So I’m going to be at PAX East 2025 even though it’s a little bitter sweet to be there post layoff. But things worked out and I’ll still be able to attend after all and I’ll be doing panels! So without further ado, here’s my current schedule.
Last year, a panel idea sparked by LadyLuck34’s whimsical and thought provoking questions during her streams packed the room and was a great time. Let’s revisit and have some much needed whimsy & silliness but in the spring! LadyLuck will have new thought provoking questions such as; Can ghosts be tried for murder? Are zombies undead or merely shambling meat bags and more!
There’s plenty of information out there on how to start DMing. You might have been given “beginner scenarios” to run, and heard a lot about safety tools and consent sheets. But once you’ve spent enough time building that trust and rapport, you may feel like it’s time to step up your game. In this panel, our cohort of DMs and game runners will share experiences and offer tools to help you lovingly torment your players (consensually!) with things like mind control, secrets, and even the famed TPK!
Panelists: Ders [M], Austin/@dungeonartist, Radiant G/@radiantg, Diana F/@dianaoftherose
A lot of people think Streaming is easy you just turn on the console PC a cam and go! We’ll have some real talk on what actually goes into streaming and the harsh reality that often you will spend more time money and energy creating a stream community and more than you will earn back. TL;DR You need to be in it for the love of it to start and if you earn some money? Bonus!
Friends gather to discuss the multiple award winning third entry into the Baldur’s Gate series of games, over a year & a half since it’s release! We’ll discuss our fave characters, how our thoughts and playthroughs have evolved and how the game made us feel as many of us spent dozens if not hundreds of hours wandering about in Faerun.
You and another player (or your GM) have spent session after session developing a story and dynamic as your characters pine, flirt and fall for each other. The big moment arrived, and feelings were confessed! Gasp! Maybe there was a dramatic kiss before a big fight. Even bigger gasp! You’ve survived another harrowing quest, hooray! Except… the story is far from over. So are you like, a couple now? What does that look like in an adventuring party? When will there be time for date night when the Big Bad still threatens the world? Join our panelists as they talk about the power of giving space for romance after the “happily ever after,” and the importance of fostering queer romance beyond the angst-phase of will-they-won’t-they.
Panelists: Mel [M], Sachi/@versachiko, Whitney/@smokingglueguns, Patrick K/@thatgreygentleman, Juicy Garland/@juicygarland
There’s been a 10 year wait to adventure in Northern Thedas since we last ran around with the Inquisitor. Let’s take a deep dive into Rook, discuss the Veil Guardians and other assembled crew of misfits we meet during our time running around saving Thedas once more. Note: we will be discussing spoilers, end game and getting a little nerdy (ok a lot nerdy) about the world of Thedas, the lore and more.
Romance is a thing in games and it’s thoroughly evolved over the years. We started with 8 bit pixel kisses but at a certain point games added a new element: Games like Dragon Age Origins & Mass Effect introduced the idea of romanceable companions you could learn about whoo with the right answers or gifts and eventually have sex with. The problem is for much of gaming this has become a standard: People show up you learn about them you give gifts and your reward is sex. Sex has effectively become a Win State in gaming and this panel of people across the industry spectrum aims to address the problem with this games that get it wrong games that get it right and where we go from here. We are looking to further expand upon the ideas originally gotten into and discussed in a similar panel we explored in PAX West.
Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago, which is dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. I Need Diverse Games serves the community by supporting marginalized developers, attendance at the Game Developer Conference by participating in the GDC Scholarship program, helps assist attendance at other industry events, and is seeking partnership with organizations and initiatives. Tanya is a lifelong Chicagoan who loves everything about gaming, #INeedDiverseGames spawn point, and wants to make the industry better and more inclusive for everyone. She’s part of the Rivals of Waterdeep actual play stream on twitch.tv/rivalsofwaterdeep, a partnered Twitch variety broadcaster; and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics online, at conventions and as a public speaker..
She’s also contributed to publications at Green Ronin, Paizo and Monte Cook Games and is the co-developer for the Fifth Season RPG based on N.K. Jemisin’s three time Hugo award winning Broken Earth trilogy. She’s the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a Twitch supported RPG and Actual Play stream, airing weekly on her channel, twitch.tv/cypheroftyr. Additionally, she is a Senior Annenberg labs Civic Media Fellow at USC. She’s also the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a new sci fi afro-futurist RPG developed with a team of all POC and Black creators; live streamed on her twitch channel, /cypheroftyr.
She’s named as one of The Game Awards Future Class 2020, a diverse group of builders, thinkers and dreamers whose voices elevate and diversify our artform. It recognizes individuals around the world who represent the bright, bold and inclusive future for video games. She was also named as one of Gamers of the Year 2020 by Kotaku along with three of her contemporaries. She was also invited to the Xbox MVP program in February 2021.
Her work to make the industry more inclusive has been highlighted in Game Changer, Directed by Tina Charles, WNBA star & olympian as well as filmmaker. The short documentary premiered at Tribeca 2021, as part of the Queen Collective; an initiative started by Queen Latifah, supported by Proctor & Gamble in an effort to get more Black women into film making. Game Changer was also featured as part of BETHer’s 2021 Juneteenth Programming on 19 June 2021.
Tanya is the programming & diversity coordinator for OrcaCon and GaymerX. She also serves on the Board of Directors for OrcaCon and was named the Chair for Take This in January 2023. She often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions. Her writing about games and games critique appears in Uncanny Magazine, Polygon, Wiscon Chronicles, Vice Gaming, Paste Games, Mic, and other publications. She’s the editor of Game Devs and Others: Tales from the Margins (2018, CRC Press) and contributed to The Advanced Game Narrative Toolbox. (2019, CRC Press)
Writer Bio for pubs: Tanya is the Founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago. She’s part of Rivals of Waterdeep, an actual play D&D show on twitch.tv/rivalsofwaterdeep; the programming coordinator for OrcaCon & GaymerX; and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions. She’s on the Board of Take This as well as a Stream Ambassador, and was part of the inaugural cohort of The Game Awards Future Class. Her work to make the industry more inclusive has been highlighted in Game Changer, Directed by Tina Charles, WNBA star & olympian as well as filmmaker. The short documentary premiered at Tribeca 2021, as part of the Queen Collective; an initiative started by Queen Latifah, supported by Proctor & Gamble in an effort to get more Black women into film making. Game Changer was also featured as part of BETHer’s 2021 Juneteenth Programming on 19 June 2021.
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