The Northwest’s Premiere Social and Strategic Games Convention
March 28-30, 2008
Red Lion on the Quay, Vancouver WA

Game Storm Gathering Strength in the Northwest
Portland metro area bracing for impact of social and strategic games convention

February 4, 2008, Portland OR – Hundreds of avid game players are expected to hit the Portland metro area March 27 – 29, 2008 for Game Storm, the Northwest’s premiere social and strategic games convention.  In addition to more than 1000 hours of events, tournaments, special guests and seminars, this non-profit convention features a large Dealers Room filled with prominent regional publishers and retailers demonstrating and selling the best in games.

Game Storm Highlights:

 Board Game Guest of Honor Jay Tummelson – Owner of Rio Grande Game Games, currently celebrating its 10th Anniversary, and publisher of such instant classics as Carcassone and Puerto Rico, perhaps no other person has done so much to transform American game play from a luck-based child’s pursuit to a serious adult pastime of strategic resource management, decision-making and negotiated player interaction.

 Roleplaying Game Guest of Honor  Robin D. Laws – One of the roleplaying hobby’s most respected designers, and creator of memorable interactive settings such as Feng Shui, Rune, Over the Edge, The Dying Earth, HeroQuest, Faery’s Tale and The Esoterrorists. An accomplished novelist and comics writer, Robin has also authored the award-winning Robin’s Rules of Good Game Mastering and 40 Years of Gen Con. 

 ProtoSpiel West Board Game Design Conference – Amateur and professional game designers gather to discuss and test game design concepts, including evaluation of designs by prominent publishers. Come and see the future of game play.

 Indie Hurricane – A celebration of cutting edge social interaction games, featuring unique conflict resolution mechanics and sophisticated or particularized themes. Creators, publishers and players gather to discuss developments in this growing storytelling-based entertainment form and to play new and innovative games.

 Rio-Grande-A-Thon 10th Anniversary Tournament – In honor of Rio Grande’s 10th Anniversary, as well as its own, Beaverton OR retailer Rainy Day Games sponsors a weekend long tournament of Rio Grande products, with a unique trophy awarded to the winner by Jay Tummelson.

 Killer Bunnies “Breeding Frenzy” Tournament -  Dan Rowen, co-owner of Playroom Entertainment and publisher of Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot, hosts a tournament for the wildly popular stab-your-buddy-in-the-back card game featuring all supplements and a special prize.

 Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition – The world’s best-known fantasy game is changing, and GameStorm has an inside track on what you can expect. Join members of the RPGA, the nation’s largest organized play group, as they wrap up current campaigns for Living Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms and prepare for new adventures.

 Wiz Kids Collectible Miniatures Extravaganza – Expect tournaments and special events for the Wiz Kids’ line of popular collectible miniatures games, including MechWarrior, HeroClix, HorrorClix, ActionClix, Pirates, and Star Wars Pocket Models. Special prizes included “Big Figures” and Limited-Edition figures.

 Living Arcanis from Paradigm Concepts Inc. – Second only to D&D in its dedicated player base, Living Arcanis will be offering a full slate of adventures to test your courage and resourcefulness. The Emerald Society invites you to join them.

 Collectible Card Games – CCGs are back! There will be constructed, sealed, and challenge events for Magic: The Gathering, World of WarCraft CCG, Pokemon CCG, Legend of the 5 Rings, CCG, Shadowfist CCG and more!

 Privateer Press Warmachine and Hordes Tournaments – Two of the most popular traditional miniatures games are well-represented by staff and volunteers from Privateer Press. Meet the guys behind the world of Iron Kingdoms.

 Guitar Hero/Rock Band Tournament and Jam Sessions – Playing nightly at GameStorm, rock out to the hottest licks and the sweetest tunes. Show the world that you’re a rock god!

 Live-Action Roleplaying – Last year’s convention saw an explosion of raw creative energy and unbridled enthusiasm among our Live Action teams, expect more of the same, plus some special guests.

 Dealers Room/Exhibit Hall – GameStorm expands its Dealers Room with a slew of regional publishers, including Catalyst Game Labs, Countess Games, Crafty Games, Playroom Entertainment, Shifting Skies Games, Flying Buffalo, Atarashi Games, Crucifiction Games and Pagan Publishing. Retailers include Rainy Day Games, Guardian Games, Games Plus, The Game Matrix, Aunt Franny’s Toys, Reviresco, The Dragon’s Horde, Pegasus Publishing and Gallant Hand’s Gamer Gear.

Our 2008 venue, the Red Lion on the Quay, is situated on the north bank of the Columbia River in downtown Vancouver Washington, just over the bridge from Portland Oregon and just off of I-5. This property is newly renovated, with nearly 15,000 square feet of function space with free wi-fi throughout. The hotel offers complimentary shuttle service to Portland International Airport and has ample free parking. For more information about the hotel, visit www.redlion.com..

GameStorm events begin on Friday, March 28th at 8 a.m. and run until 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 30th. Most events are free with admission (full weekend membership is $30 in advance, or $35 on-site; day rates available on-site). The convention has negotiated a group rate of $89.95/$99.95 (single queen/double queen) per night for attendees, valid until March 6th, and subject to availability. Those who pre-register for the full weekend may participate in additional events scheduled for Thursday evening, March 27th.

For more information, to register or sign up for events, visit www.GameStorm.org or call 503-GAMESTORM (503-426-3786). For room reservations, register via the GameStorm web site or contact the Red Lion on the Quay directly at 360-694-8341 and request the GameStorm room rate.

Members of the Media should contact Outreach Coordinator Mark Santillo at masantillo@comcast.net or at (503) 927-5658 for more information or to obtain Press passes.

GameStorm is operated under the auspices of Oregon Science Fiction Conventions Inc., a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt non-profit organization.

Hello,

I'm betting that's the same message you've posted to a number of internet venues. At this site, that's called spam. However, all is not lost.

Let's see whether it can be transformed into a more specific and Forge-based thing. Your post did mention the "Indie Hurricane," with some dramatic but not very informative color text. What is that, exactly? Is it more than simply earmarking a bunch of scheduled games as "indie?" What's available to an independent publisher or to a person who's interested in checking out those games?

Let us know, and perhaps some grassroots organizing can be done in this thread to make your con even better. I'm calling that a win-win proposal for you, and hoping that you're interested in making good use of this site, rather than merely tacking up a poster here.

Best, Ron