Gen Con Reports?

[HinterWelt]

Bought my girlfriend Squirrel Attack Boardgame for $30. If it wasn't for my g/f, I'd never have touched this thing for that much money. No box and a rolled up 'board'? Yeah, gotta love that small press touch. Also got her the cat shirt, "If you don't talk to your cat about catnip now, who will" for $21. And some home made chocolate on one of the many paths back to Chicago from the con for like $20.

My apologies if you were not pleased with her purchase. If she is the lady I remember, Mike demoed the game for close to 1 hour for her and she had a great time. The game has real pewter charms, gold/silver/brass plated pieces, real wooden nuts, a color rule book and yes, a laminated playing board. Spill water on it and it will not be ruined.

All that said, if SHE is not satisfied, I will give her a full refund.

I am sorry you think the game is not worth it. We heard very different at the con. I had a great time playing it, demoing it to many people and hearing the stories of squirrel warfare.

Bill

 

[The_Universe]

Queen_D and her husband, The Universe stopped in and bought a lot of minis. Thanks, guys!

I just wish we had gotten to talk more. I friggin' love those miniatures - the process of making those things is just fascinating! I can't wait to to start gluing the things together!

 

[The_Universe]

Queen D and The Universe both really got into their characters, with vocal stylings, physical tells, and broad comedy and I'll be honest--this is often a recipe for "Spotlight Hogs". Not in this case, they were near perfection as fellow Players.

...Would you like to participate in some nefarious organic activities? No takers so far...

 

[The_Universe]

I on the other hand was happy to be my normal, unabashed, "Spotlight Hoggy" self.

I blame Piratecat for giving me the most arrogant character in the bunch!

Well, you are perfect, so I guess it's OK.

 

[Bubbalicious]

I had a lot of fun at my 1st GenCon, but doing a last minute day-trip does it very little justice. I am deeply sorry I couldn't get into any games, but I had fun watching MOST of Keeper's CoC game. (Sorry if my snoring distracted during my nap) It was great meeting everyone even though I haven't posted much these four years I've been lurking around, I do feel I know a lot of you from what I've read and promise to post more so you can get to know me better by the time I "rock it out" at next year's event. Now I know what NOT to do in the future.

 

[Crothian]

I had a lot of fun at my 1st GenCon, but doing a last minute day-trip does it very little justice.

I'm sorry I missed you. Glad you were able to have fun.

 

[Teflon Billy]

So Teflon Billy, what's this about a fist fight? Tell the story.

Bleh.

I lost my wallet, and the guy at the Toronto Air Canada lost-and-found was decidedly unhelpful and low-grade hostile. To sum it up quickly, things escalated to him shaking his finger about 2 inches from my face and me going to "Pie Face" him--but having my lizard brain decide in mid throw that it was actually a punch.

I'm not sure yet why a lost-and-found employee would...

• Refuse to contact the people the written orders from his emloyer indicated. Looking at the fax I had (he pretty clearly wasn't much of a reader) he sneeredd "this is not for me...you must check with GTA Lost-and-found"...despite what it said on the fax itself.
  
  
• Fake "Checking for the expedites" (?) by walking down a hallway about 5 feet and standing there for a second (unaware that I could see his reflection) coming back and saying "I have checked and it is not there" when I had already explained that I had just arrived from Vancouver and, unless they put my wallet on a jet fighter, I suspected that it hadn't beaten me here.
  
  
• Starting yelling at me about not "getting tough" with him when I told him to get off his ass and do his ing job, as I was pretty much out of time due to his laziness.

I had wasted a lot of tim with this idiot, so by the time I hit him, I was abot 15 mins from boarding my flight. I was already running like a spooked rabbit as he yelled "I am calling the police!" from the floor.

He reminded me of that Pakistani guy from Seinfeld, only older wand with a combover.

So I arrived in Indy without a penny to my name

Bleh indeed. Not my finest hour.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I will send a special shout out to fusangite and Rodrigo Istalandir. I really enjoyed working the Ennies booth and talking with fusangite on Sunday morning. And it was good to meet Rodrigo in person after playing PbP games with him for a year. I had lots of fun in Old One's game with you and chatting at the airport as we were all waiting for our flight.

Likewise, Nakia. Hope we can game together again at a game day or another GenCon. In the meantime, maybe we can get on Old One's case and he'll restart that PbP, too.

Let's see -- I got to game with Old One, The Universe, Queen D, nakia, Reveal, Rystil Arden and Ethernaut in the Blood Altar game, which was the long-awaited (by me, anyway) sequel to the infamous game-day that featured the Pond of Doom. A great group, and so damn good that we split the party into 3 units in the middle of a freakin' army and still won the day!

