Pseudodragon - March 2019

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Editor’s Notes

Welcome to another year of university, which is also another year closer to our inevitable demise and the subsequent heat death of the universe. Normally, there would be both an Editor’s Note and a Dragon’s Belch prefacing the magazine – however, as I have recently also become the club’s president, it feels redundant and narcissistic. Therefore, this is a strange mishmash of both. Hopefully, this year will go well for everyone. If we are lucky, good karma will give us easy assignments and work promotions. Otherwise, there is a small chance of death and a high chance of at least one of our members getting dive-bombed by seagulls. If it’s the latter, I wouldn’t recommend looking on the bright side of life. After all, the bright side is up, and up is where the seagulls will be waiting to pounce.

This edition focuses on the DMing side of games and roleplay, and came about through hassling all in earshot over the course of several months. From first-time dungeon masters to former ARG members who have started their own LARP (Live Action Role Play) campaigns, there is a plethora of related and well-written content.

On the presidential side of things, ARG appears to be doing splendidly. Aside from a long-awaited name change that actually reflects what the club does, it has also had an increase in participates for Wednesday night board games. Tuesday roleplaying seems to be going as strong as ever, and hopefully we’ll get some new campaigns off the ground after Newbie’s week.

Enjoy.

– Sarah Albom

Roles of the Officers

Positions in the Auckland Roleplaying Guild

Executive Officers

The role of the President is to:

a. ensure that this Constitution and the bylaws and regulations are followed,

b. convene Meetings and establish whether or not a quorum is present,

c. chair Meetings of the Club and the Committee, deciding who may speak and when,

d. oversee the operation of the Club,

e. organise sponsorship for the Club,

f. provide a report on the operations of the Club at each Annual General Meeting.

The role of the Secretary is to:

a. record the minutes of Club Meetings and Committee Meetings,

b. keep and maintain the Register of Members, and the Constitution, Bylaws and Regulations of the Club,

c. keep and maintain records of:

· any terms and conditions of affiliation imposed on the Club from time to time by the Granting Authority over and above those prescribed by the Constitution of AUSA,

· any waiver by the Granting Authority of any terms and conditions of affiliation that would ordinarily be imposed on the Club by the Constitution of AUSA, and make such records available to Members on request,

d. hold the Club’s records, documents and books, except those required for the Treasurer’s function,

e. make the Club’s records, documents and books available to Members, and to such organs and officers of the Supervising Authority as the Supervising Authority may from time to time require,

f. provide such notice to the Supervising Authority of acts, omissions and decisions of the Club as the Supervising Authority may require,

g. receive and reply to correspondence as required by the Committee,

h. arrange bookings of venues for Club events, including but not limited to regular game nights,

i. organise storage for such of the Club’s fixed assets as are not in the custody of the Librarian,

j. forward the annual financial statements for the Club to the Registrar upon their approval by the Members at an Annual General Meeting,

k. advise the Registrar of any changes to this Constitution.

The role of the Treasurer is to:

a. keep proper accounting records of the Club’s financial transactions to allow the Club’s financial position to be readily ascertained,

b. make such records available for inspection to Members and to such organs and officers of the Supervising Authority as the Supervising Authority may from time to time require,

c. keep and maintain the Club’s fixed asset register,

d. prepare annual financial statements, in accordance with the Club’s accounting policies, for presentation at each Annual General Meeting,

e. provide a financial report at each Annual General Meeting,

f. provide such financial information to the Committee as the Committee may require.

Non-Executive Officers

The role of the Vice President is to:

a. convene and chair meetings of the Club and the Committee, and carry out the President’s other duties, during the absence or incapacity of the President,

b. notify Members of Club Meetings and other Club events as directed by the Committee.

The role of the Tournaments Officer is to organise, arrange sponsorship for, advertise and run the Club’s gaming and role-playing conventions, and to ensure that Members are given the opportunity to attend and participate in such conventions.

