Virtual Gen Con Articles
by Lori Ann Curley
Gen Con
101 Series written during Gen Con 2001:
Wednesday Thursday Friday
Saturday Sunday
Wednesday Part I: Registration
Welcome to Gen Con 2001! I'm Lori Ann Curley,
correspondent for Virtual Gen Con, to teach you Gen Con 101:
Conventioneering for Newbies. If this is your rookie year at GC,
I'm here to teach you the ins and outs of GC and what to do while
you're here.
Step One: Registration. If you have not
pre-registered for GC, you will need to visit On-Site
Registration. Christina Peerce, On-Site Registration Manager,
gives this advice:
"Keep your eyes open for signs; they're
everywhere." On the first level of the Midwest Express Center is
an information booth that can send you in the right direction.
The first item you need is a badge. "Remember," Peerce says,
"There's a difference between a visitor's badge and a player's
badge." A visitor's badge allows admittance to most GC
events: the Exhibit Hall, the Games Auction, the Art Show,
etc. More than a decade ago when I first came to Gen Con, these
were called "spectator's badges." With a visitor's badge, you can
look, but you can't play. You must buy a player's badge to
actually play the myriad of games offered at GC. How do you
select games? Peerce advises, "Pick up your on-site book."
She's talking about the Program Book available for free at the
registration booths, and Peerce describes it as "the bible for the
convention." The PB is your guide to the abundant offerings of
GC: the Art Show, which displays original art and booths where
you can meet some of the artists; the Games Auction, think of it
as E-Bay without the computer; and, of course, the games
themselves. Do you play trading card games (TCG)? Or do you
prefer Live Action Roleplaying (LARP)? Maybe you're here with
kids and want to check out the family and board games? Or do you
like the basic roleplaying that involves sitting around a table and
rolling the dice. It's all here at Gen Con.
Remember the words of Peerce, "You need to buy your
badge before your event tickets." The staff will no sell event
tickets to anyone who does not have a player's badge.
When you arrive at Event Registration, check out the
list of sold out events. If the event you're looking for isn't
there, heck even if it is (because gamers do change their minds), write
your name and the events you want on the slips of paper provided.
Once you're at the booth proper, the staff can look up any event's
current availability and sell tickets to the open events you
want. If what you want isn't available, buy some generic tickets
and show up at the event anyway. Not everyone who is registered
shows up for all events. You may get lucky.
Whatever you decide, remember that we're all here to
play games and have fun. See you later.
Next episode: Wednesday
Entertainment: the Safe House
Wednesday
Part II: Entertainment
Gen Con proper doesn't begin until Thursday, so what
do you do when you arrive on Wednesday? Well, after you've
registered (see my last article), Milwaukee has tons for you to do.
Remember, you're in Wisconsin now. A major
part of our entertainment is drinking. and yes I'm a native
Wisconsinite. I know what I'm talking about. I recommend
The Safe House.
Located across the Milwaukee River, The Safe House
is hidden behind the facade of International Exports Limited. You
need a password to enter when you're looking for a Safe House.
<grin>. The bar has a circa 1960s spy motif. Think
James Bond and you've got the idea. SH has a lot of fun nooks and
cranny to discover: the puzzle wall, the picture of Burt Reynolds
with a stratigically placed leaf, the secret exit, etc. Good
times are definitely abundant at the SH.
Wednesday evening is the best time to go because SH
is not too crowded as it is on the weekend. On this particular
Wednesday, I caught up with John Monnett, of Madison, Wisconsin, and he
said, "On Wednesday at The Safe House, there's not too many people, you
can find a place to sit, and there's not too much smoke."
An excellent yet quite deceptive drink is the "Spy's
Demise." The fruity nature of this drink doesn't let on to its
potency, and the first one hits you midway through your second.
As I am about to partake of my second Demise, I'll logoff until
tomorrow.
Next Segment: The Exhibit Hall
Thursday: The Exhibit Hall
Walking into the Exhibit Hall on Thursday may seem daunting: So
many people milling about , wandering up and down the aisles. The
newbie could feel confused, maybe frightened. Don't worry;
the Exhibit Hall is worse on Saturday when all the weekend warriors
arrive.
