This is a touch late, because last weekend I went to UK Games Expo!
I talked a bit last month about how I’m kind of relearning how to do conventions, both because I’m new to European conventions, and because it’s been several years since I’ve worked with a team at a convention full-time. I’ll break it down a bit:
The train ride there and back was generally great. Luggage was a bit of a challenge on the ride out, and there was a bit of a problem with my ticket on the way back, but overall I felt far less stressed then taking a flight. Further, trains don’t affect my inner ear the same way planes do, so I was actually able to read on the train. I’ll certainly consider air travel if it makes sense, but if there’s no meaningful difference between trains and airplanes, I think I’ll stick with trains.
We didn’t have a stand or booth, but I ran four games: two slots of Realms of Pugmire, and two for Trinity Continuum: Anima. Three of the four games were full, and the last one was mainly because it was Sunday morning, and we had a room change at the last minute. Still, everyone had a great time in each game, and I really felt my confidence coming back in running.
I not only got to hang out with old friends like Matthew Dawkins (we haven’t seen each other physically since early 2020), but I also made some new friends. I also got some very nice compliments, both about the events I ran and my work overall. There were also lots of great conversations, both work-related and personal. I can’t emphasize enough how much this kind of positive personal contact is helpful to artists, particularly ones (like me) that generally do their work in isolation or via traded emails.
Before UK Games Expo, though, I also decided on a lark to head to London Comicon the weekend before. I got a one-day ticket, dressed up in my Doctor Strange cosplay, and walked the floor for several hours. I picked up some issues of the UK Transformers comic from the late 80s, and a couple of presents for my family. Again, I got a few compliments on my costume, and a couple of people asked to take pictures. Such a huge boost to my confidence.
And next weekend, I’ll be at yet another convention, although this one will be online. But more on that in a bit.
To be clear, I’m utterly exhausted socially (and still recovering physically), but I learned a while ago that I do need social contact once in a while, even though I am an introvert. And while this was a big step in the right direction for my mental health, I’m still working on that. In fact, I’ve finally gotten an appointment for tomorrow through the NHS. Giving myself good tools to heal and manage my mental health is a long-term project for me, and while I have good days and bad, on average it does seem to be getting better.
Speaking of my health, I’ve also tried to change up my exercise routine from just walking every day. Part of the issue is that I found I can’t always carve out 90 minutes each day to walk as much as I’d like, which led to me just not exercising some days. So now I’ve been doing yoga and high-intensity interval workouts when I can. It’s not much — 15 or 20 minutes a day — but I’m trying to build a habit over hitting a specific time marker. In my mind, as long as I’m getting some good exercise a day, that’s better than telling myself I don’t have time, and therefore can’t do any.
That said, I should probably exercise my restraint and move on to the news!
News Roundup
As mentioned above, I’ll be at Onyx Path Con next weekend! It’s a virtual convention, so all you have to do is log in and watch! Here’s where you can find me (all times are Eastern Daylight Time):
The Onyx Path Twitch channel for Opening Ceremonies (June 16th at 5pm), Realms of Pugmire panel (June 17th at 11:30am), What’s Up with Onyx Path? (June 17th at 1pm), Storypath Q&A (June 17th at 2:30pm), Pathcast Live Q&A (June 18th, 10am), and Onyx20 Q&A (June 18th, 1:30pm)
The Plastic Age Plays Twitch channel for actual plays of Realms of Pugmire (June 17th at 6am) and They Came from [CLASSIFIED] (June 18th, 6am)
A book I worked on has been released! Trinity Continuum: Adventure! is a new and updated version of the classic Adventure! game. I was asked to write the fiction, and that was a load of fun to do. If you love pulp adventure and are craving an updated and inclusive take on it, I highly recommend giving it a try!
Just about everything for the soon-to-be-retitled Tome of Enemies for Realms of Pugmire are in for me to review! Because of the convention schedule I haven’t had a moment to dive in (as I clear off my desk of other obligations), but I’m looking forward to digging into these soon.
My Media
Yes, I’m still binging Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I’m about halfway through season 6, but I’m also not watching it as much as I had been because life has gotten in the way a bit. No, my two main obsessions right now are Battletech and Fairy Tail, both bundles I got from Humble Bundle.
The Battletech bundle was sixty (that’s six-zero) novels in the “Legends” line which rereleased just about all the novels from the 80s and 90s as new, updated, and reformatted epub files. I started them, thinking if I enjoyed even just a few that it would be good value for money, but I’ve ended up ripping through the first six in pretty short order. I’m reading them in the recommended release order, and I’m about to finish up the second of the first two trilogies. Great political military space opera with a lot of fun giant robot fights.
Fairy Tail is a long-running fantasy manga that reminds me of what I enjoyed about One Piece when I read the first 20ish volumes of that last year. It’s about a guild of wizards that are too destructive and anarchistic for the likes of the other guilds. It has a bit too much fanservice for my tastes, but it’s a fast read and has some fun, energetic art, so I’m ripping through all 63 volumes at a steady pace.
And with that, it’s time to catch up on work and get ready for the next convention. See you next month!