Once again, the good people at You Too Can Cthulhu! allowed me to sit in on a few of their events. An awesome time was had by all.

The first event I attended was a brand new campaign this year entitled, “A Time of Crisis.” It takes place in Revolutionary France, where the head of the Committee for Public Safety has collected a team of individuals to track down a formerly well-respected doctor and philosopher. The team travels to a picturesque village, chasing the now mad doctor to arrest him, but find unspeakable horrors instead.

Six players participated in the campaign, including an actual medical doctor and his bookish companion, a coquettish spy, a ladykilling (allegedly) actor, a former soldier, and a no-nonsense inspector. Everyone did a fabulous job, and I was entertained the entire time.

Listen to some of the audio from the event here*:

1.) Introduction
2.) Thomas
3.) Afflictions
4.) Thomas (Again)
5.) Inspector
6.) Mysterious Boils
7.) Identifying Gustav
8.) Back at the Inn
9.) Climax/Big Finish!
10.) Black Letter Winner

*You may need to turn your speakers up or down accordingly. Pictures to follow.

Stay tuned for audio and character interviews from Sunday’s “Black Letter Game.” Trust me, you don’t want to miss it.

Had a fun-filled day full of interviews, booth-scoping, talking with authors and artists, and participating in writing seminars. Listen to some of my thoughts after the jump!

1.) An introduction to Day One of Gen Con Indiana.

2.) My thoughts on the population of the convention.

3.) Interview with Atari games about their upcoming release Champions Online and soon to be announced Star Trek Online.

I’ve brought you full pre-convention coverage of new events, interviews with event holders and booth dwellers, and breaking news. Now it’s time to experience GenCon ’09! I’m currently traveling to Indianapolis, Indiana for five days (well, four and a half) of gaming goodness.

Throughout the weekend, I’ll be bringing you interviews, opinions, and reviews of games and those who play them. Stick around for the juicy scoop!

Tom of Peryton Publishing was kind enough to answer some questions about his Cthulhu roleplaying event, “SkitSkat.”

1.) Tell me about your event. How, why, and by whom was it started?

It’s the sequel to last year’s “Cthulhu at the Sands” where the Rat Pack battled to save humanity from the evil schemes of Liberace. No one wanted to play Jerry Lewis for some reason. Teamsters saved the day.

2.) What makes it different from other Cthulhu Mythos games?

I could be sued for using real persons as player-characters and NPC’s? I don’t really have an answer to this, except to say that I am trying to
stay apart of the CoC tradition of running interesting games in unique
settings. I try to be as well researched as most other CoC scenario
designers that I read, if prone to a little exaggeration here and there.

3.) How can other gamers join, and when/where does your event take place?

Too late. Already full. Even the after-game event in Dayton. The where and when? Sunday at GenCon, check the listings. And then a private spin-off game in Dayton for friends unable to make it the
convention.

4.) Any additional information you’d like to add, such as contact info or a website?

Tom K. Loney
Chief Flunky
Peryton Gamers
www.perytonpublishing.com

One of the more exciting events from last year, The Queen of Geeks Pageant, is returning to GenCon! I had the pleasure of interviewing Kennetha, the coordinator of this awesome event.

1.) Tell me a little about your event and its history. By whom was it started, and who can participate?

When I started the event a couple of years ago I wanted to create a pageant that I would be comfortable entering myself. I don’t sing, dance, or act, but I’m told I’ve got a lot of great qualities and a brain full of useless knowledge. I don’t think pageants should be about whom looks best in a bikini and can walk in high heels without tripping. So I gave my show a little meat. Challengers have to show their knowledge of all things Geek by answering trivia question.

For the talent portion it’s ok if contestants sing or dance, but we’re really looking for something original. Last year our winner was Deodorant Dame. For her talent she sang an original song entitled “Why Don’t You Just Bath.” I also personally think that anyone can look good if they are comfortable in their own skin. So contestants are encouraged to dress in costumes that reflect their personalities.

I originally tried running the event at Gen Con 2007, but there was a lot of confusion about what I was trying to do. The event is set-up in two parts one listing is for the audience. The other portion is for contenders. As a result the contestant portion never got listed and very few people signed up to be in the audience, so the event was canceled. Last year was really our first year running the event. I personally didn’t think it went well and was really nervous about ever running again. But I’ve received a lot of encouragement, and several contestants from last year plan on entering again this year.

