My First Geek Moot

For some reason or another, I never made it to Geekmoot 1.0 or 2.0. I really didn't want to sit out this year's due to a cold/flu. Thankfully, I recovered enough to go out and play at Geekmoot 3.0. As I walked through to the front of the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Centre, my eyes bugged out. The gymnasium was filled with tables with people playing tabletop games at each one. The main area had teens playing Dance Dance Revolution, with another group on the side playing games on their laptops. Patrons were watching Lloyd the Conqueror, a locally produced film, in the far room.

After paying my $5 admission, which included food and drink, I stepped into the gym. The energy in the room was just marvellous. There were kids as young as three playing all the way up to people who have retired from their jobs. Good clean fun without any electronics. I felt like I was a kid.

Then, the vendors caught my attention. A couple of my students would have squealed upon spying the Zelda Sage Medallions with Sage Temple Plaque at Chinook Crafts' booth, while one of my friends would have had a BRONY moment at the sight of the excellent renditions of Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle and Apple Jack.

On the other side of the gym, I caught up with a gal I knew from a now defunct anime group. Their amigurumi and buttons were pretty neat (Aerel and shi-oni). And I was good - I looked at the the well-designed hoodies and cosplay caps at Canada Cosplay - and didn't break the bank. I just kept on walking.

It was really great to try out new tabletop games. That day, I tried out Robo Rally, King of Tokyo, The Resistance and Hanabi.

Robo Rally is a neat board game in which you are all robots. You program your robot to move in a certain order, working your way to the numbered flags. However, you don't know what path the other robots have. Their moves could affect your trajectory. Robo Rally is available at your local gaming or toy store. Online, you can purchase it at Amazon.ca or Amazon.com.

I really enjoyed King of Tokyo: Players are kaiju monsters fighting for supremacy in Tokyo. Who can dish the most damage and lose the least amount of health? I, um, er, rolled three to four claws at the beginning. My Cyber Bunny wreaked havoc on the other monsters. It's also available at your local gaming or toy store or online at Amazon.

In The Resistance, resistance fighters and spies team up to complete unexplained missions. Spies try not to identify themselves to the resistance. Little did I know that by not putting myself on the first mission, I didn't show that I trusted the other members. Nay, apparently, I gave away that I was a spy off the bat. I make a bad spy.

This was my least favourite game. I need to know what kind of mission we're on and what obstacles we're up against. I want to know what my special moves are (Yes, I grew up on RPG games and online adventure games).

The last game was unusual. Hanabi is a collaborative card game. Members hold their cards with the faces towards the other players. With clues from the others, you try to figure out which card to play to help the team build fireworks (the numbered cards must go up sequentially). Although I liked it, I think I need to actually write down the clues next time (If you follow any of my other blogs, you know that I am NOT an aural learner).

Another highlight of the evening was the opportunity to hear THWOMP live in concert. I interviewed Brad Stanton and Dave Marshall from the band back in 2010 for a series originally published on Suite101. It now lives on one of my blogs, The Musical Muse.

Oh how apropos! My mp3 player randomly switched to THWOMP's Zelda set. They performed many beloved themes that are on their Hey! Listen album.

All in all, my first Geekmoot was a wonderful experience. I met some new gaming buddies, heard about a few upcoming tabletop gaming events and caught up with anime and gaming friends I haven't seen in a while. Looking forward to Geekmoot 4.0!

Summer Geek-out at G33km00t 3.0

With the Calgary Expo and Otafest behind us, what are Calgary geeks to do while waiting for the next big geek-out (AKA Animethon)? Why, check out Geekmoot 3.0!

Geekmoot (AKA "g33km00t") will take place Saturday, July 27, 2013 from 2:00 - 11:30 pm at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Communty Association. It is an annual one-day gaming convention that is oh so much more. In addition to playing various tabletop games, attendees can check out the Artists' Alley and vendor tables.

Several voice actors will be there, such as Brendan Hunter (Hunter X Hunter Dragon Ball GT,  Cardfight! Vanguard), Lucas Gilbertson (Cardfight!! Vanguard, Mega Man X8, Hunter X Hunter) and Carol-Anne Day (Gregory Horror Show, My-HiME (TV), MegaMan Maverick Hunter X: The Day of Sigma OVA). Other special guests include the 404s imrpov comedy, Anything Goes and THWOMP.

Here's a sampling of music performed by Anything Goes:

And a live performance by THWOMP:

If that's not enough for you, you can check out the movie screening of Brendan Hunter's production Lloyd the Conqueror. Lloyd, Patrick and Oswald - three slacker students who lost their student funding make a pact with a teacher which leads to some LARP of Demons & Dwarves.

Geekmoot tickets are only $5 for adults and kids 12 and up. Kids under 12 are free. Tickets include admission to all events and food. For more information, check out g33km00t's website or Facebook page.