Calgary Expo 2014

New shiny goodies. New location. Same old charity fundraising.

Please stop by our Alberta Browncoats booth (#200) at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo (April 24-27, 2013) and help us raise funds for G.R.I.T. Calgary SocietyEquality NowKids Need to Read, and Edmonton’s Youth Empowerment & Support Services (YESS).

Calgary Expo 2014 - Floor Map for Booth 200

Click to embiggen – Calgary Expo 2014 Floor Map – Booth 200

Along with our usual Jayne hats, we’ll have some amazing new items at our booth sure to please.

  • James Hance‘s “The Shiny Gang” prints
  • “Serenity Crew” car decals
  • QMx Mal Reynolds dog tags
  • QMx maquettes – Wash, Inara, Book and Penny (Dr. Horrible)
  • ‘Verse related t-shirts (limited quantities)
  • and so much more!

Browncoat Charity: No Power in the Verse Can Stop Us
Got fandom? Want to make a difference in the world around you? Our Calgary Expo panel will discuss the pitfalls and successes of organizing and running a fandom based non-profit.

The panel will be held in the Palomino C room from 11:30AM – 12:15PM on Sunday, April 27, 2014.

Fandoms, start your bidding engines!

Good thing we waited until afternoon before posting this link to our on-line charity auction!

Go. Register. Bid. And then bid some more.

The proceeds of this auction will be split between Edmonton’s Youth Empowerment and Support Services (a shelter & support program for homeless teens), Kids Need to Read (a US-based children’s literacy charity), Equality Now (an international women’s advocacy organization), and the Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund.

Our goal is to raise $5,000 USD to be split between these wonderful organizations.

New auction items will be added as the month progresses. Each auction item should appear on the site for a minimum of 14 days. Check back often to see what special items are being featured.

We welcome bids from all over the world.

We would like to extend a special thanks to our auction donors:
* John Barrowman
* Nathan Fillion
South Eastern Browncoats
Firefly Cargo Bay 
Sew Geek Austin
Happy Harbor Comics
* Jewel Staite
* Wil Wheaton
* Adam Baldwin
* James Marsters
* Clinton Ouderkirk
* Natalie Dempsey
* McCormack Family
* Semper Family
* Fiona Staples
* Vic Malhotra
* Sandeep Parihk, Tony Janning & Felicia Day
* Mark Meer & Chris Craddock
California Browncoats

Their generosity and support has been amazing. Each donor has been identified on the individual auction listings.

— PICKUP/SHIPPING — 
Auction winners will be liable for all shipping charges for their items.

Items are being shipped from Canada. Available shipping options include Canada Post, FedEx, UPS.

When an auction has concluded, we will contact the winning bidder to arrange for shipping of the item. The winner will determine shipping preferences (company, speed of delivery, insurance value) based on available options. Winner will be expected to pay the shipping fees based on their selection prior to the items being shipped.

Buyers located in Edmonton, AB and surrounding areas may arrange for local pickup of any items they win without charge.

First Annual (we hope) On-line Charity Auction

Once upon a time, a fabulously amazing individual (you may know him as John Barrowman), suggested we branch out in our fundraising activities to share our donated goodies with the rest of the world. Not one to argue with a great idea, especially when it comes with donated auction items, we’re launching our first annual on-line charity auction.

Our auction will run from April 1 to April 30 and proceeds will be split between Edmonton’s Youth Empowerment and Support Services (www.yess.org – a local homeless shelter for teens), Kids Need to Read (www.kidsneedtoread.org – a US-based children’s literacy charity), Equality Now (www.equalitynow.org – an international women’s advocacy organization), and the Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund (www.clldf.ca/).

Our goal is to raise $5,000 to be split between these wonderful organizations.

The items appearing in the auction will change as the month progresses. Each auction item should appear on the site for a minimum of 14 days. One or two special items will be available for bidding for the full 30-day period.

We welcome bids from all over the world and auction winners will be liable for all shipping charges for their items.

Items are being shipped from Canada. Available shipping options include Canada Post, FedEx, UPS.

When an auction has concluded, we will contact the winning bidder to arrange for shipping of the item. The winner will determine shipping preferences (company, speed of delivery, insurance value) based on available options. Winner will be expected to pay the shipping fees based on their selection prior to the items being shipped.

