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Featured Events
| When | What | Where |
| Friday 6.30-7.30pm | Opening Ceremonies & Ice Cream Social | Stevenson A/B |
| Fri 7-10pm Sat 10am-10pm Sun 10am-4pm | Open tabletop gaming hosted by Game-itoba | Gaming |
| Fri 7-7:30pm Sat 10am-10:30am Sun 10am-10:30am | Vendor Hall (VIP Access) | Vendor Hall |
| Fri 7:30-10pm Sat 10:30am-8pm Sun 10:30am-4pm | Vendor Hall (Open to public) | Vendor Hall |
| Sat Noon-2pm | Pre-judging for the Masquerade | Executive 4 |
| Sat 6-7pm | Masquerade | Stevenson A/B |
| Sat 8pm-1am | Social | Stevenson A/B |
| Sun 11am-1pm | WinSFA Senate AGM | Magellan |
| Sun 4-5.30pm | Closing Ceremonies | Stevenson D |
| Sun 5.30-6.30pm | Beefs and Bouquets | Magellan |
Absolutely Everything
| When | Event Name | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Fri. 6-6.30pm | Opening Ceremonies | Stevenson A/B |
| Let this year’s co-chairs officially welcome you to Keycon 42 and introduce our guests of honour | ||
| Fri. 6.30-7.30pm | Meet and Greet/Ice Cream Social | Stevenson A/B |
| Take a moment to sit, mingle, enjoy some ice cream and maybe exchange a word or two with our Guests of Honor | ||
| Fri. 7.30-8.30pm | Mikey Mason Concert | Stevenson A/B |
| Fri. 8-9pm | Creature Design with Jessica Redekop | Event Room A |
| Fri. 8-9pm | To Be Continued… Bad Fic Reading | Event Room B |
| Taking the legacy created by Laurie Smith and carrying the torch to explore an 18+ participation reading of a Bad Fan Fic. | ||
| Fri. 8-9pm | Sixty Years of Star Trek | Event Room C |
| Possibly the most popular science fiction franchise ever, covering television, movies, books, games and more. What are people’s favourite moments? Where can they boldly go next? | ||
| Fri. 8-9pm | So You Want to be a GM? | Magellan |
| Advice on running tabletop RPGs from presenters who have been doing it for decades. An easy entry for those who want to take the GM’s seat, but are not sure where to start. | ||
| Fri. 9-10pm | Origami with Lar DeSouza (Adults Only) | Event Room A |
| Fri. 9-10pm | Writing your Childhood with Ryan Costello | Event Room C |
| Between writing for Hasbro’s licensed role-playing games and managing Voltron’s social media accounts, Ryan Costello has worked on the majority of the brands he grew up with. He shares his tips for capturing a nostalgic tone, staying true to the brand, and satisfying both license holders and fans. | ||
| Fri. 9-10pm | Game Design: From Basics to Breakthroughs | Magellan |
| Take a look at the beginning steps of designing a game (be it a card game, board game, or role-playing game) and find out from local industry experts how to refine and carry your ideas forward to the next level. Learn what it takes to get started in game design by hearing about the experiences from some of Manitoba’s local talent. | ||
| Fri. 9.30-10.30pm | The History of Science Fiction Literature | Event Room B |
| From Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein to Cixin Liu’s Three Body Trilogy, Science Fiction Literature has amazed millions, if not billions, of people. What’s not to love? Everything conceivable has been explored. Yet, people keep finding new ways to tell stories, and to tantalize the senses. Will Artificial Intelligence change this? If so, how? With an eye to the future, let’s explore this amazing subject’s past. How much is too much? Do people want things simplified, or has Technology opened inconceivable doors to the imagination? | ||
| Fri. 10pm-12am | Plot Twist, The Adventure | Event Room A |
| You can’t spell Improvising without GM! Five members of the audience get to play in chaotic Essence20 combat run by Ryan Costello, one of the system’s designers. Everyone else gets a prompt from The Story Engine Prompts, which they can play to influence the adventure and mess with the GM’s most optimistic plans. During the game, Ryan gives the audience insight into the GMing and storytelling techniques he uses to keep his players engaged and the combat moving. | ||
| Fri. 10pm-1am | DANGER IN THE DETAILS: THE INCIDENT AT GLOOM LAKE | Stevenson A/B |
