Part 5 (of 5) in my series on GaryCon XVII (Part one here; part two here; part three here; part four here)
My last four posts were written for folks who know little about GaryCon or tabletop roleplaying. This one is all inside baseball. It’s for people with an interest in the hobby or who might be thinking about attending GaryCon next year (or checking out a local convention near them). So here we go!
🎲 Getting Registered
About a month before GaryCon, the event schedule goes live, and attenders can sign up for games. All games have limited seats, so it’s a bit of a gold rush—like trying to get Taylor Swift tickets (with fewer people). It’s always a scramble to get your ideal lineup locked in.
I tend to schedule very aggressively. If I’m going to take time away from my family, I’m not lounging in bed. I’m at a gaming convention—so I’m going to game like a crazy person. Here’s where I ended up:
🎲 My Basic Schedule
Thursday
🕙 10am–2pm – 2nd Edition (1989) AD&D with Douglas Niles
🕒 3pm–5pm – Pendragon: The Adventure of the Sword Tournament
🕕 6pm–9pm – 1st Edition (1977) AD&D with Paul Stormberg
🛏 At the AirBnB – Warhammer: Crypt Hunters (2020)
Friday
🕘 9am–10:30am – Seminar: The State of OSR Gaming (Luke Stratton, Yochai Gal, Brad Kerr, Kelsey Dionne, Matthew Finch)
🕚 11am–4pm – 1st Edition AD&D with David Prata
🕕 6pm–10pm – 1st Edition AD&D Tournament
🛏 At the AirBnB – Munchkin (2001)
Saturday
🕗 8am–12pm – D6xD6 Roleplaying Game (2014)
🕑 2pm–3:30pm – Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures
🕓 4pm–7pm – Pirate Borg with Jon Pohl
🕣 8:30pm–11pm – Cairn with Cody Hulsey
🕚 11pm–12am – Stefan’s Metal ’Til Midnight Party
Sunday
🙏 9am–10am – Worshiped with First Lutheran Church
🕚 11am–1pm – Shadowdark with Tom Frisby
As I write this from Chicago Midway on Sunday night at 6:30pm—I am wiped out. But I gamed like crazy. Mission accomplished.
🎲 My Favorites
None of my games were a bad experience, but some definitely stood out. My criteria:
🎲 Was it really fun?
🎲 Did I wish the game would go longer?
🎲 Would I recommend that same GM and setup to my friends?
Top 5 of the Con:
- AD&D 2e with Douglas Niles
- Cairn with Cody Hulsey
- Pirate Borg with Jon Pohl
- Shadowdark with Tom Frisby
- Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures (run by me!)
Special Mention: The OSR seminar, which was a major highlight. More on that below.
🏰 AD&D 2e with Douglas Niles
Two neighboring fiefdoms—once friendly—suddenly break contact. Our party is dispatched to find missing delegates and uncover what’s happening in the realm of Lucian.
Douglas Niles, author of the classic Cult of the Reptile God, was an absolute gem. Friendly, fun, and clearly there to enjoy himself. His wife even stopped by to make sure we were all having a good time. Our party (ages 30s to 70s) gelled surprisingly well. What started as diplomacy turned quickly to combat and forest intrigue. We eventually confronted the king—but no spoilers! Douglas may publish this soon.
🌸 Cairn with Cody Hulsey
Cody is a longtime friend who has been dabbling heavy in OSR systems. Cairn is a rules-light, slightly wacky, deadly fantasy RPG. Cody ran Brad Kerr’s adventure, The Dream Shrine, using the Cairn ruleset.
We entered a dream realm to harvest a flower that only grows in dreams—where nightmares play out in real time. It was bizarre, disturbing, and hilarious. Think: Alice in Wonderland + Monty Python + Looney Tunes.
This was one of Cody’s best games. The table was full of new friends, but everyone was all in. We rolled with the madness and definitely lost a few (imaginary) teeth in the process.
🧛 Pirate Borg with Jon Pohl
Pirate Borg is my current campaign system—pirates, skeletons, zombies, and eldritch terror in a post-apocalyptic Caribbean. It’s a blast.
I’d been waiting a year to play Into the Maelstrom, a new adventure by Luke Stratton, which features—you guessed it—a vampire on a pirate ship. It’s a clear homage to Ravenloft, and it ruled.
Jon Pohl did a great job running it. Our crew (Cody, Kyle, and I) leaned into the piratey chaos hard. It was a blast. The adventure probably needed a couple more hours to reach full potential, but Jon kept us moving and delivered a memorable romp.
🔥 Shadowdark with Tom Frisby
Shadowdark is having a moment—it was everywhere at GaryCon this year. Posters, buzz, even an official adventure by Luke Gygax.
I played it for the first time this weekend—and holy mackerel, it’s good. Rules are sleek, fun, and fast. Tom Frisby ran a tight 90-minute session. I really enjoyed the real-time torch mechanics: a one-hour sand timer tracked our torchlight. When it ran out? Darkness fell. Fast. Our fighter died. A vampiric snake-man rose. All in darkness. It was a wild fifteen seconds.
Cinematic. Chaotic. Fun. You can grab Raiders of the Hidden Temple and the Shadowdark Quickstart Rules online for free. Highly recommend.
🌲 Beyond the Wall (run by me!)
Finally got to run Beyond the Wall—a game I’ve been eyeing for months. It’s a collaborative village-building RPG where players and GM create the setting and its NPCs together. Behind the scenes, I rolled hidden events that shape the story.
Kyle and Cody played villagers caught in a feud with a fae lord in the woods. They had a chance to make things right, which they did through a brutal final battle (which Cody turned in our favor with some clever thinking). Quick to the table, full of potential—I’ll definitely be running this system again.
🎤 The OSR Seminar
This was a personal highlight. I regularly listen to podcasts by Luke Stratton, Yochai Gal, and Brad Kerr, and here they were—live with Kelsey Dionne of Shadowdark fame and Matthew Finch of Swords and Wizardry!
They talked about the games I’ve been reading, running, and obsessing over. I got to chat with them, snag some autographs, and pick up cool swag.
🎲 Big thanks to Yochai for the extra Cairn Player’s Guide
🎲 Shoutout to Skullboy for the Fortles zine!
✍️ My Takeaways
🎲 I want to play more Shadowdark and Beyond the Wall ASAP
🎲 I’m grabbing more Brad Kerr adventures after The Dream Shrine
🎲 I learned a lot about immersive dungeon design—props to Kelsey Dionne and Tom Frisby for that
🎲 I plan to buy and run Into the Maelstrom once it’s out
🎲 I’d love to return to GaryCon next year—especially to play Part 2 of Douglas Niles’ game!
🎲 I’m still baffled by Pendragon. Didn’t love the mechanics (too many dice rolls), but the character concepts were intriguing. I’ll probably buy it on sale, dissect it, and co-opt what I like.
🎲 Special shoutout to David Prata, who ran 1st Edition AD&D RAW (rules as written)—a nearly impossible feat. The game was grindy, hard, and long… but awesome. His mastery of the system blew me away.
If any of this sparks your interest, consider making the trip to GaryCon next year.
This was my third time—and definitely my favorite. If you’ve read all five of these blogs, well done. You’ll be lucky to see another blog out of me before next March!
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