Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Barking Mad Productions: TCEP's LiveJournal:

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Monday, September 5th, 2011
10:28 pm [grayhawkfh]	TCEP 18: Book it Danno, it's over. A few short hours ago, we shut the door on TCEP 18: A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Laurel. And as far as I can tell, it was a smashing success. Our attendance was higher again (I believe) this year over last. Every time I turned around, I saw people gaming, having fun, and relaxing. We saw and caught up with old friends, and had the opportunity to make new friends. Both sessions of the Arneson/Gygax Memorial Dungeon Crawl went off swimmingly. While I didn’t play in the LARP, everyone I talked to who did play in it had a blast! And, perhaps equally importantly, my family and I had fun this weekend as well. And neither Tad or I were seen in togas... By any measure I use, this was a successful convention. So a great big “Thank you” to all of our convention attendees. You are the reason we do this, and you are the reason all this is possible. Many of you have worked cons in one form or another over the years, and have some idea of what goes into them time and time again. So, I’d like to take a moment to publicly thank all of our volunteers: Hotel Liason: Ann Lesnik Registration team: Erin Hudgins, Tammy Tayman. Con Suite team: Brian and Lije Carpenter, Rachael Hixon Game Room Czars: Jami & Sean Grey</ul> Y’all rock, you know that? I’d also like to take a few moments to thank a number of game companies who were kind and generous enough to donate materials to us to use as prizes: AEG (and their awesome Senior AEG Convention Squad Member Stephen Cappello) Amarillo Design Bureau Atlas Games Dream Pod 9 Flying Buffalo Interactivities Ink Out of the Box Russian Board Games Steve Jackson Games Stay tuned, folks! TCEP 18 may be over, but TCEP 19: It's The End of the World As We Know It (And We Game On) is already in the planning stages! Make your plans now to spend Aug. 31 - Sept. 3 2012 with us! We can't wait... (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, August 29th, 2011
10:36 am [grayhawkfh]	Can you believe it? Good heavens! It’s only 4 days until TCEP 18! Where did the summer go? Well, while we’re in high gear getting ready to bring you the best 4 days of gaming and relaxation in the DC area, we’d like to remind you of a few things: First, don’t forget to drop us an email to tcepdinners@gmail.com to let us know if you’ll be joining us at Asahi for sushi or at Outback for meat. Remember to include your name and the number of people attending, please, so we can give the restaurant an accurate headcount. We’d also like to remind you about the Miskatonic Class Reunion happening this weekend! While pre-registration for the LARP is not strictly necessary, it is strongly encouraged. See http://barkingmad.org/2011/08/mcr/ for more details. OK, I have to get back to work now. Hope to see everyone in Laurel on Friday! (Comment on this)
Monday, August 1st, 2011
2:42 pm [grayhawkfh]	TCEP 18 Dinner information Hi everyone! Hope you’re doing well and staying cool! First things first: On behalf of the BoD, I’d like to thank everyone who has pre-registered so far for TCEP 18. Every registration makes it easier for us to be ready for the con. (Pre-registration is still open, BTW. If you haven’t registered yet, please feel free to do so now!) Now, then… Once again this year, we’ll be doing our usual group outings to Outback Steakhouse (for those who like their food cooked) and Asahi Japanese for those who like bait sushi. Yeah, you can guess which camp I fall into. ;-) Last year, we set up an email for you to tell us which group you’d like to join, and it worked pretty well! So well, in fact, that we’re going to do it again! Now, for the record, the usual plan of attack is to leave as a group from the convention around 7:45-8:00 pm on Friday night. The more accurate headcount we have before the convention starts, the better chance we have of reserving table space to accommodate everyone! Ah, but what is that magical email address, you ask? Well, it’s the same as last year: TCEPDinners@gmail.com Please include the following information in the email Name Which dinner attending (Meat/Sushi or Outback/Asahi) # of people attending Please try to get this in to us by Aug. 31st, so we can have time to get things together! (Check back as the month goes on for more updates! As more things become solidified, we’ll post them here) Can’t wait to see everyone there! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
3:18 pm [grayhawkfh]	Pre-reg rates for TCEP 18 ending soon! Did you know that there's only 5 days left to pre-reg for TCEP 18? $30 adult/$15 youth until 7/31! http://barkingmad.org New this year at TCEP 18 : Official demo staff from AEG will be on hand to teach people Thunderstone, Nightfall, and others! I'll be running the Arneson/Gygax Memorial Dungeon Crawl, as well as another RPG event for the younger guests! Our Game Room Staff has all kinds of stuff scheduled, including several "In It To Win It" events, where the winner gets the game! Combine all this with the best con suite around, good food & good people, & you have the best 4 days of gaming & fun in the DC Area! So go now and register by Sun, 7/31 & get the pre-reg rate of $30 for adults, $15 youth http://barkingmad.org Tell your friends! (Comment on this)
