My goal with HDWT is to meet gamers from as many different walks of life as possible. As a result, I need to know something about your story. If I’ve got seven different invitations to your city, what makes you different? I’m looking for answers to the following questions:

Who are you? What’s your name, general age, and occupation? Do you have any hobbies aside from gaming?

How long have you been roleplaying, and how did you get started? What do you enjoy about it?

Tell me something about your area. The idea with HDWT is that I spend a few days with you… and one of those days I want you to show me things you think I should see in your area. What do you have in mind?

How about your gaming group? Is there anything that stands out?

Answer in as much detail as you like. The key is that I’m paying for travel out of my pocket, and contrary to popular belief, freelance RPG writing isn’t the path to great riches. I’ve got a limited budget to work with, and a lot of places I’d like to visit in 2011… so the more information you can give me, the easier it will be to get you on my schedule. The farther away that you are, the more likely it is that I’ll try and plan a trip that involves multiple stops; for example, I hit ten countries in my last European tour. So I want to hear from you now – just be aware that this is a long term project.

Of course, if you have a way to reduce travel expenses, that changes everything. In the past I’ve done events at conventions, colleges, or game stores as a way to offset HDWT costs. If you happen to know a nearby convention that’s willing to cover travel and is looking for a guest, point them my way!

Thanks for your interest – one way or another, I hope our paths will cross in the future!

When we were hanging out after the games, Mandy told me that she’s encountered more hostility and sexism as a female gamer than she ever has as a woman who is open about being a porn professional. Zak mentioned that he’s gotten emails stating that it’s an insult to the hobby that he’s “paying these women to play” (which he’s not), not to mention a lot of emails complaining about the play style.

If I’ve learned anything in the 48 times I’ve run the same game around the world, it’s that there’s no “right way to play.” Everyone has their own style. Some people are informal. Some people hold to the very letter of the rules. Some play D&D but are comfortable ignoring the dice, while others place the sanctity of the die above the logic of the story. I’ve played in games that have focused on combat, and others where it’s a rare event. I’ve seen people do remarkable jobs of portraying a character, and others who don’t even try. None of these people are right or wrong. To me, the only real measure of this is simple: Did you have fun? If the people had a good time, you’re doing it right. If people didn’t enjoy themselves, something was wrong.

(R-L) Joe, Satine, Darren, Zak, and Mandy after breakfast and Gloom

The people I played with this weekend weren’t paid to do it. It wasn’t being filmed. They played because they enjoy gaming, just like I do. Between games we talked about comics and science fiction. We went to a game store. Yes, Satine, Connie, and Mandy are beautiful women who are comfortable with their sexuality. They’re intelligent and creative. They’re also gamers. Satine’s been gaming since she was 15. When I first arrived people were comparing new dice, which put me in mind of the dice-trading stories I heard in Bulgaria. And when we wrapped up our six-hour D&D game at 9 PM, Zak said “So what are we playing next?”

Hearing stories of sexism and criticism coming from other gamers is hardly surprising. We see the same sort of antisocial behavior throughout the hobby – trolling on message boards, edition wars, griefing in MMORPGs. Jerks and Trolls exist, and the internet makes it easy for them to reach a wider audience. For me, it’s just sad because our hobby is so misunderstood by so many people that I wish we could at least stand by each other. Pathfinder, 4E, Fiasco… we’re all roleplayers.

Anyhow. I had a great time this weekend playing games with friends. I’ll write more when time permits – and I’m looking forward to doing more traveling and gaming in days to come. My apologies to all the other LA/OC residents who offered me hospitality in LA; I wish I’d had time to game with everyone, but with only 36 hours in town one stop was all I could do!

In other news, I just received my author’s copies of The Fading Dream, the third book in the Thorn of Breland series. It hits shelves on October 3rd. Let me know what you think of it!

Overall, the trip has been a mixed experience. My goal in traveling is to meet interesting people and see inspiring places, and I certainly accomplished the first part of that. My hosts in both Sydney and Brisbane were wonderful, and I met other interesting people at GenCon Oz. But due to my novel deadlines, I really didn’t get out to see much of the surrounding area. It’s my fault; it’s simply been harder to write while traveling than I’d hoped, and I’d expected to be done with the novel long before this. In any case, I’ve seen enough to know that I’d like to come back when I have enough time to really experience it properly (and get out to New Zealand as well). 

As an added bonus, my hard drive suffered a fatal error in the middle of the trip. I only lost a little bit of the novel work, but losing any of it and losing the computer itself for a period of time was a aggravating thing when I’m pushing to be done. It’s back now, but without any of my proper software… so pictures from the trip will have to wait until I’m back in the US and can reinstall my photo software.

Once upon a time, I used to go to these conventions to play games and have fun. I can still remember my very first GenCon, when Gary Gygax signed my copy of The Temple of Elemental Evil. These days I don’t have much time to play games. Instead I’m the one signing books. As a freelancer, GenCon also provides an important opportunity to network – both discussing challenges and ideas with other designers and artists, and shaking publishing trees to look for future work. Beyond that, the exhibitors’ hall is filled with all sorts of geek treasures – the latest game releases, enough dice to meet the needs of all Bulgaria, wacky t-shirts, costumes, books, foam weaponry, and much more.

Of course, things were a little different this time around. Given that I’m going to be homeless for the foreseeable future, I couldn’t indulge myself in the exhibitor’s hall; there’s not much point in buying a new game when you don’t have a table to play it on. Beyond that, it’s become clear that there’s a limit to how much work I can get done while traveling. I’m exploring a few interesting projects, but I can’t take on too much. All the more so because I’m still wrapping up my third Thorn of Breland novel, The Fading Dream.

