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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 9, 1993                   TAG: 9304090278
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV10   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Short

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SCI-FI, FANTASY CONVENTION OPENS TODAY

People attending the Technicon science fiction and fantasy convention this weekend at Virginia Tech's Donaldson Brown Center may think they have walked into the middle of a sci-fi or fantasy adventure.

A live-action role-playing game will be going on throughout the convention, which runs today through Sunday.

Other activities include a masquerade Saturday at 8 p.m. followed by a dance, a 24-hour Japanese animation room with showings throughout the convention, various continuing computer games in another room and a continuing art show concluded with an auction Sunday.

Guest artists Daniel Fahs, Ruth Thompson and Lou Hartman will speak on a panel at 3 p.m. Saturday on how they got into art professionally. Earlier that day, some of the attending artists will take part in a "Win, Lose or Draw" type art game.

A 2 p.m. Saturday panel will give participants a chance to talk about how they became interested in sci-fi and fantasy. It is titled "When I Realized I Was Not a Mundane."

Other games including BattleTech and StarFleet Battle tournaments will start tonight at 8.

General registration for those who have not signed up in advance is $24 ($20 for students) for all three days or $15 for one day.

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