Early Bird Registration for the North Texas RPG Con - 2011 opened yesterday and runs for the month of July.

Registration is $5.00 of the price for the 2011 Con.

You can also purchase raffle tickets at a discounted price with your registration (anyone not attending that would like to purchase raffle tickets at the discounted price during the month of July, just let me know and I'll give you the specifics and send you an invoice).

Other items that can be selected during registration are the 4 Digest Modules being printed for 2011 and T-Shirts.

Vendor Tables and Vendor Shelves are also discounted during July only.

ExTSR wrote:Can we go to a rodeo this time?

If you do, I'm definitely coming next year..

Well it's time to push this up the topic list...

Less than 5 months away, the 3rd annual NTRPG Con will take place June 2-5 in Irving, TX (same location as last time, the Staybridge Suites).  

Special guests this year will include (deeep breath):Returning Guests: Paul Jaquays, Rob Kuntz, Frank Mentzer, Tim Kask, Dennis Sustare, Steve Winter, Jason Braun; New Guests Steve Marsh and Erol Otus, and a surprise guest (Doug just informed me today) will be Jim Ward, who has accepted an invitation and we hope will be recovered enough from his illness to travel here in June. As some of you might know Jim was scheduled to appear at last year's con, but had to cancel at the last minute due to a serious illness that has dogged him for the entire year.  Jim says he will run a Metamorphosis Alpha game, and something from Eldritch Enterprises.  

Some tidbits:

This year we will award the first ever Three Castles Design award for achievement in RPG design.  The statuette is stone cold gorgeous!

Doug and I have discussed giving out an annual NTRPG Con award for best release at the con itself.  Basically, any adventure released at the con for the first time will be eligible.  We need to work on it a bit more but it looks like we'll take votes on all submissions and give out the award sometime at the end of June, to be awarded at the next year's con.

Reminder that registration for events goes live midnight April 15th....as some of you know events fill up VERY fast, especially premium events.

Speaking of which, this year both Erol Otus and Paul Jaquays will be gamemastering events.  I believe Paul has not gamemastered (is this a word?) at a con in many, many years, and I think apart from games with friends Erol has not either.  Should fill up fast!

Some of you looking over events may have noticed this year's games seem to have taken a slight turn towards the sci-fi.  Besides Jim's Meta Alpha game, we have two other MA games by Tavis Allison, more Urutsk from Kyrinn Eis, a Paranoia game by Ben Burns, another Gamma World scenario by Steve Winters as well as one by Rollin Kearney, and a Spelljammer retro game (using OD&D rules!) from Bob Reed.  We didn't plan it this way but it sure looks quite interesting if you like mutants with your swords and sorcery!

This year we will have a special charity game (the first event of the con, Thursday afternoon) DM'd by the esteemed Taco Jon Hershberger, which will contain all the special guests we can round up a the time.  Two prime seats in this session will be auctioned off to a pair of lucky gamers, who can then say they sat at the same table as some of the founding fathers of the game!  This game will be in the lecture room with seats for sale (for charity) to anyone wanting to watch; I expect this to be quite....interesting.  Taco Jon is going to have his hands full with this one.

Like last year we will have a mini-auction on Saturday, with some goodies from the prize closet.  Included will be one of the 65 signed copies of the limited edition Erol Otus print done exclusively for The Acaeum last year....63 of these are owned by Acaeum members, which means there is a 99% chance none of these will ever see the light of day.  This is the ONLY limited edition print Erol Otus has ever done!  

As usual the raffle (get your tickets now!) will have some great items including a Dragon magazine #1, Dungeon Magazine #1, a Castle Zagyg boxed set, and some signed items from past cons.  

We will again have seminars this year.  Friday there will be a 6 hour long (lunch included) adventure design seminar by Rob Kuntz where an adventure will be designed to be run by Rob on Saturday night!  There will be an art seminar with Jason Braun, Erol Otus and Paul Jaquays; A "Tips for DMs" seminar with Matt Finch, Harely Stroh and Frank Mentzer; and an adventure writing seminar with Tim Kask and Dennis Sustare.

