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CommentAuthorBen Johnson
- CommentTimeAug 18th 2008
Couldn't go this year. What did I miss? -
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CommentAuthorJason Morningstar
- CommentTimeAug 18th 2008
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You crazy kids and your "you tubes."
if you only saw ONE cool thing at Gen Con, I'll be happy though. ;) I won't be so disappointed in missing it this year. -
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CommentAuthorBen Johnson
- CommentTimeAug 18th 2008
Thanks, Jason. Gives me half a chance of remembering what everybody looks like. I missed you all. -
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CommentAuthorJerry D. Grayson
- CommentTimeAug 18th 2008
Very cool video -
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It was my favorite con experience ever! No exaggeration.
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CommentAuthorJason Morningstar
- CommentTimeAug 18th 2008
Wow, that's serious. How come, John? What made it so great? Was it the red panda? Where exactly did you touch the red panda? -
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This was my first Gencon. It seemed to be more about the Exhibitor's Hall than the gaming, but people gotta sell their awesome stuff. I did less gaming than I have in other local cons (Ubercon, Dexcon, Dreamation), but that was cool, because I also got way more sleep than I would have normally. I played some really sweet new games: Hot War, Mist Robed Gate, and 3:16.
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I just got home so my mind feels a bit squishy.
My Gencon is usually packed with 12 hours of scheduled games a day. This year I played no scheduled events.
All I did was play demos at the exhibit hall, pick up games at Games on Demand, and hung out till 2-3am every night at the Embassy Suites. It freed me up to socialize. I didn't get to hang out with everyone I wanted to (Jason being one prominent example) but I did meet many new people, saw friends I only see once a year, and had many non-small talk, deep conversations. The social aspect of gaming is huge for me. The social part fuels me. And it was sweet, nutritional, and filling!
The one low of the con for me eventually turned into a high! My contributions to the marketing seminar were a mixed bag. There were a few technical problems, miscommunication, and I became nervous at the last second and was too shaky and talked too fast. I thought it was terrible.
But almost every single person at the seminar who I didn't know gave me their card, signed up for my mailing list for more info, and a few people offered to buy me drinks later on to pick my brain!
So overall it turned out ok. I need to fix my delivery but the content was good.
Terry had a wonderful time which always makes me happy!
A few of us ate at a fancy steak house late Sunday night which was a pleasure.
Jared bought me a Teifling mini for our 4E game! And then upon purchasing a new set of dice, rolled a natural 20 on his first roll! His enthusiasm when "talking about his character" at the game design seminar was very cute!
I just got to spend a tremendous of quality time with many people. Ralph especially!
And on our way home from Gencon, Terry and I made a few new friends while waiting for our plane at the airport. Which is always a plus.
And the red panda... HOT! -
Posted By: Jason MorningstarI missed you, Ben!
One Cool Thing I Saw At Gen Con 2008
Every time I see one of these videos I want to make the pilgrimage even more. Very strange to see familiar faces from my trip to Go Play NW. We have our own celebrities.
Also, Finnish people are cool, and Graham Walmsley looks and sounds *exactly* like I thought he would.
Thanks for making these videos every year, Jason! -
3:16 was by far the run away indie game of the con from what I could tell. I personally sold at least 8-12 copies by ranting about the game to people. It's so easy to pitch. It's starship troopers where you don't roll to see how much damage you do. You roll to see how many aliens you kill! Also, it was an easy game to play through an entire reward cycle in 1-2 hours. Coupled with the fact that someone gave out dozens of printed character sheets to play with, it was very easy to play and see for yourself if you were interested in buying. And failure is fun. So if you have no idea what you are doing, it's still enjoyable. Gregor is also very sexy and charismatic. So all the pieces fell together. I did have issues with stunting and getting them to be effective but I haven't fully read the book yet. So it could have just been the convention first release, In a Wicked Age effect where the book looks small so everyone reads it quickly, assumes quite a bit about the rules, and rules drift quickly creeks in. So I definitely wouldn't consider this a review of the game. Just super quick first impressions.
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I also got closer to proving my Vincent / Graham = Spike before vampirism / Spike after vampirism theory. I'm almost there!
Judd also looks more handsome (and younger) every time I see him!
John Harper threatened my life!
Matt Wilson fucking abused his DM powers all over my character and wouldn't let me do stuff before he could read his boxed text or make insane video game references. Matt Wilson: "Yeah... that sounds great BUT before you do that... as you open the heavy basement door you feel a cold musty oder wash over you from the darkness ahead as you turn on your lamp you see the horror unfold before you... it kind of reminds you of that scene in Halo where the drop ship hovers over the corpse landfill or in Gears of War when... anyways, the smell of sulfur beckons you to walk forward so you do cause I'm the mother fucking DM... what... do... you... do???" It was even crazier when he was mimicking Alexander's British accent.
Luke Crane is a beautiful man. The all day, learn how to become a small press designer from concept to writing to production to marketing to financing was well organized and extremely helpful. -
- CommentAuthorwundergeek
- CommentTimeAug 18th 2008
Zombie Cinema is amazing. Everyone should own a copy of this game. I am not exaggerating in any way.
Tony LB needs to finish Misery Bubblegum, because it, too, is amazing, and heart-wrenching, and also heart-warming, and I will be sad if I can't buy a copy next year.
Graham is a Poison'd god.
