• Gottacon 2014

    Gottacon 2014

    This past weekend we headed to Victoria to attend Gottacon, a yearly convention dedicated to bringing together gaming geeks of all sorts. First held in 2009, Gottacon 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.

    This was our first year attending Gottacon, and our experience was definitely great!

    With over 350 events scheduled, you can imagine that this convention was jam packed. We’ll be reviewing all the games we played over the coming weeks, but here’s a brief recap of the weekend.

    Friday

    Playing Space Fluxx on the ferry to Gottacon.

    Attendees had the option to pre-register for games before the convention using a site called Warhorn, though it wasn’t required. I tried to signup following their instructions, but I never received an all-clear email from the con staff. That wasn’t a big deal though, because most of the board game events we were able to join in without pre-registering.

    We went right to the board gaming once the doors opened at 5pm. Blair was very eager to play Kingdom Builder because of the Kickstarter project that he’s currently been eying up. In Kingdom Builder, players create their own kingdoms by building settlements, aiming to earn the most gold by the end of the game. Overall we both enjoyed the game, so much so that Blair backed the big box Kickstarter.

    Learning Kingdom Builder.

    I really wanted to see the Standard Action Live Action D&D, since it sounded so hilarious. A group of five RPGers played the Pathfinder module We Be Goblins 2. As someone still learning how to play table top RPGs, the tips they offered to new players were really reassuring: 1- Roll first, the group will help you with the numbers; 2- Don’t split the group. The game was lighthearted and the players had the audience splitting a gut with laughter. Watching a table top RPG play out was definitely interesting and showed me a different dynamic than what I’m used to in our groups.

    Saturday

    Our Saturday start was a bit late because we were both tired. As we waited for the next round of games to start, we borrowed Chez Geek from the board game library and played with B’s cousin and her significant other.

    Blair has been really wanting to play Dominion, so the four of us went to learn. There were so many others wanting to learn that this game, that two games had to start. Dominion is a deck-building game where players buy more cards to build their way to the most victory points. This game was a bit of a slow start for us, and I left feeling so-so towards it. I think another round of this game is in order before I make a final decision.

    We checked out the silent auction, which included a lot of great deals for a variety of gaming products. I was hoping to snag a like-new copy of the Pathfinder Core Rule book, while B was hoping for like-new copies of Avalon and Coup. Unfortunately neither of us won!

    Learning Small World.

    Next we joined a round of Small World. Blair had played this before, but I hadn’t. I’d seen it played on Table Top, so was definitely wanting to play this (plus being a Disney theme parks fan, how could I not want to play?! Commence singing of “it’s a small world after all” in my head.). In Small World, your goal is to rule the world. You choose fantasy races that take over plots of land. This game runs really quickly, and it’s a lot of fun! Each race is matched with a random special bonus quality, which means each time you play the game will be different.

    We’d met Adrian Walker, game designer from Giant Monster Games, earlier in the convention. He’d described their new game, Kingdom Bots, and the strategy player in Blair was intrigued. We made sure to catch this demo of the game,

    Testing out Kingdom Bots.

    where players play robot factions who try to build new civilizations while obliterating their enemy. All in all this game was great fun with some exciting new ideas alongside a well balanced implementation of old! Make sure you check out their Kickstarter and support this great game.

    Next up was a game called Goblins. Admittedly, we were expecting a different game of Goblins; apparently Goblins is a popular name for a board game. This version is a dungeon crawler card game, still in the beta phase. (Unfortunately I can’t seem to find any information about this game on the web).

    Since a copy of Amerigo is included in one of the pledge levels for the Kingdom Builder Kickstarter that Blair is eyeing up, he was keen to play this. In Amerigo, players explore “South America”, creating trade routes and building settlements. The neat thing about this game was the cube tower it came with.

    Sunday

    Sunday morning we caught the Making Kickass RPG Adventures panel, comprised of veteran GMs Steve Saunders, Douglas Lloyd, Alex Flagg, Chris Tulach, and Jonathan Tweet. These guys offered great tips not only on creating great worlds for players, but also advice on running games and keeping players interested. I think one of the biggest take away for me is that as a GM, you’re a player too and need to have fun as well!

    Unfortunately because we had the catch the ferry home, we weren’t able to sit in on anymore scheduled games. We did play a round of Revolution! with B’s cousin. In this game you’re trying to have the most influence in a town facing revolution. Using blackmail, force, or money, you try to spread your influence to earn victory points.

    Of all the games we played this weekend, I would say that Small World and Revolution! were my favourites. Blair’s favourite new experiences were Kingdom Bots and Amerigo. Revolution! and Small World were two of his favourites for replayed games.

