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AmberCon North report
I always look forward to AmberCon North, if for no other reason than for the chance to wander around Toronto. Plus the games are usually fun and I see some people that don't come to the other cons. I was a bit concerned this year, since I knew a lot of the people I normally see up there couldn't make it, but I still wound up having a good time. Ironically, the thing with the most potential to ruin the trip was not the smaller number of attendees this year, but the hotel and their colossal fuck up. For more on that story, check out Jack G.'s entries on the problem. Suffice it to say that I was one of those they tried to shunt off to the other hotel, but I wouldn't go, and after climbing the management tree, the third person I talked to found me a room in the hotel. Given that the hotel they wanted to put me in turned out to be six blocks away, rather than the advertised two, and the elevator wasn't working there, I'm rather glad I was feeling pissy enough to put up a fuss about moving. The silver lining is we discovered some open rooms in the basement level of the hotel that were perfect for running games. If only the hotel hadn't pissed us off so badly that it's unlikely ACN will be held there again.

The room I wound up in turned out to be one of the renovated ones (the hotel used to be an apartment building, so they've been slowly renovating the rooms ever since ACN was first held there). The furniture was definitely much improved - the sofa and chairs had cushions that were much firmer, which was nice. But instead of a regular refrigerator, there was a small dorm-sized one, and the stove was gone. Even more inconvenient, there was no kitchen table. But strangest of all were the french doors they installed on the long wall separating the bedroom from the living room. When open, they did serve the purpose of opening up the space, which is fine, but strangely, there were no curtains on the doors. Which meant that you couldn't block out the light from the living room if you wanted to go to bed earlier than your roommate, or block people from seeing you if you wanted to take a nap while a game was going on. Very inconvenient.

Hotel issues aside, it was a good con. I played in six slots, taking one off on Friday to walk around the city. Plus Saturday night I had dinner with a friend who used to live in Ann Arbor, and is now attending the University of Toronto, and got to meet her fiancé, which was cool.

Reviews and Quotes from the Con

As always, quotes may contain spoilers. You have been warned.

Slot 1
"The White Lady" by Stephanie Itchkawich

There is no wind, no sound, no flapping banner. No recourse to sad cliches. Only the stench, and it pervades everything, clogging the pores with molecules of putrification, bits of the landscape which have now made themselves one with anything remaining.

A single figure stands among it all. The white robes of her funeral pledge stained with gore, her face a childish expression of innocence and purity, is marred by small splatters of mud and other materials that seem to lend her grace.

She sees you and turns away, a faint disappointment registers but resolve quickly follows.

"If it takes a thousand years."

Players got no more information prior to the game other than what was in the above game description. We could bring in any character we wanted from any game we had played. Unfortunately, the character I was playing, Melanie, never really engaged the storyline, since she was never offered a real reason that made her want to do so. I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who might play in it (some of the quotes may do that, however). A serious game that had an unexpected bit of hilarity when one of the characters suddenly decided to chop his own leg off. And no, he wasn't a shapeshifter.

Cast:
David de Jong - Blokh, son of ?
Kris Fazzari - Melanie, daughter of Brand
Roy Grutchfield - Cally, daughter of ?
David Heeney - Victor, son of ?
Glen Seymour - Spike, son of Brand
Tymen Van Dyk - Fallon, son of Flora
Edwin Voskamp - Caeleron, son of Oberon's older brother and his first wife
Rae Williams - Enelawoncha, daughter of Benedict

"I suppose a formal declaration of allegiance might be in order." -- The White Lady
"I'm not asking for one now." -- Caeleron

"I have no objection to children, I think children are delightful." -- The White Lady to the group
"In sauce." -- Kris Fazzari

"I just wanted to make certain that I wasn't committing to killing myself." -- Caeleron to the group

"Oberon was corrupting us in his own image." -- Fallon
"Not me, but I can see it in the rest of you." -- Caeleron

"I'll kill anyone, but I won't touch strange toys." -- Enelawoncha to the group

"I try breaking my finger again. If it hurts, I'm happy." -- Cally to GM

"You feel a deep sense of unease." -- GM
"I had that before I chopped (my) leg off." -- Spike

"What would you like to do now?" -- GM to Spike
"You've got another leg." -- Kris Fazzari

"I severed off the Chaos infection." -- Spike to Benedict
"Yeah, that's what I called her, too." -- Kris Fazzari, speaking for Benedict

"My father named me Seraphim, but I go by Spike." -- Spike to the doctors
"I would too!" -- Rae Williams and Kris Fazzari