Your best tactic is to start in a corner, then walk the aisles in a
vertical up/down pattern. As one experienced gamer put it, "The
way that we seem to be going is the way that's easiest." -Jason
Ladue, Boulder, Colorado. Of course you'll bump into
people. Some may apologize to you, but remember it's equivalent
to bumping someone on the bus.
Right away you will notice people's duds: gamers dress in
costumes or t-shirts. Costumes include fantasy: wizard
hats, cloaks, bodices; Star Trek, especially Klingons; Star
Wars, I saw more than one jedi knight; and Goths, people dressed
all in black with black makeup and silver jewelry. Oh,
wait; that's how they dress all the time. T-shirts include
those from Gen Con present or past, advertising favorite games, or
wonderful sayings such as "I didn't say it was your fault. I said
I'm blaming you." or "You say ‘psycho' like it's a bad thing."
The meat of the Exhibit Hall is the booths: anything gaming
related, no matter how tenuous the link, can be found in the Exhibit
Hall: games; gaming supplies such as dice, computer
programs, storage; videos, especially Anime; artwork either
from games or just fantasy; sculptures and miniatures;
costumes and costumes supplies, including fun contact lenses and very
real swords. At the Silver, Sword, & Stone booth, they refer
to their customers as M'lord or M'lady. Nice.
The Cloud Kingdom Games booth is especially fun: they sell
riddles. Every hour they post a new riddle. If you guess
it, they give you a RiddleMaster ribbon to attach to your badge (one
per person, not riddle). Matt Mayfield, of Cloud Kingdom,
explains the hourly riddle, "It's fun. Sure it helps sell books,
but riddles are fun. If Bilbo had one of these books, the story
would have been very different. These [the RiddleMaster ribbons]
are cool."
Other booths attract customers with either a beautiful woman in a
skimpy costume or bowls of free candy. Other freebees include an
introductory version to a game called Forbidden Kingdoms, and slick
four-color brochures advertising prints from such sci-fi classics as
Babylon 5, Farscape, and the Star Wars and Star Trek series and
movies. Free demonstrations of new games are available
everywhere, and some booths give prizes.
The Gen Con Exhibit Hall is a springboard for new games and new
ideas. Cheapass Games, best known for their innovative games that
don't include the extra "stuff" that you already have (i.e. dice,
pawns, play money), is now introducing a demo computer game.
Joyce Godecke, of Cheapass's marketing division, said, "We're
eventually going to bring out a deadwood game. A company
approached us, and now we're testing [Plasmaworm] to see how it goes."
Whatever you buy, keep your eye out for signatures. Artists and
game developers are more than happy to sign your purchase if you
ask. John Kovalic, an artist from Madison, Wisconsin, who just
started his own publishing company Dork Storm Press, is always happy to
sign copies of the games he has illustrated (Chez Geek, Apples to
Apples, Munchkin) and his comic books (Dork Tower). If you go all
the way to the back of the Exhibit Hall and take a right behind the
Board Games and Miniatures Section, guests of honor such as Richard
Biggs, Babylon 5; James Marsters, Buffy the Vampire Slayer;
and Marina Sirtis, Star Trek: The Next Generation, will be
signing at the Autograph Stage. Watch for the lines!
In the center of the Exhibit Hall, you will see (because you certainly
can't miss it) the Great Wizards of the Coast Castle. This
tradition was started by TSR (the founders of Gen Con) several years
ago. Inside you will find games, demos, novels, TCGs, etc.
In the early years of the Castle, other companies became envious of its
largess, so they stormed the castle with Nerf weapons (but don't get
any ideas <grin>).
Please remember that the Exhibit Hall is the main place to shop at Gen
Con and follow the basic rules: no shoplifting. As a sign at the
Aldebaran Imports booth read, "Shoplifters will be pimp-slapped, groped
and handed to authorities."
