Geek Kon is this weekend!

I'll be at Geek Kon this weekend and I invite anyone reading this blog to attend as well. It'll be held at the Sheraton Madison Hotel on John Nolen Drive, Across from the Dane County Coliseum and the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. The Kon runs from Friday October 23 through Sunday October 25; I'll be there Saturday and Sunday, wandering aimlessly when not on panels.

I'll be on the panel discussions "Gaming Publishing" at 1 PM on Saturday along with Matt Forbeck and Aaron Pavao, and on Sunday at 10 AM I'll be discussing "Professional Writing" with Aaron, Matt and Chad Corrie. If you come down for the event, please be sure to stop by and say hello!

Madison Games Day 2 - One for the Books!

I was able to spend some time at Madison Games Day on October 17, and had a great time. It was also terrific to see Jason Blair and his hot-off-the-presses Little Fears Nightmare Edition (which I anxiously await - be sure to ask your favorite local game store if they'll be carrying this gem of an RPG).

As always, thanks to the many people who make it possible; organizers Matt McElroy, Monica Valentinelli and Jason Blair, and regulars Team-Preston (Jeff and Kay), Cam Banks of Margaret Weis Productions fame, Sean Kelly of GrumblingDwarf.com, and many, many more good local folks. MGD2 was held in the Mezzanine level of the Pizza Oven on Monona Drive in Madison, and featured board and card games, tabletop RPGs and some outstanding miniatures and terrain by Team-Preston. Keep an eye open for MGD3, coming next Spring for your gaming pleasure!

Vote NOW!

Voting for the ENnie Awards, promoting excellence in gaming, are now open. I might mention that Green Ronin has several products up for awards, including A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying, the Mutants & Masterminds Deluxe GM Screen, and the Wild Cards setting book and Freedom's Most Wanted, also for Mutants & Masterminds. My friend Jess Hartley has an adventure nominated too -- Rose-Bride's Plight. Anything Jess writes is well worth reading, so give it serious consideration. Another good friend, Jeff Preston, had his illustration work recognized in the Best Electronic Book category for "The Death Mother."


Vote here.



Whomever you choose to vote for, I encourage you to vote. Don't delay though - balloting ends at midnight August 1.

Watching the Watchmen

With the fannish craze and media blitz over the Watchmen film, it's difficult to avoid learning anything about the subject. I myself have had to delay seeing Watchmen for at least another week due to other commitments. However, a very important point needs to be raised on the topic: Watchmen is not a comic book for kids. Mature themes abound, and it's inappropriate reading material for nearly all pre-teens.

Unfortunately, there's a large segment of the population that believes comic books are ONLY for kids; stores that sell adult-themed comics are under threat on a daily basis from moral crusaders who are looking for easy targets to pick on, generating the publicity these bullies crave. Please, please consider making a donation to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a non-profit, 501 (c) 3 organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of First Amendment rights.

http://www.cbldf.org/

Are you willing to accept being told what you as an adult are allowed to read? If not, then drop these folks some spare change; they'll put it to very good use.

Bill