SMOF News, volume 3, issue 33

Warhorn needs a new caretaker, and news in brief.

Warhorn Looking For New Management

Warhorn is one of the oldest online convention program tools in existence. Founded in 2002, it has hosted registration and signups for many small gaming conventions, as well as serving as an invaluable free resource for local gaming groups to post game listings.

Brian Moseley, its creator and maintainer, posted a message to Warhorn’s public Discord server on April 13 which begins:

hi everybody. I've decided to shut down Warhorn.

Moseley explained that Warhorn was a passion project for which the passion has evaporated:

I launched the first version of warhorn in 2002. it's been part of my life for more than 20 years. it was a tremendous way for me to improve my software engineering craft, and it allowed me give back to a hobby and community that were at one time very important to me.

as I've gotten older, my interests have changed. I don't get the same pleasure from hacking on software on nights and weekends anymore. and I haven't played a tabletop rpg in probably 15 years. warhorn doesn't represent who I am anymore - it's a memento of an earlier time in my life. and so I've decided to move on from it.

Moseley had investigated possible opportunities for handing Warhorn over to an organization that could sustain it long-term, but never found the right fit. The right fit would be:

[…] an individual or nonprofit whose motivation is community welfare. I will not give warhorn to anybody who just wants to fold it into some gross corporate machine, plaster ads all over it, or spam the users. so if that's your angle, don't bother reaching out.

Moseley estimated that Warhorn had “a month or two” to live. However, a little more than 24 hours later, he said:

thanks for all the kind words, everyone. they're deeply appreciated. it's great to hear that i accomplished what i set out to do - put something into the world to help people connect and have fun

a lot of people have expressed interest in helping take warhorn forward in some way. far more than expected. it's going to take me some time to work through all of those conversations and decide on next steps. please be patient with me

truly humbled by this response!

Potential caretakers who would like to join the chorus of offers can reach out to info@warhorn.net or @bcm on Discord.

In Brief

• Neo Anime Oasis, Smallville Comic Con, and Cosplacon have all announced that they will hold no further events.

• AnimeNEXT will not be holding a 2024 event, per a message to social media blaming to “circumstances that brought planning for our 2024 convention to a screeching halt”. The message implies there will be a 2025 event. The circumstances appear unrelated to its dramatic break with a previous facility in 2022.

• Paris est Ludique is also skipping 2024, due to trouble finding a venue for this year. Although no specific reason is given for the trouble, it is likely due to the reshuffling of events caused by the summer Olympics landing in Paris this year.

• Glasgow 2024 is holding an online town hall event about the Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Awards on April 20. Attendance is free but questions must be submitted in advance here. Tickets are available at Eventbrite, and the town hall will also be streamed on YouTube.

• The NeverEnding Fantasy Con (London, May 31-June 1) has added Frank Lenart and Ron Hone as guests.

• Tampa Bay Comic Convention (Tampa, Florida, August 23-25) has added Billy West, Shantel Vansanten, and Sonny Strait as guests.

• Tuscon Comic-Con (Tucson, Arizona, August 30-September 1) has added Jamal Igle as a guest.

• FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, Utah, September 26-28) has added Priscilla Presley, Rebecca Mader, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Melissa Gilbert as guests.

Event Calendar

Weekend of April 19-21

• Concinnity 24, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

• ConStellation 13: So Say We All, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

• Les Intergalactiques, Lyon, France

• Just added: FantaSci 2024/1632 Minicon, Durham, North Carolina, USA

• Roscon-2024, Moscow, Russia

• HAL-CON 2024, Kawasaki City, Japan

• Swancon 2024, Perth, Australia

• 2024 Fandom Fest, Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA

• JordanCon (fantasy literature), Atlanta, Georgia, USA

• FilKONtario (music), Markham, Ontario, Canada

• Furry Down Under 2024: Furbidden Planet (anthropomorphic), Surfers Paradise, Australia

• Clockwork Alchemy: Aetheric Ocean (steampunk), San Mateo, California, USA

• Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival, Hunt Valley, Maryland, USA