I’ve never really limited who can enter, but since it is called the Queen of Geeks, I haven’t had any men show serious interest. Last year Tracy Hickman threatened to enter because he gets mistaken for a female writer.

2.) Where is the event held? Do attendees need tickets to participate?

The event this year will be in the Westin Grand Ballroom IV. I try to hold it in the same room as the Killer Breakfast and Costume contest. Which is why we hold the even on Friday rather then Saturday. Everyone needs a ticket. Although it is a free event for audience members GenCon likes to keep track of who attends. The more people we have tickets for the more likely they are to let us hold the event again next year. For contestants the ticket price is eight dollars. Last year we were sponsored by J!NX t-shirts. So all the contestants got a shirt just for entering. I’m hoping to have something similar this year.

3.) What are the criteria to be in the pageant?
Ideally I want real Geeks for this pageant. That means no swimsuit portion, canned answers, or Vaseline on contender’s teeth. Aside from that all entrees need is two costumes and a talent.

4.) Any memorable stories from past contests?

Last year I made my husband one of the judges. I think he had too much fun. Before the event even started he had contestants running through the hotel looking for diabetically friendly snacks. We had some pretty interesting talents too. One contestant did a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy monologue with an accompanying PowerPoint presentation. We also had an entrée challenge one of the judges to a round of “Dance Dance Revolution.” One of my favorites though was from a contender who didn’t know about the events requirements and decided to stay regardless. She had to send her husband out for a costume and did a Fan Kata as her talent.

5.) Anything else you’d like to say, and is there a contact number or email that interested people can reach you at?

Keep it simple. Last year one of the challengers wanted to use an open flame. The look on the event staffs faces’ when I mentioned it was priceless.

I had the pleasure of a quick interview with Tom of Fat Dragon Games. They will be hosting a booth at Gen Con this year.

1.) Tell me about Fat Dragon Games.

Fat Dragon Games is well known for creating best-selling cardstock
terrain for RPGs and wargames. We have won the silver ENnie Award for Best Miniature Product two years in a row and are consistently a best seller at RPGNow. We will be expanding this year into RPG supplements and some new genres for terrain offerings.

2.) How did you decide to start this business? How long do pieces take to create?
The business was originally started as a ‘fun little side business’
and in four years has grown into my full time job.

3.) Can you tell me more about your RPG materials?
We have supplements coming later this year for 4E, Pathfinder and some old-school fantasy releases.

4.) What’s your booth at GenCon like?
We always have two full tables crammed full of built up model sets,
lots of display images showing other sets not on display, and lots of
goodies that are exclusive to the con.

5.) What is the image you’re using as the header on the site?

Our Fat Dragon Logo (but Cthulhulian!).

6.) Is there any additional information you’d like to give,
including contact information and website?

www.fatdragongames.com

Another icon, this time of late-night informercials, has fallen to June’s celebrity death rampage. Billy Mays, the very loud pitchman who attempted to sell useless products to America such as OxyClean, Zorbees, and that slider burger maker tray thing, has died at 50. Cause of death? Reported to be an aneurysm. Ouch.

One group that I know will be mourning Billy are the Kentucky Fried Gamers at GenCon. They had an event planned this year called “Mustache or Consequences: A Tribute to Billy Mays,” which involved lots of fake mustaches and plotting against ShamWoW weirdo Vince Schlomi. Perhaps now that tribute will mean a bit more to them.

Do you hear that shuffling? The low moans and dragging feet? It’s time again for GenCon’s Zombie Walk, one of the most popular and hilarious events at the convention.

Last year’s walk was a lot of fun. I chronicled my adventures and posted them to YouTube. There were lots of imaginative zombie costumes, including Zombie Elvis, the Head Crab from the Half-Life games, and a family of zombie activists. I was really impressed.

Robin was kind enough to answer some questions about the event. Enjoy:

1.) Tell me about the Zombie Walk. How, why, and by whom was it started?