I am *really excited* to see where Danielle takes Kagematsu. Even about 3/4 finished, this game is amazing. It has a strong female voice, but isn't A Feminist Game. It's just a game about women that is awesome.
How to Host a Dungeon puts a metric fuckton of fun into "lonely fun".
Too much awesome in too short a span of time. It was tiring. -
Posted By: wundergeekJombie Cinema is amazing. Everyone should own a copy of this game. I am not exaggerating in any way.
Misery Bubblegum is hauntingly good at simulating Shojo.
Tony LB needs to finish Misery Bubblegum, because it, too, is amazing, and heart-wrenching, and also heart-warming, and I will be sad if I can't buy a copy next year. -
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CommentAuthorJason Morningstar
- CommentTimeAug 18th 2008
The biggest surprises (which should not have been surprises at all had I been paying attention) were:
1. Tony Dowler's How To Host A Dungeon, which is innovative on several dimensions, fun, and roundly excellent.
2. Eero Tuovinen's Zombie Cinema, which is going to be hugely influential I think, at least to me.
3. Empire of Dust, from Clint Krause and Amy Garcia - I don't know a ton about the gameplay, but it is a tour de force of physical design and packaging, with a set-up box, die cut counters, and wonderful art. I want to know more.
4. Willow Palecek's FATE hack Awesome Adventures, which is ... wait for it ...
Not so surprising:
4. Thou Art But A Warrior turned out great, with some lovely full color plates and very elegant add-on mechanics.
5. It's Complicated, which my (apparently soon-to-be-a-gamer) wife immediately grabbed and pored over with intense interest.
6. 3:16, you maggots! Now stand up and hook up!
I also scored a copy of the Solmukohta 2008 collection Playground Worlds, which I will treasure.
That's just my personal taste, but there were about six booths stuffed with creator owned amazing games and games-to-be,a nd each of those was stuffed with creators. -
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I put together a huge post about it here.
The short version is:
1. I got to meet lots of really cool people, including but not limited to: Jerry Grayson, Luke Crane (who finds the rough English translation of Meikyuu Kingdom hilarious), Elizabeth Shoemaker, Shreyas Sampat, Eero Tuovien, Adam Dray, Jason Morningstar, Paul Czege (who got me to buy The Fisherman's Wife in addition to Darkpages), and some others who I can't remember because names take a little while to stick in my head.
2. Maid RPG sold very well, so apparently we're on to something here, but there's still a lot to do.
3. You should all be very interested in Yuuyake Koyake and Meikyuu Kingdom. -
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CommentAuthorOlle Jonsson
- CommentTimeAug 18th 2008
(Glad to see the term "lonely fun" get exercise.)
Thanks for shooting all that footage, Jason. Means a lot to us in the diaspora. -
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I had some ZOMG moments at GenCon (in order of occurrence):
- Half a dozen indie/creator-owned booths making a profit.
- The mechanics of Elizabeth Shoemaker's It's Complicated are so simple and cool. Elegance in design!
- Colin Frederick's The Princess Game has a situation mechanic so cool that it will influence my work for years to come.
- Young kids with Asperger's Syndrome playing story games, even when it's outside their comfort zone.
- Despite editing it, I hadn't gotten to play Nathan Paoletta's Annalise. Nathan graciously invited me to sit and watch him play with Don, JoAnna, and Allee in their room. The game produces really, really cool stories -- and really dark ones.
- Putting all the cool stuff about the knife aside, I actually think the coolest thing about Shreyas Sampat's Mist-Robed Gate is the conflict system. Two players "battle" back and forth. The other players toss a white or red token into a bag whenever one of the players says something cool. Draw a token at the end to determine the winner of the conflict.
- Julia Ellingboe's Tales of the Fisherman's Wife bowled me over with its erotic art, evocative setting, and deadly-elegant mechanics.
- I've run D&D 4E about six times since it came out. I experienced it as a player for the first time with the Evil Hat crew and a few others on Saturday night. It was a blast!
- I read "Things We Think about Gaming" on the plane coming home. I found myself wanting to argue against many of the statements in this book about game design and game play. For that reason, the book has made me think more about design than I have in a long time. Read this book.
- Half a dozen indie/creator-owned booths making a profit.
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CommentAuthorGamerChick
- CommentTimeAug 18th 2008
I ran Colonial Gothic, StarMage Prophecies (high fantasy+space opera) and Cat, as well as huge tables of Dave Arneson's Blackmoor (D&D 3.5). I thought all of the tables were great fun - I think I scared *myself* with Colonial Gothic.
I played Trail of Cthulhu and Dresden Files (and *finally* got to meet Lenny Balsera and Fred Hicks in person). Both ToC and Dresden rocked on ice (but that's probably not news).
On the down side, I never got to the dealer's room *at all*. *sigh* Next year... -
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CommentAuthorBen Robbins
- CommentTimeAug 18th 2008
Posted By: Neko Ewen2. Maid RPG sold very well, so apparently we're on to something here, but there's still a lot to do.
I cannot begin to tell you how discussing the Maid RPG livened up breakfast at GenCon. Orange juice spraying everywhere. -
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- CommentAuthorEarthenForge
- CommentTimeAug 18th 2008
Still recovering, but I had a great time - seeing everyone was tops in my book. I came home with a sizable stack of new games, and I played some awesome stuff too. My top 3:
1. Mist Robed Gate - this game had the dual pleasures of describing crazy wire-fu moves and veiled/passive aggressive speech. I started out playing a simple chef who, through play, became many things, including the crime lord of all of Chinatown - awesome!
