The Con Report

The Sheraton Hotel in Madison, Wisconsin was home to the second annual TeslaCon the weekend of November 18-20, 2011. TeslaCon proved in its inaugural year that it is one of the premiere Steampunk events in the nation, and this year its organizer, Lord Hastings R. Bobbins (aka Eric Jon Larson) pulled out all the stops to create a convention even more lavish and spectacular than the original. The Sheraton was completely taken over by Steampunk guests by Friday afternoon. Lord Bobbins and volunteers had transformed the space into the HMS Trident, fitting with this year’s theme, “20,000 Leagues Under...

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It’s October in Seattle, and that can only mean one thing to Steampunk aficionados: Steamcon. Diana Vick and crew have come back for the third year in a row to deliver a mastercraft of fun, frivolity, enlightenment and diversion for fans of all things Steampowered, and this time, rising up from the depths of the dark blue. With the theme of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Steamcon 3 pulled from Jules Verne’s  classic novel with respect and precision. As they have on their previous two ventures, the Steamcon crew presented a balanced, entertaining and yet lighthearted venue for students,...

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Indianapolis, Indiana is the home of GenCon, an annual convention founded by Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, which advertises itself as “The Best Four Days In Gaming.” Held August 4–7, this year’s GenCon was an impressive undertaking, spanning the entirety of the massive Indiana Convention Center and several nearby hotels. This year the convention boasted an attendance of approximately 36,733 gamers, putting its attendance close to that of Dragon*Con or even the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Given these numbers, this reviewer was expecting long lines, huge crowds, and twenty minute waits for elevators. (Anyone who has attended Dragon*Con...

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Origins Game Fair is one of the largest gaming conventions in the country. Hosted annually in affordable Columbus, Ohio, and run by The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Origins is famous for a schedule that boasts hundreds of opportunities to play almost any game imaginable, with games running from early each morning until well into the wee hours each night, as well as an Exhibit Hall featuring more than 200 vendors, most of them specializing in games and geek culture. But this year, Origins tried to be more than just a gaming convention. This year’s schedule included a writer’s track...

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This year, MARCon (Multiple Alternate Realities Convention) held in Columbus, Ohio, celebrated its 46th birthday – and eleventh on Memorial Day weekend. MARCon’s theme changes every year, and this year’s theme was Alternate Histories, making MARCon an excellent choice for local steampunks looking to show off their gear. One of the major highlights of the convention was the appearance of The Extraordinary Contraptions, a steampunk band out of Georgia. Despite a programming SNAFU that nearly prevented them from having a stage or a PA system, the band put on several excellent shows. Friday night’s performance began with only a...

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Houston, Tx. George R. Brown Convention Center. This is Comicpalooza’s 3rd year running and their eyes were bigger than their stomachs. The size of the convention space was massive, spanning six blocks of space. The location was daunting to attendees and exhausting to panelist and vendors as they trekked long stretches to get from one place to another. This was the first sign of a poorly planned event. Dealers, artists and fan groups were all placed at the farthest end of the convention space.  Between the sponsored hotel and vendors were panels, check in, then a huge exhibition hall...

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Gaslight Gathering (http://www.gaslightgathering.org/ ) took place at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego on May 6-8 and a quick glance at the program for this event reveals the length the organizers went to in the attempt to create an atmosphere of adventure and exploration.  There truly was a little bit of everything, which is impressive for the first Steampunk convention held in San Diego.  There were definitely a few hiccups: Registration was significantly slow to start on Friday; the resort was labyrinthine, which made it a challenge to find panels; and some announced guests...

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