Tom Lynch (used with permission)
As part of my continuing coverage of I-CON I am interviewing the gaming guests. The Miskatonic River Press (MRP) gang will all be there and graciously took some time to speak with me. I'm a big fan of MRP, having purchased Our Ladies of Sorrow. In this installment I interview Tom Lynch, President & Managing Editor.
MT: Please tell us a little about yourself. What is your gaming specialty and what will you be speaking about at I-CON?
TL: Hi, I’m a Call of Cthulhu geek. I was introduced to Call of Cthulhu back in 1990, and am still hooked. I hadn’t played or run anything in years when the late Keith “Doc” Herber put up his hand, founding his own company. I pestered him with enough offers to help that me made me a partner. Since his passing last March, I took on leadership waaay before I was ready or willing, but didn’t want Doc’s dream to die with him. Therefore, MRP lives on. We’re presenting two panels as well as attending others. Our two are “It’s a Small World After All” where we’ll discuss the pros and cons of running a small company with resources spread over four continents and “So You Wanna Write Horror” where we’ll discuss what we’ve learned about writing a good scary story and and getting it accepted by even the most challenging editors.
MT: Have you been to I-CON before?
TL: This is only my second I-CON, but my business partner, Oscar Rios is a long-time I-CON attendee and CoC Keeper.
MT: Are you unveiling anything new/special at I-CON this year?
TL: This year at I-CON, in addition to our panels, we’ll be running two Call of Cthulhu scenarios from our upcoming book More Adventures in Arkham Country. I’ll be running my scenario from the book, and special guest and friend to MRP, Scott David Aniolowski, author of several game books, short stories, and scenarios will be there to run his scenario. Join us for a game!
MT: What audience will find your work most appealing?
TL: We’ll probably be hearing most from the gaming fans. If any horror fans show up, they too will be welcomed with open arms. We also happily extend tentacles to any and all Cthulhu fans who stop by for our panels or games.
MT: Is there any event at the con that you are particularly interested in seeing yourself?
TL: Last year I missed the State of the Industry panel due to scheduling problems (I had a game to run at that time), but plan to make it this year. I’m really looking forward to hearing what others have to say.
MT: Where can we find you at I-CON? What's your schedule?
TL: Well, let’s see…
- Friday 9 PM – 1 AM: Engine Trouble, a Classic Era CoC scenario. This is one from our upcoming book More Adventures in Arkham Country, and I’ll be running that as a special event Friday evening.
- Saturday 10 AM – 11 AM: State of the Industry panel
- Saturday 2 PM – 3 PM: “It’s a Small World After All” MRP panel
- Saturday 3 PM – 4 PM: “So You Wanna Write Horror” MRP panel
- Saturday 9 PM – 10 PM: “So you want to be a game designer?” panel
- Sunday 10 AM – 2 PM: Wasted Youth, a Classic Era CoC scenario by Christopher Smith Adair from New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley.
We’ll also be at the Awards Banquet, because I’ve learned that we’re receiving the Robin D. Laws Award for Excellence in Gaming. Wow, is all I can really say to that…we’re very honored.
MT: What other conventions will you be attending?
TL: In 2010, I’m planning to be at DexCon in July, and UberCon in October/November. In January 2011, I’ll be attending the first ever MythosCon, a Convention dedicated to all things Lovecraft and Lovecraftian. I urge any interested in this genre to try to attend, given how many authors, publishers, artists, and eldritch luminaries will be attending. The rest remains to be seen!
Comments