What's up with GenCon?

[Pauper]

So it's been a couple of years now since WotC dropped their co-sponsorship of the GenCon game convention, and while there's likely a connection between WotC's significantly reduced presence and the effect that has had on Adventurers League play at GenCon, that's not specifically what I want to talk about or ask questions about.

I've been playing Adventurers League (and before that, Living Forgotten Realms) at GenCon as long as they've been there. Last year drew a lot of complaints, but from where I sat, the con was, on the whole, a great time. All three of the folks I went to GenCon with to play AL are pumped to go back this year and play again.

But I'm noticing a pretty heavy drop off on what might be called even an 'official' AL presence at GenCon. Based on the baldmangames.com GenCon preview site, there is only one AL-produced module that will be run there (DDAL 5-1, the Season 5 intro), and after hosting two Epics last year, GenCon draws none this year. There will be AL-legal Baldman-produced modules run at the con, but with no Epics and nothing but the intro mod being run, there seems to be little need to even have AL admins head to the con, much less WotC staffers.

And I'll admit, from a purely selfish perspective it's a bit disheartening. GenCon is my annual vacation, and I gear up to do it big-time. Since AL is one of the things I'm involved in most heavily from a board-gaming perspective, it's been cool that I've been able to get that fix at GenCon. But if this year is just a bunch of semi-exclusive mods in a hotel ballroom two blocks from the convention center, without official certs, Fai Chen's, or even a presence from AL staff, it's hard for me to imagine being excited about GenCon any more. This used to be the flagship con for tabletop gaming, and now folks are streaming out to smaller cons to run Epics and exclusives there.

What happened to GenCon?

--
Pauper

 

[Cascade]

There was a wotc post sometime back...in regard to the D&D team.

http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/news/where-you-can-find-dd-team-2016

I'm sure there will be plenty of AL games from Baldman at Gencon.
http://baldmangames.com/gen-con/ ...there's at least 10 events listed so far.

 

[Cascade]

too much delay...double post.

 

[smerwin29]

As Cascade points out, there is going to be a lot of AL material at GenCon. DDAL 5-01 will be there as the introduction to Season 5. Baldman Games has been given the go-ahead by WotC to create AL-legal content. This content will still involve not just WotC approval, but we will make sure the current AL admin staff is in the loop. Some of them are already working on content for the BMG AL adventures as writers and advisors, and their input is invaluable to the process.

Counting the D&D Experience content for Gen Con, there is going to be AT LEAST 78 hours of AL-playable content at Gen Con. Even if you don't want to or cannot do the DDXP events, there is AT LEAST 46 hours of AL content. And I would guess there might be more added as the schedule shakes out between now and this summer. There is no "Epic," in the traditional sense, but the DDXP events will contain special content with an epic feel, and that stuff we will talk more about as summer approaches.

I will let others talk about why certain things AREN'T at Gen Con. That is something I personally have no control over. But I can talk about the stuff that WILL BE at Gen Con, because there are a lot of writers, editors, developers, and campaign administrators working hard to bring great AL content to Gen Con. I hope that just because that content isn't in traditional Adventurers League packaging does not mean people will dismiss it before trying it.

Thanks!

Shawn

 

[ccs]

There's more to GC than playing in the AL.

So if WoTC doesn't want to come to GC anymore? Oh well, leaves the rest of us more room for board games, mini games, RPGs, etc.
Come play other stuff with us!

 

[Pauper]

Counting the D&D Experience content for Gen Con, there is going to be AT LEAST 78 hours of AL-playable content at Gen Con. Even if you don't want to or cannot do the DDXP events, there is AT LEAST 46 hours of AL content. And I would guess there might be more added as the schedule shakes out between now and this summer.

I hope so. Last year there were 50 specific AL events, which adds up to 200 hours of AL content available. And that doesn't count the 'D&D Experience' VIP events or the Season 3 Epic. Granted, it will be in a dedicated space, with much less extraneous con noise, which is a plus. But yeah, this doesn't feel like a huge effort to bring AL to the masses at GenCon -- it feels like 'this is the best we can do, given that people aren't being compensated for their time and don't feel appreciated enough to make the trip on their own dime'.

I will let others talk about why certain things AREN'T at Gen Con.

