A USUALLY-MONTHLY PUBLICATIONMARCH, 2010

THE FANDOM ASSOCIATION OF CENTRAL

TEXASPRESENTS

THE FACT SHEET

The FACT Sheet - Mar. 2010 - Page 2 The FACT Sheet - Mar. 2010 - Page 3

Leadership Opportunities on the 2010-2011 FACT Board

FACT will hold its Annual Meeting on April 10, 2010. One key piece of business will be the election of the 2010-2011 Board. FACT President Brian Price compiled a list of current FACT members who are eligible for Board positions: people who have been FACT members for over 12 months and who have or have had job titles for the corporation, ArmadilloCon or World Fantasy which qualify them to be available for Board duty.

If you do not see your name on this list and want to run for the Board, please send a message to board2009@fact.org to have your status double-checked. (The issue may be that your membership has lapsed.)

Board members are expected to attend nine of the twelve meetings scheduled during their term. If you have questions about what being on the Board involves, please send a message to board2009@fact.org. Current board members will be delighted to talk with you about what is involved.

FACT stays strong because people stay involved. If your name is on this list, please give serious consideration to running for the FACT Board: Allston, Aaron; Babcock, Renee; Baty, Kurt; Burton, Elizabeth; Campbell III, A. T.; Carrillo, Kimm; Carrillo, Paul; Cheney, J. Kathleen; Cook, Shane; Cooper, Sara; Cupp, Scott. A.; Davidson, Tom; Dennis, Carol; Duarte, Jr., Fred; Duarte, Matthew; Felix, Sara; Gibbons, John K.; Hall, Betty; Hamilton, Elze; Haynie, Becky Matthews; Hollas, Eric; Juday, Jennifer; Kelley, Rocky; McGehearty, Patrick; Meschke, Karen; Miles, Jonathan W; Moore, John F; Moul, Marianne; Parker, Bill; Pinkerton, Max; Price, Angela; Price, Brian; Richardson, Kat; Richerson, Carrie; Riggs, Jim; Santana, Sonia; Scarbrough, Ed; Sciance, C. Thomas; Siros, Charles (Chuck); Siros, Nina; Siros, Willie; Snyder, Wendy; Taylor, Hunter; Taylor, Robert R.; Thompson, Dan; Thompson,

Julia; Tolliver, C. Daniel; Tolliver, Kenneth; Tolliver, Melissa; Yalow, Ben; York, W. Andrew “Andy;” Zrubek, Kim; Zrubek, Scott.

Scott Lynch to Be Instructor at AC 32 Writers’ Workshop

ArmadilloCon 31 Guest of Honor Scott Lynch has announced that he will be an instructor at this year’s Writer’s Workshop! Other instructors announced so far include Gordon Andrews, Ilona Andrews, Matthew Bey, Rachel Caine, Julie Kenner, Phoebe Kitanidis, Stina Leicht, Chris Roberson, Patrice Sarath, Anne Sowards, and Thomas M. Wagner. Manuscript submissions are due July 1. Go to http://www.armadillocon.org/workshop.shtml to get started.

Report from Owlcon 2010Twenty-three years after my first Owlcon, I returned

to Rice University this February to play games. Owlcon has been hosted in Houston for 29 years. This year, over 300 people (including my brother and myself) participated in board games, role-playing games, live action role-playing games, miniature games, card games, and life-size cockpits for mech-warrior battles.

Through pre-registration, I reserved three of the seven games I played over the three-day Owlcon convention. While the onsite registration was confusing, we did get to reseve all our other games in under a half hour. Kudos to all the volunteers that

UPUPCOMING FACT EVENTS

Saturday, Apr. 3, 6PM. Gaming (FACT member home, 4209 Dauphine Dr.)

Monday, Apr. 5, 7-8PM: North Austin Reading Group (Austin Public Library, North Village Branch, 2505 Steck). Planet of Adventure by Jack Vance.

Saturday, Apr. 10, 1 PM: FACT Annual Meeting & Board Meeting (Manchaca Branch, Austin Public Library, 5500 Manchaca Rd).

