I was on the train with Matt and Parker, coming back from Burning Con. We were riding that post-con high, geeking out hard. Matt told me about why Riddle of Steel is a better fit for The Gentleman Bastards books than Burning Wheel, his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle game using Riddle of Steel and so on. We were geeking out.
When I ask Matt why he thinks something, he shifts into Awesome Gear and explains things clearly, confidently and with volume. I was watching this guy watch us on our subway train and didn’t know how to welcome a stranger in to our circle on a crowded train, a conversation that was taking place on a sub-cultural tiny island in the rather small archipeligo of gaming geekery. Matt and Parker got off the train before me and I got a glimpse of the novel the stranger was reading by Garth Nix.
“Is that the first one?”
“No. Third.”
“I really loved the first book and should really read the next two. Love the cosmology, the strong female protagonist, the bells the river, the whole damned thing.”
“The next two books have a change of perspective but its in the same world. I really like it but there’s so much good stuff out there. Have you read China Mieville?”
BAM! And we’re off to the races for the rest of the subway ride.
Our conversation was really awesome, going from gaming to gender and Narnia and so on. I had two boxed sets in my hands on a crowded train, leaving me no way to exchange e-mails before I got off at my stop to catch the whatever train to wherever.
I mentioned NerdNYC and his buddies were on it but he wasn’t. It was the first time in ages I wish I had a business card of some kind with me to hand him.
Githyanki Diaspora 
Cool. We would have had to actually plan things in advance to do Burning Con. Ah well, it did mean I got to finish a bit of freelance proofreading work.
Even a small con like this one tires me out, and I skipped a couple sessions.
It was a good gathering of cool people.
I love it when things like that happen! I should probably get some calling cards made up sometime too. Phil ordered some for himself a few years ago and it’s worked out nicely for him.
It’s funny that you and Matt and Parker were having that conversation. My thief scenario that I ran at the con (that Parker was awesomely in) was very loosely inspired by The Gentleman Bastards. In polishing it up I may rein it closer to the inspiration source which may change it completely. But among the obvious thief-y stuff, I do love having identical twins as part of a party.
Awesome story! We’ve met an incredible number of new nerds on the subway. It’s one of the downsides of reading with an iPad / Kindle / Tablet. We can’t see the cover!