NOTACON Charity Gaming Event - Tucson

The Vul-Con Team will be joining the festivities in Tucson next weekend.  NOTACON is a charity event supporting The Creative Play Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to providing table-top games, gaming programs, and training materials to youth clubs and activity centers across the United States.  Entrance is only $10 and will include access to an open game library with hundreds of games, scheduled games, tournaments, game demos, and a charity auction.  The event will take place at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Swan and 22nd St. (4831 East 22nd Street, Tucson) on October 8th with registration and gaming beginning at 10am.

The Vul-Con Team will be taking on the challenge of transporting our Gladiatorial Coliseum to Tucson.  This will be the first appearance of the 5' Diameter Coliseum in Tucson and the next to the last chance to test your mettle in Gladiatorial combat during 2011 (the last chance will be at Vul-Con Arena III on December 10th).  If you haven't made it to one of our Phoenix Events, this is a great chance to see and play it.

We're thrilled to be part of such a worthwhile event and have a chance to visit the great Strategy Gaming Community in Tucson.  If you turn out for NOTACON, be sure to stop by and say, "Hi!"  You can't miss us, we'll be the guys with the giant Coliseum.  See you there!

Right Games - Russian Board Game Publishers - Sponsor Vul-Con

The Vul-Con Team is proud to announce that Right Games - Publishers of Russian Board Games - is on board as our latest sponsor. We're very excited about this opportunity to share great games like Evolution, Potion Making Practice, The Kingdoms of Crusaders, and The Enigma of Leonardo with our members.

In preparation for Vul-Con Arena III at Samurai Comics and Games on December 10th, the Vul-Con Team ran a "test-play" of Evolution last weekend.  We were blown away by how easy the game was to learn to play, how tactically rich it was, how well it taught concepts of evolution, and how well it simulated a functioning ecosystem.  Most of all, we had such a great time playing it, we felt compelled to immediately play it again.

Be sure to join us are Vul-Con Arena III and register early, so you can lock in a seat at the Russian Board Game Table.  You're going to want to have a chance to try these great games, and certainly don't want to miss the opportunity to win one of the copies we will be giving away courtesy of Right Games.

Vul-Con 2012 Welcomes the Arizona Desert Rats and Shifting Sands 2012 Flames of War Tournament

The Vul-Con Team is very proud to announce that Vul-Con 2012 will be the Host Site for Shifting Sands 2012 - Duel in the Desert, the annual Flames of War Tournament run by the Arizona Desert Rats.  The event will take place at Vul-Con 2012 on February 25th and 26th, 2012 at the Phoenix Convention Center.  Shifting Sands is one of the premier Flames of War Tournaments.  Because of this we are both proud to be the host site and feel a great responsibility to work with the Arizona Desert Rats to make this the best Shifting Sands Tournament to date.

Shifting Sands 2012 - Duel in the Desert is a 2000pts desert doubles event covering Early war, Mid War and Raiding.  The event will be played in five rounds (three Saturday and two Sunday).  Air support will be decided by raiding missions.  Day One will be Early War and all lists will be built from Hellfire and Back. Day Two will be Mid War and all lists will be built from North Africa along with modifications listed on the Shifting Sands Web Site.  During the event, players will be pulled away from their partner to play raid missions which will influence the rest of the battles. All raiding and defending forces will be provided.

Slots are limited, so be sure to go to the Shifting Sands Web Site today to register. Discounted Vul-Con 2012 Memberships will be made available to those participating in the Shifting Sands 2012 - Duel in the Desert Tournament.  Early registration will not only make you available for this discount, it will allow you to take advantage of the current Vul-Con Membership before the increase on November 1st.  This is going to be a top-tier event, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Back2Basic - A 70s Dungeons & Dragons Experience

Olde School

The Vul-Con Team is very proud to announce a new event.  Back2Basic: A 70s D&D Experience is a combination 70s Costume Party and Dungeons & Dragons gaming event held at Imperial Outpost Games/ManaWerx in Glendale, AZ on October 29^th, 2011. This Charity Fundraiser Event will include a costume contest for best 70s outfit (several categories) and D&D gaming using the late 70s Basic Set for rules and the modules included in it in 1978 and 1979 for adventures - B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 The Keep on the Borderlands.  Seats at the gaming tables for these events are limited, so please register early to lock in your place.