Tuesday, Apr. 20, 7-8PM: North Austin Reading Group (Austin Public Library, Milwood Branch, 12500 Amherst). Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews.

Monday, May 3, 7-8PM: North Austin Reading Group (Austin Public Library, North Village Branch, 2505 Steck). The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner.

Saturday, May 1, 6PM. Gaming (FACT member home, 4209 Dauphine Dr.)

SAVE! SAVE! SAVE!ARMADILLOCON 32 DISCOUNT FOR FACT MEMBERS!

If you are a FACT member in good standing, you are eligible to purchase your convention mem-bership at the discounted rate of JUST 35 DOLLARS. THE RATE WILL NEVER BE BETTER!

Do it today by going to:http://www.armadillocon.org/factrate.shtml

The FACT Sheet - Mar. 2010 - Page 2 The FACT Sheet - Mar. 2010 - Page 3

helped make Friday night setup workable. The three video projector display showing game enrollment status was sweet.

Our first game to play was Illuminati, a Steve Jackson card game of secret societies and group control from the 1980s. My brother played for the first time and took home the winning prize. This is a fun game that seems to have aged well. It’s one of the few games where cheating is permitted. I found it silly to have the UN control the Libertarian party. What’s up with that? But at least the comic book geeks were safe.

Saturday morning found us fighting the good fight in a global Pandemic. In this co-operative game, players work together to establish research centers and heal the sick before the world succumbs to the latest dread diseases. In our first game, the diseases won. In the second game, we saved the world. Phew.

After breaking for lunch (way off campus), we returned for some Ninja Burger. This is a recent Steve Jackson game that I first saw at ArmadilloCon in 2009. This card game combines Japanese honor, fast food, and lots of humor. Most of the fun comes from the elaborations people add to describe what their characters are doing to deliver the tasty burger treat.

Saturday evening brought two more Steve Jackson games. The first was a new one called Revolutions. We played a beta copy that included an expansion set planned for release in July, 2010. This blind auction game set in a medieval small town was the most fun by far. The game is quick and has very little luck involved. I will certainly buy a copy as soon as it comes out (so you can look for it at futue FACt game nights). At nine o’clock, Steve Jackson came to collect the beta, and I scored a signature for my copy of Munchkin. Sweet! Next time, I need to bring a t-shirt. If Mr. Jackson signs one, you get extra bonuses when playing his games.

At the end the Saturday, we rounded up four players for a three hour game of Munchkin Quest - the board game. This variant of the card game is just as much fun if you are patient. The extra dimension of moving physically through rooms is a fun way to get into miniatures without having to mortgage your house. I particuliarly liked the fact that the monsters you do not kill can move around and find you again.

On Sunday, we moved into the Great Hall where all the miniature games were being played. Here we tried out Heroscape. Our game master had brought two large suitcases filled with game parts and miniatures. He easily had over a thousand dollars worth of game gear. This is a mass-market game you can find at Wal-Mart. The rules are heavily dice-based, so it was not impossible to believe it when my brother and I defeated the two veteran players. While I found the setup time to be tedious, I think this game will certainly appeal to young males with disposable income and time.

Our final game of the convention was Nuclear War. Just as in the film Wargames, the only way to win this lovely game is not to play. In the first game, a 100 megaton bomb blew up the universe in a freak roll of the dice. Only the president in my country’s bunker survived. The next two games saw my country being bombed to bits before we could do much damage. Being dead did give me time to grab a quick and fabulous chai tea latte from the Rice coffee shop and to call home to say I was having a blast. Nothing says unfair like a small population and no missiles for your bombs.

In between the games, we headed downstairs to the Anime lounge. Today’s anime is just as strange as ever. It made for some serious head-scratching even with the sub-titles. The Japanese still love the peek-a-boo clothes and really large eyes. The interstitial music continues to be top-notch. Overall, the selections I saw were not up to the standard set by Miyazaki’s Castle of Cagliostro (though I did see that title was in the playlist for later in the day).

Yes, I’ll go again in 2011. Who’s with me?

