With about five or six hours of sleep replenished following the Werewolf games, I repacked my reporter’s attaché with gear and rode the elevator down to the ground floor for the second day of the convention. Vendors were still setting up their stalls for the day, so I sat down and created another Instagram post. I don’t think I’m very good with this social media stuff. Maybe it’s because I’m not very selfie-photogenic. Or the effects of the long night are showing. See that game in the background? We’ll see it again later in the series.
Once the merchants were up and open, I loitered around the booths on the lower floor next to the hotel’s check in counter. Let it not be said that merchandise wasn’t plentiful at the convention. Most vendors were selling arts, crafts, and curios. Some some were advertising their game products. A couple were even selling clothing. It was surprisingly enjoyable to see entrepreneurs doing business.
My undeclared street corner of the convention floor for the early morning was on the left wall opposite of the check in and bar areas. There was a small side hallway nearby which lead to the hotel’s pool and a small alcove of soda machines. I only remember two vendors being stationed directly next to the wall. They were Castle Bravo Games and Our Own Game Company, the latter entity you will also learn more about later in this series.
Vendors were positioned on either side of my spot, thus forming a small alley which ran width wise near the front of the hotel’s lobby. It was three vendors per side for a total of six. On the far side of this alley was the check-in desk for the convention. I was mostly interested in the vendors in my immediate proximity.
I can only guess how awkwardly I looked, standing around like a bump on a log clearly having having something on my mind but not being up front about it. The vendor which properly caught my attention was Sloth Panda Creations and a pair of resin cup coasters with Water and Grass type Pokémon energy trading cards embedded in them. I personally prefer the Fire types, but Grass and Water have their gems, especially in the video game’s starters.
The second vendor that caught my eye was HenkelMade WoodCrafts, run by Mr. and Mrs. Joe and Jen Henkel. They had journals and small, long dice carriers among their wares. And this was where the semi-unknown variable of spending came into problematic play. After probably several minutes of avoiding conversation, I got over myself, introduced myself to them, and asked for an interview, some photos, and a discount. All three were granted, which was very polite of them.
The third vendor of interest was Fandom Theory Embroidery and a pair of collapsible dice boxes. The boxes have a pair of buttons on each corner. Connecting the buttons would fold the corners into the box shape, while leaving them open let the material lay flat. I didn’t request an interview with Ms. Cote, but I did make small talk. which is more enjoyable sometimes.
As it turned out, the one domino of asking Joe and Jen for an interview was the one that needed to fall to add a bit of confidence to my day. After the pleasantries from HenkelMade were completed, I returned to Sloth Panda Creations who also gave me a small discount on the cup coasters I wanted. The final purchase was for the dice boxes from Fandom Theory Embroidery. A good haul, soon to be made better!
After my business with the vendors on the lower levels was complete, I strode to the upper platform of the big floor. I think there was six or seven vendors up here. I believe the lower part had between eight and twelve. The booth which caught my attention had two tables filled left to right with art prints and rubber mats. A book titled “The Untamed Beastiary,” was on display along with a few copies for sale. The banner behind the stall was…a-hem…crystal clear: Crystal Sully, Maker of Monsters.
Ms. Sully’s display was admirable. It was hard to pick only one product to buy. I managed to choose four possible options, which was then narrowed down to one via a pair of coin flips: a Metallic Great Wyrm play mat. After deciding on my merchandise, Crystal kindly allowed me tp give an interview and take some photos.
After this round of shopping, I swung back around to the Oathen table and engaged in another game. This time it was 2 vs 2 and I was on the losing team. I blame Jason the designer for not giving me the right cards. Kidding, kidding! It was good fun and I tried playing a character who was out of my comfort zone. Not really my style of play, but it did inspire me to start a small list of who else I wanted to play as in other online games the group held. It was around 11:00 a.m. or noon when the Oathen game wrapped up. The afternoon of Day 2 would be similar to the morning, and the nighttime would be flipping fun.
James Meyer 