    Final say

    We both had a blast at the convention. I was definitely impressed by the coordination of everything and the fact that there were no lulls in programming. The attendees at the con were really friendly and welcoming, as we made some great connections with other gamers. Ticket costs were affordable compared to other cons I’ve been to. The Empress Hotel even provided a great food court (though I’m bummed I didn’t get to try the butter chicken poutine!) which was a nice added bonus, since often con food can be pretty awful.

    This con is not to be missed, particularly if you’re a gamer of any kind. I would also recommend this con for convention first-timers.

  • At first you’re going to suck

    This morning I pulled out an older manuscript of mine, determined to give it a thorough editing. It was one of those pieces that I’d written and, when finished, thought “gee, this turned out better than I thought.” It was one of those pieces that had got me to thinking that maybe I could take a crack at the whole “getting published” idea.

    As I read through the chapters my optimism rapidly dissolved. “How in the world did I think this was good?” The writing was hokey. I immediately poked a tonne of holes into the story and the characters. I’d started so many different subplots, which thread was meant to be the main plot? I hadn’t even finished the story itself.

    Reflecting back on it, perhaps at the time it was a good piece for me. It surprised me that something only three years old could be so awful. Because I write every day, I don’t see the improvement I’m making – the same way a parent doesn’t notice how their kids grow until they see an old photograph. Three years is a long time to improve my skill, even if only enough to see where I went wrong with the manuscript.

    One of the best writing tips I think I’ve ever received is, “at first, you are going to suck.” And it’s true. Nobody is perfect on the first attempt; or maybe the second, sixth, or one hundredth. But every attempt you make, you will get a little better.

    Despite knowing that, it still socks it to my self-esteem. Will I ever improve to the point where I have a finished manuscript that I’m satisfied with enough to submit to a publisher?

    I hope so.

  • Finding my voice

    Voice. In writing it means the author’s style that makes his or her writing unique, which conveys the author’s attitude, personality, and character.

    Voice in official sense is something that constantly changes over time for a writer. In the beginning they are trying to find that voice, mimicking the voice of those they admire, throwing in dashes of their own self when they dare. As they mature more of their own spice gets added into the pot, until their voice is a dish all it’s own.

    In my day job I’m told I have voice nailed down. “You’re really brought a refreshing and friendly voice to our organization Andrea – great job!” my boss’ words echo in my ears. It brings a smile to my face to hear that, feeling as though as a writer I’m having some success. After all, they wouldn’t trust me to completely re-write the organization’s website content if they didn’t have some modicum of faith in my abilities.

    With that bit of ego rub under my belt, it frustrates me that I seem to stop short with my own projects. I don’t believe it to be my voice in the above sense that suffers because, while I may not be one of those Type-A always confident people, I’m at least reassured of my own sense of identity.

    Yet why do the words dry up?

    When I’m writing for myself, the words always come easiest at the beginning. The words flow, ideas come, I fill paragraphs and pages with stories and thoughts. Things take a turn for the worse. Ideas continue to swirl in my mind, but they refuse to come out. I begin to force myself to go on writing. Annoyance turns to ambivalence. The project dies.

    I’m scared to count the number of pieces I’ve started and not finished.

    I have a difficult time finding the cause. My voice is there, fighting to break onto the page and declare itself. It knows what it wants to say, but struggles to make it’s way to end the piece with a resounding final period.

    It’s not as though I cannot finish a piece, otherwise I would never have graduated university and I wouldn’t be working. Yet even this blog post I’ve lost steam on. I’ve changed ideas, scratched out the entire section on voice, stopped, restarted, got lost on twitter, and come back to it. At one point I was sure it would rot in my drafts folder.

    Where did that capable work-Andrea go? The one who can bang out a press release in an hour. Who can write website copy about topics that are beyond my understanding. Who can tell a story on social media and drive traffic to our site. It’s gone and hidden and refused to come, refuses to express itself.

    Somewhere along the way, something is scaring my voice away.

    I like to think that I don’t care if anyone reads my writing, that I do it for my own pleasure. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. In the career path that I’ve taken, everyone’s an editor (even when they’re not), so I’ve learned to have thick skin when I need it.

    I do my own personal writing because it gives me an outlet. It lets my imagination go to places that I’ve dreamt about since I was a kid. It lets me contribute my own thoughts on one of my favourite subjects. It allows me to create. I write for myself. If some pour soul stumbles on my works and enjoys it – that’s just a bonus.

    But ah – now isn’t that the rub? When I write for work I always have a purpose, an audience that I”m aiming for. When I’m writing for my own whims, that’s the only purpose I have – I’m writing to please myself.

    Somehow I’m scaring myself away from completing anything. Aren’t we always our own toughest critics?

    I need to chase that feeling of writing without purpose away. Shoo it under the rug. Because even if I’m only writing for myself, I’m still writing with a reader in mind.

    I need to hear my own voice.

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