It was a good time at CondorCon XVI in San Diego. For us, it was a break from the winter wonderland of the Midwest as we invaded my old (and I do mean old) stomping grounds and hooked up with D’Ghor of the IKV Suvwl’ po’, Stormrider Fleet. That meant there were four Klingons in attendance at this convention in the land of sunshine.
Condorcon is a small convention with numbers between 300 and 400. But do they know how to rock!
Writer guest of honor was Todd McCaffrey, who has written a number of books based on Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series. Amber Benson of Buffy the Vampire series fame, media guest, made an appearance on Friday. Both were well received by the con goers.
The themes (yep, they had two) of the convention were Steampunk, Heroes and Villains. Many panels focused around Steampunk costuming and gadget making, plus panels analyzing heroes, villains, and their motivations. There was also a lively panel that looked at the word “hero” and its overuse in the media with an emphesis on if the word has been so overused as to lose its true meaning.
Numerous writers’ panels with GoH McCaffrey and other local writers participating, covering a variety of topics including “what makes a page turner.” All good stuff.
The Masquarade had nine entries, a nice showing for a con of this size, with the big award going to “The League of Steam,” for their steampunk costumes, which included a variety of neat hardware that made for great displays, shooting steam and nets. A well deserved win for this trio.
D’Ghor and I wandered the con on Saturday, getting pictures taken by folks, and potentially recruiting two new members for his ship, making this incursion a double success.
There were a couple of party rooms active on Saturday night, and the one with the beer was the place to be, as Chaz’s room hit max capacity with con-goers imbibing what he had to offer and a mix of conversation.
One thing that was truly amazing about this convention is the Art Show. It was top notch, featuring artwork by Kelly Freas (his estate) and Sue Dawe, local fantasy artist extraordinaire.
Many fan tables, and groups, including the Mars Society and the Heinlein society Blood Drive (19 pints!) lined the foyer are by the convention area.
A prop and costume display rounded out the convention.
There is only one thing this con needs: More Klingons!
photos at KAGCDQ
