards Duel at Mt Skullzfyre. The concept is that you’re a wizard trying to kill off all the other wizards. Odds are, you’re going to be killed. A lot. You build your three part spells using cards, and unleash them. Be warned, if you don’t have a high enough initiative odds are you will be killed. But if you have a high initiative and attack people, they will attack you back on your turn and you will be killed. I found the concept kind of neat. The instruction booklet is really poorly designed, so it was a struggle for us to read the text and figure out how to play. Fortunately we found someone who knew how to play to teach us!

    A roomful of happy gamers!

    Next up we took a crack at Wits and Wagers. One person asks a question, and then everyone has to make a guess at what the answer is. Then you reveal all the answers and everyone bids on what they think is the closest to the real answer without going over (all answers are numeric). This wasn’t a bad game, but I think there are other party games out there that get more laughs and engagement from the group.

    The silent auction closed about then. Because it was up on the stage it was pretty funny to see the people camping out next to bid sheets to make sure that their bid was the winning one.

    We snuck out for some dinner after that.

    Learning protogame Town Builder.

    On our way back we headed to the protoalley to learn Town Builder. This is a card game where you try to collect resources and build your town, to make a better town than your competitors, and score points based on certain goals. The goals will vary from game to game too. We both loved that the game was simple to learn, but there was still a lot of in-depth strategy and planning you needed to do. It’s a good game for both casual and hard core gamers alike. We can’t wait to see this game launch on Kickstarter and are eager to get a copy!

    After that we played a quick game of The Hobbit Love Letter, before deciding that we were pooped and were ready to head for home. Unfortunately we weren’t able to make it back for the Sunday due to ongoing home renoes.

    All in all we both love Terminal City and can’t wait for next year!

  • Gottacon 2015

    Gottacon 2015
    Gottacon’s vendors hall.

    We were excited to head to Victoria for one of our favourite conventions, Gottacon! Gottacon is dedicated to bringing together gaming geeks of all sorts. This con focuses on being an inclusive gaming experience with a broad spectrum of games: from RPG and table, to miniatures, trading card games, LAN games, and more. Gottacon also offers a variety of panels, workshops, and special events.

    2015 was Gottacon’s seventh year in existence and our second year in attendance, and we definitely had a blast! Our friends Deanna and Ethan from Guardians of the Geek were able to come with us, so it was great to be able to share this awesome convention with them! We will be reviewing games we played in future posts, but join us as we recap the weekend!

    Playing Lords of Vegas on the ferry to Gottacon.

    This year the convention expanded to two locations: the Victoria Conference Centre (inside the Empress Hotel) and the Crystal Gardens (technically part of the VCC, but across the street). This year’s attendence was expected to be 4,000, so an increased size in venue was to be expected!

    Friday

    We were fortunate to have local game store Pastime Sports & Games sponsor our trip to Gottacon this year. So on Friday we got early entrance to the vendors hall in order to setup the booth. Overall we all had a lot of fun manning the booth; we got to talk games with other gamers, share in laughs with other vendors, and overall got a vendor’s look into conventions. My favourite part was how excited folks got when they spotted an out-of-print RPG book they had been looking for.

    After that the con kicked off, and we had the chance to explore everything it had to offer. The Crystal Gardens building is where we all spent most of our time, as it featured all of the board games, indie games, miniatures gaming, and the vendors hall. The main convention centre hosted the video games, RPG games, panel rooms and theatre, and the collectable card games.

    Saturday

    Wargaming area at Gottacon.

    After a tasty breakfast, we headed out for day two!

    I caught the Creating a Hook 101 workshop, which looked at creating interesting stories as a GM that hooked players into it. In my experience as a GM for an online RPG, I know how frustrating it can be to come up with exciting hooks only to have half the players think it’s fun and the other half give it a sad trombone. Tips I picked up include 1- Have a question players need to answer, 2- Create mini-interludes that you can slip in whenever the game slows down, being sure to tie them back to major plot points, 3-When players make a joke suggestion, threaten to use them… or actually use them (also called chumming the dungeon), and 4- Make sure to have smaller scale hooks, so that the bigger ones have more meaning.

    Proto-alley at Gottacon.