FACToids and FriendsHoward Waldrop and Lawrence Person reviewed

the new Alice in Wonderland film for Locus Online on March 8. Enjoy it online at http://tinyurl.com/locus-alice.

Convention ListingApr. 23-25: Conestoga 14, Tulsa, OK. GOH S.M.

Stirling, Artist GOH Bob Eggleton, Fan GOH Leonard Bishop, Toastmaster Travis S. Taylor . http://www.sftulsa.org/conestoga/

June 26-28: ApolloCon 2010, Houston, TX. GoH Catherine Asaro; Artist GoH Keith Thompson; Fan GoH Pat Virzi. http://www.apollocon.org

Aug. 27-29: ArmadilloCon 32, Austin, TX. GoH Rachel Caine; Artist Cat Conrad; Editor Anne Sowards; Fan Elspeth Bloodgood; Toastmaster Nancy Kress; Urban Fantasy Special Guest Ilona Andrews; Steampunk Special Guest Michael Bishop. Adult memberships $35 until March 29. http://www.armadillocon.org

Aug. 27-29: Bubonicon 42, Albuquerque Grand (Sheraton) Airport Hotel, Albuquerque, NM. GoH Peter David; Toastmaster Mario Acevedo; Artist Guest Sarah Clemens. http://www.bubonicon.com

Sept. 2-6: Aussiecon, the 68th Worldcon, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. http://www.aussiecon4.org

Oct. 28-31: World Fantasy Convention 36, Columbus, OH. http://www.worldfantasy2010.com

Dec. 3-5: SMOFcon 28. Sainte Claire, San Jose, CA. http://www.smofcon28.org

Dec. 31-Jan. 2: Ikkicon, Hilton Austin, Austin, TX. http://ikkicon.com

Apr. 28 - May 1, 2011. World Horror Convention, Austin TX. GOHs Joe Hill and Sarah Langan, Media Guest Steve Niles, Toastmaster Joe R. Lansdale, Artists GOG Vincent Chong, Special Guest Brian Keene. http://whc2011.org/

Book GroupsMonday, Apr. 5, 7-8PM: North Austin Reading

Group (Austin Public Library, North Village Branch, 2505 Steck). Planet of Adventure by Jack Vance.

Wednesday, Apr. 14, 7 PM: Dark Forces Reading Group, Flightpath Coffee House, Death is a Lonely Business by Ray Bradbury.

Tuesday, Apr. 20, 7-8PM: North Austin Reading Group (Austin Public Library, Milwood Branch, 12500 Amherst). Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews.Thursday, Apr. 29, 7-8:30 PM, Barnes & Noble

Arboretum Café, Science and Religion in Fiction Book Club (Center for Inquiry). In the Country of the Blind by Michael Flynn.

Writing2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 7-10 PM: Slug Tribe, Hancock

Rec Center (41st and Red River).Alternate Wednesdays, 7-9 PM, Austin Creative

Writers (Feb. 3, 17). Borders Bookstore at Great Hills. Critique group (novels & short stories). For more information, go to groups.yahoo.com/group/austincreativewriting.

Reading Group Reports

September 15: Mightier than the Sword by Tom Holt

Thirteen attended this discussion at the Milwood Library. Our topic, Mightier than the Sword, was an omnibus of two Tom Holt humorous fantasy novels: Who’s Afraid of Beowulf? and My Hero. The first book involves enchanted Norse heroes being awakened after a long sleep by archaeologists in the 20th century. The second book concerns a writer whose book takes on a life of its own. Eight of us had read Holt’s work before. Eight started this book, four finished the first novel, and two finished both novels.

Most of us liked this book. We enjoyed reading about normal people being confronted with surreal mythical characters and situations, and the matter-of-fact way they handled it.

Everyone commented that Holt’s humor was different from other humor writers we’d read before like Terry Pratchett and John Moore, and it took a

while to get into the right mindset to enjoy Holt’s surreal brand of funny business. One person said that Holt requires more of the reader then many other writers do. Another noted that this book had long sentences and could not be read quickly.