The originator of the GenCon Zombie Walk was a friend of mine, Paul Cooper. He had been to other conventions that featured a zombie walk and had a dream that the GenCon Zombie Walk could be the biggest walk he attended.. Paul came to me with the idea in 2007, about three months before GenCon and asked if I would help make it happen. We started talking it up on the GenCon boards before the convention. Matt McMillan from Canada got on board and offered to help us promote the walk at the convention. He walked around a hot Indy in a complete zombie Hockey player outfit to promote out first walk!! We had about 60 people show up at our first “unofficial” walk in 2007 complete with our own Shaun and Ed. (from Shaun of the Dead)

We registered as an official event in 2008 and Shaun and Ed again lead the group in their shambling. Surprisingly we had almost 200 zombies!! Due to a job loss Paul wasn’t able to attend but thankfully Matt was back this time as Undead Elvis (his girlfriend was also along for the ride as an undead 50′s chick) and the Peryton Gamers stepped up to help the newly formed Z.I.T. (Zombie Institute of Technology) wrangle the zombies last year. This year members of the GenCon Un are join us in the zombie Wangling.

2.) What about Twilight Creations?

TC is Todd and Kerry Breitenstein. The company is probably best know for their game Zombies! So you can see why we went to them when we were looking for someone to help promote and sponsor the game! They have graciously sponsored us all three years of our existence by giving us booth space to promote the Walk as well as providing awesome prizes for the costume contest.

3.) How can other gamers join, and when/where does your event take place?

Sign up for GenCon and get a ticket. The event is free and is open to everyone, though we encourage everyone to sign up for the con! The walk proper begins at 9pm but the pre walk festivities begin around 8:30. The zombies begin to mingle and try not to eat anyone *G*, we have mobile makeup people to help those last minute walkers who want to fit in and thanks to our generous sponsors we have a costume contest where the best dressed zombies get cool prizes!

4.) Can you tell me a little about the header image on the site?
http://perytonpublishing.com/zombie/index.htm The monsters in the drawing were on our promo poster for last year… I will see if I can obtain a copy of this years…

5.) Any additional information you’d like to add, such as contact info or a website?
If anyone is interested in help out or just joining us in the walk they can contact me at noirnevara@yahoo.com, through the GenCon boards where my handle is noirnevara

I had the pleasure of interviewing Margaret Lion, founder and leader of the Different Drum Belly Dance Troupe, who will once again be performing at GenCon this year!

In addition to performing, these lovely and talented ladies will be hosting classes for beginning belly dancers, as well as incorporating the art into LARPing.

1.) What is your role in the group? I am the director and founder of the troupe Different Drummer Belly Dancers. Web site: www.ddbd.org. My primary reason for creating the troupe was so that I could dance to rock’n'roll with like-minded dancers.

2.) What’s your schedule like at GenCon this year?
This year will mark the 6th year we have performed at Gen Con!! Our big performance is before the Costume Contest of Saturday. (This happens usually at 3:45 pm or 15 minutes before the Contest begins.)
We also do roving performances on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.

I will be teaching classes on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. There will be two classes on Thursday and Friday which will be beginner/introduction classes. One is listed under SPA activities and one is listed under LARP (as I love to LARP and often incorporate my dancing in to my LARPing).

On Sunday there will be an advanced class that any one who has had any belly dance, including people to took a class with me during the week, can attend. There I will teach a simple choreograhy and everyone has a good time!! In fact, everyone always has a good time because belly dance is fun!!

We also have a booth in the Exhibit Hall and are usually found next to the entertainers – big names included. Come on down to our booth too as it will be active for the entire event.

3.) Are there videos available of your performances?
We have a YouTube channel and we are always interested in watching our performances.

4.) What about the other members?
Also, don’t let Melissa fool you! She is a woman of many talents and she belly dances!! She is a member of my student troupe, Calypso’s Pearls. Check out her bio here: http://www.ddbd.org/pearls/bios/melissa.html.

]]> http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/22/gencon-09-different-drummer-belly-dance-troupe/feed/ 0 http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/19/gencon-uncle-ds-airbrushing/ http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/19/gencon-uncle-ds-airbrushing/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:35:39 +0000 Anna Daugherty http://www.villaintech.com/?p=2261

Uncle D. is a fantastic airbrushing artist who will be showcasing his work at GenCon, as well as helping to promote the Zombie Walk with his posters for the second year in a row!