Buyers located in Edmonton, AB and surrounding areas may arrange for local pick-up of any items they win without charge.

We would like to extend a special thanks to our item donors. Their generosity and support has been amazing. Each donor will be identified on the auction site and individual auction listings.

Curious as to what we’ll have up for auction? We’ll post the auction link on the website, Twitter and Facebook accounts on April 1, 2014!

Earth That Was: Table Top Gaming [Feb 15, 2014]

Event: Table Top Gaming at Happy Harbor Comics
Intrepid Reporter: Andy

To my fellow Browncoats, I do apologize for not writing sooner. Unfortunately the flu had caught up to me, and we all know when it comes to the flu, it pretty much wins everytime. However, I’m back, and I want to tell you about the  February shindig. I know it’s the middle of March but better late than never.

Firefly: the game. It’s quite the experience. Learning how to play and getting started is the hardest part. After that, all it takes is a little strategy and some some time. Once you have that, it is well worth it.

We had our regular Browncoats show up and it was nice to see some new faces both young and old. The cost to enter was a food bank donation. We raised 56.5 kgs (or 124.5 lbs for those of us who are old school). Not to bad at all. And a big thank you to Happy Harbor Comics for once again allowing us the use of their store to play. If you haven’t been to Happy Harbor you need to check it out. Something for the geek in all of us.

Once introductions were made and the game play was explained, Firefly the game commenced. In Firefly: The Board Game, each player captains a Firefly class starship. And now that you’re the Captain, you’re gonna need a crew! You’ll find them all over the ‘Verse – same with gear and upgrades. Once you got your ship set (or as set as you can), look for work! The jobs you accept all depend on how questionable your morals are – will you just do delivery missions for the Alliance, or will you go for the illegal missions? And speaking of the Alliance, they’re out there, too. As are the Reavers Starting out as a captain of your own ship and hiring a crew, five players took to the verse to earn a living all while avoiding the Alliance and the Reavers. Making deals both honest and some not so honest. Picking up and dropping off crew and passengers, cargo and contraband. Completing goals to be able to pay off your ship and call it your own.

The game took about 2 hours with a victor finally emerging. Before starting the next game, door prizes were handed out. Winners received copies of Firefly Fluxx; a game that challenges the most cunning of player to keep up with the ever changing rules and requirements to win.

Now the next game was new it was not a game of player versus player but of working together towards a common goal  In Firefly: Out to the Black Card Game you play as one of the 9 Serenity crew members and work together with your fellow players to face the various entanglements that come your way. You’ll face the Alliance, Reavers, low-down dirty deceivers and all manner of nastiness as you scour for jobs, choose partners for your missions, and ultimately do your best to stay afloat and keep on flyin’!

After working together towards a common goal, and a few close calls, our crew was successful in its mission.

I think the first Firefly Game Day shindig turned out well. Everyone had fun, we made some new friends, and  a donation was made to the food bank. Not to bad for a relaxing and enjoyable Saturday afternoon.

March Shindig – Bowling (& Bottles)!

Curse your sudden but inevitable gutter ball!

We have booked 4 lanes at Bonnie Doon Bowling Lanes. Bonnie Doon offers a 3 game special for $15.00 per person which includes the shoe rental.

Everyone is welcome.

We would also like to do some good for a great organization here in Edmonton. Some of our knitting team were involved in #knitmonton’s Valour Place Poppy Project in Nov 2013 and through them we’ve learned more about this amazing organization. The only one of its kind in Canada, Valour Place is a temporary home away from home for all Canadian Forces members, families of the fallen, veterans and RCMP along with their families who require medical treatment in Edmonton. Through Valour Place, they have the means to face the challenges of rehabilitation in a warm, welcoming and supportive environment, at no cost.

We’re asking all AB Browncoats to collect their bottles from now (Feb 3) until Browncoat Bowling day (March 22). If you’re attending our March shindig, feel free to bring your bottles with you. Otherwise, please contact us to make arrangements for pick-up.  If you’re located outside of the Edmonton and surrounding area, but still want to participate, you   most definitely can. Collect bottles from friends and family, turn those bottles in for cashy monies, and use the Donate button below to send funds on or before March 30, 2014.