Two members of our group did not enjoy the book. One said it “did not do much” for him. Another felt that Holt kept the reader so distant from his characters that it was hard to like them.

Those of us who finished both novels in this volume generally preferred the second book, My Hero, which was written much later. These readers felt the story moved faster and was more focused. One person particularly enjoyed the scene involving a gunfight in Pride and Prejudice.

Near the end of the meeting, we discussed other humor writers we enjoyed. British writers mentioned were Jasper Fforde, Terry Pratchett, Robert Rankin, Martin Scott, and Ben Elton. The American writers named were Connie Willis, H. Beam Piper, Eric Frank Russell, Neal Stephenson, and Rudy Rucker.

After our discussion ended, many of us had dinner at Mangia Pizza.

October 5: The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

This meeting at the North Village Library drew nine attendees. Our topic was The Dispossessed, a classic 1974 utopia novel set on the twin planets of Anarres and Urras. Eight of us had read Le Guin before. All started the book, and seven finished it.

Many of us thought this book was slow and difficult to read initially. One reader found the writing dense and the story hard to get into, and she had to set page reading quotas for herself. Another felt many of the transitions were jarring, particularly with flashbacks. A third commented that the slow pace and unlikeable main character were disappointing, and he would have given up after fifty pages if the book had not won so many awards.

One reader felt the writing was immaculate and worldbuilding was excellent. He did not think either society depicted in this book could work in reality. He enjoyed the problems the author posed and felt these societies gave her an interesting way to examine them.

One person said this was a “pure idea book.” Another said that this book did not contain enough action for his taste; he felt that little happened, and “ideas were beaten to death. Yet another commented that it felt like a book of the 1960s.

It was noted that this book is a member of a rare sf subgenre that examines the effects of language on society and society on language. It deals with interesting ideas like “How do you swear with no religion and where sex is not dirty?” Among the few

The FACT Sheet - Jan. 2010 - Page 4

Connect with FACT online:- Group List: groups.google.com/group/factlist- Website: www.fact.org- Facebook: ArmadilloCon 32

The FACT Sheet - Jan. 2010 - Page 5

other books in this subgenre is Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany.

A reader was pleasantly surprised by how well this book still holds up after thirty-five years. She is still interested in the ideas covered in The Dispossessed. She does not find the societies to be utopias, since they are both hard to get along in.

We discussed how the societies in this book reminded us of things we’d seen elsewhere. One member thought the lunar society was patterned after an Israeli kibbutz. Another felt that it was reminiscent of Cold War Russia. Another felt the society on one planet inspired the Centauri world on Babylon 5.

One person thought the first 150 pages of this book were a complete slog, but he ended up enjoying the book. He felt the concept was simple: whatever system you set up, people will try to game it. He felt that Shevek was an ingrate. He could not publish in his society and was not treated well, so he left. The next place he went treated him well, but he did not give his invention to them. Instead, he gave it to aliens he hardly knew.

A member commented that the main character in Le Guin novels is always atypical for a sf hero: contemplative, and out of step with their society. Another said that Shevek reminds him of Gulliver.

One longtime Le Guin fan discussed how the writer’s world view was informed by anthropology, which was her father’s profession and her own. He felt the depiction of Shevek’s life reminded him of real physicists like the secretive Isaac Newton. He said that Shevek is a lens to see the two societies, and these societies provide a lens through which we see characters.

Near the end of the meeting, it was noted that this book defeated The Mote in God’s Eye for the Hugo award. We had an enthusiastic discussion about which should have won, with defenders for both books. After we concluded, we had a nice dinner at Waterloo Ice House.

October 19: Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

This meeting at the Milwood Library drew nine attendees, including two first-timers. Our topic was Mistborn, a fantasy adventure novel by Brandon Sanderson. Four of us had read the author before. Eight of us started the book, and six finished it.

