Well, it's that time of year and the excitement is palpable.  TravCon starts tomorrow and runs through to Sunday in it's usual place.

Rather more unusually - like once in a decade or two unusual - we're being hit by "the beast from the East" - snow and *very* cold (for these parts) temperatures and the usual complete collapse of the UK's infrastructure (roads/rail/etc) in 10cm of snow when my Swedish friend reports 40cm of snow one day, 10 more the next and 'business as usual'.  Some folk were stuck on the M80 in Scotland for 17 hours or more and several deaths are being reported.

It's hitting just at the wrong time for the weekend with around 140 miles of travel on some of the UK's busiest roads for Ted, Jane and David (three of my TTA players) who are also aiming to attend.  (David was a bit of a surprise as a last minute booking and, I discovered yesterday, running a game!  To the best of my knowledge, although he's familiar with DnD, his entire experience of Traveller is the last two sessions of The Traveller Adventure.  So, very brave!)

The four of us are debating going in two cars as planned (to ease logistics) or joining forces and taking one 4x4.  We're swapping emails that are beginning to look like Traveller scenario starts when the players have been given Central Supply Catalogue and told to tool up for the unknown!

My intention was to take a sabbatical this year and NOT run a game after doing so the last 6 times, but I have offered to run a quiz which is only a little less demanding in terms of preparation and which will be new for the con.  To avoid foisting filling 2 or 3 extra slots that I might normally fill on a poor harried organizer, I have offered to take four or five through the Traveller Customizable Card Game tomorrow night.  Although I'm still getting to grips with it myself and certainly haven't got as far as tactics or anything.

However, I have packed six characters in search of a plot (the crew of the Wolblutn from TTA) just in case snow decimates ref attendance and there are lots of slots to fill or we're snowed in at the motel and need to fill Monday, Tuesday.... with games.  (We should be so lucky). My intention would be to give them a 'noticeboard' with the adverts from Supplement 16: Adventure Seeds (or 101 Plots if you prefer) and just see where we end up.  Really test my making it up on the fly.

But let's get there first...

Anyway, for those going, safe travelling and for those not, I'll my best to do a write up subsequently.

tc



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