The role of the Board Games Officer is to ensure that regular Club activities are scheduled and held for the purposes of playing board games, card games and other games of a like nature, and that Members are given the opportunity to participate in such activities.

The role of the LARP Officer is to:

a. ensure that regular Club activities are scheduled and held for the purposes of playing live-action role playing games (“LARPs”), and that Members are given the opportunity to participate in such activities,

b. where reasonably practicable, ensure that the Club holds at least one such LARP within the first month of each academic year of the University.

The role of the Magazine Editor is to:

a. solicit, select and edit content for the Club magazine, which shall be known as “Pseudodragon” until the Committee decides otherwise;

b. release issues of the said Club magazine at least once annually (in conjunction with the Annual General Meeting) and more often if input allows,

c. arrange sponsorship of the magazine and advertising therein.

Officer Outside the Committee

The role of the Librarian is to:

a. organise storage for the books and games of the Club, and for such other Club Assets as the Committee may from time to time direct;

b. assist the Treasurer in maintaining the Club’s fixed asset register;

c. lend books, games and other Club Assets to Members on such terms and conditions, subject to decisions of the Club or the Committee, as he or she shall think fit.

The role of the Marketing officer is to maintain the club website, email list, social media pages and other similar electronic resources as directed by the Committee.

The role of the BattleCry Liaison is to represent the Club to BattleCry Incorporated and to protect the Club’s interests in respect of the BattleCry convention and the “BattleCry” brand.

The Dying World – Interview with LARP GMs

LARP, or Live Action Role Play, is an interactive role-playing experience where players take on the personas of their characters. Like D&D, players act out the lives and actions of their characters. Unlike D&D, these portrayals happen during events that can last for a day, weekend, or in some cases in Europe, up to a week at a time. Rosāria and Callum are two members of the Auckland LARP community who are currently GMing (Game Master) their first campaign. They’ve agreed to an interview with the Pseudodragon Magazine to discuss what it’s like to GM a LARP.

Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Can you tell us a little about your new campaign The Dying World?

Callum: The Dying World starts at humanity’s lowest point, a place where humanity have lost almost everything. It’s about humanity taking a journey to save themselves, and to rediscover what being alive and being human used to mean before the fall. It’s set in a frontier town called Veraya, that’s the only place in the world that’s truly green.

Rosāria: It’s about humans looking for answers about how the world fell apart. It’s “arcanepunk”, so a setting with technology and magic working together. The Gods talk to you in radio static. Our biggest theme is probably that survival alone isn’t enough — being truly part of the world demands more from you.

This is the first time you’ve GMed a campaign. In preparing for your first game last September, what were the unexpected difficulties you encountered? What suggestions would you give to other first-time GMs to help their campaign preparation run smoothly?

Rosāria: Honestly a lot of our issues were things we couldn’t have forseen, like our caterer nearly needing to drop out. Crap happens that you can’t anticipate and you need to be able to take a deep breath and roll with it.

Callum: Always write more plot than you think you need. And remember they don’t know how its supposed to go, either.

Rosāria, inspiration for The Dying World originated from you. What has it been like to share and expand on those ideas with Callum?

Rosāria: I expected to be more territorial about the world of Adtera than I was in the end. As a setting, it’s nearly a decade old, and I worried a bit that I would be overprotective. But pulling those ideas apart and rebuilding them stronger was fun, and adding more to Adtera with Callum was MORE fun. He understood what I was trying to do and got on board with making it happen.

Callum: Yeah it has been a lot of fun. I love world building in general and Rosaria’s original concept was a great basis to really get my hands dirty and dig up some setting and history. It’s been a lot of fun getting into it and seeing what we can come up with.

Crew are individuals who help the GMs advance game plot and tell the story. They normally will play a variety of NPC roles. In your game, there were always crew interacting with players to help populate the world, alongside crew who were meant to advance plot. What were the logistics of organising crew and dealing with multiple subplots at once?

