Yeah, I know, it has been a very long while since I last updated this thing. Life has been going at a million miles an hour, to say the least, with lots of changes.

One thing that hasn't changed, though, is our going forward with this wonderful craziness we call WeddingCon!

We finally have something like a schedule, so here goes - 

FRIDAY DAY

"Come Together, Right Now, Over Drinks."

Over the course of the day, good friends and colleagues will gather at the Cobb Conference Center. We hope to have some decent snacks and drinks (of both varieties) on hand early on. Lots of meet-and-greeting going on for the most part.

FRIDAY EVENING

"The Big Shaintar Game and Other Shenanigans."

Friday after dinner is meant to be a gathering of Shaintar fans, old and new, in one of those massive epic event things I'm pretty well known for. Everyone who wants to play will be welcome. Those who have existing characters will be encouraged to bring them (or send me info so I can recreate them for you); those who've never played before will have pre-generated heroes to choose from.

Note - I've picked up quite a few techniques for running "Big Epic Games" over the years, and I think this will be one of my better ones. I intend to do something rather dramatically different in this one...

All those who aren't keen to play in a giant RPG/Battle event will have quite a selection of other games to select from, including at least one decent poker set.

There will likely be an area set aside for just "lounging" with some cool tunes playing. As well, the folks from Play On Con are planning to set up Rock Band for folks to just go nuts with.

SATURDAY DAY

"The Main Event!"

At 2:00 pm, Eastern, the main ceremony will occur. The details are yet to be outlined (I am waiting on my lady and her folks to get all that worked out and into my hands). 

What I can tell you at this point is the following:

• The event is a handfasting, not an actual wedding. This is important for all the legal reasons. Spiritually, we are bonding just as tightly and just as eternally.
• The lead singer of the wonderful Molly Maquires, Marc Michael, is scheduled to perform the ceremony.
• The ceremony doubles as a Costume Contest; what you wear to the event will be judged by a select group of folks in attendance. Currently the three categories in consideration are Most Evocative, Most Creative, and Best of Show.

Following the Ceremony will be much wooting and what-not, followed by announcements about the Costume Contest Winners. Clothes changing and other necessities will call for a break, which will also be time for the Mollys to set up, as they are the Main Act for the "Reception" portion of the day. There may be a few other performances in the mix there, too, depending on who wants to do what at that time.

SATURDAY EVENING

"The Revenge of the Nerds Dance Party."

DJ Cat Ninetails (AKA Amber Ginsburg) is slated to spin primarily 80s Dance Tunes for your dancing pleasure while we party the night away!

Those not really digging the party scene will have places to lounge, and I suspect there will be games afoot in another space as well.

SUNDAY, BLOODY SUNDAY

"The Dead Dog Day."

What with folks checking out and leaving throughout the day, we're pretty much planning on folks eating whatever's left of the food, hanging out with new and old friends, and saying goodbyes. Those who are hanging out for the day may well end up doing some gaming of some kind (but I imagine brain-deadedness will be the real order of the day).

Those of us still hanging around into the evening will probably go get dinner somewhere.

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?

I am extremely glad you asked!

• Reserve a hotel room! Our cost on this thing is directly tied to how many rooms are stayed in, so please get those rooms reserved. That will be a huge thing for us. At $45 a night, it's a pretty sweet deal!
• Become a Member of WeddingCon. The event is inherently free, but we are asking for donations (in lieu of wedding gifts). Every little bit will help; otherwise, we are going to be left with a rather steep bill at the end of it.
• Bring Stuff! This thing is under classic S.R.O.B.Y.O.W. Rules, which stands for "Standing Room Only, Bring Your Own Whatever." We don't have any kind of "catering" set up for this, so we are really hoping eveyrone will bring stuff to share, pot-luck style. There's a kitchen in the facility where stuff can be kept cool. It would also be great if someone could bring heating plates, a small microwave, or similar items. Betty Morgan is going to be helping to organize a lot of this, so look for more information on here (and in other info places) soon.
• Mostly, just show up! We want lots of people to come and have a good time and help us celebrate in a style we think is fairly unique, even in the geek culture. If this is a big enough success, we may well turn it into a regular event.