Next: The Art Show
Thursday:
The Art Show
On the first floor of the Midwest Express Center is a beautiful Art
Show. After checking your bag at the door, your eyes will be
treated to a feast of color and some of the most wondrous fantasy art
anywhere. The artists selling their wares include pictures
of high fantasy, wizards, dragons, mechanical monsters from cyber
games, and the whimsical comics that poke fun at us gamers. We
don't mind because they're so damn funny. Some artists have been
commissioned to create for trading card games, so they combine the
original artwork with a copy of the card in a nice matting and
frame. You can purchase almost everything at the Art Show.
Not only can you find pictures, you will also find 3-D art. Chain
mail jewelry and earrings can be found. The Fate Laughing Booth
sells padded wings to wear, and don't be afraid of a miniature dragon
perched on someone's shoulder. These little creatures were
purchased at the Sundreams and Myths Booth. For the more risque,
Rahne Storm Studios sells hand-painted demon panties.
As music wafts through the sound system, the conventioneer can peruse
the gallery, a maze of gorgeous artwork that include science fiction,
fantasy, and gaming humor. The Art Show is a must for a tranquil
walk through gaming dreams.
Next: The Block Party
Thursday:
Block Party
Free music, free food, free beer, free t-shirts, free hats, free
lighters. Has to be the Gen Con Block Party.
Four years ago, when Wizards of the Coast announced they were buying
TSR, the first Gen Con Block Party took place. The Violent Femmes
played to a crowd outside the Bradley Center (now the US Cellular
Center). I was there, and I remember the roaring music as fans of
gaming and rock danced the night.
Tonight we danced to the rock of Spirit Creek as we ate free nachos and
drank free booze. The freebees included bright orange and black
t-shirts. Halloween came early, and WotC was giving.
Next: Games Auction
Friday: Games Auction
For those wishing to add to their games collection, without having to
pay the Exhibit Hall Prices, the Games Auction in Bruce Hall of the US
Cellular Center may be the perfect solution. You have two
options: Games Auction or the Auction Store. To purchase
the used product offered by your fellow gamers at the Auction Store,
all you need is your convention badge (Do ya think I've hammered home
enough the importance of your badge?). To bid at the Auction, you
require a card, and two versions are offered. For those who want
to buy a lot of items, they can buy a tab card with a $50
deposit. If you want instant gratification, to have your
purchases immediately after you bid, an instant card for $1.
Either way, the auction works like you've seen on TV, but the cards
have numbers on them so no sneezes will count as bids
<grin>. When your bid is accepted, you pay at the register
and take home your new stuff to add to your collection.
For storage solutions, see.... <grin>
Next: Guests of Honor
Friday:
Guests of Honor
Gen Con is notorious for bringing guests that gamers really want to
meet. Past Guests of Honor included George Takei (pronouned
ta-kay like okay; I know because I asked him), Mark Hamill, and
Claudia Christian. This year's Guests of Honor include James
Marsters, Marina Sirtis, and Richard Biggs. Not only do we have media
guests, Gen Con also hosts industry and author guests. One man
who fits both those categories is Monte Cook, who authored two
novels: The Glass Prison and Of Aged Angels, as well as the
current Dungeon Master's Guide and several D&D products. He
is also teaching a series of Writing Seminars during the con. I
had the pleasure of interviewing this pleasant man. Okay, I
cornered him when I bumped into him in the Exhibit Hall.
VGC: When did you find out that you're a Guest of Honor at Gen
Con?
MC: When they handed me this badge.
VGC: So you didn't know before you arrived?
MC: No. It's probably due to the Writing Workshops.
VGC: Do you think it's a honor?
MC: I do. I think it's great.
VGC: How long have you been in the gaming industry?
MC: Thirteen years.
Wow. Many Guests of Honor sign autographs at the Autograph Stage
located in the back of the Exhibit. If you go, please plan
ahead. A few booths in the Exhibit Hall sell pictures of the
guests, and you do need to bring something for the GoHs to sign.
Although announcements are made when a new GoH will be signing, I
recommend that you go early to get in line.