Rosāria: We had a loose timeline to follow for the weekend, and a map of sorts of who was in Veraya and their goals and motives. Some encounters were pre planned and others were improvised. We had a few built in breaks where we told crew to get food or rest, read some of the lore we had in a big folder, or go out and do some casual RP as an NPC they had played before.

Callum: She makes it sound so very organised! There was a lot of re-estimating of the timeline and responses. A lot of “The players did what?!”

But to be honest, we were very lucky to have a numerous and very eager crew who magnificently brought our world to life for the players. It was very easy to brief the crew on who they were portraying and then releasing them into the world.

Your first instalment of The Dying World was a weekend game run in September 2018. What was it like to GM over an entire weekend?

Rosaria: It was like this.

I kid but also I don’t. It was pretty breakneck (this photo was right before the climax of the game) but also super gratifying to see two years of planning come together so it was also awesome.

Your first game in September was a smashing success! Now, you’re preparing for your next instalment in April 2019. You have requested character updates from the player base to help you tailor the plot towards what players are interested in. What difficulties have you encountered in regards to this? Have there been any problems with including player thoughts?

Rosāria: Responding to the players was built into the game from Day 1, so it’s actually really easy to flex around the characters and their impact on the world. The worst case scenario is a character with no impact, and who is not impacted by the world. Our character creation is designed to tease out things the character feels strongly about — what do you love? What keeps you awake at night? What would you leave behind if you could?

Callum: Having said that there are always wild card players who do things you don’t expect. It’s great. I love it.

Rosaria: We love being surprised.

Do you have any final advice for GMs on running a LARP?

Rosāria: I benefited hugely from picking the brains of more experienced GMs, and from a stint crewing. If you want to be a GM, I wouldn’t recommend doing it without having spent a couple of games minimum as Crew. You get a so much bigger sense of how games work than you do as a player. I’d also recommend getting in touch with the New Zealand Live Action Roleplay Society and seeing how they can help you. They were so generous with their time and patience.

Callum: Yeah, what she said. But especially the bit about picking the brains of other GMs.

Thank you for your time, and good luck with The Dying World! For readers interested in joining or just learning more about the campaign, information can be found on the Facebook page of the same name or by contacting [email protected].

Author: Rosāria Price, Callum McLeod

Art

Ahishar (Shar) Oidhche was taken in by their uncle after the sudden death of their mother at a young age.

Fueled by the disgust of an un pure bloodline, the uncle’s cruelty eventually led to rebellion from Shar, resulting in the young half elf’s banishment from their home country of Azarthia. With their ear ripped, the mark of a traitor, Shar fled the country, finding comfort and surprising power in the art of music. Travelling around and performing for coin wherever they could, they fell into adventure with a rather odd group of individuals. They made many a friend and foe along the way. Shar met their most loved companion, Elizabeth, within a mimic’s nest whilst battling through a pocket dimension. They were later reunited with Elizabeth after the young cockatrice dimension-hopped into a kitchen cupboard. Not so much a maiden of battle, Elizabeth spends most of her time perched atop of Shar’s head or on a stress-induced bender at the local pub.

Author: Jessica Mclean

The Powers (and Pains) of a 9 vs. 2

One would think that when you first start being a Dungeon Master, you would start small. Three or four mates round a table, a couple bottles of fizzy, and pizza ordered for halfway. To us, that sounded too easy. Why not double it? Triple it? Get nine fresh players sitting in the University hall library at 6pm, looking around nervously as they meet in a dingy tavern. By 8pm, they had made battle plans, fighting off an undead sharkenbear. By 9pm, they cheered on the Tabaxi rogue as he tried to bed a priestess. By 10pm, with heads down with whispered voices, they discussed plans to overthrow an evil overlord.

That sounds more like it.

Of course, it’s hard to keep track of nine players. Whether it’s spell descriptions, homebrew abilities, character backstories, or making up half a session because the easy way seemed too easy, there is always things to remember. One thing that became apparent quickly is that everyone wanted their time to shine. The problem was that there were nine people wanting to shine all at once. It made things challenging, but after a couple of sessions and building stories the spotlights stated to separate and everyone had their moments, which made for some amazing scenes.