    Saturday also featured the annual Gamer Silent Auction. Gottacon debuted a new app for this, that included tracking of items, bidding, and notifications if you’d been outbid. If you didn’t have a phone, computers were available to register bids. I found this so much better than the previous, paper system. Last year I couldn’t get in to the auction room to place a final bid because people were stalking the tables to make sure their bids won. My only negative feedback about the app was that it didn’t show you if you had the highest bid on an item; it only notified you if you were outbid. So if you wanted to login and check on other items, there was no way to tell if you had the high bid until you were notified. I also heard a few complaints from other participants (apparently the system crashed preventing people to place final bids, but I didn’t experience this). I hope they keep the app for the auction next year, but work to improve it based on feedback, because the benefits that I got out of the app definitely outweighed the negatives.

    Learning Star Trek Attack Wing.

    Blair and I were able to learn how to play Star Trek Attack Wing from a seasoned pro. It’s one of those games that you can take seriously, getting to know all the cards, bonuses, etc etc, or just play for fun. Blair got really hooked into the game. I enjoy it, particularly because I’m a Trekkie. Also, they have the Enterprise, NX-01! This is a great game for two players, because you can each have one ship or you can have more, and the strategy every time you play it will be different.

    Sunday

    I have to admit, I was disappointed in the amount of attention paid to video games this year. It felt as though video games were front and centre at the convention and even in all the promo leading up to the event, while all the other types of gaming felt pushed to the side. I understand the want and need to chase sponsors and keep them happy, but it would still be nice to give a bit more balanced promotion to other events.

    All in all we loved this convention, and can’t wait for next year!

  • Creating character

    Creating character
    Rolling up a new character!

    I’d always had a hard time getting into the fantasy genre. I’d read the odd novel or two, seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy in theatres, but I just couldn’t get into it. Science fiction was the side of the fence I lived on.

    When I took up learning Pathfinder RPG, a game set in a fantasy world, I had absolutely no basis for what sort of character would work in this world or what the ultimate goal was in playing said character. I didn’t know where to start, what was a traditional class and their typical influences might be, how they would think, or act.

    I was lost. Really lost.

    Like a goof, I struggled through at first. I did my best with the very limited knowledge I had, and hoped that while I learned the game I would also learn the world.

    I was wrong. It only made it worse for me.

    When I finally admitted this lack of knowledge to my gaming group, a light bulb went off for them. They knew I’d been struggling, but until then had thought it was just the game system. They really stepped up to help me: Blair took extra time to explain the backstory of his world for me, while Dee sent me home with a stack of entry-level fantasy books, and Ethan gave me ideas of what sort of actions a character of my class might do. They made it okay for me to ask questions when I before I’d been afraid to ask.

    Once I had a better foothold in the fantasy world, creating other characters became much, much easier, and I found I didn’t stress about the game mechanics.

    Lighting the spark

    So, how can my bumbling through the fantasy world help you? Here are some tips I’ve picked up along the way.

    1- What interests you? You don’t need to have any sort of knowledge of a certain world to know what kind of characters appeal to you. Think about the books and movies you’ve read: did the sauve, debonair James Bond spy appeal to you? How about shape-shifting, ass-kicking Mercedes Thompson? What about the bow-wielding Katniss Everdeen? Tall, large, and fierce Lieutenant Commander Worf? Find one that appeals you, and don’t be afraid to borrow elements from that character.

    2- Talk to the GM. They are more than happy to tell you about the world you’re about to play in. If you have an idea (see #1), ask them if that idea will work in their world. A good DM will help you weave the kind of character you want to play in to the world they set up.

    3- Listen in. If you’re joining a game already in progress, ask if you can listen to game play for a bit to get a feel for the world and what’s going on. You might find a need for someone that’s missing in the group (a magic user!) or you might get inspired by current events (the trolls ate my parents!).

    4- Look at the book. Head to the classes section and find one that might appeal to you. It might be the class description that inspires you, or the character illustration that accompanies it.

    5- Man, woman, other? It might seem like a small detail at first, but depending on the world you’re in can change how you play. I once created a female engineer in game set in the 1970s. Though women in sciences wasn’t unheard of, it was still pretty rare, so other characters and NPCs often associated a lot of old-fashioned stereotypes to her. She had to work to overcome those–and the accompanying chip on her shoulder. It made for a more interesting character than just a cookie cutter character that should fit into this world.