"We have to cap the line because they're [the Guests] here for a
limited time." said Rob Nicholls, a convention volunteer from Illinois,
as he turned away people wanting to see Hudson Leick and Alexandra
Tydings. The two ladies from Xena and Hercules were only signing
for an hour, and people stood in line longer than that to see
them. As I wait in lines, I chat with those around me and get to
know my fellow gamers from around the country. Finally, be nice
to these special guests, and remember that they're people just like you
and me.
Next: Night Games
Friday:
All Night Gaming
"But, Lori, when are you going to play games?" you ask, "Isn't
that what Gen Con's all about?"
Of course. People play games all weekend long at Gen Con, 24
hours a day. Board games and miniature games are played on the
third floor of the Midwest Express Center. Go to the right of the
Exhibit Hall as you're facing the doors going in. You'll see huge
versions of Settlers of Catan, made with terrain used for miniature
games, played next to a table full of Fuzzy Heroes. Anything
you're interested in, just buy a ticket, or bring some generic
tickets.
If you can't find a scheduled event you like, go to the Gen Con Games
Library, back toward the escalator and next to the mini-donut stand
<yum!>. Bob Allen is the chief librarian who is on call 24
hours a day. Mike McDole, who was working when I approached the
booth, told me the rules, "To check out a game, people leave a
[driver's] license. When they return the game intact, we give
them the license back" Because areas of the Midwest Express
Center are open 24 hours a day, the booth is staffed and games are
available to play from now until 1:00 pm Sunday.
Gamers such as myself and the group with whom I'm sharing a hotel room
have brought some of their favorite games from home or purchased new
games in the Exhibit Hall. In our room we have Munchkin, Button
Men, D&D (of course), and many more. Somewhere right now,
someone's playing a game.
Next: Science Fiction Saturday
Saturday: Science Fiction Saturday
Science Fiction Saturday includes more than just the Guests of Honor
(Marina Sirtis, James Marsters, Richard Biggs, etc.), events are held
throughout the convention. Pick up your SFS Passport at the booth
outside the Exhibit Hall. Joei Kimpel, who volunteers with her
husband Kyym, gives these instructions, "Go to SFS themed events," as
she gives me a list, "and get a punch. Bring the passport back to
the SF Booth, and you get a prize. The more punches, the better
the prize." Prizes are generously donated by the dealers and are
game and sci-fi related.
The events include Kij Johnson's SF Writing Workshop, the Annual Grand
Admiral's Tournament of Babylon 5, the Star Wars Connections seminar,
and the Klingon Jail & Bail (see separate article) that collects
money for charity.
Another philanthropist with a SFS theme is Pamela Shanteau, the Artist
Guest of Honor. Every year Shanteau paints a gorgeous portrait of
a fellow guest of honor, has the subject sign the portrait, and then
the painting is auctioned off with the proceeds going to the Gen Con
Charity. This year's portrait is Marina Sirtis. Past
portraits have been of James Doohan, George Takei, Majel Barret
Roddenberry and Carel Struckyn, and Jon DeLancie.
The Guests of Honor themselves participate in philanthropy by hosting a
Charity Dinner. Fans buy tickets ($1 each, 6 for $5), and each is
a chance to join Sirtis or Marsters for dinner tonight. The
drawing occurs at 3:30 at the Autograph Stage, and you must be present
to win. A bit of trivia: two fans each purchased $1000
worth of tickets. Good luck.
Of course, fans participate by wearing costumes. Today, I saw
Guinan, Seven-of-Nine, and several Klingons from Star Trek; jedi
knights and stormtroopers from Star Wars; people from Predator;
and other sci fi films. If you want to come in costume, have fun
with it!
Next: More Gaming
Saturday:
Nighttime LARPs
Live Action Roleplaying takes place on the Wisconsin Avenue side of the
first floor of the Midwest Express Center. One World By Night, an
international organization, runs a Vampire LARP around the clock, or
until players become too tired, usually between two or three in the
morning. Jennifer Lewkowicz, from Wheeling, Illinois, enjoys the
game. "I'm involved in trying to stop the sabbat from getting a
firm hold on the city of Rockford. We're using a crazy artifact
to make the werewolves come into the city and kill them all."
