Reason #24 to attend Mountain-Con:
Klingons and Hobbits and Pirates, Oh My!

If the title feels a little bit like "The Wizard of Oz", there is a reason (pun intended). It's that we have so much going on during our event! But before we get to that, here are a few announcements:

• Extended Deadline: Mountain-Con's latest discounted rate ($40 per adult/$20 per child for the 3-day admission) has been extended until September 12, 2008. Visit http://www.mountaincon.org/NOW to get your discounted tickets. (Prices increase at the door.)
  
• Banquet Price Reduced: We have decided to drop the price of our popular "Banquet With The Stars" from $100 per person to $85 per person. Remember, the Banquet includes a mix & mingle as well as a photo with the stars.
  
• Auditions Class: Richard Herd, who has been a working actor for decades, is offering a 90-minute class on how to audition for jobs. This exciting opportunity to learn from a "name" in the industry is just $25 per person (with paid admission to Mountain-Con). The class will be held Sunday, September 21, 2008 at 11:00 a.m.
  
• Salt Lake Area billboards: Mountain-Con has finally caught up with 21st Century advertising ideas and has purchased time on two electronic billboards this year. Because of the nature of these billboards, you can actually see our ads by going to the Digital Advertising Company's website: http://dacsigns.com/ ... one in downtown Salt Lake City, the other in Sandy. (Just click the appropriate link.)

Now back to the Klingons...and the Hobbits...and the Pirates... and the Vampires... and Wookies... and the Justice League... etc.

Mountain-Con has a wide variety of things to see and do...things that will fit every taste. The schedule includes Question & Answer sessions from all of our guests, panels on everything from writing to film-making to world-building (for gaming and/or for writing) to games, and miniature contests.

Some of the panel titles include "I Need a Hiro" (a discussion of NBC Television's Heroes), "Pirates in Science Fiction" (enjoying pirate-based stories in the science fiction genre), "How to Write Fanfic That Doesn't Suck", "Sci-Fi Jeopardy" (a Jeopardy-like game with science fiction based answers), "What the Filk Is Going On?" (a discussion of filking), and "POTCO and DDO and W-O-W, Oh My!" (a discussion of massively online multi-player role playing games and their appeal).

Additionally there are Photo Ops with the individual stars, special screenings of "Star Trek: Of Gods and Men" and "InAlienable", the Banquet with the Stars, Sarah Douglas's special event "Resident Alien" and Richard Herd's auditions class.

None of the aforementioned titles includes our gaming schedule, our media room or our anime room, each of which is running without a break from open until close. This year our gaming chairs are proud to offer some special gaming tournaments, including a "Magic: The Gathering" tournament and "Living Forgotten Realms". (See our website for scheduling information under "About Mountain-Con" and then the appropriately named tab.)

We'll also have our costume contest/masquerade, dealer's room, a "meet the clubs" section, KidCon (for the under-twelves), and either a dance or karaoke.

If tradition holds out, many of the attending clubs will be throwing "room parties". This will be a time to get to know the individual clubs in and around the area. It is also a time to meet new friends and renew old acquaintances. It is also another reason to reserve a hotel room. (wink, wink)

To recap:

Reason #1 to attend Mountain-Con: "Because it's just that COOL!"

Reason #2 to attend Mountain-Con: Brandon Sanderson

Reason #3 to attend Mountain-Con: KidCon

 

Reason #4 to attend Mountain-Con: "Location, location, location!"

Reason #5 to attend Mountain-Con: Kevin Sorbo*

Reason #6 to attend Mountain-Con: Cool props

Reason #7 to attend Mountain-Con: Club Fahrenheit 451

Reason #8 to attend Mountain-Con: Sarah Douglas

Reason #9 to attend Mountain-Con: Star Trek: Of Gods and Men

Reason #10 to attend Mountain-Con: "We are YOUR people!"

Reason #11 to attend Mountain-Con: Herb Jefferson Jr.

Reason #12 to attend Mountain-Con: Banquet with the Stars

Reason #13 to attend Mountain-Con: Fan Film Festival

Reason #14 to attend Mountain-Con: "Starfleet Academy" classes at the Wasatch Campus

Reason #15 to attend Mountain-Con: Costume Contest & Masquerade

Reason #16 to attend Mountain-Con: Brandon Mull

Reason #17 to attend Mountain-Con: Mark Goddard*

Reason #18 to attend Mountain-Con: Richard Herd

Reason #19 to attend Mountain-Con: Scott Schwartz

Reason #20 to attend Mountain-Con: Victor Brandt

Reason #21 to attend Mountain-Con: SHINY! (New Stuff)

Reason #22 to attend Mountain-Con: David Reddick

Reason #23 to attend Mountain-Con: Penny Johnson Jerald

Reason #24 to attend Mountain-Con:
Klingons and Hobbits and Pirates, Oh My!

