Friday, May 3, 2013

May Updates GENCON

 
Gen Con Indy 2013: Roll for Initiative
 
Happy weekend, Gen Con Indy fans!

Gen Con Event Registration is just about two weeks away, and the team is working eagerly to make this year's show the best Gen Con Indy ever! With more than 9500 events in the system, we're sure that there will be many of interest to you. To register for events, attendees will need a valid 2013 Gen Con Indy badge purchased prior to May 19, 2013. Stay tuned for updated event listings, prior to the opening of event registration!

To update your account or get a badge, just go to www.gencon.com.

Fantasy Flight Games

Gen Con LLC Announces Multi-Year Agreement with Fantasy Flight Games
Yesterday, the Gen Con team proudly announced a multi-year agreement with Gen Con exhibitor Fantasy Flight Games. The deal will make Fantasy Flight Games a Contributing Sponsor from the present through Gen Con Indy 2015. As part of this sponsorship, expect Fantasy Flight Games' presence at Gen Con Indy to expand with even more opportunities for attendees to interact with the acclaimed multi-platform game company.

To read the official press release, click here.
Robotech® RPG Tactics™ - now funding on Kickstarter
Join the Cause!


Robotech RPG Tactics
Based on the popularity of last week's Kickstarter posts, this week we have another interesting Kickstarter from longtime Gen Con Indy exhibitor Palladium Books® .

The popular Robotech® TV show and RPG brought to life as a fast-paced, strategy battle game!
● 1/285th scale, multi-pose plastic game pieces (40mm to 80mm tall). World-class sculpts.
● Combat rules use D6 and a turn-based system of play.
● Scalable from small squad skirmishes to mass battles; two to multiple players.
● Combat is fast and designed to emulate the anime action.
● Measuring tape required to determine targets and distance.
● Designed in partnership with Ninja Division, which brings together the design talents of Soda Pop Miniatures and Cipher Studios, makers of Super Dungeon™ Explore, Relic Knights™, Helldorado™ and Anima Tactics™. Rules by David Freeman, Carmen Bellaire and Alessio Cavatore.
● Tournament play support is planned.

If you want to participate, hurry, the Kickstarter campaign ends May 20. Click here to visit the Robotech® RPG Tactics Kickstarter. The more Kickstarter pledges the campaign receives, the more they can do for the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ product line. They want to do all eras of Robotech® mecha! Help us make that a reality.

Visit Palladium Books® at Gen Con Indy for Robotech® demos, hundreds of game products, and to speak with game designers, writers and artists. And watch for the 2013 special discount in the Gen Con Coupon Book.

Visit www.palladiumbooks.com for more details about all of our games, from Robotech® and Rifts® to Heroes Unlimited™ and Nightbane®. Thirty-two years of world building and making RPGs.

Enroute Spa

Massage Returns to Gen Con Indy 2013
The Gen Con team is excited to welcome back local business Enroute Spa to Gen Con Indy 2013. Based on the feedback of satisfied attendees from last year's show, the team knows how much you like on-site massage after a weekend of non-stop gaming and fun!

Throughout the year, Enroute Spa is a day spa located inside the Indianapolis International Airport offering massage therapy, natural nail services (manicures and pedicures), and handcraft retail to millions of travelers each year. Enroute Spa’s mission of making wellness convenient is realized through airport locations and expansion into the city of Indianapolis with pop-up shops at conventions and services onsite at corporations.

Enroute Spa’s Gen Con 2013 menu centers upon chair massage, the most convenient and effective way to deliver wellness in a public setting. Chair massage includes manipulating muscles of the head, neck, back, arms, and hands to bring a relaxation and a better focus to our gamers. Enroute Spa has expanded its SPA Program class offering to include instruction on massage therapy, as well as yoga and meditation all focused to enhance the gaming experience.
Sun King Brewing
Sun King Brewing and Gen Con Partner for Official Beer in 2013
If you missed the exciting Sun King Brewing announcement from earlier this week, you can read more about it here.
Based on the success of last year's official beer partnership, Sun King Brewing and Gen Con LLC have announced a partnership to create an all-new beer for Gen Con Indy 2013. In addition, for the first time in Gen Con Indy history, the event will feature a 21-and-over beer garden located on Georgia St. The official beer also will be available for purchase at numerous participating local restaurants and bars.

