MarsCon 2025 - Virginia Beach: Full Schedule

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9:00am EST

Registration Desk

Saturday January 18, 2025 9:00am - 7:00pm EST

Located in the hotel lobby, just outside of Salon L.

Saturday January 18, 2025 9:00am - 7:00pm EST

10:00am EST

Create an Intersteller Legend

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00am - 10:15am EST

Main Programming Room

What can be created when an artist, an author (or two or three), a musician, a scientist and a costumer get together? Hopefully, an Intersteller Legend that can lead a Galatic Empire! Taking ideas from the audience, the professionals will build a character with a rough sketch portrait (with a signature look), a reasonably fleshed out backstory and a theme song. Come see what our experts can concoct.

Moderator

Robert Hampson

Author, Scientist

Dr. Robert E. Hampson is a neuroscientist, professor, and author who spends his time exploring the frontiers of memory research and the far reaches of the imagination. With a Ph.D. in Physiology & Pharmacology, he studies how brains encode memories and develops futuristic technologies... Read More →

Speakers

Jake Clark

Artist Guest of Honor

Jake Clark makes badass art for badass stories. Full of grit and storytelling, his work is geared to instantly capture attention. Using 3-d modeling software combined with digital painting, his fully custom creations play with perspective and scale in a way few other covers in the... Read More →

Christopher Ruocchio

Author Co- Guest of Honor

Christopher Ruocchio is the internationally award-winning author of the Sun Eater, a series blending elements of both science fiction and fantasy, as well as more than twenty works of short fiction. Born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, Christopher received a degree in English... Read More →

Rhiannon's Lark

Musician Guest of Honor

Have you ever wanted to hear a Disney princess singing about the things you love…board games, ninjas, and krakens? Rhiannon’s Lark is happy to make your wish come true. Alyssa Yeager is an accolade-winning musician including the Pegasus award for “Best Performer” and Guest... Read More →

Max Thompson

Cos Player

Hello there and welcome to my channel! My name is Bash, The Prop Slayer! My channel is dedicated to bringing game and movie replica weapons and armor to life. My main sources of inspiration are Final Fantasy, Star Wars, and The Lord of The Rings. I was introduced to cosplay and prop... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00am - 10:15am EST
Main Programming Room

Events & Demos

10:00am EST

Saturday Morning Cartoons for Kids

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EST

Family Programming - Salon O

Travel back in time to the golden age of Saturday morning cartoons - in space! Put on your PJs, bring your stuffy, and join us for some classic animated sci-fi adventures. From The Jetsons, to Transformers, and Dexter’s Laboratory, these beloved cartoons will spark imagination across the galaxy!

Speakers

Nina Gordon

Family Programming Coordinator, MarsCon

MarsCon 2025 will be Nina Gordon’s third year as Family Programming Coordinator, and her ambition is for every year to be better than the last! An eternal kid at heart, Nina brings creativity and enthusiasm to designing fun and engaging activities for fans of all ages.When she’s... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EST
Family Programming - Salon O

Family Programming

10:00am EST

Game Demo - King's Coalition

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EST

Salon H - TAGS Open Gaming

Learn to play this brand new game, taught by Gaming Guest of Honor Stephen Buonocore. King’s Coalition is a drafting and set collection game where you make the best 7 cards in hand by meeting the requirements of bonuses and creating sets and sequences.

Speakers

Stephen Buonocore

Gaming Guest of Honor

Stephen Buonocore is a hobby game entrepreneur, game media personality, game industry veteran, as well as a former financial services industry IT professional.Buonocore is the retired founder, owner and President of Stronghold Games, formed in 2009 to publish quality hobby board and... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EST
Salon H - TAGS Open Gaming

Gaming, Board Games

10:00am EST

CKP: The Year Ahead

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EST

Salon L

Review the past year and look forward to the upcoming one. Authors connected with Chris Kennedy Publishing will discuss how things have gone and what to look forward to.

Speakers

Mark Wandrey

International bestselling author of military sci-fi, space opera, and zombie apocalypse, Mark Wandrey is also the only 4 time DragonCon Dragon Award finalist!Living the full time RV lifestyle as a modern day nomad, Mark Wandrey has been writing science fiction since he was in grade... Read More →

H.Y. Gregor

Author

H.Y. Gregor was born in Portland, Oregon, but will always call the mountains of Colorado home. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science but put it down often enough to narrowly avoid law school. Now she spends her free time weaving fantasy tales and battling plot gremlins... Read More →

Melissa Olthoff

Author

Melissa Olthoff is a science fiction and fantasy author who delights in sneaking in romance wherever she can. She is a lifelong geek as well as a veteran of the United States Air Force, both of which are incredibly useful when writing. Her degrees in meteorology and accounting are... Read More →

Chris Kennedy Publishing

Dealer, Chris Kennedy Publishing

Welcome to Chris Kennedy Publishing, where the focus is on fun, message-free science fiction and fantasy!

