Con On The Cob Day 3: Robot Wars, Trick-Or-Treat, And Experiment TB-4

Howdy folks! Day Three of Con on the Cob is winding to a close (well, except for the parties that are exploding all over the place tonight). As the revelry continues into the night, I'm going to give you one last peek inside my experiences with this year's Con on the Cob. Tomorrow is the final day, so the final Day Four post will go live later after I return home. But onward to today's summary:

• After a bracing breakfast of "hotel eggs and sausage", I peeked into The Atrium to see what games were running. Even at the 8 a.m. hour, there were some stalwarts who had already gotten started. (Or perhaps they were still going strong from the previous evening. Hard to tell...)
• Today there was an all-day Robot Wars event. In one of the side rooms, a small plexiglass arena had been assembled, and robot gladiators were inside, zipiing around and slicing each other to ribbons. There were also two trapdoors that would drop any unfortunate 'bot down into the murky depths...and onto the carpet. The room smelled of oil and ozone. If I had more time, I could've stayed and watched and cheered all day. Cool stuff.
• Many of the folks in the Vendor's Hall were fairly sluggish after staying up late gaming and partying. But that's the toll CotC has on you -- it doesn't end until Sunday afternoon or until you walk away.
• Again today, lots of Cryptworld/Monsters Macabre interest and sales. Very pleased to see the reception the game gets. And it appears I have a full table for tonight's game of "Condition Critical!"
• The kids attending the convention are known as "The Children of the Cob." Each year, there are tons of events for the kiddies including a visit from Santa, a scavenger hunt, arts and crafts, and a masquerade parade. This afternoon, it was time for trick-or-treat as the kids got up in their costumes and went from vendor to vendor, asking for candy and treats. This year I was prepared as I had a whole bucket full of Smarties, gumballs, taffy, bubble gum, chocolates, and other goodies.
• Tonight, I had six reporters and investigators checking out what happened to the missing hospital staff in "Condition Critical." As they toured the abandoned clinic, they knew something was seriously wrong, except for Pat West, the resident cynic and skeptic. (When the thing attacked him, he came around.) After they found Dr. Eastman's video logs and discovered the nature of the paranormal threat, they went to the hospital's OR and cobbled together some makeshift weapons from the supplies there, including oxygen-tank-powered flamethrowers, Molotov cocktails made from bottles of alcohol, and a coat-rack that was surprisingly effective. When the thing attacked for the final showdown, they somehow managed to set the room and everything in it on fire. However, they succeeded in their fight against Experiment TB-4 and were taken away by the authorities. (Meanwhile, a black helicopter lands at the scene of the carnage and special agents are now investigating...)

Lots more pictures today than yesterday, so on to the visual stimuli!

Remember those eerie screaming baby faced creature figures I mentioned yesterday? Some of you asked for a visual as to what I meant. OK, here ya go.

 The Robot Wars room was filled with whirring saw blades, clashing mechanical combatants, and the smell of oil and burning wire. It was awesome.

Early this morning, there were folks starting to get their games underway in The Atrium. 

 And just turning slightly to the left, the rest of The Atrium saw kids playing on the mini golf course, the Gymboree, and a host of other playground equipment. I wanted to crawl through the tube-maze, but was afraid of getting stuck.

 The Artitorium artist's room was filled with amazing pieces and stunning works all for sale.

The Northeast Ohio Ghostbusters were on-site to keep any supernatural incursions minimal. Thanks guys! 

And today's purchases include two Star Ace modules I didn't have, a three-CD compilation of medieval folk music, a chocolate-encrusted super-pretzel, and the original artwork of the Boo Hag, which also appears in Monsters Macabre.