That's honestly why I started the thread. I'm still going, and I'm still looking forward to it, but I can't shake the feeling that it's going to feel like a huge drop-off even from last year, which was a drop-off from the year when there were lines outside the WotC castle waiting to play the brand-new Adventurers League content and tons of people really excited to bring them that content. Maybe I'll be wrong, and the more casual, intimate feel will really appeal to me -- but then, I can get that feeling at GameHole Con, or Con of the North, or any other local con that I don't make into my one big trip of the year.

Again, this is kind of a selfish thing -- I appreciated when the Organized Play program considered GenCon to be the 'big show', the highlight of the convention season. It was the place I could go to meet up with all the folks I'd enjoyed gaming with at the last GenCon, and likely meet new cool gamers as well, not just from my city or region, but from all over the world.

If that's not going to be a thing anymore, if the complaints about 'elitism' and the expense of putting on that experience are just too much for the company that supports the game to handle, then so be it, that's the new normal and I'm just going to have to get used to it. It's just going to add that much more of a sting, though, when I walk by the Sagamore Ballroom and see how a company that still feels like GenCon is the big celebration of their hobby treats the convention.

--
Pauper

 

[smerwin29]

Overall, I cannot tell you how to feel. All I can do is try to present factually correct information.

I do not have the exact AL schedule from Gen Con last year, nor do I know the exact schedule for Gen Con this year--although I do have a pretty good idea of what the schedule will look like for AL when it comes out. Relying on my incorrect memory and terrible prophetic powers, I am going to say that the number of unique hours of play an AL player can take part in at Gen Con in 2016 will rival, and most likely surpass, the number of unique hours that were available at Gen Con 2015. Someone with greater powers than I have can correct me and clarify if I am wrong. I think in 2015 there was the DDEX3-01 intro (assuming 5 2-hour slots to play all the missions), 2 Epics, maybe 7 4-hour adventures, and a pair of 2-hour adventures. If someone played all of that, it would be 46 hours of unique play. (I may be off by a few hours on that calculation.) Based on what I know for sure is playing at Gen Con 2016, there are 78 hours of unique play available. And I suspect there will be even more than that.

Like I said, I am the last person to tell somehow how they feel is wrong. How we feel is how we feel. I just want to make sure, if people are drawing conclusions based on the information in this thread, that they have accurate information to base conclusions upon.

Thanks!

Shawn

 

[The_Baldman]

<dropping dimes dropping dimes> Okay only basketball fans and my 8 year old will get that one.

Hey Gang,

Dave here (The Baldman). Putting out some numbers to hopefully put out some misconceptions (if you still feel the same afterwards that is fine but I want it to be actual data).

Gen Con 2015 - We had 4 premiere AL events for Season 3 (3-1, 3-2, 3-3, and 3-4) and 1 premiere AL Epic event (DDEP 3-1). So that is 5 premiere events. We re-ran the ending of Season 2 (7 events but some were 1 or 2-hour adventures). The DDXP program just ran the new Season 3 adventures (nothing new there). We also re-ran the Season 2 Epic. We had the Trading Post, AL Admins, and at times a couple guys from Wotc signing books. VERY noisy hall and little space to muster players to tables.

In total 25 hours of premiere content and 29 hours of re-run content. Put together into different packages but that's it.

Gen Con 2016 - We have the Season 5 preview (5-1), 6 AL re-runs (Core 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 - HILL 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3), 12 AL premieres (Core 2-1, 2-2, 2-3 - HULB 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-S - PHLAN 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-S, and HILL 1-S). We will have the Trading Post, AL Admins, and at times a couple guys from Wotc probably signing books. Hopefully a much quieter hall and space to muster players quickly to get to gaming and not standing around.

In total 48 hours of premiere content and 29 hours of re-run content. Put together into different packages as always.

So we are giving you more content then last year plus everything else you loved about last year minus the noise (and closer to food). My budget this year is actually higher then it was last year so we're not cutting corners just trying to give you the most bang for your buck.

If you want big banners and shiny flashy things then rock on. Go find it. I myself am going to spend my budget on quality gaming content, taking care of my DM's, and providing a great play space for our games.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

I do not go to conventions with a specific game or system in mind to focus my time on, I go for the overall experience, so nothing against anyone organizing any games. What made me sad and disappointed was the day that the company who founded GenCon decided it was no longer in their interest to have a big, or any, presence there. On that day a little piece of my gaming soul died.

 

[Tyranthraxus]

I wanna go just based on the post above me. Sadly gonna be made Redundant by then and its a long expensive flight from Perth, WA to there.