Kacey Ezell

Featured Space Opera Guest

Kacey Ezell writes emotionally charged adventure fantasy and science fiction. She is a two-time Dragon Award Finalist for Best Alternate History and won the 2018 Year's Best Military and Adventure Science Fiction Readers' Choice Award. She has written multiple bestselling novels published... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EST
Salon L

Literature, What to Read

10:00am EST

Mythology in Fiction

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EST

Shenandoah Room

Authors often draw on myths and legends. How do they choose and what pit-falls must they avoid?

Speakers

Brad Goodman

Scientist

Brad has been a guest at local science fiction conventions for more than thirty years. Now retired, he worked for NASA Langley Research Center, at their Visitor Center, and in support of traveling exhibits. Later he worked for the Science Museum of Virginia. These assignments came... Read More →

Vivian Valentine

Author, Dealer

The author of The Amelia Temple Series, Vivian Moira Valentine is a rad trans lady who loves monsters. When she was a child, she found the Crestwood House Monster Series at her local library and it's all been downhill from there. Now everything she likes is horrible. When not writing... Read More →

Steve Vickers

Author

SC Vickers writes SF, fantasy, and historical fiction but has a thing for werewolves and trolls. He lives in Colorado Springs and has an MFA in Creative Writing/Genre Fiction from Western Colorado University. Troll Hunt, a novella in the Troll Lands universe, is his first published... Read More →

Rowan Worth

Author

Rowan Worth's first book, Past Imperfect, introduced a family of shapeshifters trying to stop an enemy intent on destroying their small pack. Her next release is The Lost Prince, the first book in a science fiction series about an asteroid miner who finds an abandoned battleship deep... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EST
Shenandoah Room

Literature, Writing Techniques

10:00am EST

Introduction to Painting Miniatures

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00am - 12:00pm EST

Salon H - TAGS Open Gaming

Have you ever thought about painting miniatures, but didn’t know where to start? Here is your chance! You will be provided with a primed miniature (either science fiction or fantasy) and will learn introductory techniques that will produce a “table ready” miniature that you can take home. This program is intended for brand new painters or people who have never painted miniatures.

This workshop is space limited, and seats are filled on a first come - first served basis.

Speakers

Dave Seletyn

Gamer, President of Mars Con Board, Mars Con Inc (Virginia)

Dave is passionate about board gaming, tabletop RPGs, and miniatures games. He values the ability of games to transport players into a contained reality and loves the friends he has made through gaming. He is currently playing a lot of Battletech. He is also an award winning miniatures... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00am - 12:00pm EST
Salon H - TAGS Open Gaming

Gaming, Other Topics

11:00am EST

Social Media: Time Sink or Marketing Savior?

Saturday January 18, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

Which is it? Is there a way to take the negative aspects of social media and use them to further an author's or artist's engagement and/or reach?

Speakers

Charles Blue

Featured Science Guest

Charles Blue (aka Blue the Science Dude) has more than 35 years of science communications experience. Charles has worked as the director of media services at the American Institute of Physics. He also served as the Writer/Editor for the National Science Foundation’s Directorate... Read More →

Scott Huggins

Author

Having been born in California and raised in Kansas, Scott Huggins grew up as confused as one might expect. He began writing seriously in college in between student exchanges spent in post-Soviet Russia and Germany, and was one of the last Writers of the Future in 1999. The future... Read More →

Alyssa Hazel

Featured Horror Guest

Alyssa Hazel is a Weird Fiction and Horror writer who enjoys exploring the weird, horrible and wonderful through her work. Her pieces have found homes in Bluestem, the Red Coyote, and the Dark River Review. While her specialty is anthologies (she has four) she’s rather proud of... Read More →

H.P Holo / Edie Skye

Author

H.P. Holo grew up in a family where it was dangerous to say, "I'm bored." She's also an incorrigible smart aleck. So when her parents told her to fix her boredom by reading a dictionary, she did. And then, just to be extra sassy, she began writing novels that required them to keep... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Literature, Writing Techniques

11:00am EST

First Contact

Saturday January 18, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EST

Main Programming Room

A discussion on the pros and cons of humans making contact first, and then of the aliens making contact first. Which should we hope for? Which should we expect?