Nine characters are a lot for one person to manage. It would be hours upon hours of preparation. For many people that would too much hassle. But for two people? Far easier. The great thing about a pair of Dungeon Masters is the ability to be quick. Choosing monsters and making in-depth NPCs for the party to encounter, we started a fast game of bouncing ideas off each other. Two brains are far better than one for finding reasons and motives for events, and ensuring timelines fit together nicely. Plus, reminders of that one item/person/quest when it blinks from your memory can be game saving.

When it comes to deciding between set adventures and homebrew stories, homebrew is the way to go. Yes, it’s a lot more work. We both admit that. But it makes the world your oyster. Our game was based on an island of 5 countries, peace held by a measly bit of paper and 5 ancient signatures. All 5 rulers all held a dark secret. A curse that held them back, given by the banished gods themselves. For Jack, King of Robynia, it was the weight of the island on his shoulders. For Axiom, General of the Borgcye empire, it was his life, taken to protect his sunken city, and his consciousness walking around in a clockwork body. Now for us, at least for the first arc, that’s all we needed. Had we thought any further? Kind of. We knew each country was based off a Teen Titan, and that the curses were based off the seven deadly sins. Even with that basic planning, ideas changed halfway through the game. At first, Jack was supposed to be half robot, and Axiom a Big Daddy from Bioshock. But then we found cooler ideas, and so we went with those. Hey, if the players don’t know something, that just means that nothing is certain. It means that events can be retconned. A rumor they heard could have been false, or a ruse. Anything was possible.

Well, nearly everything.

When we say homebrew worlds, that doesn’t always extend to be homebrew classes. After 2 or 3 sessions of our gunslinger having a +11 to hit at level 5, extra attack, and dealing 1d12+8 damage, while our 7th level shield master survived a 9th level Meteor Swarm that dealt (80d6 fire and 80d6 bludgeoning) 156 damage, homebrew became a touchy subject. There is a reason why things outside the official books should be treated with caution. However, that doesn’t mean homebrews should be kicked to the curb. We had a voidwalker who gained the ability to teleport and use the powers of the void over cunning actions and evasion; overall, just a teleporting rogue. From a DM’s perspective, homebrew classes are a great way to add a bit of flair to monsters and NPC’s. We have had void-walkers from the Dishonored games, Sir Hammerlock from the Borderlands franchise, and an entire city was based off Bioshock’s Rapture (Which was also the inspiration for the island’s name. No-one said you had to be completely original). It was great and an amazing way to surprise the party with nostalgia and humor.

Overall, our adventures into the deep end of large scale Dungeons and Dragons was something to remember. Considering both of us only started playing 2 months prior, it was a steep learning curve. But that is what is great about Dungeons and Dragons. It’s a game where you don’t need to know all the rules. You don’t need to have everything planned to a tee. Some things are better left to be off the cuff. Some things are best with a little bit of your own flair added in.

It is the joy of D&D.

Author: Nathan Miller, Kyle Chi

Their Little Troublemaker

The mountains were a dangerous place to get lost.

But that’s what Tyrael did.

“If you hadn’t run off, we would not be in this situation right now,” came the lecturing words of Tyrael’s tutor, Paleth. He was their tribe’s resident bookworm, in charge of teaching the youth. And while Tyrael was certainly no longer a child, her learning progressed at a far slower rate than the Goliath children back at home.

Books and knowledge just weren’t her thing. Give the girl a weapon though, and she was as deadly as any of them. Arguably more so.

“Well, perhaps if the dwarves didn’t use a ridiculous alphabet I wouldn’t have run off into this mess at all,” she pouted angrily up at the tall male.

They called her Kalin back home.

Little Champion.

“You are insufferable,” Paleth ground out, turning another corner of their dark, rocky maze. The pair had been walking for hours with no indication they were getting any closer to the exit at all. He took a moment to curse Tyrael’s sense of adventure. A lack of caution had gotten her into more sticky situations than the Goliath could count, and not for lack of trying.