"Do you feel itchy or irritated in any way?" -- doctor
"Why yes, you won't answer my questions." -- Spike

"We wipe out the Pattern, Oberon and all of Shadow. What bad can come of that?" -- Caeleron to the group

"Have you ever tried to turn a cardboard box into a car?" -- GM to Caeleron

"So you're here to kill me?" -- Oberon
"No, I'm here to ask if I should kill you." -- Blokh

"I think that probably you should not kill me, as I would find it inconvenient." -- Oberon to Blokh

"Can you gain a higher level of control over this nothing?" -- Spike to GM

"Can I live without my body, do I think?" -- Spike to GM

"I move my mind into the nothing." -- Spike
"You've done that." -- GM
"(Your) mind is as empty as it's ever been." -- Kris Fazzari

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Slot 2
"Nine Princes in High School" by Jack Gulick

While Principle Oberon is away, discipline at Amber High is starting to slip. The teachers are holing up in their lounge, avoiding anything but the minimum of classtime. The students are forming into factions over the race for Prom King and Queen. The janitor is muttering about something strange in the basement.

Join in the unpredictable goings-on as Amber meets Teenagers From Outer Space!

A fun, light-hearted game to start the day off. The system we used was "Teenagers from Outer Space," which is heavily inspired by anime. Some of us played high school student versions of the elder Amberties, other played characters of their own invention. There were the occasional dice involved, but they were giant fuzzy ones provided by the GM. It's surprising how well we wound up following certain aspects of the Amber storyline, without even trying.

Cast:
Matt Anders - Bill, a 7 1/2' tall red demon guy (think Hellboy)
J.P. Brannan - Benedict, Captain of the Fencing team
Michael Curry - Caine, Pirate Captain
Kris Fazzari - Juliana, Hall Monitor
Jenn Jackson - Deirdre, leader of an all-girl gang
Chris Kindred - Eric, acting Student Council President
Sean McCabe - Stewie (from Family Guy)

"Congratulations, another glorious conquest - you've taken over an empty gym." -- Eric to Benedict

"Why do you think I have an unstoppable car? If I didn't, the Stormhounds would eat it." -- Juliana to the group

"Do you take the ship (to investigate the noise outside the school)?" -- GM to Pirate Caine in the pool
"No, not the ship, are you insane? It won't fit through the gym doors!" *pause* "We take the long boat." -- Caine

"Shoot me." -- Eric to GM
"I'll be right there." -- Stewie

"Prepare to board, lads!" -- Caine in the long boat carried by detention students, upon seeing the doughnut truck

"The Pirates are a valuable asset." -- Eric
"The ass part is right." -- Juliana

"Attention lazy construction workers! Your bulldozers are being stolen!" -- Eric to the on-break workers

"You see Benedict with something you've never seen in his car before. A girl." -- GM to Caine

"Do I know Stewie (is good at building things)?" -- Deirdre
"I walk around with a robot gorilla all the time, you might think I have a flare for that kind of thing." -- Stewie

"The RoboShack, for all your killer robot needs." -- GM to the group

"There's a car falling through the air. It's going to land on the school bus." -- GM
"I hit it with a lightning bolt." -- Eric
"Is it a recognizable car?" -- Juliana
"Not anymore." -- Eric

"You can either trust to fate, or let (Brittany) help. She might be fast." -- GM to Benedict
"We all know she's fast." -- Kris Fazzari
"I don't know, letting a girl handle my car..." -- Benedict
"Would you rather a guy handle your car?" -- Sean McCabe
*GM rolls dice*
"Oh, Brittany helps you a lot." -- GM
"She's good with a stick." -- Jenn Jackson
"You're shifting like you've never shifted before." -- Matt Anders

"Don't hide from the man-eating demon in the frosting!" -- Bill to the group

"If (the Chaos High students) had checked with their portable thingies, they would have known that the rally was canceled." -- Eric
"Their (PDAs:) Portable Demonic Advisors." -- GM

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Slot 4
"ShadowWorld (Mainline)" by Edwin Voskamp

ShadowWorld is a diceless game that has nothing whatsoever to do with Amber, it takes place in the modern day but in a world where psionic powers exist, as do any number of secret organizations. Players belong to one of them, and each game is a mission they've been sent on. It's a very serious game and one where you have to stay on your toes, as a careless action can easily get you killed.

