Shakespeare's Landlord with Charlaine Harris

Over at And She Games, we want to show that anyone can game, and that us women are gamers too. That it is cool for women to game, and that there are many of us out there who do so.

My friends over at One More Story Games realized this on their own (as they are very smart people).  They also realized that the beauty of starting your own gaming company is you can do it anywhere. Sure Barrie, Ontario isn't known for being a hub of gaming, but if you are doing something different, like making games with the idea that women need better gaming options than just Candy Crush, then  why not do that in an unusual area too.

Jean and Blair have received a positive reception to their platform that is is building smarter storytelling-focused casual games.  They have been recruiting emerging and established authors to develop game content with OMSG’s authoring software StoryStylus to publish interactive story games

And today they have secured a huge name Charlaine Harris! They will be adapting Charlaine's novel "Shakespeare's Landlord" into an interactive story game.   This means not only can you read it, but you can play it!!  Wish you could talk to the characters? Now you can! 

Ms. Harris is best known for her Sookie Stackhouse novels that were adapted by HBO into the True Blood television series. Ms. Harris’s novels have sold over 36 million copies worldwide.  In 1996, she released the first of the dark Shakespeare mysteries, featuring Lily Bard, a karate student who makes her living cleaning houses. Her most recent series, Midnight, Texas, has been picked up for pilot by NBC, and her Aurora Teagarden series is currently a TV movie series on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

Some of the features that will be included in this game are: 

• Explore the fictional town of Shakespeare, Arkansas.
• Uncover clues and solve puzzles.
• Make chitchat or interrogate characters to uncover what you need to know.
• Branching narrative and multiple outcomes.

I am so proud and excited for my friends at OMSGs and am trying to support them in their success!

Tips for a Convention Newbie? Heading to @OriginsGames for the first time. Help!

We are going to Origins Game Fair this year. The time has been booked off of work. Childcare arrangements lined up. The route to get there mapped out and drive times calculated. We are locked in and ready to go.

This will be our first gaming convention, both for myself and my husband. I'm not going to count the University of Windsor con that we helped run almost twenty years ago. I realize something like Origins is on a whole 'nother scale. 

I'm a bit nervous. It's a big investment in time and money for us to take four days off and drive to Ohio, so I very badly want it to not suck. My instinct is to research and preplan as much as possible, but there's really very little information to be found. 

The Origins website is frustrating vague. The con is a mere six weeks away and many of the pages are still blank. There's no real info on events. If I click on "board games" I get to a blank page with the header "board games" and that's it. Not exactly doing a great job of selling themselves here, are they?

When I go to register for passes they offer me the option to buy event ribbons. I have a vague idea of what Origins After Dark is, but what about Puffing Billy? or HOT? This registration system isn't exactly set up to be newbie friendly. I'm feeling pretty lost and I haven't even set foot in the place yet.

So I guess what I'm looking for is convention tips for newbies. I need something like the beginners guide to conferences. What to avoid. What to seek out. What you simply must not miss. I've already heard all the basic common sense rules like, be sure you shower, sleep and eat. No one likes a grumpy stinky gamer. Got it.  But what the heck is a ribbon? How do I get into games? Do I need to buy a ticket for each game? Is everything based on time slots? Do you register to play ahead of time? Is there open gaming? What's the etiquette? If there's an open seat do you just toss yourself into it?

And then there's the location specific stuff like, I wonder where's a good place to eat near the con? Which hotel is the best one to stay at? And the question that is most near and dear to my beer snob hubby's heart, where's the best brew pub?

So I'm putting this out there, in hopes that perhaps folks who are old hand at this whole convention thing may be able to throw me a few helpful tips. 

Have you been to a gaming convention before? What tips would you give to newbies? Ever been to Origins? What should I keep my eye out for?

International Tabletop Day is this Weekend!! Sat. Apr.5th #TableTopDay

Heads up geeks and gamers! This weekend marks pretty much the biggest day of the year for board gamers, because this Saturday is International Table Top Day!  To paraphrase Table Top founder Wil Wheaton,"It's like a giant global party to celebrate the awesomeness of table top gaming.... with free games, and free promotional items, stuff made exclusively for Table Top Day."  It's truly international too, as there are public play events scheduled All Around the World.

Swag, giveaways, and most importantly tons of games to be played! 

