VENGER CON Aftermath [convention report, part 1]

 

We fucking made it, hoss!

Leading up to VENGER CON II: Electric Boogaloo, I was worried about this, wondering about that, hoping certain things would happen, fearing others wouldn't, and generally feeling anxious about how it would all go.

All things considered, the convention went extremely well.  I lucked-out.  Just under attendance numbers of last year (25 versus about 22), but it happened, fun was had, and new gaming plateaus were reached!

Let's dive in!  Before I forget, video one, video two, and video three.

Of the two major complains heard (yeah, let's get the bad stuff out of the way first), the first was no name tags.  Yeah, I dropped the ball on that.  Next year for sure!  Second, was the free flowing, chaotic structure where various games were penciled in, but nothing was set down in pen, let alone stone.

Obviously, that's going to annoy or disturb some people.  Normal conventions have specific, set times for definite things, and we (the folks attending) move around and make decisions based on information provided.  For good or ill, VENGER CON seems to reflect my own spontaneous, seat of the pants, stream of consciousness vibe - which means we show up, talk to people, get a sense of what's going on and where people are at, and then make decisions based on the available data, circumstances, our own inclinations, etc.

As the convention grows, it might have to outgrow that mindset.  It works for me, but I'm definitely in the minority, and a larger con would only increase that chaos exponentially.  

If I had to choose one personal failing during the convention it was not using the magenta light that I specifically brought for my Cha'alt session that took place in Cremza'amirikza'am.  I have other, smaller regrets, too, like adding way too many NPCs that wanted to meet or get their boss/supplier in a single visit to the cantina.  But overall, I'm happy with my games and GMing.

Alright, now let's get to the good stuff - the games!

I played in 3 games.  I'll talk about those right away.  The first was my buddy Colin's Cha'alt adventure where he mixed the Crimson Dragon Slayer D20 system with Into the Odd.  As a proponent of the OSR, one of the things I love about it is ease of use.  We all know the basics of how traditional RPGs go.  You roll to hit, you roll damage, each PC does something and is individually autonomous.  Trying alternative systems that switch-up the fundamentals is jarring and there's always a learning curve.  Sometimes the juice is worth the squeeze, sometimes it ain't.

This was the same Cha'alt adventure Colin playtested for the Crystals of Chaos campaign group a couple months ago, albeit slightly updated.  My main focus both in the original playtest and my second go-around was the same - enjoy the world, see what it feels like to be in that place, adventuring, roleplay my character alongside the other PCs and NPCs I meet along the way, help build the environment around me, engage the process with passion and creativity.

The adventure itself was good (I have notes, but this is not the time and place), and we all had fun.  Colin was probably the most tired and out of it that I've ever seen, but even with all that going on, he did a great job GMing it.  And I didn't know this until after he (and others) helped me pack up the convention stuff, but that was his first ever convention game GMing.  Poppin' that cherry like VENGER CON do!

So, that was Friday.  Saturday morning, I played in a dark ages Call of Cthulhu session ran by another dude named Colin (but completely different person).  We were Vikings investigating strange goings-on in Greenland.  It was good, and due to my recent update [video here] on what's next for Venger Satanis and Kort'thalis Publishing, it was much needed.  

Back in the late 80s and early 90s, Call of Cthulhu was probably my favorite RPG, just as H.P. Lovecraft is my favorite writer.  His Cthulhu Mythos (along with the help of his friends) has influenced the vast majority of my creative work.

That, too, was a good scenario.  One of the reasons why I choose to GM over playing is that I like things done my way - that, and I love the extra challenge, the greater obligation and responsibility that comes with GMing.  The scenario we played reminded me of several CoC adventures that I've both ran and played.  There are certain things I enjoy and other things that go against my stylistic grain.  

For that alone, I'm grateful for the experience and looking forward to getting in there and trying to make something (I'd probably start with a short scenario) that fits my particular vision.  It could be awesome or crash and burn... that not knowing is another reason why I do what I do.

The third session was really special because Griff Morgan, the guest of honor for this year's VENGER CON, ran The Lost Dungeons of Tonnisborg.  Super old-school vibe (in fact, we played OD&D), as if we had traveled back in time to game with Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.  We drew our own map based on the DM's description, fought in marching order (but without miniatures), did d6 damage no matter the class or weapon, wandered upon a room full of giant snakes that was way beyond our level and nearly killed the party, feeling around the walls for secret passages, etc.  

There was about 9 players and Griff lent his veteran chops to the proceedings, taking us back to something that might have inspired The Temple of Elemental Evil.  Very much, from an objective standpoint, the opposite of how many of us (especially including myself) game today.  So, it was another lesson, a history lesson this time, of how far and wide this hobby is.  

The artform or vocation, if you prefer, is so massive that saying you enjoy roleplaying games is like saying you enjoy art or science.  It's fine for a casual comment directed towards the uninitiated, but that statement alone tells you virtually nothing about the kinds of games and style, approach, and aesthetic of those games.  My personal preference for sandbox, fiction-first, rules-light, theater-of-the-mind, rule of cool, roleplay heavy gaming is night and day to so many other ways of doing RPGs.  I don't know, it's fascinating to me.

The fourth and final session I played was run by Judd.  Judd and I talk on social media frequently (MeWe, YouTube, etc.).  He's backed a number of my Kickstarters.  And he's played in a couple of my Roll20 Cha'alt one-shots.  He's also one Hell of a live player.  I enjoyed his witty banter and characterizations online, but in-person I was even more impressed.  I got a lot of time to observe Judd's play because he attended all three of my sessions - Cha'alt, Cha'alt, and Alpha Blue.  Super nice guy, too.

So, what did he run?  Wretched New Flesh!  It's a cross between Naked Lunch, Videodrome, Dreamscape, and some kind of FBI/CIA procedural taking place in a cyberpunk city owned by Cobra-La.  Yeah, it was fucking weird.  While I felt out of my element (I'd totally watch that movie, but it's a genre of gaming that I have precious few experiences with), it was enjoyable to see how it all worked.  The cast of characters and detective work and logistics and agency politics and bio-mechanical gear... it was all so much.  

I really liked my character, but admittedly I didn't do too much - which is kind of what I wanted - because I'm giving one Hell of a performance each time I'm GMing and wanted everyone else to have their moment to shine.  So, I felt a bit overwhelmed in a good way.  Very cool system and world by The Red Room.  If you like Over The Edge type stuff, I highly recommend Wretched New Flesh - and that cover art by Jae Tanaka can't be beat!

Alright, that's enough for now.  Not sure when part 2 will get blogged... hopefully tomorrow!

Yeah, great time - can't wait to tell you about the games I ran.  Thanks for reading, and feel free to ask questions, hoss.

VS

p.s. Yeah, Cha'alt hardcovers still for sale - get 'em here! 

p.p.s. Apparently, this is somewhere on reddit and might be the most downvoted comment on there (and may be eligible for a prize of some sort)...

"Venger Satanis is a game designing genius on par with (if not exceeding) Gary Gygax." ~ Matthew Urquhart