Ultanya: Game Convention Blues

Today, today I have the game con blues
Ooh today, today I have the game con blues

Sounds like a B.B. King song, eh?

This past weekend marked the 4th year of our friends and family convention called Ultracon. For this year’s theme the players all were villains and part of a mercenary company named the Grim Legion. They were tasked with hunting down various targets in a dangerous archipelago over the course of the weekend. I along with three other members of the DM Team ran the event which consisted of nine blocks of play. Each lasted four hours and we swapped DMs and players in-between adventure blocks.

This is a special event because we custom design it for our gaming circle. Each of the seventeen characters were created with extra special care and detailed backgrounds. The story is part of a continuing saga from previous Ultracons and is developed over six months. It really amounts to a campaign themed RPG extravaganza spanning two days.

The amount of work which goes into the event is really quite incredible. Every year I feel overwhelmed and think to myself I will never do this again. But even as I write this ideas are churning through my head for Ultracon 5. There is just something really great about gaming and sharing a story together. But more importantly spending time surrounded by awesome friends and family is my favorite part of the event.

There are some really unbelievably crafty people that come to Ultracon every year. One of the couples came to the event with custom beer mugs for everyone and decorated cupcakes. Another player crafted an entire case of Dredgehammer and several bottles of amazing mead for everyone to partake in. Other players were so into their character they purchased props to enhance their role-play experience. One in particular was playing a Norse skald and came to the event with a drum to play.

Our sign in book this year was actually tied to the story. The Immortudictum is a terrible and forbidden text and even those that truly believe it to exist suggest it is purely imaginary. The substance of the volume pertains almost wholly with the afterlife and necromancy. One of the DM team members created the grimoire complete with faux rust and leather. In terms of props it was a real standout!

The game convention blues grabbed ahold me post event. All day my mind drifted back to the weekend and all the great times I had rolling dice, laughing with friends and escaping for a little while. That to me is what makes the RPG pastime so wonderful. All things may have to come to an end but we can certainly plan for the next gathering. There are more days of high adventure ahead!

What you do to cure your game convention blues?