Northeast Wars X

Now more than ever, it is important to keep your head, stay cool and not give in to Total Confusion.

Or, on the other hand, why not just go with the flow? Totalcon, as it’s affectionately called, is back for another year of miniatures, roleplaying — particularly in their living campaign TC Realms — board games and more at the Holiday Inn in Mansfield, MA. Hie thee hence, young gamer, for four straight days of gaming. Come back with your dice or on them!

In two weeks’ time, science fiction fans descend upon the Westin Waterfront in Boston, MA, to explore the realms of human imagination in the milieus of literature, art, music and gaming. That’s right, it’s Boskone 47, a venerable regional convention.

Check out the website to see what programming is on offer. You might find something you don’t want to miss.

And the good news keeps coming this fine January morning.

SnowCon, in the Bangor, ME area, returns for its second year with another weekend of games and game-playing. Why spend a weekend out in the cold skiing and sledding when you can relax indoors, sitting around a table with friends and a copy of your favorite game? It’s a great way to unwind from the stressful holiday season, as well.

Happy new year!

And what better way to celebrate the new year than with four days of utter nerditude? Arisia 2010 is coming up in a few short weeks, so get the gang together and pile into your Constitution class compact for the drive to Boston and geek bliss-out. In addition to a gaming room, Arisia has everything else you’d expect from a big, multi-genre convention, including a musical act!

What convention is that? No one knows. It’s . . . AnonyCon!

In two weeks time, bellies still groaning from Thanksgiving dinners that couldn’t be beat, gamers will arrive in Stamford, Connecticut, for full helpings of adventure, with a particular emphasis on Living Forgotten Realms and Pathfinder Society.

December is traditionally a busy month for family gatherings and holiday activities, so be sure to squeeze in that last weekend of gaming before the new year!

The New England Fan Experience — or NEFanX, as they like to say — is a one-stop shop convention in Boston, MA. Their programming tracks cover science fiction, anime, gaming, pop culture and science and technology. That’s a full weekend! Looking over their past events, NEFanX has an impressive roster of past guests, as well, with notable names in every field.

If you’re free the weekend of the 13th to the 15th in the Boston area, swing by and see what’s up.

In Rochester, New York, fans of science fiction and other nerdly pursuits will gather the weekend of November 6th for Astronomicon, an eighteen years and running tradition. Guests of honor include Mike Resnick, Mitchell Bentley and Paul “Crazy Egor” Mayer.

The Rochester Fantasy Fans put on Astronomicon, so check out their website as well for more info about cool stuff going on in Rochester.

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.

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.