North Texas RPG Con

[Harley Stroh]

All right, y'all. If you're in north Texas, don your cowboy hats and throw some dice with us in Dallas/Fort Worth this weekend! I'm going to be running more play tests of the DCC RPG and play testing the first adventure I've written for the system.

I'll also be kicking back with the folks from Black Blade Publishing. Find us, and mention the code word "Chalychia," and I'll buy you a beverage.

//H

[goodmangames]

I would be there too except that my cousin is getting married this weekend! Next year I plan to make both GaryCon and NTRPG. Harley, you'll have to fill us all in on how it goes. I heard you've killed off a couple PCs already...

[Harley Stroh]

The con was an immense amount of fun. We had a full table at every game, and they were some of the nicest gamers I've had the chance to throw dice with.

NTRPG is very much "the little con that could," with special guests Paul Jaquays, Tim Kask, Rob Kuntz, Steve Winter and Dennis Sustare (for whom the chariot was named) all in attendance. Games were run from early in the morning to very, very late, with some open gaming available at every hour of the day. I saw multiple copies of products that I'd only heard of before (a copy of Gygax's Domesday Book??!!) and pretty much any TSR module you can name. For two days and one weekend, a single tactical drone could have taken out the entire OSR movement as we know it.

I ran players through a 0-level DCC RPG adventure. I can't claim Joseph's carnage, but it was satisfying (on the rat bastard level) to see the PCs killing themselves through eager attempts to help one another out of a jam. The games moved very quickly and we busted through more encounters than I would have thought possible. I think we had a 50% mortality rate in the first game, and slightly less on the second (keeping in mind these are 0-level PCs, with each player running 3 PCs to start). Critical hits and misses were an exciting part of the action, always turning the tide when you might least expect it.

A toast to Jim's dexterous use of thieves tools, when applied to the bulbous eyeball of a giant toad monster; the laying hen, bound to the sacrificial altar in order to activate the elevator; poor Drew who couldn't roll above a ten if his life depended on it (which it did); and the youngest of our players, Rachel, age 7, Half-Dwarvish. (Or as she put it, "I already told you, I'm a human with the senses of a dwarf!")

I had a chance to see Matt Finch, TacoJon and Grodog in action, signed a ton of DCCs (and dead PC character sheets), hung out with the folks from the Acaeum, and even had the chance to play an AD&D thief in the Castle of the Mad Archmage (my rogue hailed from Punjar, of course).

All in all it was another wonderful con to add to the calendar. The folks in North Texas do it right, and I'm eagerly looking forward to running many more games next year.

//H

[jason.richardson]

The con was an immense amount of fun. We had a full table at every game, and they were some of the nicest gamers I've had the chance to throw dice with.

NTRPG is very much "the little con that could," with special guests Paul Jaquays, Tim Kask, Rob Kuntz, Steve Winter and Dennis Sustare (for whom the chariot was named) all in attendance. Games were run from early in the morning to very, very late, with some open gaming available at every hour of the day. I saw multiple copies of products that I'd only heard of before (a copy of Gygax's Domesday Book??!!) and pretty much any TSR module you can name. For two days and one weekend, a single tactical drone could have taken out the entire OSR movement as we know it.

I ran players through a 0-level DCC RPG adventure. I can't claim Joseph's carnage, but it was satisfying (on the rat bastard level) to see the PCs killing themselves through eager attempts to help one another out of a jam. The games moved very quickly and we busted through more encounters than I would have thought possible. I think we had a 50% mortality rate in the first game, and slightly less on the second (keeping in mind these are 0-level PCs, with each player running 3 PCs to start). Critical hits and misses were an exciting part of the action, always turning the tide when you might least expect it.

A toast to Jim's dexterous use of thieves tools, when applied to the bulbous eyeball of a giant toad monster; the laying hen, bound to the sacrificial altar in order to activate the elevator; poor Drew who couldn't roll above a ten if his life depended on it (which it did); and the youngest of our players, Rachel, age 7, Half-Dwarvish. (Or as she put it, "I already told you, I'm a human with the senses of a dwarf!")

I had a chance to see Matt Finch, TacoJon and Grodog in action, signed a ton of DCCs (and dead PC character sheets), hung out with the folks from the Acaeum, and even had the chance to play an AD&D thief in the Castle of the Mad Archmage (my rogue hailed from Punjar, of course).

All in all it was another wonderful con to add to the calendar. The folks in North Texas do it right, and I'm eagerly looking forward to running many more games next year.

//H

I can't wait to play this game!

[economicheater]

That sounds like tons of fun. Gen Con wasn't quite my bag. Fun, but too big, too impersonal, too regimented and too expensive. Count me in for next year in Texas!

[Harley Stroh]

Re: ECCheater

Texas was seriously fun and very personal. You sort of inherited a gaming group, 100 strong, for the weekend. You didn't have to play with the same folks, but if you got along with someone there was always a game to jump in with them on. Everyone was incredibly friendly, and there wasn't any table drama. Folks were just happy to play some D&D and bust some heads. (Or have their heads busted as the case might be.)

The weekend flew by for me. I just wish I had gotten in earlier. (Next year!)

Re: J.R.

It's a hoot. I can't wait hear your thoughts on the game once Joseph opens it beta playtest. There are some *very* cool features that we don't get at in the 0-level games ...

//H