Jiffy Games at Connecticon

JiffyCon is run by a group of folks who love, play and design small press independent role playing games. Several of us traveled down to Connecticut to check out a big convention that was new to us: ConnectiCon.

ConnectiCon is a huge (up to 10,000 attendees) con, focused on fandoms of all varieties. Their description, that it is "a massively, multi-genre pop culture convention" is dead accurate. A couple of us went last year, and decided to test out having a booth to sell games. The organizers of the convention graciously invited us to participate as Industry Guests and made us feel very welcome. We had a great time meeting a lot of new people, learning about many new shows, books, comics (like the great stuff from Rare Earth Comics), games (Dungeon Crawl Classics is out!), memes and pop culture fiction--and getting to share about our games & indie publishing as well!

Big greetings to everyone we talked with during and after the Gaming Guest Meet & Greet (lovely to meet Michael Brock, mastermind of the Paizo Pathfinder Society there), the Creating Indie Games panel, OSR, Swords & Sorcery and the Sex (in gaming) on the Table panel. Props to our Nerd NYC friends who held down the weekend with near non-stop Marvel Superheroic game system and ran a mess of other great panels as well. And our friendly neighborhood gaming story Modern Myths was in the house! We'd love to see all our nearby new friends at a JiffyCon to play games you bought or talked to us about, and we're looking forward to seeing you all again at ConnectiCon next year.

Here's information about our companies and games: 
Night Sky Games (Psi*Run, and the soon to come out 2nd edition of 1001 Nights--check out the 1001 Nights IndieGoGo going on now! )

Lumpley Games (Dogs in the Vineyard, Apocalypse World, Murderous Ghosts and the soon to come out Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack)

the glyphpress (Shock: Social Science Fiction, Human Contact and the soon to come out Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack) 

Dig a Thousand Holes (Dread House and the soon to come out Swords without Master)

 Black & Green Games (Breaking the Ice, Shooting the Moon, Dread House)

Misspent Youth Games (Misspent Youth)

Cel*Style Game Studio -- a group of designers (Maid, Panty Explosion, GxB, BxB, The Magical Land of Yeld, Clover, Classroom Death Match, and the soon to come out Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack)

Machine Age Productions (Machine Zeit)

Incarnadine Press (Serial Homicide Unit)

JiffyCon Boston, June 16, Somerville, MA

JiffyCon Boston is coming up!

Sign up for both the morning and afternoon sessions will take place from 8:30am to 9am for each person immediately following their on-site payment of the $10 registration fee.

Want to preregister? Last minute questions? Mail jiffycon@gmail.com.

When & Where: JiffyCon Boston will be held on Saturday, June 16, 2012 at the Unity Church 6 William St in Davis Square, Somerville, MA.

Note: Most of the parking in Davis Square is limited to 2-hour or permit only. We strongly suggest you take the T to Davis Square.

Schedule

Doors open at 8:30am.
Sign up for Games: 8:30am to 9am.
Morning Session: 9am to 12:30pm.
Lunch Break: 12:30pm to 2pm.
Afternoon Session: 2pm to 6pm.
Doors close at 6:30pm.

Unlike at some previous JiffyCons, lunch is not included in the registration fee, but there are plenty of excellent places for lunch in Davis Square.

GAMES
Forsooth! (Shakespearean RPG)
Heart of the Rose (playtest)
Apocalypse World
Burning Wheel
Inspectres
Swords Without Master
Combat Diaries

JiffyCon Game Day Schedule

Happy Spring! Our next Game Day is Saturday, April 28, at Modern Myths in Northampton, from 10 am to 6:30 pm. Thanks to everyone who pre-registered! We have room for a few more players, so please email us at jiffycon@gmail.com if you'd like to attend. This event is free, but we still need you to pre-register.

Here's the list of games and schedule:

Morning

Swords and Wizardry (Travis Miller, GM)

A well known party of adventurers are off to break into and rob the tomb of one of the most infamous necromancers in history. It is a dangerous quest for glory and riches! The intrepid White Company! enters into the dark tomb, magic swords gleaming, wizard staffs crackling with magic energy and holy symbols imbued with divine power to cleanse the dungeon of its evil. Meanwhile.... Your characters, a party of low level no-name henchmen, are to protect the horses and hirelings. Its been a week since the White Company! has entered the tomb and it doesn't look like they are coming back out. The henchman and hirelings all agree that they'll probably be able to get a decent price for the baggage. You just have to get back civilization. 10 players maximum, 10 years old+, A retro-clone of Original Dungeons and Dragons published by Frog God Games.