Then Piratecat's Gilligan game, (Rystil again, Alenda, Quartermoon, Dave Stebbins, Belen). Everyone had their characters down pat, but Dave's Thurston Howell was dead-on. A perfect blend of horror and comedy, and a classic ending. Too bad about Ginger, though.

Psion's Spycraft game I already mentioned. We got a little side-tracked (I think we were all a little punchy by that point), but we all had fun, and that's what matters. Plus we got to set up a couple good ol' boys as patsies for a bloodbath to close out the session....

Finished up with BelenUmeria's Midnight game with Old One, Thunderfoot, Rystil, and dammit I'm sorry but I can't remember the name of the guy playing Feargus. I'd been really looking forward to this, as I'd bought all the 1st ed Midnight stuff and never got to play. He didn't disappoint -- he had the mood down perfect, and we all worked really well together. And I got to discover a new way to fight things with reach -- send in the monk to soak up the AoOs.

I also played a tournament game of AE. That was a lot of fun, even if we didn't do too well. But I got to die a valiant death at the end, buying the party enough time to take out the BBEG, and what else can you ask for?

The True20 game was a little disappointing. The scenario and DM were good, but the group just couldn't get things together. But considering that's the first time that's happened in all the games I've been in at gamedays and GenCon, I'm still way the hell ahead. And even a so-so game is better than no game at all.

My only real regret is not socializing more. I stopped in for a few minutes at Canadiana the first night, and had lunch at the Ram with The Universe, Queen D, Cthulu's Librarian and Piratecat, but other than that I kept too much to myself. I'm kinda reserved when I'm around large groups of strangers, but next year you won't be strangers (just strange!) so I'll hopefully be more outgoing.

Thanks to everyone for all the games, the conversations, and the cameraderie. I'd been looking forward to going to GenCon since I was a newbie gamer in the early 80s and reading about it in Dragon, and it was everything I'd hoped for.

 

[Teflon Billy]

Forging on...

The ENnie Awards went as well as I have ever seen them.

I'm spending a lot of time in this year's Gen Con recaps kissing Piratecat's ass, and... I'm going to do so one more time here, then try to give it a rest

He hosted the whole thing fantastically. His work as the Master of Ceremonies last year was good; Professional, organized, convivial etc. He came across like someone credibly reading his prepared statements.

This year he had nothing ready by about 10 mins to launch...so we got to see "Kevin Kulp Unleashed"...and it was an improvement that's hard to measure. He was more himself and less "the EmCee", and anyone whose met him knows that "Himself" is a pretty great guy.

His whole "Creating Joy" speech at the end was really quite something. Moving and Inspring at the same time.

The decision to use Arch Enemies Rich "Order of the Stick" Burlew and Keith "Ebberon" Baker as presenters for a variety of the awards was a huge success. Burlew could be a stand-up comic given his timing and understanding of his audience, while Baker--though lacking Burlew's comic sense--seemed willing to go to any length to get a laugh (including mocking other publishers...I'm sure he'll catch some grief for it, but I thought it was damnably funny)

Diaglo and I were drafted at the last minute to present the Judges Awards (He the "Golden Grognard" as Bill Webb of Necromancer Games has come to call it, and me the "Innovation Award")

I'm happy to say that I carried out my duties to perfection and was without a doubt the highlight of an already phenomenal event...



...

Well, OK...I think I did allright, but honestly I had had about 5 glasses of Scotch/Rocks by the time I was asked to present (getting warmed up for the TBR excurision) and I think if I wasn't slurring I should be given a gold medal

And while I am at it, check this out...

If you'd ever told me that this level of Hotness would be present at a gaming convention, I'd have laughed you out of the room.

It seems about as likley as Diaglo turning out to be an really cool, really fun human being.

I'm not Diaglo's biggest fan...

But I think after this year's Gen Con anyone (including me) would be proud to call David Temporado a friend.

The question is moot though...he can't read this post

Up Next: Teflon Billy's Rapscallions

 

[Treebore]

Are you referring to Peter Adkison, Ryan Dancey, or Monte Cook? I'd say that all three of them could be considered the saviors of D&D, depending on your perspective.

The guy who bought out TSR and led the design on 3E. Well, lead them in that he let them have quick/easy access to him instead of going through the "normal chain of comand". Assuming I understood him correctly on how he said he organized the design team structure for 3E.
IE Peter Adkinson.

He was just standing there and no one was paying any attention to him. So I went up, said what I said, then he started talking to me and asked me to sit down with him. A surprisingly warm and approachable guy. I have whole new levels of respect for him now.