PAX East (and East Coast ALFAcon?)

[AcadiusLost]

I've never been, but I've got friends going this year, and was considering it.

Giant convention dedicated to gaming, both tabletop and computer? Sounds like it could be a good time/place to interact with fellow ALFAns in an interesting environment.

Official site: http://www.paxsite.com/paxeast/index.php
Wikipedia info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Arcade_Expo

March 11th-13th... if Lou and I go up for it, we'll likely look into staying longer to see more of Boston, so dates may be flexible.

Anyone else interested?

[maxcell]

I would love to go, maybe I could find the t-shirt I bought there for Lady April and subsequently left there.

[AcadiusLost]

maybe I could find the t-shirt I bought there for Lady April and subsequently left there.

A noble quest! Time to gather a party of unusual characters to assist you, I should think. Any other takers?

[valn99]

well... if I had known just 2 weeks ago, maybe I could have stopped there on my way back from Florida...

Could have been interesting!

[Swift]

If nobody has been keeping track of the current controversy, I will simply say this.

Don't wear your Dickwolves shirt.

[AcadiusLost]

Lou and I have tickets for PAX east (haven't booked flights yet, considering driving vs. flying). We've also got a room we can use at the venue for thurs (March 10th) - sunday (March 13th).

Potentially flexible to stretch the trip to start a bit earlier, or leave a bit later, depending. Any other takers?

[Basilica]

<tongue-in-cheek>Maybe for PAX Real(tm), a-la in Seattle! :)</tongue-in-cheek>

Have fun, though. Heard the East event isn't bad.

[JaydeMoon]

Apparently Bas is a snobby, elitist scumbag. Your true colors show!

[Basilica]

I protest!

Your friendly neighborhood Basilica is... friendly.

[Curmudgeon]

I can probably show up for a day of that.

[AcadiusLost]

A bump for this; they've now posted a schedule and there are some pretty interesting and entertaining sessions planned.

For those who might be in the Boston area and not so interested in PAX: would some sort of informal gathering on Thursday (the 10th) or Monday (the 14th) be feasible?

[Curmudgeon]

I'll be busy on the 10th.

[PensivesWetness]

i have to find out schedualing of classes. the weathers been killing my motivation to go several cons recently so ive not been playing pathfinder toons lately... though im sorta interested...

[AcadiusLost]

Flights booked; heading up Thursday afternoon (~1PM), flying home ~7 PM on Monday.

Anyone else considering checking it out? A few items from the schedule that sounded interesting:

World Exclusive Demo of "Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning"
Wyvern Theatre
Friday, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Throw out the first pitch of PAX East with Curt Schilling and his team from 38 Studios. Take a closer look at Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, an all new game that offers a fresh take on open world RPGs. Conceived by SPAWN creator Todd McFarlane, New York Times best-selling author R.A. Salvatore, and Ken Rolston, lead designer of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the game is an epic action fantasy RPG that is sure to capture the imagination of fans worldwide. Boston’s legendary Curt Schilling will join the game’s Executive Producer and Creative Director for a first-ever public demo of the game. Be among the first in the world to check out the innovative combat and deep RPG systems in this master-crafted fantasy epic.

Online Gaming Communities and "Real Life" Relationships
Cat Theatre
Friday, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Are you are a member of one or more online gaming website communities? Perhaps the friendships and relationships you formed online have made their way into your everyday "real life". You are certainly not alone. We will discuss the communities we have created and support, and how they impact real life relationships for gamers of all types.

Panelists include: Derek Nolan [Co-Founder / Host, 2old2play.com / 2old2type Radio], Ross Furman [Founder, SFX360], Stan Press [Community Marketing Manager, Astro Gaming], Morgan Romine [Frag Doll Manager & PhD Candidate, Ubisoft], Hamza Aziz [Community Director, Destructoid]

D&D Edition Wars
Merman Theatre
Friday, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Join Dungeons and Dragons experts Zeb Cook, Mike Mearls and Keith Baker as they analyze and discuss the different editions’ gameplay innovation, Role Play integration, pros, cons and their general favorite aspects of the game. All things D&D will be fair game as they try to determine which edition is the ultimate D&D experience. Moderated by Alex Macris, Publisher of The Escapist.

