Shakandara

The progress (or lack therefof) in D&D is what kept me cautiously out of TOH1, and by the time TOH2 rolled around, I was simply shocked by how many people were still willing to throw money at it. I'd already decided by then (from everything from the other two KSs) that CSM would not see another dollar from me in any form, regardless of how much I might like their products. Perhaps that's the wrong attitude to have, but at this point, it seems to be the little recourse that I have in expressing any displeasure over how the projects have been handled - "voting" with my future dollars, as it were. ~v

Some figures are deceptively heavy for their size, while others are the opposite. Cloaks, in particular, tend to really jack with the weight of a figure vs. eyeballing them. ~v

Third. There are nicer hotels in the area, but you'll get a clean, comfortable room (with Texas-shaped waffles for breakfast) at a decent price staying at the BW on Swisher (it turns into Teasley the other side of 35). ~v

With 20-some factions, and multiple possibilities within each faction, it is no small task to give you a review of every one of them. And honestly, nearly every faction can be jammed into a particular style of play; some factions just do certain aspects better than others, and some factions are better foils for those aspects. An excellent example is the concept of deck control (the ability to manipulate the initiative cards to a more favorable order) - Overlords are, hands-down, the best at this tactic. On the flip side, the Bloodstone Gnomes are the pinnacle at foiling it. However, those things hardly define either faction. ~v

Maredudd, that link is not for public consumption. Please consider removing it and linking to the reapergames.com site instead. ~v

I've got no money in this, but I feel like a rubbenecker on the freeway, looking at a horrible multi-vehicle accident involving a tractor trailer on fire. I just can't help stopping and staring. ~v

I have to think of everything? ~v

And the Nesokar don't have catwoman warriors on gators, but that didn't stop me. Say it with me.... con-ver-sion. ~v

Considering we already have one of these, a 2nd "halfling-paladin-on-a-" might be a tough sell. Halfling Samurai tho? Who knows... ~v

Considering that is less than 30 minutes more than us, it's totally doable. If you are just going to day-trip it, it can be kind of brutal (up and out the door at 6am, back around 1am that night), but the people from Houston have done it several times for previous RACs and KS close parties. If you plan to stay over night, then the round trip isn't nearly as harsh. At least one other... but we like Andy too, and he'll be missed. I'm not sure what I'm going to put on a stick yet (cheesecake, perhaps? ), but I'll find something for you, Andy. ~v EDIT: To add linkage.

So what are you going to do for the other 47.5 hours you are in Denton? Really, I'm not sure what most first-timers expect from a Reaper "con" event, but I suspect they form preconceived notions of what it is like at much larger convetions, where it can feel like there is no way to talk with guests/artists at all, let alone have enough time to have a meaningful conversation. Reaper events just aren't like this. If you miss talking to someone, it was probably because *you* were too busy having other fun at the time, rather than a lack of availability on their part. Also, they are pretty damn cool people, to the last. Don't be afraid to go say hi. ~v

You might want to consider having them attend this, too. ~v

It you KS the concept as a game, it should be some sort of card game. There'd be project creator cards, defining the basic size and organization behind the project. You'd need category cards (Art, Fashion, Food, Games, Technology, etc), each with their own special rules for the other cards you must acquire to complete the project. Different kinds of backer cards to help you reach your funding. Obstacle cards that slow production, cost you backers, or reduce your funding. Product/reward cards that are required to complete fulfillment. This is totally doable, and I love how completely meta KSing the project would be. ~v

One of us, one of us... ~v

Yeah, I have to admit I felt pretty bad about it at the time; Since I didn't make the connection with who he was, my reaction was pretty much just "hey, nice to meet you. You do Shadowrun art? Cool." LOL After the convo with my friend (who is pretty much a Brom fan-boy), I stopped by the FASA booth later in the con and said hello again, and apologized for not recognizing who he was. I knew and liked plenty of his stuff (Dark Sun, Planescape, and Shadowrun art), but just hadn't connected the art to the artist. To this day, it remains one of my favorite GenCon stories and most memorable moments, 15-20 years later. I completely agree about the "outside of the con" socializing; it's not often I get to be around so many people with so many shared interests. It would be a shame not to capitalize on that as much as possible. ~v