Speakers

Jim Beall

Author, Scientist

Jim Beall (BS-Math, MBA, PE) has been a nuclear engineer for over 50 years, beginning as a nuclear engineering officer in the US Navy. Civilian experience includes design, construction, inspection, enforcement, and assessment with a nuclear utility, an architect engineering firm... Read More →

Mark Wandrey

Scott Sykes

Author

S.M. Sykes never saw himself as a writer, facing struggles with English classes in school. Even his wife, who doubles as his editor, can attest to occasional challenges with organizing his thoughts. However, despite these obstacles, he discovered a passion for storytelling that he... Read More →

Adam Oyebanji

Featured Science Fiction Guest

I was born in Coatbridge, in the West of Scotland, more years ago than I care to remember. Though, now I come to think about it, who actually remembers being born? I moved east to Edinburgh, by way of Birmingham, London, Lagos, Nigeria, Chicago, Pittsburgh and New York: a necessary... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EST
Main Programming Room

Science, Social & Political Sciences

11:00am EST

Dos and Don't of Submitting to Indie Publishers

Saturday January 18, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EST

Salon L

Come meet with senior staff from Cannon Publishing to learn how to submit your manuscript to this and other independent publishing houses. The rules are different than trying to submit to mainstream houses. Manuscript submissions may be collected at this time. Speak with the panelists for more information.

Speakers

Chris Kennedy Publishing

Dealer, Chris Kennedy Publishing

Welcome to Chris Kennedy Publishing, where the focus is on fun, message-free science fiction and fantasy!

John Holmes

Publisher

J.F. Holmes is a retired Army Senior Noncommissioned Officer, having served for 22 years in both the Regular Army and Army National Guard. During that time, he served as everything from an artillery section leader to a member of a Division level planning staff, with tours in Cuba... Read More →

Michael Morton

Author, USSF

Michael Morton is a retired USAF space operations officer and wishes the Space Force happened earlier. Still, he gets to work for them as a civilian, so life isn't all bad. He writes award-winning military sci-fi and fantasy and lives in Colorado Springs with his family. When he's... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EST
Salon L

Workshops

11:00am EST

The Nocturne Faire - Basic Character Creation & Gameplay

Saturday January 18, 2025 11:00am - 5:00pm EST

Bar Area

Saturday will start similarly to Friday (Day 1) with open workshop time. New players can learn how to create characters and how to join the game 'mid-stream,' while more experienced players wishing to join the Chronicle will be tied-in so that more players can enjoy the event. The purpose of the Saturday workshop is to help players join who were not able to play on Friday.

There may also be a tabletop game played during this time as a fun filler event.

Saturday January 18, 2025 11:00am - 5:00pm EST
Bar Area

Events & Demos, LARP

12:00pm EST

Guest of Honor - Jake Clark

Saturday January 18, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

Main Programming Room

Stop by and hear our Artist Guests of Honor discuss his current and upcoming projects and how the creative process works for him. There will be time for questions from the audience.

Speakers

Jake Clark

Artist Guest of Honor

Teresa Bhaile

Guest Liaison and Programming Director, Mars Con Inc (Virginia)

Saturday January 18, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
Main Programming Room

Events & Demos, Guests of Honor

12:00pm EST

Craft Time with Ms. Frizzle

Saturday January 18, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

Family Programming - Salon O

Ms. Frizzle has come to join us from Walkerville Elementary School! She had to leave the Magic School Bus at home, but she's here to make a craft with the MarsCon children! Join her for a fun craft that you can take home.

Speakers

Nina Gordon

Family Programming Coordinator, MarsCon

Lindsay Reinoehl Bartleson

Featured Costuming Guest

Lindsay Bartleson of Geek Diva Cosplay has been cosplaying for just under a decade. In that time she has received multiple awards at conventions in both workmanship and stage presentation and quickly reached the Master level. She has presented many cosplay panels and has also acted... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
Family Programming - Salon O

Family Programming

12:00pm EST

Are We the Baddies?

Saturday January 18, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

Salon L

This panel includes discussions on the experience of creating opposition decks in games, of playing “the baddies” (e.g. the Axis powers in Axis & Allies, the anti-suffragists in Votes for Women, etc.), and what is involved in making and playing a game that is fun for all players.

Speakers

Phillip Pournelle

Author, Gamer

Commander Pournelle retired from the Navy after 26 years of service as a surface warfare officer, operations analyst, and joint operations planner. He served on cruisers, destroyers, amphibious ships, and an experimental high-speed vessel. He served on the Navy staff conducting modeling... Read More →

Stephen Glenn

Gamer, TAGS

I've been designing board and cardgames for over twenty years. My first cardgame, Balloon Cup, was nominated for the Spiel des Jahres in 2003. Since then I've published over a dozen games. I'm one of the founders of the local TAGS gaming club and I was also the founder of Protospiel... Read More →

Stephen Buonocore

Gaming Guest of Honor

Tory Brown

Featured Game Designer

Tory Brown is the designer of Votes for Women, which launched on the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. Tory is a longtime activist and works as a political communications strategist for progressive causes. Inspired to create Votes for Women by games like... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
Salon L

Gaming, Board Games

12:00pm EST

Songwriting 101

Saturday January 18, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

Songwriting has too main components: lyrics and melody. Join our musical guests as they help fledglings sort through the mechanics of a good idea and make it into a good song.