That's what I have for now. As always, thanks to Gayle and Michael Reick for hosting the www.weddingcon2009.com site (and putting it together). Thanks to Play On Con for stepping up with game help, as well as Lee Maile, who is planning to bring a significant number of board games. Thanks to Betty Morgan for stepping up to organize, and thanks to all the game companies who have offered prize and other material support!

All for now, and I hope to see many of you soon!

- SPF

Hey, everyone! Just got back from Gen Con 2009, which was a tremendous success for me personally and professionally, and it was Carinn's first Gen Con experience. She was there as part of the DriveThruRPG team, and she was simply amazing.

Yes, it's been a terribly long time since I last updated this, and it is long overdue for a real, extensive update.

Today, unfortunately, is not the day for it.

More soon, though...

Life Happens, you know?

It's been entirely too long since I posted anything new here, and I apologize for that. I've been doubly buried in the world of my "day job" with OneBookShelf (DriveThruRPG and RPGNow ), and the "other job" of, at long last, really moving forward on my efforts with Shaintar and the other Project: `77 concepts I've been sitting on.

I am happy to report, however, that we've manage to abtain a "no-interest loan" from an incredibly generous and supportive source (to the tune of $3000) in order to secure our site for the event. We had hoped we might get enough donations (via the Registration process) to cover a chunk of that, but this hasn't happened yet, so that's the route we had to go. Thankfully, it came together. I am given to believe the source in question would prefer discretion on the matter, so I cannot thank them publicly; I do hope, however, they read this and know my debt goes far beyond simply paying them back.

So the event goes forward. As always, if you've not registered with either of the two host hotels, please do so soon. This will dramatically impact what our final bill on all this will be.

Hopefully, in the near future, I can give some time to outlining all the events and features we plan to have at the show. As well, I am hoping to hear from all of you about what you want to bring and what you want to do at WeddingCon. The programming, such as it will be, will come from the collective efforts of those of us who gather to enjoy each others' company and celebrate geekness and the handfasting Carinn and I will undertake.

It's still a ways off, to be sure, but I do hope as many of you as can will secure that date and the means to join us.

Cheers!

- Sean

WeddingCon - The SROBYOW Rules!

It has been quite a while since my last posting here; Life Happens, as you all well know, and it has happened in great heaping amounts to us lately. I've been on the road far more than I've been home in recent weeks, and when I've been here, I've been buried with work or just trying not to fall over from exhaustion, pain, and stress.

Things are, at long last, starting to calm down ever so slightly. Which is to say all is operating at the proverbial dull roar instead of the shredding tempest that came before.

Things proceed apace for WeddingCon, and there are some new developments that I am pretty excited about. Can't get into the details just yet, but if what I am hoping for comes together, we may have some pretty cool "extra bits" that will make this even more like a "gamer con" when all is said and done.

One thing that has come up, time and again, in recent conversations is that the event is going to be operating under what I've forever called "SROBYOW RULES." Those who have known me a while will know exactly what that phrase means; the first SROBYOW was a New Year's Eve party Cheryl and I threw many years ago (I think back in `89-`90).

For the longest time, SROBYOW was just the New Year's party. Over time, that has changed, and it is now a set of ... hmm... guidelines? Rules? Traditions? A standard by which all great parties should be organized?

You decide.

WeddingCon 2009 will be operating under SROBYOW Rules, as presented below, presented for your reading pleasure.

S.R.O.B.Y.O.W.

For those who don't know, it means "Standing Room Only, Bring Your Own Whatever."

1. The Name: Standing Room Only, Bring Your Own Whatever

2. Standing Room Only means there should be LOTS of people. So if you know someone who isn't doing something that weekend, and you trust them to  (a) not kill anyone and (b) get only themselves arrested or deported, then bring them along.

3. Bring Your Own Whatever means you should bring something to share. Chips. ALCOHOL. Little weenies in sauce. ALCOHOL. Oreos. ALCOHOL.  Fried chihuahuas. ALCOHOL. Your date. ALCOHOL. Explosives. Or even... oh, yeah - ALCOHOL. Please note - if you don't want to share your date, best bring a bag o' chips, yeah?

