Thank you GMA NEWS!

I'm still trying to breathe.  Thank you so much.
This means a lot. It does. And I do hope this will inspire more local creators to release their own works as well to the international market.

Thank you, Michael Logarta for the kind words. Thank you.
I promise to create more!

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/technology/623750/samurai-themed-a-single-moment-is-one-pinoy-s-gift-to-tabletop-rpgs/story/

Forty Year Old Fanboy Update#15

On the last day of Gamex 2017, a Monday, I woke up and felt very sad at the thought that my time hanging out with Ben, Jim, and Dan was quickly coming to an end. After having been just online friends for so long, to have spent time with them physically nearby, throwing jokes, sharing meals, and debating game theory and stuff was such a wonderful feeling of connection that I could not help but feel sad that it was coming to an end.  Before stepping out of my hotel room that night, I stood in front of the mirror and repeatedly told myself to bear in mind that I should avoid breaking down and crying in front of them. That I should just focus on the happy thoughts and the wonderful memories we had created, and that I shouldn't dwell on the idea that it might be another decade before I actually get another chance to hang with them.

Yeah, I'm a crybaby sometimes.

I woke up earlier than expected and started going around for any last few shopping opportunties. Started to find a bunch of buy two, get one free options, or 25% off options, so I quickly began to search for stuff Rocky and I would like.  But then I got a message from Stephanie who invited me to play with them a game of "Microscope" which was inspired by Star Wars.  I decided hey, shopping can wait, went to play the game which was even more awesome as it was a chance to try a whole new system again.

When the game ended, I hit the shopping area and eventually saw jim and Dan there too. Dan was able to get around five people to try my game, which is amazing given I'm relatively a nobody in the industry.  I gave him my remaining copies of A Single Moment to freely market in other conventions he'll be able to go attend. He's such a trooper and a wonderful guy.

After super long goodbyes with Ben and Dan, jim and I extended our thanks and hugs to the two, who had a very long drive ahead of them to head back to Arizona (or I think it was Arizona, I could be wrong).  jim then reminded me that the convention was far from over and suggested we go see who else we can drag into a game or two.  We headed upstairs to pretty much pack up and check out of the hotel rooms, then joined Chris and a few other people at the boardroom for another few rounds of Dice Crawl.

Then we hit the open gaming area and decided to try playing some of the games that I had just purchased.  We met a group earlier while shopping and invited them to join us and play as well.  We started wtih 6 Nimmt! which was a great card game that I must admit I really enjoyed a LOT.  So happy jim convinced me to get it.  In the game, you take turns playing one of your ten cards to four groups on the table.  Cards are then allocated from lowest to highest and if your card ever is the sixth card in a group, you end up collecting all five cards from that group.  Each card has skull icons and the point of the game is to end up with the least number of skulls.  It was sort of like MS Hearts in a fun way and man, the game can get pretty addictive.

We met a volunteer who had not played any game so far in the entire convention and welcomed her to play with us for a bit.  I feel stupid for not taking more pictures.  Gah. But eventually time hit 5:30pm and jim had to leave as his ride had come.  I tried not to get all mushy weepy and told myself to just say thank you and goodbye and let him leave as he hates physical contact.  To my surprise, he came over and gave me a huge hug and left.

I headed back to the table and the people there were setting up another game.  The game was Cartagena, which had us playing up to three cards each turn to move our meeples.  The goal was to be the first one to get all your six meeples on the boat but the trick was knowing when to take steps back to collect more cards as there was no other way to have cards in your hand.  I thought I had a good strategy going but in the end, I fell backwards in my movement and someone else stole the win.

Soon, it was time to say goodbye. My brother was enroute to pick me up and most of the people I've met had gone ahead.  I looked around the room which was almost empty of people and I found myself smiling at how special this moment was and how much it was what I needed in my life at this particular point in time.

Thank you for having me, Strategicon!  Here's to being able to join again in the coming future.