Speakers

Jim & John Gaines

Authors

Jim and John Gaines write sci fi together as J.M.R.Gaines. Their novels Life Sentence and Spy Station form part of the Forlani Saga series, along with Earth Regained (in progress). They have also publish space-themed short stories and poetry in a variety of journals. Jim is a retired... Read More →

Mikey Mason

Featured Musical Guest

Mikey Mason spent more than a decade as a full-time standup comedian. He headlined on all four coasts, performed multiple times each on NBC, at the legendary House of Blues, and the Hard Rock Casino. He even headlined the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas. But it wasn’t... Read More →

Rhiannon's Lark

Musician Guest of Honor

The Blibbering Humdingers

Featured Musical Guest

We are Scott, Kirsten, Aiden, Liam, and Chuck! We create acoustic nerdrock for –Gamers, geeks, and galactic guardians, browncoats, centaurs, and mandalorians;Hobbits, elves, and wizard gangsters; avengers, defenders, and black-belt hamsters;Elder gods, small gods, fans of Tripod... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Workshops

1:00pm EST

Guest of Honor - Christopher Ruocchio

Saturday January 18, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST

Main Programming Room

Stop by and hear one of our Author Guests of Honor discuss his current and upcoming projects and how the writing process works for him. There will be time for questions from the audience.

Speakers

Teresa Bhaile

Guest Liaison and Programming Director, Mars Con Inc (Virginia)

Christopher Ruocchio

Author Co- Guest of Honor

Saturday January 18, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST
Main Programming Room

Events & Demos, Guests of Honor

1:00pm EST

When the Good Guys Turn Out to be Bad Guys

Saturday January 18, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

Jedi are evil. Starfleet is fascist. What happens to us when our revered good guys turn out to not be quite so good? Or when they are down right bad? Join our panelists as they discuss how even the best of the good guys has some evil in their hearts.

Speakers

Claire Merrick

Author

Tired of writing about bad news as a producer at a news station, Claire Merrick began using her free time to write urban fantasy stories. She attended FantaSci in Durham, hoping to learn from authors about the business side of publishing. One of the guests, Kevin Ikenberry, asked... Read More →

David Shadoin

Author

David "Shady" Shadoin is a trouble-making, corn-fed Nebraska boy the United States Air Force managed to turn into a somewhat decent pilot of whirly birds. An avid reader from a young age, he has always found inspiration listening to rock music while reading Fantasy and Sci Fi novels... Read More →

Vivian Valentine

Author, Dealer

Phillip Pournelle

Author, Gamer

Saturday January 18, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Fandom, It's in the Details

1:00pm EST

Creating Characters with Personality

Saturday January 18, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST

Salon L

This workshop will focus on using personality types and archetypes in developing relatable characters as both protagonists and antagonists.

Speakers

Adam Oyebanji

Featured Science Fiction Guest

Jim Beall

Author, Scientist

J.F. Posthumus

Author

Wife and a mother of five, J.F. Posthumus is an IT Tech with over a decade of experience. When she isn’t arguing with computers and their inherent gremlins, or being mom to the four younger monsters (the eldest was a police officer, lost to us all in June of 2023), she’s crafting... Read More →

Alyssa Hazel

Featured Horror Guest

Daniel Kemp

Author

Finishing at Ole Miss in 1998, Dan spent the next decade in infantry assignments in South Korea and the 101st Airborne. That lasted as long as his knees and his back held out. A master's in military history (Norwich University '12) and a somewhat turbulent personal life after the... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST
Salon L

Workshops

2:00pm EST

Miniature Painting for Kids & Teens

Saturday January 18, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm EST

Family Programming - Salon O

Are you ready to bring your tiny space heroes and cosmic creatures to life? Come to Family Programming to learn the secrets of miniature painting! We'll cover essential techniques including priming, base coating, dry brushing, and detail work. Each participant will receive a miniature figure to paint and take home. Perfect for both beginners and young artists with some painting experience.

Ages 10+ recommended. All materials provided; space may be limited. Please note: While acrylic paints are washable, you may get messy.

Speakers

Nina Gordon

Family Programming Coordinator, MarsCon

Saturday January 18, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm EST
Family Programming - Salon O

Family Programming

2:00pm EST

So You Want To Publish a Board Game?

Saturday January 18, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

Learn about the experience of designing and producing your board game idea from the perspective of game designers and publishers. Discussion will include the how game mechanics evolve from idea to implementation, how games are playtested and refined, and how games get to market (traditional publishing, Kickstarter, etc.).

Speakers

Stephen Buonocore

Gaming Guest of Honor

Tory Brown

Featured Game Designer

Stephen Glenn

Gamer, TAGS

Saturday January 18, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Gaming, Board Games

2:00pm EST

Editing: The Whys and the Hows

Saturday January 18, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm EST

Salon L

Revising and editing are important parts of the writing process, as well as onerous and sometimes downright boring. Join authors, editors, and publishers as they talk about why it is important not to forego these steps and how one might be able make the whole process just a little bit easier, or at least more fun. 'Cause friends and drinks always make things better!