I had the chance to exchange some interview questions with Uncle D., also known as Dale, about his artwork, his business, and his involvement with the convention. Stay tuned for coverage on Zombie Walk ’09!

1.) Can you tell me more about your bike? How long did it take to finish?

It’s a 2005 ultima, fat bastard with 100 cubic inch engine. Fabrication was done by Cycleboyz of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada which is all welding on frame. Fenders and tank. it took me 3 years to complete but total time 2 months to paint. It has a Revelations theme because I have painted many bikes with that theme and always had the bad guys winning so I decided to do a proper interpetation.

I researched Revelations from the Bible, picked my passages I wanted to illustrate, and drew up all the designs fitting it to the diferent locations on the bike then painted. Every symbol, design on armour or clothing all has meaning.

2.) I see that it’s a family affair at your house. Can you tell me more about how your family gets involved with your work?

My wife runs the business end of it but all my 3 kids are talented artists in other areas including, dance, music and film. Everybody poses for pics when dad needs them for references for my bike.

3.) What about this book that you were featured in? What is it about and where can interested people find it?

The book is Extreme Motorcycle Art by Merrel Publishers, and they pick the top 50 artists in the motorcycle biz (according to them). We were #1, which featured an orange chopper made by Cycleboyz and owned by my friend Rod Synder, painted by me, of course. It had monsters all over it and candied over in orange. The book can be found at Airbrush Action, Amazon, and most book store outlets.

4.) Where can people go to view your artwork at GenCon?

Me and my bike will be at the GenCon artshow along with prints and t-shirts of my art, all based around the bike theme and the Zombie Walk poster. Thanks for the interest.

You can view more of Dale’s work at Uncle D’s Airbrushing.

]]> http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/19/gencon-uncle-ds-airbrushing/feed/ 0 http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/19/gencon-drachenfest-update-with-venue/ http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/19/gencon-drachenfest-update-with-venue/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:17:42 +0000 Anna Daugherty http://www.villaintech.com/?p=2257

Following the jump, you’ll find all the information you need to head out and enjoy DrachenFest, GenCon’s only music festival!

Nik Roberts sent me these finalized details, as well as a schedule of the bands. It looks like a rocking good time. And, of course, Villaintech gets first dibs!

Final Venue, Maximum People and Time:
Union Station, Edison South at 6PM with 180 max people, closed to Gen Con Badge Holders only, tickets are free and can be purchased on the Gen Con RUBI website.

Schedule of Bands:

5:30PM – Open Doors
6:00PM – Specific Ocean Starts
6:30PM – Break-down/Set-up
6:45PM – Reloaded Starts
7:15PM – Break-down/Set-up
7:30PM – Chasing Canadia Starts
8:00PM – Break-down/Set-up
8:15PM – Highway Magic Starts
9:00PM – Break-down/Set-up
9:15PM – The Are You Ready’s Start
10:00PM – Break-down/Set-up
10:15PM – start67 Starts
11:00PM – Breakdown

Final Sponsors:
The Ram
GameWorks
Northstar Games
Downtown Comics

Final Giveaways:
$25 Downtown Comics Gift Certificate
10x 2hour GameWorks Cards ($200 in value)
Northstar Games Bundle which includes – Cluzzle, Say Anything, Wits and Wagers, and the ALL NEW Wits & Wagers Expansion Pack 1 which will be released to the public in Gen Con Indy
*more giveaways may become available

Official Website

Final Event ID:
ENT0906260

]]> http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/19/gencon-drachenfest-update-with-venue/feed/ 0 http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/16/gencon-09-north-star-games/ http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/16/gencon-09-north-star-games/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:17:07 +0000 Anna Daugherty http://www.villaintech.com/?p=2221

The nice people over at North Star Games are once again hosting their self-proclaimed #1 Party Booth at GenCon!

Stop by their booth to demo a quick 15 minute party game with 5 – 8 others. For just playing the game and having a good time, you’ll get free Funny Money. No word yet on what the actual value of the FM is, but it sure looks cute. Play well and win the game in order to spin the PRIZE-O-MATIC 5000!

They’ve kindly offered to send me two of their games, “Wits and Wagers” and “Say Anything” to demo and review before the convention. The games are described thusly:

Wits & Wagers is available at Target and Borders, as well as almost everywhere online that sells games, and your friendly local game store (FLGS).

