Tampa Bay OddCon

OK, maybe two words: Bring It!

We OddGods understand what a freak family reunion a convention like ours is destined to be, and would delight in having private hotel room parties fill the halls this, and every future, OddCon year. Bring your joy, laughter, and revelry to the Con and enjoy the faces that you’ll only get to see once or twice a year.  We, the OddGods, do believe in the right to parrrrrty, however, in order to do be free to indulge our inner adolescents, there must be some stipulations.

Private hotel room parties must be sanctioned by OddCon staff. This is not a subjective reviewing process, just an administrative and liability coverage. No one is going to disapprove your private party on account of personality or subject matter.  All we want is a signed release statement with a full name for whom will be ultimately responsible and the hotel room number where the party will be held.

Private parties must provide their own security, which MUST check ID. OddCon and the OddGods does not endorse underaged drinking, that is why convention attendees that are of the legal drinking age will have specially marked Con Badges to help with this endeavor. Otherwise, OddCon Security Staff cannot and will not be able to provide security beyond the Convention hallways.

The OddGods cannot and will not be responsible for damage or clean up costs for the rooms. Private parties are responsible for returning their rooms to the upright and locked position before exiting the convention. All costs incurred for damage or clean up will be referred to the name on the

Attendants of Private Parties MUST have a Convention Badge. If you are planning to charge a cover for your parties, be certain that you inform your invitees of this requirement, and that they should plan accordingly. Registration will be closed by 8pm Friday and Saturday and 1pm on Sunday.

The stipulations above will be repeated in the release form and will be required if you plan to host a private party. Failure to register your party may be subject to removal of convention privileges and possibly future ones as well. These rules are only here to keep OddCon bringing the freaky fun to Tampa Bay. If the rules aren’t followed, future events will be scrapped.

Although OddCon is a convention for the (im)mature, we still expect you all to act like adults. So if you have that one drunken reprobate that decides the hotel room toilet belongs anywhere else other than the bathroom, perhaps he should stay at home.

UPDATE (7/28/10): If you are serious about your party as we are as serious about everyone having a good safe time, we strongly recommend event insurance. It is easily purchased online with many plans specially designed for hotel parties and premiums start at $75.00, providing $2,000,000 in coverage for general liability including host liquor liability. OddCon will of course have it’s own event insurance, however C.Y.A. with a policy of your own and every OddCon will be the happy, joyous and repeating occasion we all want it to be!

Ben McSweeney, the talented artist for Fates Comics, Crafty Games, and Brandon Sanderson’s new fantasy epic which hits the bookshelves on August 31, will be joining our OddCon Panel list with tips and tricks in the industry. Find out where his current projects are going and what’s in store for the future!

Ken Anthony, cast of  ”As Night Falls” premiering this year at Screamfest 2010, and founder of Artistic License Studios, joins the roster to talk about acting, as well as his many other creative projects, in the Tampa Bay area.

The OddGods would love to welcome the talented Ross Winn, freelance geek author and speaker, who will not only lend his personal hand to the success of the Tampa Bay OddCon but will also be speaking on Geek Networking and various issues regarding the gaming industry today.

Host William Clark will be leading Q&A sessions on Role Playing and Character Creation. Whether you’ve been playing for 10 minutes or 10 years, come and learn (or teach) a thing or three about balanced character generation, intricate storytelling, and managing other players in the group.

Last, but most certainly not least, the badassery of Midnight Fistfight comes to rock the hell out of your OddCon!! Last seen rocking the hell out of the Battle of the Bands brought to you by Gorilla Productions, come feel the metal Friday night!

The ongoing battle between government legislation and the video game industry has stretched over two decades. So far, all attempts to control and regulate the accessibility and widespread publications of games that are considered ‘too violent’ by elected officials. This ambiguous and subjective opinion has won the ear of the United States Supreme Court in the “infamous ‘violent video game case,’ Schwarzenegger v. EMA“. The Entertainment Consumer Association (ECA), a gamers advocacy group, will be endorsing the Tampa Bay OddCon to promote awareness and advocacy of First Amendment Rights. Should this legislation pass, video games will no longer be protected by First Amendment rights “could lead to new bills and laws curtailing video game access in states across the country”.

