SMOF News, volume 2, issue 50
Persons sought in Gen Con theft, how cons can support SAG-AFTRA, and news in brief.
Game Designers Sought in Connection With Gen Con Theft
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department continues to pursue the people who stole a pallet of Magic: the Gathering cards during Gen Con setup. The latest update says:
Police would like to speak with: Thomas J Dunbar (aka TJ Dunbar) and Andrew Pearson Giaume (aka Pearson Giaume). Both are residents of New York City.
Please call Crime Stoppers at 317-262-8477.
Case Number IP230075163.
A sharp-eyed Redditor was the first to notice (found via Dork Tower) that TJ Dunbar and Pearson Giaume were the designers of the tabletop game Castle Assault. The IMPD post has also added new photos, one of which shows that one of the people wheeling the stolen cards away is wearing a Castle Assault T-shirt.
Castle Assault and an expansion were published by MomentumVolsk, whose website lately appears to have been converted over to gaming news.
SAG-AFTRA Looks To Conventions For Support
In her role as a vice-president of the Screen Actors’ Guild, Michelle Hurd has told TheWrap that if anything, the strike has made the experience for actors at fan conventions better:
But that relationship hasn’t just been maintained, Hurd said, it’s arguably improved — and she hasn’t been the only one who’s noticed.
“I have to say, I have had some of the most interesting panels because of that, because the fans have been asking us different kinds of questions,” Hurd explained. “I was talking to Sonequa [Martin-Green] about this, and Anthony Rapp last weekend, and we feel like it’s more personable, we get more intimate.”
TheWrap spoke with additional actors who say that convention-going fans have been very understanding about the whole situation.
Building on that, SAG-AFTRA’s FAQ regarding member appearances at conventions has a section at the bottom for convention organizers, with posters a con can display to show its support, a sample impact statement for cons with actor guests, and a handy cheat sheet cons can give guests to remind them of what they can and can’t do.
In Brief
The Goldman Fund, established to help Palestinian creators and fans attend the World Science Fiction Convention, is taking applications for assistance attending next year’s Worldcon. Applications can be submitted through November 5.
The Washington Science Fiction Association has announced the finalists for the fan-voted WSFA Small Press Award. Winners will be announced at Capclave (Rockville, Maryland, September 29-October 1).
The Uncanny Experience (Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 16-17) has added Daniel Cudmore as a guest.
FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, September 21-23) has added Ralph Macchio and Shameik Moore as guests.
Cincinnati Comic Expo (Cincinnati, Ohio, September 22-24) has added Paul Bettany, Stephen Amell, David Krumholtz, Bernard Hill, Andy Belanger, Sarah Madura, and Trevor Mueller as guests.
Kawacon (San Antonio, Texas, March 2-3) has added Cristina Vee as a special guest.
Event Calendar
Weekend of August 18-20
Epic Nerd Camp, Darlington, Maryland, USA
DenFur (anthropomorphic), Denver, Colorado, USA
Dragonflight Gamecon 43, Bellevue, Washington, USA
Game & Party Con, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Coulee Con 2023 (gaming), La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA
Lone Star Game Expo, Grapevine, Texas, USA
Field of Games, Silverstone, UK
Draconicon (gaming), Tel Aviv, Israel
HistoriKC Fest (miniatures gaming), Overland Park, Kansas, USA
Nashcon 2023 (miniatures gaming), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
SDHist Con East (historical games), Newport, Rhode Island, USA
Superstar Anime, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
Conjutsu (anime), Fairfax, Virginia, USA
AmeCon (anime), Coventry, UK
Anime Revolution, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Colossalcon Texas (anime), Round Rock, Texas, USA
Shikkaricon (anime), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Anime Town Louisiana 2023, Gonzales, Louisiana, USA
Soda City Comic Con, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
Kelowna ComiCon, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Hub City Comic Con, Lubbock, Texas, USA
Creation Charlotte (media), Concord, North Carolina, USA
Stars of Time (media), Weston-super-Mare, UK
4th Biennial H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Long Island’s Doctor Who Convention, Holtsville, New York, USA
Weekend of August 25-27
Bubonicon 54: Across the Multiverse, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Dni Fantastyki, Wrocław, Poland
Camp Feral!: Business Casual (anthropomorphic), Algonquin Park, Ontario
Furrydelphia (anthropomorphic), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
IndyFurCon 2023: Mission: Impawssible (anthropomorphic), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Weekend at the Asylum (steampunk), Lincoln, UK
Northeast Ohio Steampunk Festival, Burton, Ohio, USA
FallCon 36: Dice, People & Meeples (gaming), Calgary, Alberta, Canada
LincCon the 13th (gaming), Merrill, Wisconsin, USA
MaricopaCon X (gaming), Tempe, Arizona, USA
Tacticon (gaming), Aurora, Colorado, USA
Tabletop Scotland (gaming), Perth, UK
Brussels Games Festival, Brussels, Belgium
Norwich Games Con, Norwich, UK
Retro World Expo (gaming), Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Great Escape on the Lake (gaming), Bradford, New York, USA
2D Con 2023: Another World (video games), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Windblume (Genshin Impact), Frisco, Texas, USA
TennoCon (Warframe), London, Ontario, Canada
Kokorokon (anime), Collinsville, Illinois, USA
Hikari (anime), Poznań, Poland
Kin-Yoobi Con (anime), Union City, California, USA
PopCult Anime Con, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
My Hero Convention: Florida (anime), Fort Walton Beach, Florida, USA