---A. T. Campbell, III

FACT 2009 Annual MeetingThe annual meeting of the Fandom Association

of Central Texas was called to order on Saturday, 2009, by Saturday, 14 March, by FACT President Karen Meschke at the Carver Branch of the Austin

Public Library, 1161 Angelina St., Austin, Texas, at 2:09 p.m. Present in addition to Ms. Meschke were Elizabeth Burton, Marianne Moul, Jonathan Miles, Brian Price, C. Dan Tolliver, Charles Siros, William Siros, Renee Babcock, Kimm Antell, Brian Murphy, Jennifer Juday, Eric Hollas, and A. T. Campbell III. Sara Cooper and Lynn Ward arrived at 2:31 p.m.

The secretary presented the minutes of the 2008 meeting. There being no additions or corrections, it was moved by Ms. Juday, seconded by Mr. Price they be accepted as presented. In the absence of objection, Ms. Meschke declared the motion passed by acclamation.

CORRESPONDENCE:

OFFICER REPORTSCHAIRMr. Price said it had been a good year for FACT,

with the organization getting on a more solid footing business-wise and creating job descriptions so those interested in taking on positions will know what those jobs entail.

PRESIDENTMs. Meschke noted a successful convention was

held and that ArmadilloCon 31 appears to be going well. The World Fantasy Convention account was closed, and FACT shared a mailing with ALAMO to get rid of leftover books from World Fantasy and the Nebula Awards. Gaming has moved from private to public and hopefully will be a as good a recruiting tool as has been the case with the North reading group.

TREASURERMs. Moul advised she has purchased QuickBooks

for Nonprofits and is still wading through past records trying to get them straightened out. She noted that the organization is not losing money.

SECRETARYMs. Burton noted she is continuing to refine the

various processes and that so far everything is going smoothly.

The FACT Sheet - Mar. 2010 - Page 6

REGISTRARMr. Hollas said it was a privilege keeping track of

what’s happening in the memberhsip and that he looks forward to doing it again in the coming year.

SOCIAL EVENTS MANAGERIt was noted both the Fourth of July and Superbowl

events were well-attended.

HISTORIANMr. Tolliver created an historical display at the

convention in honor of the 30th anniversary that was very well received.

MISMs. Antell stated she had done a lot this year,

moving the membership to a new mailing list to ensure everyone received it, adding a new CRM system and setting up more efficient registration processes. She also implemented a better process for getting rid of spam.

PUBLICATIONSMs. Juday noted she had a good year for the FACT

Sheet. She thanked Mr. Campbell for providing design software and training thereon that greatly improved her ability to produce a quality product. She added she has been contacted by artists asking to do projects for inclusion in the newsletter.

QUARTERMASTERMr. Siros reported that everything is finally

consolidated in one locker and the unwanted pegboard disposed of. The carts make the things much easier to move. He still needs to go through the office supplies and other items to see what’s there and eliminate what’s unnecessary.

COMMITTEE REPORTSARMADILLOCON ? Mr. Siros said the guests had a good time,

and the convention was enjoyed. He and Mr. Baty in particular thanked David Lee Anderson for stepping in as artist guest.

WORLD FANTASY CONVENTIONMs. Antell expressed concern regarding the

whereabouts of financial details provided by the previous treasurer. Ms. Babcock stated she felt odds were good the World Fantasy board would entertain another bid from FACT.

BYLAWS COMMITTEE Mr. C. Siros advised the committee recommends

some changes needed to make the organization

compliant with legal and other requirements, which are included on this year’s ballot. He advised they may have additional items for consideration at a later date.

READING GROUPSNorth: Mr. Campbell advised group attendance

varied from a high of 17 to a low of 7, and that the group has moved to new library location for one of it’s meetings.

South: Ms. Burton advised there has been some interest shown in the group but that to date the interest hasn’t expanded into attendance.

CONVENTION OVERSIGHTMr. W. Siros advised the committee had had no

reason to convene.

MEMBERSHIPMs. Burton stated the committee had agreed on a

need to attract more and younger members.There being no other business before the

membership, Ms. Meschke adjourned the meeting at 2 p.m. for the election of the board of directors. She reconvened the meeting at 2:37 to announce the board of directors for 2009-2010 would be: Jonathan Miles, Elizabeth Burton, Brian Price, Marianne Moul, C. Dan Tolliver, Charles Siros and William Siros. In addition, all proposed changes to the bylaws have been approved.