• HandyCon 12 (gaming), Milton Keynes, UK

• Farmageddon XI (gaming), Farmer City, Illinois, USA

• Ragnarok 4.0 (gaming), Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

• Rising Phoenix GameCon, Milford, Massachusetts, USA

• MEPACON (gaming), Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA

• D8 Summit Charity Convention (gaming), Dixon, Illinois, USA

• Mayhem Gaming Convention, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA

• Jeu au Boute (boardgames), Chertsey, Québec, Canada

• TAGCON (boardgames), Pasco, Washington, USA

• Nashville Tabletop Day 2024 (boardgames), Nashville, Tennessee, USA

• Little Wars 2024: First to Fight (miniatures gaming), Lombard, Illinois, USA

• VGM Con (videogames/music), Plymouth, Minnnesota, USA

• CoMo Retro Con (retro video games), Columbia, Missouri, USA

• J-Tsoon5 (anime), Talinn, Estonia

• Naoki Convention (anime), Eschweiler, Germany

• Mobile Bay Anime Festival, Daphne, Alabama, USA

• Overload (anime), Auckland, New Zealand

• Sci-Fi on the Rock 16 (media), St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada

• Sci-Fi Scarborough (media), Scarborough, UK

• Yellow City Comic Con, Amarillo, Texas, USA

• Fangaea (media), Mission Valley, California, USA

• Galactic Diversity & Inclusivity Convention (media/space), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Weekend of April 26-28

• RavenCon 17, Richmond, Virginia, USA

• Olamot, Tel Aviv, Israel

• OmegaCon (relaxacon), Siren, Wisconsin, USA

• Ice and Fire Convention (Song of Ice and Fire series), Mt. Sterling, Ohio, USA

• Penguicon 2024 (sf/open source), Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA

• Malice Domestic 36 (mysteries), Bethesda, Maryland, USA

• Maine Cosplay Extravaganza, Portland, Maine, USA

• UBCon XXXIII (gaming), Buffalo, New York, USA

• San Marino Game Convention, San Marino

• Cheyenne Gaming Convention, Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA

• DaveCon (gaming), Bloomington, Minnesota, USA

• Jeu au Boute (boardgames), Chertsey, Québec, Canada

• Fun K-Town (boardgames), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

• Recon 2024: Rapid Deployment Forces (miniatures gaming), Kissimmee, Florida, USA

• LVL UP EXPO (video games), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

• LAN All Night IX: The LAN Before Time (LAN gaming), Grapevine, Texas, USA

• Oz-Con (anime), West Plains, Missouri, USA

• Mang’Azur (anime), Toulon, France

• Harucon (anime), Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria

• LoboCon (anime), Rohnert Park, California, USA

• Castle Point Anime Convention, Seacaucus, New Jersey, USA

• Anime St. Louis, St. Charles, Missouri, USA

• MondoCon 2024 (anime), Budapest, Hungary

• ExpOtaku Vitoria-Gasteiz 2023 (anime), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

• Ithacon 2024 (comics), Ithaca, New York, USA

• Causeacon (media), Beckley, West Virginia, USA

• GAP-CON (media), Mt. Bethel, Pennsylvania, USA

• Central Texas Comic Con, Waco, Texas, USA

• Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, Chicago, Illinois, USA

• Fayetteville Comic Con, Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA

Weekend of May 3-5

• DemiCon 35: Once More, With Feeling!, Urbandale, Iowa, USA

• HELIOsphere, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

• AtomaCon 2024, North Charleston, South Carolina, USA

• Garden State Fur the Weekend (anthropomorphic), New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

