Gen Con Round Up

Well, Suzi and I are finally home. Gen Con was great and it was fun seeing everyone. We're tired and still have several more post-con things to do, but thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth!

Day Three of the OSR booth (and a whole picture!)

Day three was quite busy and the traffic heavy. Today began with a short podcast interview about the OSR that should appear in a week or so at All Games Considered and we've now sold out of several different titles and I believe have only a few remaining copies of some others. I have to say the highlight of the day was the nice long conversation with Frank Mentzer who dropped by the booth to talk about his future plans. I do admit finding them very interesting.

We've been having a blast so far and I'm really pleased to be so busy.

***Picture in which one can see the booth, John Bingham, Tavis Allison (who's really helping out with the Gygax Memorial Fund) and the back of Sniderman of The Savage Afterworld. As you can see from his shirt, he's a master of fashion.... :)***

Day Two of the OSRG booth

I am tuckered out. :) Finally got to met John Bingham and chat a bit as well hang out at the booth. Friday went well, lots of people and conversation. Sorry I haven't any pictures today - I honestly forgot to take any. I am total picture-taker fail. :) I think tomorrow may be a bit of madness given the Thursday response. Sat is usually the big day as all the weekenders come it.

The OSRG Booth (day 1)

Whew! It's been a very busy day at the OSR booth. We've got everything up and running and we're doing good business. There's been a lot of smiling faces when it dawns on a passer-by what exactly the booth is selling. :) Had some great chats with various people, met some of you guys I know from online. Tomorrow is the Gen Con tourney game, The Obsidian Sands of Syncrates. I'll have to see which of the 3 groups manages to claim 1st place.

Below is a less-blurry pick of the big line of racks in the booth. Thanks to everyone who's come out all ready and hope those of you who haven't drop by for a look.

The OSRG Booth Unveiled

We've got pics! Everything's done except for a few final touch-ups before the dealer hall opens tomorrow. :)


Here's a pic of the booth from the corner looking in...

Here's a pick of the front left of the booth...

And lastly a sadly blurry look at the wall 'o goodies... (my picture-taking-fu is weak - I'll do better tomorrow)

The OSRG Booth (the beginning)

Here are two pics of the booth from right after we moved everything in from the loading dock. It's always hot and sweaty work. The AC isn't turned on until Wednesday evening after they kick out all of the exhibitors. :)

The front of the booth.

And our gigantic pile 'o goodies.

Off to Gen Con

We're off to Gen Con! See you all at booth 1541!

Booth Signs are In!

The signs for the booth just showed up in the mail today. There's only a few days left before we pack up and head on over to Indianapolis for Gen Con 2011. I've got so much old-school goodness that I've rented a trailer for everything to travel in.

So drop by the booth (#1541) and help me get better gas mileage on the trip back home! :)

Gygax Memorial Fund at the OSRG booth at Gen Con

We're glad to announce that the Gygax Memorial Fund will be at the OSRG booth (#1541) at Gen Con 2011! I like to think it's a perfect fellowship and hope that the Fund's presence at Gen Con will help them reach their goals. Below is a message from the Fund to everyone who loves the game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fellow beneficiaries of Gary Gygax's inspiration and legacy,

On Gary's birthday this July 27th, I'd like your help publicizing the Gygax Memorial Fund and its goal of building a monument in his honor.

The Fund has achieved its initial goals to incorporate as a 501(c)3 nonprofit and petition Gary's hometown of Lake Geneva, WI to grant parkland for the memorial - the first time the town council has ever approved plans to construct a statue of one of its residents. Although three years have gone by since Gary's passing, his memory is still very much alive. Recent news coverage of the Fund's successes to date, including a story in Slashdot, resulted in hundreds of thousands of unique visitors to http://www.gygaxmemorialfund.com/. 

The Gygax Memorial Fund's next step will be to exhibit at Gen Con, the convention Gary began, this August 4th-7th. At the Old School Renaissance Group booth (#1541), Gail Gygax will be talking about conversations she had with her husband before his death about how he wanted to be remembered, the resulting vision for the statue, and the goals of the Memorial Fund. Gail will also be presenting the ENnie Awards on Friday night.

