HYPERBOREA » Gary Con IX (2017)

Chainsaw · 6/08/2016 10:25 am

Gary Con IX's scheduled for March 23-26, 2017 at the Grand Geneva in Lake Geneva, WI. We had 15+ Hyperborea games last year, run by Ghul, Mabon, DMPrata, ligedog, Handy Haversack, SavageGM, me and others, making it one of the top ten games played. I'm sure this year will be even better and I hope to see everyone there!

Gary Con Homepage

Grand Geneva Homepage

Handy Haversack · 6/08/2016 1:02 pm

Chainsaw wrote:
Gary Con IX's scheduled for March 23-26, 2017. Hope to see everyone there!

Rooms reserved! Crew expanding . . .

Chainsaw · 6/08/2016 5:32 pm

Same here! Room reserved - arriving Weds afternoon, leaving Sunday morning.

lige · 6/09/2016 1:38 am

Room reserved - probably should start on prepping my games now!

Chainsaw · 8/13/2016 8:40 am

Reminder - badge registration opens at noon today.

"Gary Con" wrote:
Step 1: Go to GaryCon.com/registration/ and click on one of the badge pricing buttons. Note: By clicking on these links, you're headed over to Tabletop.events, the system we're using to facilitate badges and events, this year. This is a different site from GaryCon.com.

Step 2: Pick your badge from the available badges. Make sure you're paying attention to the price and available options.

Step 3: Login or Register a new account at Tabletop.events. Note that this is not the account you've used in prior years at GaryCon.com in its varied incarnations. If you don't have an account at Tabletop.events, you'll need to create a new account.

Step 4:Enter a Discount Code (if you have one -- some folks have them for DMing last year), and click Add to Cart.

Step 5: Click to view your cart. Confirm the total amounts. If you have no payment method entered, click to Add Payment Method.

Step 6: Prior to August 13th, at Noon EST, if you click Pay with Credit Card, you'll see a notification that registration isn't open yet. Your badges will stay in your cart even if you log off or close your browser. This means that when Registration does open, you can log in and click one button.

Chainsaw · 8/13/2016 3:53 pm

Got my badge! Now it's time to get busy on the adventures I want to run. In a perfect world, I would run the ones below, but Corpse Creek is only an idea at the moment and Foolsgrave needs keying. I think I can get it done by Gary Con, especially if I submit them as events for motivation. Event submission opens Sept. 1, I read.

- Crash at Corpse Creek A saucer-shaped object has fallen from the stars, crashing into the cold swamplands near Lake Nova, north of Khromarium. Local hunters and trappers call this area Corpse Creek following a horrific battle recently fought here between the Kimmerians and Kelts. Rumors from the nearby trappers' camp suggest that the object may have brought powerful weapons that you want, but recovering them will be dangerous. The disturbance has awakened the swamp’s giant bugs from their winter freeze, including some strange varieties never seen before in Hyperborea, and Corpse Creek teems with the living dead. A site-based adventure for 4-6 player characters of levels 1-2.

- Foolsgrave Khromarium's mysterious spiraling towers of black gneiss predate the city itself, an ever-present reminder of how strange and alien things once ruled Hyperborea. During the Festival of Plutonia, a sombre commemoration of death, darkness and the all-consuming void, one such tower's impenetrable doors slowly creaked open, admitting anyone brave enough to descend into its depths. Many have entered, but few have returned - some with wealth overflowing, others simply mad, drooling and babbling. Locals now refer to the labyrinth as Foolsgrave. A megadungeon crawl for 4-6 player characters of levels 3-5.

- The Strange Tale of Crystal Point In the far reaches of Hyperborea's Crab Archipelago, lies a small, mountainous island known as Crystal Point. Passing sailors have recently seen a crimson glow in Crystal Point's waters, beams of reddish-brown light shining up from its steep cliffs and unusually frequent lightning storms. One famous sage believes Crystal Point may hold the ruins of a lost Atlantean colony - and its secrets! Eager for adventure and treasure, you agreed to explore the island and, after a long journey, have finally set foot on its rocky beach. A site-based adventure for 4-6 player characters of levels 7-9.

gizmomathboy · 8/14/2016 8:01 am

Foolsgrave sounds intriguing. We'll see if I have time in my schedule to play in it.

Did Handy run something like Crash at Corpse Creek for his home group? I want to say I've read something like that.