| In these 2+ hour storytelling sessions GMB Chomichuk takes on the role of Narrator while Participants choose the Characters, Details and Plot Twists of a story that plays like a game. What characters Do, Think, Feel, Say and Remember are up to you Storytellers, but the Dangers and Dooms are up to GMB Chomichuk. Agents Unknown have been sent to Gloom Lake to investigate an incident. The Incident has attracted Hungry UFOs, Reptilian Skinchangers, and Mind Control Agents who seem to have been attracted by the spontaneous development of psychic abilities in a group of small town kids. A game of cold war psychic espionage and conspiracy. | ||
| Fri. 11pm-12am | The Best of Douglas Adams | Magellan |
| No celebration of Keycon 42 would be complete without discussing the magnificent career of Douglas Adams. From Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy to Doctor Who to his views on religion, environmental activism, and technology and innovation. Bring a towel. There will be tears and laughter. | ||
| Sat. 7-10am | Saturday morning cartoons | Stevenson A/B |
| In the 1980s, the best part about Saturdays was the amazing morning cartoons. Every Saturday, kids would sit down with a bowl of cereal to watch classic cartoons like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe, Transformers, ThunderCats, Masters Of The Universe, Smurfs, Strawberry Shortcake, Jem and the Holograms, My Little Pony, Care Bears, and Rainbow Brite. Yes, kids back then had to wait an entire week to enjoy a whole day of cartoons. There was no streaming, no pause button, no rewind to hear what you missed! Come on out and relive the nostalgia and rediscover some forgotten classic! | ||
| Sat. 9-10am | Joey and Lillian’s Trivia Extravaganza | Event Room A |
| Are you good at pushing buttons? Can you tell the difference between the MCU and the DCEU?Come join Joey, Lillian and the Triviatron 3000 for some trivia fun. | ||
| Sat 9-10am | The Future Ain’t What it Used to Be | Event Room B |
| Join 4 Manitoban Sci-fi authors as they discuss where they get their ideas and how they reinvent the here and now into a variety of fictional futures. From colonising far off planets, to alternate histories, from space portals to post-apocalyptic cities – and so much more! Bring your questions, and your favourite pop culture examples of future-vision. | ||
| Sat 10-11am | Um Actually – Keycon edition | Event Room A |
| Sat 10-11am | Science Fiction in the 2020’s: In books: 3-Body trilogy vs Planet Imagine Trilogy. On TV: Starfleet Academy vs. Three Body Problem (Seasons One) | Event Room C |
| Science Fiction in the 2020’s: In books: 3-Body trilogy vs Planet Imagine Trilogy. On TV: Starfleet Academy vs. Three Body Problem (Seasons One) Media is complicated. At its root, it’s about stories, so let’s discuss cynical versus optimistic ones. Three Body Problem is an example of cynical. Star Fleet Academy and Planet Imagine are examples of mostly optimistic. What’s successful and what isn’t? What’s too gritty and what’s too nice? Do each of these hold a place in Science Fiction today? As well, there may be tangential discussions of where these stories place in Science Fiction history, and what are we looking forward to discovering when we read? | ||
| Sat 10-11am | Looking for Group Year 15 – A New Beginning, A Grizzly End | Magellan |
| Join Lar DeSouza, artist on Looking For Group for all 15 years of its initial run, and Ryan Costello, writer of the comic’s final year, as they discuss capturing what made the webcomic an early Internet phenomenon, creating new memories, and then finally wrapping up the plot in not a lot of time. | ||
| Sat 11-12am | SUPER PULP SCIENCE : HOW GENRE GETS MADE | Event Room A |
| GMB Chomichuk will host a discussion with panellists about the elementary particles of various genres and how to combine them into new effective stories. | ||
| Sat 11-12am | Sci-fi/Fandom Mad Libs | Event Room B |
| How do the madlibs look with our audience based contributions with a Fandom theme. | ||
| Sat 11-12am | Origami with Lar DeSouza | Magellan |
| Sat 11-12am | River City Sabers Combat Demonstration | Stevenson A/B |