2. Misery Bubblegum - I did not want to play this at all - "Anime cardgame" is a phrase that causes my eyes to instantly glaze over. But I had nothing else to do and my husband was interested, so I shuffled over to the table. It. Was. Fantastic. We only played for about an hour, but we packed it with sweet moments, surprising revelations, angst, cruelty, and other great stuff. Really fun - Tony must finish this!
3. Under My Skin as Jeepform - I'm still having difficultly talking about this. We had a great game with many very real moments, and I am grateful to the wonderful people I played this with. It was a pleasure to watch and a pleasure to play. Relationships were put to the test, and we had a happy ending, but it was one of the most quietly disturbing happy endings of any game I've played in. I am haunted. And I want to play it again.
-Rachel. -
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CommentAuthorBen Lehman
- CommentTimeAug 18th 2008
I'm psyched that Maid RPG did really well.
yrs--
--Ben -
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3:16 was the game everyone was playing. I must be one of the few indie gamers not to have had the experience - but that should change soon I hope.
I ran many Trail of Cthulhu demos with people who really engaged with the 30 minutes of time I gave them. They were good. But I also got to run Fourpenny Touch again and those guys were really rather special (I think that translates as freakin´ awesome in USican).
Paula played Poisond with Graham and Jeeped with Rachel et al. She says these were two of her best roleplaying experiences ever. Never has she been so debauched or hugged in games before. I think you can guess which experience relates to which game. -
that was a rad video, Jason.
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btw, are there any fans of Battlestations on SG? if so, did anyone happen to see if there was anything new for it out at the con?
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I am a fan of Battlestations, and I'm eagerly awaiting the core set reprint, but sadly I was not at the Con :/
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So... am I a complete solipsist or does Amy Garcia talk about her new friend "Gregor Walton" in that video? Gregor, have you been posing as me to pick up American chicks? :)
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CommentAuthorJared A. Sorensen
- CommentTimeAug 18th 2008
I ran a kajillion demos of Darkpages during the con. Man, you guys should feel wretched that you missed out! -
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- CommentAuthorcommondialog
- CommentTimeAug 18th 2008
Posted By: Jonathan WaltonSo... am I a complete solipsist or does Amy Garcia talk about her new friend "Gregor Walton" in that video? Gregor, have you been posing as me to pick up American chicks? :)
Amy IS easily confused, but he was. No girls we're interested in him as the designer of 3:16, the minute he started telling them he had an aschan called Geiger Counter... he had to beat them off with a stick. Maybe you should have showed up.
Best things about the Gen Con:
1. Seeing everyone (of course)
2. Losing to Jason Morningstar
3. My totally awesome set of Project Donut buttons and the madness they caused.
4. Black Cadillacs -
Posted By: rafialI am a fan of Battlestations, and I'm eagerly awaiting the core set reprint, but sadly I was not at the Con :/
I was wondering if How Much For Your Planet? might be out at the con. I probably should just check the Yahoo group, but I haven't been there for months, so I'm kind of scared to dig through so many posts.
Do you not have the core set Wilhelm? How long has it been OOP? -
Posted By: commondialogAmy IS easily confused
I liked how Jason tried to correct her, but she was too excited to listen, and Gregor was apparently too polite to say anything on camera.
Or, you know, just posing as the guy who wrote Geiger Counter. -
I loved it. It was great to meet everyone.
Misery Bubblegum is superb.
I ran Poison'd three times and Lacuna twice and enjoyed all the games.
Julia Ellingboe followed me around like a lost puppy. It was kind of cute.
Graham -
- CommentAuthorNumber Ten Ox
- CommentTimeAug 18th 2008
Best things about my Gen Con 2008 experience:
1. Playing Black Cadillacs and talking with Darcy. Oh, I still have to write my war story.
2. Talking with Elizabeth and picking up "It's Complicated," exactly the kind of game I've wanted to design (and may still). Being a favorite customer.
3. Amy Garcia's patience explaining Empire of Dust
4. Maid RPG. Maid RPG. Maid RPG. Finding out Tenra Bansho Zero is in development. ZOMG.
5. Zombie Cinema - a totally unexpected surprise
6. Having the opportunity to play a ton of 4E with friends
7. St. Elmos shrimp cocktail
Somehow I missed Jeepform, How to Host a Dungeon, Misery Bubblegum, and The Princess Game. -
Posted By: Graham WJulia Ellingboe followed me around like a lost puppy. It was kind of cute.
I think you have that the other way around.....
I'm certain you have that the other way around. You're still in Western Mass! I live here. What's your excuse? -
The con was pretty neat. I picked up Houses of the Blooded.
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Shreyas, I heard you had a conversation with Ron and you two didn't actually strangle each other. How crazy is that?
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I have a irm no-strangling policy at conventions! Also, lunch was delightful.
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1: Number Ten Ox. I talked to him forever and ever and EVER and he really gets my games and OMG.
2: Black Cadillacs with Darcy! It's going to be an amazing game when it's done. And I want Jason Morningstar to be my new emoporn BFF.
3: Rob Donahue's annotated copy of Things We Think About Gaming. I'm jealous.
4: I actually want to play Hot War and I usually dislike alternate histories and sci-fi.
