Steps from concept to distribution. We’ll take a walk through the process of board game development then we’ll give focus to the steps people in the audience have the most questions about.

Isaac Asimov wrote provocative fiction about the about the role of robots in a futuristic society. His three Laws of Robotics made for fascinating reading. Time has marched on and we are on the cusp of modern automation. Are these laws still relevant? Come find out!

In all of our fictional worlds, there is some way that the world came into being. And then, there is the way the denizens of that world believe that they came into being. From the creation of gods to the way people explain their world without them we will examine how to create truths and fallacies that make your world more compelling and relatable.

What is the data? We demand proof and yet accept the pretext of anecdotal testimony in making serious decisions in life.  How does data move from raw data to information to scientific theory and thought? Come listen to our panel of experts discuss this rather torturous process.

The terrible news about the risks of climate change are almost impossible to dodge, as are the attempts to "greenwash" the organizations and institutions that are responsible for the current situation and essential to resolving it.

Running a tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) can be challenging. The panel offers ideas on how to improve being a GM, campaigns, and creating adventures for cons. Bill Stevenson has years of experience with numerous game systems and running at numerous cons including Radcon and Gamesfest.

Consent is mandatory for most interactions. Come join a conversation with people who deal with consent in everything from their professions, to daily encounters with friends. Ask questions about anything that may confuse you on the subject and learn language that will make getting and giving consent a more natural process.

Arrival, and the Ted Chang story it's based on, take on the problem of communicating with a truly alien lifeform. Back in the real world, people have been communicating with ASL-signing great apes and talking parrots for decades, and debating about whether we are having an actual conversation for almost as long. So, why should we think we'll be able to converse with aliens, and what can we learn from bonobos, elephants and dolphins (among others)?

It's a familiar accusation for many writers. We're told our work is "woke" or someone tries to ban our books. But SF and Fantasy have always been political. We'll talk about holding off the dreaded accusation, "That's Too Political."

Gail Carriger's work on the Heroine's Journey gives a great counterpoint to the Classic Hero's Journey made famous by Joseph Campbell, among others. Come ready to discover Carriger's book, or better yet, read it ahead of time so we can dig right in! (you didn't think there would be homework for Radcon, did you?)https://gailcarriger.com/books/hj/

The Babylon 5 episode "Parliment of Dreams" featured a week-long festival of all of the major religions represented on the space station. Let us come together and enact a similar situation: we will share from our various faith traditions with each other.

Isaac Asimov wrote provocative fiction about the about the role of robots in a futuristic society. His three Laws of Robotics made for fascinating reading. Time has marched on and we are on the cusp of modern automation. Are these laws still relevant? Come find out!

A discussion on the lore and fandom of the Dresden Files. Including a discussion of headcanon, actual cannon, and speculation on what will come of the aftermath of "Battleground"?

Yes, writing is a lonely business. But feedback from peers, encouragement from others, and prods to keep writing are important, too. And you can get all that in a Writers' Group. Discussed will be how to find a writer's group, writer's group etiquette, and other topics important to the group environment.

The annual presentation of what the other Space Agencies are doing. This could include, but is not limited to, the European Space Agency, Russia, Japan, Canada, and China.

According to Jung's archetypes theory and Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces, humans seem to need story the way we need sunlight and air. What is it about stories that makes them so compelling to our nature? Why do we seek them out and how do they help us? Can a story do the opposite of helping? If you are a reader, movie watcher, or even a creator, come learn the behind-the-scenes mental mechanisms of why we like to watch the journey of someone else.

Reading from his book and some works in progress. 

Did George Washington really chop down a cherry tree? Did he have wooden teeth? Was Napoleon really short? We'll examine common myths that have been passed along as historical fact and discuss how they became so well (and incorrectly) known.

Many people think consent is all about sex and kink. But consent should be for all ages in all aspects of life and we would like to talk about some of the ways to impliment that in your daily life and lexicon.

One of the key marketing tricks in writing is...reading! Come listen to this panel of authors talk about how to read your stories out loud and make it entertaining.

What's the sci-fi ideas do you wish someone would write about? For example, Stephen Hawking once said, "Imaginary time is like another direction in space. It's the one bit of my work science fiction writers haven't used because they don't understand it." What crazy ideas do you have? Have you ever ended up writing about something because no one else would? How did that go? How important is the premise in a sci-fi story to you versus the action, or the plot, or the character interactions?

A recent text analysis by AI found a subtle pattern in stories collected from around the world and in hundreds of languages. This supports my observation that the structures of theater, traditional and modern, from Japanese Noh plays and Chinese operas to the Hollywood 3-Act screenplay, as well as Freitag's Pyramid, and the 7-sentence fairy tale (the basis for all Pixar films) all describe the same basic pattern of rising and falling tension: the secret structure of all stories.

Come bid farewell to our guests!