Courtney Mason

About Courtney Mason

Posts by Courtney Mason:

August 31 2024

Gary Con XVII – August Newsletter

Get Your Badge Today

Gary Con XVII will happen on March 20-23, 2025. Badge sales opened in July, so if you don’t have a badge yet, now is an excellent time to get one! Visit us on TTE to purchase your badge today. We have less than 625 Silver badges available, so make sure you don’t miss out in case we sell out again this year!

Get your badge!

Event Submissions & GM Info

Attendees can submit events for Gary Con XVII! You must have purchased a badge to submit events through TTE. The more events that are submitted, the more badges we may be able to release for sale–so keep the events coming!!

Also, remember to check out our GM page to read about some of the perks you might be able to get for running events. GM Rewards are sponsored by The Roberts Family again this year!

If you’re not sure where to start you can review our Event Submission and Policies pages. Then visit TTE to submit an event! TTE will remain open for event submissions until our Events Team thinks we’re at capacity for games with the hours and table space available to us.

Submit an event!

Hoteling Info

Hotel blocks and bookings are scheduled to open on Monday, September 9, 2024 at 10:00am Central Time. Please be aware of the date/time/time zone to plan appropriately. Please note that the convention venue, The Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, will likely fill up immediately.

We are still finalizing details with our partner hotels, but you may want to bookmark our Hotels page. Once we have finalized the details, this page should list the reservation methods and codes you may need to get group rates when booking your lodging for Gary Con in March.

Browse partner hotels!

Thank you, Exhibitor Candidates!

We are no longer accepting exhibitor applications for Gary Con XVII in 2025. We are grateful to all who applied and hope you’ll do so again next year–we pick at least a few new vendors each year, so there’s always a chance your application may be selected. You can’t win if you don’t try!

The finalized list of our list of Gary Con XVII Exhibitors should be available soon!

Lost Works of Gygax Book Bundle!

Prepare for endless adventure with the Lost Works of Gygax–compatible with a myriad of systems! This TTRPG explorer’s kit on Humble Bundle contains rulebooks, sourcebooks, and campaign resources for Marmoreal Tomb, Gary Gygax’s Necropolis, and more!!

“Pay less to get fewer items, or pay extra to give more to publishers, Humble, and charity.” – humblebundle.com

Get everything you need to embark on epic journeys with your friends and help support the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society with your purchase. Check it out now at Humble Bundle!

Lost Works of Gygax Book Bundle!

Wrath of the Sea Lich for Shadowdark!

Gaxx Worx, LLC, founded by Ennie award-winning creator Luke Gygax and co-author Matt Everhart, is thrilled to announce the upcoming launch of the epic reimagining of this RPG adventure on Kickstarter.

Wrath of the Sea Lich is a meticulously reimagined version of the original Oculus of Senrahbah series. This project will tailor the adventure for the critically acclaimed Shadowdark RPG system and feature rebalanced encounters, a refined “old school” aesthetic, and an immersive storyline plunging players into the depths of an incredible setting.

The adventure invites players to embark on a heroic quest to recover the Eye of Chentoufi, an ancient artifact coveted by the powerful Ydrissid lich, Ireshkigal. The stakes are high as the fate of the city of Chentoufi hangs in the balance, so prepare to uncover ancient secrets, face formidable adversaries, and make choices that will determine the destiny of an entire civilization.

Keep an eye out for the launch of Wrath of the Sea Lich on Kickstarter this fall and be among the first to dive into this thrilling adventure! Go to the BackerKit page to sign-up for updates and be notified when this project goes live!

Get ready for Wrath of the Sea Lich!

July 27 2024

GCXVII – Badge Reminder & More!

Courtney Mason News + Reminders

Greetings, adventurers! We have a bunch of announcements before badge sales and event submissions go live this weekend.

This email may contain: details about badges, an epic adventure-quest alert, GMing for goodness info, finding your name to reveal your true identity, seizing the loot, locating Luke, and how to seek the Sea Lich. Read on and adventure heartily!!

Do you want to buy a badge?

Badge sales open on Saturday, July 27, 2024 at 12:00pm (NOON) Central Time. Be aware of the date, time, and time zone to plan accordingly.

One hour prior, at 11am Central Time, badge sales will be SUSPENDED while we get everything setup. During that time, using the “Buy badges here!” button below, you’ll be able to see the available badges on TTE: Platinum Non-Renewable, Gold, Silver, Youth, Spectator, and a special “Hero of the Realm” badge (scroll down for more info).