| Sat 12-2pm | Behind the Castle Doors: The Origin of The Hilarious House of Frightenstein | Magellan |
| Since 2022, we have travelled across southern Ontario interviewing many people who fondly remember this great Canadian television show, as well as seeking out original members of the crew! In our film, you will hear stories of how the show began, backstage tales of production accompanied by never-before-seen photographs of the set and studio and even original music from dedicated fans! This project has been a labour of love, and we are incredibly excited to share the story of this cult classic with all the fans. | ||
| Sat 12-1pm | Kids Crafts | Event Room A |
| Crafts designed for children under 12 | ||
| Sat 12-1pm | Game Masters are Thumbs | Event Room B |
| TTRPGs are unique games in that they require a human buffer between players and the game system. Game designer Ryan Costello talks about how the player-GM (or DM if WotC isn’t feeling litigious) relationship is like the relationship between fingers and their thumb, both oppositional and needed to get a grip. | ||
| Sat 12-1pm | A Starter Guide for Self Publishing | Event Room C |
| Do you have a book inside you? There is a whole world of self publishing. Here’s a crash course in how to do it. | ||
| Sat 1-2pm | DIY Wooden Bookmarks | Event Room A |
| Come and paint or colour your own keepsake bookmark! You can even design more than one! Paints, brushes, trays, water, paint markers, sharpies, pencil crayons, and blank bookmarks will ALL be provided for your use (and of course, you keep the bookmark!) Cost is $2 per bookmark to cover supplies. Cash and tap will be available at the panel, or pre-pay at the JC Wood n Books table in the Marketplace. | ||
| Sat 1-2pm | Sixty Years of Star Trek | Event Room B |
| Possibly the most popular science fiction franchise ever, covering television, movies, books, games and more. What are people’s favourite moments? Where can they boldly go next? | ||
| Sat 1-2pm | Writing Sword and Sorcery stories | Event Room C |
| Sat 1-2pm | Blast a Stormtrooper with the 501st | Stevenson A/B |
| Sat 2-3pm | Craft Supplies Swap-meet | Event Room A |
| Are you running out of space in your craft room? Bought supplies for a hobby you didn’t get into? Looking for Something new, but want to try it first before committing? Come join the Keycon craft supplies swap meet! | ||
| Sat 2-3pm | More than Porkchop Sandwiches – G.I. JOE’s Place in Popular Culture | Event Room B |
| Ryan Costello loves G.I. JOE. Not only is he an author on more G.I.JOE Roleplaying Game supplements than anyone else, including being credited as a G.I. JOE Consultant, he helped run G.I. JOE conventions and moderate G.I. JOE message boards. Come chat if you like G.I. JOE or are curious how some Canadian could love A Real American Hero this much. | ||
| Sat 2-3pm | River City Sabers Workshop/Panel | Magellan |
| Sat 2-4pm | Nerf Shooting Range | Stevenson A/B |
| Join me for an hour (or two) in testing your skill shooting a wide variety of Nerf guns. There will several different target types and much fun to be had. Suitable for all. Small toys and candy are available for all who participate. This is best done in a long room so there is the range to shoot the Nerf guns and space behind the current shooter for all who show up. One hour worked last year but it was very rushed so 2 hours would be preferable. | ||
| Sat 3-4.30pm | Life, the Universe, and Everything: A Hands-On World Building Workshop | Event Room A |
| Calling all writers, game designers, and RPG DMs of all ages! Whether you’re experienced or aspiring or somewhere in between, join local author, Casia Schreyer for a hands on workshop and start building your world. Participants are encouraged to bring notes/outlines for any worlds they’re already working on. Paper, pens, and free world building resources will be provided (but participants are encouraged to bring a favourite notebook if they have). The workshop will start with a brief discussion of world building basics and pitfalls. Then, participants will have the chance to share ideas, ask questions, and work on their worlds. We’ll wrap up with a brief discussion on transitioning from world building to story telling. | ||
