Doesn’t seem to be a topic for this, but I’m curious if people are going? Looks like masking is required inside, which is fine for me if I’m walking the aisles and browsing vendors, but terrible for me if I want to game. My hearing isn’t so great and masking means me saying over and over, “What did you say?” Ugh.
It’s a four hour drive for me, so fine for a weekend. I’d go to look at stuff because I love all this stuff, and to meet with Qt3ers in a bar and drink some ale and gab. My guess is the masking will mean most won’t go though. Anyone considering it?
We are skipping this year. Wasn’t a fan of the reduced con size last year and masking makes RPGing very difficult. Hope to be back next year. Going to focus on the Pop-Up GenCon event at my store.
I’m dragging a very reduced version of my usual large caravan of friends out this year. Probably only 5-7 of us this year, vs the 10+ we were looking at in 2019.
Like y’all, I am very concerned about how much ass masked TTRPGing will suck. I’m hopeful that falling caseloads and increasing acceptance of the efficacy of vaccines will encourage them to drop the mask requirements before the show this year (otherwise it’s difficult to imagine them every going away, tbh).
But two years away from my favorite annual trip has been too long already, and I’m very eager to run some public demo games of my scifi rpg, so, we’re doing the dang thing.
My buddy Yamil and I got 12:33 and 12:26 room lottery times, respectively, which felt very early. But it turns out that A) GenCon let people in faster this year than before, and B) they didn’t secure as large of a block as years previous (I’m guessing facing large non-use penalty fees two years in a row made them gunshy), so skywalk connected doubles in the good hotels were already toast by the time we got in. We got double rooms within two blocks of the convention center, though, at joints with free breakfast no less, so, we’ll be fine. If the iffy two in our group don’t come, we’ll cancel the smaller room and pile the core 5 into one space to save money. Probably gonna rent one way vans for the 12 hour trips to and from NC, vs having to take two cars and pay for all that extra gas and parking.
If folks are interested in playing in any of the sessions I run, I’ll post the links here once the event guide goes live in May.
Def down to hang out at a bar and talk, too. My friends and I love this ridiculous tiki bar a couple of miles out from the ICC…
If it helps, it’s been working fine for us for face to face boardgaming and roleplaying. But it wasn’t in super noisy environments (Dragonmeet convention had maybe 120 players in the gaming tables area). I have no clue what the Gen Con gaming areas are like.
I’m out again this year as well. Last year the group of us that would usually have gone to a big con like GenCon or Origins decided to rent a house for a week and just do a week-long game night. Worked so well that we’re doing it again this year - quite a bit cheaper than a con, less risk of catching the convention crud, and significantly less stress.
Heyyyyy, event catalog is live! Can’t actually sign up for stuff for another week or two, but you’re free to browse and add stuff to wishlists. I’ve got a few sessions running, as noted above. Feel free to join in, if you’ve got a free slot on your schedule there!
Specifically, I’m running three sessions of my space opera action comedy Fate hack, Seek the Stars! at GenCon this year. It’s an action-comedy space opera setting for Fate Condensed following the wild and wacky adventures of the brave members of the Space Patrol of the Systems Accord alliance.
Peril at the Interstella 500 - In this thrilling episode, intelligence from High Command warns that a violent new faction of positively rabid space pirates called the War Pups are planning to stage an attack on the Accord’s most infamous starship race, the Interstella 500, to bolster their criminal cred. The race starts at Starbase BS-0 (the galaxy’s crummiest, slummiest combination heavy metals mine and densely populated habitation dome) and follows a wild course through countless terrifyingly dangerous areas, giving the War Pups plenty of opportunity to get up to no good. It’s up to the Patrol to keep the peace, but first, they’ll need to infiltrate the competition and do their best to survive. . . Peril at the Interstella 500!
Into Brannigan’s Zipper - In this scientifically improbable episode, Accord scientists have planned to map out the unfathomable interstellar anomaly called Brannigan’s Zipper located in the same star system as Starbase BS-0 (the galaxy’s crummiest, slummiest combination heavy metals mine and densely populated habitation dome). Although all previous missions have ended in disaster time and again (not to mention the loss of all crew!), the labcoat-types promise they’ve worked out all the kinks this time. Nonetheless, just to be completely sure, they’ve requested a Space Patrol escort for their experiment. The Patrollers will need to study up on their multidimensional trigonometry before they sail. . . Into Brannigan’s Zipper!
