West Coast Science Fiction Association

Here Be Dragons
Event Guests
Programming
Cave of Vendors
Getting There
About the Venue

Programming Schedule

Note: the schedule is subject to change.

Registration Desk (SE06-Lobby)

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    Registration Desk
    Open for pre-reg pickup and on-site purchase.

Cave of Vendors (SE02−212)

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    Cave of Vendors
    FREE ENTRANCE for ALL!
    Come seeking exciting treasures and geektastic gifts.
    For more info, see the Cave of Vendors page.

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    Video on TVs
    Treasure Planet

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    Video on TVs
    The Lion, the Witch & The Wardrobe
    (Episodes 1, 2 & 3)

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    Video on TVs
    Galaxy Quest

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    Video on TVs
    The Last Unicorn

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    Video on TVs
    ReBoot
    (Episodes 1, 2 & 3)

Main Programming (SE02−214)

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    Opening Ceremonies
    Welcome to Here Be Dragons!

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    Dragons Around the Globe and Beyond
    Guests: Bonnie Jacoby, Sapha Burnell, Janine Cross, Brad Finlayson
    § § §
    Why are Dragons found in so many cultures and places? Why are they both revered and feared? And what makes them the symbol of what lies beyond the edges of explored territory?

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    Building Fantasy Worlds: Escaping Western Europe
    Guests: Janine Cross (Moderator), Wren Handman, Beth Wagner, Ziggy Schutz, Bonnie Jacoby
    § § §
    How to write interesting worlds that aren’t just Europe?

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    Where Do I Go From Here? The Editing Process Explained
    Guests: JM Landels (Moderator), Holly Schofield, Cat Girczyc, Bonnie Jacoby, Katrina Archer, Kristi Charish
    § § §
    You’ve written your awful first draft and now it’s time to plunge into the fog towards a publishable manuscript. Do you join a critique group or venture into it alone? Do you need a professional editor? What’s the difference between developmental edits, line edits, and copy edits? Our panelists will attempt to shine a light into the murky swamp that is revision.

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    Here Be Dragons: Exploration Hazards
    Guests: Janine Cross, Kristi Charish, George Tufnail, Ziggy Schutz, Brad Finlayson
    § § §
    What are the hazards of exploration? Both creature or environmental, from fantasy worlds to space and beyond.

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    Fandom Feud
    Fandom Feud is a game show event that pits 2 teams drawn from the audience against each other, in a battle of pop-culture popular answers! We survey 100+ people, and contestants have to guess the most popular responses. In honour of being at Here Be Dragons, our theme for this show is EXPLORING THE UNEXPLORED.

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    The Horrors Beyond Imagination
    Guests: George Tufnail, Janine Cross, Don DeBrandt, Peter Darbyshire, Linda DeMeulemeester
    § § §
    Eldritch and evil beings that most adventurers wish to avoid, from ghosts and vampires, to the terrors beyond the stars and the dark gods lurking in the deep.

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    Building Backwards: Crafting Stories First, Worlds Second
    Guests: JM Landels (Moderator), Cat Girczyc, Wren Handman, Peter Darbyshire, Krista Wallace, Corey Van Egdom, Katrina Archer
    § § §
    Crafting Stories First, Worlds Second, explores how world-building can emerge naturally from the needs of the story itself, offering a more flexible and character-driven creative process.

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    Closing Ceremonies
    Let us thank you for joining us!

Small Programming (SE06−209)

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    Climate Fiction
    Guests: Katrina Archer (Moderator), Ziggy Schutz, Holly Schofield
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    Is all fiction set in the future “climate fiction”? Do they have to be dystopias? How is the Solarpunk genre changing readers’ (and writers’) mindsets? Bring your questions to the panelists and watch as the pathways fork into an infinite number of possible futures.

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    Game Design
    Guests: Lisa Smedman (Moderator), Toren Atkinson, Sapha Burnell, Corey Van Egdom, Brad Finlayson
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    Creating worlds, maps, scenarios, and mechanics for others to play with and in.

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    Discovering the Unexplored World of Godzilla
    Presenters: Stan Hyde, George Tufnail
    § § § (He’s a Dragon!)

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    Exploring Alternate Media
    Guests: Cat Girczyc (Moderator), Wren Handman, Don DeBrandt
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    While poems and novels may be the classic heart of speculative fiction, games, movies and TV (both live action and animated), comics, and graphic novels are equally important to the modern sf/fantasy fan. What are the differences and similarities between the forms for creators and fans? What new media will be explored in the future?

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    Comic and Zine Creation
    Guests: Ziggy Schutz, Don DeBrandt, Beth Wagner
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    How are comics and zines different from other media? What are the secrets to their creation, and why are they so eternally of interest?

