CAR-PGa NEWSLETTER
Vol. 26, No. 12
An international network of researchers
into all aspects of role-playing games
December 2017
David Millians, Editor
Paideia School, 1509 Ponce de Leon Avenue,
Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA
ARTICLES
Convention Report: Monsterama
2017
By Ted Skirvin
Monsterama is a small convention in the suburbs of Atlanta that is
focused on horror-genre movies and TV shows from the 1950's and 60's. It took
place the first weekend in October, and there were about 200 attendees. There were
three tracks of panels, a film viewing room with a 16mm projector rather than
using video technology, a dealer's room, and a gaming room. The gaming room had
lots of board and card games. The gaming director also had some computers set
up for folks to play such games. He said he did not have anyone to run RPGs,
and so had none planned. Considering the low number of folks that went to the
gaming room, it probably would not be worth it for him to try to set up any
RPGs. Overall, I found the con to be only mildly interesting. The demographic
makeup was about 90% white and 10% black with a male to female ratio of 60/40.
FROM THE EDITOR
As
we reach the turning of another year, I encourage everyone to contribute what
you can to the cause in 2018. A few people send in the majority of New
Material, John Boardman being the standout, but each of us in our daily lives
must run across references to games of various kinds. Jot down the reference
and send it along to share.
Just
today, a colleague and parent of a four and seven year old discussed casually
with me some approaches to getting them started with roleplaying games. Choices
- especially for the mathematically-curious, older kid - ranged from just
storytelling improvisation to something like Fuzzy Heroes or Mermaids to a
D&D Starter Set. Knowing your own child or a group of children allows
customization of a game and game style to their abilities, interests, and
needs. If you find yourself in a similar conversation, write out even a few
lines of it and make it available to the rest of us.
I’ve
started a new game group, RuneQuest Glorantha, so these days I’m thinking about
game choices and introductions, character creation, adventure design, social
dynamics, and more. Many of us are part- or full-time visual artists, writers,
editors, publishers, and more, and we’re all players and gamers of some sort. A
few of your thoughts about your current work and the changing nature of the
game industry will resonate with everyone else’s thinking and push us to
consider other aspects of the hobby from our own perspectives. I’d love for
this newsletter to be a forum for such exchanges.
We’ll
all benefit.
Have
a happy start to the new year!
David
NEW MATERIAL
FROM
DAVID MILLIANS
Breakfast
Clubber (2017 November 5) Teacher Uses Horror on the Orient Express to Teach
6th Graders. www.yog-sothoth.com/topic/31666-teacher-uses-horror-on-the-orient-express-to-teach-6th-graders. English and
History through Call of Cthulhu.
Dashiell,
Steven (2017 November 29) Rules Lawyering as Symbolic and Linguistic Capital. analoggamestudies.org/2017/11/rules-lawyering-as-symbolic-and-linguistic-capital. Rules Lawyers,
Capital, Gender, and Gaming.
Great
Big Story (2017 October 25) This Dungeons and Dragons campaign has been running
for 35 years. boingboing.net/2017/10/25/this-dungeons-and-dragons-camp.html. Bringing friends
together.
Kemp,
Sawyer (2017 November 29) Escape Rooms and the Seductive Ubiquity of Capture. analoggamestudies.org/2017/11/escape-rooms-and-the-seductive-ubiquity-of-capture. Challenge,
Constraint Society, and Micro-Societies.
Liu,
Charles (2017 November 22) Chinese Gamers Draw Ire For Dominating World’ Most
Popular Game. supchina.com/2017/11/22/chinese-gamers-draw-ire-for-dominating-worlds-most-popular-game. Players hacking
online games.
Whitehead,
Adam (2017 November 20) A Roleplayer’s Guide Roleplaying Games. thewertzone.blogspot.com/2017/11/a-roleplayers-guide-to-roleplaying-games.html. Overview and
advice for beginning players.
FROM
JOHN BOARDMAN
Hsu,
Tiffany (2017 October 26) Thinking Outside the Box Seats, To Coax You Out to
the Ballgame. The New York Times, B5. Building and rebuilding stadiums and
other major venues to appeal to modern consumers.
CALENDAR
New listings this
month were provided by Paul Cardwell. Others are urged to submit information.
If you attend a convention, be sure and check the conventions table and let us
have a copy of the fliers (or at very least the when, what, where, and contact
information) for upcoming conventions available there. CAR-PGa is
international, so this includes anywhere in the world.
Dates, precise
venue, contacts' URLs or phone numbers, and other information, where missing
from this list, would be particularly appreciated.
