GenCon 2012

[Honolulu_Blue]

Registration opened on Sunday and housing registration just opened about 15 minutes ago for anyone who's interested in attending this year.

I just made a hotel reservation. I'm looking forward to heading back there after missing it last year.

[Glengoyne]

I was planning on this year, and had this morning book marked for the purpose of registration. However our upcoming trip to Disney World has removed the Gen Con option for this year.

Have fun. I'll make it back eventually.

[Glengoyne]

I've got to say that I've never been quite so happy that my wife reads this forum at least as much as I do.

She read this thread, and as a result...I am now registered for Gencon with a room and everything. Fantastic!

[Honolulu_Blue]

I've got to say that I've never been quite so happy that my wife reads this forum at least as much as I do.

She read this thread, and as a result...I am now registered for Gencon with a room and everything. Fantastic!

Daaayum! That's sweet! Fantastic!

Hello, Mrs. G!

[SirFozzie]

I am probably out this year, due to the health issues, or if I'm in I'll register much later in the year.

[MacroGuru]

I might be in, and might bring my kids...don't know...thinking on this one.

[JediKooter]

Sorry if this the wrong thread, but, is anyone going to Comic-Con in San Diego, this year?

[Danny]

Would love to make going a yearly thing, but can't afford it until probably 2013.

[tarcone]

I havent discussed our summer vaca plans with the wife yet. But I want to take my 2 daughters (10, 12 at the time of gencon). This would be the ultimate dream for me.

[Silver Owl]

I'm getting old, I had to google gencon to see what the heck it is. :(

[Honolulu_Blue]

I'm getting old, I had to google gencon to see what the heck it is. :(

This aint some sort of new fangled thing that the kids are into. GenCon's been around for 45 years. I doubt you're that old!

[Glengoyne]

I havent discussed our summer vaca plans with the wife yet. But I want to take my 2 daughters (10, 12 at the time of gencon). This would be the ultimate dream for me.

My family has been attending KublaCon in San Francisco the past couple of years. The kids (Son 7 Daughter 11) have a blast. Me too.

I'm working on my geek friends to head to Gencon this year. Have a few interested.

[Mustang]

I'll be there. Again.

In the auction room. Again.

Hopefully Crimson is there and brings some Zero bars. :)

[Silver Owl]

This aint some sort of new fangled thing that the kids are into. GenCon's been around for 45 years. I doubt you're that old!

You would be surprised.

[PurdueBrad]

Hope you guys all had some good luck today getting into games/seminars/etc. I was really lucky and was #330 in line at the start. Here's my schedule (I'm a big Savage Worlds player if you can't tell):

Thursday, 3pm Deadlands the Maze (Savage Deadlands)
Thursday, 8 pm Suffer the Little Children (Savage)
Friday, 9 am League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Savage)
Friday, 2 pm The Xious Chronicles (Saga Edition Star Wars)
Friday, 6 pm Escape from the Byss (Savage Star Wars)
Saturday, 10 am Deadlands Hell on Wheels (Savage Deadlands)
Saturday, 1 pm Victorian-Victoria (Savage)
Saturday, 8 pm Savage Saturday: Apocalypse Prevention Incorporated (Savage API)

My goal this year was to play a lot more and it seems like this should do it.

[tarcone]

I dont think GenCon is in the cards this year. BUT, I went to Geekway to the West on Friday. It is a board gamers get together. No seminars or anything like that. More of a gamers get together. I got there at about 9 am and played different board games until around 11 pm. Had a lot odf fun.
This was in St Louis.

[Glengoyne]

Since this is my first time heading to gencon, I decided that I wouldn't over commit and set up a bunch of scheduled gaming. I hope I don't regret that as I know there will be a couple of games I definitely want to play or try out.

[sachmo71]

not going this year, and it turns out that one of the guys who is going in my place is paying for the room.

:kicksrock:

[sachmo71]

oh and if anyone is coming to BGGcon, let me know.

[Mustang]

Can't believe Gencon is almost upon us again.

[Matthean]

Not going and glad due the amount of money I would be tempted to blow though.

[Mustang]

Who is all officially going?

(Crimson.. you clear out your inbox yet? I wanted to send you a PM)

[SirFozzie]

I'm currently redoing my finances time and time again to see if I can come down for a day or two.

