| |
The first annual LEGO Sub-Track at the Philcon SF
convention this past weekend was a great success. Only two AFOLs contributed,
but dozens of attendees participated and at least five specifically requested a
return next year.
Events included two exhibits, an open build, two slideshows, two screenings of
stop-motion films, and two sessions of QuikWars. Participants were yours truly
(DelVaLUG) and Eric Sophie
(GardenSLUG). (With
exhibit-monitoring assistance by many.) Next year we hope to involve more
members of those groups, plus SciBrick.
The larger exhibit was situated amongst the Fan Tables in the Dealers Room, and
consisted of two Moonbase modules (Eric’s
Mech Bay 7 and my own
Garden Dome One), Eric’s Mr.Krinkle and Grunnion, and about 15 of my mini-scale SF replicas (*). The smaller consisted
of Eric’s 3-foot red Rizmit plus a smaller blue mech, in the Art Show: against a pillar and visible
from the entrance. (Photos to follow.)
(Placement of the exhibits was chosen partially for cross-promotion reasons, to
draw attendees into those portions of the con.)
The Saturday Open Build was conducted alongside the larger exhibit, and its
half-dozen products were separately displayed on Sunday. Bricks were supplied
by Phil. (Who needs Cthulhu? The prospect of packing a useful cross-section of
elements into a half-filled station wagon, when they’re sorted into 30 cabinets
and boxes, is enough to drive one gibbering mad.)
(More photos to follow: “Matrix”-like combat scene, macabre dinner party, “B5”
Shadow battlecrab, etc. --Lots of inquiries as to the source of the black
dino-necks used in the latter.)
Friday night I conducted a digital slideshow of impressive starships (Adrian
Drake’s Tribunal, Dan Jassim’s carriers, etc.) and a screening of eight
SF/F-themed brikfilms. Saturday night was devoted to mechs, including a large
section on Eric’s designs; and an encore showing of the brikfilms. Slideshow
images were harvested from Brickshelf and
MOCPages, and all builders were acknowledged by name;
films were harvested through BrickFilms and their
authors contacted for permission. Audiences included both adults and children.
(My selection of starship and mech images was somewhat rushed, but I attempted a
cross-section of sizes and techniques. For the mini-fest I had ambitious plans,
but technical problems reduced its scope; see
the BrikFilms Forum
later today for a full report on what was shown.)
The QuikWars sessions were run out of the Children’s Room, and involved four to
six players. These were very bright kids (ages 7 to 12), which meant they were
anticipating and asking questions before I finished explaining the rules. They
insisted on creating new ones to account for situations like Steed-to-Steed
attacks. (Ie, what’s the Damage rating for a mosasaur’s teeth? Can a
land-octopus sneak between the legs of a bronto? What happens if you fall down
the shaft of a tower, a shaft that leads to the center of the Earth, home to
that squad of Grunts?) Advisory: if you ever GM a group of this age, pre-build
the units and fixtures, and permit only minimal customization; otherwise you’ll
never start the game itself.
(*) My models included the
Daedaleus and
Prometheus, EarthForce One,
Phoenix, warship from
Martian Rainbow, Merelcas and Starplex, Planetary Express Ship, Romulan scout ship, “War
of the Worlds” tripod and floater;
Bender, Cthulhu, Dib and
Zim. Gotta update that Brickshelf folder.
|
|
Message has 2 Replies:
3 Messages in This Thread:
  
- Entire Thread on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
|
|
|
|