4. The facility is a No Vomit Zone. If ya gotta exhume the contents of your own carcass, please try and return it to Mother Earth (read: puke outside, doofus). Or at least make your peace with the Porcelain God.

5. You may not lick anyone unless (a) you already have an established licking arrangement, (b) you gain the express permission of the lickee, or (c) they are currently covered in whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

5a - Addendum to the Always-Controversial Rule 5: It is likely that you will be licked by Charles Strickland if it would at all amuse him. You have been warned. Be prepared with proper deterrent, such as lemon juice, pepper spray, or an icepick. Additionally, the dogs are more or less exempt from Rule 5 (and that goes both ways; if you really want to lick them...)

6. If you set anything on fire and then stick it in your mouth (or other orifice), best do it outside. Thank you for your support.

7. Anyone caught not having a good time will be summarily executed. Or amused. Something like that...

8. If we actually manage to set something on fire, you will be required to help put out said fire. And help us lie to the Authorities. And post bail for those too slow or too drunk to get away in time.

9. No greasing, maiming, igniting, dousing, inebriating, stapling, eating, or otherwise annoying the dogs. Or the hotel staff.

10. The All-Important, Oft-Repeated, Always-Amusing Rule Number 10 - If you Drive, don't Drink. If you Drink, don't stop. Accidents cause children. Tempus Fugit. I snort the Lucifer. Banana. Banana.

Reserve a Room, Save Us Money!

So, you're seriously planning to come to WeddingCon, but you're not 100% sure. Please do us the favor of going ahead and reserving a room at one of our host hotels, the Quality Inn ($60/night) or the Days Inn ($45/night), using the "WeddingCon" code when you call in to get those rates.

Just like with any convention (or other hotel reservation), you can cancel right up to, say, the day before check-in. Nothing will be charged.

By reserving now, however, you can help us dramatically reduce the down-payment we'll need to make on the actual conference center facility. We're going to have to pony up said down-payment sometime soon, so even if you're not in a position to "Register" (AKA Donate), by making your hotel reservation, you'll be doing us a huge financial favor.

So make a hotel reservation today, if you can. 

Thanks!

- SPF

Just a quickie note for those following along, mostly to say nothing much new is happening as of right now. We're still all settling in from my move to the house in Eva, AL, and I am trying to get something of a routine worked out for my work and various projects.

The three major things we need to accomplish soon are - 

1) Getting a tentative schedule of events put together for people to take a look at and plan around.

2) Getting more people to sign up for hotel rooms so we can get a good price on the facility (and subsequently putting a deposit down on the facility).

3) Getting out a mass-mailing of e-vites.

So, like I said, just a quick note for those reading along.

Cheers!

- SPF

WeddingCon Has Sponsors!

Yes, you read that right. First off, our friends at White Wolf have already said they'll be providing some gaming stuff for support of the event (as well as joining us for lots of fun and partying).

In addition, Polymancer Studios just contacted me. Turns out they've been following along with this story ever since I first started my Quest back in the later part of 2008. They've asked about supporting us, which I have replied with great enthusiasm "Yes!" As well, they've asked me to write an article for the magazine about the Quest, the resolution, and the Happy Ending/Beginning that will be WeddingCon.

Of course, we've already had the support of my dear friends, Talisman Studios, to include much of the really great art you see here.

I may well get some other game industry companies involved. Naturally, I am thinking about ways that DriveThruRPG and RPGNow can be involved, and I look forward to other colleagues and friends being along for the ride.

...

It's only March, I realize, but I'd really like to see more Registrations here on this site. We've got a lot going on, and the better numbers we have, the easier it is both to plan and to get the price we want for the site at a reasonable level. 

Still, I am incredibly grateful to those who have registered, and we already have some VIP level Members!

After I get ahead on some other things, I hope to get a tentative schedule for the convention put together and posted so folks can look at it, make suggestions, etc..

For now, thanks as always for the kind support, and stay tuned for more!

