I Survived ConQuest
CQ 2008 is over.

Overall, I have mixed feelings, and rather than do a day by day breakdown, I’m going to do my thoughts:

THE GOOD:

  • My game went well, as did all the Good Omens games, from what I’ve heard.
  • Picked up three books – an early released book for Hunter, the originally planned to be but now isn’t last book for Changeling, and a $10 copy of Unhallowed Metropolis. (If I run it, having two copies is helpful.)
  • The hotel is nice. I got to park so close to my room that all I needed to do to pack up the car was step out the back door and walk maybe 20 feet.
  • There were nice restaurants all around – well, not nice, but familiar and within two blocks. (IHOP, Togos, Round Table).
  • Saw Kara and her husband and their spawn.
  • Got to play Sons of Liberty – a fun game, but the standard rules seems to encourage the game to be played more like the card game Speed than an RPG or Story-Game.

THE BAD:

  • There was some shenanigans with group names being removed from titles of games. My two big problems with it were: a) my particular group, Good Omens, has worked hard to get a generally good reputation. and b) none of us were contacted in advance (and in fact we found out by happenstance), and normally people do things secretly like that when they know they are doing something somewhat unethical or shady. (Shady is a better word.) (For reference, I point to the secrecy enacted by the Bush Administration in regards to torture, surveillance, and the like.)
  • Room numbers for games weren’t listed in the program, and when I couldn’t find where my game was, I was pretty much treated like an idiot by the staff.
  • The program was a piece.
  • I realized I’m getting sick of “Story Games” that have decided that no rules lead to better stories. (I realize part of the issue is that I do read every game I can to look for good rules to steal for other games, but that’s beside the point.)
  • I’m also getting sick of Prima-Donna GMs, and I don’t care what group they are with. Or not with. Some of them are Good Omens GMs, and that’s depressing.

THE AMUSING:

  • At the end of my Mage game, I discovered that my main villain had no offensive ability. He had everything he needed to set his plot in motion, but in actual combat? Not so good.
  • Ever since meeting him casually, I’ve been baffled by the couple that is deirdremoon and tronpublic. However, after a conversation he was in on Sunday night, it now makes perfect sense.
  • I mentioned a game idea to Cil, and now I think she’s hooked, and that she’s got at least one other player hooked.

Overall, I’m concerned about the bad. Last year, CQ made some great strides ‘forward,’ but this year it’s like they took a step backwards. I was less than impressed.

Rich