Crystal Point was such a fun place. I look forward to seeing you and Jeff work that up into a module. :-)

BigPerm · 8/14/2016 8:33 am

We did explore a crashed flying saucer in the swamp but there were no living dead, just some rabid frogs worshiping the alien pilot.

BigPerm · 8/14/2016 8:35 am

Rooms booked and badges purchased for Gary Con.
So far I think we have 5 or 6 coming, with a few more on the fence.

Chainsaw · 8/14/2016 1:29 pm

gizmomathboy wrote:
Crystal Point was such a fun place. I look forward to seeing you and Jeff work that up into a module. :-)

Thanks man! Very nice of you to say.

gizmomathboy wrote:
Foolsgrave sounds intriguing. We'll see if I have time in my schedule to play in it.

Hope it works out! I know scheduling can be tough when there are so many good offerings - and you're running games. I'm hoping I can make one of yours this year.

gizmomathboy wrote:
BigPerm wrote:
Did Handy run something like Crash at Corpse Creek for his home group? I want to say I've read something like that.
We did explore a crashed flying saucer in the swamp but there were no living dead, just some rabid frogs worshiping the alien pilot.

I do recall that adventure, actually, now that you mention it, though I did not play in it, sadly. It's a great idea, for sure! I first came across something similar reading Karl Edward Wagner's Bloodstone. Very cool story and highly recommended! Jeff also included another incarnation of the concept in the Gazetteer (look up Lake Nova or Nod's Chain). In any case, things in Corpse Creek may not be quite as similar (or simple) as the rumors in my event description imply.

Josh · 8/14/2016 2:39 pm

Got me a silver badge. I would love nothing more than to journey beyond the North Wind that whole weekend.

mabon5127 · 8/14/2016 9:26 pm

Chainsaw wrote:
Got my badge! Now it's time to get busy on the adventures I want to run. In a perfect world, I would run the ones below, but Corpse Creek is only an idea at the moment and Foolsgrave needs keying. I think I can get it done by Gary Con, especially if I submit them as events for motivation. Event submission opens Sept. 1, I read.

- Crash at Corpse Creek A saucer-shaped object has fallen from the stars, crashing into the cold swamplands near Lake Nova, north of Khromarium. Local hunters and trappers call this area Corpse Creek following a horrific battle recently fought here between the Kimmerians and Kelts. Rumors from the nearby trappers' camp suggest that the object may have brought powerful weapons that you want, but recovering them will be dangerous. The disturbance has awakened the swamp’s giant bugs from their winter freeze, including some strange varieties never seen before in Hyperborea, and Corpse Creek teems with the living dead. A site-based adventure for 4-6 player characters of levels 3-5.

- Foolsgrave Khromarium's mysterious spiraling towers of black gneiss predate the city itself, an ever-present reminder of how strange and alien things once ruled Hyperborea. During the Festival of Plutonia, a sombre commemoration of death, darkness and the all-consuming void, one such tower's impenetrable doors slowly creaked open, admitting anyone brave enough to descend into its depths. Many have entered, but few have returned - some with wealth overflowing, others simply mad, drooling and babbling. Locals now refer to the labyrinth as Foolsgrave. A megadungeon crawl for 4-6 player characters of levels 3-5.

The Strange Tale of Crystal Point In the far reaches of Hyperborea's Crab Archipelago, lies a small, mountainous island known as Crystal Point. Passing sailors have recently seen a crimson glow in Crystal Point's waters, beams of reddish-brown light shining up from its steep cliffs and unusually frequent lightning storms. One famous sage believes Crystal Point may hold the ruins of a lost Atlantean colony - and its secrets! Eager for adventure and treasure, you agreed to explore the island and, after a long journey, have finally set foot on its rocky beach. A site-based adventure for 4-6 player characters of levels 7-9.

What great descriptions! I need to play in all three! Oh well no running for me this year....

Chainsaw · 8/14/2016 9:51 pm

Josh wrote:
Got me a silver badge. I would love nothing more than to journey beyond the North Wind that whole weekend.

No kidding! I think it's great that this might acually be possible. You know, last year I think we had ~15 games formally scheduled. I wonder if we can break 20 this year?

mabon5127 wrote:
What great descriptions! I need to play in all three! Oh well no running for me this year....