Sunday, May 15th, 2011
10:26 pm [grayhawkfh]	TCEP 18: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To Laurel Hey there, everybody! Well, we just had a meeting of the staff of TCEP, and we are revving up our con engines to once again bring you the best 4 days of gaming and relaxation in the greater DC area! Yeah, I know I've been a little quiet of late; heck, even my LiveJournal hasn't been updated much in the last few months. Real Live (tm) has done it's level best to distract me from what's really important in life - spending time with friends and having fun. But enough with that! Pre-registration is officially open for TCEP 18! As usual, it will be held over Labor Day weekend (Sept. 2-5), and we're back at the Holiday Inn Laurel West. Once again, our prices remain the same: Before July 31: $30 for adults (CHEAP!) $15 for Youth (12-17) Under 12 free with paid adult After July 31 and at the door $40 for adults $20 for Youth (12-17) Under 12 free with paid adult Hotel rooms are $89/night s/d/t/q occupancy (Reserve by August 3 for group rate; Group Name: BMP) Our crack team of Game Room Czars have already informed us of some of the fun they have in store, including more "In It To Win It" events. Of course, I'll again be running the Arneson/Gygax Memorial Dungeon Crawl as well as the Junior Roleplaying event aimed at our younger attendees. Our con suite staff will again be serving up bad movies and fun games in addition to the fresh bread and the usual selection of delicious treats! New for this year: The hotel will be offering a variety of sandwiches for lunch. I don't have as much detail on this as I would like, but as more details become available, I'll post the information. Go on over to our website http://barkingmad.org and register now, and keep checking here, on Facebook, and at our website! We're looking forward to seeing you in September! (Comment on this)
Monday, December 13th, 2010
2:06 pm [grayhawkfh]	Richard Butler's Memorial Service and Reception -- UPDATED Dear Friends of Richard: Richard's memorial service will still take place at 1:30 p.m. this Saturday, December 18, 2010. Because of the potentially large crowd, the service has been moved from the University of Maryland Chapel to University First United Methodist Church. The church is right next to the UM campus, just across Campus Drive from the Inn and Conference Center. The address is 3621 Campus Drive, College Park, MD 20740. The church's website provides directions: http://uumcp.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=43853&PID=607462. A reception will follow at the Samuel Riggs Alumni Center on the campus of the University of Maryland. For those who know the campus, it is at the north end of lot 1, next to Byrd Stadium and across the street from the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (CSPAC). Parking in lot 1 will be free, but it may be hectic as it's move-out day for the Christmas break. If you're not familiar with the campus this link, http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=117236153376291229376.000438d8f0a9ab6e37a65&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=38.987968,-76.938672&spn=0.012764,0.022901&iwstate1=dir&iwloc=000438d92c58e290c046a&source=embed , will give you a map of the area and turn by turn directions to CSPAC. The Riggs center doesn't have a street address, so the mapping tools have trouble finding it. Best regards, Dutch (Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010
9:59 am [grayhawkfh]	Memorial Service for Richard Butler Dear Friends of Richard: Richard's Memorial Service will be held at the University of Maryland Chapel, in the small chapel (the one that faces west, away from Route 1). The service will be December 18, 2010, starting at 1:30 p.m. Directions to the Chapel can be found on the University's website at http://www.chapel.umd.edu/directions.php. The street address is 1101 Memorial Chapel, College Park, MD 20742. I'm starting to lose track of all of the requests I've received to be added to this list. Please pass this information on to folks I may have missed with my apologies. All the best, -- Dutch Dunham (Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
4:22 pm [grayhawkfh]	... Many of the members of this community will know Richard Butler (aka therevdrnye) has been gravely ill for several months now. It is my sad duty to relay that Richard passed away at 1:53 today. I will share details later when I have them. He was a good friend and will be sorely missed. Please keep him, his family, and his friends in your thoughts and prayers. (Comment on this)
Monday, September 6th, 2010