- SPF

So life is moving along at a rather accelerated pace. Still. I created an "Event" for WeddingCon on Facebook, and hit my rather immense Friends List there. We've got over 30 folks already saying they will attend on that end, with another 80+ listing as "maybes." That is exciting stuff, to be sure.

At some point, I need to hit that list and encourage them all to come over to this site to do the "official" registering.

I also need to contact the hotels and see what registration there looks like. The number of rooms we can fill ahead of time will greatly impact the cost of the facility for us, so we need to register as many as possible as soon as we can.

At some point, we also need to start working out a schedule of events. For those who really just want to come to the ceremony, we need to decide what time on Saturday we're going to have it happen. 

To that effect, if you have a preference you'd like to put forward, drop us a line at weddingcon@gmail.com. While you're at it, let us know anything else that you're interested in seeing happen at the event - 

• What kinds of games do you want to play?
  
• Are you willing to run something?
• What kinds of other events are you interested in seeing or participating in? 

Hey, we set the e-mail up, we'd like to have a reason to check it, so drop a line there, huh?

- SPF

A couple of notes for those checking in -

1) I am now moved to Eva, AL, into the home I now share with Carinn, Samantha, and Ted. Lady (the Would-Be Flying Wonder Beagle) and Riah (the Crooked-Nose, Snaggle-Tooth Wiggle Butt) are here, too, and adapting just fine. Not even going to be here 24 hours, though, as I am heading back to ATL for the SERE (for some PR work and such).

2) I'm now officially listed as a Guest at ImagiCon in Birmingham, AL. Among other things, Carinn and I will be hosting a panel about "Happy Ever After" and finding romance in the Geek World. We'd love to see you there!

3) Carinn and I were guests on the latest edition of All Games Considered , the very same podcast that is the reason we got together in the first place. Check it out, as it was a lot of fun with good friends.

All for now!

- SPF

So, I know I promised a more expansive post about all this, but Life is just moving too fast.

We have, in fact, entered "Plaid Speed."

Today, I am working feverishly to get things caught up with my RPGNow /DriveThruRPG duties (including launching our largest sale of the year, "GM's Day"). While I am working, Carinn is working with my mother to pack up my clothes, games, books, and other stuff. 

Tomorrow, I move to Eva, AL. 

The next day, I am in Atlanta for SERE (doing marketing and PR support for White Wolf and OBS).

Things slow down only a very little bit after that (Carinn's birthday is in March, as is a major spiritual event for her). Later in March, Carinn and I are headed to Imagicon, where among other things we are both hosting a panel about gaming, relationships, and finding the geek partner of your dreams.

There are more cons in the future, as well, and among all that we're building our new life together in Eva, getting our game on, and, of course, planning the Wedding Con Event.

It seems like I should get into how all this came about, but for now, I am going to instead recommend you listen to this edition of The Game's the Thing, hosted by my dear friends Ron and Veronica Blessing. The whole story can be heard there, along with some other great stuff. In the show notes are all kinds of links that also lead to the backstory of it all.

For now, I have to get back to work. But do please stay tuned, as things continue to ramp up, and we are really looking to having more and more of you register for this major event in our lives.

- SPF

Woot!

Crisis resolved. By 3:00pm (EST) today, the official WeddingCon2009 rates will be available. The Days Inn will have it at $45, and the Quality Inn (also on the same property, but featuring in-room refrigerators and microwaves) will be at $60 a night.

Please do reserve your rooms early; the number of rooms we have reserved at the time we sign the contract with them will determine what kind of deal we get.

Greetings!

OK, so I was hoping my first post here wouldn't be about a problem, but unfortunately, such is life when you are dealing with the vagaries of planning an event almost a year out.

Those of you who have already so kindly tried to register at one of the two hotels and have been told that the Wedding Con rates don't exist have my humblest apologies. I only just found out about it tonight (having only now returned from ConNooga), thanks to my dear friend, Nola. I don't know what happened, but for some reason the Wedding Con code and rates have not been put into their systems yet. As it is 9:35pm, all I can do is leave messages for the people concerned and wait until tomorrow morning to get this resolved.

I'll post here and elsewhere as soon as I know more.

A more cheerful post will come soon...

- SPF