Gary Con XVII 2025 Retrospective
Gary Con XVII is a few weeks behind me now and I've been reflecting on this, my second time at this amazing event. So, tuck in for a retrospective on my experience, including a summary of each of the sessions in which I played plus a few other fun turns!
Here is an overview of the sessions in which I played as well as one other particularly special experience:
"Snowfall" - Castles & Crusades
This was my first time playing Castles & Crusades published the fine folks at Troll Lord Games and I really enjoyed it. I guess that wasn't terribly surprising given that it arose in the early 2000s from the d20 system with the goal of resurrecting the spirit of earlier editions of D&D. The adventure was a great mix of mystery, including a code to decipher (we needed a lot of DM help but then again, it was 8 AM), and a climatic battle scene with evil forces seeking a sky stone heralded to fall to the earth. Following a beautiful hand drawn and aged map, the heroes claimed the strange sky stone!
"The Bleeding Maw" - Shadowdark RPG
In the Bleeding Maw written for use with Shadowdark RPG, our band of adventurers accepted an errand to investigate the disappearance of the local baron's son. That leads to the backwoods village of Stagpass where the people don't look kindly on outsiders and cling to old pagan believes. With no way of discerning truth from lies, the party investigates a outlying farm on their way to some distance sacred caves. Things quickly go from strange to truly bizarre as we're stalked by black sheep and find our ways into a warren of underground tunnels. Standing knee deep in human bones, we find a locket - a possession of the baron's son - and ultimately confront an ancient beast with whom the people of Stagpass have maintained a generation's old blood pact. Alas my poor halfling scout was ripped apart in its wolf-like maw. Written by Kyle McCordic, you can pick up a copy of this adventure on itch.io.
"Return to the Unknown" - Old-School Essentials
A reimagining of the classic Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set module - In Search of the Unknown B1 released in 1978 - Return to the Unknown was written and GMed by good friend, Chris Lauricella, from Dayton, Ohio. Using the amazing Old-School Essentials ruleset, our band of how-be heroes ventured into the long lost halls established so long ago by Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown. This adventure was everything you could hope for in a classic dungeon crawl but with more twists and bizarre turns than even a beholder could hope to keep eyes on. We may or may not have had in our possession at one point both Zelligar's phylactery as well as the infamous blade, Black Razor!
"Wonder of the Northern World" - The One Ring
Of my gaming experiences at Gary Con this year, this was the one to rule them all! I have been dying for a chance to play The One Ring and wow, it did not disappoint. We had an amazing GM (thank you Talgian) and a fellowship of players more than willing to give themselves over to the Professor's incredible world of Middle-Earth. The adventure was straightforward, deliver an urgent message to a dwarven colony exiled from the Blue Mountains. The Journey phase of our adventure went off without a hitch but upon reaching the village, we were greeted by black smoke and bloodied ground. The dwarves had been attacked and their thane slain by a notorious orc chieftain. After dispatching a group of goblin stragglers, we found the survivors had been led off toward the dark, shattered remnants of Angmar. Following with all haste, our fellowship overtook the warband within two days time. We laid a plan to sneak into the camp to free the prisoners. Fate swung our way at least for a time as we freed the captives and made to escape. Cut off and seeking to delay pursuit, three of our number made a heroic final stand before falling to shadow - my elf treasure hunter among them.
"The Witches of Priestlichheim" - Warhammer Fantasy RPG
Last but far from least, I stepped foot into the Old World and donned the hat of the witchhunter in a session of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying! Sent to investigate a witchcraft hysteria that had gripped the town of Priestlichheim, our band quickly found more than we bargained. With hundreds having been put to the torch, ash blew along the cobbles and the stink of fear and anger filled the air. With this holding nearly in revolt, the prince cast about for answers, turning to the bishop of Sigmar - an old, benevolent fellow. We questioned, I threatened, and we stumbled headlong into a hidden cult of Tzeentch! We fought supernatural forces as well as human ones with shot and blade and escaped with our lives. The witchcraft hysteria had been a ploy to condemn innocent souls to Chaos! When we took our case to the prince, he looked to his bishop for answers ... but the old man spewed bile and hatred, admitting this role as he disappeared in a ball of brimstone and flame. Through the catacombs beneath the cathedral we tore into a hidden chamber in which the bishop sought to seal his bond with Tzeentch. A pitched battle ensued at the conclusion of which the bishop lay dead along with his corrupted brood.
Zeb Cook and AD&D 2e
At last year's Gary Con, I managed to get a number of my personal D&D and AD&D items autographed and it was such a joy to meet these great folks. One person I missed last year was Zeb Cook. It was using Zeb's AD&D 2e that I played some of the most memorable games of my life in late high school and college. So, this year, I was really hoping to run into him and fate did not disappoint! He was gracious and appreciative of the things I had to say about my experiences with AD&D 2e. Now, my original AD&D 2e Players Handbook is a personal treasure, with both his and Jeff Easley's signatures on the cover!