Nonetheless, GenCon is always a wonderful experience. I was able to catch up with lots of old friends and made a few new ones. A few noteworthy moments:

This is Glenda Rogers, who showed up at one of my signings. If you don’t know Eberron, her costume might not mean anything to you. But if you’re on top of your faiths of Eberron, you’ll recognize her as a paladin of the Silver Flame. The fact that someone was inspired to create an Eberron costume is enough to make me smile, but Glenda took things a step farther; she has made pendants of the Silver Flame arrow-and-flame symbol, and she gave me one of these. Of course, the best part of the story is that this isn’t her only Eberron costume. She’s also made an Emerald Claw soldier’s outfit – the Emerald Claw being the archenemies of the Silver Flame. So she’s playing a dangerous game! (She’s also playing Dungeon & Dragons Online, but I don’t THINK that’s dangerous.)

I spent a lot of time behind a table waiting to sign books or talk to people. There were a few sessions when I was actually quite busy, but a lot of time it was fairly quiet. Luckily for me, I wasn’t alone. Over the course of the convention, I shared a table with artist Wayne Reynolds and fellow writers Michael Stackpole and Ed Greenwood. Ed is the creator of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, and as such we are mortal enemies. The moment we met, we opened with a vicious debate on the role deities should play in a campaign setting and the pros and cons of mirroring historical settings in a fantasy world… and from there it was only a matter of time until a bottle was broken and the brawl began. Luckily, Bossy intervened; here you can see her and Ed working things out.

Beyond that, while I’m not scheduled for any seminars beyond the one official one, I’m in place for a LOT of signings. Nothing is more boring to me than a signing where no one shows up, so if you’d like to find me and chat – or Sovereigns forbid, have me sign a book – please come by. The Sagamore Ballroom is on the second floor of the convention center and is where the RPGA events take place. Here’s my schedule:

THURSDAY

11:30 – 12:30       SAGAMORE BALLROOM, all on my own.

12:30 – 1:30        AUTHOR’S ALLEY. In the exhibitor’s hall.

2:00 – 4:00       THE WORLD OF EBERRON. The official WotC Eberron panel, with me, James Wyatt, and others.

4:00 – ???         My informal hangin’ out evening. If you’d like to be appraised of Thursday plans, comment below or send me an email to onesmallkeith@gmail.com

FRIDAY

10:00 – 11:00    SAGAMORE BALLROOM. With Ed Greenwood! You KNOW he’s going to have a line, so I need some support here.

1:00 – 2:00       AUTHOR’S ALLEY. I don’t know who else will be there.

SATURDAY

10:00 – 11:00      AUTHOR’S ALLEY

12:30 – 1:30        SAGAMORE BALLROOM. Now with more Greenwood!

6:00 – 7:30         SAGAMORE BALLROOM. With artist Wayne Reynolds, master of Eberron covers!

If you have any questions, let me know!

And just for a mini-update… I’ve been dropping by cemeteries along my travels to get some Gloomy inspiration. This is perhaps my favorite grave – located in Vienna, it’s the marker of a piano maker who supplied instruments to the royal family. Have a gloomy day!

I arrived in Stockholm, Sweden on the morning of July 27th. Between work and packing, I’d only managed to get four hours of sleep the previous night. As such, I went through the day in a haze of exhaustion, encountering things that OBVIOUSLY had to be hallucinations. I saw lions prowling the streets, and shared sake with fox spirits begging for coins on street corners. Pirate ships set sail inside buildings. When I finally retired for the night, I wondered what I’d ACTUALLY seen that day. Luckily I’d taken a few pictures and had the chance to make sense of it in the morning.

I’ve been to a lot of pedestrian malls. Most have some sort of concrete posts to keep cars from driving on the pedestrian lanes. In Stockholm, this is a job for lions. There’s at least a dozen of these lions spread along the length of the street. If I was to write a story, they’d certainly come to life at night, hunting automobiles under the light of the moon. And hey, maybe they do. How else do you explain those toothmarks on your bumper?

Next comes my friend the fox spirit:

After some research, I discovered that this is actually a piece from the traveling exhibit of a Welsh artist named Laura Ford. More information can be found here:

http://www.artrabbit.com/all/events/event/3985/laura_ford_rag_and_bone

This homeless fox lives outside the government offices, not far from the palace. According to my hosts Rolf and Mattias, there was a vote as to where she should go; the thought was that sitting here, she reminds politicians of the ongoing issue of homelessness in Sweden.

And finally we have the pirate ship. Well, it turns out that it’s not a pirate ship at all, but it IS in a building.

Sadly, I’m not the photographer I’d need to be to convey just how impressive this is. The ship is Vasa, a warship built in the 17th century. It’s 230 feet long, and carried 64 cannons and a total compliment of 445 sailors and soldiers… and sank within the first few minutes of its maiden voyage, due to being top-heavy with insufficient ballast. In 1961 she was salvaged, with the hull remarkably intact considering how much time had passed; apparently the conditions of the local waters are perfect for preserving wood. Vasa really is a remarkable sight; aside from the sheer size of the ship, she’s covered with carvings and engravings. One of the funny things about the museum is that it talked about what a mighty warship Vasa was, and what a powerhouse she was, to which I can’t help but think “Yeah, for a few minutes…” Still, if you make it to Stockholm, check it out!

We saw quite a few other things during the day… the Riddarholmen church, the royal armory, a Swedish game store with an entire section of Swedish RPGs, the local Google offices, and much more. Oh, the tales I could tell, if only I had the time! But now, I need to get me some sleep.

Current Location: Upplands Vasbuy

Music of the Moment: “Glass”, Bat For Lashes