5: Design Matters was the swankiest booth at the con with some seriously amazing games. -
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CommentAuthorDaniel M. Perez
- CommentTimeAug 19th 2008
Still a blur, but sifting through the memories I get:
1. An amazing game of Star Wars PTA where we cranked it up to 11. Then realized we had enough time, played another episode and took it up to 12.
2. Getting to meet my favorite artist, Rebecca Guay, and totally being awestruck into a vague semblance of the English language.
3. Seeing friends from last year, and meeting new ones that I've only interacted with on this forum and others (you're all a lot taller than your avatars, go figure!).
4. Being on two panels, and finding out they were actually good and informative to the audience.
5. Starblazer Adventures. I now have a new superweapon!
6. A 10-minute game of Zombie Cinema that made us laugh like nothing else (Ryan Macklin alluded to this game on one of the Sunday shows of This Just In... From Gen Con).
7. The White Wolf Party. I got to connect with my goth roots again.
There's more, I know, and I'll remember later. There's a bunch of people I only say across hallways and as we crossed paths here and there, and didn't get a chance to talk. My apologies to them, and I'll make it up next year. -
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- CommentAuthorKevin Allen Jr
- CommentTimeAug 19th 2008
• The Design Matters booth was a smashing success
• Coming just three copies short of selling out of Sweet Agatha
• Getting to play my regular weekly D&D game at the embassy, and everyone was super excited about it on account of being con high
• Spending too much money on far too much stuff.
• Eating well
• Sleeping well -
- CommentAuthorClint Krause
- CommentTimeAug 19th 2008
Best. Con. Experience. Ever. Period.
It was life-affirmingly good for me.
Standout moments include:
- Everyone at our booth being far beyond awesome.
- Meeting many, many people for the first time.
- Kevin Siembieda buying a copy of Empire of Dust and having me sign it.
- Rolling in petty cash.
- Generally having the feeling of coming out of my little cave and finding a wonderful "Sound of Music"-style world out there. -
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CommentAuthortony dowler
- CommentTimeAug 19th 2008
I was adopted by Finns! Seriously, among the Forgeboothies who welcomed me with open arms were Jari and Eero, who immediately asked for a demo of my game and then funneled every person they could drag to my table for a demo.
Getting a designer demo of Julia's game Fisherman's Wife at the bar and buying a copy on the spot
Playing my grizzled veteran 3:16 trooper landing with a green squad on their first mission
Surviving more planets than anyone else (as far as I know)
Randomly running into Chris Engle and then getting into a fascinating hour-long discussion of home-made board game construction and niche gaming
Being thoroughly disgusted with Maid RPG - then being unable to get it out of my head (or dreams) all weekend
Admitting that AD&D was more forbidden than Playboy in my house growing up
Discovering "Race for the Galaxy"
Watching 30 different people play "How to Host a Dungeon", each in a completely different way -
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CommentAuthorJoshua A.C. Newman
- CommentTimeAug 19th 2008
I endeavored to not lose my voice, and it worked!
Elizabeth and I both received invitations to negotiate to write for other game companies. I put both at a 10% chance of satisfactory success, but I'll leap at a 10% chance of something really fun and lucrative.
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Posted By: tony dowlerBeing thoroughly disgusted with Maid RPG - then being unable to get it out of my head (or dreams) all weekend
This is one of the most awesome comments I've seen about Maid RPG yet. -
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CommentAuthortony dowler
- CommentTimeAug 19th 2008
Posted By: Neko Ewen
Posted By: tony dowlerBeing thoroughly disgusted with Maid RPG - then being unable to get it out of my head (or dreams) all weekend
This is one of the most awesome comments I've seen about Maid RPG yet.
Let's just say it's rather disturbing when your dreams are all about 3:16, but everyone's wearing Maid uniforms. -
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See, my dreams are never that cool.
Also, I can't help but be reminded of the thread on 4chan's /tg/ board about using Maid RPG for a game about a WH40K Inquisitor's retinue, a la Dark Heresy. -
- CommentAuthorcommondialog
- CommentTimeAug 19th 2008 edited
Posted By: Number Ten OxBest things about my Gen Con 2008 experience:
3. Amy Garcia's patience explaining Empire of Dust
*Gasp*
What???!!! She had to call in help on that sale? What about the crazy guy who got pulled in??!!
Edit: This post is totally self-agrandizing...it's also totally tongue-in-cheek. -
- CommentAuthorDouble King
- CommentTimeAug 19th 2008
Jason,
Thanks for putting up the video. My very favorite parts of the con were getting that last minute, final-hour demo on Grey Ranks from you and drinks with the Design Matters crew on Saturday night.
Being thralled to the IPR booth kept me from the gaming tables but allowed me to meet so many cool developers.
Wish i'd had the scratch to pick up Clint and Amy's game... such beautiful production. I don't feel too bad having purchased so much else from the DM booth.
- Eric -
Posted By: jenskotI just got home so my mind feels a bit squishy.
My Gencon is usually packed with 12 hours of scheduled games a day. This year I played no scheduled events.
All I did was play demos at the exhibit hall, pick up games at Games on Demand, and hung out till 2-3am every night at the Embassy Suites. It freed me up to socialize. I didn't get to hang out with everyone I wanted to (Jason being one prominent example) but I did meet many new people, saw friends I only see once a year, and had many non-small talk, deep conversations. The social aspect of gaming is huge for me. The social part fuels me. And it was sweet, nutritional, and filling!
