Tortured Earth

  This weekend, we are in Council Bluffs, Iowa vending at O-Con Expo. It's a multipurpose convention located on the western side of Iowa.  Several things are playing into this convention. First, there's a flood. The Missouri River is inundated with runoff from a series of storms plaguing the area. Although there is a large number of people here, spending is not very generous. I have a feeling the flood has caused people to be a little more cautious with their surplus equity. For those not involved with the retail, it might seem this to be an unrelated event. However, for attendees, natural disasters will directly impact spending habits. This is a factor to which we cannot fault the convention organizer. Secondly, we have game sessions running throughout the convention. The crowd is very receptive to the game and its overall concept. The demos are stimulating interest in the game - making the convention a target for a return visit. We seem to have picked up a few fans and I'...

We are finally back on track. Last week was really rough for us. My father passed away on Monday as we were on our way to Montana and had to turn around to make it for the funeral. This week has been dedicated to cleaning up the financial and federal matters that always surface in the wake of death.  On top of this, on the way back from Montana, we hit a massive pothole in Shreveport and blew out a tire. Once we finally got back home, we find out a seal on the axle was blown. Of course, we had it fixed. While leaving for Jackson, MS, the other seal blows. We are waiting to leave, hoping the seals can be fixed by noon. Fortunately, we have a good working relationship with VXV events, so they are willing to stay a little late to allow us to finish setup. For those of you in the Jackson, MS take a look at the guests list: Mississippi Comic Con . This is one of the best shows we go to in the region. The vendor coordinator graciously gave us a spot to run game sessions, so we'll have at...

I’ll start by saying that attending the Iron City Comic Con was well worth the effort. The show was packed with attendees, the crowd's energy remained high throughout, and the guests were both engaging and entertaining. Even the convention staff were friendly and helpful. Overall, it was an excellent event.  I believe the show will continue to grow and evolve in the coming years. The organizers have a track record of entering a new area, putting on a great show in the first year, and then spending the subsequent years refining and enhancing the event until it becomes well-rounded. The next few years should bring interesting changes to the Iron City Comic Con. It's definitely something to keep an eye on if you're traveling through the area. This week, we're preparing for Billings Fun Con in Billings, Montana, which takes place from June 14th to June 16th, 2024. Our plan is to create a few more mystery boxes for the show, send some flags off for printing, and leave on Sun...

Today we managed to get in early and complete the setup in a reasonable amount of time. The convention floor is not nearly the size of Momocon but the convention layout is familiar. One of the nice things about a smaller show is the ability of the attendee to experience all the show has to offer. The problem with a smaller show is the attendee can experience everything the show has to offer.  To compensate for this, the show runner is under a constant pressure to make sure the show is new and different every year. One of the reasons I enjoy vending at VXV events is for this reason. They do change things up and make sure the show is a new experience each time. Not only in rotating guests but also in the format of the show, panels, and cosplay personalities.  Of course, seeing familiar faces and having worked with not only the staff but the other vendors for a decade helps out as well. Most of the vendors here are counted among friends. We've become a sort of gypsy family that r...

Social media has been the bane of my existence since the company got started. It's not that I don't appreciate it as a method of communication. It's keeping up with it that has always been a problem. However, with my retirement, I find myself able to turn to it more frequently and attend to it with greater regularity.  The main social media we currently use are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), and the website. Discord has now been added to that list. Articles I write in this forum will be circulated among the various services. Discord, as I have been recently educated on, offers a more direct approach. It also offers opportunities to get direct feedback on conceptual topics before it has to play tested. The hope is this will speed up development and cut unnecessary play-throughs on poorly conceived mechanics. Tortured Earth Discord Facebook Twitter (X) www.torturedearth.com Today, we being the setup at Iron City Comic Con. We should have a light day before the madness begi...

Today we leave for Birmingham, AL to vend at Iron City Comic Con . We're actually pretty excited about it. Birmingham used to be a staple on our convention circuit. The company we used to follow split apart and the original show fell by the wayside. One of the partners of the original show decided to return to Birmingham and rebrand under the new name. We are VERY excited about the return! In other news, we do have a few announcements. First, Dark Origins has finally arrived. We will showcase the new module at Iron City Comic Con. When formatting the book, I had some reservations about going full color. We received some negative feedback on the original books color format, I was hesitant to produce another full color print. However, the text layout against the faded page looks really good. The pages are interesting and the text is easy to read. Of course, the story is amazing! We're really happy to have Anthony Kallas on board. Anthony has also announced he's working on a ...

