Expectations, either negative or positive, heavily influence the initial thought patterns of any individual – especially if he or she lacks any knowledge of what he or she is venturing into. For me, the memory bank that was slated for "cons" was empty, an unfortunate aspect of a life secluded to a five block radius, so my expectations weighed as heavy as a three-legged s'redit .
As I and my associate pulled into the event’s parking lot, we saw a rather unusual transport vehicle docked on the east side of the parking zone. Was this a taste of what was yet to come, or just a beacon indicating we have arrived at the proper location? Even though the vehicle was illegally parked – which normally signifies an evil presence – I settled on the latter and set my sights to locating the entrance.
After walking through the entry portal, we found ourselves in a vast space with ebony pillars towering over a river that was directed over a tile walkway; vegetation stood at attention with every turn to welcome us. It reminded me of what a Roman cathedral looks like. Well, what a Roman cathedral looks like in my head; I have never been in one.
Our orders were to meet up with DarkCon agents and acquire access passes to the event they were hosting, DarkCon 2007. We located the nearest check-in station and started making my way over. As we did, something appeared off. There were no elaborate signs, no thrill seekers huddling around the table as if watching a game of The Lord of The Rings Stratego, and not even a fan dressed like a Magic: The Gathering character. A white sheet blanketed a fold up table. Two individuals straddled the corners; one wearing blue and the other red.
I stopped our forward progression as the smell of trap overpowered the flowery fragrance of the nearby plants. My suspicions were confirmed as I peered to my right and spotted a host of blue armored knights – possibly squires – moving closer to our location. There was an insignia across their breast plates that indicated they belonged to house Florida Gator. I then realized that I had put us in a precarious position, especially if they were able to surmise that I had a little Miami Hurricane in me. Running was no longer an option as a second host closed in from behind. A confrontation was the last thing I wanted; I had my first convention to go to! With that realization, the answer came to me. I peered back and forth until I saw it: a red hue emanated from our right. I grabbed my company by the hand and found safety as we reached encampment Ohio State Buckeye.
With disaster averted, I got my bearings and located what looked like the proper station for DarkCon 2007 check-in. I requested the agents that D.C. mentioned in his brief. After a short period, Publicity Director Sam Mills greeted us welcome. Wow, this place sure is welcoming, with the plants and Sam and all. My first con awaits! Let’s go! Let’s go!
In an unexpected move, Sam informed us that he would personally give us a tour of DarkCon 2007! Wow! That was pretty awesome. I added a task on my mental check-list to thank him again later.
On our way to the main assembly hall, we paced through a corridor that was filled with posters of miscellaneous movies, fliers, newspapers regarding writing entertainment, and a multitude of other items. Best of all, they were all as free as songs on the most popular peer-to-peer file sharing program! I looked to see if any would suit my tastes, but my associate informed me that I would have little use for them, so I left them to lie.
The main assembly hall snuck up on us like a giraffe walking through freshly mowed blue grass. As we walked in, many eyes turned to regard us. Though, after I thought about it, I am sure they were either interested who accompanied Sam or my associate, whose red curls framed a circular face where a button nose and dreamy eyes swam in a freckle pond. They soon saw we were nobody special, and most turned back to what they were doing. The remainder continued to stare at her, acting like they were interested in something at a nearby booth. I realized Sam was talking – something about Peter Mayhew, the man behind the Chewbacca suit.
I tuned in to him telling us about how Mr. Mayhew would be arriving later for autographs. He then pointed to a table perpendicular to Peter’s; that was where Jewel Staite of the Sci-Fi Channel series Firefly would later be seated. I have seen some of the Firefly series and have watched Serenity, but I am not as enamored with her as other fans and D.C. are. I was interested in seeing her; it is always neat seeing a celebrity in person, but it was not going to make or break this con.
Sam continued the journey by notifying us where a few guest artists were stationed and that most of the other booths were traders selling wares. He wanted to move on to the gaming platforms, so we planned on coming back for further exploration.