It is a trivia game for people that does not know trivia. There are seven questions in a game, and it takes about 20-25 minutes to play. Basically, everyone writes down an answer to the same question, and then all the players bet on the answer they think is correct.

Wits & Wagers fixes a lot of the problems in other trivia games like Trivial Pursuit. No one is put on the spot or feels dumb, it plays quickly, and there is no waiting for your turn, since everyone plays at the same time. That is why it has won 21 awards, more than any party game in history.

Say Anything is a pure party game that will have people laughing in no time. The player whose turn it is (the judge) asks a question from a card, everyone else writes down an answer, the judge secretly chooses what answer they like best, and then the other players bet on what they think the judge just picked.

Very simple and fun. Again, about 30 minutes to play. It just came out last summer and already it is selling better than Wits & Wagers did in its first year. Say Anything is available at Barnes & Nobles and soon Borders.

I love board games, so I look forward to giving these two a go.

]]> http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/16/gencon-09-north-star-games/feed/ 3 http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/16/gencon-drachenfest-update/ http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/16/gencon-drachenfest-update/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:01:44 +0000 Anna Daugherty http://www.villaintech.com/?p=2214

A quick update on the new music festival at GenCon. Two new bands have been added to the line-up. You can check them out at their MySpace pages: Reloaded and Specific Oceans. As more updates arrived we’ll be sure to keep you posted!

]]> http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/16/gencon-drachenfest-update/feed/ 0 http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/15/gencon-09-drachenfest-breaking-event-news/ http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/15/gencon-09-drachenfest-breaking-event-news/#comments Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:55:02 +0000 Anna Daugherty http://www.villaintech.com/?p=2202

Villaintech.com got a heads up on an awesome new entertainment event taking place at GenCon this year called DrachenFest, and we’re here to bring you all of the juicy details!

DrachenFest will launch on Friday, August 14th, after the Exhibit Room closes for the day. It will be a power pop and rock music festival that will be open to everyone with a GenCon pass, as well as members of the public, though GenCon attendees get first dibs!

I spoke with Nik Roberts, the ambitious young man who has collaborated with bands and area sponsors to put on this exciting event. They’re currently seeking volunteers if anyone is interested in helping.

Here is what he had to say:

1.) What is DrachenFest? Where will it be held?

DrachenFest is a ENT (entertainment) event at Gen-Con that will hold 4 bands. Right now we do not have a “official” house for it but when we do we will post it on the Gen-Con forums and we will notify VillainTech. It will be Friday, August 14 and will start at 7PM EST. (Nik also informed me that they have a venue in mind, so we will be sure to bring you that information once it is finalized.)

2.) Which bands will be performing, and what genre/style are they? Do you have MySpace or website links to any of the bands?

The bands we currently have booked are Highway Magic , Chasing Canadia, and our headliner star67. We are currently setting a deal with a forth and possibly fifth band. The bands we are booking are in the pop-punk/rock genre of music.

3.) How can Gen Con attendees participate? Do they need tickets? How many can attend?

While this event is a official Gen-Con ENT event, we will have it open to the public and allow non badge holders to come and participate. Our cut off limit will be 555 people and sadly only Gen-Con badge holders will be able to participate in the giveaways.

At the moment our sponsors are The Ram, Downtown Comics, Northstar Games, NikRoberts Media, and GameWorks. We hopefully will have giveaways from each one of our sponsors. At the moment we do know we will be giving away GameWorks cards, And a Northstar Games board-game pack, This includes all publications by Northstar Games including Wits and Wagers and the new Wits and Wagers expansion pack.

4.) What gave you the idea to host this event?

I have always been interested in the local independent bands of Indiana and showed great support to them. As a local and a teenager, music has made a huge impact in my life and (I hope) many others. Music is a wonderful thing and I feel the local bands need to get known to the world. They’re great people and have great music and a great future ahead of them. I spoke with Robbie, the guitarist with star67 and he said “I don’t do this for the money, music is something I enjoy and always wanted to do. It seems we are getting a tad bit popular everyday and hopefully someday we all can do this for a living.”

5.) Any additional information you’d like to share, or a place where other media or gamers can contact you?

