Britcon 2005

Britcon 2005 is a get together for UK RPGnetters In Birmingham on Saturday 6th August, 2005. This page is a resource for setting out details of the event and helping with collaborative planning.

(I realise it's a bit on the edge of the stated purpose of the wiki. If people disagree with the inclusion of pages of this type, please say so in the attached discussion area. I hope, though, that it can stay up till the event.)

A note for those not used to updating wiki pages: when you're editing, at the bottom next to the Save button is a Preview button. This lets you check your changes and get them right before the final save. It's better than multiple saves because it avoids cluttering up the page history, making it easier to see the changes and reducing the storage requirements.

About the event

Being held on Saturday August 6th 2005 1pm-Late

at

The Tap and Spile Inn,

10-16 Gas St

Birmingham

B1 2JT

The Tap and Spile is an oddly old-fashioned English pub - odd because it's only a couple of years old and its nearest neighbours are the ultra new bars of Broad Street. It is an oasis of tranquillity and charm, however, amidst those temples of yuppiedom and its extensive range of real ales, cider and cheerful grub make it well worth a look. It ranges over three floors and must have about six or seven separate rooms, all of which have a quaintly cosy feel. An ideal spot in which to relax and watch canal life drift by.

There will be a fully stocked bar with bottled beers, real ales, draughts, spirits and liquours and plenty of soft drinks and food is availabile for order until 10pm. The management of the pub have asked for attendees to please not bring your own food to the venue. They have a full snack and meal menu at incredibly reasonable prices (most expensive meal on their menu is their mixed grill which is £5.95).

Children are welcome but must be restricted to the private function room at all times.

The room itself has an old-world charm yet offers beautiful views over the recently refurbished Gas Street Canal Basin which now forms the very heart of the restored and flourishing canals of Birmingham.

If you require specific directions to the venue then email me at jona.rpgnet@gmail.com

Depending on attendee numbers there will be a small fee to cover the room hire (the total cost for the room is £100 so I am expecting a fee of £5 (or less depending on numbers) to cover it).

Directions

Don't forget your dice!

Programme

Friday August 5th

Meet and greet in afternoon/evening. Drinks, maybe food. Optional attendence.

Saturday August 6th

1300 - Doors open officially (although I will be there from midday-ish setting the room up - anyone want to come and help you're more than welcome).

1300 - 1400: Meet and greet.

1400 - 1700: Gaming slot 1

1700 - 1800: Interval period (food can be ordered).

1800 - 2100: Gaming slot 2

2100 - 2200: Interval period (food unavailable at this time for order).

2200 - 0100: Gaming slot 3.

0100 - Close: Farewells, hugs, and the exchange of telephone numbers (except for me who will tidy the room up).

All times approx. I've shoved in the intervals to allow for over-running or even early starting. The three hour slots are the core period but if you want it to be four hours for your session then just ask to start it half an hour earlier and end half an hour later.

Sunday August 7th

Late morning/lunchtime: Optional extra gaming - Universalis, a game of unlimited stories (http://www.ramshead.indie-rpgs.com/). Suggest meeting at the Holiday Inn Express where many attendees are staying. This would run if enough are interested with no limits on numbers (though large numbers may make for an interesting, if trying, experience!) and could run throughout the morning, over lunch and into the afternoon as desired.

What games are running?

If you're providing a game, please give it a paragraph below. Useful information to include is whether it's an offer to run or a definite go, and when it's running if that's known (please arrange these in the right time order).

Boardgames (throughout the day)

All are tentative offers - these games may or may not be run depending on interest/time

Risk 2210A.D.

Zombies!!!

When Darkness Comes

Formula De

Carcassonne (Hunters and Gatherers)

Settlers of Catan

War of the Ring

Shadows over Camelot

Various Cheapass Games (to quote Lee Williams)

Slot 1 (1400-1700)

• Call of Cthulhu: The Saddleworth Beast - 3rd Level Fighter

It is the year of our Lord 1593.

A group of travellers are making their way across the Pennines from Lancashire into the County of York when ill weather forces them to stay the night in a coaching inn. Thus, these poor unfortunates begin a nightmare descent into violence, madness and horror.

A BRP Call of Cthulhu scenario for up to eight players. Pre-generated characters will be provided.

Players who have expressed an interest thus far are:

Bubbles, Drexel, Elbast, Fer, General_Tangent, JackT, Lee Williams, Olympias and DigitalMage.

As you can see, I'm running it twice, so if there are clashes with another game hopefully I can accommodate you. If you have a preference as to which session you wish to play in, if you could let me know? Thanks!

• D02: A Chaptastic Adventure - Aoibhill

There really isn't much to say about this one beyond that it will know no limit. Any number of players taken, but all players will need to have a pencil with rubber and at least 2 coins they are not planning to spend. This is a relatively freeform system and character generation will take place at the beginning of the timeslot.

