I’m going to be the Author Guest of Honor at Capricon 35, in Wheeling, Illinois, over Valentine’s Day weekend, February 12 —15, just about a month from now. I had a great time at the show when I went a couple years ago, and I expect it to be even better this time around.
Steve Jackson had been scheduled to be the Gaming Guest of Honor, but he’s had to cancel. Fortunately, bestselling author Margaret Weis is stepping in to take his place.
The irony here is that I’m better known for my games than Margaret is, and vice versa when it comes to novels. You might not know that Margaret has also published all sorts of roleplaying games, including the newest Firefly game, and the Leverage and Marvel Heroic Roleplaying games, both of which I chipped in on. So she certainly has plenty of cred on both side of that divide.
My friends John Anealio and Patrick Hester of the Functional Nerds podcast and also often the Hugo-winning SFSignal will also be Guests of Honor. (I actually wrote the lyrics to John’s song “Angry Robot,” which he created for my pals at Angry Robot Books.) By no coincidence, they just interviewed Margaret, and they should have an episode with me up soon as well.
Artist John Bivens, musician Alexander James Adams, and fan Elizabeth “Dr. Evil” Huffman round out the Guest of Honor list. (I don’t know any of them yet, but I’m sure I will by the end of the show.) In addition, I’m looking forward to seeing fellow writers like Lester Smith, Mary Robinette Kowal, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Jody Lynn Nye, Eric Flint, and Gene Wolfe.
The latest draft of the full schedule has been posted. My schedule currently looks like this:
Thursday, 2/12
5:00—6:30 pm: Training the Game Master: Tips and Tricks For Running a Great Game
While Capricon is not a gaming-specific convention, gaming is a big part of the convention, and many of our members enjoy gaming outside the con. Tabletop role playing games in particular are tricky. Depending on the game master, they can be remarkable or repugnant. Our experts share their techniques on how to run a good tabletop RPG. Neal Litherland, Dr. Michael Unger, Margaret Weis, and me.
6:30—8:00 pm: Fandom in Popular Culture
From books such as Bimbos of the Death Star, Cat at a Kiwi Con, and Matt Forbeck’s trilogy of Dangerous Games novels to television shows such as Big Bang Theory and Community, fandom has been shown in many lights in popular culture. Where is it wrong and where is it painfully right? Andrea Hawkins-Kamper, Valli Hoski, Toni Lichtenstein Bogolub, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Greg Press, and me.
8:00—9:30 pm: Opening Ceremonies
Welcome to Capricon 35: What Does R & R Mean to You? Join us as we kick off this year’s event and get some idea of what to expect and to meet our Guests of Honor (GoHs) and the people who make it all possible. Alexander James Adams, John Anealio, John Bivens, Patrick Hester, Elizabeth Huffman, John “Shadowcat” Ickes, Terrence Miltner, Margaret Weis, and me.
Friday, 2/13
2:30—4 pm: Bringing a Game to Life
From the drawing board to the playing board, how does game design work? What are the differences when designing different types of games, such as board games or video games? Our game design experts share their experiences and answer your questions. Brian Babendererde, Marinda Darnell, Margaret Weis, and me.
5:30—7 pm: Crafting a Story
How does one take an idea and turn it into a story? How do authors create these convoluted worlds with lots of characters and multiple story arcs, and more importantly, keep track of it all and make it a coherent whole? Richard Chwedyk, Rebecca L. Ciardullo, Phyllis Eisenstein, Mary Robinette Kowal, Gene Wolfe, and me.
Saturday, 2/14
10:30—11 am: Reading
11:30 am—3:00 pm: D6xD6 RPG: Shotguns & Sorcery with GoH Matt Forbeck
Join our Guest of Honor, Matt Forbeck, in the Gaming Room for a round of D6xD6 RPG: Shotguns & Sorcery, run by the game’s creator, Lester Smith. Deathwind: A cyclonic storm is raging the city, laying waste especially to the ramshackle buildings of Goblintown. While the city’s upper reaches protect their businesses and estates, our heroes must venture into the lower circles, to investigate reports of undead loose in the streets. (Players get a special d6xd6.com promo die!) 2—6 players.
3:45—4:30 pm: Autographing: Matt Forbeck & Jody Lynn Nye
So we should have a rollicking good time. Join us if you can!