The business of the annual meeting having concluded, Ms. Meschke adjourned at 2:45 p.m.

About The FACT Sheet

Editor: Jennifer Juday

Contact: The F.A.C.T. Sheet, PO Box 26442, Austin, TX 78755, publications@fact.org

Artwork: DolloTex logo ©1988 by Brad W. Foster. Robot on page 8 ©1996 by Eddie Wilson.

Copyrights: All contents copyright © 2010 by the Fandom Association of Central Texas, Inc., except where otherwise noted.

Trademarks: “World Science Fiction Convention,” “WorldCon,” and “Hugo” are registered service marks of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated non-profit literary society. Nebula Awards is a registered trademark of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

The FACT Sheet - Mar. 2010 - Page 6

NAME: _______________________________________________________________________

BADGE NAME(S):_______________________________________________________________

ADDRESS: _____________________________________________________________________

CITY: __________________________________ STATE: ___________ ZIP: __________________

E-MAIL: _______________________________________________________________________

___________ �-DAY ADULT (�� and up) MEMBERSHIPS @ ��� EACH (FACT MEMBER)* = _______

___________ �-DAY ADULT (�� and up) MEMBERSHIPS @ ��� EACH* = _____________________

___________ �-DAY STUDENT (��-�� OR with current College ID) @ ��� EACH = _____________

___________ �-DAY KID (�-��) MEMBERSHIPS @ ��� EACH = _____________________________

___________ WRITERS’ WORKSHOP MEMBERSHIP*** @ ��� EACH = _____________________

* This special rate is available only to FACT members in good standing. ** This special rate is available only un�l July ��. Payment must be received online via Paypal or must be mailed to our PO Box and postmarked by that date.*** Includes �-day conven�on membership. Does not include lunch. Rate good un�l workshop submission deadline of July �, ����. Website listsaddi�onal requirements for workshop applica�on.Make checks out to ArmadilloCon �� and send to PO Box �����, Aus�n, YX �����, or go to www.armadillocon.org and pay via Paypal.

ARMADILLOCON 32Rachel CaineGuest of HonorAuthor of The Weather Warden Series

Cat ConradAr�st Guestwww.Ar�stsInResidence.com/Cat

Anne SowardsEditor GuestEditor for Ace Books & Roc

Elspeth BloodgoodFan GuestAcclaimed for work on Conestoga

Nancy KressToastmistressAuthor of Beggars in Spain

Ilona AndrewsUrban Fantasy Special Guest Author of Magic Bites series

Michael BishopSteampunk Special GuestAward -winning author of No Enemy But Time

Austin’s Literary FSF ConventionAugust 27-29, 2010

Renaissance Aus�n Hotel���� Arboretum Blvd.

Aus�n, Texas

Writers’ Workshop - Art Show Gaming - Dealers’ Room

Mul�-Track Programming And More!

www.ArmadilloCon.org

march ���� fact sheetAnother Great Con Brought to You By F.A.C.T. | www.fact.org

PICTURE COPYRIGHT 1996 BY JEAN-PIERRE NORMAND.

FIRST CLASS

The FACT SheetThe Fandom Association of Central TexasP.O. Box 26442Austin, TX 78755-0422

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!FACT ANNUAL MEETING Saturday, April 10, 1 PMAustin Library, Manchaca Branch,5500 Manchaca

FACT WANTS YOUR VOTE!

PLEASE ASSIGN A PROXY OR ATTEND THIS YEAR’S ANNUAL MEETING!

Everything You Need to Cast Your Vote!

- FACT 2010 Election Supplement & Ballot- FACT Bylaws- Minutes of the 2009 Annual Meeting

Plus...- Information on ArmadilloCon 32 Discount for FACT Members- Update on ArmadilloCon 32 Writers’ Workshop- Owlcon Convention Report- Convention List- Reading Group Reports& more!