The gaming portion of DarkCon 2007 was held on the lower levels. Some may believe that they did this to prevent these gamers from mingling with others who would not understand, but I knew it was to keep the outsiders from interfering with their games. When we finally cleared the stairs that lead to these depths, there was a surprising sensation in the air. I only saw a few scattered souls about, but there was definitely something else present. It is hard to describe, but I would have to say…passion. Passion not for the thrill of victory, but for the games themselves.
Various game boards were set, ranging from towered walls meticulously placed for perfect formation to odd shaped pieces with various illustrations depicted in a wide array of colors. We appeared to catch them in a state of “time-out”, but decided to creep from room-to-room to get a lay of the land for a later excursion.
Sam wanted to take us to one final place before letting us loose. We stepped outside the compound and a breeze slapped me in the face, making it clear that winter was asserting its authority. Bundling up as best as I could in my arms, we followed Sam down a cobbled path. Occasionally, I had to bend down to miss low-lying trees that shaded the walkway, a shade that only abetted the already decreased temperature.
We cleared the hill and I saw them. Two individuals with full body armor slowly circled a twenty-by-twenty square foot arena, vying for a position that would put his or her opponent at a disadvantage. Other participants placed themselves around the platform, watching, studying, waiting for one of them to lash out. I was waiting for them to pull out some Jet Li and go Romeo Must Die on each other, but they only took a few well placed strikes and called it a match.
Sam told us that all the people here were members of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism): an international society who re-enacts life as it was in Europe prior to the seventeenth century. I found this odd at first. Why on earth would a renaissance society be present at a SF/F and gaming convention? Then it hit me – fantasy sometimes takes from the past, i.e. George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. After I got past feeling silly, we thanked Sam for being so helpful – I was glad to have completed a task on my checklist – and we made our way back to the assembly hall.
When we reappeared at the entrance, those same eyes turned to regard us. Realizing that we were no longer with Sam, they looked eager to pounce on us to discuss their wares. On the first trip in I had taken notice of a particular weapon that I had been in the market of acquiring, so I figured we would start there.
As we pulled up to the booth, we were immediately acknowledged by its owner. Again, I think it was from being with Sam earlier, but I am sure that the “press badges” around our necks did not hurt. He took an odd approach though. Rather than discussing what he had for sale, he honed in on the badges.
"What would you do if I pressed your badge?" He asked my associate. Her eyes went wide as she turned to give me an open mouthed grin. "I bet you wouldn't do much, but I bet he would do something!" He continued, letting out a great roar of laughter as he pointed to me. Oh how right he was, and least to say, none of the weapons on his table would have helped him in the slightest.
I smiled back and continued to peruse through what he had for sale. A moment later an individual, who I took traveled with the first fellow, began scanning me with something. Upon further investigation, I realized it was a Star Trek medical scanner!
"Altaran," he said when he was done scanning me. He moved to my associate and after a brief pause said, "Definitely half human and part Orion slave girl." I thought she smiled large earlier. That was nothing compared to the look she gave me then! I had no idea what to say or how to react, but I knew what I was thinking: how cool are cons!
Our conversation caught the attention of a few people from nearby booths, and they decided to come over to join in the fun. I am not exactly sure how, but we started discussing an assortment of different topics. Well, it started off as discussing, but it quickly escalated to an intense debate. They were attacking each other with their knowledge of topics ranging from Tesla to science fiction trivia to government conspiracies! If sharp tones and heated glares could wound flesh, they would be split open like a calf on feast day. After a few more intense moments, it died down and they went about their business.
There were a few guest artists present at DarkCon 2007, but we had missed them earlier in the day. Luckily, they came back so we could take a look at their pieces. Liz Danforth was the first artist we met with. She was an extremely interesting person, and while we sorted through the pieces she brought, she discussed the various card games (Magic: The Gathering and Middle Earth ccg to name a couple) she had been commissioned for. She does a fabulous job and can work wonders with colored pens.