This is an important choice, as a gamer, to make. Your decision to add your name to the petition will be a step in the right direction. Video games, as an art form and a creative expression, deserve and are entitled to those same “inalienable rights” as any other filmmaker, artisan, or performer. The ECA will be providing more information on awareness and advocacy to be distributed at the Tampa Bay OddCon! For now, take a minute to be heard:

“If you’re a gamer and you care about gaming and your rights, stand up and be counted. Take a moment to help get the word out about this petition and encourage everyone you know to sign on!”

" I hope to see you all there. D&D awaits, people!"

“Seattle has PAX and Sakuracon but now Tampa Bay is getting OddCon in 2010!”

You heard it there first, billed with the best and brightest of American Geek and Gaming conventions, the TAMPA BAY ODDCON gets media notice as Tampa Bay’s very own unique convention. As a Geek and Gaming convention, TBOC will have the usual suspects: geeks and games; however, the TBOC is the ONLY geek and gaming convention for 18 and up, ONLY. The ambiguity of an “adult only” convention is purposeful. This is a convention designed to be for the cosplayers, gamers, discussions and exhibitions that are not restricted to a family friendly nature. This allows attendees, exhibitors, and performers alike to bring to the con what THEY want in a con.

Above and all, TBOC is a con made by geeks for geeks.

This is not to say you won’t find other aspects of adult orientation that might make “a real geek turn bright red in the face”, such as the leather and fuzzy handcuffs, but also discussion panels on sexual orientation and gender identities, legalities, and artistic expression in comics and gaming, mature flavored contests, seminars on swordfighting and authorship, and more. Moreover what you will find at TBOC is an adult atmosphere in which you, the geek, can relax and play, enjoy the scantily clad sights, and revel with others of your ilk. Just please … do not lick, bite, or mount the exhibits.

Tampa Bay, where death takes a holiday … and the rest of us freaks just live here.

Full of under the belt geeky skits, lots of Kung Fu fang busting, and even a little dice rolling, the giggle-worthy webisodes of The Hunted: Tampa will have a featured place in the OddCon ROFL Room. I love vampires and violence as much as the next girl-whom-says-vampires-should-not-sparkle. That’s a mouthful. And so are the fangs on Krayven! This quirky comedy pairs Buffy the Vampire Slayer (with a lot more testosterone) alongside Cops (with about the same amount of testosterone, but a lot more medieval weaponry). Come meet and discuss this unique show with creator/writer/director/actor of this series: Chris Fields! He will be discussing his show and current prospects at panels and will also be available for signings and photo opportunities. Maybe you (and I) will even get a few lessons in sword swinging kung-fu vampire killing!

Join us, and find where “death takes a holiday” in sunny Tampa Bay!

Geeks of the World, Unite! Today is International Geek Pride Day and as the world’s first Adult Only Geek Convention, this could hardly go by unnoticed! We are Geeks and we are PROUD! To celebrate and honor this most illustrious of holidays, your OddGoddess has come up with the first in a series of giveaways for the Inaugural year of the Tampa Bay OddCon!! The top 3 contributions will receive 1 FREE TICKET to the Con!

In this first installment, your task – should you choose to accept it – will be to paint your skin and whip out your video phones! Grab a friend, a stranger, a relative, or (if you must) paint yourself with “ODDCON” and, in the style of my favorite misfits, do the Truffle Shuffle! Do costumes, do skits, be creative, funny, raunchy – whatever! Just keep it under a minute!

Upload your entry to YouTube and post a link in the Comments below. The winners will be chosen and announced on both FaceBook and Twitter! ALL ENTRIES will be included and featured in the OddCon ROFL Room YouTube Channel. So what are you waiting for? Get dancing!

*Boom*