Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the MidWinter gaming convention in Milwaukee, WI.  My main goal for the weekend was to storytell at the Rage and Retribution Remix game, using the BNS Apocalypse Gamma Slice rules.

I’ve got to say, this is probably one of the best conventions I have ever attended!  The hotel was stunning, and they were incredible.  The convention space was lovely, from the Monarch Lounge for casual socialization, to the stunning Empire Ballroom we used for the Rage and Retribution game.  The attendees were wonderful, and we had a wide range of players from One World by Night, The Hidden Parlor, Underground Theater, and Mind’s Eye Society.  I didn’t make it to any games aside from the one I helped run, but by all accounts, every game was a good time for all attendees.

Friday during the day, we worked on character sheets for the R&R game.  We had a ton of people coming by the tables, but we were lucky enough to have an overflow room available to us.  I was really impressed by all of the players who stopped by for this.  We had several people who had never played Werewolf but came by, and they jumped right in.  Many of the players had seen the Gamma Slice already, and everyone was excited about the game.  We had a lot of volunteers to help make sheets, and players were helping one another.  We had packs forming up, people exploring new facets of the game, checking out the high level powers that we had available.

The game itself was amazing.  The NPCs were fantastic.  Our head ST, Jeff, did a wonderful job.  The costuming was wonderful, the RP was great, and everyone seemed to have a really good time.  There was social RP, adventure, and a giant combat to top it all off.  Mass combat with 100 people in less than an hour?  That is the definition of winning.  The excitement from the players was really infectious, and it was a great night all around.

Saturday, we had a panel with the BNS writers to discuss the game, the Gamma Slice, and all things Werewolf.  We had a good turnout, and we broke off into small groups so we could have a bit more of an intimate conversation with the players.  We got a lot of great feedback from the players, and there is a lot of excitement about the book.

I left the convention feeling very positive about everything.  I got to spend a lot of time with the BNS team, getting to know everyone better, which was fantastic.  They’re a great group of people to be working with, and I feel really lucky that I’ve had this opportunity.  I have learned so much, and it has been so much fun.  I get to do all of the things I love the most: write, geek out, and spend time with awesome people.

This is a con I will definitely be attending again.  If you have the opportunity, definitely go.  They have board games, table-top games, LARP of all shapes and sizes.  There is something for everyone!