The one low of the con for me eventually turned into a high! My contributions to the marketing seminar were a mixed bag. There were a few technical problems, miscommunication, and I became nervous at the last second and was too shaky and talked too fast. I thought it was terrible.
But almost every single person at the seminar who I didn't know gave me their card, signed up for my mailing list for more info, and a few people offered to buy me drinks later on to pick my brain!
So overall it turned out ok. I need to fix my delivery but the content was good.
Terry had a wonderful time which always makes me happy!
A few of us ate at a fancy steak house late Sunday night which was a pleasure.
Jared bought me a Teifling mini for our 4E game! And then upon purchasing a new set of dice, rolled a natural 20 on his first roll! His enthusiasm when "talking about his character" at the game design seminar was very cute!
I just got to spend a tremendous of quality time with many people. Ralph especially!
And on our way home from Gencon, Terry and I made a few new friends while waiting for our plane at the airport. Which is always a plus.
And the red panda... HOT!
On behalf of all furrydom, I thank you John Snuffalumpagus.
- Semi-Erect Spiderman -
We sold out of Maid and Hellas, and we took our mad stacks of cash and made it rain up in this bitch.
Jerry crafted the album cover for our next release, "Ain't Gonna (Put My Spear Down)"
-Andy
(ok, we got the idea when we were passing some Magic: The Gathering trading booth, and these guys were counting huge stacks of cash, which was hilarious because we were really enthused about our sales, and that just put us back in our place. So we decided it would be hilarious to have pics of cash, bling and hot women (being Renee, Jerry's wife) in the late 90s style rap album cover tradition. Jerry flared up his Photoshop for added effect) -
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CommentAuthorJason Morningstar
- CommentTimeAug 19th 2008
Posted By: Andy"Ain't Gonna (Put My Spear Down)"
Aw yeah.
Who am I? Andy K motherfucker
I'm The First puttin' it down for North Carolina
But guess what? (what) it's been worth it
I'm a superstar, bought me a big ol' car
Four point Six (see the car?)
Black fifty four, from the front to the back
Got a button in the middle that makes a trunk go, eh eh
But it ain't bout that, it's about gettin' what you get and drivin all back here
Big Fellas (buy Hellas)
(Please don't kill me for stealing your lyrics Petey Pablo) -
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CommentAuthorDaniel M. Perez
- CommentTimeAug 19th 2008
Andy, I just realized that I stood in front of you for like 10 minutes on Saturday while my buddy took a look at Hellas and got shield-bumped by the blue Amazonian, and since your badge was turned around I never realized it was you. So, hi! We never got around to playing Witch Hunter, so you didn't miss anything. -
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Jason, the fact that you reached for "Raise Up" makes me so happy. Andy, you better not forget the folks who've been with ya 'fore we knew what 'been with me' wuz.
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CommentAuthorDarcy Burgess
- CommentTimeAug 19th 2008 edited
GenCon started out very downbeat for me: it was my first time, and it was overwhelming.
Then I got to playtest at the IGE/GoD room. That was wonderful. Gigantic props to Mike for keeping it hopping (hey, Graham, you were there a lot too...second in command?)
Seriously, that room made GenCon for me.
On other fronts, I had three eye-opening game experiences:
* Pulp is the sort of rules-set that we've needed in our hobby for a long, long time. This one's going to see a lot of play 'round Ottawa, let me tell you...
* Kagematsu's little secret is out: it's crunchy as hell, in all the right places. It's just really, really stealthy about it.
* It's Complicated made me smile. It's the first non-fortune-resolution game I've ever liked. It scratches a very special itch.Yay GenCon!
D -
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Well, I wasn't really pleased with my sales by Saturday.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, the rest of the con was really cool. Highlights include:
*playing A Flower for Mara on Thursday night. I'll be writing up some AP when I get the chance. Deep, intense, powerful play. I felt a special connection with my fellow players during the rest of the con, and it wouldn't surprise me if it lasts longer than that.
*playing Dirty Secrets with Chris and Susie on Friday night. Because it was after-hours, I didn't feel like I had to have my designer hat on (like at IGE/GoD). Instead, I just got to hang out and play a game that I enjoy. Plus, I got my second dose of the corrupt college town of Bloomington, IN!
*talking game design until way too late with Eppy, Emily, Marc, and Matt.
*encountering Zombie Cinema. This was the first thing at the con that actually blew me away. I'm looking forward to playing it in full with folks around these parts.
Seth Ben-Ezra
Great Wolf -
Oh, duh! I forgot one!
Pizza and Polaris with the guys from Canon Puncture! It was really more of an extended demo than a full game, but I think that all of them had the chance to taste the awesome that is Polaris
And another good thing:
*I didn't fall to my death from the fifteenth floor of the Embassy Suites. My vertigo and fear of heights really kicked in when we headed upstairs to play A Flower for Mara. I had to focus on the floor in front of me and not on the gaping abyss to the side of me. Even in the hotel room, I had the feeling like we were clinging to the side of a cliff and that the Yawning Void was awaiting me outside the room. I wish I were joking, but I'm really not.
Seth Ben-Ezra
Great Wolf -
Posted By: GamerChickI ran Colonial Gothic, StarMage Prophecies (high fantasy+space opera) and Cat, as well as huge tables of Dave Arneson's Blackmoor (D&D 3.5). I thought all of the tables were great fun - I think I scared *myself* with Colonial Gothic.