Misspent Youth: The Reaping (Rob Bohl, designer, GM)

Your city-state fought a rebellion against the Capital City, and lost. Every year, children are forced to murder each other to stay alive in a deadly arena, and their parents are forced to watch. The Reaping is beginning, and you and your friends are destined to face the games. Can you survive without slaughtering your friends and other innocent kids? Inspired by The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. Misspent Youth is about friendship, rebellion, and kicking ass. In the game, you play 12- to 17-year-old kids in a future world screwed-up beyond recognition by The Authority. The Authority is a villain that you create together at the start of the series, played (in this case) by the game's creator, Robert Bohl. So much fun, the fun-meter chip implanted in you at birth will go off, and the Morality Police will come looking for you.

Questlandia (Hannah Shaffer, designer, GM) Questlandia is a storytelling RPG about a group of people, whose destinies are inextricably bound, fighting for what they believe in while navigating their relationships with one another and actively challenging the world they live in. Though the setting details are determined by the players, the intended setting is a fantasy kingdom. The game is for 3-5 players and is played using 6-sided dice, a standard deck of cards, and black & white stones. The game is suitable for young adults, though not suitable for a mixed-age audience. This is a play test.

Game Poems (Kat Jones, GM)

I'll be running a few (probably 2-4 depending on which ones I decide to run) of the 24 Game Poems. I'll need three to six players. Each poem deals with a different theme and I'll probably run some that are more humorous and at least one that's a little more serious. Probably best for older teens and adults.

Monster Hearts (Jim Crocker, GM)

Monsterhearts is the story game about the messy lives of teenage monsters. In the spirit of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ginger Snaps, and The Craft, we'll use Apocalypse World-inspired archetypes to populate a high school in a wealthy Connecticut suburb and let hormones, peer pressure, and blood do the rest.

Over the Edge: Welcome to Al-Amarja (Tom Russell, GM)

You're a bunch of specialists who specialize in the weird. You've been ordered to the island-nation of Al Amarja to help your boss acquire some very unusual merchandise. You've never heard of this place, but it can't be any worse than the other hellholes you've been to.

You have no idea what you're up against.

This is the 20th anniversary of Over the Edge, one of the first indie games. Come play in a fever dream inspired by William S. Burroughs, Ron Paul, Warren Ellis and Jonathan Tweet's subconscious.

Og! (Matt Beisler, GM)
A game of prehistoric roleplaying in a world of limited words! Take on the role of a caveman (or cavewoman) in the distant, very historically inaccurate past.  Master the groundbreaking technology of rocks, fire and drawing.  Join the Rock Tribe as they face the biggest storm they can remember (which isn't saying much) and bang, grunt, throw & romance your way to some sort of resolution. Og is a game about cavemen with minimal vocabulary, talent and intellect.  There is minimal die-rolling but physical expressiveness is a big bonusif you want to succeed.  Or at least try to succeed.  Be prepared to adapt to frequent failure.  For up to 6 players, ages 12+.

Afternoon

Heart of the Rose (Emily Boss, designer, GM)

Magical fantasy and adventure. A great power casts a Shadow over a mortal Kingdom. The lines between mortal and Fae realms are weakened and all are in peril. A hero arises to use the new magic they find blooming in themself to oppose this threat. With the help of some friends they face the Shadow and their own corruption. A collaborative, GMless game, in playtest. Okay for ages 10 and up.

Poison'd (Tresi Arvizo, GM)

In this the Year of Our Lord 1701, did end the bloody career of the pirate Captain Jonathan Abraham Pallor, called Brimstone Jack.
He did not die on the gallows, nor by the sword, nor shot in two by cannon. He died of poison, administered to him by his cook, an assassin under the King’s orders.
This is what happened next.
A pirate roleplaying game for three to five players. Adults only, please.

Dream Factory (Benjamin Grant, designer, GM)

Dream Factory is an easy and rules-light system that nevertheless preserves drama and creativity. No complex tables or formulas, just pen, paper, and normal six-sided dice – allowing the real star to be who it always was, the boundless imagination of the players themselves. This game is suitable for 2-6 players, ages nine to ninety. Because the system governs how stories are told, but not which stories are told, it's suitable for all genres, themes, and tones. Some of the unique features include:
• Safeties: that keep the story from crossing pre-arranged boundaries
• Lynchpins: that incentivize specific story mood and feeling
• Quandaries: the main challenge facing each player's hero

We will be playing to Dream Factory's strengths and inventing the story on the spot to fit the mood, whims, and desires of the players present - so bring your creativity and let's see what we can make! Note: We will be using the beta of DF 2.0, which adjusts some of the rules slightly from the published 1.0 version.

MAID rpg: Black Butler (Julia Ellingboe, GM)

Ciel Phantomhive, at the urging of his butler Sebastian Michaelis, throws a birthday party for his fiancee Lady Elizabeth. Naturally, the party will be a smashing success; however, if one considers who is on (and not on) the guest list, there may be more smashing than success. The staff of the Phantomhive Estate, under the watchful demon eye of Sebastian, will have their hands full to make sure everything runs smoothly, and that the young master (and his fiancee) are kept out of harm's way and free to enjoy the party. Well, they should at least be kept out of harm's way. Based on the manga and anime Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler). No prior knowledge of either required. Appropriate for teens and up.

