Saturday, April 15, 2023

Games I Haven't Played

 Tabletop Roleplaying Game conventions are a thing of wonder. Scores, sometimes hundreds of games to choose from. I still have my preferences, as I outlined in my post on TTRPG Conventions Tips and Tricks, but we don't always get what we want, do we?


So, here is a list of games I ended up not playing at conventions, either because I had scheduling conflicts with other games, because availability slips so rapidly (DCCRPG, I'm looking at you), or because the GM had to cancel. I supposed this is a sort of hauntological view of  "what might have been," that strange, forward looking nostalgia for a future that was never fulfilled. Ah, well, there's only so much time in life and I can only give up so much sleep. Anyway, here goes, these are the ones I really wanted to play, and had a fighter's chance at getting into, but just missed out on. Had I not gotten some of my first choices, or if availability wasn't snatched away from me by those pesky gold ticket holders, I might have played:


Gamehole 2016, I wasn't keeping good notes back then. Sorry!


Garycon 2017:

Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea: Black Briars and a Dead Rabbit

DCCRPG: The Heist (Run by Harley Stroh, whose games are notoriously difficult to get in to because they sell out so fast)

Metamorphosis Alpha: Androids, Androids, Androids

AD&D 1e: The Tomb of Aethering the Damned (run by my friend Julian Bernick)


Gameholecon 2017:

Fantasy Trip: Guerillas in the Mist

DCCRPG: Symptom of the Universe (run by my friend Brendan Lasalle. Brendan's games sell out FAST!)

 Call of Cthulhu: The Star on the Shore

Chill: A Lamp Gone Dark

Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea: Shooting Star Watcher


Garycon 2018:

Traveller: Secret of the Ancients

Traveller: Into the Kinunir (featured event run by Marc Miller, the creator of Traveller. Sigh.)

AS&SH: The Palace of Xambaala (run by the creator, Jeff Talanian, as well)

Call of Cthulhu + DCCRPG(!): Crawl of Cthulhu


Gameholecon 2018:

Fantasy Trip/Melee/Wizard: Introductory demo game

GURPS: BPRD (yes, that BPRD)

Lamentations of the Flame Princess: Blood in the Chocolate


Garycon 2019:

Traveller: Prison Planet

Operation Whitebox WWII: Operation Peardrop (run by Bruce Cunnington, the coolest englishman I know)

Call of Cthulhu: Midnight under the Bharat Sun (run by the always awesome You Too Can Cthulhu crew - I try to get into at least one of their games every convention)


Gameholecon 2019:

Delta Green: Fire from Heaven

Empire of the Petal Throne: Beyond the Plain of Towers

Empire of the Petal Throne: Hinlakte Hijinx


Garycon 2020 was virtual, so I didn't take great notes on my schedule. 


Gameholecon 2020 (Virtual). Seems like I inadvertently nuked my notes on this. 


Garycon 2021 (Virtual):

DCC: The Jeweler that Dealt in Stardust

DCC: Descent into the Depths of the Earth


Gameholecon 2021 (back to in-person!):

Troika!: The Black Pearl (run by my friend Jon Carnes)

Call of Cthulhu D10: A Nightmare on Sesame Street

Tales from the Loop: Time After Time

Cthulhu Dark Ages: People of the Book

Star Fleet Battles


Garycon 2022:

The King in Yellow: The Unspeakable Oath

Barbarians of the Ruined Earth: Meeting the Metal Menace

DCCRPG: Return to the Purple Planet

Troika!: So You've Been Thrown Down a Well

DCCRPG: Dark Sun Arena Bloodbath

DCCRPG Dying Earth: Escapades and Expeditions of the Dying Earth (Julian Bernick)


Gameholecon 2022

Traveller: Getting Up

Trail of Cthulhu: The Coldest Walk

DCCRPG: Blood in the Brutal Lands (Michael Curtis, whose games also fill quickly)

Solar Blades and Cosmic Spells: Temple of the Cyber Lich

Traveller Seminar: Advanced Traveller (with Marc Miller, who had to cancel. Sigh.)


Garycon 2023

DCCRPG: Day of the Kaiju (run by my friend Hector Cruz)

Traveller: Derelict Starship (run by my friend Victor Raymond)

Call of Cthulhu: Eve of Darkness (You Too Can Cthulhu)

Star Wars: Shadowport, All Jawas

Call of Cthulhu: The King in Yellow


There you have it, the games that I had not. Despite all of these misses, I have had a fantastic time at every Gameholecon and Garycon I've attended. They are a wealth of riches, and these are just some of the gems that spilt out of the bag. Of course, if you're reading this, and you ran one of these games, and wanted to run it again, who am I to stop you? Just save me a seat!

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