I played Trail of Cthulhu and Dresden Files (and *finally* got to meet Lenny Balsera and Fred Hicks in person). Both ToC and Dresden rocked on ice (but that's probably not news).
On the down side, I never got to the dealer's room *at all*. *sigh* Next year...
When was your Trail of Cthulhu game? -
Posted By: Clint Krause
- Kevin Siembieda buying a copy of Empire of Dust and having me sign it.
I pray to the gods of Gygax that good game design influences Kevin... -
The best things about GenCon:
Seeing so many people I've known or known of via the online medium, and finding pretty much all of them much, much cooler and nicer in person. Additionally, meeting other people who, despite my admission of not being incredibly interested in their games, were amazingly nice and who seemed genuinely happy to talk to me when I came around.
Despite my attempts to keep my game enthusiasm down to a manageable level, I left having enjoyed many new games, having not played some of the games I really wanted to play, having bought several games I'd not have figured myself to be interested in, and having cut from my purchase list several games I'd have expected to buy... And with all of that, I still feel it was an amazing experience that I will remember throughout the next two years until I will be able to make it to GenCon again.
More to come when I write my "OMG GenCon!" post. -
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CommentAuthorRyan Macklin
- CommentTimeAug 19th 2008
Posted By: Daniel M. PerezAndy, I just realized that I stood in front of you for like 10 minutes on Saturday while my buddy took a look at Hellas and got shield-bumped by the blue Amazonian, and since your badge was turned around I never realized it was you.
I recall meeting Andy last year and thinking "Man, he looks nothing like his icon. What's up with that?" -
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Did anyone happen to play (or buy) Greg Stolze's A Dirty World? If so, how is it? I had no idea it was done (or that it was going to be a pretty small book until I checked his website today.
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Posted By: AndyWe sold out of Maid and Hellas, and we took our mad stacks of cash and made it rain up in this bitch.
Jerry crafted the album cover for our next release, "Ain't Gonna (Put My Spear Down)"
-Andy
(ok, we got the idea when we were passing some Magic: The Gathering trading booth, and these guys were counting huge stacks of cash, which was hilarious because we were really enthused about our sales, and that just put us back in our place. So we decided it would be hilarious to have pics of cash, bling and hot women (being Renee, Jerry's wife) in the late 90s style rap album cover tradition. Jerry flared up his Photoshop for added effect)
John bought a copy of Maid and we were laughing our fucking assess off back in the hotel that night. Before the con, the people talking about it made me go "Dude, what the hell? A game about maids? Is this a fetish thing?" But having read some of it... it's like elf testicles deep fried with a sauce made from God's spinal fluid.
-B -
I bought Dirty World and read it on the plane home. I plan on playing it Labor Day weekend.
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Posted By: fnord3125Did anyone happen to play (or buy) Greg Stolze'sA Dirty World? If so, how is it? I had no idea it was done (or that it was going to be a pretty small book until I checked his website today.
It's a home run, but I missed getting to play a game run by Greg by the barest chance- I turned my back, and when I turned back, he and John were gone, leaving Kevin and I to ride the booth for hours and hours, with no dirty world for us at all.
-B -
Posted By: ptevisI bought Dirty World and read it on the plane home. I plan on playing it Labor Day weekend.
Since you plan on playing it, I assume it looks good from the read then, Paul? Anything particularly interesting/exciting that it does? -
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CommentAuthorJohn Harper
- CommentTimeAug 19th 2008
This GenCon was especially great for me. I got to spend time socializing with friends, made new friends, and played my new favorite game -- 3:16 -- a whole lot (I even got to play with Trooper Dog!). I managed to sleep enough, too, except for Sunday night (Insomniac Award = Me).
Speaking of awards, congrats to Jason Morningstar for his Diana Jones victory! In your face, Child's Play!
It was wonderful to see all the small press booths buzzing with activity. Design Matters takes the prize for classy booth presentation.
I discovered how fun it is to say, "We are being attacked by chombies!" in a Finnish accent. Eero, Markku, and Juri were delightful and very fun to game with. I forgot to buy Zombie Cinema and now I am crying bitter tears.
I learned that Julia's ability to run an excellent demo is not impaired by alcohol. Also, The Fisherman's Wife is good, naughty fun.
It was great to finally meet Graham face to face, but I wish he wasn't so loud and rude. Maybe the next time he visits the states he will have learned his manners.
I had to give Ron a yellow card. But we hugged it out.
Matt Wilson and I sang Dr. Horrible lyrics at each other all weekend. He's writing a musical now (I think it should be called "Chombies!").
Vincent Baker will annoy the crap out of you with three foot tall Swamp People and then try to kill you with giant aquatic crows and he will laugh like the devil while he does it. Storming the Wizard's Tower is shaping up into something special.
I never made it to the free breakfast at the Embassy, but I did show up for the free booze thing in the evenings. Good times. -
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CommentAuthorMalcolm Craig
- CommentTimeAug 19th 2008 edited
Well, the Play Collective Booth was great fun for the second year running. I had a wonderful time with my fellow Collectivists Joshua, Emily, Vincent, Rob, Elizabeth, Matt, Judd and Tony.
Seeing Gregor set new sales/play records with 3:16. Call it a sneaking suspicion, but I think he's on to a winner.
