Whereupon, I tell tales three, of games GMed, games played, and of the people present.
I ran three games at ACUS, as I have mentioned elsewhere. All three were serial games set during Gerard's Regency, with no real interconnection between them except for a last name of three characters, the common setting, Gerard, and Carl.
ROYAL LEGACY
This was the first and the smallest of the three games, with a whopping three participants (including [info]notshakespeare). The plot revolved around a personal fief of King Oberon that, in the post-Oberon death era of the Regency, wanted independence. The three PCs were sent to investigate why Oberon would be interested in such an obscure, out of the way shadow, besides its value as a tropical vacation spot.
A big volcano, two competing splinter religions, lost members of the family, and a primal power split and turned into Half-Patterns turned out to be the reason why Oberon was so interested in the place. There was even a tragic death, the daughter of the High Priestess sacrificed herself, willingly, to unite the two halves of the powers after the PCs activated both in a manner that would have led to a big boom.
The game was unusual for me in that I had to skew things somewhat to accomodate three PCs without any real "powers" between them. I think the trio of players had a good time though.
CITYSCAPE
The second TOTR game featured a player from RL, along with Cal "Steed" Westray, and two very good friends and players in SB, [info]egwenna and Keith Cripe (who plays in SB and AOR and ACD).
The plot here involved a shadow the PCs were sent to visit on an auspicious anniversary. A scheming vizier, a mandala-representation of the world which had actual real power (much to the surprise of the inhabitants), demonic baddies, flying imps, and a colossal finish where the PCs held the shadow together for dear life after setting a chain of events that led to its near disintegration into Primal Chaos. The first game was intimate, this game I went for "Epic".
The PCs, at the end, wound up in the infirmary of Castle Amber having been unconscious for a week. Yet, Chaos was foiled and the Shadow was kept intact.
REMNANT POPULATION
My Big game at the con, with six players: Bridgette (playing a different character than Cityscape), Keith (still playing the same character), Cal again (with Steed, again), the infamous Stormy, and the Hivemind, Ginger and Michael.
The PCs visited Arden on the behest of Gerard and Carl after a dead beastie was found in a village at the edge of town. Soon learning the depths of my wicked cleverness, the PCs were thorough and paranoically methodical as they dealt with the "Grendels", eventually learning that they were chaos nanotech infected dragons. The twin finales involved an invisible Mother Grendel, and the actual original Dragon itself, who was fighting the infection within herself with everything she had. Thanks to a combination of efforts from the physical to the arcane, the PCs were able to cure the dragon, and two grandchildren drakes and two eggs in the bargain.
I had a lot of fun with the TOTR concept, and on the way home on the plane, have come up with another TOTR idea that I will use as one of the two games I intend to run at TBR...
I was scheduled for four games, with an open slot. I took the chance to fill that empty slot on the early Sunday Game and have found myself now joined to a campaign that, in addition to Bridgette, I didn't remember that Felicia is in
IF WISHES WERE HORSES
I played Aram in two slots at ACUS, this was the first. Deb and Bridgette had another mind-bender, with the PCs sent to a "ideal" Amber where Caine ruled and was husband to a pregnant Vialle.
Despite the presence of some active and loud players (e.g., Stormy), I managed to assert myself in a way that I rarely do as a player in a game, especially a FTF game. I was a plot driver, since Aram had a clear and defined course of action and goal. It helps that he, unlike the other players, didn't wind up with a "wish fulfillment" like the other PCs did (as established from pre-game questions. Mine simply didn't fit in and so the GMs wisely never incorporated it). So in a sense that became an advantage for Aram, and ever more reason for him to focus on-task.
I had a lot of fun in the game. It was a wonderful way to start the Con. I didn't realize how well I played, until [info]tryslora mentioned talking about me later on.
