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Meetups and Conventions: Small con near Boston

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  1.  # 1
    This year at The Black Road, a small (usually less than 40 members) Ambercon that'll be taking place June 30-July 2 in Marlborough, MA [map], we're adding a new indie games track, so I thought I'd mention it here in case any of the Boston area Story Gamers might be interested.

    We run the con using an Ambercon format, so you need to register ahead of time (this year's reg deadline in April 28th), the games are run in hotel suites, and there're no dealer's room. This'll be our seventh year, and we've been gradually drifting the convention's emphasis to more of a mix of indie games and Amber/diceless, so if that sort of thing sounds appealing to you, it'd be great to see some of you there. Check out the website, and if you've got any questions (or suggestions) I'd be glad to address them here.
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      CommentAuthorVaxalon
    • CommentTimeApr 4th 2006
     # 2
    Dammit, I want someone to run an Ambercon (even with an Indie track) in the mid-atlantic.

    Yeah, yeah, "Run it yourself," blah, blah...
  3.  # 3
    I would never be so cruel as to suggest that someone run an Ambercon themselves.
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      CommentAuthorMtFierce
    • CommentTimeApr 11th 2006
     # 4
    In the mid-Atlantic? That sounds awfully...damp.

    I'm waiting for one in the Rocky Mountain (USA) region. Actually, I'm just waiting to have time enough to set one up. I've got everything (including webpages) done for it, except setting a date. Ah well.

    To return to Mr. Curry's commentary, however, I did fly out for last year's TBR, and enjoyed it immensely. High recommendations for intense gaming.
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      CommentAuthorDevP
    • CommentTimeApr 11th 2006
     # 5

    This sounds really cool to me (I'm right in Boston myself). I'm not sure if I'm up for a another convention, and doing a day trip seems hard... but I'll see if I can change my mind by April 28.

    Also, I've never done the AmberCon thing, but I'm sure I could deal.

  6.  # 6
    Conducting some thread necromancy to let people know that this year's The Black Road is going to be held from June 29-July 1, 2007, once again at the Embassy Suites Marlborough in Marlborough, MA.

    Last year's games included InSpecters, The Shab-al-Hiri Roach, Dogs in the Vineyard, Teenagers From Outer Space, Nobilis, StoryCards, and the usual Amber DRPG variants. This year we're already looking at three or more iterations of Spirit of the Century (or FATE), StoryCards (run by the designer), more Amber DRPG, and probably a game of Afraid. If I end up feeling especially masochistic there might also be some Don't Rest Your Head or The Face of Angels too. Since game submissions are still open, I expect there'll likely be more goodness added to the list by people other than me.

    Now the bit about deadlines. This year the registration deadline is April 23rd, and the deadline for game submission is April 27th, and details can be found on the website. It's a more structured con than, say, the Forge Midwest gathering, but it's a good time anyway.
    • CommentAuthorJ. Walton
    • CommentTimeApr 2nd 2007
     # 7
    Wow, I'd totally love to go and run a bunch of stuff. Hmm, can I do Nerdly, Black Road, and then GenCon? Hmm...
  8.  # 8
    I feel the need to put minor caveats here, probably to cover for some annoying insecurity I have about the con.

    First, we're wee small. Our top year was only about 40 people, and we tend to have more in the 25-30 range. We can certainly accommodate more though.

    Second, this started out as a pure Ambercon, and as the leadership of the con has changed it's been drifting slowly away from that and toward a more general indie thing. Some of the attendees tend to be ADRPG stalwarts, some dabble a bit in other things, and some have a pronounced preference for trying out new systems, resulting in a bit of an odd mix.

    Having said that, new people running new games is something that's certainly welcome, and I'd be happy to answer any questions or provide any help I can in making that happen, either in this thread or via email.
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      CommentAuthorBen Lehman
    • CommentTimeApr 4th 2007
     # 9
    I'll come and run some Polaris as well as some other projects.
  10.  # 10
    I'd be pretty darned cool to have both of you there (and anyone else you'd care to drag along).

    This year we've still got the old school Ambercon routine of registering early and picking games ahead of time, but I'm carefully watching to see how the semi-scheduled thing works out for Nerdly (and Forge Gather) with a mind toward going toward something less formal for 2008.

    Yes, it really did take me this long to realize that making people register and sign up for games way in advance of the con tended to discourage new people from coming. When everything is Amber DRPG games the long lead time allows GMs to work with their players to flesh out characters before the con, but with low or no prep indie games added to the mix it becomes a lot less necessary.

    Anyway, for this year, I don't want to toss the current system when I've already got a bunch of people who signed up expecting things to run the traditional way. What I'll likely do though is schedule a pick-up game each slot, which would sorta function like a Games On Demand situation, for those who don't want to committ to running (or playing in) a particular game two months in advance.

    Registering in advance for the con itself would still be good though: http://theblackroad.com/

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