Tyrael had always been certain she’d grow one day, that she was simply ‘behind’. It was a delusion she lived with for years and refused to acknowledge; maybe, just maybe, she was different to the rest of the tribe.

“Don’t throw fancy words at me. That’s hardly a fair playing field.”

“I have taught you these words. We are far beyond fair.” Tyrael’s only reply was to poke out her tongue.

“I do not need to see you making faces to know you have done so,” Paleth’s monotone voice gave away how little patience he had left. Perhaps if his conversation partner had been anyone other than Tyrael they might have caught onto this fact. Instead, he was rewarded with a rich laugh from the young girl as she took amusement from his displeasure.

“Lighten up Paleth,” a slap to his back accompanied her words. “Unless you’ve forgotten, shadows are my terrain,” she grinned into the dark, eyes piercing and deadly. It was the same look she wore before a hunt. Her breathing came out heavier and her shoulders shook with barely contained excitement. “Just say the word.”

“Let you lead? I think not,”

“Gonna do it anyway,” and with one last laugh, she was gone, leaving Paleth with his regular headache.

Author: Avery Alys

Art

Author: Shaun Garea

UFOP: Starbase 118

Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Fleet at UFOP: Starbase 118. Their continuing mission, to write about strange new worlds, to invent new life and new civilisations. To boldly go where no Role Player has gone before.

Set in the extensive Star Trek universe, in the year 2396, UFOP: Starbase 118 is a long running Play by E-Mail RPG (PBEM). Founded in 1994, the fleet has been running continuously for 25 years, and has an extensive history, recorded on the user made wiki.

UFOP: Starbase 118 currently operates a fleet of 10 unique ships, ranging from the familiar Galaxy, Intrepid and Sovereign classes, to the less known Odyssey and Veritas classes. Each ship is under the command of a long serving, and well trained, member of the fleet. Supporting the Commanding Officers (the GMs) are the crew of the ship, the beating heart of the fleet. With positions ranging from Doctors and Scientists, to Pilots, Engineers and Security personnel, there is plenty of opportunity for a new member to take up their favourite role from the shows.

Upon joining the fleet new members spend between seven and ten days in the Academy, where two highly skilled members of the fleet will take on the roles of instructors to your Cadets, leading them on a fun and easy scenario. Over the course of your academy time Cadets will be introduced to the format used by writers in the fleet, meaning no previous experience is necessary. Additionally you will be assisted in the creation of a Biography for your character, which you can build on further as your character gains experiences during their time in the fleet.

Once Cadets graduate they are promoted to the rank of Ensign and assigned to a ship, based upon the availability of their desired role. Once aboard your ship you will join the rest of the crew in their current mission, be that exploring a strange new world, trying to prevent a war between two alien races, or escaping from a dream world (don’t ask, we’re still emotionally damaged from that one). Alternatively, if your ship has just finished a mission you will have the opportunity to join them for Shore Leave, a great time for character development, usually concluded with a party and awards ceremony, where members of the crew earn ribbons for their actions during the previous mission, and some members may also receive promotions to higher ranks, or department head positions.

In addition to the roleplay game itself, there is a lively Discord channel and forum where members can chat in and out of character about their ship, life in the Star Trek universe, or anything else that takes their fancy.

UFOP: StarBase118 also runs various other activities, such as the highly anticipated annual awards, held in June every year, where we acknowledge and give awards for amazing writing and out of character services to the fleet. In October there is a Halloween contest, where each ship picks a theme and dresses up their characters accordingly. There is also an annual Fleet Wide Trivia Contest and every month there is a Fleet Wide Chat, both of which are held in the Discord channel.

During my time with UFOP: Starbase 118, the greatest thing has been the welcoming and friendly community. We have an incredibly diverse cast of writers, with members spanning the globe, from the USA and Canada, to all over Europe, and down to Australia and New Zealand (although at the time of writing this I’m the only kiwi in the fleet.). Everybody in the fleet is very welcoming and are more than willing to guide you and assist as you whenever and however you may need it.

