Northeast Wars X

It’s almost time for Carnage, Vermont’s other gaming convention and our cheerful partner in dice-related capers. Based on the shores of scenic Lake Morey in Fairlee, Carnage dedicates itself to gaming in all its forms: board games, roleplaying games, miniatures both fantastic and historical and even a LARP or two.

If you’ve never been, consider taking the time for a day trip into the Green Mountains for some full-on gaming action.

The best costumes this Halloween weekend will be at Bakuretsucon, Burlington, VT’s own anime convention. In addition to the annual masquerade, screening rooms and panels on anime-related topics, Bakuretsucon also hosts a tabletop gaming room, a video game room, complete with tournaments, and even their traditional LARP event, Fast Times at Bakuretsu High.

The second Tuesday of the month is the open Northeast Wars staff meeting. If you’re interested in helping plan or put on the convention, you’re very welcome to attend and participate.

Our meetings are held at Quarterstaff Games, situated at 152 Church St. in picturesque downtown Burlington, Vermont. The meeting begins at 5:15 PM. Hope to see folks there!

Draconis, formerly RoyalCon, is Montreal’s bilingual gaming convention. They host a broad spectrum of gaming events for both Anglo- and Francophones.

Special guests in the offing this year include Ryan Sohmer, author of Looking for Group; Sean “Dr. Kromm” Punch, line developer for GURPS; and Philippe-Antoine Ménard, titular author of the blog Musings of the Chatty DM.

The preregistration for Carnage 12, in Fairlee, VT, is now available for download from the front page of the convention’s website.

Preregistration forms — found at the back of the book — must be postmarked October 23rd, less than a month away now. Naturally, early respondents get first dibs on the games they want to play, so don’t delay.

Next Saturday, October 3rd is the Albany Game Day. Hosted by local game store Zombie Planet, Albany Game Day is a free biannual event “where local gamers gather to play board, card, and roleplaying games in a loosely organized fashion.” The first session begins at 10:00 AM and the second at 3:00 PM.

There are discussions on the ENWorld and Circvsmaximvs web forums, linked to from the Albany Game Day site. Be sure to check out the Facebook fan page, as well.

Columbus Day weekend, fans and creators of science fiction and fantasy will gather at the Sovereign Hotel in Albany, NY for Albacon. Events include discussion panels, film screenings, a writer’s workshop and even a vampire ball. Meet fellow fans, chat with writers and get all vamped up for a midnight dance. Sounds like a full weekend to us!

The thirty-second Council of Five Nations, the Capitol District gaming convention sponsored by the Schenectady Wargamers Association, is a mere two weeks off now. They’re back in Proctors this year, a historic vaudeville theater and, now, conference center, in downtown Schenectady. Those are some nice looking digs there.

In addition to the plethora of gaming options offered all weekend long, Council is also offering a tour of the location of the Battle of Saratoga, a historical moment in the American Revolution. There’s also one of the largest Star Fleet Battles Rated Ace tournaments in the country, plus a game auction.

Sounds like a pretty fun weekend!

Ahoy, matey! This nineteenth day of September be a celebration of International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Scrape the barncles from yer tricorner hat and sail forth into the day, bestowin’ salutations of a generally scalawaggy nature on all the lubbers ye may encounter.

If you’re not confident in your ability to cut a piratical pose with your vocabulary, check out the official International Talk Like a Pirate Day website. They offer not only handy glossaries and lists of key phrases, but photos and accounts of pirate-oriented doings all over the world in commemoration of this happy day.

North of the US-Canadian border, in the city of Montreal, fans and hobbyists converge on the Days Hotel for a weekend celebrating science fiction, fantasy, art, gaming and more at Con*cept. Their website shows some pretty impressive costuming in years past, as well as big name guests like David Brin and Tanya Huff. Other attractions include the sci-fi garage sale and modeling — miniatures, not people — competition.