Capricon 31
Well another convention has come and gone, my fourth since moving to Illinois. Gone now are the days of getting only one weekend a year to relax and escape reality, now I have 4 or 5 opportunities! I'm living the dream! This one was my first ever four-day-long convention, running from Thursday evening through mid-Sunday afternoon.
Capricon is a decent-sized convention, though nowhere as big as I-Con back in NY. I had a pretty good time, most due to the fact that for the first time I tried something I hadn't done before at a convention: the gaming track. In the past gaming tracks all seemed to be limited to RPGs, LARPS, and lengthy strategy game competitions that required players to bring their own parts (like cards for Magic or armies for Warhammer).
Capricon's game track offered mostly board and card games, however, and, as I found out, had a slew of choices to pick from and not just the ones listed on the schedule! Over the course of the convention I got to try: Chez Cthulu (a funny card game like MTV's The Real World meets Lovecraft), St. Petersberg (a German-style board game, kind of complicated and a little dry), Space Pirate Amazon Ninja Catgirls (been wanting to try this for years!), Word on the Street (a simple but challenging board game vaguely similar to Scattergories), Cthulhu Dice (everybody goes mad! wheee!), Zombie Dice (a simplified variant of Farkle, with brains! and zombies!) Monty Python Fluxx (I LOVE the singing card!), and Ninja Burger (a bit complicated for my taste but still kinda fun). I also was given some gifts by the track leader after trying some of these games with him Thursday evening, as a thank-you for being willing to give their track such a dedicated try (a try that would continue throughout the con). He gave me my own copy of Zombie Dice, a copy of Knightmare Chess 2 (a card game that one uses in conjunction with a typical chess set, altering how the chess game is played), and also a little metal Illuminati pin (I have never played Illuminati, really should do something about that). This was very generous!!
There were a few panels I went to. One was a somewhat illuminating discussion on the film and literary genre of cyberpunk, what defines it, examples of it, and why it seems to be going out of fashion in recent years. Another panel discussed sf and fantasy book cover art - its future in the world of electronic publishing, the matter of sexism and racism influencing how books are marketed, and the changing trends artists and publishers are seeing/creating with regards to creating cover art that will help get consumers' attention more effectively. Another panel discussed bringing supernatural creatures into outer space and other planets, what would be needed, what the effects and consequences might be - I felt this was a gold mine for humor, but one of the panelists kept taking the subject way too seriously I felt. And there was a very, very entertaining and informative panel on beginners' steampunk costuming, with tips on how to get started without spending lots of money, and what aspects to keep in mind to create the appropriate look. This last panel I almost did not attend - I was supposed to go to a pair of filk performances by a husband and wife team, but the performers cancelled due to a death in the family, and then I was going to attend a panel instead on working with reference librarians for creative writing purposes, but my ladyfriend Heather, and one of the panelists who I met in the con suite, convinced me to go to the costuming panel. I'm glad I did! With Heather's help I just might pull this off in time!
I did catch some of the music at Capricon. The Great Luke Ski gave an evening concert, the second time I've seen him in person (last time was WindyCon in November, where Heather and I met). I find him funny and enjoyable, though not all his music hits the mark with me, and I am not sure but I get the impression he shares the same stage fright I get when performing on stage. Amy McNally gave a fiddle concert that was quite pleasant, though I did not stay for the whole thing. Jen Midkiff's performance was truly wonderful - this woman is a harpist and singer, member of "Wild Mercy" which is a filk group and which was the Filk GOH at the con. I was unable to attend Wild Mercy's concert due to a schedule conflict, but I am very veyr glad I got to see Ms. Midkiff's performance. She has a very pretty voice (not as lovely as Heather Dale's, but she's up there!), and she's written some very good filk songs. I am looking forward to her first solo albums, which are in the works. Lastly, I attended for one night only the open filk circle. I had a bad experience with the local filk scene at WindyCon, and was very uncertain of ever bothering again. This time around, things fortunately went smoothly. I got to participate without getting stepped on or ignored, and enjoyed the songs others had to share. Hopefully the next con open filk I try will go just as nicely.
I met a couple of authors, and got their autographs. One was planned, one was not. I expected to meet Lawrence Watt-Evans, and got him to sign a couple of books of his I own (including "Split Heirs" co-written with Esther Friesner, and I got him to tell the story of how they wrote it and came up with this very funny novel). He also gave me for free a copy of his novel "The Rebirth of Wonder" which went out of print some time ago with a lot of remaindered copies. What I did not expect was meeting author Donald J. Bingle. He's not exactly a major name in sf and fantasy, at least as far as I am aware, but he has written many short stories that appear in those theme anthologies put out by Daw Books. I saw that he had in front of him, as an example, a copy of "Gamer Fantastic", which I just happened to have in my coat pocket (been reading it gradually when I'm out and about and have to wait for something), so I got him to sign my copy where his story appears.
