Newman on Chaosium Con UK
Thursday
After a rather significant drive with my excited passenger, the venerable Mr The Cosmic Outpost, we arrived at the Con. It was a matter of mere minutes before I found myself swept into a conversation with the wonderful Mr Paul Fricker who later introduced me to the story machine that is Neil Robinson the Chaosium CEO and the Icelandic boys who were telling me all about the first courts of the vikings and its inspiration in Age of Vikings, which immediately set the tone for the weekend - talk to anyone, take an interest.
Friday
Friday saw a plethora of Chaosium experiences in panels, chats, hanging out with one of the Playhouse’s best pal Lynne Hardy, and new pals Keris McDonald, as well as the community content mix and meet. As chair of the Council of Shoggoths for the Miskatonic Repository Con, along with fellow Shoggoth Marek Golonkia and the help of the Playhouse staff, I was proud to co host the the mix and meet with Nick Brooke - the king of quips when you’re trying to be mature and failing. Friday also saw the Playhouse run Waters of Leith, A Rivers of London original case file following DS Rhodri Cadwallader and DC Isabelle Wood having a chance to reprise Rhodri and his adventure into within the demi monde are always welcome, along with the live audience which made it a very special event.
Saturday
With another lovely breakfast and multiple cups of free coffee consumed, I was able to attend a few panels in the lead up to MikeMares. At the last minute serendipity struck and I was able to acquire a spare ticket for Unconventional Scenarios with Paul Fricker. With a wonderful group of eight writers, Paul talked about what makes a scenario conventional and by proxy what makes them unconventional, which in itself was an interesting conversation. He then gave a few authors advice on their scenarios, of which he offered to me the idea of playing the dials. These dials consisted of horror, weird, action, investigation, humour, etc, and can be turned up or down to set the tone of the scenario you are writing. Sound advice indeed Mr Fricker. Later that day, after talking to the charming Ben Aranovitch, author or the Rivers of London novels, more Mythos card games in the atrium with new pals led by Stu, we got ready for Community Content Panel, in which Nick Brooke and I had invited a range of writers to offer advice and talk about writing and producing on our respective Chaosium community content platforms. Hidden within the audience we were also able to draw on the expert knowledge of MoB, Brian Holland, Paul Fricker, and Matthew Sanderson, among many others. With advice given, many a word listened to, and new pals made, it was time to prepare the second of the live Miskatonic Playhouse live actual plays with MikeMares. Here I have to praise one of our own, the technologically impressive Mr The Cosmic Outpost. Without his time, passion, and technology we wouldn’t have been able to record the live actual plays that will be making their way to you soon. What a pal.
MikeMares, Keepered by Mike Mason, was a fantastic event which had the investigators guessing, the audience enthralled, and all of us wincing and laughing at the appropriate times. I salute you Mr Mike Mason, you set the bar for the first Chaosium Con Uk, one I hope the Playhouse can help you raise it again next year.
Sunday
After some sleep, more coffee, and even more new pals, the day went by in more Mythos cards, visiting artists, salivating at the goodies on sale in the Chaosium store and the community content store, I found myself surrounded by bishops, counts, beggars, Lord, Ladies, Sirs, and Ma’am’s in Keris McDonald’s Gaslight Cthulhu talk on social class. The highlight was Keris showing Cosmic where she could hide a gun in her bustle in an emergency. It was in the eve of that fateful day that I gathered a few lost souls (Spike, Stu, Hedge, Lynne, Keris, Lydia, and Jayson) and sat the down to play an improvised game of Cthulhu Cards, which is now a tradition at the Playhouse. Madness, accusations, bullets, and a race against time ensued as the investigators tried to repay a favour they owned a New York mob boss. Look out for the recording . . . It will be an experience - listener discretion IS advised. And with that the Con came to close with many hugs and handshakes.
It was an amazing experience that offered everything I was expecting and more, only to be improved by President Rick Meintz informing us that we’ll be back next year! So, see you next year.
