Come Tuesday, I will be bound for Origins 2011. I’m trying something radically new there this year.
I’m not going as a publisher.
That’s not strictly true, of course. I’m going to check out the Origins Awards and hope for (but not expect) a win, and that’s an undeniably publisherish thing for me to do. I’ll meet a few people for business purposes, and I’ll be carrying around my Zeppelin Armada prototype deck for playtesting (if you see me and I’m available, feel free to ask to play).
But when it comes down to it, in the last 5 years of gaming conventions — which is most of the span of time I’ve done gaming conventions outside of AmberCon Northwest — I’ve rarely gone just as a “civilian”. This will definitely be my first Big Convention without a booth concern. (You’ll find Evil Hat’s stuff represented at the Indie Press Revolution booth.)
I’d say I’ll hardly know what to do with myself, but that’s a lie. I intend to:
- Eat at the many fine eateries of Columbus, Ohio
- Try to restrain myself from eating my body weight in Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
- Talk with all those lovely people I haven’t seen in ages, and even some of those who I have: Rob Donoghue, Chris Hanrahan, Leonard Balsera, Amanda & Clark Valentine, Matt Gandy, Jeremy Keller, Cam Banks, and more (if I leave you off the list, it is for brevity, not lack of desire!)
- Drink while doing so
- Spend some serious time in the Board Room
- Hit up the Games on Demand area (though at 5 tables only in Delaware A, that may get crowded!)
I’m approaching all this in a vigorously ad hoc fashion, but I also don’t want to get to the end of it with an “aw, damn, I really meant to talk to…” feeling. So please track me down, or holler in the comments here if you’re looking for a slice of my time!