Perfect (Evan Torner, GM)

Perfect is a story game about criminals in a dystopian steampunk setting named Cadence who are fighting for what they believe in, even when it will come back to haunt them. Cadence is lit by gaslight. The dignified are driven by carriage and the poor walk about in tattered slippers. The air is brisk and biting, constantly. It always seems to be late Autumn. The game deals with crumbling ideals, madness and the glimmer of hope that all those who resist authority see beyond the black bowels of the State and its oppressive social norms. Mature players (16+) preferred. A group of 2-4 players is ideal.

Tom Wants to Play Wiz-War (Tom Russell, GM)

Wiz-War is the classic Tom Jolly game about wizards duking it out for treasure and glory. The game has been re-released in a gorgeous new edition by Fantasy Flight games and I want three other folks to come in and battle to the finish. We should be able to get in two games during the session.

Mystic Empyrean (Sam Anderson, GM)

Play demi-gods out to restore your shattered reality. Travel between islands of existence, each with their own rules and elemental balances. Manifest strange abilities born from your desires and beliefs, but take care they do not consume you. Mystic Empyrean is a GM-run game, but all players help define the context of each situation or encounter. It also uses card-based resolution. I'm also going to be trying to run most of it off the Mystic Empyrean iPad App, so it would be safe to expect a few quirks there. For those familiar with them, this game shares some of the tone and feel of Everway or Nobilis. Literary inspiration could range from China Miéville to Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol to Avatar:The Last Airbender. 3-5 players, appropriate for teens and up.

JiffyCon Game Day: Apr 28, 2012, Northampton, MA

JiffyCon Game Day

When: Saturday April 28, 2012, 10am-6:30pm
Where: Modern Myths Comics and Games, 34 Bridge St, Northampton, MA (in the upstairs event space) How much: Free!

JiffyCon is a one day role-playing convention. Focusing on small-press, independently published role games, we also have board games and games for kids (6 and up). GMs and fame facilitators will run games in the morning and afternoon sessions. Come meet friendly folks!

Schedule: 
10am - 10:30am Game sign up
10:30 - 1:30 Game Session
1:30 - 2:30 Break for Lunch
2:30 - 6:00 Game Session 2

Games run at past JiffyCons: 
Shock: Social Science Fiction
Misspent Youth - Youthful offenders rebel in an f'd up future
Psi*Run - On the run with powers you can't explain!
Tales of the Fisherman's Wife - Weird tales of Japanese ghosts and demons

 For more information about the games: 
http://jiffycon.blogspot.com/p/games.html 

For directions:
http://jiffycon.blogspot.com/p/directions.html 

 Sign up soon! Space is limited. Our maximum capacity is approximately 40.

To Register: 
Email us at jiffycon-at-gmail-dot-com

 Let us know: 
1) Your name (or names of folks coming with you)
2) Number of kids
3) If you can bring snacks to share

We'll have some toys and coloring books for kids, and hope to have games appropriate for kids 6+ to play (please sign up to run one!), but we won't have child care available, unfortunately.

Live-Action Game Weekend, Feb 11-12, Northampton, MA

Live-Action Game Weekend 
Modern Myths, Northampton, MA 
February 11-12, 3-7pm (each day)

  Akiko "finds" money in the strangest of places. She "finds" a bag of pearls under the table when she sets it for lunch. She "finds" a new inkstone under the futon when she folds it to clean the floors. Akiko "finds" coins in the teapot when she prepares tea. 


 In the darkness of the clean room, lights blinked a morse-code of loss and redemption. She opened her intralink to the Cyberspace and prepared for the long night of infiltration and virtual assault.


"There's smoke on the water it's been there since June / Tree trunks uprooted beneath the high crescent moon / Feel the pulse and vibration and the rumbling force / Somebody is out there beating on a dead horse / She never said nothing there was nothing she wrote / She gone with the man in the long black coat" 

Residents of western Mass. – Interested in live-action role-playing (larp) but can't commit to a long-term game? Then the Live-Action Game Weekend is the venue for you! Three experimental one-shot larps to be run in eastern Mass. at Intercon L in March are playing in western Mass. as demos. Games are held at the upstairs Modern Myth space from 3-7 p.m. on February 11th and 12th.

 Event is free. Bring a friend!

 These games include:

Hykumonogatari Kaidankai [A Gathering of 100 Weird Tales] (a larp set in Tokugawa Era Japan where the villagers gather to tell about their encounters with local demons and ghosts.)

BloodNet (a larp adaptation of a video game about cyberpunk vampires)

Man in the Long Black Coat (a larp about an apocalypse that descends on a small town).

Enthusiasm and a desire to try something new are all that are required! We'll provide instructions, props and all else needed to play. Experienced or new rpg and larp players warmly welcomed.

 Let us know if you plan to attend, and if you have any questions please email jiffycon@gmail.com.

A JiffyCon Live event.