At the booth, we'll be taking contributions and offering donor rewards including T-shirts with the Gygax Memorial logo -  Argent, a Bar Azure, Three Lozenges Gules  - and a book called "Cheers, Gary" which selects the best of his correspondence with fans at the EN World Q&A threads. Editor Paul Hughes will also be at the booth with Gail signing copies of "Cheers, Gary" and discussing plans for another volume based on the Dragonsfoot Q&A.

If that goes well, we'll be poised to launch a Kickstarter effort in support of the Lake Geneva statue. As someone who raises money for a non-profit hospital as my day job and is doing a successful OSR Kickstarter in my spare time, I think there is real potential for the Fund to achieve the $500K goal for this campaign through crowdfunding alone. This would be the most ambitious Kickstarter goal in history, but it's not unprecedented and if Gary doesn't have ten times the dedication that Robocop does I'll eat my dice bag.

To help continue the Fund's momentum, and in recognition of everything Gary meant to us, I'm asking for your assistance in getting the word out about our efforts. Many of you will already be marking the occasion of Gary's birthday by posting to your blogs, social networks, and communities. Adding a mention of the Fund's booth number, #1541, or website, http://www.gygaxmemorialfund.com/, would mean a lot to us. 

If you'd like to do more in-depth coverage, I've attached the Memorial Fund logo; the introduction to "Cheers, Gary" which contains more information about the project; and the Erol Otus illustration which will be used for the book's cover. (Both this and the EN World posts are re-used with permission). I will also be glad to answer questions, provide links, and arrange interviews with Gail, Paul, and myself either at Gen Con, via email, or on the phone/Skype. I'll also be glad to talk about opportunities to make tax-deductible contributions of goods and services to the Fund, and explore ways to do cross-promotion with others who are building on Gary's pioneering work. 

Sincerely yours, by the Ring of Gaxx and the City-State of Fax,

Tavis Allison

Link Found!

Thanks to a kind reader, I've acquired the link that has sent so many new people here. It's in the comments thread of an article about Dwarf Fortress. Thanks tim h from NYC and a hearty welcome to all the new people dropping by. The old-school rpg style is alive and kicking on the tabletop. :)

I need help finding a link

Yesterday, the OSRG blog got hit about 100 times from  community.nytimes.com    I believe that's a members-only section and I'd like to know if any of the OSR crowd could hunt down what was said and where the link came from for me as I don't subscribe to the NYT.

Thanks!

my e-mail is josephbrowning@gmail.com

Autarch at the OSRG booth

Autarch is honored to join the Old School Resource Group booth! Autarch will be showing off a short-run convention edition of the Adventurer Conqueror King System; signing up supporters for its crowd-funded publication in hardback, softcover, and PDF; and demoing the game with a continuous mini-campaign in a penthouse suite at one of the Gen Con convention hotels, where supporters will progress from first to 14th level throughout the best four days in gaming.

The Adventurer Conqueror King System, or ACKS (we say it like "axe"), fulfills the promise of the original fantasy role-playing game by providing comprehensive support for the full sweep of campaign play. As a second-wave retroclone, ACKS builds on the foundation of its predecessors by providing an integrated economic framework that seamlessly handles the transition from finding your first scroll in a dungeon and scribing it into your spellbook, to planning the caravan routes that will keep you supplied with the exotic beast parts that make your inks, to building a dungeon of your own beneath your wizards' tower so you can harvest ritual components from the resident monsters.

Autarch is a collaboration between Tavis Allison, The Mule Abides blogger and Fight On! contributor; Alexander Macris, publisher of the Escapist; Greg Tito, who has collaborated with Alex on the Escapist's Check for Traps column and with Tavis to create supplements and Gen Con tournaments for Goodman Games; and Ryan Browning, one of the participants in theDungeons & Dragons in Contemporary Art panel who has been lured from the studio to become Autarch's illustrator and cover artist.

Two More Boxes 'o Goodies

Got two more boxes in...

Black Blade Publishing
S&W Reference Sheets

Pacesetter Games
Vampire's Curse
Eruptor's Vengeance
Death on Signal Island

Another Box Arrived Today

This one containing...

Pacesetter Games
The Thing in the Valley
The Screaming Temple
The Grave of the Green Flame
Storm over Skyreach

More titles incoming...

Got another shipment of OSR goodness today!