“Gen Con is an incredible experience, and we’re excited to work with them and Indianapolis Downtown, Inc., to expand the scope of the festivities,” said Sun King brewer/owner Dave Colt. “Utilizing Georgia St. is a great way to enhance the experience for attendees, but it also allows everyone the opportunity to enjoy and discover the wonders of Gen Con!”

Similar to last year, fans will again help select the official name for the Gen Con Indy 2013 beer. An official contest will be announced on Gen Con's Facebook page with more details to follow. If you're in Indianapolis and of legal drinking age, stop by Sun King's brewery and tell them how excited you are for the Gen Con 2013 official beer!
Sitters to the Rescue
Child Care Available at Gen Con Indy 2013
If you missed the prior announcement, for the third year in a row, Gen Con Indy will have child care options available onsite throughout Gen Con weekend. Details on how to register, available time slots, and location will be announced soon. The Gen Con team is excited to welcome back a highly regarded partner and high quality service provider.

Visit www.sitterstotherescue.com to learn more
k - game.pawn@hotmail.com

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Sun King Brewing and Gen Con Partner for Official Beer in 2013

Sun King Brewing
Sun King Brewing and Gen Con Partner for Official Beer in 2013
Based on the success of last year's official beer partnership, Sun King Brewing and Gen Con LLC have announced a partnership to create an all-new beer for Gen Con Indy 2013. In addition, for the first time in Gen Con Indy history, the event will feature a 21-and-over beer garden located on Georgia St. The official beer also will be available for purchase at numerous participating local restaurants and bars.

“Gen Con is an incredible experience, and we’re excited to work with them and Indianapolis Downtown, Inc., to expand the scope of the festivities,” said Sun King brewer/owner Dave Colt. “Utilizing Georgia St. is a great way to enhance the experience for attendees, but it also allows everyone the opportunity to enjoy and discover the wonders of Gen Con!”

Similar to last year, fans will again help select the official name for the Gen Con Indy 2013 beer. An official contest will be announced on Gen Con's Facebook page with more details to follow. If you're in Indianapolis and of legal drinking age, stop by Sun King's brewery and tell them how excited you are for the Gen Con 2013 official beer!


Outlook - game.pawn@hotmail.com

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Sunken Egyptian city reveals 1,200-year-old secrets | The Sideshow - Yahoo! News

Sunken Egyptian city reveals 1,200-year-old secrets | The Sideshow - Yahoo! News

A giant statue recovered from the ancient city Heracleion. (Reuters)
Until a decade ago, no one knew if Heracleion, believed to be an ancient harbor city, was fiction or real. Now, reports the Telegraph, the researchers who found it—150 feet beneath the surface of Egypt's Bay of Aboukir—are sharing some of the amazing historical artifacts preserved there.
The finds include 64 ships, 16-foot-tall statues, 700 anchors and countless gold coins and smaller artifacts.
According to underwater archeologist Franck Goddio, credited with having discovered the site, the city was probably built sometime around the 8th century B.C., which makes it older than the famed city of Alexandria. Over the years, it fell victim to a number of natural disasters before being swallowed by the sea, probably around A.D. 700.
“We are just at the beginning of our research,” said Goddio. “We will probably have to continue working for the next 200 years for [it] to be fully revealed and understood.”
It's believed that gradual soil erosion eventually caused Heracleion to fall into the Mediterranean. “It is now clear that a slow movement of subsidence of the soil affected this part of the south-eastern basin of the Mediterranean,” Goddio writes on his site. “The rise in sea level—already observed in antiquity—also contributed significantly to the submergence of the land.”
The Telegraph reports that researchers are beginning to more fully understand what daily life was like in the city, also called “Thonis.” Mainly, they describe it as having served as the main hub for sea traffic entering the region, including all trade from Greece.
“We are getting a rich picture of things like the trade that was going on there and the nature of the maritime economy in the Egyptian late period,” Damian Robinson, director of the Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology at the University of Oxford, told the Telegraph. Robinson is part of the team that has been busy uncovering artifacts from Heracleion's sunken remains.
“It was the major international trading port for Egypt at this time,” Robinson added. “It is where taxation was taken on import and export duties. All of this was run by the main temple.”
The city is also believed to have had a rich cultural history. Helen was said to have visited it with her lover Paris shortly before the onset of the Trojan War.
A researcher looks over a sunken statue from Heracleion (Christoph Gerigk/Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation)