Speakers

Ben Yalow

Fandom

I've attended about 900 cons, and worked on about a third of them, with jobs ranging from gofer to Chair of both regionals and the Worldcon. I've also edited 4 books for NESFA Press.

Jim & John Gaines

Authors

Shari Robb

Shari Robb is a patient and loving wife. She loves Jesus, and is a trained technical writer and counselor. Now that the kids are grown, she has started an additional career as a freelance editor. She has worked as a copy editor for a couple political campaigns, multiple non-fiction... Read More →

Sam Robb

Author

Sam Robb is a Pittsburgh native, a former US Navy officer, and a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University. Over the course of his life, he has acquired a wife, three daughters, several quadrupeds, and a penchant for walking down back alleys and taking pictures of graffiti. When he's... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm EST
Salon L

Literature, Writing Techniques

2:00pm EST

Baen Roadshow

Saturday January 18, 2025 2:00pm - 4:00pm EST

Main Programming Room

Review the past year and look forward to the upcoming one. Authors connected with Baen Books will discuss how things have gone and what to look forward to.

Speakers

Jim Beall

Author, Scientist

Phillip Pournelle

Author, Gamer

Chris Kennedy Publishing

Dealer, Chris Kennedy Publishing

Welcome to Chris Kennedy Publishing, where the focus is on fun, message-free science fiction and fantasy!

Michael Morton

Author, USSF

Kacey Ezell

Featured Space Opera Guest

Adam Oyebanji

Featured Science Fiction Guest

H.P Holo / Edie Skye

Author

Sean Korsgaard

Author, Publisher, Fandom

Sean CW Korsgaard is a U.S. Army veteran, award-winning freelance journalist, author, editor and publicist who has worked with Analog Science Fiction & Fact, Baen Books, and Writers of the Future, and recently became the editor of Anvil and Battleborn magazines. His first anthology... Read More →

Melissa Olthoff

Author

Scott Huggins

Author

Jacob Holo

Author

Jacob Holo has been a recreational geek since childhood, when he discovered Star Wars and Star Trek, and a professional geek since college, when he graduated from Youngstown State University with a degree in Electrical and Controls Engineering. He started writing when his parents... Read More →

Christopher Ruocchio

Author Co- Guest of Honor

Jason Cordova

Author

Bestselling author Jason Cordova has had his novels published in multiple languages around the world. He was both a John W. Campbell Award and Dragon Award finalist (though not in the same year). Author of the Black Tide Rising novel Mountain of Fire, and co-author of Monster Hunter... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 2:00pm - 4:00pm EST
Main Programming Room

Literature, What to Read

3:00pm EST

Barony of Marinus Combat Demostration

Saturday January 18, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

This local chapter of the international Society for Creative Anachronism cordially invites you to witness a slice of life in the Barony. Come see Medieval era clothing, etiquette, and maybe even combat, as the Barony holds a Hearing of Petitions. You might even be able participate!!

Speakers

Barony of Marinus

Entertainers Group, Society for Creative Anachronism

The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is an inclusive community pursuing research and re-creation of pre-seventeenth century skills, arts, combat and culture. The lives of participants are enriched as we gain knowledge of history through activities, demonstrations, and events.Their... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Events & Demos

3:00pm EST

RPGs as Collaborative Storytelling

Saturday January 18, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST

Salon L

Role-playing games, especially table top RPGs, are often more about the story that involves all the players. The players take part in building the story from the DMs outline. Join authors and DMs as they discuss how to have a great outline and how to (as a player) run with that outline and participate in creating a great story together.

Speakers

Jim & John Gaines

Authors

Nicole Glover

Author

Nicole Glover is the author of the historical fantasy series, Murder and Magic, which begins with The Conductors. When she's not writing, she's working as a UX researcher where her knowledge about murder and other mysteries is surprisingly useful.

Vivian Valentine

Author, Dealer

David Hensley

Author

David is an East Coast Hepaw born and raised in southwest Colorado. The town of Dolores, to be specific. He's been a lot of places and done a lot of things since then, including cowboying in the Utah desert and twenty years as an aviation structural mechanic for the United States... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST
Salon L

Gaming, RPGs

3:15pm EST

Kid's Concert - Blibbering Humdingers

Saturday January 18, 2025 3:15pm - 3:45pm EST

Family Programming - Salon O

Come sing along with the Blibbering Humdingers as they put on a show especially curated for our younger attendees.