Check out the International Table Top Day website to find an event near you. Here in Windsor they had to move the event to a bigger venue because last year's was such a crazy success.  For me this rates as totally worth finding a sitter for the kids. I am very much looking forward to an entire day of open gaming, and some cool loot to boot.  (FYI: The Windsor event isn't showing on the event map, but I assure you the event, which is in part organized by my husband, definitely exists.)

So what about you? Will you be heading out to your local Table Top Day event?

Be a Hero ~ Play Games & Raise Money for Sick Kids, #ExtraLife2013

Have you heard of Extra Life? It's a Game-A-Thon, a sort of gaming charity event that helps out local hospitals near you.  This year it takes place on November 2nd.

On an Autumn Saturday each year since 2008, tens of thousands of gamers have joined together to save the lives of local kids in a celebration of gaming culture that we call Extra Life.  From console games to tabletop RPG's to even lawn sports, Extra Life gives people that love to play a chance to do what they love to save lives and make a difference.

You can choose any of the Children's Miracle Network Hospital's near you.  Deanna told me about the event, and how you can support Sick Kids Hospital and I told her I wanted to share with you about it.  So if you want to support Sick Kids, please do!! If not, you can choose whatever hospital from their network that is closest to you.

Sick Kids Hospital is one that I personally used as a child.  I had a problem that wasn't life threatening, and they totally took care of me when other doctors couldn't help.  But that is not what stuck with me the most.  It was the terminally ill children, or ones with major disabilities, that Sick Kids were helping.  I remember playing with some of the kids, or meeting them in the hall.  I remember feeling sad looking at them, and crying that I was wasting the time of the doctors.  These kids were all so sweet and hugged me and told me that it would all be ok that I just had to be brave.  It really stuck with me, and the doctors telling me that each child was important and each person's problem is big to them.

Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto helps kids from around the world and makes each kid feel special and important.

So how do you get involved?

You need to register with them for free.  Then gather tax-deductible donations from friends and family towards the hospital of your choice.

Then on November 2nd (or another day if it works better for you), play any game or games you want!  You can play at home or with your friends or find a local event!  You can choose any gaming platform you like, any type of games!

You can register for free, but they have a $15 Platinum option, which makes you eligible to receive lots of goodies and prizes when you raise $200 in funds!  You can always start out with the free option and then upgrade if you hit the $200 later!

Jump in and support this awesome event by sponsoring a player, or by playing yourself.
I want to know, are YOU going to take part?

Fan Expo Canada is Coming!

Fan Expo is coming this weekend!  It is running from August 22-25th.  In case you aren't sure what that is it's considered to be the "Comic Con" of Canada.  It started out in 1995 as just a comic book expo and is now a multifaceted show connecting over 90,000 fans, Fan Expo Canada™!

They had a complete Gaming Expo that I thought I would tell you about as I know that you love games, or why would you be here.

You can find out more information about any of these features on their site in the Gaming Attractions section.  They aren't just about gaming though, so I am sure there is a lot more info on their site you would love to check out too.

Here are some of the gaming features you might want to look for if you check out Fan Expo:

- Settlers of Catan Worldwide Catan Championship Qualifier
- Magic: The Gathering August 2K Open Tournament
- Yu-Gi-Oh Regional Tournament
- Cartamagica.com $1000 Vanguard Tournament
- Cartamagica.com Heroclix Canadian National Qualifier Tournaments
- Gamerzco-op.com $1000 Marvel Legendary Tournament
- Learn to play Kaijudo
- Board Game Tournaments
- Card Game Tournaments
- Role Playing Game Tournaments
- Video Game Tournaments
- Minature Game Tournaments
- Board Game Blitz (which I wrote about last week)
- The Actors Behind Splinter Cell Blacklist
- Assassin's Creed Cast Signing at the EB Gamer Zone!
- Out of the Shadows - A deep dive into Splinter Cell Blacklist
- EP Daily Live
- Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Tournament
- Screening of Max Steel
- Dungeons & Dragons - What's Next?
- Spotlight on Ed Greenwood
- Eric Lang's Board Game EXTRAVANGANZA!!! (You know if it's called Extravaganza it has to be good!!!!!)
- Introduction to Live Action Role Playing
- Ludocracy Board Games
- Spotlight on Chris Perkins
- Game Master: Master Class
- State of the Game Industry
- Robin's Laws of Life, Love & Game Mastery
- Publishing Your Own Game (and all kinds of panels and classes on how to do that, best ways to create them and come up with ideas and more!!)

There is even more!! As a gamer you will find so much that you will want to check out! And just as a general lover of all things geeky you will find tons of that too!!