A COMMON DISASTER-RITES OF PASSAGE
The return of Cadmus, son of someone, Scion of Amber. With a lost NPC to be found, Cadmus thought he had a plot for the game session with Hawke and the NPC Regina. That is, until a damsel (okay, cousin) in distress came across their path, and Cadmus' protective instincts came forward in a big way.
The rest of his con session was involved in an attempt to get at her tormentor and fellow cousin, Taggert. Although they did not succeed, it was excellent roleplaying for Cadmus. I admit though, that in a room of five people, Cadmus' portrayal could not compare to the strength of Keith's portrayal of Hawke, Bridgette's portrayal of the now almost child-like Rhiannon, Brianne's strong portrayal of a tormented and fearful Anna, and who could forget Ginger's depiction of Martin (and we missed half of it in the backroom while Hawke, Cadmus and Anna planned Mayhem, Murder and Magic).
Cadmus gets 5th place in the "Dramatic portrayal" sweepstakes. And I had a great time.
EQUALIZER
My first experience as a player under the Hivemind, and THEIR first experience Gming straight-up Amber. As mentioned before, I brought a version of Aram and had a lot of fun. Gerard was shot (uh oh, working guns) and our group was up to the challenge of finding who did it. The trail eventually lead to a certain son of the Descatrix who got away, but not without some
Was I a plot driver? Not as much as IWWH, but I did contribute (I think.). I was mostly effective (I think). Aram, however, did make a miscalculation, and wound up getting shot for his pains by a certain Count...and then getting abandoned by his partner and left with the gunshot wound! Said wound kept Aram out of the final denouement with Dalt, though.
Still, it was funny that my sorcerer was #3 in Warfare in the group (and during a three person raid on a warehouse, he WAS the warfare leader (although far from being the strength one).
I had a great time.
AND SO IT BEGINS AGAIN
While it was ostensibly for returning players only, Michael was pretty low on those (a grand total of three). I was out of a game on that slot. Michael also needed a room to run.
Such are the small seeds that a game opportunity was born. Bridgette (one of those players) facilitated all this, and I couldn't resist the chance to play in a game with Bridgette's Odette.
I took a tabula rasa PC that never got off the ground and have started to make Basil (Bass-il) mine own. I've started to throw some irons into the fire and we will see what happens at future con slots. I enjoyed the session and trying to get a sense of Michael's world. I only later discovered while talking to Felicia about it that I have inadvertently picked up a younger sibling of her own character in that universe. Maybe she and Scott will return to future cons and so I will have a con slot with both Bridgette and Fe in it. That would make for interesting.
TO LIVE AND DIE IN TEXORAMI
Finally, and not least, came the infamous Sunday Night Texorami game as "managed" by Chris Kindred. More side stuff than actual plot, it still felt good to slip into Doctor Jonas Asherton, interacting with Mongo, the Undertaker, Michael's new gunslinger character, Bridgette's Guen Blackhawk, Anna'sBriAnne's silent bartender, and many many others.
I did not imbibe the freely flowing liquor, but kept in high spirits nevertheless, even if the Doc became my second character this con to manage to get shot (by a shapestealer revealed much later as Dara). I couldn't stay up more than 90 past the con slot ending, but that's part of the price of living in Texorami.
And Texorami ended my gaming con experience. I think I had an "on" con, others think I did. I'm reasonably pleased with the experience.
I am well pleased with my play at the Con.
While I did have a fair amount of down time (or if you prefer, Blessed Paul-free time for everyone else), I did get some social time...
I did share a ride with Bridgette and Keith during the trip there; I shared a couple of lunches with them (both in and out of suites). I spent time in and out of games with people ranging from the usual suspects to even breakfast Friday morning with the Ghoul Jack Gulick. I won't say that I was popular at the con, but I was tolerated.
And yet, I still had gaps of inactivity. Without a roommate, I did find opportunities to return to the solitude of my con rooms, to read, and to watch the News.
I had a great time, though, and it was good to see everyone. I just hope I wasn't too annoying.