    I also know some players who will only play one gender — either the same as their own, or not. Start playing whatever you’re comfortable with, but don’t be afraid to try something different.

    Hopefully by now you have a good idea of what sort of character you’d like to play. My first long-term character was a druid, sparked by the idea of the Mercedes Thompson from the book series of the same name by Patricia Briggs.

  • Unpub Mini Vancouver 2014

    Unpub Mini Vancouver 2014
    With City Builders: Rome creator Andrei Filip.

    This past weekend, Blair and I had the pleasure of attending the first Unpub Mini Vancouver at Magic Stronghold in Burnaby. The event brings game developers and table top players together to playtest games and provide feedback, so that game developers can improve and refine their games.

    I have to say, I had a lot of fun at this event! It was a busy afternoon as we played games, got to know other fellow gamers, and had a good chance to chat with various game developers. One takeaway that was definitely apparent was how friendly and welcoming the table top community is.

    Unfortunately we weren’t able to make it for the whole day, but we still had the chance to play three of the games being demoed!

    City Builders: Rome by Andrei Filip
    A cooperative game where you must build a city in Roman times in the hopes of earning glory back home in Rome. At the same time, you must keep your population happy, keep raiders and looters at bay, while building your city before time runs out. Overall we both enjoyed the game. Initially the number of building type tiles was overwhelming, but the game was quick to learn.

    Learning World Defense Force from Adrian at Giant Monster Games.

    World Defense Force by Giant Monster Games
    This is a fast-moving, cooperative card game where players work to destroy monsters that are attacking the world. Don’t work fast enough, and the monsters will eat the world population.This game had the group of us laughing hysterically as we tried to kill the monsters before the timer ran out.

    Tree Up! by Robin Carpenter, Agentic
    This is an easy to learn tile game where you build a tree and work to get inhabitants to move in for more points, while fending off attacks from your opponent. The concept of the game was really cute, and makes for a great game both for those new to gaming and for those experienced. It was nice to find a game that was for two players — since there’s not a lot of good ones out there — that provided a challenge for both but still fun.

    TreeUp! by Robin Carpenter and Agentic

    Other games that were demoed included Berlin Noire by Edward Disher, Custom Bot Combat by Kody Otter, Sloops! by Sébastian Bernier-Wong and Peter Gorniak, Town Builder by Eric Raué, For Greed or Glory by Parallax Games, and The Shrine by Jay Cormier and Shad Miller. We look forward to being able to playtest these titles at a future date!

  • Board games for camping trips

    Board games for camping trips

    Blair and I kicked off summertime with a camping trip in the backwoods with our friends. There was 20 of us in total, half of that being kids under the age of 12. It was a fun, relaxing week filled with sunshine, campfires, and – of course – board games!

    Obviously not all board games are suited to being played in the wilderness. The elements, the players, and what you have available for a gaming surface all play a factor in what games to take (not to mention little games pieces that could easily get lost).

    Our trip provided a great chance for us to test out games that work best…

    Fluxx – As long as I can remember, card games have been a standard item kept in my family’s activity box. It didn’t matter if we were taking a road trip, going to the cabin, or were flying for a vacation – we always took a deck of cards. Fluxx is great because it offers the same flexibility as a deck of cards in that it’s small to pack and easy to learn, while offering you something new from regular old card games. Plus who doesn’t want to hear their friends talk in a funny accent while camping?

    Cards Against Humanity – This wouldn’t be much of a camping game list if I didn’t include CAH somewhere in it. What could be more fun than playing this hilarious politically incorrect game with friends while camping? If there are kidlets around and you don’t feel like waiting until they’re asleep to crack this out, then try Apples to Apples instead.

    Love Letter – This is a really easy game to learn, while still being a fun and dynamic. It changes slightly depending on the number of players you have, and hiding one card away prevents too much card counting. It packs up really small, particularly if you have the edition with the carrying bag, and there are minimal pieces to worry about (16 cards and 13 tokens). The setup is incredibly quick too, for those moments between wanting to play just one more game but also wanting to go to the beach. Love Letter also appealed to the kids, since it was easy for them to learn; the girls love the concept, the boys were a little turned off by the name.

    Zombie Dice – If there were one game that’s a default for getting tossed into our travel bag, it would be Zombie Dice. So easy to learn, this is another one of those quick games you can play in a few minutes. We also have the Triple Feature expansion for this, but we usually put it aside when playing with newbies and younger players. The only downside to this is the noise level, which means it didnt’t get brought out after the kidlets went to bed.