IMPORTANT BADGE SALES REMINDERS:

Buying badges is a 2-step process. If you don’t check out after adding a badge to your cart, you will LOSE it after about two (2) hours–it will then return to the pool of available badges.
If you have an issue with badge purchasing on TTE, let us know via the following outlets: (1) Discord help desk or (2) e-mail us at [email protected]. We’re online at the helpdesk during badge release.
You may think you have added a badge to your cart, but if it isn’t there when you look in your cart, you didn’t get it. Error messages that briefly appear are easy to miss.
REMEMBER Badges are a 2-step process. If you don’t check out after adding it to your cart, you will LOSE it after about two (2) hours. We mention this again because it’s important. Every year people ask why they did not get the badge they had in their cart and every year it’s the same reasons: (1) They never went to the cart to finish checking out, or (2) The badge errored out and didn’t add it to their cart in the first place. This is particularly common for Gold Badges, and we don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, so double-check your cart.

Buy badges here!

Do you wanna be a hero?

Join an assortment of adventurers in traveling through the editions of D&D in our Founders & Legends Tournament—Incarnate: Descent!

Returning Heroes, and newly minted ones, may purchase a “Hero of the Realm” badge on the Gary Con XVII TTE site. Your Hero badge includes access to the exclusive Founders & Legends Tournament consisting of four (4) sessions of up to 4-hours in duration with the winners playing in the fifth epilogue session, meal vouchers for breakfast and lunch Monday and Tuesday, social mixers Sunday and Monday night, select merchandise, and premier access link to the Grand Geneva hotel from March 16-24, 2025–so you can book your room for the entirety of the tournament and Gary Con.

Learn about F&L Incarnate!

Do you want to run a game?

GMs are the backbone of our convention. Event submissions open at the same time as badge sales, so have a look at the GM rewards and get hyped to run some games at Gary Con.

Submit events here!

Did you update your name?

Last year, TTE changed how your name is displayed. If you’re a GM, you might want to think about how you want to appear in TTE, which may make it easier for players to find your events.

Click here for an overview of where you set your name(s) on the TTE site.

Update your TTE name!

Do you like our wares?

You can pre-order the Official Gary Con XVII shirt, metal dice, stadium cup, and event guide or buy them all in a single cost-saving bundle!

Chet Minton’s beautiful artwork will be featured on the shirt and event guide, the new-and-improved stadium cup (gets you free beer/soda during happy hour and provides discounts on beer/soda at the drink stations), and the beautiful Gary Con XVII metal dice set by Norse Foundry.

The above image is concept art and is subject to change.

Please Note: You must buy your badge before you can purchase merch. Pre-ordered merch must be picked up at GCXVII.

Pre-order your merch on TTE!

Where in the world is Luke Gygax?

Keep your eyes open for Luke Gygax at the following upcoming events:

San Diego Comic Con – July 26-27 @ San Diego, CA
- You can find Luke at the “Celebrating 50 Years of D&D” panel on Saturday at 10am.
Gen Con – Aug. 1-4 @ Indianapolis, IN
- Luke will be attending as a Guest of Honor. You can find him running games, streaming D&D, and at seminars and meetings.
Dragon Con – Aug. 29-Sept. 2 @ Atlanta, GA
- Luke will be attending as a Guest of Honor. You can find him running games and signing products.
Gamehole Con – Oct.17-20 @ Madison, WI
- Luke will be attending as a Guest. You can find him running the Founders & Legends Tournament – Incarnate: Ragnarök, as well as at seminars, and gaming tables.
Lucca Comics and Games – Oct. 31-Nov. 3 @ Lucca, Italy.
- Luke will be attending as a Guest of Honor.

Wrath of the Sea Lich Kickstarter!!?!

The Wrath of the Sea Lich, a reimagining of the hit series Oculus of Senrahbah, is a gritty adventure being reworked for the Shadowdark RPG. The prelaunch page is up so you can read about it and sign up to be notified when it goes live!

Use the link below to sign-up for project news and updates!

Check out the Wrath of the Sea Lich!

July 17 2024

Gary Con XVII – July Newsletter

Courtney Mason Newsletter

Badge Sales Opening Soon!

Less than 12 days until badge sales go live!

Badge sales open on Saturday, July 27, 2024 at 12:00pm (NOON) Central Time. Please make sure you are aware of the date/time/time zone to plan accordingly.

Get ready to buy your badge here!

Event Submissions + GM Info

As soon as badges are available for purchase, GMs will be able to submit events! That time again is Saturday, July 27, 2024 at 12:00pm (NOON) Central Time.