There’s No Bizness Like Showbiz-ness - In this high-octane episode, the brand-new Showbiz Human Entertainment Theme Park was hosting a grandiose gala event for corporate executives and galactic celebrities to celebrate the “human art and entertainment”-themed park’s grand opening. According to the fuzzy, scrambled distress signal High Command received a few hours ago, some kind of serious malfunction has plunged the park into chaos — and stranded about a dozen of the galaxy’s wealthiest beings amidst the disaster. The Patrollers will need to suit up in their finest combat gear and handle the imperiled partygoers and the pricy new themepark equipment with care, because. . . There’s No Bizness Like Showbiz-ness!
@ArmandoPenblade We, my adult son & I, were able to get into your first event Peril at the Interstella 500. I look forward to meeting you and the adventure. Your other 2 events were sold out already.
That’s awesome! Looking forward to having you join us. A couple of old friends from college are coming, as well. It’s a gloriously bonkers little one-shot :D
For folks who are going, how did your event wishlists go? I whiffed on several systems I was excited to play/try – no Wanderhome, Coyote and Crow, MÖRK BORG, or Heart: The City Beneath, and I’m going to have to orchestrate a careful ticket swap with a friend to get into one of the incredibly limited spots for Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast.
That said, I did manage to snag spots at tables for Avatar: Legends, Cypher, Masks: A New Generation, Pasion de las Pasiones, and even another GM’s take on Fate. I’ll be giving up a chance to play Katanas & Trenchcoats to get into the Yazeba’s game, womp.
I’m still hoping to swap out my Friday morning or evening spots for something slightly more up my alley, but despite my very fastest clicking this morning, I still wound up 4170 deep in the wishlist queue, alas.
Welp, my modest Caravan Crue has been winnowed down to the barest hint of a troupe at 3; one couple decided to go to Origins instead, another woman’s job canceled her vacation when her manager had a medical emergency, and one guy’s wife just spent a full day in the ER for her own medical emergency, so he just pulled out this morning to look after her.
The last one means that suddenly my final session has an open spot, with an electronic ticket, if anyone’s still looking for something fun to do on Saturday night:
Magpie Games having to cancel a bunch of their Avatar: Legends games means I lost out on playing that, but I replaced it with The Wildsea, a cool RPG I kickstarted a year or two ago, and my friend DID manage to snag a ticket for a Wanderhome game that he’s kindly giving me :)
Have fun @ArmandoPenblade! May all your sessions run smoothly and your players have a blast! Looks like the weather will cooperate and you should have some nice days in the low-mid 80’s. Good weather to explore the food trucks in the square across from the convention center or just get out and wander for lunch/dinner.
I was just in Indy a couple of times earlier this year for volleyball, and I was sad to see my old GenCon favorite The Ram had closed down. Even late night go-to Steak’N’Shake still had their dining room closed but you could order carry out. Like most downtowns, Indy got hit hard by COVID and a lot of restaurants are gone. Hopefully some new stuff opened this spring.
2023 will be the 20th Anniversary of GenCon in Indy. I took my oldest son to the first one held there in 2003 when he was 12 years old, and we were just talking last night about trying to make the trip again next year to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of his first GenCon.
I’m hopeful for fun this year, but gotta admit that with a big part of my enjoyment being the “hanging out with friends and having adventures” part of things, there’s a bit of a damper over the whole thing right now. Like you said, a lot of restaurants and businesses closed or running on very reduced hours, and so many IRL and virtual friends unable to make it out. Think it might have a very weird feel to it. But, hey, hotel’s locked and badge is paid for, so, what ya gonna do? :D
One place that I enjoyed on my visits back in January and April that is still open : Jack’s Donuts on West Market Street. Huge variety of fresh daily donuts and pastries, and amazing hot chocolate and iced lattes. Great for a grab and go breakfast.
From the convention center, head north on Capitol Ave about a block and a half (passing Washington, which is one block) and Market will be on your right. Turn down Market and halfway down the block on your right will be Jack’s. They open at 7:00AM daily, but I learned to arrive a few minutes early because a line forms, even in January when it’s 24 degrees!