[sterlingice]

No longer living in Indy so I'm out this time. Glad I got to go last year

SI

[Glengoyne]

I will be there. I'm picking up my tickets Wednesday and not leaving until Monday.

[Matthean]

Not going. I can't imagine what it would be like to go to a Con and either horde games or not buy anything at all. I think I have around $300 in wishlist games already. There is a local Con called DaveCon in a couple of weeks that I'll go to for most of it. Gamer group happens on that Sunday so I have to be there for that.

[PurdueBrad]

I'll be there, got my packet this week.

[cubboyroy1826]

I will be there from Thursday thru early Sunday. I cannot wait and hope I can shorten my must buy list.

[Glengoyne]

I'm arriving early and sticking around until Monday to fly home. Any organized or less than organized stuff that goes on on Wednesday? Or any non-gaming stuff I should look into while I'm there? The minor league team is on the road for that stretch. :(

I really have no real clear Idea of what to expect....I have scattered five or so events across the four days. I figure that way I'll be more flexible, but I'm not sure what I'll do with that flexibility. I've been to Kublacon in San Francisco, but that is the only con experience I have to draw from.

[sterlingice]

My few cents about Indy tourism:

Indy Motor Speedway is always fun. Unfortunately, no Grounds tour while you're there so they must be prepping for a race (MotoGP?)

The Children's Museums is good but not really something to do as a solo guy- someplace my wife and I visited together.

The NCAA hall of Champions is lame. The Indiana Museum is kindof cool if you're curious about Indiana- I liked it when I lived there to learn a bit about the state but I'm not sure how interesting it is to visitors. If you want a different museum, go check out the Eiteljorg- it's one of the best Native American museums in the country.

If you want a couple of cheap things: the art museum is free but I think it's pretty pedestrian. The grounds near it make it pretty good if you want to walk around outside but it's going to be August in Indy so it might be pleasant but it might be awful. Also, if you want a quick view of the city, go to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument- either walk up the middle (free) or pay the buck or two to take the elevator and see the whole city.

SI

[tarcone]

If anyone comes across a copy of Turfmaster and some of the tracks, please PM me here. I am looking for a copy and dont want to order it from Germany.

[SirFozzie]

Anyone mind hitting the Catalyst Game Labs booth and seeing what they have new there? I can PayPal or send check.. (Interested in SR2050).. any other neato new RPG's I'd be willing to work with folks here.. (edit: I'd be talking about a couple hundred here :))

[Glengoyne]

My few cents about Indy tourism:

Indy Motor Speedway is always fun. Unfortunately, no Grounds tour while you're there so they must be prepping for a race (MotoGP?)

The Children's Museums is good but not really something to do as a solo guy- someplace my wife and I visited together.

The NCAA hall of Champions is lame. The Indiana Museum is kindof cool if you're curious about Indiana- I liked it when I lived there to learn a bit about the state but I'm not sure how interesting it is to visitors. If you want a different museum, go check out the Eiteljorg- it's one of the best Native American museums in the country.

If you want a couple of cheap things: the art museum is free but I think it's pretty pedestrian. The grounds near it make it pretty good if you want to walk around outside but it's going to be August in Indy so it might be pleasant but it might be awful. Also, if you want a quick view of the city, go to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument- either walk up the middle (free) or pay the buck or two to take the elevator and see the whole city.

SI
Thanks a bunch, I might check a couple of those things out. The Speedway would have been cool.

In any case, thanks for the guidance.

[spleen1015]

Do you have access to a car? The Colts are in training camp until that Friday. You could drive up to Anderson in see Andrew Luck in person. It would be about a 45-60 minute drive from downtown.

[sterlingice]

Thanks a bunch, I might check a couple of those things out. The Speedway would have been cool.

In any case, thanks for the guidance.

You can probably still go visit the track and the museum. Just not the big shiny tour.

SI

[Mustang]

Heading out the door in around 12 hours to drive down. Should be in around 3:00. Anyone else wants to send me there phone #, let me know. (Already have Crimson's)

I stay a bit out of downtown though (around 15 miles to the north)

[SirFozzie]

asking one more time, anyone willing to pick a bunch of books up for me at GenCon, I'd be willing to paypal over money to cover cost, shipping, and a bit extra for the inconvenience:)

[CrimsonFox]

sure fozzie what kindsa books

[CrimsonFox]

if anyone wants to say hi. I will be mostly working at union station this year. (by the crowne). I have a thick brown beard now and usually will have on a black fedora. (and no I'm not an hamish.)

