Fudgerylog » Reflections

Autumn Revel

Gordon Cooper — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:06:24 +0000

On page 10 of issue 66 of Dragon Magazine (October 1982), I noticed this item in the Convention Schedule:

AUTUMN REVEL, Nov. 6-7 —The staff of TSR Hobbies, Inc.,
will get together with gamers for another of TSR’s mini-
conventions at the American Legion Hall, 735 Henry St., Lake
Geneva, Wis. A diverse schedule of gaming events will be of-
fered, along with the traditional auction, and refreshments will
be available on the premises. Doors will be open from 9 a.m. to
midnight on Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Admission is $5 for the weekend or $3 for one day, and all game
events are free of charge. For details, write to Autumn Revel,
c/o TSR Hobbies, P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147.

This would have been close to heaven for me, or more likely Valhalla. Ah, to have grown up in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin! I suppose Gary Con (which I have not yet attended) would be the closest experience to what Autumn Revel was like, but gaming in the early 1980s, for lads of my age, had a certain electricity about it. The hobby was widespread and still growing, and for many of us Lake Geneva was the center of the universe. Now, where is my time machine?

Death Maze 5000

Gordon Cooper — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 07:05:51 +0000

Believe it or not, one of the things that led me to the hobby of role-playing games was a computer game: Death Maze 5000. Rather, it was a review of the computer game, which was made for the TRS-80, and since I never owned a TRS-80, that review in a computer magazine was my sole exposure to the game. Alas, I am unable to find any information on the game itself, and it would be a miracle if I could find the actual magazine (especially since I can’t even remember its title). If anyone reading this has any information on Death Maze 5000 or can point the way, please comment or contact me at the following e-mail address: chariot AT spiralcastle DOT com.

If it helps in the quest, the magazine also had a review of a Rock Paper Scissors game that depicted a world in which all three were apparently living species, and the code for a first-person spaceship combat game called “Space Potatoes.”

General Gaming Resolutions for 2009

Gordon Cooper — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 23:21:04 +0000

‘Tis the end of 2008 and I have not kept a single resolution I made (q.v.), but I am choosing to think of this as a postponement rather than a failure, as all good procrastinators do. Therefore, I am repeating my resolutions of the previous year, with a slight modification. I am replacing the resolution to start a weekly board game club in Toledo with a resolution to write at least twice as many Fudgerylog articles in 2009 as I did in 2008. If I happen to get involved in a weekly board game club, so much the better, but it is no longer an “official” resolution.

This year I have been lax in most of my creative ventures, gaming-related and otherwise, but I am resolved to be more active and contribute more time and effort to my chosen hobby communities.

To all of you who read this Web log and Fudgery.net, thank you. May good fortune be yours in the New Year.

Game on!

General Gaming Resolutions for 2008

Gordon Cooper — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:20:15 +0000

I missed two gaming events this month that I very much wanted to attend, but the lack of funds was an insurmountable obstacle. Aye, the Miniature War Gaming Day at Fort Meigs was affordable enough for someone with a reliable source of income, and so was U-Con in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but my source of income is not reliable and barely qualifies as a source. So, here are a few early resolutions to help me have a better gaming year in 2008:

I will endeavor to find a better job or a second job.
I will endeavor to get my manuscripts (both old and new) published (after a hiatus of too many years).
I will preregister for Origins, BASHCon, and U-Con, and run events at all three conventions.
I will attend Miniature War Gaming Day at Fort Meigs.
I will participate in a weekly board game club in my city of employment.
I will play at least one board game, card game, role-playing game, or war game per week in my city of residence.

One wouldn’t think it would take resolutions to encourage one to participate in a voluntary hobby, but this hobby requires planning and the coöperation of others, so it’s a wee bit more challenging to manage. Running events at conventions (and even just attending conventions) presents a variety of other difficulties, many of which involve money. And then there are the distractions. Despite all the distractions that compete against gaming, though, the single greatest obstacle is an insufficiency of funds. ‘Tis time to remedy that.