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71 lines
4.3 KiB
Markdown
71 lines
4.3 KiB
Markdown
---
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draft: true
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title: "Too Many Games 2024 Retrospective"
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date: "2024-06-25"
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series: []
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author: "Nick Dumas"
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cover: ""
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tags: ["tabletop", "travel"]
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summary: "In which I drive to Philadelphia and try to play a bunch of games."
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---
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## Driving there
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The drive in was really exceptional. It took about six and a half hours, but in light of the 10-14 hour white-knuckle hauls I've had to undertake, it was a dream. The weather was warm but not sweltering, and frequent cloud cover and light rain kept the temperature mostly within reason. The real highlight of the drive was a really tiny boat on a trailer named "Toot Toot". Good luck out there, Toot Toot.
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My packing checklist made sure I didn't miss anything I needed, so as soon as I got on the road it was a genuinely enjoyable trip.
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## The Lodgings
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I thought my friends booked an AirBnB, but they just booked a regular BnB, some secluded farmhouse well into the rural outskirts of Philadelphia. I saw a deer, I think a white tail doe, just around dusk that first day which was a real treat.
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The farmhouse has wireless, hot water, a fridge, and air conditioning so I can't complain. We picked up our badges and got some food, nothing interesting to note.
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## Day 1
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The convention center didn't open until mid-afternoon so I took the time to do some grocery shopping. Rice for the stir fry I prepped before I left, some firewood for smores, nothing extravagant.
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### The Schedule
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My schedule for the first day is pretty light, mostly because the convention opens at 2PM on a Friday. My priorities were board game play/testing, filling in gaps spectating on tournaments.
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#### Friday
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The tabletop offerings didn't really line up with my schedule, I wanted to spend the evening mostly with my friends while we had the time. We rocked around the merch hall, I grabbed a few gifts, and we killed a little time before the one Friday panel that caught my eye.
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##### Character Study, Writing, and Creation
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This panel was hosted by panelists who introduced themselves as Rachel and Guinevere. I wasn't fast enough to catch all of their social media details but you can find Guinevere [here](https://www.instagram.com/nightsongcosplay/).
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The panel was really solid. Rachel and Guinevere were enthusiastic and knowledgeable and made a point of treating writing and narrative-building as an exercise in fun that anyone can engage in, which I found refreshing. A full reproduction of their presentation would probably not be in good taste, but here's the short version.
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The core thesis ended up being very straightforward: learn your character. The most important detail is motivation: what do they what, why, what are they willing to do to get it? Only marginally less important, and now in no particular order:
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- Who are their allies? What (dis)qualifies someone for this status?
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- Background/upbringing.
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- Who is in their life? Friends? Family? Lovers?
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- What kind of world do they inhabit?
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Guinevere led a practical demonstration by analyzing two characters to identify these attributes in Astarion of Baldur's Gate 3 and Trilla Suduri from some Star Wars games I never bothered paying any attention to. Quick breakdowns of their motivations and important relationships and a contrast between the two: Astarion's need for freedom remains steady throughout his arc while Trilla eventually sets aside her vengeance and reaches some sort of peace.
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They closed out the panel with a short discussion on ways to get in tune with your character, including but not limited to:
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- pinterest board
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- playlist
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- collage
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- find an aesthetic that suits them
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- list of inspiration sources
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- pick out a birthday
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- likes and dislikes
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- draw, make a paper doll, visualize the character
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The Q&A was funny, two of the three questions I heard were just monologues about personal experiences with bad roleplay which does legitimately suck but also isn't really a question. All in all, excellent panel.
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#### Saturday
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woke up at 7am. saw a white tail buck grazing near the stream.
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I only signed up for a Saturday game of Ten Candles.
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- [ ] 1300: Gaming through Generations - Emerald stage
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- [ ] 1300: Warhammer 40k
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- [ ] 1400: Wandering Towers Demo ( game )
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- [ ] 1400: Cosplay pro wrestling
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- [ ] 1430: Alternative tabletop wargaming - Hall C
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- [ ] 2200: Convention closes
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#### Sunday
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Checkout from the BnB is 1100, so I made the command decision to just leave straight for home.
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