GenCon 2011 Report!

Howdy friends and welcome to my review of GenCon 2011! See my links below for more in-depth coverage from better reporters than me!

This year, we had two different groups heading to Indianapolis for the convention. Wukas tagged along with his buddy Rob (an avid D&D player) for his first GenCon in (possibly) decades. On Thursday, he sent me the following text: “OMFG!” That’s right – feel the power of the Exhibition Hall!!! The other group was me, Cox, Hayes, and Drew(who went down to Indy with Wukas on Thursday morning).  The stage was set for a weekend of games, gamers, and going broke!

The biggest change was the expansion of GenCon into the new areas of the Indiana Convention Center. Where the old Hoosier Dome used to stand there is now a huge hall where the vendors set up. I found the aisles to be a bit better for moving about and only really became crowded on Saturday. Parking seemed to be easier this year and while there was still some construction around the Convention Center, it was relatively easy to get around. I still wish there were more cheap eateries on the streets instead of the very crowded but reliable Centre Circle Mall. We DID continue our tradition of trying out a new local establishment and this year we finally got into RAM brewery. This is a big deal because they totally decorate and change their menu to match GenCon. This year, their sponsor was Privateer Press so the whole menu was based on their popular Warmachine miniature game. I have a copy of the menu I’ll eventually scan and post. The food was good and the beer was better! And we got to sit right under two giant D&D and Eberron banners from past GenCons!!! So cool!

On the exhibition floor, we were once again challenged to get to everything. It really take three days to see it all and we did! We met some great people and did some demos at a few booths. Of course, we purchased WAY too much and I will be feeling the pinch until pay day. Highlights for me included:

• Buying Wrath of Ashardalon for only $41 (my bargain of the con!)
• Picking up several rare D&D minis for my collection at decent prices
• Seeing the gargantuan red dragon mini from a few years ago selling for $230 (I bought mine for $79)
• Getting my copy of Issue 83 of Dragon magazine signed by Margaret Weis. When I showed it to her, specifically the original story of “Test of the Twins” written solo by her, she was thrilled. She told me several stories about it and was beaming as she autographed it.
• Demo of the Lego Heroica game with Hayes and Drew
• Watching Cox elbow his way into a crowd surrounding bins of plastic minis
• Talking to several game developers and designers about their convention experience
• Seeing stereotypical overweight gamer with a shirt that read: “I beat anorexia”

There were also some things that left me scratching my head, such as:

• What is Cosplay and how can I get my wife into it?
• How WotC could have a much better booth that past years but not sell a single product?
• What is the deal with Neverwinter? That’s all there was at the WotC booth.
• How could WizKids not include ANY Clix demos in their booth? It was all their new dice game and Star Trek.
• Where are the chain mail bikinis?
• Should we go back and play Pathfinder (3.5)?
• What’s up with all the steam punk?
• How did I NOT buy the board game Dominion for $22 on Saturday before they sold out?
• When will I have a chance to paint all my metal minis so I can buy more from Reaper?
• Will virtual table top programs make all those minis obsolete?

As for gaming at the Convention, we did a GREAT demo/delve in the Pathfinder room. The DM was awesome and we really had a blast remembering how to play 3.5. The Pathfinder rules are really great but it IS the old and complicated 3.5 system. However, I think a few of us will be trying out Pathfinder and its new Jade Regent Adventure Path of modules. Maybe we can use a virtual table top….

We also got a chance to demo Wrath of Ashardalon, which I also bought. I love that it is D&D as a board game and that it allowed us to kill lots of monsters in less than an hour. I can’t wait to crack open that box and play it here at home with my kids, friends, or even by myself!

I took a hard look at several computer aids and I really like d20 Pro. I need to compare it to Fantasy Grounds. Unfortunately, it looks like the official D&D Virtual Tabletop is a year away. Nuts!

Of course, the highlight was playing D&D back in the hotel room with Hayes, Cox, and Drew. One year ago we began the Eberron campaign “Seekers of the Ashen Crown.” Well, we were able to complete the adventure at about 1 am Saturday night. This was an epic tale that had some epic role playing moments. On Friday, Hayes used a freakin’ low level ritual to camouflage the airship they were on to look like the clouds. He did it as a precautionary measure. Little did he and the group know that a huge blue dragon was patrolling this skies between Graywall and Sharn. I rolled a perception check and damn if the dragon blew his roll!! There I was with a $40 plastic mini of a blue dragon that I had spent hours prepping to run and once again the players get around it! He may as well have rolled three 20s in a row and chopped off its head!!!!! Aaaargh!!!! Definitely the highlight of the adventure. But they also finally unraveled the double-cross plot, defeated their arch-enemy(the changeling goblin Tikulti), and destroyed the evil Lady Demise back in the very place the adventure began a year ago: Ashurta’s Tomb.

Next year, GenCon is later in August, around August 15^th, and I may not be able to attend. If I do, it will only be for a day or two over the weekend. This might be the year I take Catherine with me and maybe a few of us bring our kids. It would certainly change the experience but it would also be new. Time for the next generation to get gaming? Perhaps. But I also know I have LOTS of gaming to do between now and then!!

So, when do we want to get together?

Quick Links of News and Views about GenCon

ICv2 GenCon photos and reports

http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/20768.html

http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/20776.html

http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/20777.html

Play D&D on Facebook. Really.

http://www.gamersdailynews.com/article-2995-GenCon-2011-Report-Heroes-of-Neverwinter-Rise-up-on-Facebook.html

D&D New Product Seminar Report from Dave Chalker

http://critical-hits.com/2011/08/08/gen-con-2011-dd-new-products-seminar/

Big news about D&D Miniatures!!!!!! (From Critical Hits)

Jumping forward a bit, the big product announcement I alluded to earlier was this: the return of miniatures produced by Wizards of the Coast… and this time, no random packaging. For all those gamers who said things like “I just want to be able to buy a box of orcs for my game,” this is for you.

Wizards will be releasing themed boxes of miniatures (like orcs, drow, goblins, elves, etc.) with non-random contents, providing a variety of miniatures in each box. Not only that, but the minis will be useable in a new skirmish game to be developed around the new minis. Each box will contain the stats you need to play with the box you buy, and interlocking terrain used to build the battlefield in interesting ways for each match (that is also fully useable in the RPG.) Additionally, after a few sets are out, you’ll be able to mix and match them in order to build your own armies, not being constrained by what you buy in each box.

The new miniatures skirmish game is notable in two aspects: first, it won’t use any dice. It is designed to be more strategic and less reliant on luck (though there will still be some) and is powered by some kind of action card system. Second, the skirmish game itself will be built on a completely open mass playtest that will appear on the D&D website starting in September. That way, the game will get plenty of testing and come out the best it can be.

Critical-Hits.com wins a Gold Ennie for Best Blog! Check out this site for great stuff!

www.critical-hits.com