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    Speculative Poetry: The Frontier of Imagination
    Guests: Sapha Burnell (Moderator), Ziggy Schutz, Marcie Tentchoff
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    The Frontier of Imagination, Poetry invites deep exploration of language and ideas, allowing both writer and reader to discover new meanings in minimal, powerful form.

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    Illuminating the Map
    Guests: Toren Atkinson, Sapha Burnell
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    Illustrating for books, games and other media.

Workshops, Presentations, Readings (SE06−203)

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    Bringing the Creatures at the Edge of the Map into 3D: An Intro to Models
    Presenters: Monster Attack Team Canada, featuring Stan Hyde & George Tufnail
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    An introduction to the art of building and painting models

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    Make Your Own Monster: A Creative Sewing Workshop
    Instructor: Liz Gordon
    Max Participants: 15.
    Ages: 10+ (younger okay with a helper)
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    A free of cost creative sewing workshop that allows for building individualized cloth monsters from materials and parts that will be provided.

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    Reading by Corey Van Egdom

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    Reading by Krista Wallace

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    Reading by Sapha Burnell

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    Reading by Katrina Archer

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    How to Write About Horses Without Sounding Like an Ass
    Presenter: JM Landels
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    If you’d like to send your characters exploring on horseback and get it right, this session will help you sound like an expert. How far can a horse travel in one day? How would you care for it on a long journey? What are the costs of owning a horse? How varied are their personalities and what relationships do they really create with humans?

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    Reading by JM Landels

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    Reading by Wren Handman

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    Reading by Cat Girczyc

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    Reading by Lisa Smedman

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    Reading by Don DeBrandt

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    Reading by Ziggy Schutz

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    Reading by Bonnie Jacoby

Free Play Games (SE06−106)

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    Free Play Games
    The BCITSA Board Games Association is putting on gaming room complete with classic games like Catan and Monopoly plus whole new experiences like Arkham Horror and Terraforming Mars. Drop in and play anything from cards to Mahjong or sign up for a TTRPG run by our amazing guests!

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    Terraforming Mars
    with Ken Hullett
    1 – 5 Players
    90 – 120 Minutes
    SIGN UP HERE
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    In the 2400s, mankind begins to terraform the planet Mars. Giant corporations, sponsored by the World Government on Earth, initiate huge projects to raise the temperature, the oxygen level, and the ocean coverage until the environment is habitable. In Terraforming Mars, you play one of those corporations and work together in the terraforming process, but compete for getting victory points that are awarded not only for your contribution to the terraforming, but also for advancing human infrastructure throughout the solar system, and doing other commendable things.

Scheduled Games (SE06−104)

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    Dragonflight
    GM: Lisa Smedmen
    SIGN UP HERE
    § § §
    Dragonflight is a “rules lite” RPG game in which players adopt a hatchling dragon (made of origami paper). The hatchlings go on quests together to acquire loot for their hoards. Challenges are resolved using a rock-paper-scissors mechanic. Dragonflight is a cooperative game that emphasizes storytelling. For more details, view the Dragonflight rules PDF.

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    D&D 5E
    CANCELLED
    GM: Kristi Charish
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    You know it, you love it, it’s Dungeons & Dragons. This game will have a more of a cozy mystery focus than the traditional dungeon crawl, and pre-generated characters will be provided.

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    Starship Zero
    GM: Toren Akinson
    SIGN UP HERE
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    Spaceship Zero is a 1950s-style game about a group of test pilots who take a “Better-Than-Light” drive ship on a journey around the galaxy. You can read much more about it on the Spaceship Zero official website!

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    Cutthroat: Grueling Jail
    GM: Sapha Burnell
    SIGN UP HERE
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    Cutthroat: Grueling Jail is a system agnostic TTRPG. It is a d6 dungeon escape room adventure with fantasy creatures as the enemies & puzzles to solve. More info on Cutthroat can be found on this website.

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    Pirate Borg
    GM: Jesse Scott
    SIGN UP HERE
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    Inspired by history, fantasy, horror and rum. Your cutlass & flintlock won’t save you from the hordes of skeletons, the Kraken, or even your own crew. Pirate Borg is a complete game based on and compatible with the award-winning MÖRK BORG RPG. You can read more about Pirate Borg on its official website.

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    Eureka: Fantasy Edition signup
    GM: Kai Koski
    SIGN UP HERE
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    Eureka is a TTRPG that features investigative mechanics that let players take initiative, use their characters unique strengths to find clues, and deduce conclusions themselves rather than to just walk into a room and roll Investigate. While Eureka is normally set in the real world, this is a small hack to make it more compatible with a fantasy setting. Read more about Eureka and the ANIM team.

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