Forty Year Old Fanboy Update#13

So I got interviewed during Strategicon's Gamex 2017 for a webshow. I specifically chose to wear our Zsazsa Zaturnnah T-shirt since I wanted Carlo Vergara's fantastic creation to get more noticed.



IdeateTV host Lauren Pappas interviews Tobie Abad. Tobie is a game designer from the Philippines and Lauren was able to sit down with him to find out about how he got into gaming and the state of gaming in the Philippines. She also learns more about his game A Single Moment.

I recall even recommending some games for Lauren to try out. I wonder if she was able to.

Forty Year Old Fanboy Update#12

Woke up and rushed to meet with the gang only to discover that horror of horrors I had left my toothpaste back at Manila. The group was looking at playtesting a new game by jim and I definitely wanted to join that so I hurriedly bought terribly expensive toothpaste at the hotel gift shop and freshened up to meet with them.

The game was a blast. While still in its rough stages, the game definitely shows a lot of promise. Without saying too much, the game touches on the Western genre and adds a touch of the supernatural to it. We had our fare share of combat and drama and in the end, we all bid farewell to this unforgiving world.

Water.  I definitely reminded myself to stay hydrated. In each game session, I'd make sure I had at least one or two glasses of water to keep me fueled up, especially given how much talking a game demands.  I probably drink around eight glasses in one game session.  This was one of the things I loved about the convention, admittedly. There were numerous water drinking stations all around the convention areas, allowing you to make sure you stay well hydrated despite your hour long sessions.

So going back, after that, we swung by for a quick lunch before and played a few more sessions of Dice Crawl. (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/148522/dice-crawl)  We played at the lobby table and had a good number of sessions rolling dice and finding ways to gather the most points before someone ran out of dice or reached the dragon.

At around 2 p.m. I then had my Lacuna: The Birth of Mystery and the Girl from Blue City game to run.  There was a brief mix-up on what room was supposed to be used but I eventually found where I was supposed to go and saw the players waiting there.  Ben messaged in our Messenger Group that his game fizzled, so I invited him to play in mine. He instead played with jim for a session of The Black Monk (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/193523/Praxis-The-Black-Monk).   The game had four players, and two of them shared they have played Lacuna before.  I explained how my game was most likely very different from what they have played, and opened with the recruitment process with the players going through the application process of becoming a Mystery Agent.   The group dove into the Blue City, encountered the Fraulein and soon found themselves at the Racetrack in hopes of locating and extracting the Fisherman. While there, they meet up with Kira and discover the complications of being the sixth of five iterations of the same rescue attempt.  One player sacrifices himself and allows Fisherman to be extracted, while the three others narrowly escape the arrival of Spiders.

Good times.  The group was pretty happy with the game, and I think some of them even added me up on Facebook. It was a bit annoying that I had forgotten the key prop (the Lacuna pins I had back home) but we still had a great game, I'd like to think.

Later in the evening, I found a chance to finally buy the two Legendary Encounters games I've been wanting to plus the mahjong tile deluxe version Hanabi. Found a few smaller games that were worth grabbing as well. Sadly not that many RPG book options. Save for Pathfinder, Traveller, and D&D, there were some Dr Who DWAITAS books but I remembered Rocky planning to get them as a set so stopped myself. Then there was only this FATE corebook but I didn't really feel like spending $25 for it.

Then I bumped into Jim who insisted I play The Carcass: Exodus with him, which I definitely wanted to do. I completely regret not having the funds to back it on Kickstarter when it was there. I got to play the Butcher, who was basically the person who cooks for the colony. It was a choice of being a Provider (the person who handles the food) or a Cleaner (who gets rid of unwanted people) and so I chose the former. The story was pretty epic and I actually shed a few tears while playing both my character Chock, and one of the NPCs named Kelly. That game was pretty intense.