There are some perks you might be able to earn by submitting events early. Check out our GM page to read about them–but be aware it’s really competitive for the “early bird” rewards, so you’ll have to be able to submit your events pretty quickly!

GM Rewards Page

If you want to be ready to get those events in as fast as possible, you can review the event submission process on our Event Submission page! You can learn more about the different fields you’ll need to fill in by clicking on them to read more about the field details.

Get ready to submit events here!

You can also prepare by reviewing the GM Policies on our Policies page.

Our GM Rewards are once again kindly sponsored by The Roberts Family!

Exhibitors Need Apply

We are beginning to select Gary Con XVII exhibitors and our goal is to finalize this process by the end of August.

Booth assignments start being offered mid-July, so if you’re hoping to be an Exhibitor in 2025, complete your application ASAP. Login on our TTE page, then click “Apply to Exhibit” found under the “Exhibit” dropdown menu.

If you have any questions about being an exhibitor, please contact us at [email protected].

Apply to be an Exhibitor here!

Hotel Info Incoming

Hotel blocks and bookings are set to open on Monday, September 9, 2024 at 10:00am Central Time. Remember to be aware of the date/time/time zone to plan appropriately.

We will be getting our hotel page ready soon, but for now it’s pretty barren. On this page we’ll list some important info about our partner hotels that may help you better plan your trip to Gary Con–but that comes after the details are finalized. Remember to watch our newsletters and social media for updates!

Gary Con Partner Hotels Page

The Ultimate Modern Weapons Guide

From our friends at Evil Genius Games, get ready to arm your game with the ultimate modern-day arsenal. The Armory contains over 700 firearms, explosives and melee weapons making it the most comprehensive supplement in the market today. Enjoy weapons from every era from the gunpowder age to the near future.

This 250 + page book includes:

Pistols, Rifles, SMGs, Shotguns, and tons of ammunition options!
Grenades, Heavy Machine Guns, and Rockets
Bladed and bludgeoning weapons galore
Shield, body armor, and other combat equipment

The book also contains options for modding and making your own equipment.

Preorder The Armory today!

July 1 2024

Gary Con XVII – June Newsletter

Courtney Mason Newsletter

The June Newsletter is finally here (it’s still June somewhere)! Why the delays? Lots of exciting updates, including a new website!

Gary Con XVII officially announced!

Gary Con XVII will take place Thursday through Sunday, March 20-23, 2025. For more detailed information, please check out our Tabletop.Events page.

https://play.garycon.com

New Website!

Same old URL, new look! https://garycon.com There’s still some things under construction, but check it out!

Gary Con Website

Badge Reminders

Badges for Gary Con XVII will go for sale at noon Central Time on July 27, 2024–that’s less than a month away!! Please visit our Badge Registration page if you need to know how to purchase a badge.

Renewable Badge Holders: You should have been contacted regarding your badge renewal. Please follow the guidelines sent via email. Check your spam folders and email settings if you did not receive an email.

GMs/Volunteer Badge Earners: If you hosted games or volunteered enough to earn compensation from your work at Gary Con XVI in March of 2024, please check your email for your renewal code. Your code must be entered in at the time of badge purchase BEFORE checking out. Check your spam folders and email settings if you did not receive an email.

https://play.garycon.com

A Game Master is YOU!

Game Masters bring depth and adventure to our convention every year, so please consider joining the ranks of our fantastic Gary Con GMs. We even have perks to incentivize you–visit our GM Reward page to see a detailed list of GM benefits!

GMs will need to submit events through TTE. If it is your first year submitting events or you could use a refresher on the process, please visit our Event Submission. Event submission begins at the same time badges go on sale, July 27, 2024 at noon central.

GM Rewards

Policy Changes

There have been some minor additions to our policies including the use/prohibition of sound amplifying devices and appropriate personal behavior and presentation in line with an “all ages” environment.

Please visit our Policies page to view Gary Con’s terms, policies, and waivers.

Gary Con Policies

Exhibitor Portal is open!

The process of selecting Gary Con XVII exhibitors has begun. The first step for anyone wishing to sell at Gary Con is to submit an application in our TTE System. Start by logging in with your TTE Account at https://play.garycon.com. Once you’re logged in, click “Apply to Exhibit” found under the “Exhibit” dropdown menu. If you’re hoping to be an Exhibitor at Gary Con XVII in 2025, it would be prudent to complete your application ASAP.

In mid-July we will start offering booth assignments to upper-tier sponsors for this year and long-term supporters of the convention. Then, we look at available space and start selecting additional exhibitors to fill the remaining booths from application submissions. Our selection process will consider a number of criteria–including product assortment/variety from current booths and exhibitors, as well as past convention support (sponsorships, running events, etc.). Our goal is to complete this process by the end of August.