We'll also be joined by Mike Carr via Skype.  We're very excited about this opportunity for you to interview Mr. Carr as he is one of the last survivors of the team that developed the original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set.  Mr. Carr wrote In Search of the Unknown and was one of the early editors for TSR.  His editing credits for Dungeons & Dragons include the original Monster Manual (1977), Vault of the Drow (1978), Players Handbook (1978), White Plume Mountain (1979), The Village of Hommlet (1979), The World of Greyhawk (1980), The Keep on the Borderlands (1981), Descent into the Depths of the Earth (1981), Against the Giants (1981), and Deep Dwarven Delve (not printed until 1999).  Additionally he is the creator of the game Fight in the Skies (1968, also known as Dawn Patrol).

Event entrance is free, but please bring some money along, as we will be fundraising for Tracie's Tooth Fairy, a charity focused on helping Cancer patients.  There will be opportunities for your to donate by purchasing in game potions and magic, raffle tickets, merchandise, and more.  One set of items we are very excited about are the Back2Basic T-shirts that will be available during the event in limited quantities.  They come in all your favorite 70s colors - burnt orange, olive green and harvest gold!

I Came, I Saw, I Played, I Got the T-Shirt

If you're interested in joining us, seats at the D&D Tables are limited, so we suggest you pre-register as it is the only way we can guarantee you a seat. We look forward to seeing you at Back2Basic: A 70s D&D Experience on October 29^th, 2011.  It's Gonna Be Outta Sight!

Vul-Con Interview with Boilerplate Creator Paul Guinan

The Vul-Con Team posted a 15 minute excerpt from our Skype interview with Paul Guinan, creator of Boilerplate.  If your interested in the origins of Boilerplate, how he connects to the Steampunk movement, what's up with the upcoming movie from J.J. Abrams, little known facts about history, and more, check out this interview.  If 15 minutes of Paul Guinan isn't enough for you (we could listen to him all day), be sure to join us at Phoenix Vul-Con 2012 where he will be one of our virtual guests.  We have more guest announcements and several event announcements that will trickle out over the next few weeks, so keep checking back.  Also, one more round of thanks to the organizers of Mustache Bash, Steam Crow and Gamer's Inn, for providing the venue for this interview. We'd also like to extend our apologies for the popping in the audio track.  We're still perfecting our Skype technique and hope to be able to offer cleaner audio in the future (besides it gives the interview a Steampunk, transmitted over the Aetherwebs feel).

Mustache Bash Photos and More

The Vul-Con Team had the pleasure of attending Mustache Bash sponsored by Steam Crow and Gamer's Inn on Saturday August 6th at Gamer's Inn in Mesa, AZ.  We brought two things to the party.  The first was a customized version of Wings of War that pitted Pterodactyls again Sopwith Camel Bi-Planes in a battle off the coast of the Isle of Caprona and over the HMS Furious.  The Pterodactyls were set on destroying the observation balloon tethered to the HMS Furious for the purpose of locating lost survivors in the area.  A great time was had both by those who played and those who watched.

The second thing the Vul-Con Team brought to the party was a virtual guest.  Via the magic of Skype and the Aetherwebs, Paul Guinan, creator of Boilerplate, joined us for a nearly 40 minute interview with fans.  He shared fascinating information and great stories about the creation of Boilerplate, the optioning by J.J. Abrams and Paramount of Boilerplate for a forthcoming movie, the development of the Boilerplate Coffee Table Book, and the upcoming Coffee Table Book set in the world of Boilerplate with a new protagonist.  Mr. Guinan provided an amazing interview and graciously fielded questions.  We hope to be able to share portions with you via our YouTube channel some time soon.

Great Costumes were the Norm with the Mustache Bash Attendees

Dog Fight?  Lizard Fight?

Pterodactyls Move in on the HMS Furious' Observation Balloon

The Pterodactyls Latch on to the Observation Balloon

Paul Guinan on Skype

Vul-Con Arena II Videos Live and More Pics

We've recently posted two videos from Vul-Con Arena II held at Imperial Outpost Games/ManaWerx on July 16, 2011.  The first is our interview with Andrea Angiolino (creator of Wings of War) via Skype.  Please forgive the video/audio synch issues, as this was recorded in the very lively and loud environment of Arena II, and Mr. Angiolino was calling in from Rome, Italy.  The second video is a quick tour of the event.  Arena II was an absolute blast, and we hope the video captures some of that energy.  The videos can be found on our YouTube Channel:

Interview:

Overview:

There are also fresh pictures posted to the Vul-Con Facebook Page.  Check them out here:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.205927972787915.46327.137331599647553&type=1

Now we're looking forward towards Arena III at Samurai Comics and Games on December 10, 2011.  We also had a great time attending Mustache Bash at Gamer's Inn in Mesa, AZ this past Saturday and will share a few photos later this week.