GM Seminar this Jan 25

Some years back, I believe it was August of 2008, I was invited to give a talk on Sci-Fi Story Writing.  I remember way back then, when I was asked to give the talk, my first reply was, "Why me?"  Let's face it, I had no published work besides some old online stuff which had its small share of readership.  And though I had been running games for years, I was not really someone who had any Science-Fiction credentials.  Most of my games were either dark modern fantasy or high fantasy romps, with a generous helping of terror and horror in them.

So I will admit, I wasn't quite sure what to really share in the talk.  I decided to tackle the difference between Hard Science Fiction and typical Science Fiction, and share the eye-opening moment I had when I realized that Star Wars was more Fantasy than Science Fiction.   It was still a fun afternoon though, and I liked the chance to share my thoughts on writing, on the genre and on being able to share some ideas and advice with others who attended the talk.

Let's face it, having someone else might have had a much more productive talk... and maybe I was only invited to cover a vacancy when another speaker had to decline... but I would love to believe I didn't waste anyone's time and I did get to share some ideas on how to generate ideas and come up with stories.

(And on that note, I would like tor once again thank Komikasi for then inviting me to be part of that series of talks.  It remains a fond memory.)

Fast forward to today, the year 2015, and I am now going through my stuff to prepare for a GM Seminar on the 25th.  A good friend, Marc, has invited me to give a talk on any topic I want to and I thought I can focus on Mood Building since I'm certain others would have their own share of tips and the like to give.  

Hi folks! Here's the schedule of the panels: Registration is ongoing so you can just drop by during the panel you want to attend.
1:00-1:15 - Opening Remarks (Saying Welcome!) and Registration
1:15-2:00 - 1st Panel: Marc Reyes - GMing 101 with Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition
2:00-2:15 - Break
2:15-3:00 - 2nd Panel: Justin Aquino - Online Tabletop Gaming3:00-4:00 - Intermission 4:00-4:45 - 3rd Panel: Tobie Abad - Mood Building 4:45-5:00 - Break5:00-5:45 - 4th Panel: Jay Anyong - All the Little Things5:45-6:00 - Closing Remarks (Saying thank you!)

I always feel humbled when I get asked to take part in these things.  If anything, I'm just happy to be able to share the things I've learned through the years I've spent gaming my ass off.  And while I know my approach to gaming isn't necessarily everyone else's cup of tea, I am more than happy to be able to at least share something different with those who might not even want to use the techniques I can suggest.

This year, I do hope to release and finally publish some books under my own name.  It is about time I did more stuff and released it out there for the gaming community to enjoy.  Wish me luck!