Your Star Trek adventure is just a click away. Join an active Star Trek community and lead your character from cadet to captain — and beyond! Your adventure begins here!

Home

Written by

Lieutenant Tasha MacFarlane
Chief Engineer
USS Gorkon
UFOP: Starbase 118

Author: Theo Hoyte

“Oh, my Character is a Dick”

Dungeon masters and players alike have always struggled with that one guy. You know the one. He’s the one that shouts, “Well, I’m going to…” when the rest of the table is trying to work out a plan, only to find ten minutes later that the party has been split, both sides are in combat, and any chance of a diplomatic or stealth approach has been torn into tatters and burnt for good measure.

The burning effigy approach to dick-like behaviour has the advantage of letting every baddie of the adventure prepare for the party’s arrival. It’s an efficient strategy for self-destructive characters looking to get sealed in tombs, receive a booster shot of death curse, or find themselves in a pit full of specially bred Owlbear Beholders.  

The Dick: A Case Study

My latest example was in the investigative D&D module ‘Asleep and Awake’, a module that I have DMed for many one-shot games without incident. However, in this run, one player decided to bring his dick – a Drow with little time for manners, information gathering, or teamwork. The module ended abruptly when most members of the party opted for investigating the outside of a building, while the dick split the party, rushed inside, got ambushed, then demanded that other characters rescue him – a rescue mission that was likely to have the success of Grogg the Barbarian passing for Waterdhavian nobility. Failure swiftly ensued.

During a post-game discussion, players asked the owner of the character why he played the way that he did. “Oh, my character is a dick”, he said, with a smile that would almost be cute if worn by a child who had just been given a lollipop. He was the only one smiling at the end of the night.

As a DM, I had a momentary feeling of regret and self-doubt, wondering whether I had done my job badly. However, DMs must be true to the adventure, harming characters that fall into traps and rewarding characters that use ingenuity and teamwork. The fault lay elsewhere.

Where Do They Come From?

There are a few plausible explanations for dick characters, and perhaps none of them are isolated.

In the case study, the game was a one-shot. I had not DMed for some of the players before, and some of the players had not played with other in the group. Group dynamics could have been shaky, but most players interacted well. The player with the dick character was a regular and had played with most of the other players before. The lack of developed friendships was clearly not the problem here.

Lack of character development is another possible reason. There’s that often-ignored section of the character sheet for personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws. This does not cover all parts of character development, but at least makes a good start. But alas, there is still a way to develop a character into a dick, a development made much more likely by the inclusion of the words “chaotic neutral” in some silly box called alignment. Even so, building an explanation for why that character is travelling in the party, and why the party would rationally accept chaotic behaviour from one of their travelling companions seems to reduce dick-like behaviour. Good dick-prevention must include character development, but lack of character development itself is not the cause of dick characters.

A more plausible explanation for most dick characters, in my humble opinion, comes from unaligned player expectations. Players that are looking for different things going into an adventure are likely to interact poorly in-game. This is more likely to result in situations where half the party want to charm their way through the Forbidden Palace, while one or two characters want to burn it down before anyone can say, “protected as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization”. When players are more honest with themselves and other players about the type of game they are expecting, they can better organise themselves towards games they will be less disappointed in.   

Cutting Off the Dick

There are a few ways to dampen dick-threatening players before they wreck your table. Session zeroes that establish player expectations and give an indication of character development will provide a pretty good idea as to whether a group of players are a good fit. Note that player expectations are not just player-DM and DM-player, but also player-player.

Ensure that your players know whether your game is narrative, exploration, or combat oriented, and especially let them know that they should interact positively with these themes. If a player isn’t going to be a good fit, it’s better to deal with that earlier.

Establish a code of honesty in campaigns, where players should feel free to tell you as a DM what they like and what they don’t like, and players should feel free to tell other players to stop being a dick. Characters should especially feel free to ask other characters why they are travelling with someone who is clearly disrupting their humble mercenary band.  

