Thank you to everyone who made... that is, played games of... Bad Decisions with me and my friend Harry.

Thank you to everyone who kept me all day and pretty late into the night (and sometimes early morning) teaching Kitsune: of Foxes and Fools.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Foam Brain Games booth to purchase those games, or to learn about them from  Tyrannix.

And thanks to all the staff and volunteers who made the convention happen. And all the attendees who helped make it an awesome experience.

Thank you all!

Where are you staying?
the hilton garden inn downtown pittsburgh

What day are you getting there?
Thursday. I'll be showing Bad Decisions and Kitsune: of Foxes and Fools in open gaming all evening! And all con.

How are you traveling?
Driving from Chicago, got to bring games to sell!

Who will you be rooming with?
 Tyrannix and Harry Thompson, badge name Friendly Tanuki.

What is the best way to find you?
Go to Tabletop Gaming! I'll be there 90% of the time, as will Harry.  Tyrannix will be at the Foam Brain Games booth in the dealer's den when it's open.

Are there any panels or events you might be attending?
Running all the Kitsune: of Foxes and Fools events in the Tabletop Gaming room.

What do you look like?
6'2", 259lbs (though I may have lost a pound or two more by the con, CICO dieting is working wonders, thanks MyFitnessPal!), short blonde hair (used to be long, but since mom's been in chemo, I cut it short in sympathy with hers being gone), glasses. Thursday I'll have a "Furball" pun shirt, Friday I'll have a "Foxy Friday" shirt, Saturday I'll have a blue Fablefire fox shirt, and Sunday I'll have blue "would you could you with a fox?" shirt.

Will you be suiting?
No, but I'll be wearing a tail, like most people.

How old are you?
32

Are you taken? Are you looking for a mate?
I have a friend who includes benefits, but I am looking for a mate.

Can I buy you drinks?
I accept caffeinated soda at any time, preferably diet since I don't need the extra calories. As far as alcohol goes, maybe, I don't drink often though.

What is your gender?
99.5% male. 0.5% unknown. 0.5% statistical margin for error.

Can I talk to you?
Please do! I'll probably invite you to play my games with me.

Can I visit your room?
Only if invited. Three people gotta sleep there and we've got work to do so we need our sleep. Fun though it is, this is a working con for us!

Can I give you *stuff*?
If that stuff is currency, definitely. The best way to do this is to buy my games from the Foam Brain Games booth. Or just hand me cash because the hypnotoad commands it. Either or. On the other hand, if you get to talking with me and have a gift you want to give, go ahead and offer, and if appropriate I'll accept.

What/where will you be eating?
Largely I plan to eat the Anthrocon special discount pizza from Pizza Parma.

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
Food: Pizza Parma would love your business. If I like you I might share a slice of the pizza I get for myself and my buddypartners.

Fun: 99.5% of the fun I plan to be involved in is the games I'm running all weekend. I throw myself pretty heavily into that, I'll likely be tired most of the time other than that. But I might be convinced to do something else fun at some point too.

etc.: maybe. I don't have any etc. planned. If any comes up, you'll know if you're invited.

Will respond to the names:
Ian or Elder Kitsune

Can I hug you?
Ask first, but quite possibly.

Are you nice?
Maybe, or maybe I'm naughty. Actually I'm a huge geeknerddork.

How long are you going?
Leaving sunday after dealers close. Got to drive home that night!

Can I take your picture?
Please do! The same goes for my games!

Spot illustrations of single characters, come and get them while they're hot! PM or email greatgrendelart[at]gmail.com to start negotiations. Please note, NSFW commissions may carry an additional charge if they are explicit (usually meaning, if you want bare genitals). For such explicit images, $85 for a single character.

The image will be done in a combination of traditional and digital media. One character, no background, full body is a good rough guideline for this level of illustration. The piece will be in full color and shading.

Five slots are available for this type of commission right now.

I am beginning to offer commissions of art and writing work from myself and the team of artists who helped me create Kitsune: of Foxes and Fools. These will be high quality, premium price commissions, to the same quality standard as the game itself. The Kitsune characters may be included in any commissions purchased, along with any characters the commissioner owns. Initial details on the offerings are up on my commissions info tab, and I will be working on putting up example images progressively.

Right now we are looking for ways to generate cash so that we can keep on top of day to day bills, and maybe even make it to some more conventions. We're in the process of soliciting investment so we can finish the Nine Tailed Edition and produce apps for online play of Kitsune and Bad Decisions, but that will probably take between 6 and 12 months to bring in funds.

Bad Decisions has been out for a few months now, and still there's a lot of people who've never tried it. If you want to help a furry out, mention this game to any gaming stores you know of.