We are currently looking for volunteers for this event, if anyone is interested PLEASE contact me and we will set you up. We will take care of our volunteers.

We will be also be doing a “Promotion Day” Downtown Indianapolis Wednesday, August 12. Promo Day is when the bands play acoustic sets all around downtown to promote themselves, get the word about the concert out, and sell there merchandise. At the moment we will have a band at the circle, The Ram, Memorial Park, and the Indianapolis Convention Center.

If anyone would like to contact me don’t hesitate to call or email me. My email is nroberts@nikrobertsmedia.com and my direct line is 317-294-7618

]]> http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/15/gencon-09-drachenfest-breaking-event-news/feed/ 0 http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/10/gencon-09-classes-by-dancethroughtherecessioncom/ http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/10/gencon-09-classes-by-dancethroughtherecessioncom/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:25:19 +0000 Anna Daugherty http://www.villaintech.com/?p=2148

I am excited to announce that I will be attending GenCon again this year to represent Villaintech.com! In order to hype up the events, I will be showcasing interviews with exhibitors, event hosts, and assorted GenCon attendees, beginning with an interview with Alex from Dancing Through The Recession.

1.) Tell me about your group. Does it have an official name? How, why, and by whom was it started?

Alex: We’re running several dance workshops this year because we both want to share our love of dance. In 2007, when the second Gen Con dance, the Black and White Ball, was announced a lot of people on the message boards were lamenting the fact they didn’t know how to dance. I ran the first Learn to Dance! workshop as a crash course in social dancing so those people could go to the dance and enjoy themselves. Terri Ann and I met earlier in the con at a belly dance workshop and I persuaded her to give mine a try. We’ve collaborated on several projects since then.

2.) Are you and your girlfriend professional dancers or instructors?

Terri Ann: I am neither a professional dancer, nor an instructor of dance…though I am an instructional designer in higher education. I have studied dance for nearly two years.

Alex: I taught professionally for several years, though last November I applied to have my amateur status reinstated for competitions. I still run a business for social dance instruction and performance.

3.) How can other gamers join, and when/where does your event take place?

Alex: We’re running four workshops throughout Gen Con: Swing Dancing (SPA0900163) is in the Westin Grand Ballroom I on Thursday, 8/13, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.Latin Dancing (SPA0900167) is also in the Westin Grand Ballroom I on Friday, 8/14 from 10:00 AM to Noon. Dancing For Larpers (WKS0900146) is in the Marriott Indiana Ballroom E on Friday , 8/14 from Noon to 2:00 PM. And Learn to Dance (SPA0900159) is also in the Marriott Indiana Ballroom E on Saturday, 8/15, from 10:00 AM to Noon.

You can join by pre-registering or showing up with a generic ticket. No special shoes or clothes are required, and in my experience very few people show up with partners. Even if the event sells out (Swing is already sold out and Latin is close) show up anyway and we’ll see if we can fit you in.

4.) Is there story behind the header on the Villaintech site?

Terri Ann: I think this is a good pic of us.

Alex: We took that at Balticon last month, at their Steampunk dance.

5.) Any additional information you’d like to add, such as contact info or a website?

Alex: If you’ve never danced before this is a perfect way to try it out. Each of these classes will be taught from an absolute beginner perspective and will move at a beginner’s pace. Our main goal isn’t just to teach people to dance, but to make sure everyone has fun doing it! If you have any questions, please e-mail me at alex.w.jacobs@gmail.com or check out my blog www.DancingThroughTheRecession.com

]]> http://www.villaintech.com/2009/06/10/gencon-09-classes-by-dancethroughtherecessioncom/feed/ 1 http://www.villaintech.com/2008/09/03/zombie-walk-08-part-two-of-two/ http://www.villaintech.com/2008/09/03/zombie-walk-08-part-two-of-two/#comments Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:41:41 +0000 Anna Daugherty http://www.villaintech.com/?p=694

Welcome to the exciting conclusion of Zombie Walk ’08. Right this way…

(^Doesn’t he know you can’t save a zombie’s soul?)

Hopefully you enjoyed my coverage of GenCon. It was such a blast, I can’t even begin to say how much fun I’ve had! If you appreciated the zombie posts, stay on the lookout for my in-depth review of “Last Night on Earth,” perhaps the greatest zombie board game ever made.

