In the news

The bad news
The DiceCon website has officially announced the sad news I'd learned from Gordon Lamont at UK Expo'09: there will be no DiceConWest'09, because the Central Hotel has been in administration, leaving DiceCon without a venue. Searching for details of the Central Hotel story, I stumbled on the latest news @Evening Timesonline: the Central Hotel has found a buyer. Does this mean that there will still be a future for DiceConWest at the Central hotel? Only time will tell.

I confess I hope so, because I have a sentimental attachment to this particular relic of Victorian imperial pomp. Quite apart from beginning there my acquaintance with DiceCon, the Central Hotel was the venue for my first ever SF convention - a memorable Albacon - some 20 or more years ago. There was another games con there too, which was unfortunately never repeated. So I can't help but hope the place'll provide more pleasant geekish memories for yours truly.

The good news
The premiere event in Scotland's gaming calendar - South East Scotland Wargames Club's Claymore - makes a long awaited move to a new venue this year. The new venue is Edinburgh's Telford College, which should be a better space for a games convention than was Meadowbank Stadium. It certainly enjoys better onsite facilities, according to the details on SESWC's Claymore page. That Telford College is, if anything, less central than Meadowbank is not really a complaint: many will arrive by car and there is ample parking; otherwise, public transport should be quite adequate.

Old hands and regular readers will know I'm a longstanding visitor to Claymore underwhelmed by the event in recent years. This change of venue gives me a renewed interest in Claymore. I don't know what impact this move will have on the event, but I can say that I'm looking forward to finding out.

The other news
Battlestar Galatica, your humble scribe's favourite new multiplayer boardgame of late is to be expanded, as had been anticipated by many fans, not least Andy and myself. Announced a couple of weeks ago, Evolution and Rebellion adds new boards, characters, cards and playing pieces to bring the game up to speed with more of the show.

Catching up on the show- I'm into season 3 now thanks to Andy's DVD's, I've been increasingly impressed at Cory Konieczka's adaption, as plot-twist after plot-twist exposed the logic underlying the game's dramatic dynamic. Cross-media adaptions are hardly new in geek culture; but I have particularly enjoyed in recent months the unique experience of having the primary source and a major adaption unfold in parallel as object and image. I look forward to seeing how the designer fills out the rest of the story with this new box of stuff. ;)