I'm working on an undertale fan comic, I'm making it using the game sprites. If that kind of hing is interesting to you, check it out here: http://ikomatanomori.tumblr.com/ImmorTale

I actually don't have to spend all day in the dealer's den this time, because my products were picked up by Furry Dakimakura. So I'll probably get out to a couple of panels, though I'll be spending most of my time in the tabletop games room. I have an RPG session scheduled to run each day, and demos of both card games all day each day.

https://youtu.be/m3EQOqRU9aE

It's here, it'll be off to kickstarter backers and pre-orders from cons soon!

This weekend: Anthrocon! (driving up in the morning)

August 6-8: Salt Lake Gaming Con (in salt lake city)

August 14-16: IndyFurCon (Indianapolis, IN)

August 21-23: Geek.Kon (Madison area, WI)

August 28-30: Furry Migration (Minneapolis, MN)

I'll be selling at all of them, and running demos! Including one shot demos of my new RPG, "Downbelow."

We got our base goal, and are now heading for stretch goals!
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...../posts/1185691

Bad Decisions has just five days remaining in the kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....ad-decisions-0

I implore everyone to share it with friends and do your best to help me succeed in this. If you like my work with Kitsune, help me bring this game to life too, because it will support the other. If you've played this with me or my friends at Furry Migration, Furreality, Midwest Furfest, Anime Apocalypse, Kollision Kon, Fur Squared, or Kitsune Kon, then show your appreciation - back the project now!

There isn't much time left.

In honor of exceeding the number of people who backed Kitsune: Of Foxes and Fools​, we've got a new reward level up - if you want customizability on your mobile copy of this story game, now you can get it. Maybe you've got dozens of fursonas and would like to make them all Fool cards to put in hilarious situations, or you'd like to make jokes with your friends about that one time at Anthrocon (we promise not to tell anyone it was you). Plus, you can put in your votes to make the half of the core set we have yet to make all about Furries too. If you like Cards Against Humanity, you'll love this even more. If you think CAH is OK but gets old quickly, you'll love this still, because it fixes that problem by letting you set up the joke differently every time. Please, make Bad Decisions​ with us!

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...../posts/1179127

https://youtu.be/3fwVkz8ZPfc

My brother cloned himself* and played Bad Decisions against himself, himself, and himself. The results are predictable once you realize that his fursona is a GIANT HAM!**

*(Using video editing software.)

**(It is actually a red panda.)

I'm working on some fox stories for Kitsune: of Foxes and Fools characters. I know a few people watching me care about the characters, so tell me - whose stories do you want to see written? I have a huge world of information about these characters in my head waiting to be told, so figuring out where to start is the biggest challenge for me.

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...../posts/1165684

The web app will be based on xyzzy, the same system that plays Cards Against Humanity online. We're developing our own app platform for iOS and Android as well. Tell your friends, and then make Bad Decisions with them.

Help us reach tomorrow's goal so I can get a pie in the face: https://www.kickstarter.com/project...../posts/1164979

Also, rate us on boardgamegeek if you played with us at a con: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame...../bad-decisions

Make bad decisions with me!

https://www.kickstarter.com/…/440...../posts/1164909
Our new incentives - and also, in addition, Charlie will film a video of him playing the game with himself and beating himself. It will be a four player game of Charlie vs. Charlie vs. Charlie vs. Charlie, reminiscent of WeezyWaiter's clones. If we hit 25% by 6pm tonight!

https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....ad-decisions-0

Another backer dropped out last night. If the project doesn't get 25% by 6pm tonight, it's on track to fail. I am going to die penniless and sick in a ditch. That's what my anxiety and depression are telling me.

“A man's not dead while his name is still spoken”

One thing I got to do in creating my game was express a group of characters who have a variety of unusual personalities and identities. Also some more mainstream ones. I was talking with my brother (who drew the foxes and most everything else for the game) about this earlier, so I thought I would write down some thoughts about it.

Akira - Other than the color of his belt, he dresses roughly the same as his twin sister, though he isn't endowed with a chest like hers so the cut is different. He doesn't conform to gender stereotypes, and so often comes across as effete. He's attracted to females, and has a sexual drive roughly in the middle of the spectrum - neither overriding nor tepid.

Ako - She has a ceremonial role which is strictly feminine in old-Japanese Heian period religious ways. Part and parcel with this is her primary attraction to males, but she also enjoys some female company of the intimate sort (or at least she did before Sadako went away and took vows of chastity).

Ai & Midori - The shapeshifting twins are young and full of life. Sometimes they don't even identify as separate people from each other (though sometimes they violently do). They do not hold any notion of a native gender, and if you were rude enough to strip their clothes off without asking, it's a roll of the dice what you'd find each time. (If you have permission to take them off, you'd find whatever you wanted to find, because they'd read your mind and change accordingly.)

April - April identifies as a little girl. She could take on a more adult form, but she identifies with the asexual but female gendered younger form by preference.