It's hard to *not* socialize at Reaper events, especially if you are already a forum member. Your rep from Coraldrax alone would be enough for people to want to say "hey". And I can assure you that as long as I'm there, there will always be an opportunity to play *something*. I rarely plan anything for myself to do at Reaper events these days, preferring instead to just go with the flow. I'm nearly always available for a pickup game. ~v

How... unfortunate that he's not open to more new experiences. I learned a long time ago that a(ny) convention experience is what you make of it. Story time! Back in the 90's, I was attending GenCon fairly regularly. My second year I traveled there with friends, and my gaming schedule was radically different that theirs. I found myself with 4 hours to kill on the first night of the con; I'd been playing for 12 already, and had a full plate of tournament stuff the following day, so I wasn't interested in taxing my brain with another game. Instead, I wandered out on to the street, where they were having a block party. It looked like it would have been a lot of fun to hang out there with friends, but mine were off playing other games. I could have bailed, found a quiet spot, and done a little reading. Instead, I decided that my goal for the evening was to meet as many people from as many places as possible. I grabbed a drink, and walked up to some people and introduced myself. I spent the next 3 hours meeting people from all over the country, and at least a dozen countries. At some point, I started to run into some of these people again, and we'd wave and say hello like long-lost friends. People also started to introduce me to other people that were there from the industry, and that was the first time I met Jeff Easley. When I mentioned to another person that I loved Shadowrun. and was there partially to play the Prime Runner tournament, I got dragged over to the FASA VIP area, and introduced around to several folks there, including one of their artists. It wasn't until I caught up with my friends later and shared the story of my evening that one of them asked me about the artist. I couldn't exactly remember his name (I'd met A LOT of people at that point, and was on drink number who's-counting-anyways), and said it started with a B... maybe Bran? (I know, like I muffin; I feel horrible about it to this day.) My buddy's eyes about popped out, and he grabbed his Dark Sun book, showing me the cover and said, "BROM?!" I think he about had a cow that I'd met Brom and had no idea who he was at the time. tl;dr - You can have fun anywhere, if you are willing to try. ~v

Did you point to the parts of the flyer that say "Games!" and "Fun!"? ~v

You're correct; it is easy for me to say. However, I choose to look at the situation as one more benefit to living in Texas. As for the rest of you, I'm not saying you should move to Texas, but... Seriously, I can understand people not making the trip from further away for this event; if you can only swing one, save it for RCon. There's just too much going on then not to come. But if you are close enough, or live in a city that you can get cheap flights into Dallas (Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, etc), then popping down for a weekend of fun at the factory might just be worth your while. Honestly, it blew me away when Kevin showed up last year for the RAC/KS close event; I'm not quite sure what I'd think if he shows up again this year. ~v

And why are you not teaching classes at ReaperCon? He sculpts, he paints... Lovely, as always, Eric. ~v

Which brings up something that some newer folks may not realize; this will be held at the factory, like the ReaperCons of old. Having the con at a hotel, and being able to stay onsite is nice, but there is a definite charm to hanging out at the factory for a couple days. ~v

Or perhaps, in honor of Halloween, it is an Infernal Conference, and therefore a Confernence... ~v

I'm not saying you should come, but you should come. ~v

Terri and I will be there as well, and maybe our daughter Elle too. ~v

I think my first DYOM was the high item that year, Kris. I'm also pretty certain that the one from the next year was also high item in that auction. Since then, however, they have been all over the place. The one from 2 years ago went stunningly low, IMO. (For those not aware, 03370 and 50287 are both DYOMs) The biggest factor in the fluctuations in the auction market from year to year has been, I think, in the method(s) of distributing Reaperbucks. There was a couple-year period where swag points had a major impact; when they were removed, the market tightened up. I think the current system (which basically rewards you for how much you *do* at the con - be it play games, take classes, attend banquets, etc) is probably one of the most balanced and equitable. Short of outlawing pooling (how would you even enforce this?), the biggest ticket items are always going to go for the largest amounts of RB, and be out of the reach of a single person (or even just a couple). Of course, this leaves the winner(s) with the question of "who takes home the big item?", but that is the price they pay for pooling. While this is certainly hindsight, the 2700 RB figure that Kevin mentioned earlier was good enough to win any of the items except 6 from the auction this past year. If you knew what you wanted and what you were willing to pay for it, you could easily have stretched that into multiple items. There have been some really good ideas in this thread; I hope some of them make the cut for next year. I think the DYOM has been one of the most personal and unique items in the auction in the past; it would be good for it to return again. ~v