I was really looking forward to Continuum 2018, as, unlike some other years, I was in good health and had the right state of mind to really enjoy it (Health 70%, Mind 80%). RuneMasters were also debuting and I was looking forward to running a game and playing in more. I had also booked to play in two Freeforms, so was looking forward to that.
We arrived slightly late, due to circumstances beyond our control, so missed the start of Slot 1, but I have never been able to make Slot 1 so had low expectations of playing a game then. Check-in was painless and very friendly, the room was surprisingly cool, especially bearing in mind the hot weather. After unpacking, we went to Asda to stock up on some snacks, which I said I wouldn't do after not eating half of them last year, but repeated my error and bought far too much.
The Game Slots were full of games, in fact there were more games than I have ever seen at Convulsions or Continuum, which was a pleasant surprise. It was also good to see branded RuneMasters sign-up sheets in the slots. A new innovation was tried this year, with Sign-Up sheets for the current and next Slots going up at the same time. This was an excellent change and meant that we could plan our games a lot better. There had been some confusion, as some GMs thought that the Convention would have completed Sign-up sheets, so hadn't brought their own.
Opening Ceremony - The usual sort of thing, or so I had thought. The Committee introduced the games, Freeforms, rules and what-not, but also had a Safety Policy, where people could report harassment and various other problems. We have never had this before and it is good that Continuum are moving with the times and have one, but it is a shame that we need one. Then, two people renewed their wedding vows, with their friends around them which was touching, moving and very nice indeed.
Slot 2 - Monkey Ruins Everything (Monkey, RuneMasters Glorantha) As I was a bit tired, but wanted to play, I chose a RuneMasters game, which was the most immense fun and my Bonobo PC married Orlanth and became Queen of the Gods. Thanks to Dan Barker for GMing this. Finished just before 12am and stayed up for another hour before admitting defeat.
Saturday morning, I made it in time for breakfast, which was bacon, sausages, mushrooms, hash browns and cereal, very nice and what I have come to expect from Continuum. They had no muesli, which was a shame but not the end of the world.
Slot 3 - Green Tide Rising (HeroQuest, RuneMasters Glorantha) A really good HeroQuest game, where we forced back a magical tide of green from Caratan. Thanks to Dr Moose for GMing this.
Lunch - The Chilli con Carne was just too hot for me to eat, so I had a Beefburger and Sweet Potato Fries. I have no idea who came up with the idea of Sweet Potato Fries, but they just didn't work, soggy, unappetising and unpleasant. The Beefburger wasn't much better, the burger itself looked to be a good chunk of meat but had no texture and very little taste. This was disappointing, as we had been promised, in the Opening Ceremony, that the committee had worked with the University to improve the food on offer.
Slot 4 - The Secrets of the Thunder Hills(RuneQuest Glorantha, RuneMasters Glorantha) Another excellent game, from the forthcoming Gamesmaster Pack, wherein we faced up to a dragon that was attacking the area. It was interesting to se RQG in action and it impressed me as a system. Thanks to Simon Bray for GMing this.
Dinner (Or Tea as I sometimes still call it) - Salmon in milk with Basmati Rice and some veggies, this was much better than the lunch and reasonably priced.
Slot 5 - A Bard for Rashka (Freeform) Wherein, I played a bard and had an absolute hoot, fully enjoyed it and was engaged all the way through. Was a bit worried that wearing a coat was too much in the warmth, but was thankful of it when it cooled down a bit. The only downside was that I was carrying a painful infection and it burst partway through the game, ruining my costume but relieving the pain I was in, however, I missed a crucial part of the game, I hope nobody noticed. Thanks to the GMs and Players for a most enjoyable Freeform.
Again, stayed up talking until about 1am and then retired gracefully. The bar had run out of lager and, as I no longer drink spirits as cons (Some people will know why) I was on pepsis for the evening, which was probably for the best.
Sunday morning, breakfast again, same as Saturday, nice enough and no complaints, except for the lack of Muesli.
Slot 6 - A Heroic Death (Freeform) I was a little tired from the night before and struggled to get going. I also forgot about one of my abilities and used another quite poorly, so was nowhere near as effective as I normally am, which was a shame. I wasn't anywhere near as engaged as I had been on Saturday night, so decided on a holding action. However, I still enjoyed the game, despite my sub-par performance. Thanks to the GMs and Players for a most enjoyable Freeform.
Lunch - Avoided the beef burger and sweet potato fries, as should you all, and went for a pizza, which was big, tasty and reasonably priced. Excellent.
Slot 7 - One Flew Over the Dragon's Nest (HeroQuest, RuneMasters Glorantha) I was running this and was a bit apprehensive, as I wrote the scenario based on a title that I thought was cool/funny. It seemed that the players and GM all had a good time, so it looks as though it went well.
Dinner (Or Tea as I sometimes still call it) - Honestly can't remember what I had, but it was very tasty and reasonably priced, so was pleased with my choice.
Closing Ceremony - Everyone said thank you, clapped a lot, the Committee thanked the players and GMs, the audience thanked the Committee, the RuneMasters draw was held and everyone will be back next time. The Safety people were not called on during the Con, which is a good sign and what I had hoped would happen, not because people do not want to report things, but because there was nothing to report, long may that continue. There is a chance that Continuum could become annual, which would be excellent news. Also, Jeff Richards offered to run a Glorantha Freeform next time, which is also excellent news.
Slot 8 - Ducks on the Red Moon (HeroQuest, RuneMasters Glorantha) This was a by-invitation only game, for the RuneMasters and was a wind-down game whereby we played Ducks who had jumped on the tail-end of a HeroQuest to Duckify the Red Moon and were sent to find the Golden Egg that contained the first Flying Duck to be born for many a year. There followed 2-3 hours of complete silliness, where duck gags and puns abounded, threats were made, PCs killed each other and we were almost TPKed by the Crimson Duck. The poor GM, Andrew Jones, tried manfully to pull us back to the plot, even having to remind us at one point that we were in fact searching for the Golden Egg, as we had all completely forgotten. Possibly my all-time best achievement in Convention TPGing was when I cast a Play Dead Illusion on the party when the Crimson Duck attacked, only for the Humaktis and Storm Bull to fly off against it, but the Humakti turned on each other and killed each other, as they looked like moving corpses, i.e. undead, an all-time Trickster high. It was even sillier and more fun that Monkey Ruins Everything, which is high, high praise indeed. Thanks to Andrew Jones for GMing this.
Again, I stayed up till just after 12am, but the last few nights caught up with me and I retired.
Monday morning saw me arrive just in time for breakfast, then I chatted with people, had a shower, packed and put things away, ready for the drive back to Birmingham. Many thanks to Darren for giving me a lift to and from the con and thanks to Pookie and Tim for relating their stories of the Con.
So, in summary, I really enjoyed Continuum 2018 and it is probably the best organised Continuum/Convulsions that I have attended. There were so many games that we were spoiled for choice. The Freeforms were good, at least the ones I attended were, having the RuneMasters added a lot more Glorantha games, so much so that I only played Gloranthan RPGs. I played something in all but one Slot, only missing Slot 1 because we arrived too late. I met with some old friends, but didn't have much time to talk to many of them. In fact, this was the best Continuum/Convulsions that I have attended and ranks alongside the Trollball Tentacles convention as the best ever RPG Convention that I have ever attended. The news that it might become annual and that we would have a Gloranthan Freeform next time makes we very happy indeed. How long until the next one?