• ChupacabraCon X (gaming), San Marcos, Texas, USA

• WagonCon 7 (gaming), The Dalles, Oregon, USA

• Heroicon (gaming), Decatur, Illinois, USA

• Zomerspel (gaming), Merelbeke, Belgium

• Buckeye Game Fest, Columbus, Ohio, USA

• Savage Geek Fest (gaming), Savage, Maryland, USA

• Festival Alchemie du Jeu (gaming), Toulouse, France

• Congress of Gamers Spring Session, Rockville, Maryland, USA

• Gaming Hoopla 2024, Mundelein, Illinois, USA

• LoBsterCon XXVI (boardgames), Eastbourne, UK

• Richmond Open (miniatures gaming), Doswell, Virginia, USA

• Final Boss Con (video games), Rio Grande, Ohio, USA

• Mega Spring Meltdown (gaming), Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA

• Games Fair 2024, Auckland, New Zealand

• Kogaracon (anime), Edison, New Jersey, USA

• Just added: Anime Onsen, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

• Pokheimon Festival, Heimsbrunn, France

• Northern FanCon (media), Prince George, British Columbia, Canada

• Saratoga Comic Con, Saratoga Springs, New York, USA

• Pixies Street Con (media), York, South Carolina, USA

• Crypticon Seattle (horror media), Seatac, Washington, USA

Weekend of May 10-12

• ColoniaCon 25, Köln, Germany

• SFeraKon 2024, Zagreb, Croatia

• Das Frühlingsfest der Filksmusik 2024 (music), Hanstedt, Germany

• Furry Weekend Atlanta: Furry University 2, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

• LinCon (gaming), Linköping, Sweden

• Pinecon (gaming), Druskininkai, Lithuania

• IberAnime, Lisboa, Portugal

• North Star (sf RPGs), Sheffield, UK

• Lan ETS (LAN gaming), Montréal, Québec, Canada

• Anime Town Utah, Sandy, Utah, USA

• WasabiCon NOLA (anime), New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

• Otafest 2024 (anime), Calgary, Alberta, Canada

• FedCon (media), Bonn, Germany

• SiestaCon (media), Sarasota, Florida, USA

• Mountain Mania (gaming), East Burke, Vermont, USA

• Fantasy Basel (media), Basel, Switzerland

• Portsmouth Comic Con, Portsmouth, UK

• Horrorcon UK (media), Sheffield, UK

• Sunshine City Scare (horror media), St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

• FrankenCon 2024 (horror media), Alcoa, Tennessee, USA

Weekend of May 17-19

• Marcon 59, Columbus, Ohio, USA

• Keycon 40: Choose Your Own Adventure!, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

• Mephit Mini Con 25: Dia de Muertos (anthropomorphic), Kirchen/Sieg, Germany

• Furpile (anthropomorphic), Łódź, Poland

• Furry Weekend Holland: In the Deep Forest, Baarlo, Netherlands

• ZodiaCon 2024: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (anthropomorphic), Horní Bradlo, Czechia

• Chupacabracon X (gaming), San Marcos, Texas, USA

• CanGames, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

• Play (gaming), Modena, Italy

• Geekway to the West 2024: Geekway to the 7 Seas (gaming), St. Charles, Missouri, USA

• Sioux City Game Con Spring 2024, Sioux City, Iowa, USA

• Drums at the Rapids (historical miniatures), Perrysburg, Ohio, USA

• Huzzah! Con 2024: Huzzah Goes Hollywood (miniatures gaming), Portland, Maine, USA

• Sand Wars 2024 (historical miniatures), Mesa, Arizona, USA

• Air Con 2024 (air-themed gaming), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

• Tokyo Alley 12: Adventure (anime), Perth, Australia

• Anime Central, Rosemont, Illinois, USA

• CloverCon (anime), Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA

• Beta Quest (anime), Kingsland, Georgia, USA

• Metrotham Con Episode V: The Magical World of Metrotham (media), Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

• Tidewater Comicon, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

• Comic Con Revolution, Ontario, California, USA

• CradleCon (media), Garden City, New York, USA

• Geek Days Lille (media), Lille, France

• East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

• Great Mills Comicon, Great Mills, Maryland, USA

• Spooky Empire (horror media), Orlando, Florida, USA

• Seaquestria Fest (My Little Pony), Ocean City, Maryland, USA

Coda

• Art hidden on computer chips by engineers of yore (NPR)

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