Aoki - Aoki is following Ako's example of Heian-period femininity, but is younger and less sure of herself. She occasionally has a tomboy streak, and while she is attracted to boys, she is liable to forget her usual calm charisma and trip over herself at the worst times if she finds herself in an intimate situation she didn't carefully arrange.

Cori - See what I wrote about Akira, but she's the one with the chestiness, as far as gender identity goes - like her brother, she doesn't conform to stereotypes, so she often comes across as a tomboy. Unlike Akira, Cori applies the same enthusiasm she has for everything else to her sexuality. She mainly likes male partners, but is willing to try anything. (She takes no real penalty from being Bound, you know.)

Hayaku - The ultimate in genderfluidity, Hayaku's gender actually shifts physically at will. Unlike its kits, this androgyne fox prefers a truly sexless resting form as a being of spirit. When it was younger, Hayaku identified as male before learning about its powers and heritage. Despite not identifying as any gender in particular, Hayaku is far from asexual, having quite the active sex life, as evidenced by having both fathered and mothered children.

Kenji - Kenji strongly identifies as male and acts in modern male ways, largely in imitation of his father. Because of his raging hormones (or the spiritual equivalent thereof), he is pansexual in the extreme. The game allows foxes to treat him as either gender for sexual attraction purposes between the foxes, and has fools treat him as the less favorable option because a male bodied, male identifying person who is sexually aggressive can be very intimidating and off-putting.

Kip - Kip is not strongly sexual, due to his origins as a pet fox (he may have been neutered back then, though as a spirit fox he is fully functional). He identifies as and acts male in recognizable ways, sticking to the japanese traditions favored by elder fox spirits, because it helps him fit in despite his lowly origins. He really would hate to stand out too much.

Naoko - Very tomboyish, Naoko rebels against her oppressive human parents by acting out of gender, and keeps those tendencies after her transformation into a spirit fox. However, she is distinctly attracted to the opposite gender - a boy she liked was part of the catalyst for her act of rebellion in reading the prayer to Inari and leaving her family behind, after all. She has a lot of sexual desire, mostly pent up, and expressed fitfully as though she expects to be punished for it (she does expect that - and getting punished for reasons which seem random to her by the elder kitsune for things she never learned were wrong isn't helping).

Sadako - Sadako was once passionate and sensual, and Ako was her best friend and lover. She lost her sensuality in a bad marriage, and found herself in a religious devotion which led her to take a vow of chastity. Having returned to kitsune society, Sadako does not necessarily hold absolutely strictly to that vow, but her interests lie elsewhere for the most part. Ako is still her best friend, of course. Sadako conforms to the traditional agendered role of a benedictine devotee (though they are segregated by gender to avoid sexual sin, monks and nuns following the Rule of St. Benedict do not have different rules by gender).

Sareiko - Strongly feminine in ways recognized by modern culture, and avidly sexual and attracted to males. Sareiko's sexuality is such that her gender identity might be seen as slightly more male by those who consider sexual aggressiveness to be a male trait, but she formed her ideas about those things in another time when that was considered a feminine ideal.

Saski - I stole this character from Mercedes Lackey, and like her character Saski Berith, my Saski-Kun consciously stole his style from James Dean. His attraction to females is made pretty clear by his mechanics. Also, in Japanese characters his name would be "佐々木", "Sasaki," not "sasuke" like the naruto character. His preference when speaking european languages is to drop the second "a" sound.

Seiki - She doesn't identify strongly with gender or sexuality, but also doesn't strongly identify as not-gender or not-sexual. She is female bodied and so when people expect it of her she tends to act feminine. Mostly she is innocent of expectations and does whatever seems fun at the time.

Sharmarali - Inheriting her mother's femininity, Shar also rebels against a society that views her poorly for her mixed heritage by rocking a chinese style of dress. Some aspects of this character were stolen from he same Mercedes Lackey novel as Saski (such as having a mother named Ako, although I didn't mention this under Ako's description because both Mercedes Lackey and I took that character from older mythology). My version of Shar will do just about anything to get a rise out of her elders, and is strongly motivated by her complicated relationship with her parents.

In 2013, we at Diamond Dust Dreams Inc kickstarted our company’s first original game, and funded! With the help of that crowd enthusiasm, we have been able to make Kitsune: of Foxes and Fools, now available in stores across the US, thanks to distribution through Studio 2 Publishing. Encouraged by this success, we’re trying again.

We’re calling our new game Bad Decisions. We created this party card game inspired by our habit of making snide comments about the foolish decisions you see everywhere in the news. The play structure will remind you of Apples to Apples, with the addition of a MadLibs mechanic, and maybe a hint of Snake Oil. Anyone can pick it up in seconds.