    The Resistance  – This game has not only travelled with us on a camping trip or to the cabin, but has also been schlepped across Canada and to the United States. It packs reasonably small, with no really small pieces that could easily be lost. Players take on roles of resistance members trying to figure out who is the spy among them; meaning it’s a really good way to learn your friends’ poker faces. The Resistance has the ability to get everyone playing, since it’s another easy learn game and doesn’t require much skill, other than a good bluff.

  • Top 5 Tips for Tabletop RPG Newbies

    Top 5 Tips for Tabletop RPG Newbies

    Dice tray with dice, and a Pathfinder RPG character sheet.This post originally appeared in the Terminal City Tabletop Convention program booklet. See my recap of the weekend here. 

    Six months ago I dove into the world of tabletop RPGs. If you’ve never played, or are relatively new to it like me, RPGs might seem a little intimidating. Over the past months I’ve discovered a fun world of storytelling, laughter, friendship, and fun. If you’re thinking about getting into tabletop RPGs, but are a little uncertain, here are my Top 5 Tips for Newbies.

    1. It’s all about the group. Who you game with can have a big impact on your experience. I tried to get into RPGs several years ago, but the experienced players were impatient with newbies, and they didn’t appreciate input that was outside of their already defined box. I’ve since learned that groups like this are the exception; not the rule. The two groups I game with now are encouraging, and are keen on spreading their love for the game to new players. If the group you’re in isn’t working for you, don’t be afraid to find another.

    2. Character sheets are not that scary. The first time you roll up a character, you may feel a little overwhelmed about all the things you need to consider – skills, traits, race, alignment… Don’t worry: if you have a good group (see #1) they will walk you through what you need to know and why it’s important. Each time you play, you’ll find it easier to remember what to roll and what stats give you what sorts of bonuses.

    3. Don’t be afraid to sit back and listen. There will be a lot to take in the first few games you play. If you aren’t sure what or how the heck you’re actually supposed to contribute, sit back and soak in the game. Watch how experienced players add to the story and interact with the Game Master. You’ll absorb a lot in the process.

    4. Don’t be afraid to jump in. You may feel a little out of your element when you first start playing, because you aren’t a rogue, cleric, or druid in ‘real’ life. But nobody expects you to know all the magic user spells the first time through. Jump in and see what your mind can come up with.

    5. Ask. Gamers are a friendly sort (generally, but see rule #1), so if you have a good group they will be happy to answer any questions you might have. Sometimes experienced players forget what it’s like to be new to the game, so if you don’t ask, they might not realize you need help. If something isn’t making sense, don’t be afraid to speak up.

  • Terminal City Tabletop Con 2014

    Terminal City Tabletop Con 2014

    Terminal City Tabletop Convention happened this past weekend in Burnaby. This was the first year for TCTC. It’s size made it a more friendly affair. Con volunteers and guests were incredibly friendly, and you could tell from the atmosphere that everyone there was passionate about tabletop. You didn’t feel like you were mobbed in the crowd, and other gamers were happy to have you jump into their games.

    As we were checking out the second one, someone came over and asked if we’d like to play Shadows Over Camelot. Since neither of us had played, we decided to jump in! We had a full group playing, attempting to fight evil and fill the round table with white swords.

    Learning Shadows Over Camelot.

    There was a traitor among us, who’s goal was to fill the table with black swords or overcome Camelot with siege engines. I was a little nervous since I drew the traitor card, but in the end I managed to win. I’ve heard this game is a tough one for the ‘good’ side to win, so I’m eager to play again.

    After that we asked if we could join a game of Smash Up. Science fiction villains team up to take down bases and earn victory points – how could that not be fun? I got to be dinosaur wizards, which felt rather epic.

    Destroying bases in Smash Up!

    TCTC also featured a Proto-Alley, where local game designers could demo and play-test their new creations. Our friends from Giant Monster Games and Parallax Games were there. Though we didn’t have the opportunity to play any of the games in Proto-Alley, we did have the chance to connect with some local developers. Hopefully we’ll have some new game reviews for you soon!

    Terminal City also featured a large board game library, where convention goers could borrow whatever game they liked for free. We took out Fleet Admiral and gave it a whirl.