I ate semi-decently. As anyone will tell you, most cons' con suites offer food one can't live on for a weekend, and this was mostly true of Capricon's con suite, though they did offer a variety of fruit in the mornings as part of the continental breakfasts, and at least one day saw them offering hot soups and even beef ravioli in crock pots. I bought and consumed a slightly stale box of Pocky (I finally tried it recently, it's not bad, though I keep fearing people will see me eat it and assume I'm a hardcore anime fan). The best food came from the hotel's restaurant - the bar area served a limited menu of fairly affordable food (though still pricey compared to elsewhere), including a very nicely cooked cheeseburger (the chef clearly understands 'well-done' means 'no pink'!!!) and a very fancy "upside down" tuna melt that was sooooo good I felt it was actually underpriced!
Other activities included 2 nights of Farscape parties run by friends of my household (one night included an "Elvin Toast" where I drank to my departed cousin Jeff's memory and boasted of how I'm listed by name on the first page of Claudia Christian's biography!), a brief visit to another party run by the planning staff for another convention, a few strolls through the art show (always a mixed bag of great and meh, but also always fun), and I got a massage from a therapist offering very inexpensive services.
And there was, of course, the shopping. The vendors' room was decently big, though nowhere near as big as what I-Con has. I saw a few familiar and friendly faces from DucKon and WindyCon. I limited my spending this year, and though once again I did go over budget I managed to keep it small:
- 1 20-sided die that acts as a d4 with repeated roman numerals on it
- 1 10-sided die with numbers in fancy script and a stylized skull symbol in place of the "10"
- Guillotine card game (this is an easy and fun card game, especially if you like collecting the heads of French nobility!)
- a sexy mermaid print by John E. Kaufmann (from the art show)
- a cute dragon-and-cat print by Stephanie Lynn (the cat is attempting to lovingly "nom" on a large dragon's foot)
- a music cd: "Procrastinators of the Apocalypse" by Cirque du So What? (starring Luke Ski) - this is proving to be a very mixed-bag, kinda wish I'd gotten something different now...
- Soylent Green on dvd (widescreen)
- a pair of decorated chopsticks
- several small pieces of brass decorations for eventual steampunk costume use
- a handful of new buttons
I also bought 9 used paperback books:
- The Metrognome & Other Stories - Alan Dean Foster (anthology of some of his short stories)
- The Outlaw Demon Wails - Kim Harrison
- The Dark Lady - Mike Resnick
- Time Travelers Strictly Cash - Spider Robinson (anthology, contains some non-Callahan-series short stories)
- Software - Rudy Rucker (cyberpunk novel)
- Dragon's Blood - Jane Yolen (expanded version of one of her short stories)
- Cascade Point - Timothy Zahn (anthology of some of his short stories)
- Wandering Stars - anthology of Jewish fantasy and sf
- Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi - first in the IJ novel series
There was also the usual array of freebies acquired - badge ribbons, bookmarks, pens, business cards, flyers, and contact info from friends and vendors. I also picked up a free games catalog, looks like mostly German-style board games. (I would have preferred a catalog from Steve Jackson Games or Looney Labs, I love their stuff!)
There were only a handful of Fails. There was a performance by a man dressed up as a pirate calling himself Bluebeard, supposedly doing an improv comedy show. I thought it bombed - nobody laughed, you could hardly hear him anyway, and I left after only 15 minutes. There was a "filk" performance by singer/guitarist Cathy McManamon. She has a pretty voice, and I liked what she sang at the open filk circle, but the songs she chose for her concert performance I thought were rather dull and not very filk-y, so I did not stay for the whole thing. And I missed a few panels and performances in the mornings due to having trouble getting out the door on time - next time I go to a convention over a half hour's drive away, especially an energy-draining four-day convention, I spend at least one night at the hotel to avoid some of the commute! (Or at least I'm gonna try, hotels are more and more expensive.)
Overall, I had a great time and will definitely go again next year. Next, a very cheap and very local gaming con this coming April...
ETA: I just realized I never wrote about my experience at WindyCon this past November. Memories of lots of specific details have already faded, but I mostly had a great time. I met my current ladyfriend Heather there (and she's been a wonderful presence in my life since then!). I FINALLY made serious contact with the local SCA (DucKon's contact proved to be a false start - now I'm involved with a couple of local groups almost every week, and I've been to my first local event). I got to see the exquisite Heather Dale perform live again, and she remembered me from the house concert in Buffalo last March. Shopping was good, filk concerts were good, open filk circles were bad. The rest is a faded blur now.
