PAX Unplugged:
OK, so I had a bonkers time at PAX, and it was amazing. First and foremost, the best part about the Cardboard Herald is that I get to interact with so many awesome and creative people, and while I did tons upon tons of video and audio work there, I couldn't have done it without the support of so many awesome individuals, chief of which are my friends Rob Conley and Chris Douglas. These two are incredibly thoughtful and creative individuals who deserve tons of attention for their own projects. More on that soon, but for now you can find them both on twitter: Chris is @CDElite1 and Rob is @Paperheroescast. FOLLOW THEM!
As far as specifics at PAX, where to begin. Games? Games! There were a ton of cool things to check out, probably the two things I'm most hyped on are Catacombs: Wyverns of Wylemuir and Hunt for the Ring, both of which will have reviews upcoming soon. Speaking of which, I don't think I posted about the Catacombs and Castles review since it went up, so go watch that and tell about 6,000 people to do the same. There were plenty more games that looked rad like Favelas, Palace of Mad King Ludwig, Queendomino. I also played a bunch of unpub stuff like ATK! The Game and Fire Tower. I have a bunch of footage straight from the con posting soon. The first vid already went up, a first look at the aforementioned Wyverns of Wylemuir:
Oh yeah, and people! There are so many cool people at PAX. A lot of my time spent at cons is spent on networking and meeting rad people, and I have no shame in saying that The Cardboard Herald favors projects by rad people. If your game is an authentic representation of you as a creative person, I want to check it out, and that's a lot of what I talked about Carla of Weird Giraffe, and Andy & Eric of ATK!, for a podcast that'll go up soon (see photo above). I also caught up with Kenna and Rich of Going Last, Sean of Thing 12 Games, Aron of Elzra, and more. Man, this hobby has a ton of cool people...
In Non-PAX Unplugged News
We got a few new episodes since we last talked. Christopher Davis of Windborn Games came on to talk about Runes of Ragnarok, and on TCbH reviews we put up our review of Scythe. The TCbH PAX Unplugged Strike Force joined me for deliberations about that one, since Chris Douglas in particular is a Scythe super-fan.
I've been thinking a lot about the future of TCbH, what I like best about it, how to best spend my time. I've considered cutting some aspects, refocusing on others, branching into new territories. Being around so many creative people has been a real shot in the arm, but I want to make sure that no matter what I'm being authentic and having fun. The moment something becomes a chore, I need to rethink what I'm doing. In truth, if I could do this for a living though, I'd do it in a second.
Anyway, one of the things that brings me the most joy is Rook & Record. I know it's such a niche thing, but it is a perfect distillation of what I'm all about, earnest enthusiasm about awesome, creative stuff. The latest episode is below, and you KNOW I recorded one live at PAX that I'll have up soon.
Anyway, stay strong true believers! Support your friends, support creative projects, keep rocking good music, and keep playing awesome games. You are the best, and I'm so glad that I have so many awesome people in this community. from game designers to show hosts to listeners/viewers/readers like you, that I get to call friends.