Dorkland! Roundtable Launches With Jason Durall and Fred Hicks

One of the great things about the internet is that it lets you do things (because of distance, resources, or whatever) that you wouldn't normally get to do. It also is great for allowing table top role-players of all stripes and predilections come together and cross-pollinate their ideas. In ways that even the forums of the 1990s and early 2000s were not capable of doing, entire communities are being built  around "Social Media" sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and entire new communities, like the Old School Renaissance, are growing up around blogs and their comment areas. Gamers are getting an unprecedented level of interaction with their favorite publishers, creators and designers because of the internet.

One of my favorite parts of gaming conventions are the panels. With panels, designers, creators and publishers get to share ideas on a topic and interact with fans, and other peers, who happen to be in the audience. It is a great way for people to learn more about their favorite creators, and to find out about their upcoming plans. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to go to conventions and take part in this. That's OK, because this where the internet gets to come in to the rescue.

One of the great tools of Google Plus is their "hangout," basically a multiperson audio/video chat that lets anyone with a Google Account and a web browser take part in things. No need for installing or running software. I have been using a Google Plus hangout for about a month now to run a Swords & Wizardry Whitebox game for a group of people around the country (and in Canada). It is a great tool and it can be easily utilized to create a "virtual game convention panel" that people can attend without having to travel, or even leave their homes. So, basically what I am going to do (under the auspices of this blog) is to host a bi-weekly moderated chat/panel discussion with a different table-top gaming designer, publisher or creator. These "Dorkland! Roundtables" will be beamed into your homes via the internet.

Our first Dorkland! Roundtable will be with Jason Durall, designer/editor of the current edition of Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying game. Jason will also, tentatively, be joined by Ben Monroe, a long time Chaosium freelancer who worked on the upcoming fantasy game from Chaosium: Magic World. This roundtable will be Monday, April 30th at 10pm EST/7pm PST. We will talk about BRP, game designing and influences and inspirations.

Our second Dorkland! Roundtable will feature Fred Hicks of Evil Hat Productions (and hopefully another Evil Hatter or two) to talk about their games, Kickstarter, and whatever else comes to mind...or you ask about. This roundtable will be on May 14th at 9pm EST/6pm PST.

Participating in these live discussions will require a Google account, and having access to Google Plus through a browser. You will also want to circle the Page for this blog, as well as my personal page to be able to take part, and be able to follow and find out about future developments on this new way of connecting to other gamers out there. Hopefully soon I will be announcing further roundtables with other gaming individuals.