[Grover]

Fox! We've missed you!

[Mustang]

if anyone wants to say hi. I will be mostly working at union station this year. (by the crowne). I have a thick brown beard now and usually will have on a black fedora. (and no I'm not an hamish.)

http://hunternuttall.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/amish-paradise.jpg

[sterlingice]

From what I saw last year, if you dressed as Weird Al in Amish Paradise, you would fit right in

SI

[CrimsonFox]

any fun rpg events or seminars anyone hitting?

[CrimsonFox]

4184

WHEEEEEATOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!

[sachmo71]

From what I saw last year, if you dressed as Weird Al in Amish Paradise, you would fit right in

SI

really you can dress as anything and fit in

[tarcone]

Updates? Pix? Come on genconnors, keep me posted. Im really bumming Im not there.

[Matthean]

Info is coming in really slow even on BGG.

[SirFozzie]

(First off, thanks for hte offer, but apparently the couple big items I wanted sold out within minutes of the Hall opening..if you can find the Second City boxset (L5R, the AEG booth), grab it and I'll pay you for it immediately :))

This is what I've heard about so far from my sources:

A) Fantasy Flight Games announced a trilogy of star wars RPG's to come out, the first to focus on the Outer Rim and smugglers to be out in early 2013, Rebellion era 2014, and a Jedi book in 2015. There will be a printed $30 beta you can buy from FFG. The rule system will be similar to Warhammer Fantasy Role Play third edition (with the custom dice)

B) No D&D Next official release until 2014, sounds like.

C) White Wolf is kinda sorta no more, the White Wolf folks have formed a seperate company, called Onyx Path that licensed the games from White Wolf/CCP. They announced a ton of new stuff, including resurrecting the Trinity/Aeon system (no word on if this includes Aberrant and Adventure)

D) In a "You had to see this coming, there was a deal announced for a new munchkin set, this time based off the Pathfinder world.

[Matthean]

I did see the new Netrunner game sold out in like 10 minutes, they had already beefed up the order for the Con, and it still wasn't enough.

[Matthean]

Best thing I have found to do is hit up my gamer channels on Youtube and then do a search on YouTube for GenCon 2012. There's still not a lot to report though. Seasons is getting love from those that played it.

[CrimsonFox]

every night I think/ Nice I can now go to bed at a reasonable time. Then something makes me avoid doing that. Last night it was wandering the halls solving puzzlehunt puzzles. Tonight it was random cards against humanity game on the convention center floor :)
Then a trip to steak and shake

[CrimsonFox]

hey mustang. stop being lame ;)

auction any good this year? I hear there's naught but shite in it

[Glengoyne]

Man these things are exhausting. Now I gotta figure out how to pack all this new stuff into my suitcases.

Never met up with you fofc folks, But I don't really know where I would have fit it in.

Gotta sleep now
.

[PurdueBrad]

I had an awesome time at Gen Con. Played in 9 games, which was a lot, but LOVED 8 of the games so it was definitely a success.

Shopping-wise, I felt that there weren't as many deals this year and that the recent book releases have actually taken a bit of a jump in price. My purchases include:

Factory-second Chessex Megamat that is damn near perfect
Savage Deluxe Explorer's Edition (congrats on the Gold ENnie for Game of the Year!)
Deadlands: Hell on Earth
Agents of Oblivion
Mortiston, USA (picked up my Kickstarter copy)
pre-ordered Apocalypse Prevention, Inc. for Savage Worlds
Deadfellas card game
7 dice sets (can't have too many!)
2 new dice bags
and my favorite score, a beta copy from Final Flight Games for their upcoming Star Wars Edge of the Empire RPG. They didn't come in until Sunday so it was a last second find!

Hope all the other FOFC'ers had as good a time.

[SirFozzie]

*hits Brad over the head and takes his deadlands HOE book and the Beta SW book* :D

[PurdueBrad]

HA! I'm not sure your attack roll beat my parry!

Yeah, I totally stumbled on the beta book. I guess most of the weekend they were passing out a 6 or 8 page sample brochure and then these arrived just for Sunday.

[tarcone]

I hope my calander synchs up with this next year.