Faster Monkey Games
Lesserton & Mor
Skull Mountain
Wheel of Evil
Realm of the Technomancer
Re-Energizers

More books incoming...

Got some more stuff in for the OSRG booth!

Black Blade Publishing
OSRIC hardback rule book
DCC 7 The Secret of Smugglers’ Cove adventure
8 ½ x 11 inch graph paper 
11 x 17 inch hex paper
11 x 17 inch graph paper
Monsters of Myth OSRIC hardback monster book

And they keep arriving...

Got another book in for the booth yesterday. The numbers keep growing. :)

Sine Nomine Publishing
Red Tide

And even More of What's on the Shelf

I realized that I should include Expeditious Retreat Press products as well as others'. :) So, the XRP products appearing at the OSRG booth #1541:

Malevolent & Benign (OSRIC bestiary)
Advanced Adventures #1: The Pod-Caverns of the Sinister Shroom
AA #2: The Red Mausoleum
AA #3: The Curse of the Witch Head
AA #4: The Prison of Meneptah
AA #5: The Flaming Footprints of Jilanth
AA #6: The Chasm of the Damned
AA #7: The Sarcophagus Legion
AA #8: The Seven Shirnes of Nav'k-Qar
AA #9: The Lost Pyramid of Imhotep
AA #10: The Lost Keys of Solitude
AA #11: The Conqueror Worm
AA #12: The Barrow Mound of Gravemoor
AA #13: White Dragon Run
AA #14: The Verdant Vault of Malakum
AA #15: Stonesky Delve
AA #16: Under Shattered Mountain
AA #17: The Frozen Wave Satsuma
AA #18: The Forsake Sepulcher
AA #19: The Secret of the Callair Hills
AA #20: The Riddle of Anadi
AA #21: The Obsidian Sands of Snycrates
Sorcery & Super Science Core Rules
The ZZZ Quick Guide to North America
Creatures Below the Shattered Moon
The Vulture Men of Waukegan
The Scourge of the Rat Men
A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe 2nd Edition
A Magical Society: Silk Road

More of What's on the Shelf at the OSRG Gen Con Booth

Just got another shipment in today - this time from Lamentations of the Flame Princess. We got several products from them for the OSRG booth at Gen Con (#1541). So here's another sneak peak at what'll be at the booth.

LotFP Grindhouse Edition boxes
Vornheim
Hammers of the God
Grinding Gear
Tower of the Stargazer
Weird New World

Fight On!

Wanted to let everyone know that Fight On! will be joining us at the OSRG booth. I'm glad to have some of their publications at the booth as I think its one of preeminent examples of how the OSR community can get together to make some great gaming material.

What's on the Shelf before the Shelf's Up

So I thought I should start making a list of products as they come in. Below are what we've already received from our various participants and these products will be on the shelves at Gen Con, booth 1541.

From Henchman Abuse
Anomalous Subsurface Environment

From Goblinoid Games
Labyrinth Lord
Advanced Edition Companion
Realms of Crawling Chaos
Mutant Future

That's what we've got so far, but there's many more on the way.... :)

On Track...

Wanted to drop a line letting everyone know that we've secured our tables and 4 more (yes 4!) display racks. That brings us up to 7 racks total. We've also sent the banners off to the printers and have just started receiving the first of the product shipments from everyone who's going to be at the booth.

I'm getting more and more excited the closer Gen Con gets. It's going to be a majestic sight to see all these old school products right next to each other. I'm a bit worried about creating a black hole of coolness. :)

Some Words From Henchman Abuse

Passing a message along from one of the OSRGers...

Put those dark elves back in their box and get your gonzo on! Riches, glory, and super-science await the bold and the clever in the deep places under the ground. This module describes the dinosaur- and wizard-infested future of the Earth, the city of Denethix, and the first level of the megadungeon that beckons from below: the Anomalous Subsurface Environment.

Henchman Abuse is proud to announce the publication of ASE1:  Anomalous Subsurface Environment.

If you'd like, go straight to Lulu (note there are 3 versions, scroll til you see the version that makes sense for you) BUY THIS MODULE! OR THE HENCHMAN GETS IT!

1 seat left out of 30 at OSRIC Tourney at Gen Con

Just want to let everyone know that there is only 1 seat left in the Expeditious Retreat Press OSRIC tourney at Gen Con 2011. 29 seats have been taken in the first day of registration. The last seat is for RPG1122706.

