I don’t often post my “work” work on this blog, but recently I had the opportunity to conduct an interview on a topic that crosses my personal and professional interests: fan convention accessibility. A group of writers, creators, and fans are putting pressure on conventions that don’t take accessibility seriously. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention Accessibility Pledge...
Building upon my last post’s focus on extremely regional content, I’d like to alert all the Ontario folks out there that Gryphcon is around the corner. Gryphcon is about a venerable a gaming convention as you’ll find in Southern Ontario, with a 25+ year history at Guelph University. Originally a small convention put on by the, ahem, Guelph Adult Gaming Association, it is now run...
Just a quick update for all you Toronto area gamers. A new game store has recently opened up in Toronto’s east end called Face to Face Games. Boasting a large gaming space, and a soon-to-be-completed cafe, it is a welcome addition to the Ontario nerd scene. Although primarily known for its Magic: The Gathering stock, Face to Face is expanding its business into RPGs and board games. If...
This is part three of a three part series where Michael reviews his experiences as ConBravo. As has been evident in my Nerd Tour Of Toronto series, I am a big fan of gaming stores. They occupy an special place in nerd culture, where members of the community can gather to play games and share ideas. When I’m at conventions, I like to take some time to talk to the vendors there to learn more...
This is part two of a three part series where Michael reviews his experiences as ConBravo. I actually didn’t get a chance to play any of the multitude of table-top games available at ConBravo. Sad but true! However, former Spellstorm organizer Dominic Amann was running a newbie table of D&D Next and let me sit in for the first hour to learn the rules and get a feel for the system...
This is part one of a three part series where Michael reviews his experiences as ConBravo as a media guest. ConBravo was a blast this year, and one of my favourite parts of the convention was the large array of panels and discussions available for guests. I was only in for the Saturday, so I had to miss out on a few things that I would’ve really like to attend (Normal Boots Q&A...
I had the opportunity to attend Spellstorm last weekend, so I’m going to drop down a quick review of the event. For those who are not in the know; Spellstorm is one of Toronto’s only gaming conventions. It took place February 24-26, and featured quite a few PnP games including Pathfinder, RuneQuest, D&D and Munchkin. I haven’t really been out to many game conventions before...
I thought I’d just pop in and remind everyone that Spellstorm 2012 is just around the corner. Spellstorm is one of the few gaming conventions in Southern Ontario – and although I’ve never attended before – I’ve been told that it is a real hoot. Expect to see several different games represented at the event: Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, Runequest, Munchkin and...