Ha! I know how you feel. It's so tough to balance running games with playing in them. In any case, thanks for the encouraging words, Morgan.

grodog · 8/14/2016 10:59 pm

Looking forward to all of the fun, will definitely try to get some time in Foolsgrave, Donovan. Are you planning to attend both GaryCon and NTX next year again?---that'll help with my planning if you do :D :D :D

Allan.

Chainsaw · 8/15/2016 6:24 am

grodog wrote:
Looking forward to all of the fun, will definitely try to get some time in Foolsgrave, Donovan. Are you planning to attend both GaryCon and NTX next year again?---that'll help with my planning if you do :D :D :D

Thanks man, flattered that it interests you. I intend to attend both conventions in 2017 - I've already booked rooms (and bought my GC badge). Work's never terribly predictable for me though, so it's always possible that I might have to cancel at the last minute or leave early. This has happened before, unfortunately. Anyway, at Gary Con, my plan would be to run the Corpse Creek twice, Crystal Point once, and Foolsgrave once. In Texas, it'll probably be running each of them once.

I need to key whatever section of Foolsgrave I run, though that shouldn't be too tough. I don't have to key the entire three-level map to manage a 4-6 hour game. Plus, I'm keying it for my own use only and not for publication (ever), so a bad-grammar sentence to jog my memory is all that's required. Corpse Creek requires a bit more work. I don't have anything except the main concept at the moment, though again, all I really need by Gary Con is enough to run it for a few hours - a basic story in my head (got it), a map and a simple key. I have no idea if it winds up as a publishable item, so that level of detail won't be required by then. I think I can get it all done in time though. I'm aiming for it!

gizmomathboy · 8/15/2016 8:21 am

Chainsaw wrote:
Josh wrote:
Got me a silver badge. I would love nothing more than to journey beyond the North Wind that whole weekend.
No kidding! I think it's great that this might acually be possible. You know, last year I think we had ~15 games formally scheduled. I wonder if we can break 20 this year?

Per my data there were 16 AS&SH events. :-)

gizmomathboy · 8/15/2016 8:24 am

Chainsaw wrote:
SNIP
Corpse Creek requires a bit more work. I don't have anything except the main concept at the moment, though again, all I really need by Gary Con is enough to run it for a few hours - a basic story in my head (got it), a map and a simple key. I have no idea if it winds up as a publishable item, so that level of detail won't be required by then. I think I can get it all done in time though. I'm aiming for it!

Well, given the level of quality from North Wind products it's usually run at least twice at a con, as near as I can tell. :-)

So, you've got time to get it into shape. ;-)

Chainsaw · 8/15/2016 8:31 am

gizmomathboy wrote:
Chainsaw wrote:
SNIP
Corpse Creek requires a bit more work. I don't have anything except the main concept at the moment, though again, all I really need by Gary Con is enough to run it for a few hours - a basic story in my head (got it), a map and a simple key. I have no idea if it winds up as a publishable item, so that level of detail won't be required by then. I think I can get it all done in time though. I'm aiming for it!

Well, given the level of quality from North Wind products it's usually run at least twice at a con, as near as I can tell. :-)

So, you've got time to get it into shape. ;-)

Oh, don't worry! If I run it at Gary Con, it will have been playtested already once at home with capitalbill kicking the tires, trying to break things (I'm not good enough at this to run an adventure for the first time at a convention). If I end up submitting it to Jeff next year sometime, it'll have been played at least a half dozen times first, incorporating various feedback and tweaks. For example, before submitting Crystal Point to Jeff, I will have run it once with capitalbill, four times at Gary Con (March 2016), twice at NTRPG Con (June 2016) and four times at Gamehole (Nov 2016). Assuming he likes it when he reads it, he'd probably run it once for his home group. That's 12 sessions - a lot of playtesting!

mavfire · 8/15/2016 4:25 pm

Badge, Check!
Room, Check!
Ready to register for games. I totally effed this part up last year (I haven't attended many Cons), but plan on getting into at least one of Jeff's games and hopefully run into the rest of you fine fellows along the way as well! Beers in the taproom again for sure too!
Cannot wait!

francisca · 8/16/2016 12:09 pm

I'm going to re-write/tighten up my Trouble in Vikland adventures and re-run them, on-grid. There will be a part I and part II, and I'm considering running them back to back.

They go well, I turn them over to Jeff to consider for publication. If they tank, I'll....hell, I dunno, make up some new stuff I guess.