Speakers

The Blibbering Humdingers

Featured Musical Guest

Saturday January 18, 2025 3:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Family Programming - Salon O

Family Programming

4:00pm EST

Board Game Party

Saturday January 18, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST

Family Programming - Salon O

Join the excitement at our kid-friendly board game party and dive into the captivating worlds of strategy and teamwork! Unveil the mysteries of Forbidden Island, help the Doomlings survive the Apocalypse, or embark on a sushi-making adventure with Sushi Go Party! Kids will learn the rules, hone their decision-making skills, and strategize together in a thrilling quest for victory. Don't miss this chance for young minds to explore these thrilling games, fostering camaraderie and strategic thinking in an atmosphere buzzing with laughter and friendly competition.

Speakers

Nina Gordon

Family Programming Coordinator, MarsCon

Saturday January 18, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Family Programming - Salon O

Family Programming

4:00pm EST

Game Demo - Better Letters

Saturday January 18, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST

Salon H - TAGS Open Gaming

Learn to play this brand new game, taught by Gaming Guest of Honor Stephen Buonocore. Better Letters is a quick playing word game played in 60 second rounds.

Speakers

Stephen Buonocore

Gaming Guest of Honor

Saturday January 18, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Salon H - TAGS Open Gaming

Gaming, Board Games

4:00pm EST

Space Colonization: How and When?

Saturday January 18, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST

Salon L

In order to build galactic empires, we first need to get out into space. Then, with the very large distances between planets, there is always the problem of getting from one place to another in a timely manner. How will that happen? How close are we to being able to travel even to the Moon or Mars in a few hours or days instead of weeks or months?

Speakers

Jim Beall

Author, Scientist

Wes Rist

Int'l Human Rights Lawyer

D. Wes Rist is an international human rights lawyer with a specialization in preventing genocide and mass atrocities. He has worked with non-profit and non-governmental organizations around the world, conducted trainings for international lawyers and atrocity prevention experts, and... Read More →

Ben Davis

Scientist, ECPI University

Ben Davis has a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics and an M.S. in Nuclear Astrophysics from the University of Notre Dame. He taught at the college level for several years on a number of technical subjects ranging from computer programming and math to, of course, astronomy and physics. In the... Read More →

Charles Blue

Featured Science Guest

Saturday January 18, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Salon L

Science, Physical & Space Sciences

4:00pm EST

Masquerade & Charity Auction

Saturday January 18, 2025 4:00pm - 8:00pm EST

Main Programming Room

Speakers

Michael Jon Khandelwal

Mars Con Toast Master

Michael Khandelwal is the Executive Director of The Muse Writers Center, a nationally recognized literary center in Norfolk, Virginia. An award-winning writer and teacher, he writes poetry, fiction, editorials, profiles, and feature articles, which have appeared in Rattle, Coas... Read More →

Mikey Mason

Featured Musical Guest

Jake Clark

Artist Guest of Honor

Lindsay Reinoehl Bartleson

Featured Costuming Guest

Max Thompson

Cos Player

Saturday January 18, 2025 4:00pm - 8:00pm EST
Main Programming Room

Events & Demos

5:00pm EST

Play to Your Strengths

Saturday January 18, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

No combat experience? No problem! You can still write action scenes--we promise. Not a doctor? No time to go to medical school? We've got you covered--just keep the surgery on the page, okay? Let's talk about how you can write about things you don't know much about--or have no first-hand experience of, without losing your readers.

Speakers

Robert Hampson

Author, Scientist

Jason Cordova

Author

Melissa Olthoff

Author

Christopher Ruocchio

Author Co- Guest of Honor

Saturday January 18, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Literature, Writing Techniques

5:00pm EST

DMing for Beginners

Saturday January 18, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm EST

Salon L

So you wanna be a Dungeon Master but haven't the foggiest idea how to start or what to do? Come to this workshop to get tips and tricks to help you get started in the DM business. Taught by Joel Lyons.

Saturday January 18, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm EST
Salon L

Workshops

5:00pm EST

Votes for Women with Tory Brown - Session B

Saturday January 18, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm EST

Salon H - TAGS Open Gaming

Votes for Women is a card-driven game covering the American women's suffrage movement from 1848-1920, culminating with the ratification (or rejection) of the Nineteenth Amendment. The game provides competitive, co-operative and solitaire play, with co-operative and solitaire play against the "Oppobot."

To win, the Suffragist player must have Congress pass the proposed Amendment and then have three-fourths of the states (36 of the then 48 states) ratify the Amendment. The Opposition player wins by either preventing Congress from passing the proposed Amendment or by having 13 states reject the Amendment.

The game lasts for six turns - a turn consisting of drawing cards from the players' own decks, bidding on strategy cards, and then six rounds of card play where a player may play a card for an event or discard a card to campaign, organize or lobby Congress. If Congress has proposed the Amendment but neither 36 states have ratified nor 13 states have rejected, then the game goes to Final Voting.

Playing with Tory is on a first come - first served basis. Seating is limited.