Having some great people at the games of Mob Justice, Cold City and Hot War that I ran as part of the Indie Games Explosion.
Meeting Jeff Lowers wonderful wife Julie. Likewise for many other people I met for the first time in the flesh: Clint Krause and Amy Garcia (hopefully Empire of Dust will get some play soon), Elizabeth Shoemaker, Shreyas, and many others.
Major Restaurant! The best food in Indy! Wonderful Ethiopian delicacies, incredibly friendly service and great coffee (plus incense as an added bonus). And the company of Vincent Baker, Joshua A.C. Newman and Jim Pinto wasn't half bad either!
And, getting to stay in Western Mass for the week before Gen Con with my brilliant friend Joshua A.C. Newman and the always lovely Carrie. A week of great food, travel, cycling and swimming.
Cheers
Malcolm -
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- CommentAuthorcommondialog
- CommentTimeAug 19th 2008
Posted By: Great WolfOh, duh! I forgot one!
Pizza and Polaris with the guys from Canon Puncture! It was really more of an extended demo than a full game, but I think that all of them had the chance to taste the awesome that isPolaris
Yes...I bought Polaris because of that and I am rallying the troops to play. My only regret is I can't see Rich's face the next time I say:
"I chop his head off." -
Posted By: John Harperthe free booze thing
Whatwhatwhaaaat!? -
I realize that my brain is still operating in fits and starts for the last day or so, so I only have one small reaction at a time.
The most truly "Indie" thing that I've seen at this GenCon, or the last three GenCons for that matter, was Willow P walking around selling copies of herdemo tapeRPG "Awesome Adventures" from her backpack. It was rewinding that shit back to the old school like the J-5 did to hip hop. That was truly cool.
I was not really expecting to buy/see much at the con. Instead, I walked away with 2 boxes, a year's worth, of gaming for the next year. That was spectacular.
I ran two sessions of Tenra Bansho, one scheduled, and one with Jerry, Renee and the gang: *7 players*, sharing 4 characters between them. It was hot with the roleplaying, but unfortunately there wasn't enough time to finish the adventure properly. Next year, gadget, next year...
-Andy -
Posted By: Great Wolf
*playingDirty Secretswith Chris and Susie on Friday night. Because it was after-hours, I didn't feel like I had to have my designer hat on (like at IGE/GoD). Instead, I just got to hang out and play a game that I enjoy. Plus, I got my second dose of the corrupt college town of Bloomington, IN!
This and the Dust Devils game were the high points for me. I bought a lot of great games and got to see a lot of cool stuff, but getting to actually play these two games (with the authors) was what made the con. I've already written up the Dust Devil AP, and I'll probably get the Dirty Secrets AP out soon... hopefully...
If you haven't played Dirty Secrets, you are missing out. It is by far one of the coolest non-traditional games I've played. And the story that comes out of it just falls together; everything just works.
Oh, one more thing: Getting a quick demo of Shooting the Moon with Emily. I've owned the game for a little while and never had a chance to play it. On Friday, I finally got the chance and I wasn't disappointed. The characters we played had more depth in the single 15-minute scene than most RPG characters have in a full story. I'm looking forward to the chance to play a full game at some point. -
Posted By: AndyWillow P walking around selling copies of her
Rumor has it you can get in trouble for that sort of thing. Are those sorts of rules enforced? Cuz I'm not sure if it's more or less awesome if I imagine her selling her game while simultaneously dodging the con police.demo tapeRPG "Awesome Adventures" from her backpack. -
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CommentAuthorJason Morningstar
- CommentTimeAug 20th 2008
Posted By: fnord3125Rumor has it you can get in trouble for that sort of thing.
GEN CON TOOL: Excuse me miss, you can't...
WILLOW holds up a copy of Awesome Adventures
GEN CON TOOL: All right then, carry on. -
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Hell yeah! Is that how it goes, Jason? So basically, "No selling stuff out of your backpack unless it's Awesome"? Cuz that's awesome.
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Tiring in a good way.
Play Collective booth rocked the house. The whole Indie zone was an island of awesome. -
- CommentAuthorGregor Hutton
- CommentTimeAug 20th 2008
Great video. I and thrilled that Jason is making this a yearly tradition and it makes for treasured memories.
So, the con for me kicked off in style with Jason getting the Diana Jones Award for Grey Ranks. The speech by Matt Forbeck used the word "narrativist" too. Great! Wolfgang Bauer's Open Design which shared the award also showed that non-conventional models of interaction with people who play your games is not only possible, but rewarding too.
On that note, the Design Matters booth was so much fun for me to be on and we didn't lose our jackets. Kevin and Nathan really led us from the front and Amy, Clint, Eppy, Shreyas and I were happy to follow them and have a good time. It was such a team effort and everyone was a perfect fit. Eppy coughing up a $100 dollar was hilarious and he kept the booth rocking. Nate, on a personal note, also helped me learn American by the end of the con...dum. Sweet Agatha is glorious and sold like hot cakes too, while Dread just hops into people's paws on its own. Though we do need an all-black Jenga set.
My friends Shannon and Paul were down from Seattle - so good to see them. They'll miss next year as they're getting married a week after the con in 09. They had a great time, which was really satisfying for me. The Grey Ranks demo they were in was fun (Shannon's character arguing with Jason playing her mother, and Paul's character going on a mission to brew up a tank) so they picked it up and will be playing it soon. Paul also really got his teeth into Black Cadillacs and some Axis & Allies at the show.