I have to begin with an apology. The convention was incredibly busy on Sunday. We were hit like a storm and it didn't let up until the doors closed on Monday. Of course, the end of the show marked us packing up and beginning the long drive home. We're definitely returning to MomoCon next year, if they'll have us. After the show on Sunday, we decided to head over to a nearby Mellow Mushroom and have a few slices of pizza and more than a few laughs. It was a the perfect end to a very busy day. I think everyone at the table was either drained or ready to snooze when this picture was taken. The weather was perfect for an outdoor meal and the company was excellent. While working the floor on Sunday, I had an unexpected visitor Karan Ashley! She played the yellow power ranger. When she came up to the booth, I kept looking at her like I should know her. It took a few moments for me to put it together. She asked for a yellow Power Ranger flag. The gentleman she was with...

I can say it's a good convention. As I've mentioned before, that breakeven point is a major threshold for us. We crossed it and we are now in a good spot with 2 more days to go. The audience has a high energy and are excited to not only see what the convention holds but what the vendors have as well. The show does a really good job at keeping the audience entertained with guests, panels, game rooms, vendors, cosplay, and a whole host of other events and engagements.  While ambling around this morning, I bumped into another vendor friend of mine: John. He's the owner of Galaxy Props and hand makes all of his masks and helmets. It's an impressive product line with an amazing quality. At the moment, he has designs for Fallout, Warhammer, and Star Wars accessories. On a side note, my nephew has been trying his hand at photography. I think he's going to run some of these images through a few filters to see how he can improve them. They were taken near our hotel in downto...

Today was a whirlwind to put it mildly. Tons of people, lots of interesting cosplay, and some familiar faces. It's always amazing when someone breaks from the crowd and shouts, "KB, you're here? That's awesome!" We've been on the circuit long enough that we're now being recognized as both a vendor and a game developer. It's a really good feeling. That's not to undermine the great conversations we've had with people who are new to us. The amazing thing about this convention is the audience it attracts. We've met people from Italy, England, and a couple of Australians to boot. As far as Friday goes, it's been a really good one. We're not quite at break even, but it is well within sight. The game tables have been a little quiet but that's to be expected for an opening day. Hopefully, tomorrow will have a larger crowd testing our product. Below are a few pictures I managed to take before it got too mad. The two above pictures are th...

We managed to get the booth set up in record time! That’s always a good thing. We arrived early, managed to get a decent spot in the load-in line and went straight to work. The parking here is still pretty bad - $35 per day for vendors. However, the people running the show are super nice and very helpful. Despite the size of this show, there is not a whole lot of overlap in the type of items sold. Of course, you have a vendors selling Pops and wall scrolls. The types of items they have are different. Just walking around the vendor room floor, we found people selling similar items but definitely not the same items. That’s always a good sign.  Word around the convention center was there were nearly 40,000 people at the show last year. Hopefully, we see similar numbers this year. The layout of the room is huge! As before, there is a massive gaming area set aside.  We were surprised to see some familiar faces here. A good friend of mine, Brandon with Tyr 3 (Booth 1523, Yum-yum bag...

  For the past three weeks, we’ve had no conventions on schedule. The two worst months for conventions are May and December. May has high school graduations nationwide and December is a major holiday time. It’s not to say we haven’t been busy. Both Kevin and I are working on a tome of artifacts, trying to polish off a module, along with living our normal lives. However, staying home for three weeks is a bit wearing. Traveling from city to city and meeting some of the people we meet is actually very exciting. There is a certain allure to the open road. Of course, this is coming from a person who taught in a classroom for 30 years and lived on a shoestring budget, supported four boys, and ‘made it work’. There’s not a whole lot of time for extended travel or resources to do it. As a retiree, the rules have changed. This week, we’re on our way to MomoCon. We’ve worked this show before and it’s always been a good performer for us. Most impressive is the game presence. Showcasing ...

*Images were taken before the show opened for attendees. Sunday, like all other shows, was slow. It's not to say the day was bad, just slow. One of the things I've always been impressed is the community behind OzCon. The attendees are super nice. The organizers are both supportive and concerned about the performance of their show.  Factors that made this show rough were beyond the control of the organizers. Loadout was rough, mainly due to an unrelenting rain. At best, it was light when it was our turn to loadout. Vendors managing to leave early were basically assaulted by a driving rain. My massive display slowed me down enough to miss the worse of the downpour. In short, we'll definitely do the show again. Game developers are especially encouraged to do the show. The large gaming area and willingness to allow us to run game sessions is a huge draw. Personally, I'd like to see a convention dedicated to independent game developers. I think if properly promoted, we could...