Speakers

Tory Brown

Featured Game Designer

Saturday January 18, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Salon H - TAGS Open Gaming

Gaming, Board Games

6:00pm EST

Alien Slime Lab

Saturday January 18, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST

Family Programming - Salon O

Warning: Extraterrestrial substances detected! Join our cosmic scientists to mix up your very own batch of alien slime. Learn the secret formula for creating stretchy, squishy, colorful goo while conducting safe and supervised experiments. Each young scientist will take home their own container of custom-made alien slime. Put on your lab coat (aprons provided) and get ready to get messy!

All ages welcome and all materials provided. Please note: Our slime is non-toxic and washable, but participants may want to wear clothes that can get messy. Children with sensitivities to common craft materials should check with staff about ingredients. Children 8 and under must have a parent or guardian present.

Speakers

Nina Gordon

Family Programming Coordinator, MarsCon

Saturday January 18, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Family Programming - Salon O

Family Programming

6:00pm EST

Game Demo - KaleiDOS

Saturday January 18, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST

Salon H - TAGS Open Gaming

Learn to play this brand new game, taught by Gaming Guest of Honor Stephen Buonocore. KaleiDOS is a ladder climbing, trick taking card game.

Speakers

Stephen Buonocore

Gaming Guest of Honor

Saturday January 18, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Salon H - TAGS Open Gaming

Gaming, Board Games

6:00pm EST

The Trick to Creating Believable Magic Systems

Saturday January 18, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

The real trick to using magic in a story is making your reader believe it. Find out how writers create a credible magic system and then make the reader buy into it.

Speakers

Phillip Pournelle

Author, Gamer

J.E. Pittman

Author, Dealer

J.E. Pittman dabbles in many speculative worlds. He blurs the borders between genre and crafts salient lies to tell a measure of truth. His work has been described as: capriciously chimeric, dreamlike, and a vivid enigma with indelible images stamped on your brain. He’s currently... Read More →

Sam Robb

Author

David Shadoin

Author

Saturday January 18, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Literature, Writing Techniques

6:00pm EST

Generative Writing Session B

Saturday January 18, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST

Salon L

Join our Author Co-Guest of Honor as she facilitates a workshop for authors and aspiring authors to spend time writing. Use the expertise of others to help you polish your draft, edit and revise, or to begin an outline. Whatever you need, they will help you with.

Possible topic for this workshop: using Tarot as a writing tool.

Speakers

Steve Vickers

Author

J.F. Posthumus

Author

John Holmes

Publisher

Cassandra Clarke

Author Co- Guest of Honor

Cassandra Rose Clarke’s novels have been finalists for the Philip K. Dick Award, the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award, and YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults. Her poetry has placed second in the Rhysling Awards, been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and appeared in... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Salon L

Workshops

7:00pm EST

Modern American Mythology

Saturday January 18, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

Other cultures have their gods and heroes from myth and legend such as Greek mythology, King Arthur, the 3 Musketeers and so on. Are superheroes, Star Trek and Star Wars our mythology?

Speakers

J.E. Pittman

Author, Dealer

Sam Robb

Author

Saturday January 18, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Fandom, It's in the Details

7:00pm EST

Are All Empires Evil? Governance in Space

Saturday January 18, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST

Salon L

How might empires that cover more than one planet be governed? How would order be maintained? Do empires have to be evil in order to hold together? Join our panelists as they discuss how multi-planet or multi-system federations or empires might be governed, from galactic senates to loose confederations.

Speakers

Dennis Myers

Author

Born and raised in central Minnesota, Dennis M. Myers developed a serious reading habit early in life due to the influence of his grandmother. In late high school he read one particularly "awful" book and, with all that teenage hubris, decided that he could do better. After spending... Read More →

Jacob Holo

Author

Kacey Ezell

Featured Space Opera Guest

Wes Rist

Int'l Human Rights Lawyer

Saturday January 18, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
Salon L

Science, Social & Political Sciences

7:00pm EST

The Nocturne Faire - Day 2

Saturday January 18, 2025 7:00pm - Sunday January 19, 2025 12:00am EST

Salon P

Players will "awake from daysleep" and join the throng of court members tasked with cleaning up after the previous night's escapades. The threat of the demonic may attract the notice of hunters or those pledged to end such activity and bring some interesting meetings that have caught the attention of the sabbat inquisition. As slayers of demonic and keeping a code of honor are often at odds, it will be fun to see how the players react and move forward. At the end of the session, there will be a short, open forum where the players can express what they experienced, what they enjoyed and what could have been done better.

Saturday January 18, 2025 7:00pm - Sunday January 19, 2025 12:00am EST
Salon P

Events & Demos, LARP

8:00pm EST

Mikey Mason Concert B

Saturday January 18, 2025 8:00pm - 9:00pm EST

Main Programming Room

Speakers

Mikey Mason

Featured Musical Guest

Saturday January 18, 2025 8:00pm - 9:00pm EST
Main Programming Room

Events & Demos, Concerts

8:00pm EST

TMG Business Meeting

Saturday January 18, 2025 8:00pm - 9:00pm EST

Family Programming - Salon O

The Mercenary Guild will have a business meeting. If you are a member of the Guild, you are highly encouraged to attend. If you are not a member yet, you may come and observe the proceedings.