[Matthean]

Finally some post GenCon reports are coming out on BGG. Site isn't loading, but I got through all of them that were posted.

[Matthean]

Ugh. I know I preordered it, but reports coming out from people demoing Mice and Mystics is not helping me cope until it's released. How can you hate on a game that lets your band of mice find a fork and then luanch themselves across the room? :lol:

[Honolulu_Blue]

I had another successful GenCon, but my group's GenCon experience is pretty different than most, I imagine. We used to spend all day at the con, wandering the dealer hall, playing in games, even ran a few. But nowadays our schedule tends to be, go to the convention from whenever you wake up (9:30/10 am or so), wander around the dealer room, meet back at the hotel at around 1:00 pm, go to lunch, return to the hotel room and we play some RPG - a one shot, or some on-going campaign, go to dinner, come back and play more.

It works well. Granted, we could (and do) do this anywhere else pretty much, but I really do like being around the con, wandering the halls (even though I purchase very little) and revelling in the geekdom of it all.

I did notice that Netrunner game. The line for the Fantasy Flight booth was massively long Thursday morning before it sold out. It seemed like "Netrunner" and the X-Wing game were the hot ticket items.

I know Wizard's of The Coast is working on "D&D Next" or whatever it's going to be called, but I was very surprised at how very little D&D Fourth Edition stuff there was. It had essentially zero presence. Even the massive Wizard's Of the Coast castle/booth thing had only what appeared to be a few supplements, with the bigger selling items being the collectors edition old school (2nd edition) Player's Handbook, DM's Guide and Monster Manual.

Very little in the way of computer game company booths this year.

One of the highlights of being out and about was a conversation I overheard in a Starbucks between a guy dressed up in Robin Hood-like costume with a stuffed dragon (apparently he is not really a dragon, but likes to think he is) named Shamrog (gaelic for “Shamrock”) on his shoulder and some (non-GenCon) guy in shorts and a Notre Dame t-shirt.

I bought a Pathfinder Equipment Guide and GM screen. We don't play Pathfinder, but use their stuff as supplements for 3.5 Edition D&D.

[Glengoyne]

I'm finally home after traveling most of Monday.

The new game I think I enjoyed most was Sparticus. I'm now going to have to wait until later this year to buy it because they sold out at the Con.

Same thing with Quarriors...I played some at the con, and something clicked that made it work for me. After my previous experience I was sort of "meh", but it is now actually something I'll be buying.

I enjoyed my demo session of Leviathans...think steam punky dirigibles firing cannons and such at each other above an alternate history English Channel. I just couldn't pull the trigger on the game...$100 for the base set, and two expansions for $50 each. I liked the game though. Also factoring in on the not buying now decision...No way that would have fit in my luggage.

I played in a couple of Battlestations events. I really like that game, and although the designer's "huge" edition is a little worse for the wear after several years of Cons, the games were really a lot of fun. This is my favorite Boardgame/RPG lite that I never play at home, as there is so much going on in the rules...I'm just intimidated...This year is the year I push through though. I'm sure of it.

I actually played Werewolf one of the nights...and I nailed a werewolf by gamer funk. The first guy out looked like he hadn't changed clothes since the start of the con. I made a mental note that one of the people next to him might just be a wolf. Later, when there were just three of us left, I make my case..."I'm pretty sure that guy had 'the funk', and I know if I was the wolf I would have taken him out" The third player said she agreed with me, and we got the wolf.

Speaking of gamer funk...you can quite often see them coming. You know they have that "funk aura", but somehow you just can't quite manage to hold your breath until they pass. I think it must be like having to sniff milk that is past the expiration date. Some inner part of us just needs to know for sure.

My friend and I did a Mage Wars demo, and while it has a lot going for it, I just don't see it working for me. My friend will most likely get into it at least a little. Oddly to me...he felt they should make it a straight collectible like MtG. I think he's nuts. The game seems to be built with tournaments more than just a little at its heart. Personally I like the feel of Wiz War better...just spells back and forth...no summoning wolves to fight for you.

I also liked Legacy:Gears of time. A game where you travel back in time to invent or influence the invention of various technologies. The deal is that someone else can come in behind you, and spend a little of their action/resource pool to "steal" the technology from you or invent it in an earlier era making your discovery irrelevant. My buddy snapped up a copy, so I didn't have to.

That is enough for now...Bed is calling.