I’m going to GenCon!
For the first time since 2014, I’ll be in Indianapolis, Indiana playing games and geeking out with gamers, fans, and publishers. I’ll be tag-teaming the event with David Moore, my co-host at the Lair of Secrets podcast.
In previous years, I focused on playing as many games as possible. This year, it’s a mix of games, seminars, and interviews with publishers. I’ll admit, a big reason for that is a just could get myself organized enough to register for events when they went live back in late spring.
I’m juggling way more balls in 2023 than I was in 2014, and the pressure I felt to get into my favorite games was a lot less this year. That said, It would have been cool to finally get to play games like Mothership and ALIEN, which have lived on my game shelf (or in a hard drive folder) unplayed for the entirety of the pandemic.
That’s ok – there’s always next year. And MEPACon. And Origins. And a bunch of other conventions I want to get to now that the world’s out of lockdown.
So what am I doing at GenCon?
Games
- Marvel Multiverse RPG – I’m playing in two sessions of this game by Matt Forbeck. I’m a big Marvelhead, Matt’s a good guy, and the game is one I’ve wanted to try out for a while.
- Dungeons & Dragons RPG – David and I are joined by my son, Neutronlad, for D&D game sponsored by the Diana Jones Awards.
- Mutant Crawl Classics – David and I are playing in a one-shot MCC game called “Apocalypse Ark”. Since I’m writing a scenario for MEPACon this fall, it made sense to, you know, actually play the game.
Interviews
David and/or I will be interviewing the following companies while we’re at GenCon:
Seminars
- How to Livestream Your Actual Play Campaign
- No Latency ‘How We Built a Bar
- Ken & Robin Talk About Stuff
Shopping
It’s GenCon … and I’m gonna buy stuff! Probably not as much stuff as I bought back in prior trips to GenCon, because I’ll be honest … I’ve got a lot of games that I haven’t played. At the same time, GenCon’s a great place to find things you can find elsewhere … and I have a shopping list.
- Marvel Multiverse RPG: As a Marvel guy, this feels like a book I should have in my collection … and Matt Forbeck’s already announced there will be an X-Men sourcebook for the game.
- Cyberpunk Sourcebooks: I’m late to the Cyberpunk game, and never picked up any of the Cyberpunk 2020 sourcebooks. If I can find them, I’d love to pick up some gear guides to augment my collection, stuff like Maximum Metal, Blackhand’s Street Weapons, and any of the [Chromebooks ](https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/Chromebook.
- Geeky T-Shirts: Some of my best geeky t-shirts were bought at GenCon. It’s time to upgrade my collection.
I’ll also hold some cash in reserve for the unexpected – the random board or card game that looks fun, the small press RPG that stands out in the floor booth, etc. Heck, that’s how I picked up Savage Worlds: Explorers Edition back in the day, and that inspired decades worth of great gaming!