Capricon is a decent-sized convention, though nowhere as big as I-Con back in NY. I had a pretty good time, most due to the fact that for the first time I tried something I hadn't done before at a convention: the gaming track. In the past gaming tracks all seemed to be limited to RPGs, LARPS, and lengthy strategy game competitions that required players to bring their own parts (like cards for Magic or armies for Warhammer).
Capricon's game track offered mostly board and card games, however, and, as I found out, had a slew of choices to pick from and not just the ones listed on the schedule! Over the course of the convention I got to try: Chez Cthulu (a funny card game like MTV's The Real World meets Lovecraft), St. Petersberg (a German-style board game, kind of complicated and a little dry), Space Pirate Amazon Ninja Catgirls (been wanting to try this for years!), Word on the Street (a simple but challenging board game vaguely similar to Scattergories), Cthulhu Dice (everybody goes mad! wheee!), Zombie Dice (a simplified variant of Farkle, with brains! and zombies!) Monty Python Fluxx (I LOVE the singing card!), and Ninja Burger (a bit complicated for my taste but still kinda fun). I also was given some gifts by the track leader after trying some of these games with him Thursday evening, as a thank-you for being willing to give their track such a dedicated try (a try that would continue throughout the con). He gave me my own copy of Zombie Dice, a copy of Knightmare Chess 2 (a card game that one uses in conjunction with a typical chess set, altering how the chess game is played), and also a little metal Illuminati pin (I have never played Illuminati, really should do something about that). This was very generous!!
There were a few panels I went to. One was a somewhat illuminating discussion on the film and literary genre of cyberpunk, what defines it, examples of it, and why it seems to be going out of fashion in recent years. Another panel discussed sf and fantasy book cover art - its future in the world of electronic publishing, the matter of sexism and racism influencing how books are marketed, and the changing trends artists and publishers are seeing/creating with regards to creating cover art that will help get consumers' attention more effectively. Another panel discussed bringing supernatural creatures into outer space and other planets, what would be needed, what the effects and consequences might be - I felt this was a gold mine for humor, but one of the panelists kept taking the subject way too seriously I felt. And there was a very, very entertaining and informative panel on beginners' steampunk costuming, with tips on how to get started without spending lots of money, and what aspects to keep in mind to create the appropriate look. This last panel I almost did not attend - I was supposed to go to a pair of filk performances by a husband and wife team, but the performers cancelled due to a death in the family, and then I was going to attend a panel instead on working with reference librarians for creative writing purposes, but my ladyfriend Heather, and one of the panelists who I met in the con suite, convinced me to go to the costuming panel. I'm glad I did! With Heather's help I just might pull this off in time!
I did catch some of the music at Capricon. The Great Luke Ski gave an evening concert, the second time I've seen him in person (last time was WindyCon in November, where Heather and I met). I find him funny and enjoyable, though not all his music hits the mark with me, and I am not sure but I get the impression he shares the same stage fright I get when performing on stage. Amy McNally gave a fiddle concert that was quite pleasant, though I did not stay for the whole thing. Jen Midkiff's performance was truly wonderful - this woman is a harpist and singer, member of "Wild Mercy" which is a filk group and which was the Filk GOH at the con. I was unable to attend Wild Mercy's concert due to a schedule conflict, but I am very veyr glad I got to see Ms. Midkiff's performance. She has a very pretty voice (not as lovely as Heather Dale's, but she's up there!), and she's written some very good filk songs. I am looking forward to her first solo albums, which are in the works. Lastly, I attended for one night only the open filk circle. I had a bad experience with the local filk scene at WindyCon, and was very uncertain of ever bothering again. This time around, things fortunately went smoothly. I got to participate without getting stepped on or ignored, and enjoyed the songs others had to share. Hopefully the next con open filk I try will go just as nicely.
I met a couple of authors, and got their autographs. One was planned, one was not. I expected to meet Lawrence Watt-Evans, and got him to sign a couple of books of his I own (including "Split Heirs" co-written with Esther Friesner, and I got him to tell the story of how they wrote it and came up with this very funny novel). He also gave me for free a copy of his novel "The Rebirth of Wonder" which went out of print some time ago with a lot of remaindered copies. What I did not expect was meeting author Donald J. Bingle. He's not exactly a major name in sf and fantasy, at least as far as I am aware, but he has written many short stories that appear in those theme anthologies put out by Daw Books. I saw that he had in front of him, as an example, a copy of "Gamer Fantastic", which I just happened to have in my coat pocket (been reading it gradually when I'm out and about and have to wait for something), so I got him to sign my copy where his story appears.