By the evening, I think I had sorta shut down and tried to get some writing done but it just seems hard to write without the net (which allows me to do any quick double checking or research) and so that was futile.  Ben and Dan were wondering where I had gone and I think I only noticed them come the next day.  I was tired, but man, I was psyched.

But looking back, I am starting to really regret not being more photo snappy. Admittedly, Rocky is incredible in doing that and I just never really got used to the idea of taking pictures as often as possible. :-( Sad now to have such a wall of text for a convention report.

Forty Year Old Fanboy Update#11

So, the weekend was just incredible.   I had no idea how much I would feel both emotionally and psychologically changed by this trip to a gaming convention. But man, this event has given me a whole new sense of self and confidence. It was such a rush of emotions and in many ways a perfect response to the traumatic events of the previous year. The act of setting the experience down to words feels almost impossible, but I shall do my best to try.

Welcome to the Forty Year Old Fanboy  Gamex 2017 report.

I arrived at the Hilton LAX on Friday and messaged the people in charge that I was checking in. They informed me that I just have to tell the front desk who I was and show them some ID and my room was waiting.  I will admit, I was nervous and kept fiddling with my passport, wondering if my VISA or my office i.d. card was a better choice to show them.  Eventually, I opted for my Indigo Entertainment card and it was enough. The woman behind the counter confirmed my room, gave me my keycard and wished me a nice day.

The room was amazing.

I did not expect to have such wonderful accommodations.  Nor did I know that I was going to have it all to myself!  I started setting my stuff down and mapped out what I should bring down for my first game session, which was to run a game of 7th Sea second edition with the focus on La Bucca. I headed downstairs and after wandering about for a bit and exploring the place

The convention was HUGE.  It occupied so many floors, offering areas of interest for people who loved board games, miniatures, and role-playing games.  On the second floor, people would line up for registration and check out the available RPG sessions that they could sign up for.  There were scheduled games for 9a.m., 2p.m., and 8p.m. Some games would have their own room. Others would be in a four table room.  There were areas for LARP games, and Pathfinder Society games.  The ground level had areas for board game demos, dealer rooms, and miniature based fun. That floor also had the flea market where there were so many fun choices I had to stop myself or suffer having luggage problems in the future.   Finally, there was the "dungeon" which was the lower floor. That area had the place for Open Gaming and games on demand, and Adventure's League games.  There were also demos and kickstarter demonstrations there.

The opportunities for people to try things were fantastic, with games and talks and the like all happening all over the place. It was nice to see so much activity to choose from in the area.  As the time for my first game slowly crept closer, I heard someone call out to me by name. I turned and realized it was jim pinto, who admittedly looked nothing like how I imagined him to be. Within a heartbeat, he introduced me to five other people, and I even had a glimpse of an upcoming board game  which was soon to have its own Kickstarter campaign. I learned jim preferred never to have his picture taken and I promised to myself to resist taking any photo of him during the whole convention. jim was such a fantastic con-companion, making sure I took time to eat and showed me around. He even introduced me to more people in the con and helped me feel less like a stranger in a strange land.  We also meet with Stephanie Bryant and a few other designers from IGDN and quickly opt to step out to grab some grub.

After a quick snack at Carl's Jr. with newfound friends,  jim and I head upstairs to attend the Meet and Greet. It was an event where the people in the convention get a chance to meet the special guests.  With Ben still enroute, it was me, an artist named Philip Checkcinco, and reluctantly, jim, who are introduced.  We have some slight rosey drinks and excuse ourselves to head down and prep for our games. Part of me wishes I asked for Philip's contact details to drag him with us for company on any food runs and the like. He and I had a short chat about feeling overwhelmed by the whole affair and I felt he might need someone to keep him company too.

My first game, a 7th Sea game called "True Monsters" gets four players, with one of them being someone who had never played a role-playing game before. The group of heroes arrived at La Bucca, each with their own goals in mind, but soon found themselves pulled together into a conspiracy unlike any other. By the end of the session, the groups were excited to explore the world of 7th Sea more, and the new player was very happy to try more.  I counted it as a small victory on my part.