Additionally,  the two Mutant Future games blogged about on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 are full.

Gen Con Master List of Games

Gen Con has opened up the 2011 event calender for viewing and, IMO, THIS is the best way of doing such. It's a massive list of all the various rpg systems being played. Take some time and look about - there's quite a few OSR games going on.

Old School Rocks!

So Shawn over at Rather Gamey came up with what I think is the best OSR logo: his Old School Rocks image at the end of this post. I contacted Shawn asking for his permission to use the logo for T shirts and for images at the OSRG booth (#1541) at Gen Con 20ll. He graciously allowed us to use his logo. Thanks Shawn! I think the logo is so great in that it resolves the "What does the "R" in OSR mean?" question perfectly: it doesn't matter what it means 'cause they all ROCK!!! :)

So I've set up an OSRG Cafe Press site selling T shirts at a $5 markup from cost to help fund acquiring the 4 rotating display cases we're going to have at the booth this year since we were lucky enough to be awarded a Gen Con marketing fellowship increasing our booth size from 10x10 to 20x10. Suzi and I will be there sporting the shirts in the booth, but we won't have any to sell on site. So if you'd be so kind to pick up a T shirt and show your support of the OSRG, we'd greatly appreciate it.

1E/OSRIC games at Gen Con 2011

Below is the information for the Expeditious Retreat Press 1E/OSRIC Tourney at Gen Con 2011. This year there are 3 tables and up to 30 slots. All participants receive a coupon for a $5 discount on any Expeditious Retreat Press product at the Old-School Renaissance Group Booth (#1541) at the close of the tourney and the winners receive an additional free Advanced Adventure. Last year's tourney was a great success and hopefully fun will be had by all again this year.

The Obsidian Sands of Syncrates
RPG1122705
Sagamore Ballroom Open D&D Area :: 3--4
Friday, 8am-12noon

Trapped in a massive black-sand coliseum, before you stands a gigantic marble statue of a warrior at least 300 feet tall! How will you return to the world from which you were taken? Surely something upon the obsidian sands will provide the way…

The Obsidian Sands of Syncrates
RPG1122706
Sagamore Ballroom Open D&D Area :: 3--4
Friday, 8am-12noon 

Trapped in a massive black-sand coliseum, before you stands a gigantic marble statue of a warrior at least 300 feet tall! How will you return to the world from which you were taken? Surely something upon the obsidian sands will provide the way…

The Obsidian Sands of Syncrates
RPG1124790
Sagamore Ballroom Open D&D Area :: 3--4
Friday, 8am-12noon 

Trapped in a massive black-sand coliseum, before you stands a gigantic marble statue of a warrior at least 300 feet tall! How will you return to the world from which you were taken? Surely something upon the obsidian sands will provide the way…

Labrynth Lord games at Gen Con 2011

I've just been informed of two Labyrinth Lord games going on at Gen Con 2011. They're being run by The Dead Games Society.

Watch Tower Hill (RPG1120283)
Thursday, 7 PM - 11 PM
Basic D&D / Labyrinth Lord
Rumors abound of the rich treasures hidden beneath the old ruined watch tower on the hill outside of town. And yet, nobody seems to directly know anyone who has returned from there with any treasure at all. Will you succeed where others have failed? An introductory Basic D&D game (Labyrinth Lord compatible). Newbies welcome, characters will be provided.

To The Rescue! (RPG1120282)
Friday, 7 PM - 11 PM
Basic D&D / Labyrinth Lord
An evil sorcerer has escaped from the Pits of Gundun, and the noble knight who put him there has gone missing. The kingdom needs your help: rescue the knight and bring the sorcerer to justice, and you will be richly rewarded. A mid-level range Basic D&D / Labyrinth Lord adventure for 4-8 players.

Some Mutant Future Games at Gen Con 2011

Sniderman over at The Savage AfterWorld has posted the information on the two Mutant Future games he'll be running at Gen Con Indy 2011.

RPG1120005 - Gimme Shelter
Mutant Future - 6 players - 4 hours
Friday, August 5 at 10 a.m.Location: Crowne Plaza :: Victoria Stn A :: 1
Food and shelter are precious commodities in the post-apocalyptic future. When the party finds a recently-unearthed Ancient bomb shelter, the spoils appear ripe for the picking. You're not going to let a few signs emblazoned with radiation symbols and crossbones keep you away, are you?

