Here’s something true about GenCon, for me anyway: It takes about 45 minutes to unpack all the material stuff I bring home from Indy. But it takes a helluva lot longer to unpack all the mental and emotional stuff. Well, after nearly two days of vegging, the time has come to try to start unpacking. So, I present the first in a series of quick-hit lists of things I did, saw, and heard at GenCon ‘08. More details (i.e. entire blog essays and TGTMB audio episodes) will be coming on many of these items over the next several weeks/months. But for now, just basic unpacking to start the process.
Here’s the first half of my list of things I did at GenCon. Catch the second half of this list tomorrow, and then things I saw and things I heard after that.
Things I Did at GenCon 08: Part One (Wednesday – Friday Afternoon)
- Wednesday night: for the first time ever, I PLAYED Vegas After Midnight. As in, I was at the table but not the GM. Thanks, David, for taking the reins – it was mondo helpful!
- Thursday morning: ran my first-ever con scenario – Vegas After Midnight: Welcome to the Madness, Baby! And holy moly, it actually rocked! I had a great group that grokked the campy gonzo aspects of the setting and were all very enthusiastic about participating in more playtesting. I also, however, discovered that my biggest concern about VAM is true – that it currently needs a lot more mechanical and situational support for the underlying dark/emo tone that I’m hoping to infuse into the setting. It’s not there yet. We’ve got the 1960s Batman tv show tone down. Now, I’ve got to work on making it the game I want it to be, which is, well, a lot more like The Dark Knight.
- Thursday night: Primetime Adventures: Star Wars Episode LV with Judd, Rich, Paul, Daniel, and me. My best roleplaying experience ever, period. I’ve got a lot more to say about this, but it’s going to require some distance and consideration before I can effectively unpack it. Meanwhile, I’ll keep you abreast of what the other guys are writing about the game.
- Friday morning: VAM con session redux. In a neat twist, for the first time, the guy playing the Presleyan PC takes an aspect establishing that rather than just being a kid who stole the King’s guitar, he believes himself to BE the rightful King, and that the current King is a phony. I immediately decide I need to explore the idea of running with that in the official text. Hmmm.
- Friday dinner: Buca de Beppo with David, Jeff, and Caroline. Good food and excellent company. David has become like a brother to me. We grok. I truly love Jeff and Caroline and I get giddy watching the cool stuff that they’re wading into. Jeff is an excellent artist who is about to break big in the hobby, I predict, and Caroline is starting her run as a co-host of a new video show called Geekology.It was marvelous to sit and share good Italian food and talk about life and futures and other nifty stuff.
More tomorrow …
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