* Due to professional commitments, Mr. Kevin Sorbo is no longer able to attend Mountain-Con. Also, Mr. Mark Goddard has a personal conflict with our convention dates. Please stay tuned to our Web site for up-to-date information on replacements.

Reason #21 to attend Mountain-Con:
SHINY! (New Stuff)

Nothing is as permanent as change ... and don't we know it!

Our Web site has gone through a major revamp, and went live this week. We not only have a brand new look, but new forums, "Mountain-Con TV" (courtesy of hulu.com), and a list of up-to-the-minute announcements. Navigating the new site is also a little bit different from getting around on the old one

For example:

• The "News" link takes you to our up-to-date news ... which right now is pretty empty because the site went live just this week.
• Clicking the "Home" tab takes you to the home page ... and changes the photo of the guest featured on the page. This is also where you find "Mountain-Con TV" (provided through hulu.com), announcements of special events (like Richard Herd's auditions class and Sarah Douglas's "Resident Alien"), and so forth.
• "About Mountain-Con" takes you to several different sections. These include general information and a FAQ page as well as a history of Mountain-Con's past guest lineups. This section also has our programming schedule, gaming schedule, KidCon schedule, Media Room and Anime Room schedules (as soon as these get published), information about our Banquet With the Stars, the Mountain-Con Film Festival rules & entry form, and has a place to show off props.
  • Yes, there IS a gaming schedule up right now!
• The "Guests" tab has guest information. Just click on the individual guest's name. A window will pop up with information about that particular Mountain-Con guest.
  • This is also where we will announce changes to our guest lineup. Please keep in mind that all guest appearances are subject to professional commitment and may be canceled or changed at a moment's notice. Mountain-Con is not responsible for any such changes, but will endeavor to substitute another guest if a scheduled guest becomes unavailable.
• "Links" takes you to our friends' Web sites. There are tabs for clubs, other conventions, former guests' pages, online comics sites, and stuff we couldn't fit under other tabs.
  • Note: The "Links" tab is also where you can find information on prices for advertising in our program book.
• The "Forum" tab, of course, takes you to our brand new, redesigned forums. Unfortunately you'll have to sign up again, since this new forum is in a completely different format than the previous forums page. (Guess that means we start the trivia round robin over once again! LOL)
• Finally, the "Contact Us" tab shows the e-mails for all of the positions at Mountain-Con, including who holds the current position. If you have a question about Mountain-Con, THIS is where you go to find out who to ask!

We hope you enjoyed the tutorial and, most of all, that you like our new Web site. To quote the crew of the Firefly-class transport vessel Serenity... Shiny!

One final thing...
Please keep in mind that all guest appearances are subject to professional commitment and may be canceled or changed at a moment's notice. Mountain-Con is not responsible for any such changes, but will endeavor to substitute another guest if a scheduled guest becomes unavailable.

(Reminder: Pre-sale tickets for an adult, 3-day Mountain-Con VI pass are $40. After August 31st, we will discontinue the pre-sale registration and sell tickets at the door for $45. Single-day rates are also available at the door.)

To recap:

Reason #1 to attend Mountain-Con: "Because it's just that COOL!"

Reason #2 to attend Mountain-Con: Brandon Sanderson

Reason #3 to attend Mountain-Con: KidCon

Reason #4 to attend Mountain-Con: "Location, location, location!"

Reason #5 to attend Mountain-Con: Kevin Sorbo*

Reason #6 to attend Mountain-Con: Cool props

Reason #7 to attend Mountain-Con: Club Fahrenheit 451

Reason #8 to attend Mountain-Con: Sarah Douglas

Reason #9 to attend Mountain-Con: Star Trek: Of Gods and Men

Reason #10 to attend Mountain-Con: "We are YOUR people!"

Reason #11 to attend Mountain-Con: Herb Jefferson Jr.

Reason #12 to attend Mountain-Con: Banquet with the Stars

Reason #13 to attend Mountain-Con: Fan Film Festival

Reason #14 to attend Mountain-Con: "Starfleet Academy" classes at the Wasatch Campus

Reason #15 to attend Mountain-Con: Costume Contest & Masquerade

Reason #16 to attend Mountain-Con: Brandon Mull

Reason #17 to attend Mountain-Con: Mark Goddard*

Reason #18 to attend Mountain-Con: Richard Herd

Reason #19 to attend Mountain-Con: Scott Schwartz

Reason #20 to attend Mountain-Con: Victor Brandt

Reason #21 to attend Mountain-Con:
SHINY! (New Stuff)

* Due to professional commitments, Mr. Kevin Sorbo is no longer able to attend Mountain-Con. Also, Mr. Mark Goddard has a personal conflict with our convention dates. Please stay tuned to our Web site for up-to-date information on replacements. As soon as we know ... you'll know!

Mountain-Con's Gaming Chairs are excited to bring you several exciting features at Mountain-Con 4...