With the end of the first game, I weighed on what to do next. The guy handling the Games On Demand con stuff, Tomer, invites me to join his friends for an Escape Room experience. I decide to check it out and it was a pretty amazing game that cost only $15. It required tearing stuff and the like, but it it definitely was an experience well worth the cost! Tomer writes more about it here: http://www.supernovembergames.com/tomes-of-tomes/2017/5/29/strategicon-gamex-2017-friday

The game was Exit: The Abandoned Cabin and I highly recommend it to all fans of Escape Room games.  https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/203420/exit-game-abandoned-cabin

I soon hear from Ben Woerner and Dan Waszkiewicz that they've arrived and were at the Open Gaming area. I make my way there and finally meet the two. Hugs and lots of laughing ensured. We hit the cafe for a late snack and decide to call it a night given we all have stuff to handle come morning.

I get back to my room and I find myself overwhelmed with emotions. The happiness. The excitement. The nerves. The were all incredibly moving. I thought of having some water but end up breaking a glass in the process of unwrapping it from a paper cover. Thankfully, I didn't cut myself.  I got inspired enough to try writing stuff for some of the projects I am working on, but the laptop fails to work with the cellular phone's hotspot, so that kind of threw writing out of the window.

I tuck myself into bed to sleep and wonder how much more fantastic the night can get.

Forty Year Old Fanboy Update#1

So yeah, I'm prepping for the upcoming trip to Los Angeles and I hope I didn't forget anything. It has been quite a while since I traveled alone and I've been very used to traveling with Rocky to Singapore. My last trip to the United States was many years ago and so I'm kinda excited and nervous about this trip.

 I've spent the whole weekend prepping for the trip, from getting some clothes, considering new luggage, and the usual other preparations.  For the convention, I mapped out pre-generated characters for the 7th Sea game, printed out cards for A Single Moment, as well as character sheets for Lacuna. I decided to create "title" pages for each game just to give them a bit more character when the games finally happen. This trip will offer a lot of opportunities for me to meet other game designers and creators, including Ben Lehman (these are our games: Bliss Stage), Ben Woerner (WunderWerks: A World of Dew), Jim Pinto (post world games: King For a Day), and even John Wick himself (John Wick Presents: 7th Sea 2nd edition, Houses of the Blooded). I'm thrilled at this opportunity and I am absolutely agog to trade game chatter with them and who knows, maybe even run something for them?

I sorely wish Rocky could be with me on this trip, but that's probably a goal to aim for in the future. Given the family plans that come the week after Memorial Day Weekend, it wasn't feasible to fly with Rocky for this journey.  Maybe some time in the coming years. Maybe even to attend some other major RPG convention in the future.  Anyway, online check it complete. Just have to head for the airport in the next few minutes. Here's hoping it won't be long line purgatorio today.  *crosses fingers*

Here's to a safe flight!

Gamex 2017: See you this May!

Thank you so much to the fantastic people behind Strategicon for allowing me to be one of their guests this coming Gamex 2017 which will happen this coming Memorial Day weekend!  Gamex 2017 will be four days of gaming and opportunities to try new stuff and meet lots of people who share our passion for role-playing games and table top fun.

With me in the event will be the ever-wonderful Ben Woerner, the brains behind Woerner's Wunderwerks and a fellow member of the Indie Game Developer Network.  I'm hoping to run a few sessions of A Single Moment, as well as maybe let people try my take on 7th Sea, Lacuna: The Birth of Mystery and the Girl from Blue City, and John Wick Presents' Schauermarchen. I think it will all depend on what will be worked out in registration. I'll send updates once that is finalized.

So, to anyone who will be attending the event, do feel free to come over and say hello.  I'll try to also have some copies of A Single Moment to sign and sell if there is any interest!  See you!