Dress up, dress down, come as you are, but attend the third annual Northern Players Convention Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Knox United Church.
Anyone who is interested in tabletop play, live action role play, board games, and even a Warhammer tournament, can be part of the fantastical fun.
"Think of the games as interactive stories," said Matthew Amsel, an organizer of the convention. "There's one player who we call dungeon master, game master, Nick, Dude, Hey you, you stole my character and he plays the part of the narrator, sets the scene, controls the minor characters and the environment. Each of the other players is one of the protagonists in what unfolds as an ensemble story."
There is a whole set of rules to adjudicate the game and during the convention a game will typically last three to three and a half hours.
Amsel, along with another Northern Players member, Captain Nick Pelletier, have been involved in a Pathfinder game, a modernized version of Dungeons and Dragons, for almost two years.
Gaming is like Monday night football, or the weekly bowling league, Amsel said.
"It's a great excuse to get together with a bunch of friends, have some laughs, throw some dice, and if it's a long-running game you can really get into the story, you set up a character that you've built and control and, like anything ongoing, you can get emotionally invested in it," said Amsel.
It won't be as complicated at the convention.
"So the games set up during the convention are short scenarios, like Storm the Castle, or Find the Treasure," said Pelletier.
During the tournament, there could be up to eight people playing at the same time in two teams of four.
"The games will be easy to pick up, with very little rules," said Amsel, assuming at least some of the players are newbies.
"The people running the games at the con tend to put the rules secondary and the fun primary," said Pelletier.
During the event, there's a costume contest, silent auction and on-site concession.
Entry at the door is $10 per day or $15 per weekend. Pre-registration available at $10 for the weekend at www.npc-con.ca. Pre-registration until tonight, or pay at the door during the convention.
For more information visit the Facebook group, Northern Players Connection, or visit www.npc-con.ca.
