Getting Ready for Ropecon – Lauri

Ropecon is a bit early this year. I’ve grown accustomed to it taking place in July but this year it is only a few weeks from now. Even though I have known it for quite a some time I only recently became aware that we have to get ready for it sooner. I actually managed to get one of the last rooms from the hotel nearby but not all members of our proud Guild have been so lucky.

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Strongest Writer on the Blog

I’m quite sure that Aki had no intention of ever bringing this up. During this year’s Ropecon we decided to sumo wrestle for the title of the Strongest Writer on the Blog. It might have started out as a minor gag but it turned into an epic battle of mensweat and curses.

At the end of this challenge only one warrior stood on the hot tatami shouting praises to Crom and Thor. Lauri was the champion of this blog.

For your (well, mostly mine) entertainment here is the video of the final match!

(Actually this post serves to notify those interested that I just opened a YouTube account for the blog and thus also happened created a Google+ page for us.)

Trying out: Dread

dread2This post is almost two months late. I rely on the notes I made and the vague memories that still haunt me of the one of the most successful horror scenarios I have ever participated.

For during Saturday of this year’s Ropecon I was lucky enough to get a seat in a game I have been itching for ages to try out – Dread.

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Ropecon 2014: Friday (by Lauri)

This years Ropecon was got pretty close to turn into a total booze fest (again) when the game I had been waiting for did not show up in the signing tables… This happened last year and I went on a bender for the heck of it but luckily the GM was just running late. As the Friday went by I got to take a lot of pictures play two games and wander around the premises. It was a great way to start the weekend!

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My Take on the RopeCon 2014 Scenario Competition

I’ve shared my general ideas on the subject before, as well as abandoned idea. This is building on that.

You can find the scenario itself under Resources on top of the page, or here: Elämäni supersankarina (in English: MyLifeasaSuperhero – there’s a proofread version coming when I have the chance).

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Ropecon 2014: Trail of Cthulhu, or How I Stopped Avoiding Fear and Immensely Dug Kenneth Hite’s Way of Playing Cthulhu

An essay on the session of Trail of Cthulhu I played at Ropecon, being a rather lengthy treatise on what made it work and on the merits of the rules and the GM, and on the responsibilities of the players in horror roleplaying games, and by extension, in other sorts of roleplaying games that try to engage the participants’ emotions.

ToC

I’ve loved Trail of Cthulhu ever since I read it. The art is perfect for a Cthulhu book, Kenneth Hite—the author—really knows his Lovecraft, and the system is trimmed down to the essentials and really suits my playstyle. There are some bits that I don’t like, but are really easy to hack; overall, it’s very versatile beginning from the system right down to the Mythos monsters, so that every Keeper can make it their own. One year at Ropecon, I ran my ass off of Trail—25 hours within 48 hours—but now was my first opportunity to play it. Bonus: it was run by a woman, which I don’t get too often. This was also my first opportunity to play Cthulhu (and horror) after reading Kenneth Hite’s Nightmares of Mine (which has been updated to GURPS Horror) and his terrific essay on Cthulhu in his Dubious Shards. Continue reading

Got My Plaque for Winning the Scenario Contest Today

As I wasn’t at the ceremony, it took a bit of wrangling to find someone who was going to be there, which in turn lead to me not getting this until today.

QEcD5iK

On the right, you have the fuzzy dice given to me by Lauri on behalf of the Guild for winning.

BTW, I don’t know if the scenario is available on the RopeCon site yet, but its available here both in Finnish and English. The latter has not been proof-read, but it shouldn’t have any major problems. You can also find both under the Resources on top of the page.

Elämäni supersankarina

My Life as a Superhero

I’ll be back later to discuss the whole thing in length.