Unfortunately, dick characters in one-shots are a little harder for DMs to prevent, as the onus tends to be on the players to pick games that they don’t feel they have to be a dick in.

Author: Brogan Powlesland

Puzzles

Zkrun’s Game

Hear ye, heroes brave, for yonder sleeps a maiden without end.
One of us will break her spell, but the rest are not her friend
Two of us will continue her slumber, so deep that she never wakes
Two of us will burn her lungs, from the inside she will bake
And the last of us will kill her, as easily as slitting her throat
But listen close, for there is hope within these words we have wrote
First, if fire is what you desire, then look to the right of that which will make her awake
Second, different are those that stand at either end
But if you should want her instantly dead, then neither should she intake
Third, the second left and second on the right,
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight
Fourth, those of dwarf and giant will not put her further asleep
Finally, fear those in the shadow of bottles larger than they
For jealousy can twist the mind and burn healing away

This riddle featured in the homebrew D&D campaign Zkrun’s Game and was designed by Sarah Albom.

GeyserCon

New Zealand’s 40th National Science Fiction/Fantasy Convention

Over Queen’s Birthday Weekend, Rotorua will host the NatCon for the year. This is important, because next year, the World Science Fiction convention will be hosted in Wellington, and if you would like to get involved in helping out for next year, attending a fan convention that is not Armageddon is a great way to see a much smaller fan-run convention.

The guests of honour for this year are Alan Baxter and Kaaron Warren as the literary guests, and Laura and Alena Van Arendonk who are American cosplayers as the fan guests of honour.

The conventions are a great way to embrace fandom, meet authors, and other people with interests in Science Fiction and Fantasy. There are panels related to Fandom, Writing, and related things such as a Book Launch or two. It can involve hanging out in the bar, socialising, playing board games or role-playing games, or reading in your room.

The World Con (ConZealand) guests of honour are Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon, two well-known authors that have been out to a NatCon here previously; Greg Broadmore, from Weta Workshop; Rose Mitchell, a fan guest of honour; and the toastmaster is an author with a small show on HBO known as Game of Thrones, none other than George R R Martin. The WorldCon will take place over 4-5 days.

For full information about both these conventions, go to their respective websites: http://www.geysercon.nz/home and https://conzealand.nz/.

Author:  Gary Freedman

Useful notes

Upcoming events

15 April — 27 April 2019

Mid-semester break

25 April 2019

ANZAC Day

April 27-28 2019

PrezCon

The America Club would like to invite you to our annual President’s convention. This is a weekend of gaming, lots of roleplaying and board gaming. Turn up any time and jump into something. Lots of new and not so new game systems on offer.

Open to all.

3 June 2019

Queen’s Birthday

7 June 2019

Lectures end

8 June—12 June 2019

Study break

13 June—1 July 2019

Exams

1 July 2019

Semester Two ends

13-14 July 2019

America’s Club

This is a weekend of gaming, lots of roleplaying and board gaming. Turn up any time and jump into something. Lots of new and not so new game systems on offer.

Open to all.

More Events?

Want to find out about more events, contact the Larp Officer for monthly Larps such as Vampire and Werewolf and campaign Larps .

Find out more at

Find out about the Auckland Roleplaying Guild:   

https://aucklandrpg.nz or  

https://www.facebook.com/              groups/328139557280643/

Find out about Larps in your area: http://www.nzlarps.org/events/ (Includes Larps in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch)

Find out about the roleplaying community on the forum: http://www.diatribe.co.nz

Big thanks to our contributors

Sarah Albom

Avery Alys

Kyle Chi

Gary Freedman

Shaun Garea

Theo Hoyte

Jessica Mclean

Callum Mcleod

Nathan Miller

Brogan Powlesland

Rosāria Price

Contact us

Want to help us out for the next edition? Send in your material via email or contact me on fb.

[email protected]

Facebook: Sarah E. Albom