So as I sit here, I thought I would attempt to compile my thoughts about Gen Con 2010 into a blog post. Now I warn you, this will probably be long winded.
Way back in spring I got a call from my wife, not that unusual for a married guy I know. (Thought I am still not used to being married even after nearly two years together.) Anyways I answered my phone and my wife had but one question for me.
“Would you like to go to Gen Con?”
Okay there was more to the conversation than that, but here is where I geek out a bit. (Okay this whole post will be me geeking out but still). Gen Con, I had to ask if she was serious and she was. So of course my only answer could be, “Um yes please!”
Now for those who are not in the Role Playing Game, Board Game, or Trading Card Game world I will explain a bit. Gen Con is the largest convention in the US that is all about games of all sorts of shapes and sizes. It started out with Wargames, guys and gals sitting around a table and re-recreating Waterloo or San Juan Hill and the like. But slowly and over time it morphed to cover all games from different companies. And also it has expanded now as well to include Anime & Non Gaming Spouse Activities. It lasts for 4 days and it called “The Best Four Days Of Gaming” and it is the truth. But the best four days aren’t just limited to the convention center, no the whole city of Indianapolis just embraces Gen Con. But that is for below.
We arrived a bit late on Thursday, life happens a bit. And it took a bit to find some parking, a warning to any Gen Con newbies next year. Once we got into the convention center proper, we found our badges and took a few moments to get the lay of the land. We started at the dealer room, but it was already closed so we just kinda began to wander around a bit.
I don’t know how other Cons are set up, but Gen Con has certain areas set up all over for certain activities. The first area we found was the Board Game area, and it was never empty all four days we were there. So many games being played, some I had heard of and many many I had not. There was even a Board Game Library that you could by a pass for to play all the board games you could want.
Next we found the Sagamore Ballroom, the home for Dungeons & Dragons at Gen Con. With a Beholder at the top of one esclator and a red dragon guarding the other escalator. This was always a busy place between the d&d going on and the other activites outside the ballroom as well. With the left side of the ballroom being paint & minis HQ. Complete with speed painting and a area where u could choose a free mini and use free paints to bring it to life. While on the right side of the Sagamore was a giant chess board made of Legos (Using Mindstorms I believe) as well as some video games for free play.
We just kind of wondered around and after getting some food in the convention center, (Good stuff actually but a bit pricey) we ended up just exploring and getting our bearings so we prepared for the next day. So to the hotel we went and some rest and investigating the free swag that came with our badges. Including the Tome of a Event Program that was very well done by the way.
There was so much going on that while I could break it down by day I think I will break it down by area or event.
Dealer Room: Holy cow was this massive, but so freaking cool. There were so many amazing products on display. I really can’t list all of the different vendors, I don’t want to leave anyone out! But saw a ton of great products that I want to purchase. Games & accesories and the like. Also so many demos going on that I really want try out next year. Never done Settlers of Catan or any of the great board games I hear so much about. But I did pick up a Two Person starter set of The Spoils TCG that does rock by that is for another blog post. You can find anything here you are looking for game related, but bring some form of communication with you for finding your friends. And also leave yourself quite a few hours to check it all out.
Chess Board/Video Games: Honestly this might sound like something silly to elaborate on, but honestly it was really cool to watch the chess in action. Can’t speak for everyone but it was just so cool watching the pieces move and the like, and all from LEGOs too! Great area to meet up and just relax a bit if I might say so. As for the video games, there wasn’t an arcade per se with cabinets and such. But there were tons of home consoles that you could play in blocks of time. And all sorts of consoles from times past and from overseas as well.
Miniatures Painting HQ: I have always admired painters of miniatures, and been rather jealous. I have no artistic skills but miniatures just fascinate me. Well a lot of the miniatures companies where offering free minis and paints to paint your own miniatures. They were also showing off the Gen Con 2010 Painting Contests and let me say some of those were absolutely amazing. The Wife painted her first miniature and while she claims it is not that good, I think she rocked it and she really enjoyed it too.
Tracy & Laura Hickman’s Killer Breakfast: With the Wife & I going to Gen Con late we really didn’t do a lot of panels and the like (The few we did will be listed below). But the one thing we made sure to check out was the Hickman’s Killer Breakfast. I had heard of this from a Dead Robots Society Interview with Tracy as the guest host. In the interview he spoke of the KB and when The Wife told me she wanted to go I knew we had to check it out. And after reading the description of it from the Gen Con guide we knew it was going to be good but we didn’t expect it to be as awesome as it was. I am not going to spoil anything about it, but I will say that if you get the chance you should go to it. Oh and if you want a very special experience, get there very VERY early.