    Overall I definitely recommend Terminal City Tabletop Convention, and am looking forward to next year!

  • What is Dungeons & Dragons?

    What is Dungeons & Dragons?

    You’ve heard about Dungeons & Dragons — maybe you have some preconceived notions of the game and the players — but have you ever wondered what exactly it is?

    What is Dungeons & Dragons?

    Dungeons & Dragons is a game created in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc (TSR). Considered the beginning of modern day role playing games, D&D was based off of contemporary war games that used dice to determine success and failure. Dungeons & Dragons is often used as the catchall term for tabletop role playing, particularly by those who have never played. From this point on when I say tabletop RPG, I’m referring to the genre of game that Dungeons & Dragons falls into. When I mention Dungeons & Dragons, I’m talking about the game created by TSR.

    So then, what’s a tabletop RPG?

    At it’s simplest, a tabletop roleplaying game (tabletop RPG for short) is a collaborative storytelling game.

    The game master (GM) acts as the narrator, setting the scene that the player characters (PCs) get to play in and giving them opportunities for adventure. Together, the GM and PCs weave a story while giving the character the chance to grow, shaping the outcomes of the game.

    When the GM and PCs make actions where they don’t know the outcome, they roll dice. Based on that roll, formalized rules tell them whether their action was a success or a failure (though many GMs use these rules only as a flexible guide, not something that is set in stone, in order to make the game more fun).

    Players need to interact and work together in order to succeed. Those who don’t will often find themselves bored and with little to do, or they will find their PC being very easily killed off by the GM. A good GM will try to get everyone involved in the game, and strives to foster interactions between players.

    As the game progresses, characters will gain experience points (XP) for things they accomplish. Once they have earned enough XP, characters will then level up. Leveling up means that characters become more proficient at the skill they know, and they get the chance to learn more skills.

    Is it only fantasy games?

    Most people imagine something from Lord of the Rings when they think of tabletop RPGs (D&D is a pop culture staple, after all). Though Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder RPG do use fantasy, there are a multitude of games from different genres to choose from!

    Maybe something akin to True Blood appeals to you: try Vampire: The Masquerade. Or maybe you want a riproarin’ space battle: there are Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly, and other space based games. If a modern day caper is more your speed, try the Leverage RPG.

    Looking for group

    Whatever you enjoy, tabletop RPGs are easy to get in to. The trick is to find someone who knows the game and can help walk you through.

    A good place to start are game conventions, like Terminal City Tabletop Con or VCON, both local cons to Metro Vancouver. Game Moderators at cons are more than happy to welcome new players into the fold. I regularly run an “Intro to Dungeons & Dragons 5e” session at these cons, to help get new players into the game.

    Websites like the Vancouver Gaming Guild and  Meetup.com are great places to connect with other players. A quick search of Meetup.com shows 10 groups close to where I live.

    Many friendly local game stores often run tabletop RPG nights. Even if the group is in the middle of a campaign and not able to accommodate new players, they are usually more than happy to have an audience. And this is a great way to get a feel for the game.

    If you start asking polite questions, I’m sure someone can help you find a group in your area to join.

    Unfortunately, not all gamers are friendly. As a woman in tabletop gaming, I’ve definitely experienced my fair share of sexism. It exists. It’s incredibly uncomfortable. And sometimes male gamers will deny it happens. If you’re a woman looking to get into tabletop, be aware of your personal safety. It’s okay to leave a group if you’re uncomfortable. Listen to your gut. You don’t have to put up with garbage attitude from other players or the GM. There are groups out there that are welcoming.

Character Sheet

Hi! I’m Andrea (she/her). Welcome to my little corner of the internet.

Conduit for nonsense and delight. Storyteller, RPGer, board gamer, bibliophile, writer, tea drinker, introvert, hybrid Jeep owner, living with cancer. Pan and Ace. 🖤🤍💜 Boss lady at Adventure Dice and (on leave) Terminal City Tabletop Convention.

Here you’ll find some of my fiction, slice of life stuff, TTRPG and community building insights, and life with stage 4 cancer.

ways to support me

All the writing you find here you’re welcome to read free of charge! I just want to get my words out in the wild. But, if you enjoyed my work and you’d like to buy me a cuppa tea… here’s a few ways you can support me.