In this post-pandemic era of virtual tabletops, a large number of gamers around the globe get their regular RPG fix via apps like Roll20, Foundry VTT, and Fantasy Grounds. For many others, organized conventions offer the rare opportunity to play their favorite games face-to-face.
I’m one of those lucky gamers who actually has a
semi-regular, in-person game group, however whenever the opportunity arises for
me to attend a convention, I leap at it because cons offer a truly unique gaming
experience.
As I write this (in early May), KublaCon, my favorite west coast
convention, is just a couple weeks away. This year, I have two games on the
schedule including a published adventure (John Goff’s Final Rest Stop (the
first release in the new Savage Saturday Cinema line) and an original adventure
I wrote for Pinebox Middle School that I will be running as part of our SavageSaturday Night event.
Whenever I run games at conventions, I always bring plenty of “toys” to the table. Themed components, custom character sheets, maps, minis/tokens, etc. Whether people are paying to participate in individual sessions via a ticket system or the events are included in their overall registration fee, they are investing their hard-earned money in the hope of being entertained for a few hours, and I always feel compelled to deliver that experience.
As a designer who frequently runs sessions of his own games,
I’m also there to function as a salesperson and company representative, so it
behooves me to take an extra step or two in my presentations.
For this year’s Savage Saturday Night (a multi-table event
celebrating all things Savage Worlds), I am running an original adventure for
my latest game, Pinebox Middle School titled "The Locked Door." Thus far, I have playtested
this game with two groups (my regular local game group and a group at DunDraCon
back in February). The promotional blurb posted to Tabletop Events reads:
“A locked door alone can be mysterious. It is even more mysterious when one appears in the home of one of the students of Pinebox Middle School! What dark secrets lie beyond this padlocked portal and are the heroes brave enough to find out?”
This time around I decided to go all out, working with my
extremely talented friend, David Okum (Okumarts Games) to create a set of
custom, full-color cardstock miniatures featuring all the enemies the heroes
will encounter. Along with these (and they are absolutely amazing), I have the
official, die-cut character pawns for all the heroes, full-color maps and map
tiles (some with 3D elements), several handouts, those Gear Cards I discussed
here a couple weeks ago, and customized table tent character sheets (with art
from the core game) for all my players.
For a few other necessary accessories, I’ll be using those
EERIE playing cards I blogged about back in April for my Action Deck/s, special
branded Bennies provided by the convention, a jumbo-size set of dice (I find these
really help for con games), and all the usual items needed to best run adventures
for Savage Worlds.
Lastly, I made some tabletop signs (5” x 7”) promoting the
games at each of our six tables and I’ll have a box of “I Survived Savage
Saturday Night at KublaCon 2024” buttons for all participants!
Rest assured, I will be posting an after-action convention report (or three) in a few weeks, so watch this space for photos and much more!
"Kuuuuuubla!!!"
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