RPG1120003 - Dead in the Water
Mutant Future - 6 players - 4 hours
Friday, August 5 at 4 p.m.Location: Crowne Plaza :: Victoria Stn A :: 2
Water-logged abominations have been coming ashore, attacking villages along the coast of the Rainbow Sea and dragging victims off to a watery doom. Can a ragtag party of future mutants discover the answers on the Island of Fire?

The OSRG wins Gen Con Marketing Fellowship & Assigned Booth Number!

The Old-School Renaissance Group has been awarded a Gen Con marketing fellowship! This means that we're going to have a 200 sq ft endcap booth instead of a 100 sq ft normal booth. Additionally, we're going to be featured in a special area of the Gen Con Indy 2011 program book. Also, we've been assigned booth number 1541 in the dealers hall. You can download a PDF of the dealers hall here.

So thanks to everyone in the OSR and to Gen Con for making our first show even that much better!

Discounts at the OSRG booth.

Our first discount offer at the OSRG booth! This is from Lamentations of the Flame Princess. James Raggi said at his blog....

I have arranged it so that Pembrooktonshire Gardening Society membership cards will be accepted at the OSRG Gen Con booth and at the North Texas RPG Convention for LotFP releases only.

So if you're a member of the Pembrooktonshire Gardening Society, your membership will be honored at the OSRG booth at Gen Con 2011.

Booth Number Undetermined

Just a heads up to let everyone know that our booth number is still undetermined by Gen Con. As soon as we hear from them, we'll let everyone know as well as provide a link to the convention center dealer's hall map. This year the dealer's hall is going to be in one of the newly constructed areas so everything is going to be a different place.

Expeditious Retreat Press GM support at Gen Con

Heya all, here's some information from Expeditious Retreat Press concerning Gen Con 2011 and the OSRG booth.

Expeditious Retreat Press is looking for more tourney judges at our 1e Gen Con tourney this year featuring the Advanced Adventure The Obsidian Sands of Syncrates. We've got two GMs so far, but I'd love to have more, as there always seems to be more players wanting to play 1e at Gen Con than we've got GMs. Our tourney GMs get a free signed copy of the tourney adventure along with an additional free copy of an Advanced Adventure of their choice that they can pick up from the Old School Renaissance Group booth.

Additionally, here's a deal if you're interested in running any other of our Advanced Adventures at Gen Con 2011. Let me know which Advanced Adventure your running and I'll send you a free PDF copy of that Advanced Adventure and we'll also give you a signed copy of the Gen Con 2011 tourney adventure, The Obsidian Sands of Syncrates when you drop by the Old School Renaissance Group booth at Gen Con.

So please contact me at josephbrowning@gmail.com and we'll get more old-school gaming going on at this years Gen Con.

We're Gen Con Bound!

The Old School Renaissance Group will have a booth at Gen Con Indy 2011! We'll be featuring Old-School products from at least 9 OSR companies; Black Blade Publishing, Brave Halfling Publishing, Expeditious Retreat Press, Frog God Games, Goblinoid Games, Henchman Abuse, Pacesetter Games & Simulations, Sine Nomine Publishing, and all the way from Finland,  Lamentations of the Flame Princess. Check out the links on the left termed "Who To Blame" for individual information. Suzi and I will be running the booth at the convention. The Old-School Renaissance Group has arrived to help the OSR be a force at Gen Con this year and I'm tremendously excited by this development.

Hopefully the booth will act as the hub for the OSR community at Gen Con. I'd like to have a "master list" of all the Old-School gaming going on at the convention at the booth to help direct people towards those games.

I also want to let the entire OSR community know that the booth is open to everyone's products as long as we have space. That means if you've published an OSR product you can have your product for sale at Gen Con 2011 with all of the other awesome OSR products already committed to the booth. Much of the strength of the OSR comes from individuals and we want to have the community there in as great a capacity as possible.

So if you're interested in joining the OSRG and having products at our booth, contact me at josephbrowning@gmail.com for the details.

Hello!

Welcome to the new blog! We're glad to be here and there will be more information in the near future.