Ganbatte 2023 (anime), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Fan Expo Canada (media), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Fandom Fest 2023 (media), Schenectady, New York, USA
Fairfax Comic Con, Chantilly, Virginia, USA
My-Con (media), Orlando, Florida, USA
Fandom Fest 2023 (media), Schenectady, New York, USA
Jemcon 2023: Rockin’ Romance in Rhode Island (Jem and the Holograms), Warwick, Rhode Island, USA
Weekend of September 1-3
Kapitularz (Polish national sf convention), Łódź, Poland
Dragon Con, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
CoKoCon 2023, Tempe, Arizona, USA
Bouchercon 2023: Murder at the Marina (World Mystery Convention), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Oxonmoot 2023 (Tolkien), Oxford, UK
Big River Steampunk Festival 2023, Hannibal, Missouri, USA
Eurofurence 27: Black Magic (anthropomorphic), Hamburg, Germany
Tails & Tornadoes Fur Con: Wild Wild West (anthropomorphic), Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Mephit Fur Meet: Tropical Paradise (anthropomorphic), Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Pacificon Game Expo 44, Santa Clara, California, USA
TCEP 28 Parties Later (gaming), Sterling, Virginia, USA
SaltCON End of Summer (gaming), Layton, Utah, USA
Gamesfest, Pasco, Washington, USA
WGGCon (gaming), Croton-on-Hudson, New York, USA
PAX West 2023 (gaming), Seattle, Washington, USA
Gateway 2023 (gaming), Los Angeles, California, USA
GrandCon 2023 (gaming), Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
ConsimWorld Expo 2023 (gaming), Tempe, Arizona, USA
NOVA Open (wargaming), Washington, DC, USA
ReaperCon 2023 (miniatures gaming), Denton, Texas, USA
SCG Con (collectible card games), Columbus, Ohio, USA
Nan Desu Kan 26 (anime), Aurora, Colorado, USA
San Japan 14 (anime), San Antonio, Texas, USA
Expo Anime: Natsumatsuri, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
Connichi (anime), Wiesbaden, Germany
Saboten Con 2023 (anime), Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Fanboy Expo Orlando (media), Orlando, Florida, USA
Tucson Comic Con (media), Tucson, Arizona, USA
Long Beach Comic Con, Long Beach, California, USA
Robcon (media), Abingdon, Virginia, USA
Meta Con Minneapolis (media), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
No Brand Con (media), Stevens Point, Wisconsin, USA
East European Comic Con, Bucharest, Romania
GalaxyCon Austin (media), Austin, Texas, USA
Whooverville 14 (Doctor Who), Derby, UK
Weekend of September 8-10
OutsideCon, Burns, Tennessee, USA
Furvana Vice (anthropomorphic), Ocean Shores, Washington, USA
Furry Migration 2023: Disco Fantasy (anthropomorphic), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Platypus-Con (gaming), Juneau, Alaska, USA
Planszówki w Spodku (gaming), Katowice, Poland
PPG Con (gaming), Manitou Springs, Colorado, USA
Conecturday (video games), San José, Costa Rica
Senshi Con (anime), Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Tracon (anime), Tampere, Finland
Animate!, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Anime Fiesta, McAllen, Texas, USA
Anime Oklahoma, Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA
Anime Town Greenville 2023, Greenville, South Carolina, USA
Arkansas Comic Con, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
Colossalcon East (media), Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania, USA
Popcorn! (media), Sheffield, UK
Ottawa Comiccon, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Comic Con Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
Afro Future Con 2023: Extending Reality (media), San Diego, California, USA
ThunderCon (media), Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Baltimore Comic-Con, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Silver Scream Con 2023 (horror media), Danvers, Massachusetts, USA
Retro Con 2023 (‘80s media), Oaks, Pennsylvania, USA
The Labyrinth Experience & Masked Ball, High Wycombe, UK
PhileFest (X-Files), Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
Weekend of September 15-17
Copernicon, Toruń, Poland
P-Con, Irving, Texas, USA
Albacon 2023, Clifton Park, New York, USA
Fantasycon, Birmingham, UK
SWFL SteamCon (steampunk), Cape Coral, Florida, USA
Megaplex: Be Anything, Do Anything! (anthropomorphic), Orlando, Florida, USA
West Aussie Fur Frenzy: Under the Big Top (anthropomorphic), Freemantle, Australia
Furever West (anthropomorphic), Laramie, Wyoming, USA
FursonaCon 2023: Dino Safari (anthropomorphic), Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
ShireCon 5 (gaming), Canaan, Connecticut, USA
Strong Tower Gaming Convention, Brookfield, Wisconsin, USA
Tabletop Central (gaming), Savoy, Illinois, USA
B-Con 2023 (gaming), Northglenn, Colorado, USA
ReUnity Games 2023, Nashua, New Hampshire, USA
Tennessee Game Days Fall 2023, Franklin, Tennessee, USA
Hold the Line (miniatures gaming), Port Clinton, Ohio, USA
Southern Front 2023 (miniatures gaming), Morrisville, North Carolina, USA
Retro Palooza (retro video games), Arlington, Texas, USA
J-Con (anime), Derby, UK
Anime Fargo 2023: Enter the Ninja, Fargo, North Dakota, USA
Chizu Con 2023 (anime), Madison, Wisconsin, USA
AncientCityCon (media), St. Augustine, Florida, USA
Granite State Comicon (media), Manchester, New Hampshire, USA
Edmonton Expo (media), Edmonton, Alberta, USA
Fandom Kissimmee (media), Kissimmee, Florida, USA
Extremicon (media), St. Robert, Missouri, USA
CaperCon (media), Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
Power Comicon, Florence, South Carolina, USA
Flower City Comic Con, Rochester, New York, USA
Cartoon-A-Paloozah, Temecula, California, USA
Comic Con Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
London Comic Con, London, UK
Midgard 2023 (media), Reykjavik, Iceland
Alpha Omega Con (Christian-themed sf media), Whittier, California, USA
The Uncanny Experience (X-Men), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Coda
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