John Harper was a huge reason that 3:16 sold so well. Thanks John! I awarded him a medal on the last day of the con for his efforts in combating bio-warfare (the least I could do). I think a lot of people had fun with it and it was very rewarding to see people just play it and find it's easy to do. You could see players getting savier with their choices as they played more and realised that there are (sometimes subtle) tactical choices in many facets of the game. (Hearing Brandon from Seattle talk about it was also fun, since he is trying his damndest to push and pull at the system.) Thanks also to John Snuffleupagus (ha!), Steve Segedy, Lance Allen et al. who talked to me about it. The cheap AT-43 minis were also ideal.
Also great to see so many UK guys there: Malcolm, Matt, Graham and me were there. Then Angus Abranson and the Cubicle 7 guys, as well as Pelgrane Press. So seeing Sacha Bilton, Marc Farrimond etc.
Going to the Ennies and seeing Flames Rising getting an Ennie Award was superb. Arneson cracking the room up with his humour was also delightful (...it's hard keeping a campaign fresh after 37 years, you know... he said to much laughter). Shame that Game Night didn't get an Ennie, but Jonny would have gone to pieces if he'd have to have given a speech, so it was for the best.
The Ashcan Front was a highlight for me again. Blood Red Sands is a gamey game and I'm keen to try it out. Kagematsu and Silence Keeps Me A Victim were my reading choices for the plane ride home.
The con ended on two high notes for me. One. Matt Wilson deservedly getting levelled up in 3:16 on a random roll-off. Adam's character Bronson went up on kills mainly owing to a grenade ambush that he rolled 20 for kills on, while Matt carved his way through most of the planet's Threat on his own. So when all the undeserving maggots rolled 8s and 9s, it was euphoric to see Matt roll a 10.
Two. Saying goodbye to everyone on the last night. Hugs all round, and the one I appreciated the most was from Clyde. It meant a lot to see Clyde with his book out as an ashcan and to hug him at con end. -
- CommentAuthorSimon Rogers
- CommentTimeAug 20th 2008
I wandered the hall briefly with Graham and developed the Booth Babe Attraction-Repulsion Theory (BBART). Booth babes have a long range attractive force and a short range repulsive force in proportion to their looks and the scantiness of their costumes. I speculated that there are two approaches to using this phenomena to get people close to a booth. One would be to replace the booth babe with a less intitimidating one when the babes reach the Walmsley Horizon (where the attractive force equals the repulsive one), the other is to use two or three booth babes as sheep dogs to heard the punters to the stand. Graham volunteered to be a Pelgrane booth babe next year wearing only a pair of lime green Speedos with the Pelgrane Press logo on the front.
Sales-wise this was a decent year for ProFantasy, and our best for Pelgrane. The Mutant City Blues previews and Trail were flying off the shelves. Better sales means the usual con experience of long periods with little human contact were few and far between. Robin and Ken were a great draw to the Pelgrane stand as well as being a pleasure to talk to. Our new venture, Axe Iniative for 4e adventures got a great launch - we had a huge ProFantasy battlemat, and Sasha was DMing, using the Finger of Doom to point out characters in danger of death.
Steve ran some great Trail, Fear and Eso demos in half-hour slots, and this year I heard much less about "your books are a great read" and more about "we enjoy the game" and "how does this rule work"?
I had fruitful talks with WotC about software and the GSL.
I discussed Fisherman's Friends with Julia and Graham, and played my one game of the con - Zombie Cinema with Eero and Graham. It was a good demo in that it showed what the game was about and we enjoyed it. I didn't get much IPR chat in - Fred was horribly busy, and once again didn't see the mighty Vincent. I at least spoke to Luke, Emily and Elizabeth, and grabbed some ashcans. I'm a disappointingly easy sell. Generally, though, the only way I get to talk to people is to see them at the booth.
Oh, and we got two ENnies, hooray! -
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CommentAuthorJoshua A.C. Newman
- CommentTimeAug 20th 2008
I was very, very pleased with the way the Playcollective did. We did some number of hundreds of percent better than last year in dollars, I very nearly sold out of both Beowulf and Shock:, and Elizabeth and Shreyas' books sold like beautiful hotcakes.
Sharing space with the Ashcan Front couldn't have gone better, to boot. The books that they were selling were varied in both form and function.
All told, I think the Indie neighborhood was a resounding success, and that's what I was there to see.
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Posted By: PelgraneBooth babes have a long range attractive force and a short range repulsive force
What always repulsed me about booth babes at short range were the ones that really really obviously did NOT want to be there and neither knew anything about what they were promoting nor tried to be particularly friendly. I have a very clear memory of a girl from either last year or the year before who was very physically attractive but when I walked by just shoved a flyer in my hand and said "Here" without even trying to smile. Needless to say, I don't even remember what company she was with and never bothered looking at anything there. -
Jerry had a booth babe for Hellas, who dressed up as an Amazoran from the game (plus two more folks dressed as Atlanteans). I wound up talking to Erin when I ran into her at the Chessex booth (where she and her boyfriend were buying more dice). She's a friend of Jerry's, frequents the Hellas forums, and is apparently a gamer herself. That's what you want in a booth babe for GenCon.
(Also, she said she'd be willing to dress up as a maid next year!)