Well, I can’t let Martin show me up now, can I? So I’d better write something too…
Not having any classes on Friday made things easy. I could get packed on Thursday night, sleep in on Friday morning, print out some character sheets for World’s End, take a leisurely trip into town to pick up some stuff for AAA from Martin in the Alcove, make my way home again, then head out to Chimera. Obviously, things didn’t work out quite so well, because they never do. I managed everything okay in the end, though, and even made it into the Alcove for a bit(where, yes, everything was as insane as Martin had told me). Anyway, eventually everything was sorted, and I made it out to Motu Moana for about 6.
It was great, catching up with everyone I hadn’t seen in ages, and discussing what lay ahead for us all during the weekend. And then I got to re-run Governor’s Dinner Party. Seeing it go so differently to last time was awesome, even if some of the broad strokes were still there (They managed to strike up a peace treaty, although no one needed to threaten anyone with a stick of Hate ‘n’ Lightning!). One of my favourite moments was when Martin came running up to me and told me that Allen had jumped into the Bag of Holding to see what was on the other side, and I got to put on my best Derangement Santa Hat and describe exactly what was on the other side- and it wasn’t nice! Kirsten, playing our NPC Fairy, sowed a delightful amount of chaos, too. Despite being the “In Character GM”, I still didn’t really have much idea what was going on, so will have to find out from everyone else what they did.
The next morning (after far too little sleep- catching up with friends leads to much too late a night!), I got to run World’s End with Vanya. I’d never run a game with Vanya before, and it was an excellent experience. There’s a reason his name badge just read “Game Writing Wizard”. The game went even better than I hoped, with awesome roleplaying from absolutely everyone involved. Particular standouts though were Chris and Juniour, the Mayan Wonder Twins with their “Spirit Questing”. I got to wander around, handing out (LARP safe) drugs, alcohol and visions to people. Eventually, everything descended into violence eventually, and then Mark became a God and doled out punishments and rewards as he saw fit. I don’t think anyone was expecting that.
Saturday afternoon bought Seeker’s Regret. And, of course, Galaxia 20. I sure as hell didn’t see that coming. I now know exactly how it feels to try “Herding Cats”. Desperately working with my assistant and my partner (who I was trying to figure out how to propose to) trying to first send our visitor, and then a horde of confused, time-travelling LARPers, back to their own time zone. And then there was the trouble with the terrifying Shadow Beast, who we had to figure out how to defeat. Encouraging Ben’s 12-year-old to charge at the monster while he shouted “Psychic Bolt” at it made me feel a little bad, but hey, it seemed to be working. And in the end, we herded all the cats into two separate rooms, defeated the shadow beast, cast the rituals properly, and got everyone back to their own time (or, at least, the time they wanted to be in.) And I got the girl! All it took was promising a bit of equality.
Happily Ever After was probably my favourite game of the convention. I got to be Creepy, Charming, Sinister, Angry, and Schemey. And a few other things. Wandering around the place, twirling my pipe between my fingers, making offers and demands and deals, politicking, romancing and just generally trying to either make things better for me or worse for others. I worked so hard to get the gates closed, and eventually it happened, giving me a fine monopoly on travel. That, combined with a blossoming romance with the White (formerly Black) Crow, who knew everything, and a friendship with the new Lord Summer, left me pretty pleased with how things ended for The Pied Piper. Go Team Fae! Another favourite moment was the incredibly polite, incredibly sinister conversation with the Cheshire Cat. I don’t know if there was a creepier conversation had that night, but if there was, I’m glad I missed it.
After the game, I headed down to the beach for a fine evening of socializing with some wonderful people. I had some great socializing down there, and, of course, got to watch an intoxicated Englishman and Scot prance about the beach.
And then came Alpha Alpha Asgard. The game I was most worried about. I wasn’t sure if it would work out how I’d hoped, if the players woudl have enough to do, if they atmosphere we were going for would work. I shouldn’t have worried. It was almost perfect. From the moment the game started, right up until the Dean stormed in at the end, only to be seduced by Odin and Poseidon, everyone was amazing. I can’t wait to see how the next run of it turns out.
And finally, there was Pestilence and Petri Dishes. The supplying of energy drinks was a beautiful touch, and kept me conscious for the game. And what a game! Playing the old, arrogant racist was a lot of fun, especially because I so rarely get to play a villain. Complaining about young people, ranting about not being respected, lying through my teeth about who was working with the WHO, and, of course, being an absolute arse to the serving staff. And getting to bail Swine Flu up against a wall with my cane until he stopped running around making a nuisance of himself was marvelous, too.
And now I’ve written entirely too much, so I’m going to wrap it up. Over on Facebook, I’ve made my thanks, but some do just bear reiterating.
First, thanks to Martin and Vanya. Writing and running games with you guys was a lot of fun, and incredibly satisfying. Martin, we need to get started on the next one asap.
Secondly, to Anna. None of this would’ve happened without you, and I can’t thank you enough.
And that’s what I did with my weekend.