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Orlando bound: Celebration VI begins Thursday!

Not surprisingly, posting from here on out will be a bit spotty due to Celebration. We will be covering the con, but it’s likely that any news will appear on Twitter first. Follow @ClubJade and @JamesJawa for real-time reports!

We’ll also have a bit of swag to give out: SPF 66 buttons! They’re small, just 1″ – perfect for hanging off lanyards, or wherever you find the space. Watch the Twitters to find us and get one of your own. (I also have a few bracelets left over from CV, but not all that many!)

In the meantime, here’s a quick look back at our convention tips:

  1. Vacation-ize your Twitter. I put mine into motion today.
  2. Clothes and shoes! Outside it’s Orlando, but inside it’s Hoth.
  3. Be nice to the volunteers!
  4. Expand your horizons. Try new things.
  5. There will be lines, but you don’t (usually) need to camp. As pertains to panels, anyway.
  6. Cameras, phones, camera phones and sharing your photos.
  7. Navigating the autograph hall. It ain’t like dusting crops, boy!
  8. #The basics of bags. Things worth carrying.
  9. Beware the con crud. No one likes to get sick at con.
  10. Watch out for the rumor mill. Stay informed.
  11. Time to pack! Suitcase up!
  12. Photographing fans in costume. Our most popular guide!
  13. Keeping in touch with texting and apps.
  14. Don’t be a creeper, or, basic human decency 101
  15. The quick guide to Q&As.
  16. Showering is good, and other miscellany. A place to add or ask about anything else.
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Convention tips: Showering is good, and other miscellany

Well, this is it: The last of our tips, at least for this round. (I’m sure we’ll all have tons more ideas at the con, though.)

→ Bathe. Shower. Every day at the very least. I have to say that generally Celebration is one of the least stinky cons that I’ve attended, but still, it’s worth saying. Also, deodorant! Toothpaste! Breath mints! And no, excessive perfume/body spray is not an acceptable substitute and can in fact be almost as bad as BO.

→ If you’re costuming, be sure to get familiar with the weapons policy.

→ From Eliz: “Beware the menus shoved under your door. Never order from somewhere that you have not verified with the front desk at least first. Most of those convenient menus are there as part of a scam. They may have outlawed the practice, and I’m annoyed hotels don’t do a better job policing who is wandering their halls, but I’d expect to see at least one of these. Again, the front desk people are your best bet on who to order out from. Also consider reviews on Yelp and Foursquare, but those could be fluffed up as well.

→ From Carla: “Walk through the dealer room at least once before buying anything, so you can get the best price. Exchanges/returns may be problematic. Buy responsibly. Think about whether you can afford something and where you’re going to put it before making a purchase. It’s easy to get carried away. That said I like to bring more cash than I actually plan to spend, just in case.”

Did we miss something? Now is the time to pitch in with your best hints, if it doesn’t fall under anything else we’ve covered.

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EUbits: Last-minute Celebration updates and more

Celebration VI Lots of schedule-posting has been going around. Leland Chee has his at the StarWars.com blog, while the official CVI site has the Barnes & Noble booth signing schedule. Troy Denning, Drew Karpyshyn, Jason Fry, and John Jackson Miller have their schedules up as well.

The blogside. Miller wrote a nice post on Star Wars things you probably don’t remember for the TOS blog, including a version of Heir to the Empire that came with an overwrap. Meanwhile, Pete Morrison goes into Encyclopedia Brown mode to deduct what Jason Fry is working on now.

Interview. Linda Hansen-Raj talks to Del Rey’s Shelly Shapiro at the Fangirl blog.

Reviews. A couple more looks at Mercy Kill from Brian at Tosche Station and Kirkus. And James reviews the Bruce Lee vs Darth Maul smackdown of The Clone Wars: The Sith Hunters digest.

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GenCon: Fantasy Flight puts Star Wars RPG into beta, releases X-Wing minis

Fantasy Flight Games, which picked up the license for Star Wars role-playing, card, and miniatures games last year has introduced a beta version of their upcoming Star Wars Role Playing Game at this weekend’s Gen Con in Indianapolis. They’ve also finally released their X-Wing Miniatures Game.

