During the weekend of Sept. 8-10, OtherSpace: New Journeys (jointhesaga.com 1790) will host a free, open-to-everyone online event called FidoCon to promote continued interest in text-based gaming.

We're looking for guest speakers who want to do any of the following during the event:

* Give workshops (on coding, describing/building, roleplaying, etc.)
* Promote code engines or coded systems for various engines
* Promote specific games in general or talk about special events upcoming at those games
* Join panel discussions on issues ranging from the survival of text games in a graphical age to pay-to-play versus free games to...well, if you've got other topics in mind for panels, we'll probably be open to them!

On the weekend after the online con, we're going to present the first Fido Awards. Before we can present those, we need:

* Nominees in the categories of Best Overall Text-Based Online RPG, Best Sci-Fi Text-Based Online RPG, Best Horror Text-Based Online RPG, Best Fantasy Text-Based Online RPG, Best Historical-Theme Text-Based Online RPG, Best Modern-Theme Text-Based Online RPG, Best Multi-Genre Text-Based Online RPG, and Best Text-Based Online RPG Community Website. (The last category would include such nominees as Top MUD Sites, The MUD Connector, Online Gaming Resource, etc.) NOTE: For the first Fido Awards, at least, the games of jointhesaga.com will be ineligible for nomination as we're hosting the show and it's not about us.

* Volunteers to serve as judges for the Fido Awards. Basically, these individuals will visit the nominated games and sites before turning in their scores.

The awards will be distributed live in real-time during a special ceremony at OtherSpace: New Journeys. We'll provide special icons that winning games/sites can display on their web pages.

We should have a FidoCon website up within the next week or so at

Until it's up, however, feel free to contact me at with games and sites you'd like to see nominated or to volunteer as a guest speaker or judge in the competition.

See you there!

P.S.: The online con gets its name not from the old BBS gathering in the late 1980s, but from the rabid fidos that inhabit so many of the early MUDs.

BUMP!

Legends of Karinth, MUME, and Shadows of Isildur are just a few of the games nominated so far for the Fido Awards at FidoCon. We're also looking for judges in that competition and for guest speakers on a variety of topics - including MU* hosting and world design. If you're from an RP MUD and want to bring a group to run a short scene to demonstrate your stuff, that's cool too.

Just drop me a line at .

More bump

How is the turnout so far. I do not think there is much I could do or really want to do, just wondering how many people you have because I often ponder the "state" of things in the mud community.

Pretty good response from people who want to attend and who want to nominate their favorite games. Not as much as I'd like so far for people to be guest speakers to promote their projects and games.

It'll pick up, I think!

Sounds interesting, too bad I'll be in Osaka on business that weekend. Good luck.

Btw, I removed the "bump" only post since they already served its purpose.

It's going to be in a special area of OtherSpace. All anyone will *have* to see of OS is the main out-of-character room when they create, and then it's into the convention center area. No OS promo stuff in the convention zone - it'll be MU* neutral!

The temporary FidoCon website is now up at

We'll hopefully get something more permanent (and pretty) up ASAP!

I like the graphic at the top of the page, it cracks me up. When you guys make a new web page, you gotta keep that dog graphic.

Well, we've actually commissioned a more rabid-looking Fido from an artist to be our mascot. So, we'll see what happens!

Hey, since you're not going to use it anymore, would you mind if I saved it onto my computer? I mean, I don't know about all the copyrighting and what-not, so that's why I'm asking.

Have you considered a web-based RSVP sort of system? It would be nice to have an ever-growing list of people who plan to attend on the Site.

I certainly plan to be there, and I will bring a few friends.


A.T
(-)

Feel free. It's clip art.

The RSVP page is now online at

I've updated the RSVP page to include a list of games that are currently nominated in various categories for the Fido Awards. Check 'em out at

The *official* FidoCon mascot image is now on the RSVP page at

We'll have an updated FidoCon site online this weekend, most likely.

Most of the logos for the various Fido Award categories are now online in the FidoCon RSVP page at

Check em out!

I like the artist you comissioned's style, reminds me of some of the weird 70's paintings my dad used to have hung around the house.

As part of the celebration of the first FidoCon, during the event we'll award one attendee a $50 gift certificate to use at Amazon.com. Attendance at the event will be mandatory to be eligible for the award!

So where do you register for this drawing? Will there be a special area at FidoCon?

We'll probably use the +str (Staff Request) system in-game. Instructions will be posted on the FidoCon website before the event.

Don't forget to register for this highly-anticipated event!

The official, no-longer-temporary FidoCon website can now be found at

Many thanks to Bahamut for his web design expertise!

We're still looking for people who want to promote their games at FidoCon - especially on Sunday, which is working out to be the MU* promotional day. Basically, you're invited to come to the con and pitch your game and its features for as long as you like during the event. On Sunday, events will run from about noon to 8 p.m. EST.

Hope lots of people can make it to FidoCon this weekend! I'm looking forward to it myself.

See you there!

Miss a FidoCon event? Enjoy a log! We've started posting them at the official site:



More as the weekend progresses! Thanks to everyone who's attended and volunteered to speak so far. It's been a great show for our community.

The weekend schedule for FidoCon has been updated on the official site at

Today's the final day of FidoCon I. Logs of several seminars are already posted on the official site at

Enjoy!

The first FidoCon is over, and Zarquon over at Battlestar Pacifica MUSH won the $50 Amazon.com gift certificate!

I want to take a quick moment to thank everybody who turned out, especially Siobhan from OGR and the gang from FiranMUX, and I'm also grateful for the efforts of Joker @ OtherSpace, who helped do a lot of pre-convention promotions and built the convention hall spaces, Khan @ OtherSpace, who designed the Fido logos, and Bahamut @ Chiaroscuro, who built the FidoCon web page -

On Saturday, we'll announce the winners of the first Fido Awards.

And in March 2007, we'll host the second FidoCon at Necromundus. Hope to see everyone there!

I've received a few notes from people trying to access the FidoCon logs and complaining about slow access for jointhesaga.com/fidocon.

The reason: We're in the midst of a server upgrade this afternoon. It should clear up tonight!

The JTS site - and our FidoCon page - are back up and running. Thanks for your patience!