"[LARP]"
means only LARP events as many RPG cons include at least some LARP, as likewise
applies to the mention of specific game systems. The same bracketed information
applies as well to game systems when the con will have only those games
present.
In an attempt to
get more face-to-face meetings of the membership, we list who will be going to
what convention, if they will tell us. Get this type of information in at least
two months before the convention itself, so we can run it at least once.
Support your local cons by helping in the staff. It is a good way to promote
RPG and you generally get in free for the brief time spent helping.
A review of any
attended convention afterwards for the Newsletter would be appreciated too.
These reviews should include demographic data such as attendance, percentage
male/female, white/ethnic minorities (or what- ever is the
majority/white/others), games in addition to tabletop RPG, and more subjective
matters such as unusual events, quality of games and dealers' room, encouragement
of new gamers, and whatever seems worth reporting. We need to work to restore
CAR-PGa's reputation as the media's go-to on gamer demographics, especially
since the media are still citing a study that cut off all those over 35 - at a
time when that was the median age of gamers - it is closer to 40 now - which
indicates we also need to work on recruiting younger players, although some
increase in college age players at conventions has been noted.
Conventions are
currently being compiled by archivist Paul Cardwell, 1127 Cedar, Bonham, TX
75418 or plcardwell@gmail.com, so please send them there.
December 2017
1-3: Meeplecon,
Darebin Arts & Entertainment Centre, Ball St & St George Rd, Preston,
Vic; meeples.org.au
9-10: HobbyCon,
Badminton Hall, Likas Sports Complex, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia;
hobbycon.my
9-10: Oddmall
Chrishanukwanzmadan, Cultural Center for the Arts, Canton, OH;
chrishanukwanzmadan. oddmall.info [free Admission]
11-13: Geeknomicon,
Mississippi Coast Convention Center, 2350 Beach Blvd, Biloxi, MS; whynotgeek.com/geeknomicon
January 2017
5-7: Wizard World
Comic Con New Orleans, Morial Conference Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd,
New Orleans, LA: wizardworld.com
11-14: Midwinter
Gaming Convention, Hilton City Center, 509 W. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee,
WI; midwintergamingconvention.com
12-14: Siege of
Augusta, Augusta Doubletree, Augusta, GA; siegeofaugusta.org [mainly mini wargaming]
13-14: SwampCon
Frontier, Reitz Student Union, 686 Museum Rd, University of Florida, Gainesville,
FL; swampcon.com
17-21:
ConTingency, Sandy Balls Holiday Village, Godshill, Fordingbridge, The New
Forest; contingency.uk
26-28: GCOM
Winter Games Fest, Elks Lodge, 878 Stevenson Rd, Severn, MD; winterquest.Gamesclubofmd.org
26-28: Polar
Vortex, SRC Bldg, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL; polarvortex.games
27: Charlotte
Mini-Con, Grady Cole Center; 310 N Kings Dr, Charlotte, NC; upcomingcons.com/Charlotte [Mini-Con]
February 2018
8-11: Rapier,
Jacksonville Airport Doubletree, Jacksonville, FL; rapiercon.com [mostly board and miniature]
10: Spaghetti
ConJunction, Geek Retreat, 38 The Priory Queenswayk, Birmingham, W. Mids; ukroleplayers.com
16-18: London
Anime Con, London Metropolitan University, Rocket Complex, London; londonanimecons.com
17-18: Oddmall,
Expedition Elsewhere, Canton, OH; [Free Admission]
22-25: Hoop and
Stick Con, Ravenwood Castle, 65666 Bethel Rd, New Plymouth, OH; ravenwoodcastle.com/hoopandstick
23-25: Fire and
Ice Convention, Manitowoc County Expo Center, Mantiowoc, WI; fireandiceconvention.com
©
Copyright 2017 by the Committee for the Advancement of Role-Playing Games
(CAR-PGa), ISSN 1071 7129. The CAR-PGa Newsletter is a monthly publication. For
more information contact David Millians, Editor, Paideia School, 1509 Ponce de
Leon Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA, phone (404) 808-1070, fax (404)
377-3491, e-mail millians.david@paideiaschool.org. Back issues are
available. Contributions of material from the membership are urged, and the
byline is responsible for content. Deadline is the last weekday of the month,
email preferred. Permission is granted to copy anything in the Newsletter,
provided we get a credit line in the publication copying it, and it doesn't
have someone else's copyright on it. Information, including details on joining
CAR-PGa, can be obtained on the Internet at car-pga.org.
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