Speakers

Daniel Kim

Cosplayer

Teresa Bhaile

Guest Liaison and Programming Director, Mars Con Inc (Virginia)

Aaron Brite

Environmental Compliance Officer, Jen-Weld, Inc.

GenX feral nerd from the womb raised on TOS and the original Wild Wild West reruns while "recreating" some of those gadgets (thankfully to little success). Grew up to become an Air Force avionics tech and then Supply Sergeant where he caught the hazmat bug. Now a corporate environmentalist... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 8:00pm - 9:00pm EST
Family Programming - Salon O

Fandom, Being a Fan

8:00pm EST

Get in the Robot!

Saturday January 18, 2025 8:00pm - 9:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

A panel of authors who spend too much money on Gunpla and Battletech models talk about giant mechs and how they influence their writing.

Speakers

Mark Wandrey

Melissa Olthoff

Author

Chris Kennedy Publishing

Dealer, Chris Kennedy Publishing

Welcome to Chris Kennedy Publishing, where the focus is on fun, message-free science fiction and fantasy!

H.P Holo / Edie Skye

Author

Saturday January 18, 2025 8:00pm - 9:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Literature, What to Read

8:00pm EST

Your Weird Civilization is Infringing Upon My Utopia

Saturday January 18, 2025 8:00pm - 9:00pm EST

Salon L

We discuss the idea of a utopian society and explore the question of the perfect utopian society (STNG v Ferengi) for everyone. Is it even possible?

Speakers

Wes Rist

Int'l Human Rights Lawyer

Adam Oyebanji

Featured Science Fiction Guest

Rowan Worth

Author

Tory Brown

Featured Game Designer

Saturday January 18, 2025 8:00pm - 9:00pm EST
Salon L

Science, Social & Political Sciences

9:00pm EST

Rhiannon's Lark Concert B

Saturday January 18, 2025 9:00pm - 10:00pm EST

Main Programming Room

Speakers

Rhiannon's Lark

Musician Guest of Honor

Saturday January 18, 2025 9:00pm - 10:00pm EST
Main Programming Room

Events & Demos, Concerts

9:00pm EST

Whose Con Is It Anyway? - Improv Panel

Saturday January 18, 2025 9:00pm - 10:00pm EST

Salon L

In the style of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" this ... panel ... is meant to make you laugh at all the crazy stuff that ends up happening at conventions.

Speakers

Mikey Mason

Featured Musical Guest

Gray Rinehart

Literary Guest

Gray Rinehart is a writer, an editor, a singer/songwriter, and a retired Air Force officer. He is the only person to have commanded a USAF satellite tracking station, written speeches for Presidential appointees, devised a poetic form, and had music on The Dr. Demento Show. He is... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 9:00pm - 10:00pm EST
Salon L

Events & Demos

9:00pm EST

Boarding Action

Saturday January 18, 2025 9:00pm - Sunday January 19, 2025 2:00am EST

Shenandoah Room

A rather large room, several 'hides' and other obstacles, and four hours! Just what you need to have the Nerf war of your dreams. Come prepared with your Nerf-style weapons and protective eyewear. There will be a few devices and some protective eyewear for borrowing on a first come-first served basis. While this is meant to be a family event, it is highly recommended that all participants be at least 10 years old. Participants under the age of 18 will need a parent or guardian to either play with them or to stay in the hallway or bar area while the youth is playing. Other participants will not be asked to check their gameplay to accommodate younger players.

Saturday January 18, 2025 9:00pm - Sunday January 19, 2025 2:00am EST
Shenandoah Room

Events & Demos

10:00pm EST

MarsCon Trivia Night

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00pm - 11:00pm EST

Salon L

Get your team together for MarsCon’s version of a pub quiz! Questions range from all sorts of trivia. Play for laughs and bragging rights.

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00pm - 11:00pm EST
Salon L

Events & Demos

10:00pm EST

Karaoke

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00pm - Sunday January 19, 2025 2:00am EST

Main Programming Room

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00pm - Sunday January 19, 2025 2:00am EST
Main Programming Room

Events & Demos

11:00pm EST

The Reads You Need to Hide

Saturday January 18, 2025 11:00pm - Sunday January 19, 2025 12:00am EST

Salon L

Authors talk Spicy Books, why they like to write them, and why we like to read them. This panel encourages audience participation.

Speakers

Emily Jane Buehler

Author

Emily Jane Buehler writes cozy fantasy romances where everyday people (and fairies) have adventures and fall in love. Her stories are lighthearted with action and adventure, love and magic, and protagonists who learn to believe in themselves and find their courage. And yes, they are... Read More →

Literature, NSFW