| Sat 3-6pm | The Nostalgia Trifecta | Event Room B |
| Try Renegade Game Studios’ Essence20 with one of the system’s designers. Play an elite JOE, a heroic Autobot, or a magical Equestrian to stop some time traveling shenanigans. The way you see the adventure’s setting depends on the pregen you play. No system or setting knowledge necessary, just bring a set of dice and a sense of adventure! | ||
| Sat 3-4pm | Using Adobe InDesign to Publish Your Ebook | Event Room C |
| Recently, I helped package N A Walker’s Protector of Planet imagine for publication as an eBook and soft cover book using Adobe InDesign. I can show the audience how the painted cover came together, a few drawings that were included inside, and how the book was formatted for eBook publication and soft cover printing. Techniques will be shared, in the hopes that authors can better prepare their publications in a more DIY manner. | ||
| Sat 3-5pm | Live Play! Zombies of the Corn | Magellan |
| Join in a live play of DM Lytha the Bard’s latest hit indie RPG adventure Zombies of the Corn. Join in as DM Lytha herself inflicts/runs professional GMs and game designers through the corniest zombie adventure you’ve ever seen. Filled with terrible/amazing puns this adventure will make the players, and you, groan more than the zombies as you just can’t help but laugh. | ||
| Sat 4-5pm | Comedy and Sci Fi | Event Room C |
| The author of Drunk Slutty Elf and Zombies takes you on an interactive tour of the funny side of science fiction and fantasy, from Ron Goulart to Terry Pratchett on the page, to Spaceballs and Scary Movie on television and movie screens. The best, the worst, and everything in between. | ||
| Sat 4-5pm | River City Sabers Combat Demonstration | Stevenson A/B |
| Sat 5-6pm | Mars | Event Room C |
| Mars, real human space exploration, past plan, and what’s going on | ||
| Sat 5-6pm | From Mind to Mini: Bringing Your RPGs from Playtesting to Published | Magellan |
| Host by DM Lytha the Bard, join the professionals of the Manitoba Game Designers on a quest to bring your creative role-playing game idea to life. From classics like Dungeons and Dragons to Indie RPGS, find out how to get your games ready for the table. From what play-testing is required, to formatting, dive into the world of RPG publishing and learn how to get yours published too! | ||
| Sat 5-6pm | The Creative Process | Stevenson A/B |
| Sat 6-8pm | Blood On The Clocktower | Event Room A |
| As you enter town square, you hear the *drip drip drip* coming from the clocktower. You look up to see the slaughtered body of The Storyteller! A demon and its minons have returned to town! Blood On The Clocktower is an in-person “liar-reveal” style game, similar to One-Night Werewolf, or Mafia. Unlike those games however, EVERYONE gets cool abilities to use, some very helpful, and some… well less so. The script chosen should be fairly accessible to new players, and there will be a short introduction to the rules before play begins. So come have fun lying to all your friends, and maybe stab them in the back with your sharp, demonic claws! | ||
| Sat 6-7pm | A Survey of British Science Fiction | Event Room C |
| A showcase of lesser known works of Science Fiction form the British Isles. Featuring books, games, comics, movies, television, toys, music, and beyond! | ||
| Sat 6-7pm | So I Have This Player… | Magellan |
| Sat 6-7pm | Masquerade | Stevenson A/B |
| Sat 7-8pm | Video Game Music Trivia! | Event Room B |
| VGM Trivia will be a pub quiz style event where attendees will complete either solo or in teams to answer a series of video game music related questions. I had originally styled this as a Jeopardy style quiz but this way everyone who attends can get involved instead of just a couple. Questions will range from “name that tune”, VGM history, composers, and a few surprises! One team will win! | ||
| Sat 7-8pm | Finding the Path to Pathfinder Work – How Pathfinder Fans become Pathfinder Professionals | Magellan |