The other artist we encountered was Kit Rae. First impression: what an awesome name! I was pleased to see that his drawings were even more impressive. He had a combination of colors, black and whites, and weapons set up all around his booth. Yes, that is correct, weapons. He does not stick to paper; he actually designs weapons! The neatest thing is that he incorporates them into a drawing and puts together a story of the weapon on his website. I was so enamored with his work that I picked up a limited edition, signed copy (You can view it here).
While the rest of the room was filled with miscellaneous stations, the Pulp Gamer and High School Drama! booths stood out above the rest. Pulp Gamer, a site dedicated to free audio reviews, interviews, and commentaries about board, card, and role-playing games, reaches out to their viewers through a very popular media outlet: podcasts. It looks like they come out with a new one every few weeks, and they appear to be very organized. Looking at one of their podcast credits reveals that they have a multitude of links to topics discussed. Very impressive.
High School Drama! is a new card game that hit the market late last year. We were able to catch up with the inventor, Boyan Radakovich, who informed us, like the name implies, that the backdrop is a high school. The main goal of the game is to acquire the most yearbook signatures by graduation, but only through a healthy dose of rumors, lies, hooking up with friends, popularity positioning, and attending special events can one hope to achieve victory. It is an outstanding and well thought out concept.
With Jewel Staite not yet in the building – her booth was the final station we wanted to visit – we decided to venture back to the SCA encampment. Upon our arrival, one of the competitors spotted us and offered to show us around. Like any man, he was proud of his weapons, so he took us there first. While none of the weapons were made of metal – they consisted of a substance similar to bamboo – they still looked like they could inflict some pain. How cool would it be to use that on someone! Of course, all in play. He flagged down a friend to show us some chain mail that had been linked together by hand, and gave us a general description of the surrounding tables and the crafts that rested on them. After doing so, he stated the most profound thing I heard all day.
"Without the arts, we would just be a bunch of guys hitting each other." Well, it went something like that; my internal tape recorder's batteries died right before he said it.
He then handed us off to Lord Olaf – he looked like a Lord Olaf – so he could describe the various items made. He went over everything including cloth weavings, paper made from pounding out boar skin, leather jerkins, wooden cups, and other things present during the renaissance age. It was actually a very interesting discussion. The cold really started to set in, so we decided to go see if Jewel had arrived yet.
On our approach to the main assembly, we saw a line forming through one of the upstairs doors. It looked promising, so we decided to start there. Sure enough, it was the line to get an autograph from Jewel. Sweet, we were like eighth in line. After a very short waiting period and a tense moment where my companion inadvertently insulted Jewel's security – where none of the weapons from the "press badge" fellow or the SCA would have helped me – I was able to get an autographed photo for D.C. and a picture with her for my personal logs.
While in line to meet Jewel, we happened to come in close contact with Peter Mayhew, the man behind Chewbacca. The line to get his autograph was growing, and since I did not want to meet him in the first place, I made an executive decision to leave without saying hello.
DarkCon 2007, my first con. Looking back, it was not on the same level as the New York ComicCon or DragonCon, but it had many of the characteristics that I hear are present at the larger ones – minus the obnoxious crowds. I met a whole new body of people that day, and while they have their own quirks that make them different, I found that my thought patterns were similar to their own. Though, the variable that stood out most was not the artists's drawings, the gaming platforms, the renaissance battle, or even Jewel Staite, but the genuinely courteous and amicable people. So thank you Boyan Radakovich, Kit Rae, Liz Danforth, Lord Olaf, "press badge guy" and sidekick; thank you members of the SCA who took the time to reveal your world to a couple geeks, and a big thank you to Sam Mills for taking a moment to show us a good time. You all are part of a memory that will never die: my first con.
-Patrick Bergeron II
You can view the rest of the pictures taken at DarkCon 2007 here.
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