Panelists include: Alexander Macris [Publisher, The Escapist], Keith Baker [Blogger, traveling DM], Zeb Cook [D&D 1st & 2nd Edition Designer], Ed Stark [Former Lead Designer, Wizards of the Coast]

Whose Banhammer Is It Anyway?
Cat Theatre
Friday, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Dealing with online riffraff can be a full time task, but with a little patience, humility, and one hell of a sense of humor; community managers regularly take on the most troublesome of Internet trolls. Join us for an informative (and entertaining) look at the insanity community leaders face every day, and how we handle the madness. This isn't your regular panel, we'll be throwing unscripted scenarios at our guests and making them determine how to handle the situation on the fly. Bring a story about what you're facing in your community to ask the experts.

Panelists include: Ryan Chaply [Editor in Chief / Product Manager, PMS Clan Inc], Alexis Hebert [Community Relations Manager, Terminal Reality], Josh Olin [Community Manager, Treyarch], J Goldberg [Community Manager, Volition]

The Rat Bastard's Guide to a Long Campaign
Cat Theatre
Friday, 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Come see a panel full of game designers talk about rat bastardy tricks, keeping your players involved, and DMing tips for long-term plotting. Most D&D campaigns runs for a year. These panel members have games that average over 12 years, with low player turnover and huge player participation. How come? Moderated by Julian "Rabbit" Murdoch of "Gamers With Jobs."

Panelists include: Dorian "Sagiro" Hart [Designer on System Shock, Thief, Bioshock, and more], Corey "Barsoomcore" Reid [Author, "DINO-PIRATES OF NINJA ISLAND"], Kevin "Piratecat" Kulp [Lead Designer, Talkie]

2027 - The Near-Future: Live Demo of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Dev Team Q&A
Main Theatre
Saturday, 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Want to see what world will look like in 2027? The truth will change you. Join core development team members of the highly anticipated action RPG, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, for a live demo of never before seen gameplay! Deus Ex: Human Revolution is the return to one of the most critically-acclaimed video game franchises of all time. The game tells the story of Adam Jensen, a man cybernetically augmented against his will, who finds himself in the middle of a global conspiracy to which he holds the key. By offering players the chance to advance through the game in multiple and vastly different ways, Deus Ex: Human Revolution challenges the foundations of gaming and provides an immersive experience where every choice has a lasting consequence. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.

Where's my Spaceship!? Adventures in Video Game Costuming
Cat Theatre
Saturday, 7:30pm - 8:30pm
Have an awesome costume you want to show off? Want to start cosplaying but haven't made the leap? Join Crabcat Industries as we escape from reality to share your triumphs, horror stories, and battle damage. Show your love for video games by running around and embarrassing yourself in costume! We'll also discuss professional costuming techniques you can do in your garage, and our current project: transforming face model Rana into her Mass Effect 2 character Samara. Then we'll set our eyes on world domination. Or something.

Panelists include: Holly Conrad [Chief Executive Officer, Crabcat Industries], Jessica Merizan [Chief Operations Officer, Crabcat Industries], Hilary Shapiro [Chief Financial Officer, Crabcat Industries], Rana McAnear

D&D Virtual Table Is Here!
Merman Theatre
Sunday, 1:30pm - 2:30pm
See the D&D Virtual Table in a real live gameplay experience! After the game, there will be a short question and answer session on the D&D Virtual Table if time permits.

Getting What You Want Out of Your Gamemaster
Merman Theatre
Sunday, 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Gaming books are full of sage advice for GMs on why players play and how to keep them happy, but what do GMs want? Why do they spend so much time preparing games for us? And most importantly, how can players use this to get what they want out of their RPG campaign? Award winning game designers Luke Crane, Jack Graham, and Joshua A.C. Newman talk about why we play games, why we run games, and how we design them to make them engaging for everyone involved.

Panelists include: Luke Crane [Writer/Game Designer, Burning Wheel], Jack Graham [Writer/Game Designer, Posthuman Studios/Eclipse Phase], Joshua A.C Newman [Writer/Game Designer, The Glyphpress]

And many more. Looking forward to the concerts and watching some of the game competitions as well.

[PensivesWetness]

can't go. GF's oldest is having a birthday party on the 12th...