5 Adventures to Know Me
Part of the User Manual Series where I give some brief overviews of the media, experiences, thoughts that help make me...me. Released hourly on my 32nd birthday.
D&D In A Castle
D&D In A Castle is a VERY expensive event to attend. I went on a whim, mostly because Mark Meer as a DM was still available, and I took on a little bit of debt to make the trip a reality.
The overall experience is one that I still talk about. Flying to Newcastle and getting to stay in a castle was incredible. It is the same castle they use for Asgard in Thor: The Dark World. It was super fun to explore.
The event starts with a dance and a banquet with a full medieval show to enjoy. You meet your fellow players and head off for the night before the first session begins the next day.
The campaign is something I will likely write about separately in the future but the evil campaign that Mark Meer put us through was a fantastic journey. I really connected with one of the players at the table and it was just an absolute thrill ride.
We also, as an aside, got to take some time to paint our own dice trays and play a session of Vampire the Masquerade with Jason Carl which was insane.
Covid cut off our opportunity to attend a second time and I'm not sure if my live is heading in the direction to be able to go again but I'm so glad that I got to play through a full weekend of D&D as Belqwen Nadaar the Dragonborn Druid.
NYCC and Critical Role Live
This was an example of a trip where all the stars just seemed to align. I saw there were cheap flights to New York going via Lufthansa and they lined up well with Critical Role doing a live show just before New York Comic Con started up. What an opportunity.
I arrived in New York that morning and did a bit of exploring. The Nintendo Store, Empire State Building, Midtown Comics, a bunch of hot dog vendors. By the time I was sat in the theatre for Critical Role I was exhausted but the VIP experience I purchased was well worth it with a fabulous, signed poster, wooden dice tray and an hour-long Q+A with the group before the show.
The show itself was an amazing experience. The hype in the crowd was unbelievable and the whole night was just such a great laugh. I had lovely conversations with my seat neighbours as well. It didn't end until after midnight so I was EXHAUSTED. Straight in a taxi and back to the hotel.
New York Comic Con is a 4 day event so I had no reprieve the next morning as I walked straight to the Javits centre. What stood out about NYCC over MCM London was that Power Rangers and Dragonball both had a huge presence. I assume this is mostly just the popularity of those shows are so huge in the US but it was wonderful for me.
The next four days were jam packed, but it was great to meet the likes of Jason David Frank, Matt Mercer, Janet Varney and many more. The shopping here was crazy, and I had an amazing experience all around.
Disneyland Paris
My first experience of Paris was seeing a man shit in the middle of the street. Not the most amazing morning in the city before heading onto Disney to meet up with the gang.
Thankfully Disneyland was an absolute delight and lived up to the "magic" that Disneyworld had always promised but never quite delivered in Orlando.
We stayed in the Avengers hotel which was so swish. The room-service breakfast was very reasonably priced and delicious every day. The parks themselves just have an elegance to them that the US parks didn't have. It felt like there were hidden places to discover instead of us being ferried along on a specific trail to every giftshop.
The Mickey Mouse cookies and Mickey Mouse pizzas were super tasty as well. It was nice to be able to just get normal food in and around the park. There's even a Five Guys and Mcdonalds within a few minutes' walk of either park.
I'm so looking forward to getting back here again in the future. Hopefully with more Star Wars added!
Wexford
It doesn't all have to be globetrotting adventures. Sometimes it's nice to just relax, go to a spa and have a relaxing massage. Sarah and I love these little weekends away and Wexford is one of the best spots for it.
We usually stay in a hotel called Whites that has a lovely spa on site and does some good bar food. The town has a little retro game store that always has some cool Game Boy shelves to browse along with a whole section of retro gaming magazines. The owner is a regular at conventions around the country and is super helpful.
There is something to be said for just sitting for a bit.
London
I could write about my experiences in London for days and days. It's my home away from home. 15 years of MCM comic cons. 25 years of Tottenham matches. Midsummer Night's Dream at the Globe, Tommy Wiseau Live at the Prince Charles, The Tomb Raider Experience.
There's the Kyoto gardens. The hidden shops in Camden. There's NQ64 for Time Crisis and Swingers for Mini-Golf.
I've seen the Mousetrap, Hamilton, The Book of Mormon, The Play that Goes Wrong, Hercules, Grease, The Lion King, Stranger Things the First Shadow and the full two-part The Cursed Child.
There's Forbidden Planet. The huge Lego store in Leicester square. The London Graphic Centre. The Razor store.
The Prince Charles - my favourite cinema - where I saw Temple of Doom in 70mm.
Above all, it's been a great place to reunite with old friends. It was where I first got to meet Znow in person and where I saw Tina for the first time in years. I love sitting in the Waterstones café and just relaxing.
London is such a special place.
