By Maxine Baughman: Pax Unplugged Exhibitor extraordinaire!
Okay, okay! In the interest of full disclosure, this part is me! I am posting this for the beautiful Maxine! I promise though, the words and the experiences described in the body of the blog are her own. Read on, nerdlings!
I arrived Thursday unsure what to expect. Even though I had been to PAX Unplugged last year, each Con is different. I arrived that afternoon and was able to easily check into the Air B&B. Taking a moment to breath before rushing off to the Convention Center to pick up my badge for the next day. Memories flooded from the previous year and my anxiety spiked knowing that this go round I’d be working with not one, but TWO companies!
I made it to the Norse Foundry booth and everyone there was so supportive. Calmed me right down. They let me know that they would work with my learning disabilities and walk me through the POS until I was comfortable to do it on my own. Going before and meeting the crew for more than just a few minutes here and there during the other cons, also helped. Next I went to the 2nd company I was working for, Monocle Society. I had never gotten to play a full game and it was my part to demo the longer games. I got to meet some of my co-workers and they helped me get familiar with the module we were going through for the weekend. Going over my questions and concerns before hand made everything more comfortable and built up my confidence for the weekend ahead.
This left me with one more thing to do, The Thread Raiders meetup! If you haven’t met these folks, you should! The Thread Raiders are a group dedicated to raising money for various charities and bringing hope to the world. We met at a bar a few blocks from the con where we enjoyed each other’s company with some games, chatting and LOTS of hugs, and at the end of the night we raised a glass to a fun and safe PAX.
PAX Unplugged 2019 was a whirlwind of working hard, meeting new people, meetups with old friends, and networking…lots and LOTS of networking. Starting my days off at the Norse Foundry Booth, then ending the expo hall time with Monocle Society, followed by a different meetup every night, resulted in a great night’s sleep! I FINALLY got to meet up with some of the WelcomePartyRPG players and GMs that I’ve been talking with for the past year as well as my Tuesday night Rifts (8-11pm EST) crew coming to fill my Weave demo table!
@WelcomePartyRpg’s Tuesday night cast of Rifts which includes me, there to play the game of Weave! I enjoyed being the GM and being able to actually set down at a table with the cast after a year of streaming together! (All but one could come) They are:@Evanjennings64, @Fox_Barrett, @Michelleealey, @ThrockPlays, @BisonicKevin, @Maxine_Baughman (me. Lol)
Here I am standing in the weave booth holding the new GM screen filled with augmented reality ability for the new upgrade!
Later that night, the WelcomePartyRPG group had a meet up and played games together. @CraftyPsych @Fox_Barrett @Michelleealey @ThrockPlays @BisonicKevin @Nerdy_Teddi, @WildeEngineer, @RYOMASA
I was able to join the Con Prom Friday Evening and hang out with the Restoration crew as they where who I had worked with prior.
Outside of the convention center, Philly is a hub of diversity and I highly recommend exploring if you get a chance. I took some time to meet with smaller groups for dinners through the weekend, trying out new foods and venues. 1st night I tried a cool Italian place! All Decked out for Christmas! After that, I met up with some friends who also arrived early and after the Thread Raider Meetup, we stopped by a pop up Christmas bar! It was a tiny little nook, but stood out with all the lights and decorations!
The next night was a Vietnamese restaurant. It was a cold night so their soup was PERFECT! The portions were HUGE so I took the rest home and had it for dinner the next evening. (As I was super tired from the day. It was good to go home and have a yummy dinner waiting.) the last night I got to try a real Raman Restaurant! It was DELICIOUS and Definitely Not made from a packet. And with a drink called “Godzilla“… who could go wrong!
I could go on and on about all the wonderful people I’ve met and adventures to be had, but at the end of the day, no matter how overwhelmed or nervous you may be, the con life brings memories that will last a life time and the friends you meet/make… last even longer.
So, there you have it nerdlings! Our beautiful Max had thoroughly enjoyable, yet exhausting time at PAX Unplugged! Maxine is one of the artists whose work is featured on Nerdychicken.ca an we are so proud to have her with us. Currently, her labour of love is Owlbear dice bags, so please go to the shop and check out her amazing work. These little dice bags are so adorable and sweet. If you have any questions about them or anything else on the site, don’t hesitate to ask. If there is something you are looking for that you don’t see, maybe we can arrange to get it for you or point you in a direction to get you to what you want. Cheers!!!!