Cast:
Jason Blackthorn - Jeremiah Walking Bear
Kris Fazzari - Cat Nelson
Jack Gulick - Dr. Stella Child
Bill Gulstad - Howard Storm
Chris King - Roger Northrup
Keri King - Dr. Elizabeth Bennett
John Schippers - John Prester
Tymen Van Dyk - Johann Barth

"Yep, you're sure, Prester is cheating at solitaire." -- John Schippers
"I knew I didn't like him!" -- Jack Gulick

"He was afraid of the druids, and now there's a hole full of druid bits." -- John Prester
"I prefer to think of it as mulch." -- Howard Storm

"You may be a fairly nice fellow, but you eat brains! I hope you brush and floss!" -- John Prester to Roger Northrup

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Slot 5
"A Different Point of the Compass" by Rae Williams

They say that Rebma is a reflection of Amber. That's what they'd like you to believe. This is the real story of Rebma, not the lies they tell in Amber.

The basic plot of this game involved the PCs, all children of Faeron, the Queen of Rebma, learning that a world exists above the water and setting out to find something their mother lost there long ago. It's the kind of game that could be serious or humorous, depending on the characters and players involved. We wound up more on the humorous side, choosing to explore what it would be like for people who had lived all their life underwater to find themselves in a world of air and dry land. Somehow we wound up doing a lot of eating.

Cast:
Jason Blackthorn - Jae, age 50
Kris Fazzari - Lorelei, age 23, Nivek's twin
David Heeney - Nivek, age 23, Lorelei's twin
Mike Manolakes - Sandev, age 25
Glen Seymour - Delmar, age 130, Chief Arbiter

"Why do they call it Chaos?" -- Lorelei to Faeron
"To discourage tourists." -- Sandev

"I am ready to hunt KFC." -- Lorelei
"KFC is pretty easy to get. They don't attack back." -- Faeron
"They attack from the inside." -- Mike Manolakes

"I carry a sword. It's a noble weapon. Of course, I have no idea how to use it." -- Sandev to the group

"Of course, this is a creature without any intelligence." -- GM to the group, referring to a crab
"Yeah, but he's our brother, so we have to be nice to him anyway." -- Jae, referring to Delmar

"It turns out you're a shapeshifting assassin who created the universe, so if I've ever done anything to offend you...." -- Nivek to Faeron

"We liked the fried chicken...." -- Delmar to the group, explaining why he ordered the fried eggs

"Did (Oberon's children) cause you any trouble?" -- Faeron
"They caused Lorelei's loins some trouble." -- Delmar

------

Slot 6
"Lean Times in Amber" by Chris Kindred

This is the city. Amber. A hotbed of intrigue, magic, swashbuckling adventure, and intrigue. It's a good place to live. And an easy place to die.

King Oberon is absent from his throne. What will become of those dwelling in the Eternal City?

A game of swashbuckling noir.

This is the AmberCon North variant of Chris' "Ill Met in Amber" ongoing campaign that runs regularly at Ambercon. Ironically, I spent the first part of the game trying to figure out a way to get my character where most of the PCs were. Then, when I'd come up with plot of my own to deal with, a group consisting of most of the PCs came along looking for the NPC that was with me at a most inconvenient time. So be careful what you wish for.

Cast:
Matt Andrews - Wilfred, Wrenn's Secretary
J.P. Brannan - Lord Doctor Fionntán Sabatini of the Royal College of Heraldry
Michael Curry - Captain Wesley Hobart, Captain of the frigate Raptor,
a privateer
Kris Fazzari - Madeline Dumas, Genevieve's identical twin, agent of Amber's Secret Service
Bill Gulstad - Ambrose, Admiral High Mage
Stephanie Itchkawich - Griz the Gray-Eyed, sailor in the Royal Navy
Jennifer Jackson - Elyssa Darcy, the jeweler of which all other jewelers are Shadow
Sean McCabe - Wrenn, Amber City Homicide Detective
Glen Seymour - John's Son, sailor in the Royal Navy
Liz Trumitch - Juliana Pinegar, Duchess of Carlisle

"Are all Chris' plots about you having sex with elders?" -- Sean McCabe
"(Juliana does) not sleep around. I don't know why (she has) this reputation of sleeping around!" -- Liz Trumitch to the group
"Because (she) sleeps around?" -- Kris Fazzari

"Eric's just this weenie who's the son of the King." -- Wesley
"That's his Royal Highness." -- GM
"That's his Royal Highness Weenie." -- Wesley
"That's his Royal Weenie." -- Juliana

"John's Son is 6'4" tall and 300 pounds, without the fat." -- Glen Seymour
"So your job is that you're Gérard's stunt double - is that what you do for a living?" -- Bill Gulstad