The role-playing game will be beta tested in three installments, and the first, entitled Edge of the Empire, is available (the 224 page rulebook is $30) at GenCon, online, and some select retailers. The game introduces the use of unique, custom dice as part of the gameplay, and includes sticker sheets to customize your own dice. Edge of the Empire focuses on characters at the fringes of society: those in the Outer Rim, and assorted scum and villainy. An Obligation game mechanic will help provide narrative for why the characters are out on the Rim, and what are they running from.

The upcoming beta installments, Age of Rebellion, will focus on being part of the Rebel Alliance, and bringing the fight to the Empire, while Force and Destiny introduces the powers of the Jedi… and being wanted by the Empire. Ben at Word of the Nerd has been gathering some of the buzz at Gen Con about the game, and wonders if it can top the popularity of the last RPG. 30 bucks to beta test a role playing game? I can understand the printing costs…. but… if you end up testing all 3 installments, you might be out close to a Benjamin, for something that is not the final version of the game. (Who they will make their money on: Wookiepedians!)

At Gen Con 2011, Fantasy Flight Games demoed versions of their co-op card game and X-Wing minis game. This year, the X-Wing Miniatures Game has launched, and is available at Gen Con (until it sells out), and Fantasy Flight has put the core rules up online and held a tournament for the game on Friday.

FFG will be at Celebration VI (booth 739) and has announced they will be selling (and demoing) X-Wing. I’m sure that they will also be pushing the Edge of the Empire RPG installment.

Will we also see the card game at some point? It was supposed to come out in the spring, but it was pushed back as they kept tweaking it to make it more epic (and perhaps less akin to their existing Living Card Games).

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Put your hands up! Join the Party Rock Cantina flashmob Saturday at Celebration VI!

Remember that Party Rock Cantina Band video that was going around last month? We’re going to recreate it at Celebration VI as a flash mob. Because really, where else would you do it?

Anyone attending CVI is welcome to join in– just watch and practice the dance tutorial video (above!) beforehand, then show up in the Hall C Lobby (the one that had the giant AT-AT at CV) at 4:30 pm on Saturday. Costumes are highly encouraged but certainly not required. And don’t worry if you think you aren’t a great dancer– this is all about being ridiculous, so just try your best! Please RSVP to our Facebook events page so we have a rough idea of how many people to expect.

We’re still looking for photographers/videographers as well as a way to play the music loudly. Local? Driving? Dig out your boombox!

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Pablo takes on Del Rey and Brian Daley Friday at CVI

Pablo Hidalgo looks at Day 2 on the Behind the Scenes stage, which starts off with the Del Rey panel and ends with a tribute to Brian Daley. Also, Warwick Davis, Hasbro, the Ralph McQuarrie retrospective, and model making. You know where we’ll be next week!

Not that Pablo says he expects the Del Rey panel to “be dominated by audience Q&A,” so start thinking up some good questions… I’ll have a few general Q&A tips early next week.

And Aaron Allston has posted his signing and panel schedule. We got Zahn’s the other day. UPDATE: And here’s Del Rey’s full Celebration VI schedule.

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Convention tip: Watch out for the rumor mill

Star Wars Celebration III - Asajj Ventress vs Anakin SkywalkerGranted, you might find a cunning doppelganger… (CIII photo by Pop Culture Geek.)

At Celebration V, a Jader on volunteer duty ran into a fan who had heard that Hayden Christensen was attending and had driven hours just to see him. Alas, it was just a rumor and the Jader had to break the news that no, Hayden wasn’t coming.

Don’t let this happen to you! Remember that the only solid information on Celebration guests will come from StarWars.com or StarWarsCelebration.com, and you should always – always – check with them before taking any such ‘news’ to heart.

Yes, as a fan site, we’re not beyond posting rumors, but we do make an effort to clearly mark them as such… Authors, for instance, aren’t listed on those sites, but we always link to an official source. (Usually Del Rey on Facebook, these days.)

The same goes for all other cons. If there’s a guest you really want to see, always check the convention web site and/or the personalities’ personal page or Facebook fan page (assuming they have one and keep it updated) before committing to a convention. Also be aware that despite all this, sometimes things come up and people may have to cancel at the last minute.