GUEST OF HONOR- Shane Hensley has been working in the gaming industry for over 20 years and has worked for TSR, White Wolf and West End Game. Perhaps he is best known as the creator of Deadlands and the award winning Savage Worlds system.
Learn more at http://www.peginc.com
GUEST OF HONOR -ean Patrick Fannon (aka "Big Irish" or SPF) has been professionally involved in tabletop RPGs, computer games, and entertainment for over a quarter-century. His dozens of projects have included Hero Games' Champions product line; both West End's and Fantasy Flight's Star Wars RPGs; various World of Darkness books; and the Savage Worlds Epic High Fantasy setting, Shaintar.
Sean now focuses on his own gaming company, Evil Beagle Games ("Bad Dog. Good Games"), as well as serving as the Brand Manager for the Savage Rifts line. He's working directly with Pinnacle Entertainment and Palladium Books to create an entire line of books to bring the classic Rifts setting to Savage Worlds fans, which he says is his most challenging design project ever. He's also working on the official Savage Worlds setting book for Freedom Squadron, a love letter to G.I. Joe based on the VENOM Assault board game from Spyglass Games. He's also well underway with Modern Gods, a setting for the upcoming Prowlers & Paragons Ultimate Edition (a superhero game system he co-designed with Len Pimentel).
You can follow his Pick of the Day - a daily showcase of both popular and hidden gem game products - at www.seanspickoftheday.com. He also has a very active Patreon where folks are directly involved in his Freedom Squadron and Modern Gods projects - Sean Patrick Fannon is creating Worlds and Words | Patreon
GUEST OF HONOR-Ross Watson is an award-winning game designer and author. His design credits run the gamut: video games, board games, card games, tabletop RPGs, and miniature games. Ross has written for well-known intellectual properties like The Lord of the Rings, Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, Star Wars, and Lankhmar. He currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona. To find out more about Ross, his work, or his thoughts on game design, check out his website and blog therosswatson.com/
John is a game designer and author whose games include Legend of the Five Rings and 7th Sea. John also has the distinction of being Crit Hit's first guest of honor at Crit Hit 2016, we are honored at his return!
Christopher Grey is a novelist, game designer, and author of The Happiest Apocalypse on Earth, a recently Kickstarted Powered by the Apocalypse Tabletop Roleplaying game set in an evil theme park. He has published Forgotten Realms adventures for DMs Guild, has contributed to 2CGaming's Fate of the Forebearers series, and an avid frequenter of game conventions. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and kid where he spends a lot of time playing games and trying to get everyone else to play games too.
ustin Sirois is a writer and game maker living in Baltimore, Maryland. His most recent books include So Say the Waiters, MLKNG SCKLS, Falcons on the Floor, and The Last Book of Baghdad written with Iraqi refugee Haneen Alshujairy as well as the forthcoming Two Girls (winner of a Kindle Scout publishing contract). Justin has received five individual Maryland State Art Council grants and a Baker "b" grant in 2011.
Michael Eskue is a board game designer living in Show Low, AZ. He has enjoyed all types of games since an early age and would often attempt to modify games or design his own scenarios. Eventually, he signed For The Win with Tasty Minstrel games. The greatest joy of creating something is seeing it get enjoyed by others and Michael made this a personal mission. A few years later, Council of Verona was published by Crash Games and then Darkrock Ventures was published by Gamelyn Games and Magic Meeple games. Michael currently has a few other games signed by various publishers and enjoys co-designing games with his wife, Lisa. His newest game is Trash Pandas, currently live on Kickstarter
Todd VanHooser is an Arizona-based author with Midwestern roots. In addition to being a fiction writer, he is the designer of Adventures Under the Laughing Moon—a tabletop role-playing game based on his fantasy series. Over the years, this series has expanded to include novels, short stories, comic books, and original character and creature designs showcased at pop culture and comic conventions in the South West. Wheelhouse is the latest development from his company, Laughing Moon Productions, and offers both new and veteran players a glimpse into an apocalyptic fantasy setting that provides a whole new context for storytelling and adventures.
www.toddvanhooser.com
