The Annual Day at the Faire

Location: Carver, MA

Unless you’re new to the area, you’ve probably heard of King Richard’s Faire, the largest and longest-running renaissance faire in New England. Perhaps you’ve seen the billboards or newspaper advertising, or maybe you’ve heard the radio spots. Perhaps you’ve attended, or maybe you’ve been wondering if it’s worth the hype.

Well, basically, the answer is yes. I’ve been going every year for the past four years, not much compared to some faire veterans, but enough to have gotten a good taste of what the faire is all about. I’m also fortunate enough to know several people who are members of the King Richard’s Faire cast, or have been in the past.

This time it was a little different, since I was there with my family. My mom and my brother, Tim,  are pretty much the definition of mundanes, so I was a little worried about their reaction to the event. Also present were Tim’s wife Denise, and my girlfriend, Gynn. Denise is not a total mundane. She was an Irish stepdancer for many years and that has to count for something.

So, of course the first thing that happened as we got in the gate was that one of the roguish types decided to flirt outrageously with Mom. Turns out she handled it quite well, and this set the tone for what turned out to be a very nice day.

My recommendations for King Richard’s Faire are to stick with the musical events as much as possible. The Villagers’ Pub Sings are great, and we also caught an excellent performance by the Royal Madrigals. My friends Tracey (Trey) and Tracey (Tra or Lil’1) were in the cast this year. Trey led the pub sings and both were involved in the street brawl. The jousts are excellent, as is the animal show (for those who like such things).

The faire also features a great selection of merchants, plus the usual assortment of jugglers, puppets, barbarians, Scotsmen, wenches, and musicians.

Admission is a bit pricy at nearly $20, and the food is infamously overpriced, but the faire remains a great time for your money. More than that, for me it’s become a place to meet old friends. Sometimes I even get to introduce them to Mom!


Bridgecon Brings Gamers Together

Roleplayers, miniatures wargamers, and CCG enthusiasts converged on Bridgewater, MA on October 10th for the first annual Bridgecon convention. The full-day event had well over fifty attendees, who braved the rain to participate in a fun-filled day of gaming. The venue for the event was the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society Hall in Bridgewater, and it was sponsored by Scholars Books & Games, and Boston Area Gamers Guild.

Magic tournaments went on all day, with Nat Fairbanks running DCI sanctioned sealed deck, Type II, and extended format tourneys. In addition, BAGG ran several melee games during the day, including a booster draft melee using Urza’s Saga, and our signature event, the Chaos Melee.

Roleplaying games run at the convention included a two-part underwater adventure for AD&D, as well as a Vampire: The Masquerade event. Miniatures games run included Battletech and Heavy Gear, both of which were very well received.

Scholars and BAGG both ran dealer operations, and the BAGG Grab Box was as popular as ever. All in all, it was a very enjoyable day for all those who attended. BAGG looks forward to future collaborations with Scholars on events in the Bridgewater area.