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I'm doing a random-event-driven thing for Maid RPG, so even I can't really prepare beyond bringing character sheets.

So, the RPG group we've got going is: me, TC_X0_Lt_0X, azor12, doriangray, Stormfalcon, and havok rt? Any more than 5-6 players and Maid RPG will start to get unwieldy, though I'll let whoever's running it decide how many people to let into the D&D4e game. We can exchange contact info by PMs.

Maybe we could meet up on Friday or Saturday afternoon, shoot the breeze for a while (maybe get lunch) and then do Maid RPG?

That's cool.  I've got a few to pick from.  Any particular genre you have in mind for the game?  Modern?  Fantasy?  Sci-fi?

I'm gonna roll the mansion randomly at the table. :3

I was going to roll up characters at the table, but if you have the game and want to make one ahead of time, I don't mind. It'll save a little bit of time, after all.

Sunday afternoon, level 8-10 works for me too. :3 I'll bring a warlord, which will cover the leader role, unless someone else really wants that. Let us know what specific level of characters to bring though. Oh, also, do you want characters to use backgrounds, and if so what kind?

For Maid RPG, how does Friday or Saturday afternoon sound? Like I said, it'd probably go for 3 hours or so. I would prefer to start in the afternoon because while Maid RPG can be a zero-prep game, it's about as high-energy as RPGs get, and that's when I'll be the most awake.

@azor12:
As I said upthread, I prefer 4e since I know it a hell of a lot better. I'm potentially available most any time during the con. If you're going to run it, let me know what kind of character to bring (I can whip something up in the character builder pretty quickly).

If we can settle on a time I'll definitely be happy to run a session of Maid RPG as well. I'll probably do a random-event-driven game for 2-3 hours. IMO that's the best way to experience how insane Maid RPG can really be.

My preference is for 4e since I know it a whole lot better than 3.x, but if someone's willing to bring a 3.x character for me to use I'll be happy to join in regardless. (And even if it is 4e, whoever's running it needs to decide what kind of characters would be appropriate, or do pregens or something.)

At the moment I don't have any plans to speak of nailed down for the convention, so any time during any of the four days is potentially workable for me.

My parents were Trekkies (and are still huge sci-fi/fantasy geeks), so it never would've even occurred to me to try to hide it, much less to not be a geek. I don't shove it in people's faces of course, but given that I translate video games for a living, conversations with random people I meet do tend to go in that direction very quickly. No one's given me a hard time for being a geek/nerd since middle school, and I would find anyone who did as an adult to be pretty damn pathetic.

I thought the word "Otaku" was not so great a word to use....?

In Japan the word does have kind of a negative connotation, though not nearly as much as it used to in the wake of the media hysteria of the 80s, partly on account of stuff like Densha Otoko. It does have connotations of being a loser with a few too many plastic moe figures and such. I definitely wouldn't go around labeling myself with it in Japan, unless I was totally surrounded by otaku on all sides or something.

On the other hand, when you use the word "otaku" in English, you're using an English loanword based on the Japanese word "オタク", so its meaning is potentially different. American "otaku" are of both genders (Japanese otaku are mostly male; the women who are into such things are called fujo), a bit younger, and to me at least the stereotypical image that comes to mind is more of teenagers parked in Borders' manga aisle reading Inu-Yasha.

Cons are always better if you have friends going, but even with some of my good friends attending, I'm kind of searching for stuff to do, so I'd appreciate any suggestions.

I'm hoping to get in some (tabletop) RPG action, though the reaction on these forums, from both fans and staff, has been less than encouraging. (I'm still hoping to run Maid RPG at the con though.)

I'll definitely be checking out the artists alley; I've gone totally crazy commissioning artwork of my mascot character for one thing. And for once there are a few things I want from the dealers room.

I've reached the point where I'll be skipping the masquerade this time around, though I'll probably still go to the AMV contest. The panel schedule is apparently totally full and then some, so I'm hoping there will be some good stuff there.

What else is neat?

Lately I've been getting into listening to podcasts (and doing one of my own), but mostly RPG-related stuff (2d6 Feet in a Random Direction, Canon Puncture, Have Games Will Travel, etc.). Can anyone recommend some good anime-related podcasts?

I will variously be walking, taking light rail, getting a ride from a friend, or not bothering, depending on what I'm feeling like and what's going on for a given day of the con.

Checking the CDC site's page on Swine Flu, it sounds like swine flu just isn't that serious of a matter as of yet. There have been 7 confirmed cases in California, and 40 total for the entire U.S. And even then, the symptoms are apparently not particularly different from influenza. While it's good that people are taking it seriously and keeping it contained, it sounds the situation would have to get 10 or 100 times worse for there to be any remote chance of Fanime being affected.

Yeah, I don't know D&D well enough from the DM's side to run it, but there are plenty of other games I could run, including Maid RPG. :3

[Ichigo Mashimaro:]

Ichigo Mashimaro: Been re-reading this exceptionally cute slice-of-life manga. Looking forward to getting my hands on vol. 6.

S.S. Astro: 4-panel manga about four quirky high school teachers. My favorite is the nurse who's obsessed with seeing blood.

Suzunari: 4-panel manga about a girl who winds up with a "twin sister" who looks just like her but with bigger boobs and cat ears.

GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class: Yet another 4-panel manga, about art students. Lots of stuff about art materials and color theory.

At some point I need to get caught up on Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist...

Anything? Anyone? TT3TT

Well, I'm going to go see DB Evolution tomorrow night, and I just recently started my own podcast (on tabletop RPGs, albeit with a heavy emphasis on Japanese stuff), so I'd be up for this. :3

Yup. I originally founded it in fact. ^_^;;;; but I haven't been involved directly in a number of years. My successor is no longer on staff, so I haven't exactly had my finger on the pulse of the thing.

I'm all for it, though I've already seen all of it AFAIK.

There's also no shortage of other random video game related video productions. Legend of Neil, Hey Ash Whatcha Playin, the other ScrewAttack stuff, Red Vs. Blue... it goes on and on.

Yeah, I saw that and replied.

Is the actual department still alive? Do they have anything planned?

I may not be looking hard enough, but I haven't really seen anything as to what's going on with tabletop gaming this year, apart from a small nod on the Events page to its existence.

For my part I'd be up for most anything RPG-related, and I could run Maid RPG, amongst others.

I've been playing and really enjoying 4th Edition since it came out. I experimented with prior editions (from AD&D1e onward), but none of them really did anything for me.

I don't know how to DM (more than any other RPG I've played, DMing and playing are two separate skills), but if someone wants to run a game at the con I'd definitely be interested.