| Winnipeg’s own Thurston Hillman and Jessica Redekop, and fellow Canadian Ryan Costello, all started as TTRPG fans before working on Pathfinder and other TTRPGs. Find out how Paizo, Pathfinder’s publisher, often hires from its fandom and how that improves the product. | ||
| Sat 8pm-12am | A Special Paizo Horror Game | Magellan |
| Sat 8pm-1am | Social | Stevenson A/B |
| Sat 9-11pm | An Evening of DANGER IN THE DETAILS: KILL THE SORCERER | Event Room C |
| In these 2+ hour storytelling sessions GMB Chomichuk takes on the role of Narrator while Participants choose the Characters, Details and Plot Twists of a story that plays like a game. What characters Do, Think, Feel, Say and Remember are up to you Storytellers, but the Dangers and Dooms are up to GMB Chomichuk. The Sorcerer Azoth- once a great champion of the realm has gone mad. His mind was eaten by the spirit of the DREAM STONE OF CARCOSA. But your old friend and mentor has sent a message to you in a dream; “You must come to the city of Vox Libram and kill me”. Can you find the terrible mercy to KILL THE SORCERER and destroy THE GEM or will you claim it for yourself? | ||
| Sun 9-10am | Interstellar Towel-ercise | Stevenson A/B |
| Bring your towel and join us for some light fandom inspired exercises set to fun music. Activities will be silly, non-strenuous, and easily adaptable for participants of all ages and ability levels. Chairs and water will be provided. Extra towels will be available for those interstellar travellers who have misplaced theirs. | ||
| Sun 10-11am | Joey and Lillian’s Trivia Extravaganza | Event Room A |
| Are you good at pushing buttons? Can you tell the difference between the MCU and the DCEU? Come join Joey, Lillian and the Triviatron 3000 for some trivia fun. | ||
| Sun 10-11am | Sixty Years of Star Trek | Event Room B |
| Possibly the most popular science fiction franchise ever, covering television, movies, books, games and more. What are people’s favourite moments? Where can they boldly go next? | ||
| Sun 10-11am | Q&A with Lar DeSouza | Stevenson A/B |
| Sun 11am-12pm | Um Actually – Keycon edition | Event Room A |
| A trivia game of fandom minutiae one-upmanship, where nerds do what nerds do best: flaunt encyclopedic nerd knowledge at Millennium Falcon nerd-speed. Come be a contestant or watch in the audience. | ||
| Sun 11am-12pm | GodHead | Event Room B |
| Sun 11am-2pm | Play With The Author – PFS 2-16 – Freedom for Wishes | Event Room C |
| Sun 11am-12pm | Inside the Mind of Taming of the Beast | Magellan |
| I have written a five-book paranormal romance series. For the panel, I would like to read excerpts from the first book of my series and do a Q&A. I would like to delve into the mind of the hero of my book. In past readings and Q&A sessions, people ask how my hero came to be and how I came up with the idea for my books. | ||
| Sun 11am-12pm | River City Sabers Kid’s Workshop | Stevenson A/B |
| Sun 12-1pm | Authors of Manitoba Round Table | Event Room A |
| I’m pitching us. I’ve got 25 books out, self published and from three different publishers, horror, fantasy, sci fi, short stories, novels. Rae Chell, Nancy Walker, R.J. Hore, we’re all prolific local writers, hard core, doing it for years, we’re all in the dealers room. We can do readings, round tables, discuss writing and publishing, how to, current trends and issues in the field, anything. There’s a bunch of us. We’re all willing to go up, all kinds of stuff. Sky is the limit (no live firearms though) | ||
| Sun 12-1pm | Kids Crafts | Magellan |
| Crafts designed for children under 12 | ||
| Sun 1-2pm | WINSFA Senate Annual General Meeting | Magellan |
| Sun 1-2pm | New Moon: Lunar exploration in the 21st century | Event Room A |
| Many people watched in awe as the Artemis II crew journeyed around the moon. What’s next? Who will land humans back on the Moon first? Join astronomer Scott Young for a look at upcoming Moon missions and what space explorations holds for humanity’s future. | ||
| Sun 2-3pm | River City Sabers Kids Activities | Stevenson A/B |
| Sun 3-4pm | YOU’RE ALL GOING TO DIE! | Magellan |
| Sun 3-4pm | Charity Auction | Stevenson A/B |
| Sun 4-5.30pm | Closing Ceremonies | Stevenson A/B |
| Sun 5.30-6.30pm | Beefs and Bouquets | Magellan |