  Today was not a bad day. We managed to break even and cross into the profit zone. After 2PM, the convention slowed down and we saw a slow down in sales. Despite the slowdown, the attendees were excited about the show. I know the vendor perspective is focused on the dollar sign. However, this show really does have a lot to offer for the attendee: it’s affordable, has a lot of activities, and remains true to its design. Given the fact we’re in the profit zone, I feel the show is definitely a show worth a return. I would be painting a misleading picture if I said all were doing spectacular. A few of my vendor friends have complained the show has not shaped out to what they hoped it would be. Their success could be a multifaceted issue. Some are using their booth to shield themselves from the customers, a couple are known for sitting on their phones and not engaging with potential buyers, and not a few have displays that are either lacking or missing all together. The crafters of...

Today was a good day. As mentioned of a three-day convention, the goal is to cover at least table costs. We not only covered table costs but managed to move forward. We’re actually halfway to our break-even point. Today’s outcome is better than it sounds. The weather was awful – storms most of the day. If you are comparing photos of our booth, you'll notice subtle differences from show to show. The reason is each convention setup is slightly different. This show, for instance, has booths that are deeper than 10 feet. Due to the increased depth, we were able to alter our display and allow small flags to be shown on both sides. The central display for our books is also absent. This is due to my stupid self forgetting the display at home and had to improvise on the fly. There are a few familiar faces among the vendor population. A sword dealer husband and wife team are here. Generation Gifts sells a wide variety of swords and has become good friends of ours. We often chat about the ...

Today we find ourselves in West Plains, Missouri. Tomorrow, we set up for OzCon in the morning and open the show at 2PM. Normally, I despise shows that require a setup on the opening day. The Tortured Earth display is rather expansive and requires several hours to set up and make presentable. Fortunately, we put out new jewelry and flags at the last show and haven’t gotten anything to elaborate on. I’m expecting a three-hour setup, another hour of fine-tuning with plenty of time for a normal lunch and a little breathing time. OzCon was a show we followed for our first four years. From what I understand, the show started off as a college project for an anime group. As it grew and developed, the young man who headed the project took it over and switched it from a charity show to a for-profit show which does donations. I’m anxious to see how the show has changed since our last visit. The reason for my abandoning it wasn’t malicious or due to low performance. Around 2018, I had a gentl...

  Sorry for the delay. As soon as YC3 ended, we loaded up the van and spent the next day driving home. A surprise visit from a friend, writing on the next module, and unloading the van occupied most of Tuesday. Today, we restocked the cabinets, reloaded the van, and now planning on leaving for the next show. The final verdict on YC3 is that it’s a pretty good show. It has all the features that allow for a positive attendee experience: game room, diverse vendors, cosplay competitions, and panels & workshops. After being absent from the show for five years, returning to it has been a pleasant surprise. We are definitely returning next year. Next up: OzCon, West Plains, MO. Thanks for reading! www.torturedearth.com for game information!

Today was a good day. We broke even at the show and actually moved forward. We were fortunate. A few of our friends around us didn't fare quite as well. The crowd was there but true of the current climate, spending was slow. A few of my vendor friends I've associated with for a few years now also commented on the slower spending at the show. I think a large part of the lower performance of some vendors fell mostly to their style of selling. As mentioned before, I'm a big proponent of presentation and performance. Those vendors simply sitting behind the booth didn't do well.  One vendor across from us was selling soaps. In all honesty, I was quite impressed with her operation. She was making the product herself, packaging looked good, and the product itself was of good quality. As far as a product went, she was spot on. However, she was at a comic con. Lavender bath bombs won’t appeal to a majority of the population. Now, Mystic’s Battle Salve or Bruce Banner Bombs would...

In an earlier post, I mentioned having an employee. I have to admit, I was kind of proud to be able to hire one of my convention workers as a full-time employee. He was pulling a salary, benefits, and all that good stuff. He was actually doing quite well when he decided he wanted to work closer to home and not be on the road as much. I was devastated. I tried replacing him with another worker, who as it turned out, was just as good. Things went well for a while and then Christmas rolled around. The problem with having a full-time worker is the inconsistency of the convention circuit. When we are in an active convention season, paying a full-time worker was no problem. The issue was when we rolled into our slow season. Of course, I made sure my worker was paid as promised. The issue was I wasn’t paid at all during that time. Looking back on the episode, I should have had a years payroll in the back before I hired a full-time employee. The convention scene definitely provided me enou...