<div id="post_message_1551532">Just didn't want the Ten Ton Hammer blog lost now that the official coverage is up -- hope the author doesn't mind me reprinting it here. Not really any VG info directly (which IS in the official write-up) but while I couldn't make the Mexico trip, it sounds like it was a blast and, well, sometimes it's fun to read about Sigil people, journalists, Mexico, and a good time anyway I certainly enjoyed the read. Enough so that I'll try to make the next such trip Plus, it's nice to see that we can all have fun and take a break from being journalists and game developers, even if it was only one day (I don't know about you journalists, but we'd better get back to finishing Vanguard)

http://shayalyn.blogs.tentonhammer.com/?p=15

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Spammity SpamNapkin Balls, Velvet Jesus, and Vanguard


When I set off to go to Sigil and SOE’s Vanguard Gamers Day in San Diego, a press event to introduce Vanguard to the gaming media (and give some goodies to those who are already in the know about the game, like Ten Ton Hammer), I asked our managing editor, Jeff “Ethec” Woleslagle for any last minute tips. “Have fun,” he said. He reminded me that these kinds of events, serious press and PR sessions wrapped in a party package, are not only for the press, but represent a chance for the devs to get out of their cubicles and have a little fun. Turns out Jeff’s advice was fantastic.


But when I arrived at the event’s opening luncheon there was no fun in sight–everyone was all business. Sure, there were people chatting and laughing, but mostly folks were busy introducing themselves and talking about the game and their respective sites and publications. I quickly made acquaintances with folks like John from MMORPG.com, Nelson from Stratics, and Michael and Aaron from the Los Angeles Times. We all chatted in the uptight way a bunch of people who don’t know each other will chat. We talked about where we were from, which games we played, and how much we knew (or didn’t know) about Vanguard. It was the gaming journalist’s equivalent to making small talk about the weather.

But after a lunch of Mexican food (I’ve discovered churros, and as Jeff Butler said later, “How can you possibly go wrong with fried dough dunked in cinnamon and sugar?”) we got down to the business of discussing Vanguard and watching a presentation, led by Jeff Butler (President of Sigil Games Online) and Brad McQuaid (CEO of Sigil). I can’t tell you about the presentation just yet, but watch for news about that in about a week. Let me just say that Jeff and Brad are so enthusiastic about their game that Sigil’s public relations manager, April Jones, had to drag them away from the session so we could proceed to the next part of the event. “I know these guys,” she said affectionately. “If I let them, they’ll talk all day and you’ll never actually get to play the game.”

We moved on to a hands-on demo of Vanguard and semi-private interview time with Brad McQuaid. And guess what? I can’t tell you about any of that just yet, either. But it’s coming soon, I promise! Watch the Vanguard Ten Ton Hammer site for all kinds of Vanguard goodness next week.

When the long day of gaming and interviewing was over, we were offered the opportunity to head back to our hotel rooms to dump our note pads and voice recorders before we headed out to dinner at a place called Dick’s Last Resort. We walked several blocks through San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter and wound up outside a brick building from which spilled all kinds of noise and clatter. For some reason this wasn’t what I’d been expecting. I had imagined a subdued and professional dinner; something in keeping with the event we’d experienced so far. The folks at Kohnke Communications, who planned the event for Sigil and SOE, had other things in mind.

My first indication that this evening was going to be anything but subdued came when our waitress arrived at our table. Talking in a brash (and fake) Brooklyn accent she ordered us to listen up as she gave us our drink options. She introduced us to her helper, “CAWT-nee” (which is Brooklynese for Courtney) and told us to “be nice to her or else I’ll kick yo’ teeth in!”

At first, I don’t think we gaming journalists were quite ready for Dick’s. We smiled and shrugged uncomfortably at one another as our waitress barked at us to get our drink orders (which we had to shout over the loud music blaring from the speakers near our table). When drinks had been delivered, other servers came around and tossed handfuls of napkins (yeah, napkins) in the air over our heads, causing a rain of white paper to fall on our tables. More nervous smiles and shrugs. But eventually the band took its place and began to wail out soulful tunes like Dock of the Bay and Sweet Home Alabama, and even our quieter members (like me) were starting to get their groove on. We also discovered that the napkins were for tossing at one another–think spit balls in grade school, only larger. I was caught in the crossfire between Darrin McPherson and Steve Williams.

The servers also came around and placed paper hats on people’s heads at random. One woman wore a hat that said, “Two drinks and I’m yours!” Another kid (not from our group) had an enormous headdress that proudly proclaimed, “I’m wearing women’s panties!” It wasn’t long before the servers hit our table and plopped hats onto two unsuspecting heads. The fellow next to Sigil dev Darrin McPherson (never did catch his name) wore a hat that said, “I