I am attending Worldcon virtually this year, but you can still find me on four panels! Be sure to grab a virtual ticket if you want to say hi.
Friday, 8/28, 1:30pm PDT/4:30pm EDT
What’s Hot in Indie Tabletop Role Playing Games? (Panelist)
Are you a big fan of D&D but looking to branch out into other games? Or maybe you tried it once and it wasn’t what you hoped it would be? Come to this panel and learn about the indie RPGs that are taking the industry by storm, from Alice is Missing to Mothership and from CY_BORG to Signal to Noise. This panel will discuss a range of indie RPGs, from solo and two-player games to epistolary games and text-only games.
Saturday, 8/29, 12pm PDT/3pm EDT
Cocreation and Storytelling at the Table (Moderator)
While it started as a mechanics-forward hobby, more and more games have turned to prioritising storytelling. At some tables, Game Masters have an absolute grip on the plot, and at others, the act of telling the story is more collaborative. And then we have “GM-less” games, in which GM authority can either rotate or is entirely replaced. How is the direction of plot changing at the table, and how do our panel use this to enhance their storytelling?
Monday, 8/31, 10:30am PDT, 1:30pm EDT
Writing Your Creepy Serial Killer (Panelist)
If your beta reader, mom, or spouse reads your manuscript, gives you the side-eye and says "This is really creepy," this panel is for you. Though audiences might be fascinated, do we need more Hannibal Lecters or Freddys? Cautionary, cathartic, or titillating? Do writers have a responsibility to readers when creating horrific humans? How far is too far? Panelists discuss exploring the dark side of humanity through their characters and fiction.
Monday, 8/31, 1:30pm PDT, 4:30pm EDT
Still More Monstrous: Monsters And the Transgressive Body (Moderator)
From Shelley’s seminal creation to current depictions exploring feminism, transness, fatness, and deviation from Western beauty standards, monsters have served as stand-ins for bodies and souls that violate social norms and moral boundaries. Why is disability associated with morality? Whose body gets to be "right?" And why are cis and trans women kicking so much butt in the body horror subgenre right now?