We do plan to add expansions appealing to fans of a specific genre (scifi literature, horror films, TV shows) or interest (politics? sports? finance?), but the core game offers fun for everyone – because who hasn’t made (or made fun of) bad decisions? We’ve aimed the content at ages 13+, giving it a little edge while still keeping the appeal – and suitability – broad enough for teens and adults alike.

Every level of reward for backing this project includes creative input into the final product. From voting on the subject matter of the half of the core set we will write from your suggestions, to creating specific cards with us, backers will all put their unique mark on this game. Stores can too, because one of the $100 options is to get 10 copies of the game – and your store, group, or personal name and logo added to our packaging as a supporter.

Invite your friends to join the fun, via email and/or whatever social media you use. Please, make Bad Decisions with us!

Where are you staying?
The hilton, a short skyway walk from the hyatt where is located the con itself.

What day are you getting there?
Friday, as soon as they let dealers set up.

Who will you be rooming with?
 tyrannix (Scott) and GreatGrendel aka my evil younger brother and Friendly Tanuki aka Harry aka Druid X.

Who will you hang out with during the convention?
Mostly the above people, and the dealer booths next to me. Also everyone who stops by my dealer table!

Are there any panels you might be attending?

I will be shuttered in the dealer's den, but I may get to some panels which happen after it closes and after I get dinner after it closes.

Will you be suiting?

I haven't got a suit, but may get one someday.

Do you do free art?

I don't do art. I do words. My brother does art, but not for free (except for purely his own pleasure, in which case paying himself is a zero sum game). I won't answer on his behalf any of the other art questions, and they're irrelevant to me so I've removed the from my meme answer.

What is your gender?

Male.

How tall are you?

6'2"

Are you taken? Are you looking for a 'mate'?

Single, yes, though it could be awkward to try to make those kinds of connections while I'm busy selling my game? I dunno. I'm looking for a female romantic partner, but not looking very hard because I'm bad at it.

Can I talk to you?

Please do!

Can I touch you?

Ask in person before doing so.

How can I find you?

Hopefully I will have found my banner before the event, so you can look for the Kitsune: of Foxes and Fools banner... either way, I'll be in the dealer's den with my game.

Can I visit your room?

Only if invited. I'm going to be working, so the room is for sleeping, not partying.

Can I buy you drinks?

Sure. Especially if you are a cute girl or have a game concept you'd like advice on or a game store you'd like to sell my game in or something like that.

Can I give you stuff?

I occasionally accept barter. Gifts are ok in most circumstances but not if I feel you're trying to obligate me to something weird.

Can I hug or snuggle with you?

See the touching answer. Hugs and snuggles are awesome, but not really something I do with total strangers.

May I ask you for a Dance?

You may always ask. (I am a terrible dancer)

Are you nice?

Sure, except when angered, but I tend to crawl into a hole away from the public when that happens. (thankfully not often)

Do you like parties?:

I have a bunch of friends over for tabletop RPGs usually twice a week. That's my kind of party.

How long are you going?

Whole con!

Do you have an artist table?

I have a dealer table! I'm sharing with  psychodragoncat

If I see you, how should I get your attention?

Walk up and say, "I'd like to buy your game!" Then hand me money and I'll hand you a game, and/or take your information for a pre-order.

Where will you be most of the time during the day(s)?

At my dealer table, though if my brother gives me a break I might be over checking on the demos of my game running in tabletop gaming, Possibly even catching a panel. But probably at my table in the dealer's den.

What/where will you be eating?

That's a very good question. I have no idea.

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?

Sure, but I'm already feeding my sales team, so I can't pay for anyone else.

(Sketchbook questions don't apply to me, deleted)

Can I take your picture?

Please do!

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?

To make $1 for each person attending the con. And I hope Critter Camp (this year's charity, whose foxes are my game's mascots) makes $10k as projected.

My new card game: Bad Decisions. A party game for up to 12 players, it combines Fools, Crises, and Bad Decisions to form amusing situations.

This game isn't directly furry related... yet. If enough of the right people back it, though, the first expansion could be "Bad Decisions: Furry Fiascos," and parody all the terrible (yet hilarious) things which sometimes happen in this fandom. The first set is "News Flash," parodying amusingly terrible happenings in the news. Anyone who backs gets to vote on the subject of the next set!

My how it's grown since I was last there. Heck, it's 3x bigger than it was just two years ago, it's insane. It's as big as GenCon or bigger now.

This weekend should be crazy but awesome, sharing my game with otaku, furries, gamers, and gawkers who stopped in to see what all the fuss was about. I'm heading over to get my badge (I can't remember if I pre-registered or not... I should check that) and run a demo or two in the tabletop gaming room today, since it opens in just a couple of hours. I won't be there all night tonight, but tomorrow bright and early I'll go over again, and be running games all day for the remaining days of the weekend.