Booths are in very high demand for Gary Con, so it’s a competitive process. You may not be selected, but keep in mind:

We reserve about 7-8 booths each year for companies that have never been to Gary Con. Therefore, historical support and/or past presence at the convention is not a prerequisite for being selected.
When filling out your application, include the types of products you will offer in the “COMMENTS” field (seen only by you and Convention Staff) to assist our evaluation.

We look forward to having you join us at Gary Con XVII in 2025!

Apply to Exhibit

June 18 2024

Gary Con XVII – May Newsletter

Courtney Mason Newsletter

Looking forward to Gary Con XVII in 2025, we have info about badges, virtual gaming, and upcoming events. Read on for more details!

Gary Con XVII Badge Info

Badges will go on sale for Gary Con XVII at noon on Saturday, July 27, 2024. That’s only about two months away! Set a reminder on your calendar now so you will be ready when it’s time to reserve your badge.

RENEWABLE (DIAMOND & PLATINUM) BADGE HOLDERS

Renewal notices for these special badges should be sent out in June prior regularly scheduled badge sales in July. Please be aware and watch your email to take advantage of renewing your badge before the cut-off dates.

GARY CON XVI GAME MASTERS (GMs)

The first 50 GMs who earned the 18-hour reward from GC XVI should have received a notification via email. Additionally, any GM who ran enough games to qualify for a free Gary Con XVII badge should have received a notification via email. Be sure to check your spam folders if you think you qualified for these GM perks/rewards.

Virtual Gary Con

The decision was made to put Gary Con’s virtual gaming on hiatus so we can focus the efforts of our staff and volunteers entirely to onsite gaming for 2025. We apologize to our virtual attendees for any inconvenience. If you have earned a virtual badge credit from Gary Con XVI, it can be used to purchase a physical badge for Gary Con XVII once they are on sale.

Summer Planning

Our staff and volunteers are already working hard to set up Gary Con XVII. If you notice anything is inaccurate, inconsistent, or missing from our pages, please reach out to us at [email protected].

Gary Con Dates will be announced in the June Newsletter as well as on our socials.

Upcoming Events

Where can you find Melf this summer? Luke Gygax is running games at:

UK Games Expo (May 31-June 02 @ Marston Green, England)

Origins Game Fair (June 19-23 @ Columbus, OH).

Keep your eyes open for Gary Con staff at various conventions throughout the summer, too! Some familiar faces are planning to attend Des Moines Con (May 31-June 2 @ Des Moines, IA), North Texas RPG Convention (June 6-9 @ Irving, TX), and Crit Hit! (July 6-7 @ Mesa, AZ)

Gary Con does not have direct association with any of the conventions shared in “Upcoming Events.” We are simply sharing conventions some of our dedicated staff are planning to attend in the near future.

GC XVI Merch Alert

If you don’t have notifications turned on for our social media pages, you may have missed that we have added some merch from Founders & Legends Con and Gary Con XVI to our website! This is a great opportunity to snag that shirt you might have missed out on in March, so go ahead and treat yourself! Browse our Gary Con Shop, or go straight to the new merch by clicking the images below

Courtney Mason

About Courtney Mason

Posts by Courtney Mason:

Gary Con XVII – August Newsletter

Get Your Badge Today

Event Submissions & GM Info

Hoteling Info

Thank you, Exhibitor Candidates!

Lost Works of Gygax Book Bundle!

Wrath of the Sea Lich for Shadowdark!

GCXVII – Badge Reminder & More!

Do you want to buy a badge?

Do you wanna be a hero?

Do you want to run a game?

Did you update your name?

Do you like our wares?

Where in the world is Luke Gygax?

Wrath of the Sea Lich Kickstarter!!?!

Gary Con XVII – July Newsletter

Badge Sales Opening Soon!

Event Submissions + GM Info

Exhibitors Need Apply

Hotel Info Incoming

The Ultimate Modern Weapons Guide

Gary Con XVII – June Newsletter

Gary Con XVII officially announced!

New Website!

Badge Reminders

A Game Master is YOU!

Policy Changes

Exhibitor Portal is open!

Gary Con XVII – May Newsletter

Gary Con XVII Badge Info

RENEWABLE (DIAMOND & PLATINUM) BADGE HOLDERS

GARY CON XVI GAME MASTERS (GMs)

Virtual Gary Con

Summer Planning

Upcoming Events

GC XVI Merch Alert

F&LC Baseball T

GC XVI T-Shirt

F&LC T-Shirt