Cannibaal Publishing

So this past weekend, May 8-11th was PAXEAST in Boston. I decided to head up to meet up with an old friend I played World of Warcraft with. Previously we went to Blizzcon (7-8 times) together, but this time we experienced PAX for the first time. Due to real life mucking things up and having to adult, the video games have grinded to minimal but our love for games and gaming still remain strong. Thursday morning we hit the convention center and waited in the “que” line until they let loose the dogs of war. We had already scoured the map of all the levels and figured out where we wanted to go first, Dungeons & Dragons and the Baldman Games adventures: Eberron, Legends of Greyhawk, and a Learn to Play sessions.

You could wait in a que of a taped off area for Eberron, Legends of Greyhawk which had three different games: Nulb, Hommlet, and The Battle of Emridy Meadows, or a Learn to Play scenario “Tavern Brawl”. We went for a Legends of Greyhawk Scenario and the table rolled for which one that was offered, either Nulb or Hommlet. It was Nulb first. A four hour play session had our DM, DM Sean and six players.

We had a good party mix of characters and had a great time. The adventure wasn’t too tough, we all started at level 1 and when we finished we all gained level 2. we could choose between a sum of gold, or a less portion of gold and you get to pick from the treasure chest for a magic item. The chest held envelopes with minor magic items. For this adventure I drew a Periapt of Health.

This was the play area, 12 tables in the open, and to the right of them were curtained off rooms for Eberron play. These were held there due to the information on the Artificer class and that book coming out soon.

We decided to move around and check out the vendor area ….. OMG the variety of gaming booths, independent and major publishers abound.

Larian Studios did not disappoint. This was there set up. We checked out the Roll for Combat booth and got to talk to Stephen Glicker. I asked about the release of Elemental Storm, and he responded with “it’s 98% done”. We moved on to Q-Workshop to ask about getting some prototype dice made up. I was asked if I had a business card ……. , I was also asked if I had a business card at the DnD games I played in as well ….., see the pattern here. I don’t have any business cards made or on me. That night we ate at the Brazilian Steakhouse in our hotel . While at dinner we seen the cast of Acquisitions Incorporated.

Friday morning we hit the Dungeons & Dragons area again.

We got there a little later and all the tables were full and running. We decided to walk around and explore the expo hall and what all it had to offer. Picked up some Dispel Dice, I got a set of the Lagoon and Deep Blue Sea dice, of course water themed, my friend picked up a set of dice that has liquid in the center that were very cool. Next we headed over to Elderwood Academy and picked up some dice vaults for our newly acquired dice. The Dispel dice run a little larger so the Elderwood folks actually custom tailored their wooden dice vaults to fit our new dice. I thought that was awesome customer service. Blizzard Entertainment was having a panel on World of Warcraft: Past, Present, and Future. The hour long panel talked about Legion Remix and player housing mostly.

The Battle of Emridy Meadows was next and we had enough people for 5 tables for this scenario. I will not give out any spoilers but it was ran like an epic, meaning you could help out the other tables. We had different scenarios to choose from and you could fit two different ones in the four hour block.

This was our group along with DM Lowel, and we were the first group to beat the adventure.

Saturday morning we stopped in at Dunkin Donuts and grabbed some breakfast before heading over to play the last Legends of Greyhawk scenario: Hommlet. We had a great time with our DM Amy and was a mix of roleplay, investigation and battle.

At the end of the game, again we got to choose between gold, a shield +1, or some gold and a pick from the treasure chest. I really thought about taking that shield but I wanted another shot at that treasure chest. I ended up with a Mithril sword or rapier. My Dwarf Cleric is now level 3 and in the system. Next I jumped in a game of Eberron which was showcasing the artificer class which is coming out in a new book Eberron: Forge of the Artificer and you can preorder it here.

That night we went to this awesome BBQ place a few blocks away from the convention center, if you are ever in Boston, I cannot recommend this place enough.

I got to meet Ted from Nerd Immersion, He was there getting the latest news from PAXEAST and Dungeons and Dragons to share to the masses via his YouTube channel.

All in all, I felt like I had a great convention experience, I finished what all I set out to accomplish, play in all the D&D games, visit vendors and have fun with my friend. As I was checking out of the hotel Sunday morning, I round the corner to the front desk and I laugh out loud because there in front of me is none other than Chris Perkins.

We had a great “small talk” conversation while we waited for our rides to the airport. I thanked him for being an excellent steward of Dungeons and Dragons and wished him the best in the future. This was my highlight of the entire trip. I showed him the book my team created, the World of Greyhawk Gazetteer Revised and he loved it.

If you were able to go to PAXEAST I hope you had a great time, if not I hope you can live vicariously through my pictures and maybe plan to go to a convention in the near future. Get out there and roll some dice and have fun.