"Or it'll do nothing." adds her fellow player Robert Ashby, of Iowa
City, Iowa. He feels the LARP is fun "because there's a lot of
stuff for people to do. [There are] NPCs for new people to play
to try the game without being overwhelmed."
Another Vampire LARP is played in the two-story lobby of the Hyatt
Hotel. The Interlopers is the name of this year's game run by
Nocturne Productions, a non-profit hobby company that runs events at
about three cons a year. Andy Agin, of Indianapolis, Indiana,
told me that the game runs "Thursday and Friday until 2:00 am, and
Saturday night until we finish, but the players are free to leave at
anytime."
Although the traditional black costumes and makeup are predominant at
the One World By Night LARP, the Nocturne game featured very few
costumed people. Agin said, "Costumes are up to the player."
As Lewkowicz said, costumes are good, "if they help you get into
character, but they're harder in the heat."
Next: Places to Rest
Sunday: Places to Rest
By Sunday, you're exhausted. You've played all-night LARPs,
walked the Art Show once, walked the Exhibit Hall at least twice a day,
and you were out drinking at the Safe House last night. You don't
want to walk all the way back to your hotel, so where can you rest?
Benches are located on the Wisconsin Avenue side of the first floor of
the Midwest Express Center. Granted, they are cement, but they
are long and wide. The second floor walkway toward the Hyatt
Hotel has lots of carpeted floor space for you to set down your
backpack and weary body. Of course you can sit at the various
demo tables in the Exhibit Hall, but you'll probably have to play a
demonstration game for the luxury of sitting down. The Anime room
located in the Hilton has lots of chairs and will be nice and dark, but
the audio is very loud.
My personal favorite place to rest is to go to the corner of the
Midwest Express Center where Wisconsin Avenue intersects with Sixth
Street. This corner also contains the series of photos and and
sound dedicated to Polka Music. Take the elevator to the third
floor (you can't get here from the third floor area where the Exhibit
Hall entrance exists), where there is a lookout over the
intersection. This area is very isolated and usually very quiet
(unless someone hits the button to play the Polka Music), and an
excellent place to rest.
Next: Bargains in the Exhibit Hall
Sunday:
Discounts in the Exhibit Hall
If you've been frugal enough to save your money (or if you're like me
and volunteered 16 hours and earned your badge fee back), then you can
hit the Exhibit Hall one last time for some nifty discounts.
Remember: retailers would rather take home money than
product.
Take the case of George at GWB Imports of Fine Pewter: All those
gorgeous pewter figurines of unicorns, skulls, pigs, and coffins have
to be heavy to take home. When I asked George how much of a
discount he offers, he said, "It depends on the piece. The more
you buy the sharper the pencil."
The Geo Hex Booth, which sells incredible looking terrain and figures
for miniature gaming, posted a sign, "Last Day Special: 25%
Off." They use a shipping service to send home whatever doesn't
sell.
Fantasy Gifts was eager to not have to ship their fine glass and pewter
items. The retailers told me they'll take "Whatever we can
get. We don't like to go home with stuff."
Not every booth offers a final day discount. Mike at Ultra
Pro/Rembrandt said he's "kept my prices the same the whole show."
He can pack all the tradeable cards he sells into the back of his van.
Susan Van Camp, an artist whose paintings include fantastic visions of
cats with wings, also is not offering a discount. When I asked
her why not, she said, "I don't have to. I'm at least a full box
less [than when I came], maybe two." All retailers should be so
lucky.
Next: Pre-Registering for Next
Year
Pre-Registering
for Next Year
What's the best cure for the Post-Gen Con Blues? Plan for next
year! On or after January 1, 2002, log on to
www.gencongamefair.com, and pre-register for Gen Con 2002. The
last Gen Con scheduled for Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will take place August
8-11, 2002. See you there or in cyberspace!
Next: Gen
Con 2002 <grin>
D&D
Ball: What's Your Story?