9:00 pm [grayhawkfh]	TCEP 17 is in the bag! (originally published at http://barkingmad.org/2010/09/tcep-17-is-in-the-bag/ ) A few short hours ago, we shut the door on TCEP 17: 3 Nights In Laurel. Once again, I have to say it was a smashing success. Our attendance was higher than it's been in a number of years. Every time I turned around, I saw people gaming, having fun, and relaxing. We saw and caught up with old friends, and had the opportunity to make new friends. There was sufficient interest in the Gygax/Arneson Memorial Dungeon crawl that I had to add a second session. While I didn't play in the LARP, everyone I talked to who did play in it had a blast! And, perhaps equally importantly, my family and I had fun this weekend as well. By any measure I use, this was a successful convention. So a great big “Thank you” to all of our convention attendees. You are the reason we do this, and you are the reason all this is possible. Many of you have worked cons in one form or another over the years, and have some idea of what goes into them time and time again. So, I’d like to take a moment to publicly thank all of our volunteers: Registration team: Erin Hudgins, Tammy Tayman. Con Suite team: Brian and Lije Carpenter, Rachael Hixon Game Room Czars: Jami & Sean Grey, Drew Wendt At-Large Staff: Jim & Rae Trigg Y'all rock, you know that? I'd also like to take a few moments to thank a number of game companies who were kind and generous enough to donate materials to us to use as prizes: AEG APEGames Avalanche Press Dream Pod 9 Interactivities Ink Mega Miniatures I'd like to also recognize four companies that have been exceedingly kind to us over the last dozen years in their support of TCEP: Amarillo Design Bureau Flying Buffalo Out of the Box Steve Jackson Games Stay tuned, folks! TCEP 17 may be over, but TCEP 18: A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Laurel is already in the planning stages! Make your plans now to spend Sept. 2-5 2011 with us! Who knows, you might get to see Tad or Grayhawk in a toga... (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, August 14th, 2010
1:49 pm [therevdrnye]	Tad coming to TCEP... 20 days and counting Yes, our Emperor will be at TCEP this year, barring major calamity. Bring pitchforks, torches, and rope, and give Tad the welcome he deserves! Current Mood: chipper (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 29th, 2010
2:07 pm [grayhawkfh]	TCEP 17 Dinner update! Hi everyone! Hope you're doing well and staying cool! Once again this year, we'll be doing our usual group outings to Outback Steakhouse (for those who like their food cooked) and Asahi Japanese for those who like sushi. Yeah, you can guess which camp I fall into. ;-) Anyway, one of the things we've always had problems with is getting an reasonably accurate head count in the past. What we've done for this year is set up an email for you to tell us which group you'd like to join! Now, for the record, the usual plan of attack is to leave as a group from the convention around 7:45-8:00 pm on Friday night. The more accurate headcount we have before the convention starts, the better chance we have of reserving table space to accommodate everyone! Ah, I can hear you now! What is this magical email address, you ask? TCEPDinners@gmail.com Please include the following information in the email Name Which dinner attending (Meat/Sushi or Outback/Asahi) # of people attending Please try to get this in to us by Sept. 1st, so we can have time to get things together! Thanks a lot, and hey, don't forget that Pre-reg ends on Saturday! Only a few days left to register early and save $10 on adult registration ($30) and $5 on youth ($15)! If you haven't pre-reg'd yet, get on over to Barkingmad.org and do so! Can't wait to see everyone there! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, July 19th, 2010
12:45 am [grayhawkfh]	Help pick the name of TCEP 18! Go to the website and vote! http://barkingmad.org/2010/07/pick-the-name-of-tcep-18/ (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, July 15th, 2010
4:50 pm [grayhawkfh]	A few announcements about TCEP 17! Thought everyone would like to know about a few of the items we have on the schedule for this years convention! Classic Game tournament: To go along with our "Chess" theme, we will be hosting a tournament revolving around classic games such as chess, checkers, backgammon, reversi, mancala, dominos, and the like. I'm still finalizing the details; as soon as I have them finished, I'll make them available at the Barking Mad Website. Junior Roleplaying: The X-Men: People's response to the idea of events aimed at our younger attendees was well enough received that we will be hosting a RPG session aimed at those same attendees. It will use the TSR Marvel Super Heroes (1984) rules and feature the X-Men. Our older attendees are welcome to play as well! (6 players, Saturday Afternoon) The Gygax/Arneson Memorial Dungeon Crawl: Yes, I will again be running a classic first edition AD&D adventure on Sunday night. No, it will not be the sequel to last year's adventure. Yes, I know which adventure I am running, and no, I'm not gonna tell you what it is. ;-) Bring your dice, bring your wits, & forget "skills" or "feats"! Once again, this is gaming at it’s finest! Pre-Reg discount ending soon! As hard to believe as it may be, we're only slightly more than a month and a half away from the convention! And yes, this is a reminder (delivered in the delightfully subtle Grayhawk way) that until July 31, our rates are $30 for adult memberships and $15 for youth (CHEAP!). After that date, the rates go up! Pre-reg early and often at our website! Looking forward to seeing everyone at TCEP 17 in September! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