]]> http://www.villaintech.com/2008/09/03/zombie-walk-08-part-two-of-two/feed/ 1 http://www.villaintech.com/2008/08/26/zombie-walk-08-part-one-of-two/ http://www.villaintech.com/2008/08/26/zombie-walk-08-part-one-of-two/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:43:45 +0000 Anna Daugherty http://www.villaintech.com/?p=651

Hey there Villaintechians…Villaintechnicians? I’m slowly getting all of my video uploaded from GenCon, and thought I would take you on a little walk with some zombies…

And, a little treat for those of you with a strong stomach…

Stay Tuned for the exciting conclusion to Zombie Walk ’08!

]]> http://www.villaintech.com/2008/08/26/zombie-walk-08-part-one-of-two/feed/ 2 http://www.villaintech.com/2008/08/20/you-too-can-cthulhu/ http://www.villaintech.com/2008/08/20/you-too-can-cthulhu/#comments Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:05:58 +0000 Anna Daugherty http://www.villaintech.com/?p=622

GenCon 2008 is finished, and I’m finally home. It was a fabulous time, and I have a few more posts to make with video of some of the events I attended. The following videos are from an RPG campaign from the group, “You Too Can Cthulhu!” based on the popular “Call of Cthulhu” Role-Playing Game.

These videos, sadly, are only a sampling of the nearly three hour session. I would have liked to film the entire thing, as these players were absolutely fabulous. Sadly I had to cut it short and skitter off to the Zombie Walk, which I will be adding later.

An introduction to the setting: A handful of people are left behind on the last day of a mental institution before it closes for good. Those left include a doctor, a nurse, the groundskeeper, and several patients (one with Jerusalem Syndrome, one who can see ghosts, and another who believes he is from the future!) The intrepid few are investigating mysterious deaths, and a grey dust that seems to have coated everything…

The GM was fair, but points to him for having written this campaign. Hopefully these videos at least give you a taste of how fun this was to watch!

Part One

Part Two

]]> http://www.villaintech.com/2008/08/20/you-too-can-cthulhu/feed/ 1 http://www.villaintech.com/2008/08/14/gencon-2008-day-one-teaser/ http://www.villaintech.com/2008/08/14/gencon-2008-day-one-teaser/#comments Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:18:02 +0000 Anna Daugherty http://www.villaintech.com/?p=610

This is VillainTech’s first year at GenCon and our very own Anna will be covering it via any means necessary. We hope to bring you the latest and greatest happenings of board games or any other games around. Video after the break.

Please excuse the state of me in the video…waking up at three and driving for five hours can wreak havoc on a person’s appearance.

]]> http://www.villaintech.com/2008/08/14/gencon-2008-day-one-teaser/feed/ 3 http://www.villaintech.com/2008/08/08/the-road-to-gencon-2008/ http://www.villaintech.com/2008/08/08/the-road-to-gencon-2008/#comments Sat, 09 Aug 2008 04:26:00 +0000 Anna Daugherty http://www.villaintech.com/?p=574

From Thursday August 14th, through Sunday August 17th, I will be in Indianapolis, Indiana. Why, might you ask? Because I am going to be rocking GenCon in the name of Villaintech.com.

It’s a possibility that you have no idea what I’m talking about. I’ll let GenCon’s official site explain it:

Gen Con Indy is the original, longest running, best attended, gaming convention in the world. For nearly 40 years, Gen Con Indy has been setting the trend and breaking records. Last year, more than 26,000 unique attendees experienced Gen Con Indy. The biggest complaint we hear is that there is simply too much to do, see, and experience. Get lost in a phantasm of art exhibits. Stare at jaw-dropping costumes, or better yet, wear one of your own. Meet the movers and the shakers in the gaming industry. Check out the newest games and get a sneak peek at the latest editions.

So that’s really what it’s all about. It’s basically a Dungeons and Dragons fest…with Cthulhu worshippers, people in ridiculous costumes, and a pack of rabid zombies shuffling through the streets.

I’m going to try to attend as many events as I can. That may be difficult, as there are 5300 scheduled. In addition, I will be attempting to interview interesting people, getting full coverage of Zombie Walk ’08, and basically having an awesome time.

Be on the lookout for my video posts next week!

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