Sagamore Ballroom/D&D HQ: This place was always hoping with activity, and not just RPGS either. They were showing of the Castle Ravenloft board game as well as Three Dragon Ante (Card Game). But while there were tons of Fourth Edition (The Current Version) being demoed and played. Wizards Of The Coast, the game creators, also sent out an invite this year that any version was invited to play in the Sagamore. So there were games going of all shapes, sizes and editions going at all hours.
Played my first game of Fourth Edition D&D on Saturday night, using the new edition of the Red Box. Had a fantastic time with my group. I just happened to get in line with a couple of nice folks, and our little group slowly grew to a full table. Our DM (Whose name I can not remember) was already judging 3 tables of the Three Dragon Ante game and some other things when he was asked to run our D&D game. He was a really nice guy and lead us through the Red Box where I valiantly gave my life to defend my party from the Zombie Hulk. The DM felt terrible about offing me as that wasn’t supposed to happen, but there was no need because we had a great time and that was how the dice rolled.
One cool thing of note was that our Rogue was played by a girl who had never played D&D or any RPG before ever. So there was a bit of explaining to do for her, but I didn’t mind at all. Anyways, she was the one who finished off the Zombie Hulk! She had wanted to do a few times a certain move in the game but it never worked out. Until it was her turn to attack the Hulk, and she rolled the dice to perform her move and nailed it. The whole table was so happy for her and I think there was a new D&D player made that night.
I know there was True Dungeon also going on during the con that I really don’t know much about. But I do know it was a massive undertaking in and of itself. there was a whole area devoted to it and quite a market for their tokens as well. True Dungeon Home Page For Information
Also I know Wil Wheaton was there as well as some starts of The Guild, but I didn’t meet any of them. But I did have some celebrity moments of my own. Larry Elmore is an amazing artist who did a lot of the early Dungeons & Dragons art as well as some other beautiful pieces. And thanks to The Wife, I got to meet him as his booth in the dealer room. He was such a nice guy even when I was a babbling idiot when I went up to meet him. He autographed a card for me and two stickers that my wife bought from him. Again such nice guy.
Next I met R.A. Salvatore, creator of the character Drizzt Do’Urden from the Forgotten Realms world of Dungeons & Dragons fiction. Also Curt Schilling, former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, who I didn’t know until after the con is a gaming geek himself. They were both giving away autographs to promote their new video game company 38 Studios which is developing two new games. Now at the time I of course knew who R.A. Salvatore was, but I couldn’t believe it was the Curt Schilling of baseball fame. But it was and an autographed T Shirt is now in my possession.
I also met and shopped at the awesomeness that is the Geeky Clean Soaps and met the owner. Insanely nice girl with wonderful products all safe for everyone. I picked up the Bar Trek which smelled wonderful and for those of you who play D&D some of the soap of a Twenty Sided dice in them. Bonus! And there is one for every geek you might ever have to shop for, no matter what they are into. You can find her on twitter at @GeekyClean by the way.
I also met the insanely nice E who not only is a lover of D&D herself, but can also help you find the geek of your dreams. She was running a Speed Dating event at the con that I heard went very well and provides assistance with dating profiles and the like. Very successfully to from what I am hearing so check her out if you are a single geek at the link above. Anyways The Wife was wanting a ribbon she was giving out at the con, and thanks to the magic of Twitter I got a hold of a ribbon and met her too. You can find her at @geeksdreamgirl by the way.
Now I think I should discuss the city and the con itself. Now I obviously didn’t go everywhere, but I do know through twitter and the net that there was a lot of con love going on. There were banners everywhere welcoming people to the con, and inside the swag bag there were lots of coupons for discounts at business and such all around town. There was a double feature at the theater next to the convention center going on featuring Star Trek II & III. At The Ram restaurant, the whole place was filled with banners and decor of a geeky nature. And their menu was totally in character with pixie wings and other ye olde fare. Which was very very good and highly recommend at least once by the way. It just seemed to me that the whole city really was welcoming to all of us geeks. Really, really nice area I must say from what I saw of it.
I also do want to say that the convention staff as well as the Gen Con staff were all very friendly and helpful. I would like to say to anyone who might think about going next year that you should definitely go, and take your spouse along too. My Wife made a really cute chainmail shirt for a teddy bear and I know there was all sorts of Spousal Activities if you have a non gamer. Heck some of the them I wanted to attend myself!
I nearly forgot also that I did attend a good writing panel with Jennifer Brozek (@JenniferBrozek), Tobias Buckell (@tobiasbuckell) and some others that was very informative. And I know there were quite a few other panels that I missed out on but I there were so many that sounded so interesting. I could have probably sent the whole con doing those.
I think that is it, I think I have all my thoughts down on Gen Con. I will say though that if you are going to go, be sure to sign up early. And if you can go for all four days, because it truly is The Best Four Days In Gaming.
January 5, 2011
DQuartermane