Northern Crusades - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Northern Crusades - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monday, April 29, 2013

About Bruce Heard, D&D, and new stories: Bye-Bye Princess Ark

About Bruce Heard, D&D, and new stories: Bye-Bye Princess Ark

10 Activities To Relax Your Child With Special Needs | Friendship Circle -- Special Needs Blog

10 Activities To Relax Your Child With Special Needs | Friendship Circle -- Special Needs Blog

10 Activities To Relax Your Child With Special Needs

10 Activities To Relax Your Child With Special NeedsGetting your child with special needs to relax and focus can be a difficult job. There are many situations in which our children need some help to settle down. Whether your child is excited by something fun and enjoyable or something scary and unfamiliar, a calming exercise may be needed to move on to the next routine or activity.
Each child responds differently to calming activities so it is helpful to come up with a range of activities and strategies that could be calming for your child.
Here are 10 activities to build into your child’s routine and environment, which can be calming and soothing.

1. Play quiet music

Choose music that is steady and generally mellow. Music has a natural ability to filter out noises and set the mood for the environment. If your child is out in a busy environment, try noise-cancelling headphones.

2. Create a small, quiet area for your child

Sometimes children need their own personal space where they can block out the extra noise and visual distractions. This could especially work if your child tries to escape his/her current environment if overwhelmed. Try something like a small tent or create a small book area in your home that your child can easily retreat to when it is time for them to have a break.

3. Deep breathing exercises

Practice slow breathing with your child. Model slow, deep breaths for your child to imitate. If need be, teach your child to trace his/her finger in the shape of a square or figure-8 to help pace their breather.

4. Try a little yoga

The combination of slow breathing, stretching, tensing of muscles and concentration to hold a position can be centering and calming. Introduce this to your child in a fun way, such as a children’s yoga program or a DVD.

5. Go for a walk with your child

Taking a walk can help to release some of the extra energy that has been building up in your child, especially if he/she needs a break from an activity. A change in scenery and fresh air is helpful.

6. Turn out the lights

There are times that a child could be sensitive to light. In some cases, if a child is stressed or overwhelmed, turning out the lights or going into a darkened space can help bring a sense of calm and security. If you are trying to settle your child in the evening, turn down the lights as the evening routine winds down.

7. Give a bear hug, squeeze or back rub

Be careful when approaching your children to give any type of pressure, especially if he/she is sensitive to touch or startles easily.

8. Sit in a rocking chair or swing

The slow, rhythmic movement can be soothing for your child. If your child is unsure about this, you can have him/her sit on your lap while you rock to settle them in.

9. Offer your child something to drink

A drink of water or juice can be cool your child down if he/she is overheated. In some cases, drinking from a straw is also helpful because of the sucking motion, which provides some sensory input through the mouth.

10. Look for clues from the past

Think back to activities that worked to soothe your child when he/she was an infant. Often you will find clues about new activities that could be a great calming activity for your child.

When Using These Activities

Special Needs ActivitiesKeep in mind, there may not be one activity that always works for your child. Some activities will not come naturally to your child.
Introduce and practice these activities when your child before suggesting them in a tense moment. When possible, give your child some choice in what he/she would like to do as a calming activity. Choices could be given verbally but also through visuals, like a choice board.
If your child has sensory processing challenges, a more prescribed and guided approach may be helpful. Consult with an Occupational Therapist for a more thorough assessment and program suited for your child’s needs