I just returned from RinCon in Tucson, a lovely 650-person convention that is always glad to have me as a guest. (Hear that, bigger cons?)

Last week, just for the heck of it, Carol and I took a seven-day poker cruise. This is the recap of that event, in case you might want to do it yourself.

This was my first year back to Gen Con since Covid. I finally decided that for freelance work, and general catching-up, it was time to return. It didn’t hurt that I got a free room.

Last week I went to the Origins game expo in Columbus, for the first time since 2018. It was great to see all my industry friends and to make a few new ones, and I spent a good deal of the weekend playtesting a new game.

This blog post is mostly a deep dive into the first-round development of Cold Comfort, with some scattered notes about OrcaCon along the way.

Last weekend was the eighth and final GobbleCon. I played games all weekend, of course, including strange new things and old favorites. Here’s a brief recap in no particular order.

Another convention recap: Pacificon in Santa Clara, Labor Day Weekend. Game design and travel notes. Enjoy.

This weekend was Dragonflight, a 43 year old convention in Seattle, where games were played and friends were made. Come read all about it.

RinCon was a great success. I got a huge amount of testing and demoing, saw very good friends who I rarely get to see, and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend.

I went to KublaCon. Here is the report.

I just returned from the GAMA Expo. That’s the Game Manufacturers of America’s annual trade show, where publishers pitch their wares to distributors and retailers, and designers pitch their ideas to publishers.

This month, I visited ConQuest Avalon in Sacramento and GameStorm in Portland, two gaming cons just a week apart. I met new friends, saw old ones, and invented a brand new game.

Last week, the Crab Fragment family sailed on the JoCo Cruise.

In the end, DunDraCon was a lot of work and a lot of fun, and as usual I have returned home with a long list of changes, and the enthusiasm to make them.

I spent most of the weekend testing games, mostly Bitin’ Off Hedz and Shipwrights. I also played some published games, caught up with friends, and ate about a pint of cookie dough.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I really do enjoy a small convention where I don’t have a lot of scheduled events. I get to play games, see friends, and recharge that energy that only comes from getting out of the house!

I went to Paris last week. Too Long? Don’t Read? Four out of five stars, would Paris again.

Like all artists, Midjourney steals, but it also creates. Everything is somehow derivative and unique at the same time. Sometimes this is accomplished through dynamic lighting and composition, and sometimes by giving someone three stubby arms and a pasta salad for a face.