TLG post-Archon report
TLG post-Archon report
TLG's midwest demo and sales lackey is back from another convention. TLG returned to Archon in Collinsville, Illinois (near St. Louis) for their 3rd or 4th time in the past 8 years or so. I've been an attendee and judge from 2002-2009, and returned this year to sell product for TLG. Some familiar faces from DieCon (a gaming-only con in June) were there, in addition to new players. I was running on four hour's sleep and a weekend-long sinus infection, but was full of energy on the first day. Dealer's hours were from 4-8pm on Friday, and we made a few sales in that brief time. During those four hours, I met a familiar face. His name escapes me, but he was recruited by P. Bradley or the Chenaults (at a past convention) to run a C&C game. I remembered being in that session. Had to have been 7 or 8 years ago. Anyway, James took over for the last hour, so I could run a demo for 4 players. They were treated to Christina Stiles' Baked Askalan (from an old Crusader issue). They were new to C&C, and role-played to the hilt. Around 11:30pm, James and I made our way to the nearby party hotel, so I could catch up with old friends. Around 4:30am Saturday, I headed back to the Comfort Inn. A couple of hours later, I treated myself to the complimentary waffles, eggs, sausage, cereal, etc. By 10am, James and I were in the dealers room. In addition to phb's, m&t's, ckg's, Tainted Lands, etc., we managed to sell some new dice sets, Amazing Adventures, and other new products. At one point, a lady approached the booth and introduced herself. She identified herself as Laurie Lesae-Knight, one of the original C&C playtesters. You can find her name in the phb credits. Pretty cool. The dealer's room closed at 6pm, giving James and me time to eat and see the sights. James went to the masquerade, while I ran Seskis' "A Darker Shade of Ale" for five players. One or two of them were return players from DieCon, but three were new to the fold. One of those guys actually picked up the phb on Friday. I had to shorten a few of the encounters, but we finished with a satisfying end. By midnight, I returned to the party hotel. Some of my old con friends were there, and I saw a Magenta impersonator I had seen earlier in the dealers room. In exchange for a donation to a breast cancer fund, I was able to enjoy 4 cups of "lemonade". A few folks were nice enough to share some "apple cider" in the halls, as well. I spoke to several friends old and new, and capped off the morning by playing the hotel's grand piano with another guy. Eventually, the restaurant opened, and the patrons didn't care for the noise. Before returning to my hotel, I discussed religion and pop culture with a very nice Lutheran woman. I went into Sunday morning with no sleep, but very much alive and well. After a five-course breakfast, I returned to the dealer's room. Sunday saw an increase in customers, including a woman and her mother who played in the Saturday's game. I had seen her around for at least 10 years, and she actually bought C&C at diecon. Either way, she resisted starting a session for her gaming group, because they didn't want to replace their 3.5 material. Her mother liked Saturday night's game so much, that both of them bought books. One of the phb's will be used by her current players. Success!! Anyway, my Sunday afternoon demo had no players. Some people start winding down by the afternoon, but it's all good. Later in the day, James and I packed up the merchandise, and the groovy new C&C banner. We helped some friends load their Doc Who and Star Trek merchandise, and got a free meal out of it. What a way to end the con...tearing up some Golden Corral buffet. Even after a two hour nap and a Monster energy drink, my eyes wouldn't stay open. Thankfully, James was willing to drive the rest of the way home. The fact that I was weaving a bit didn't help. After a two year absence, it was good to be back at Archon, this time representing Troll Lord Games. Trollzah!!