What is your favorite D&D story? I don't mean the novels, modules,
or whatever. I'm talking about those personal anecdotes that are funny
to more than just the experiencing group. I asked this question of
those attending the D&D Ball Saturday night, a gaming industry
function celebrating the release of the game's third edition. I
received some wild responses, some dating back to the first edition of
this RPG.
James People III of Nebraska once played a halfling armed with a sling.
The halfling was at the back of a party, and at the head of the party
was a paladin fighting a demon. The halfling tried his sling against
the demon, but kept hitting the paladin. Irritated and injured, the
paladin paused in his fight with the demon by sticking his holy avenger
in the ground, went back to the halfling, hoisted the little guy into a
tree branch, took the sling, went back to the demon, and resumed the
fight.
While running a game out of Dungeon Magazine, Theodore Black, an
artist, described a massacre in graphic detail. One hungry gamer eating
pizza couldn't help but connect the entrails and blood to the cheese
and tomato sauce. The gamer "bugged out" and never finished the pizza.
Matt Forbeck, a freelancer currently working with Artbox Entertainment
and attending his nineteenth Gen Con this year, learned to play Basic
D&D in the summer of 1981. However, he and his group tried playing
an AD&D module, which was much tougher on heroes. Throughout the
summer campaign, the group went through about a party a day, killing 23
parties in the process.
Press member Gary Peel played D&D in tournaments this year, and his
team wore T-shirts boasting their prowess: "Slit your own throats and
save us the trouble." John Jordan, of Barchetta Distributors, remembers
one of his gaming buddies as being a shy, quiet Eagle Scout. The scout
played a paladin in a battle with a "big bad guy" and rolled extremely
well, cleaving his foe in two. The DM asked, "What do you want to say?"
The scout said to the big baddie's minions, "The door, gentlemen, is
that way!" All enemies within a twenty-foot radius left.
Rados the Ranger was a character developed by Stephen Richards of
Illinois when alliteration was in style. Rados was determined to catch
and eat every species of humanoid in the Monster Manual. He even
created Rados's Cookbook of Humanoids . John and Yvonne Newman of Ohio
reminisced about John's gnome priest who killed a dragon. The gnome had
a bag full of diamonds and explosive powder that he set with a
firetrap. When the wyrm demanded to see what was in the bag, the bag
exploded in the dragon's face. 'Nuff said.
A paladin that lost his paladin-hood six times? Yes. Jeffrey Baker of
Alabama says his paladin:
1. Told a thief to "change to good
or die"
2. Killed someone while that
person was unconscious
3. Refused to attack an evil
creature
4. Angered Odin
5. Doesn't remember what happened
the fifth time
6. Got mad and attacked his
warhorse.
Other industry representatives attending the ball had their own
memories of the game --sometimes. Ross Jepson of Atlas Games played
D&D in the seventies, but he doesn't remember much from that period
because his group "used to drink a lot while playing D&D."
Real-life spouses who are also DMs can create problems. Jacqueline
Unger of Minnesota had a character who owned a magical flaming whip,
which her DM/hubby Joseph took away. She still does not know why.
The best summation comes from Michael Conrad of Florida. "The story of
D&D is fascinating itself."
Overheard at the Ball:
by Sue Cook
While Lori chatted with members of the crowd at the party, staff
members handed out official commemorative D&D shot glasses (lines
on the back marked the measurement of "lawful," "neutral," and
"chaotic" levels of your favorite beverage). Meantime, I took the
opportunity to speak briefly with the bouncer: the now-famous fighter
Regdar (pictured above with artist Todd Lockwood).
Wizards of the Coast: "So, what is your job here at Gen Con?"
Regdar: "I govern the events here, maintaining the peace through
strength of arms."
Wizards: "Oh. Has anyone gotten out of line?"
Regdar: "No, not a sword has been raised. [Pause] I am a little
disappointed."
Wizards: "Why? Not enough experience points for you in this gig?"
Regdar: [Silence]
Wizards: "Or maybe you're not the bloodthirsty type after all?"
Regdar: "Not bloodthirsty -- just thirsty. Spot me a glass of ale?"
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Updated September 2004