RPGA:

Living Forgotten Realms (or LFR for short) is a new regionalized RPGA Living campaign, and the first to utilize the new 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons rules. Players create characters and assign them to a specific region set in the Forgotten Realms. Characters can be played in any LFR adventure that supports their levels of play, anywhere. All non-special LFR adventures will be available for play no matter where you live in the world. As your character plays adventures, it earns experience points, gold, and magic items which stay with you from game to game. There are dozens of unique adventures each year!

For the LFR event at Mountain-Con 4, please sign up by visiting the special Web site: http://www.warhorn.net/MountainCon4. (Please note that the URL is case sensitive.)

The RPGA is the roleplaying arm of organized play at Wizards of the Coast dedicated to providing play opportunities and support for Dungeons & Dragons and other d20 System games. All around the world, on any given weekend, fans of these games play in RPGA-sanctioned events. These events take place at large conventions, midsize gamedays, retail stores, and even private home gatherings.
To participate, you must be an RPGA member. Membership is free, and you don't have to worry about continually renewing - it's good forever. Just show up at an event, fill out a membership card, and start playing.

Camarilla:

The Camarilla is an international roleplaying organization and fan club dedicated to the enjoyment of White Wolf's World of Darkness®. It supports global chronicles set in the World of Darkness - in both live-action (using the Mind's Eye Theatre™ system) and tabletop roleplaying (using the Storytelling System™). The Camarilla is one of the world's largest roleplaying groups, with thousands of members across six continents. Members create characters using White Wolf's game books and play those characters in games organized by their local chapters. Many members also travel to games and events hosted by the hundreds of other domains and chapters, use some of the numerous "in character" e-mail lists and attend larger regional, national and international events. All the while, members get to develop their characters and get to know thousands of other World of Darkness fans. The Domain of Salt Lake Live Action group will be offering 3 Games - Mage the Awakening, Changeling the Lost, and Vampire the Requiem.

Judges and Gamemasters Needed:

We are looking for Judges for Magic: the Gathering and GMs for Battletek games.

Tired of your favorite game not being represented at conventions, or do you run a not standard game? We are looking for you. Contact Gaming@mountaincon.org to get details on running a game session.

Reason #15 to attend Mountain-Con:
Costume Contest and Masquerade

You never know who you will meet at Mountain-Con. We've been visited by the Ghost Rider, Green Lantern, the Borg, Professors Snape and McGonigal, several Stormtroopers, Starfleet officers, and Hogwarts students, Captain Jack Sparrow and the entire family of The Incredibles.

As per usual, Mountain-Con will hold a costume contest and masquerade. All participants win some sort of prize/recognition. Last year, we had our guests judge the contest, and they decided that one of our contestants deserved the "Bravest in Utah" award for his "Dr. Frank N. Furter" costume. (If you don't know who that is...you're probably too young to find out.) Other awards included "Best Choreographed", and "Best Child's Costume". Everyone involved had a great time. (Thanks to the folks at CONduit for helping us run the masquerade this year.)

So, get those creative juices flowing and get your costume together this September 19th through 21st. Who knows...maybe YOU'LL get the "Bravest in Utah" award this time.

(Reminder: Pre-sale tickets for an adult, 3-day Mountain-Con VI pass are $40. After August 31st, we will discontinue the pre-sale registration and sell tickets at the door for $45.)

To recap:

Reason #1 to attend Mountain-Con: "Because it's just that COOL!"

Reason #2 to attend Mountain-Con: Brandon Sanderson

Reason #3 to attend Mountain-Con: KidCon

Reason #4 to attend Mountain-Con: "Location, location, location!"

Reason #5 to attend Mountain-Con: Kevin Sorbo

Reason #6 to attend Mountain-Con: Cool props

Reason #7 to attend Mountain-Con: Club Fahrenheit 451

Reason #8 to attend Mountain-Con: Sarah Douglas

Reason #9 to attend Mountain-Con: Star Trek: Of Gods and Men

Reason #10 to attend Mountain-Con: "We are YOUR people!"

Reason #11 to attend Mountain-Con: Herb Jefferson Jr.

Reason #12 to attend Mountain-Con: Banquet with the Stars

Reason #13 to attend Mountain-Con: Fan Film Festival

Reason #14 to attend Mountain-Con: "Starfleet Academy" classes at the Wasatch Campus

Reason #15 to attend Mountain-Con:
Costume Contest and Masquerade

I started this as a way to list different conventions. Reply to this post with your convention name, location, dates, etc.

Greetings fellow fans!

With 25 or so weeks left until Mountain-Con 4 begins (on September 19, 2008), we decided to come up with a list of reasons to attend the convention. These reasons will go on a poster and/or t-shirt available for purchase at the convention.

I will be sending out one reason per week. If you know of a reason to attend Mountain-Con and would like to see it on this list, please e-mail it to: publicity@mountaincon.org.

In the meantime...

Reason #1 to attend Mountain-Con:
"Because it's just that COOL!"