4:56 pm [grayhawkfh]	Poll: Games for our younger attendees As I've mentioned in years past, many of the fine folks who attend TCEP have grown up in or around the conventions in the greater DC area, or have watched others do so. A number of our attendees have chosen to have children, and find that this becomes an excellent place to introduce their children to new games and old classics alike. We've had, in the past, occasional events aimed towards our younger attendees. And, as we are less than 100 days out from TCEP 17: 3 Nights in Laurel, I'd like to assess what sort of interest, if any, there would be in games for them. So, we have this poll. Look it over. Fill it out. And I'm always looking for input from our attendees. (And don't forget to pre-reg! Register by July 31 2010 to save $10 off of Adult memberships and $5 off of Youth memberships!) Poll #1573967 Events for our younger attendees Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7 Would you like to see events aimed towards our younger attendees? View Answers Yes 7 (100.0%) No 0 (0.0%) What sort of events would you like to see? View Answers RPG 0 (0.0%) Board Games 0 (0.0%) Card Games 0 (0.0%) LARP 0 (0.0%) Other (please explain below) 1 (14.3%) Are there any specific games you would like to see View Answers If requested, would you stay with your child while they play? View Answers Yes 2 (50.0%) No 2 (50.0%) Would you be interested in running such an event? View Answers Yes 3 (60.0%) No 2 (40.0%) Please add any comments or explanation of answers given above here. View Answers Current Mood: curious (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 16th, 2010
4:58 pm [grayhawkfh]	Pre-registration is open for TCEP 17! Yes, ladies and gents, pre-reg for TCEP 17: 3 nights in Laurel is open. The site is updated, and wer're gearing up to bring you the best 4 days in relaxation and gaming in the DC area! http://barkingmad.org Rmemeber: pre reg by July 30 to receive $10 off Adult and $5 off of Youth memberships! (Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
7:06 am [allah_sulu]	My brief recaps (by day) of this year's TCEP: Saturday Sunday Monday (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
7:03 pm [therevdrnye]	Almost forgot - Con infiltrated by Jedi I forgot to mention that the convention was infiltrated by Jedi while we LEAST expected it. Jedi himself was there, and so (apparently, although I did not see them) was Mrs. Jedi and their daughter - an entire Jedi clan. For any who do not know, the wheelchair-bound "Jedi" (real name withheld until those records are declassified) used to show up at TCEP in it's early years in Herndon, bringing a mighty war chest full of film and TV in the exciting new DVD format, and showed us wonders in our Con Suite. This is of particular interest because he had a broad collection of this interesting Japanese stuff which had only a fledgling fandom of its own at the time, and exposed many of us to the 800-pound gorilla of Anime long before there were any East Coast anime conventions with membership numbers in the thousands... Katsucon, for instance, is one year younger than TCEP. While they only had time to drop in for a visit, it was good to see the Return of the Jedi (family). Current Mood: historical (Comment on this)
12:33 am [therevdrnye]	It's over. Go home. Stop watching! It's over for another year... more or less. Membership numbers down a little bit this year - probably because of the wonderful economic condition that the last administration gifted the current one with. Remember, it's all the new guy's fault, or so they say, whoever "they" are. Much fun had by all. Really. Aside from playing poker late at night (and for charity Saturday evening), and testing out a newly-acquired card game (my prize for finishing 3rd in the poker tournament), I did find time to play one actual board game, and was pleased to be able to win it, particularly because I enjoy Power Grid so. Hopefully some economic recovery (if any) between now and next Labor Day will allow more people to come next year. Also, my vile, treacherous friends will be hearing from me about their absence at this year's convention. The nerve, having sex with your SO when you could be gaming with US! Current Mood: groggy (Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
9:31 am [stevemb]	Lost & Found I apparently left my copy of Ticket to Ride Nordic Countries/Switzerland behind; there was an announcement at the dead dog that a copy was left on a table after the con. (I would have sworn there was no way something that big could be missing from my bags, but apparently they just didn't pack as tightly on the return trip.) Identifying features to find out for sure: 1. It should have my name/address on a sticker (but apparently not, or somebody would have seen it and known it was my set). 2. Nordic Countries/Switzerland in one (Nordic Countries) box. 3. Extra Switzerland card set (replacement for first-printing cards). 4. Snack-size (about 4x7 inches, ziploc on the long side) bags for pieces/cards. (A copy of Agricola was also left behind; it's not mine. The annoying thing is that I saw the two games on the table before leaving but didn't make the connection that TtR:NC might be my copy because I know that I don't own Agricola and the two seemed to be part of the same group.) If it turns out to be my set, please send a message and I'll figure out where and when to collect it. Thanks, Steve (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, August 27th, 2009
8:12 am [grayhawkfh]	Another Barking Mad Website Update Barking Mad Website Update: More Event Notes! ( reproduced here for the link-phobic ) (Comment on this)