• Great Ork Gods - Mr Jack

Great Ork Gods is a riotous game of savage and chaotic Orks and the gods that hate them. Character creation takes less than ten minutes (if that!) and the rules are real simple so we should be able to crack straight on to the pillaging and burning! There might even be a sneak preview of the long-rumoured finished version.

Players who have expressed an interest (four or five players would be Ideal): JonA, BlackSheep

Slot 2 (1800-2100)

• SLA Industries - JonA

A game of dark violence in a nightmarish urban city known as Mort. A place that for 900 years has been building higher and higher and pushing the older parts of the city into decay and down under ground. From the gleaming skyscrapers of Mort Central, through the high class residences of Uptown, down through the uniformly grey and depressive surburbia. Then beyond the Wall lies the segregated world of Downtown. Where all of society's dregs eek out an meagre existance of desperation, trying to survive long enough to get home to watch TV - the only thing they live for. Yet all around them lies a world of horror, darkness, madness, chaos, crime and extreme violence (brought to you live and direct, 24/7 on SLA Industries 1001 TV channels).

Under the streets of Mort lurks an even darker horror. From gangs of youths roaming the walkways and collapsed streets and buildings to terrorist cells planning the fall of SLA from their sewer hideouts. Not to forgetting the horrific mutated creatures from the Cannibal Sectors who penetrate the lowest levels of the city to feed. Monstrous creatures of a dark foul nature - Carriens, Cannibal Pigs and other foul denizens - some native to Mort, others from worlds far beyond.

The players are "Operatives" (piece workers) for SLA Industries. A Big Brother-esque megacorporation that controls everything. Or at least that's what they tell everyone. Mr Slayer runs the show and has done for 900 years. He tells you he will provide for you if you serve him well. Your job is to serve and protect SLA Industries by rooting out traitors, subversives, criminals and those that Slayer wants silenced. Don't ask questions though. You wouldn't understand the answer anyway. Just do your job, do it well and you will be rewarded. Fail and you will disappear.

The Blue Murder Squad

Ascendance – Wraith Raider (Kick Murder) Bubbles – Wraith Raider (Scout) Elbast – Human (Scout) Fer – Chagrin Stormer (Strike) Yermum - Shaktar (Kick Murder) Chris (my friend) – Brain Waster (Death)

Two empty slots available.

As for the adventure itself? It's called The Beckoning Darkness... and that's all I'll tell you.

• Warhammer: Arrows of Outrageous Fortune - Whymme

Being experienced bowmen, you have gathered at the monastery of Saint Lucas for the bi-annual archery tournament. The weather is fine, the ale tastes good and all is going well until you find the body ...

A WFRP II game for about four players. Pre-generated characters in their second or third careers will be provided. This game might move to the second slot, if that fits better. You can register at the day, I'm not accepting earlier registrations.

Warning: this game has been played before, at TimCon 1, at Easter last year. If you played this scenario back then, you might not want to do so again. I might not let you, anyway. I will probably run the same scenario a week later, at ConSternation, and, if I'm not tired of it by then, at KaasCon as well.

Interested players: JackT

• Call of Cthulhu: The Saddleworth Beast - 3rd Level Fighter

It is the year of our Lord 1593.

A group of travellers are making their way across the Pennines from Lancashire into the County of York when ill weather forces them to stay the night in a coaching inn. Thus, these poor unfortunates begin a nightmare descent into violence, madness and horror.

A BRP Call of Cthulhu scenario for up to eight players. Pre-generated characters will be provided.

Players who have expressed an interest thus far are:

Bubbles, Drexel, Elbast, Fer, General_Tangent, JackT, Lee Williams, Olympias and DigitalMage.

As you can see, I'm running it twice, so if there are clashes with another game hopefully I can accommodate you. If you have a preference as to which session you wish to play in, if you could let me know? Thanks!

• Shadowrun 3rd Edition - New Horizon - DigitalMage

"It is the Year of the Comet. A magical artefact must be retrieved from a missing ship. But there is something waiting, something new to the world, something beyond death...". "New Horizon" is a one shot scenario with a horror theme for up to 6 players.

Please add your name below if you want to play...

Slot 3 (2200-0100)

• D02: A Chaptastic Adventure - Aoibhill

There really isn't much to say about this one beyond that it will know no limit. Any number of players taken, but all players will need to have a pencil with rubber and at least 2 coins they are not planning to spend. This is a relatively freeform system and character generation will take place at the beginning of the timeslot.

• Blue Planet - JonA

A somewhat gritty/realistic frontier sci-fi RPG set on a waterworld colonised by humans. The rules are very user friendly. This is a tentative offer to run a BP game in Slot 3 (tentative because I've never played Blue Planet let alone run it).

As for the adventure - it'll involve the build up to and centre around the first race (the inaugral event) of the 100 Hydrospan Challenge Cup. The first race of the Cup being a flat out endurance run from New Freemantle to Haven with the boats hitting 300mph in open water. The players will be either at the team's land bases or in the the chase boats/planes.

• 100 Being the current Poseidon year.

Interested players (limit of four): YerMum, Mr Jack, Whymme