We’ve got stacks of Planet Mercenary materials*, including the core book, the Game Chief’s screen, the Mayhem Deck, sets of RiPP tokens and dice, and Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries.
We’ll also have the Game Chief’s Handbrain game screen*, a high-quality ABS plastic product that you simply must come and see.
Panels Where You Can Find Me Talking
Sounds enticing, yes? Here’s my panel schedule:
THURSDAY
6pm, Congress 1 — Reading (Howard reads his writing to you)
7pm, Capital 1 — How to Find Your Voice (panel discussion)
FRIDAY
6pm, Chamber — Writing Excuses records live
SATURDAY
12pm – 2pm, ICC Ballroom Main Stage — THE GAMERS: LIVE – ATTACK OF THE MUTANTS FROM PLANET X (I don’t actually know what I’m doing on stage, but I’m going to be doing my best at it.)
3pm, Capital 1 — Writers Cage Fight
(*Note: If you’re a Planet Mercenary backer and/or a Handbrain backer, your merchandise is shipping now, so we can’t do convention pickups for you.)
The Dark Tower took a little while deciding what kind of movie it wanted to be, but I enjoyed it. It’s not my favorite Idris Elba movie, and it’s not my favorite Stephen King movie, and it doesn’t clear my Threshold of Awesome, but I enjoyed it.
I don’t have much emotional attachment to the novels, so the film’s departures from the text didn’t bug me. I did have a burning desire to get out of my hotel room to see a movie, so that may have artificially inflated the film’s joy factor a bit.
The weakest aspect of the film surrounded the parts that were the coolest to watch: when the Gunslinger is doing supernaturally awesome things with his .45 revolvers it’s just eye candy. There’s no emotional connection between him and the viewer. The stakes are high, but it’s difficult to really care. Had I cared more, the film would have been more enjoyable. Probably not Threshold of Awesome enjoyable, but still better.
I’m in Helsinki at WorldCon 75, and today is my last day here. The final leg of my 27-day tour begins on Sunday morning when I fly to Indianapolis in preparation for GenCon Indy.
This trip has been wonderful, and if it’s been difficult it’s also been an opportunity to remember that I can do difficult things. The familiar path rarely leads to new places, and the easy path isn’t the one with the XP containers on it.
Look, I could totally go outside, but right now I’m enjoying the view of my notebook’s screen while I listen to something that is neither engine noise nor other human beings.
I’m in Heidelberg, Germany. It’s 5:30pm, and by this time tomorrow I’ll be on a plane bound for Helsinki. Behind me lie three nifty castle tours, and lots of walking. I won’t trouble you with the travelogue beyond a few bullets:
There’s a mural in Neuschwanstein castle that looks like a Disney matte painting. Chronology suggests that Walt Disney took some pictures when he visited.
The stairway trail up to Hohenzollern castle means business.
Trains are way better than buses because they have wi-fi.
Obviously we got off the ship okay. That seems like forever ago, but I guess it was just Saturday. I’ve lost track. WorldCon is my next big thing, and by this time next week I should be in Indianapolis bracing for GenCon Indy. And after that? HOME.
