Gen Con 2010

The Best Four Days in Gaming! Arriving at the doorstep of the Indiana (**) Convention Center is no less than overwhelming. Countless gamers flood a four block radius and by no means is are the festivities restricted to the convention center. Gen Con is a five block radius. Steak n' Shake is packed 24 hours a day, and the halls of the surrounding hotels are filled with gamers all hours of the night. The Marriot accross (**) street from the convention center is the home of "True Dungeon" a Live Action Role Playing event that is a fan favorite. Always sold out True Dungeons is an experience I look foreward to someday actually participating in, and I have heard nothing but awesome about it from those who have played. The Wyatt, Embassy, and Hilton hotels all just down the street from the convention center and the Marriot may not have something as epic as True Dungeon in their ballrooms but they have allowed gamers to literally overrun every "space" available. You can't walk anywhere without seeing a table taken up by a game. Around the corner, past the movie theater and beyond the (**) you will find Union Station Ballroom ~ site of the White Wolf Larp and yet more gaming goodness.

The convention center itself is two levels of fun. Personally, I spent 90% of my time on the "Exhibition Hall" floor. As VP of Marketing it was my task to meet with publishers and manufacturers, fellow marketing professionals, and the like and talk about "bixnas" or what have you. I got very familiar with that floor as I bounced back and forth. Vying for the attention of VIPs while also attempting to not impede their sales. Game manufacturers are not the only people that have booths in the exhibit hall. Troma Vision was there - back in the back most back corner. Selling DVDs that for all the world looked like pirated copies of movies ~ gotta love Troma. Next to them in the "low rent" section of the exhibit hall were authors (none of whom I got to talk to this year) and then artists. I did find time to speak with a couple of artists about my ideas for the future of gaming, podcasts, and generally artsy stuff. To name just a couple of them: John E. Kaufmann, Peter Mohrbacher, Marc Scheff, and Jeff Himmelman of WIPPODCAST.com. Artists, writers, and odd men out were all on one side of the convention center exhibition hall. The center of the exhibition hall was where the big names in gaming were located: Wizards of the Coast, Catalyst, Privateer Press, AEG, Settlers of Catan, and the like. Tucked in the nooks around them were less well known, but no less awesome groups like Flying Frog, Shard, and Queen Games. Not to mention EoV's new sponsor, the new but amazing Ex illis!

For the last two years the Convetion Center has been under construction. This year a new room was opened leading off from the exhibit hall. A huge.. giant.. collossal room that was dedicated to Collectible Card Games this year. Considering that most of the speciality rooms, like table top games and warhammer, were the same this year as they were in 2009 you can probably expect the CCG room to be located in the same place ~ just off the exhibit hall. Surrounding the exhibit hall are several instances of performance spots. Every entrance to the exhibit hall is surrounded by performers. SCA style players sing at one end, and Link plays a flute at the other. In between them a man heralds the "prison" a special Gen Con "event" that allows you to place your friends into a faux cell. Therin they are tortured with the smells of the food court only a few feet away. This year Will Wheaton agreed to be jailed for the low price of a thousand dollars. Sadly I missed it. Would have been a great time to pitch him my script lol!

Speaking of Will Wheaton. Will and the other celebrities were placed on a podium to one side of the exhibit hall this year. In front of them was a plaza of battle. Amtgard. Those of you familiar with the sportmen of Amtgard can imagine what a spectacle the line leading up to the signing booths were exposed to. Kids of all ages (eight to over forty) waged foam war fun for their majesties. All very cool. I made my way past the Amtgard gang (good friends of mine) at least once a day all four days to herald my customary "Gett'em!!" to the Foam Fighters. Sadly ~ I was too busy working to stand in line to get an autograph. As it turns out I actually attended a party with Margret Weiss one of the nights of Gen Con ~ but I didn't recognize her in the crowd. Funny! So much is going on in an environment like Gen Con that its terrifying to imagine what you have missed! The only way to work Gen Con is to focus on the positive. Like the Booth Babe at Tom Filsinger Games! Rawr!

Speaking of Great Things. Ex illis. I am not just saying this because they are our sponsors. I am truely astounded by them. Its a super complicated version of miniature battles that is meant to be played with miniature and computer. The miniatures are made of plastic, unlike the weighty and awesome minis put out by Privateer Press. They are larger than Warhammer minis, and like Hero Clicks they can be very ... very big. The glorious thing about Ex illis is way the game is meant to be played. You get a board and a set of minis with the basic set. You can dress the basic board up with the same kind of accessories that you could any other. The magic comes in when you connect the internet into the deal. You and your opponents battle in front of each other, and use the internet to make it all happen. Techincally? Yes, you are capable of playing Ex illis without the computer to track the details and the internet to track your progress. It will take ..forever.. and you won't gain the benefits of your success in your next battle. You could also play Ex illis without the minis... but like I said ~ the magic happens when you bring all the pieces together.

My trip to Gen Con was all about the exhibit hall, but the majority of gamers in attendance were there to play. Everywhere you looked people were playing games. Mostly at tables provided for them, but even the nooks and crannys of the hallways and stairwells groups were gathered around card games and dice. While most people were playing games others were playing dress up. Phenomenal costumes abounded. Entire casts of video games and animae series alike came to life at Gen Con. I saw a minotaur. I saw at least half a dozen Links from the Zelda series. Characters that I recognized from commercials and those that I knew I should wondered around me. Other people wore costumes that were not specific characters, but themes. Steam Punk is all the rage these days and countless clockwork hats abounded. Simple yet sublime Victorian Flamboyance was easily the most common dress up ~ steam punked and classical alike. Beyond pure costume players, Amtgard outfitted warriors, Steam Punk Victorian, and classy midevil dress there was of course.. the goofballs. I saw someone with bright green sigils on their face and I honestly don't think it was a character ... unless it was his character from a table top game. Silly hats, and of course ... super T-Shirts. No where is there a better collection of witty T-Shirts ... hands down.

Gen COn was everythign I expected out of the best four days in gaming. Countless games, I even got to play one. Countless gamers, I met a few new friends. A literally sea of people all of whom would laugh at a joke revolving around cabbits. Games were the primary activities but gamer shows like the Damsels of Dorkington, a burlesque show that bends shakespearian plays around three lovely ladies little fingers, are also rampant. You never knew what you were going to run into as you rounded corners. Gen Con is fun for the whole family. Lego level games, nonstop card and board gaming, open bars and performers, all the way to wiser events suitable for grandmas. Hands down Gen Con has something to entertain everyone. Thats not to say I don't think Gen Con couldn't be even better. I want monitors on the walls that give you news like coverage of tournaments like the Ex illis open. I want to have revolving coverage of the Amtgard tourny. I want to know how the Magic the Gathering Tournament is going while I wait in line to talk to Margret Weiss. I want to see more cosplay, I want to see more face painters and more clowns. Gen Con is awesome! I want to see more of it!