Hugo Negron's Blog - Posts Tagged "gaming"
Gen Con 2013! Part Two
Well, Gen Con 2013 in Indy has come and gone - but not before I had an amazing time - making new friends, discussing fantasy and role playing with some wonderful people, reaching out to new Forging of a Knight readers such as Leighann Pittman (many thanks, Leighann, by the by!) and connecting with supporters of Forging of a Knight such as James Buckhorn (thanks, James, it was a blast meeting you face to face!)!
I added a photo album on my Forging of a Knight Facebook page of just a few of the great cos-players, fellow authors, and fans I met. If you are on Facebook, take a quick look! From evil wizards to evil knights, comic book heroes to role-playing villains, you will see some fantastic costumes. The person in the ape spaceman costume from Escape from the Planet of the Apes was utterly awesome!
Lesson learned #1 - next year my 14 month old son will be staying with the in-laws. Both he and my wife (who got sick while we were at the 'Con) soldiered through, but he could only handle being in a stroller for so long in a crowd of people, the poor guy. Despite some activities offered for children at the event, he was having none of it and was pretty much insistent on calling it a day after day one! When the boss speaks, you better listen...
Lesson learned #2 - bring a partner! There were so many events, vendors, authors, and gaming going on it was impossible to see the majority of it from behind a booth. Luckily, I was positioned near a signature area, so I was able to glance over from time to time to see Walter Koenig of Star Trek fame and Peter Davison (the 5th Doctor Who) mingling with fans. Usually I would sneak through some of the convention floor at closing time, begging vendors not to tarp up their tables, or taking a quick walk through various aisles during morning setup or on the way to grab a quick lunch. I did bag a mini-Cthulhu plush, though, that will now sit at my writing desk to inspire Those That Stand in Shadow in their nefarious plans... 8 )
Lesson learned #3 - bring some treats! You get awfully hungry standing for 8 hours each day (its the manning the job fair booth thing in me from my day job), and you hate missing out on talking to some great people if you happen to leave your table for breaks and quick snacks...
We will definitely be there again next year. I was thinking of dressing up as a knight - I do have actual real armor from a costume I wore at a comic-con the weekend prior - but I think there wouldn't be anything left of me inside it if I tried.
If anyone went, would love to hear your thoughts on your experience at the 'Con!
I added a photo album on my Forging of a Knight Facebook page of just a few of the great cos-players, fellow authors, and fans I met. If you are on Facebook, take a quick look! From evil wizards to evil knights, comic book heroes to role-playing villains, you will see some fantastic costumes. The person in the ape spaceman costume from Escape from the Planet of the Apes was utterly awesome!
Lesson learned #1 - next year my 14 month old son will be staying with the in-laws. Both he and my wife (who got sick while we were at the 'Con) soldiered through, but he could only handle being in a stroller for so long in a crowd of people, the poor guy. Despite some activities offered for children at the event, he was having none of it and was pretty much insistent on calling it a day after day one! When the boss speaks, you better listen...
Lesson learned #2 - bring a partner! There were so many events, vendors, authors, and gaming going on it was impossible to see the majority of it from behind a booth. Luckily, I was positioned near a signature area, so I was able to glance over from time to time to see Walter Koenig of Star Trek fame and Peter Davison (the 5th Doctor Who) mingling with fans. Usually I would sneak through some of the convention floor at closing time, begging vendors not to tarp up their tables, or taking a quick walk through various aisles during morning setup or on the way to grab a quick lunch. I did bag a mini-Cthulhu plush, though, that will now sit at my writing desk to inspire Those That Stand in Shadow in their nefarious plans... 8 )
Lesson learned #3 - bring some treats! You get awfully hungry standing for 8 hours each day (its the manning the job fair booth thing in me from my day job), and you hate missing out on talking to some great people if you happen to leave your table for breaks and quick snacks...
We will definitely be there again next year. I was thinking of dressing up as a knight - I do have actual real armor from a costume I wore at a comic-con the weekend prior - but I think there wouldn't be anything left of me inside it if I tried.
If anyone went, would love to hear your thoughts on your experience at the 'Con!
Gen Con 2014!
We are all set to once again booth at Gen Con August 14-17th in Indianapolis! I'll be selling and signing copies of Books 1 and 2 of Forging of a Knight, along with hopefully having copies ready for Forging of a Knight Book 3, Prison Planet of the Mah-Lahkt!
There were some great authors, actors, and lots of gaming fun last year - and this year should be more of the same. If you can make it, you have to come down and say hello!...
There were some great authors, actors, and lots of gaming fun last year - and this year should be more of the same. If you can make it, you have to come down and say hello!...
Grenadier Bulletin Circa 1981
Back in the day, Grenadier Miniatures created lead figures for various role-playing games. Starting off with historical figures, they quickly moved into fantasy characters, and expanded into all sorts of fantasy/sci-fi/horror, as well as figures for a host of games (Dungeons and Dragons, Gamma World, Call of Cthulhu, Lord of the Rings, Champions, Twilight 2000, and a bunch more, including their own range of fantasy sets (Fantasy Lords)).
