StarFest 2014
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Despite having been been around since 1977 (5 years before I was even born) I somehow had never been to StarFest here in Denver. Well this year I decided to right this wrong and took time to visit this grand convention of not just science fiction geekery, but geekery of all kinds. I didn't have the time to immerse myself in the convention the way I would have liked to, but it did allow me to talk to, and witness, a geek culture I honestly didn't know much about; the LARPer (Live Action Role Play).
Let me back up a little bit. For those that may not know StarFest has expanded it self greatly to include ComicFest, WhoFest, RoboFest, and even GameFest. First place I went after arriving was to Gamefest on the upper mezzanine of the hotel. There numerous board games being run, a pen and paper RPG, and the the Denver chapter of the Alliance L.A.R.P. was setup with a sizable area to do demos of their craft. I just happened to arrive in time for one such demo. First up was a quick 30 minute rule run down. This included how to call out your attacks, how armor works and how it can be ignored by spells. It also included how to pause the game to ask questions. I will have a video up soon of it, but it was very detailed and had one main purpose, to keep everyone safe and to have fun. Once the rules were done with and everyone had their characters setup the game started where a large number of adventures begin, in a tavern. They were being given background on what is happening in the city when a NPC fortune teller approached them and started to tell the fighters fortune, and when it did not turn out happy one of the rogues attacked the NPC. This brought over a guard who had to find out what happened and warn them that if they do it again they will be in jail. It showed that nothing is fully scripted. As for the rest of the experience, it was fun to watch. If you want more info you can check out their site, http://www.alliancedenver.com/, which includes the full rule book for free.
Next I ventured to ComicFest. Thankfully it was a nice day as ComicFest actually happens across the street in the Hilton Hotel to save some space in the primary hotel. This also means that if you just want to check out comics and not pay for the full StarFest experience you are more then welcome to. ComicFest included a number of local and visiting comic authors. I walked away with a Mass Effect Library Edition Volume 1 HC signed by John Jackson Miller. A friend of the site and local Artist Nami (@Naminational) was also there selling her art. I also saw two interesting web comics, LeyLines and new comer Life With Superheroes. All in all it was a great side trip from the main convention.
The rest of the convention I spend wondering the halls taking pictures of fellow convention goers. I ventured into RoboFest and snapped some pictures of the robot from Lost in Space (original) and much more. Next year I would like to be able to spend much more time. Take in more of the panels and events that happen at the convention. Maybe watch the Storm Trooper 501st event that happened in the atrium. The point is a lot happened, more so then I was able to catch, but it is worth the visit, and something you should plan for next year.