Northeast Wars X

It’s a mere eleven months off, but we’re already making plans for the 2010 excursion of Northeast Wars. To that end, we’re having an open convention meeting on May 12th. Anyone interested in helping to plan and put on next year’s convention is welcome to attend. We are looking for, among other positions, coordinators for the various gaming tracks, street team members, people who know people and more. The May 12th meeting will discuss plans for the 2010 convention, expectations of staff and the timeline leading up to Northeast Wars X.

So mark your calendars: May 12th at 5:00 PM at Quarterstaff Games at 152 Church St. in Burlington, VT. As always, inquiries can be directed to northeastwars@gmail.com.

Hope to see you there!

And so Northeast Wars IX closes out. The battlemats are rolled up, the miniatures safely stowed and that lucky d20 is swathed in its silken shroud until the call to battle sounds again. A huge thanks goes out to everyone who made this year such a rousing success. Many conventioneers commented repeatedly how much fun they had and how impressed they were by the quality of gaming going on. So thank you to our sponsors, volunteers, attendees and especially the GMs who make the convention worth going to. You make it all worthwhile and we thank you profusely.

In other news, here on the forty-second floor of 1 Northeast Wars Plaza, staffers already look to 2010. Yes, that’s right. 2010. Northeast Wars will be back, this time April 9th through the 11th. Circle it on your calendars — once you’ve gone out and bought 2010 calendars.

In the meantime, keep visiting the website, as we will be posting throughout the year to bring you the latest developments on Northeast Wars X, including an extended timeline, special events and maybe even a contest or two. You can also keep up by friending us on Facebook, MySpace or Twitter, or joining our LiveJournal or web forum communities.

Live, on the ground, everybody at Northeast Wars is having tons of fun. The board game and RPG room has been rocking all day long, there’s all sorts of mayhem in the miniatures room and the impromptu video gaming corner has really exploded since it got running a few hours ago. It’s really weird hearing competing tracks from Guitar Hero II and Rock Band at the same time.

If you couldn’t make it this weekend, or are here and don’t already have enough to do, check out the conversation on Twitter. Just search for the hashtag #newars.

Even now, GMs and players are going to sleep with visions of six-siders rolling through their heads. Northeast Wars IX is only a few scant days away. If you’re not sure what you want to play, or aren’t sure what you signed up to play — or GM! — the last days before a convention can be nerve-wracking.

In order to reduce the overall level of tension in the world, we bring you the Northeast Wars IX Con Guide. With cover art by special guest Melissa Benson, this text guides you not only to the many fine gaming options available during the weekend, but also offers convention survival tips, suggestions for dining in and around the Essex resort and a few other special treats.

So download it. Print it out. Carry it around rolled up in your back pocket. Go ahead, we won’t mind.

As of now, preregistration for Northeast Wars IX has closed. If you missed the deadline, don’t despair. You can still get in on the gaming action at Northeast Wars. Just visit the con registration desk when you arrive at the inn and our friendly staff will be happy to set you up with a badge for the weekend or just that day in particular. A weekend badge for a walk-in conventioneer is $50, while Friday, Saturday, and Sunday-only badges are $10, $25 and $10, respectively.

The up-shot of all this is the convention is only four days away. Woo-hoo! See you at the inn Friday evening! If you’re not already planning to arrive early for the greet and game in the tavern, think about it. What better appetizer for a solid weekend of gaming than pub fare and even more gaming?

Krug has made two decisions. First, he will speak only in the third person for the entirety of this post.

Second, there will be a charity food drive at Northeast Wars next weekend, to benefit the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf. Helping out is easy: just bring non-perishable food items when you come to convention registration desk to pick up your badge. Our cheerful staff will take it from there.

And, as our way of saying thanks, for every three items you contribute, you’ll get a raffle ticket for a prize drawing to be held Saturday evening. Prizes have been donated by Steve Jackson Games and Quarterstaff Games, among others.

So Krug has spoken, so shall it be.

Northeast Wars is pleased to welcome back Melissa Benson, a longtime friend of the convention and well-known fantasy artist. Melissa originally attended Northeast Wars in the 1990s when the mischief in the mountains was just getting underway.

Ms. Benson has a long history with the gaming hobby, going all the way back to 1993, when a little company calling itself Wizards of the Coast started collecting art for a card game by the name of Magic: The Gathering. The Shivan Dragon, pictured right, is an iconic example of her work. She has since gone on to illustrate cards for many more collectible card games, including Shadowfist, 7th Sea and Jyhad, as well as other gaming-related pieces, such as commissioned character portraits.

Many samples of her work are available for viewing on her website, as well as the opportunity to purchase prints, gift items displaying her art or even commission her for an original piece.

We’re really looking forward to welcoming Melissa back to Burlington for another Northeast Wars!

All things come to an end, including the preregistration period for Northeast Wars. At the time of this posting, there are a mere 136 hours remaining for convention hopefuls to get their preregistration information submitted via the Register page.

In addition to saving money compared to buying a badge at the door, which goes for $50, preregistering allows conventioneers to reserve seats at the game of their choice, sparing the need to rush the sign-up sheets upon arriving at Northeast Wars.

Moreover, the group registration deal, for war bands of five or more, ends with the preregistration deal as well. This is a great opportunity for gaming groups to hit the convention en masse in economy and style. You can read more about that on the Register page as well.

Remember, get your preregistration form submitted before the close of March 30th!

The Saturday of the convention, April 4th, Brian Pickard from Penobscot Films will be on location, interviewing folks and videotaping play as it happens for inclusion in a featurette about gamers and gaming. If, during Northeast Wars, you come across someone slinging a camera and talking to folks, don’t be shy about stepping up!

The featurette will be a bonus feature of Slayers: The Undead vs. The Braindead, a horror/comedy film about a group of gaming buddies who must confront the vampires encroaching upon their town. Slide on over to the website to check out their teaser trailer and find out how you can be part of the movie making process!

One idea that we are exploring is to have a “Greet and Game,” i.e. a time — probably Friday evening, before the first slot — designated for people to meet up and socialize, share tips, and do some open gaming. We have some possible spots in mind, one being the tavern so that one can have a drink as well.

Of particular interest to me is to also encourage people to bring their miniatures, bits, and games that they want to trade/sell. From personal experience, I have several miniatures that I want to trade/sell and there are bits that I would like to acquire, but setting up an eBay auction and dealing with shipping costs isn’t appealing, hence this option.

This is something we would like to get some comments on! Let us now what you would like to see/do. If you are interested in a designated time/place to swap stuff, say so!