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Andrew Chernak was the president of Grenadier Miniatures, and I was happy to have connected with him years later. When Grenadier was still thriving, they started to send out a free bulletin via mail - I was a big fan of their products and recall sending them a set of miniatures that I had purchased at a local gaming store with a hand-written plea for help. The set had some damaged figures, and Grenadier not only replaced them at no cost, they also sent me an additional figure as a thank-you for being a customer. I'm assuming that's how I ended up on their mailing list, and lo and behold, I got issue #1 of their bulletin below. They kept this up for awhile, eventually having to charge a few bucks for yearly subscriptions to the bulletin because it became so successful. They got to issue #18 before expanding into a colored glossy version known as the British Grenadier from their operations in the UK. I only got a couple of these new versions before I stopped subscribing. I kinda preferred the prior version as it had an old-fashioned simple charm to it.
Luckily I saved all the ones I had - and most of issue #1 - I think I tossed some additional contest info or ads, but here it is for your nostalgic consumption...if you'd like me to post any more, let me know.
https://www.facebook.com/Forging.of.a...
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Andrew Chernak was the president of Grenadier Miniatures, and I was happy to have connected with him years later. When Grenadier was still thriving, they started to send out a free bulletin via mail - I was a big fan of their products and recall sending them a set of miniatures that I had purchased at a local gaming store with a hand-written plea for help. The set had some damaged figures, and Grenadier not only replaced them at no cost, they also sent me an additional figure as a thank-you for being a customer. I'm assuming that's how I ended up on their mailing list, and lo and behold, I got issue #1 of their bulletin below. They kept this up for awhile, eventually having to charge a few bucks for yearly subscriptions to the bulletin because it became so successful. They got to issue #18 before expanding into a colored glossy version known as the British Grenadier from their operations in the UK. I only got a couple of these new versions before I stopped subscribing. I kinda preferred the prior version as it had an old-fashioned simple charm to it.
Luckily I saved all the ones I had - and most of issue #1 - I think I tossed some additional contest info or ads, but here it is for your nostalgic consumption...if you'd like me to post any more, let me know.
https://www.facebook.com/Forging.of.a...
Grenadier Bulletin No 2
Another blast from the past - still a fun read - Riega Nerd and a "changing" Editor...
https://www.facebook.com/Forging.of.a...
https://www.facebook.com/Forging.of.a...
Grenadier Bulletin No. 4
More miniature updates, a nice profile on Andrew Chernak, who had been the president of Grenadier Miniatures - luckily I was able to connect with him recently - still active, working on larger historical castings nowadays...
https://www.facebook.com/Forging.of.a...
https://www.facebook.com/Forging.of.a...
Grenadier Bulletin 5
Conventions, editorial good-byes and the F19 Pegasus...can't go wrong with that!
https://www.facebook.com/Forging.of.a...
https://www.facebook.com/Forging.of.a...
Gen Con
Well, Gen Con 2015 has come and gone - but nevertheless a wonderful experience with amazing authors, artists, cosplayers, musicians, and more! I had a great time meeting both current and new Forging of a Knight readers, and also a chance to witness some amazing costume work! Check out the pictures at www.facebook.com/Forging.of.a.Knight. Gen Con - where else can you see a Klingon and a Wookie on stage playing musical instruments together??
Gen Con Exhibit Map 2016
The Gen Con 2016 Exhibit Map is finally up! You can go to their website at www.gencon.com/exhibit_hall_map to check it out, or visit their Facebook page. Over 500 vendors, plus an expansion into the Lucas Oil Stadium should make for an even more entertaining event at the 'Con.
As before, I will be boothing in the Authors Avenue area - table AA-AE for anyone who plans on attending and wants to stop by and say hello!
As before, I will be boothing in the Authors Avenue area - table AA-AE for anyone who plans on attending and wants to stop by and say hello!
pssst - 99 cent sale!
So Gen Con has come and gone - and the withdrawal symptoms have started to sink in. Film festivals, cosplay parades, amazing games, live adventure dungeons, and amazing people - that's pretty much it in a nutshell, but that last part is the best. As an author at Author's Avenue, everyone is an instant familiar friend, as are the many readers who stop by year after year to buy a book, talk about the older ones in the series, and ask what's coming up in the next.
Everyone gets involved - even the local bars and restaurants - take this example from the Tavern on the South's menu: "Wandering Monster Plates", "Kicking Open the Door" appetizers, and "Halfling Approved Sandwiches".
If anyone is on Facebook, I invite you to my Forging.of.a.Knight page where you can see pictures and videos of the amazing cosplay parade. You have to see it to believe it!
And that leads to the title sale - The first TWO books in the Forging of a Knight series (Forging of a Knight, and Forging of a Knight, Rise of the Slavekeepers) kindle versions are on sale on Amazon.com for 99 cents each until Sunday to celebrate the fun of Gen Con. If you haven't tried them yet, you cant beat Book Two at 423 pages for 99 cents!
I'll be writing soon about Book Five's status, upcoming events, and updates to that fun contest that will reveal itself when Book Five is live...
Everyone gets involved - even the local bars and restaurants - take this example from the Tavern on the South's menu: "Wandering Monster Plates", "Kicking Open the Door" appetizers, and "Halfling Approved Sandwiches".
If anyone is on Facebook, I invite you to my Forging.of.a.Knight page where you can see pictures and videos of the amazing cosplay parade. You have to see it to believe it!
And that leads to the title sale - The first TWO books in the Forging of a Knight series (Forging of a Knight, and Forging of a Knight, Rise of the Slavekeepers) kindle versions are on sale on Amazon.com for 99 cents each until Sunday to celebrate the fun of Gen Con. If you haven't tried them yet, you cant beat Book Two at 423 pages for 99 cents!
I'll be writing soon about Book Five's status, upcoming events, and updates to that fun contest that will reveal itself when Book Five is live...