"The thinking is that Oberon will come back with one of two things - a Queen..." -- GM to the group
"Or a social disease." -- Michael Curry

"(Juliana) talks to a lot of people, and she's been talking to a lot of people for most of her life." -- Liz Trumitch
"That's the problem." -- Kris Fazzari

"What are normal business hours for a pirate?" -- Michael Curry to the group

"Do you have rules against excessive violence?" -- Griz
"Apparently not." -- Wrenn, looking at the excessively beaten body

"We don't consider sex a skill." -- Juliana to the group

"Philip is used to this crap." -- Juliana to the group
"Used to in the sense of resigned to it, maybe." -- Kris Fazzari

"OK, now I have something to do." -- Elissa to the group, after learning that her mother's been murdered

"You live for craziness, Darling." -- Juliana
"With!" -- Philip

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Slot 7
"When the Queen Says, 'Go and Die...'" by Chris Kindred

"You are surrounded by beauty, by intrigue, by danger, what more can a man want?" -- Aramis

Anyone in Paris will tell you,it's good to be a Musketeer. It's a life of adventure! Of wine! Women! Intrigue! Swordplay! Romance! Brawls! Wine! Women!

When adventure calls, when the honour of the Queen is threatened, when villains are about, when a lady needs rescuing, and when its time for a good strong drink, it's 'All for one, and one for all!"

This is a serial swashbuckling game, in which I play a woman disguised as a man so she can serve in the Musketeers. As usual, we got to thrash the Cardinal's guards at least once, although this time we managed not to destroy any taverns in the process.

Cast:
Matt Andrews - Xavier Philipe de la Vin Rouge, Musketeer
Jason Blackthorn - Wandrille Lockheart, Musketeer
Sahra Blackthorn - Roméo, hanger-on
J.P. Brannan - Alexis Vigaroux, Musketeer, Duke of Averoigne
Shawn Dorsey - Yves de Arcey, Musketeer
Kris Fazzari - Marcel Delmar, Musketeer
Roy Grutchfield - Planchet, Xavier's servant
Bill Gulstad - Lupin le Fou, Musketeer
Stephanie Itchkawich - Phillipe, Musketeer
Sean McCabe - Will, Musketeer, former spy
Glen Seymour - Sydney Sylvain, Musketeer
Tymen Van Dyk - Armande Berenger de la Valencoeur, Musketeer
Edwin Voskamp - Jeon de Chretíen, Musketeer

"Given that we're under time constraints, can I say 'fine sword - two points' (on my character sheet)?" -- Jason Blackthorn to GM
"Sure, because I've been in the game for years, and I still only have 'fine sword' on my sheet." -- J.P. Brannan

"I have a deaf servant named 'Sword.' So when I want a weapon I just yell 'Sword!'" -- Will to the group
"Which he doesn't answer to because he's deaf!" -- Glen Seymour

"Mutton leg...mighty and delicious!" -- Lupin to the group

"A servant, a leopard and a Musketeer walk into a bar...." -- GM to the group

"The leopard's tasted me, so I'm safe!" -- Xavier to the group

"My (deaf mute servant) is very talented." -- Will to the group
"He doesn't speak multiple languages." -- Kris Fazzari

"The Queen has called for your service!" -- Armande to the Musketeers
"Oh shit, I forgot about that." -- Jeon

"A man dressing as a woman? That would never work." -- Marcel to the group

"I'm intrigued about Jeon's idea of the Cardinal slipping in the bath...or having a bath dropped on him." -- Lupin to the group

"Tonight's watch words are 'caution' and 'flammable.'" -- GM to the group

"I'm having a crisis of style." -- Sydney to the florist whose shop he has just broken into

"The Musketeers are nothing if not gentlemanly." -- Marcel to Deirdre

"In defense of the Cardinal's men, they stack easily and are posable in interesting ways." -- Lupin to Deirdre

"The Count's plans for the day currently consist of killing your friend." -- Deirdre
"He may be busy today, can we reschedule the killing?" -- Will

"Can you hook me up with your husband's wife?" -- GM, speaking for Alexis, to Deirdre
"Is there a Hallmark card for that?" -- Sean McCabe
"There is in Amber." -- GM

"I thought saying hello was more polite than barrels of gunpowder outside your door." -- Alexis to Corwin/the Man in Black

"We have uncovered a plot..." -- Sydney to Buckingham
"To steal your clothes." -- Will

"We have discovered a plot against you, so this man will dress in your clothes and die in your place." -- Sydney, indicating Will
"Excellent!" -- Buckingham