I ate semi-decently. As anyone will tell you, most cons' con suites offer food one can't live on for a weekend, and this was mostly true of Capricon's con suite, though they did offer a variety of fruit in the mornings as part of the continental breakfasts, and at least one day saw them offering hot soups and even beef ravioli in crock pots. I bought and consumed a slightly stale box of Pocky (I finally tried it recently, it's not bad, though I keep fearing people will see me eat it and assume I'm a hardcore anime fan). The best food came from the hotel's restaurant - the bar area served a limited menu of fairly affordable food (though still pricey compared to elsewhere), including a very nicely cooked cheeseburger (the chef clearly understands 'well-done' means 'no pink'!!!) and a very fancy "upside down" tuna melt that was sooooo good I felt it was actually underpriced!
Other activities included 2 nights of Farscape parties run by friends of my household (one night included an "Elvin Toast" where I drank to my departed cousin Jeff's memory and boasted of how I'm listed by name on the first page of Claudia Christian's biography!), a brief visit to another party run by the planning staff for another convention, a few strolls through the art show (always a mixed bag of great and meh, but also always fun), and I got a massage from a therapist offering very inexpensive services.
And there was, of course, the shopping. The vendors' room was decently big, though nowhere near as big as what I-Con has. I saw a few familiar and friendly faces from DucKon and WindyCon. I limited my spending this year, and though once again I did go over budget I managed to keep it small:
- 1 20-sided die that acts as a d4 with repeated roman numerals on it
- 1 10-sided die with numbers in fancy script and a stylized skull symbol in place of the "10"
- Guillotine card game (this is an easy and fun card game, especially if you like collecting the heads of French nobility!)
- a sexy mermaid print by John E. Kaufmann (from the art show)
- a cute dragon-and-cat print by Stephanie Lynn (the cat is attempting to lovingly "nom" on a large dragon's foot)
- a music cd: "Procrastinators of the Apocalypse" by Cirque du So What? (starring Luke Ski) - this is proving to be a very mixed-bag, kinda wish I'd gotten something different now...
- Soylent Green on dvd (widescreen)
- a pair of decorated chopsticks
- several small pieces of brass decorations for eventual steampunk costume use
- a handful of new buttons
I also bought 9 used paperback books:
- The Metrognome & Other Stories - Alan Dean Foster (anthology of some of his short stories)
- The Outlaw Demon Wails - Kim Harrison
- The Dark Lady - Mike Resnick
- Time Travelers Strictly Cash - Spider Robinson (anthology, contains some non-Callahan-series short stories)
- Software - Rudy Rucker (cyberpunk novel)
- Dragon's Blood - Jane Yolen (expanded version of one of her short stories)
- Cascade Point - Timothy Zahn (anthology of some of his short stories)
- Wandering Stars - anthology of Jewish fantasy and sf
- Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi - first in the IJ novel series
There was also the usual array of freebies acquired - badge ribbons, bookmarks, pens, business cards, flyers, and contact info from friends and vendors. I also picked up a free games catalog, looks like mostly German-style board games. (I would have preferred a catalog from Steve Jackson Games or Looney Labs, I love their stuff!)
There were only a handful of Fails. There was a performance by a man dressed up as a pirate calling himself Bluebeard, supposedly doing an improv comedy show. I thought it bombed - nobody laughed, you could hardly hear him anyway, and I left after only 15 minutes. There was a "filk" performance by singer/guitarist Cathy McManamon. She has a pretty voice, and I liked what she sang at the open filk circle, but the songs she chose for her concert performance I thought were rather dull and not very filk-y, so I did not stay for the whole thing. And I missed a few panels and performances in the mornings due to having trouble getting out the door on time - next time I go to a convention over a half hour's drive away, especially an energy-draining four-day convention, I spend at least one night at the hotel to avoid some of the commute! (Or at least I'm gonna try, hotels are more and more expensive.)
Overall, I had a great time and will definitely go again next year. Next, a very cheap and very local gaming con this coming April...
ETA: I just realized I never wrote about my experience at WindyCon this past November. Memories of lots of specific details have already faded, but I mostly had a great time. I met my current ladyfriend Heather there (and she's been a wonderful presence in my life since then!). I FINALLY made serious contact with the local SCA (DucKon's contact proved to be a false start - now I'm involved with a couple of local groups almost every week, and I've been to my first local event). I got to see the exquisite Heather Dale perform live again, and she remembered me from the house concert in Buffalo last March. Shopping was good, filk concerts were good, open filk circles were bad. The rest is a faded blur now.