This year we will again offer tables and shelves for vendors.  We have a few tables left at $40 a pop ($50 after May 1st); these are good if you have a volume of material to sell and don't mind sitting there shooting the breeze with buyers during the day.  We have several vendor shelves available at $15 each ($20 after May 1st); these are a GREAT deal if you don't want to have to worry about taking time out of your day to sell stuff, or you aren't going to attend the con. We do the work for you and only ask for 10% of your total sales; the shelves sit by the register and can hold at least 4 modules flat, more if they are overlapping. One vendor last year who bought a few shelves made $900 at NTRPG Con!

Please post at this thread with any questions! Can't wait to see you guys again this year!

NTRPG Con Home:
http://ntrpgcon.com/index.php?option=co ... &Itemid=58

List of Events:
http://ntrpgcon.com/index.php?option=co ... &Itemid=65

Buying Raffle tickets ($5 each):
http://ntrpgcon.com/index.php?option=co ... &Itemid=66

Staybridge Suites Info:
http://ntrpgcon.com/index.php?option=co ... =14&id=848

Mike B.

fantastic stuff guys. i think this will be the event that folk need to go to.

if any of you guys out there didnt get to go last year for whatever reason YOU NEED TO GO TO IT. it is a fantastic event that has the small intimate feel to it, but also more as well from a bigger con.... it truly is quite special in my very very humble opinion. and also to get to mix with some of the folks from the industry as well, its a win win.

sadly for me, its looking like me not being able to go

i am having to make some hard choices right now - sucks, but thats life (you all know what its like from time to time).

that said, i hope its as much of a success as it was last year and i hope that it grows and grows.

it really is an event you really must go to and the hotel is top notch as well. couldnt recommend it any higher than that (though i hope they have improved the breakfast scenario).

very best

Al

Prufrock wrote:Mike,

The link for raffle tickets is not working for me.  I don't know if the problem is specific to me or for everyone.  It take me to the NTRPG.con site but fails when I push the button to buy.

Martin, it worked fine for me this morning, I know Doug was doing maintenance to the site yesterday so some links might have been wonky.

I believe Killjoy's new business might be the reason he can't leave and hang with us for a week or so   That sucks, part of having fun at the con is interacting with Killjoy.  

Seriously guys if you can't make it to Garycon this is really the next best thing.  Doug and I are working on some hush-hush projects right now that will blow you away if they materialize (limited edition printings of stuff that will only be available at the con, look at the guest list this year and use your imaginations!).

Also I forgot to pimp our first ever tournament!  Bill Barsh of Pacesetter Games had talked up running a "old style" tournament at the con, so we let him run with it. There will be three teams/sessions on Friday for his adventure, and the same three teams will compete Saturday morning for the conclusion/2nd part.  If this works out ok we'll try to include these events every year.  I believe this adventure has been run at Gencon many years ago.  We'll have to come up with an appropriate prize for the tourney winners!

Mike B.

Prufrock wrote:Mike,

The link for raffle tickets is not working for me.  I don't know if the problem is specific to me or for everyone.  It take me to the NTRPG.con site but fails when I push the button to buy.

King,

I look forward to sideswiping your chariot into the wall (and I'm the nice guy).  Just hope you do not get Gnat the Beggar in your heat, that guy is truely crazy!!! Oh, Frank is not a person you want in your heat either.  It seems he carries a whip (+4) and is not shy about using it.

Alan,

I'm really bummed to hear you will not be able to make it.  I sure hope things turn around for you.  You will be missed.  Maybe we could run a ghost chariot for Alan.

I have no idea what you are talking about...  

Besides, Colton is the crazy one and IIRC... he nearly pulled off a big upset too.

I will truly miss Al this year, and I hope he will be able to find a way to get there.... and not just because we have unfinished bidness in the Manor either.
I enjoy our talks Al...

We added a raffle prize this year that could be of interest to those of you too strapped for cash to attend.....

A FREE trip to NTRPG Con 2012!
We will pay for trip fees here (either plane ticket or gas refund), and a room at the hotel....no excuses not to show up!  This is only good for the 48 contiguous states....however, if you are from out of the country and you win, if you decide to attend you will refunded a cash value for the prize up to the amount we would have spent on someone in the US flying to the convention (we'll give you the money should you show up!).  

Don't tell me that's not worth a $5 investment for a ticket....

Mike B.

Oooh, I love that raffle prize!  I will be buying my raffle tickets shortly.  I hate that I cannot attend this year as my daughter has the nerve to graduate from high school the day the Con begins.  Last year was great - met so many wonderful people, played so many great games.  I plan to be back in 2012, for sure!