I attend GenCon every year. I’ve been going since it was in Milwaukee and I have a ton of great memories… but this year is going to be extra special. Last year, I met a group of Twitter friends and we all became instant BFFs. We are spread all over the country and while we may chat every day, we don’t get to see each other often. This year, however, we are rooming together and will likely spend much of the show tagging along to each others events. Most of the time, however, I just want to set up somewhere and play games. I have prototypes that need work and so does the rest of the group. I have new games I want to check out and so do they. We’re going to have an epic time together… but I do have some stuff planned by myself.
So, are you interested in meeting me but are too polite or nervous to ask? Don’t fear! There’s a couple of events you’ll be able to find me!
Thursday – Aug 15
1400 – 1800
The Game Crafter Booth (1931)
I’ve got a four hour slot to sit and play games with people. My focus will be on the three games I have for sale at thegamecrafter.com: Leathernecks ’43, Tuesday Night Tanks, and Paper Route. If any of these games interest you, please stop buy and give them a try! I’ll also have a few prototypes that I have printed at The Game Crafter and I might be persuaded to show them off also… Dead End and Black Bear Downs.
Even if you don’t want to play any of my games… stop by and say hi! I like meeting new people!
Friday – Aug 16
1600 – 1700
First Time Game Designer’s Workshop (Embassy Suites : Coronation 2)
Jason and Rob, the awesome guys behind the Building the Game Podcast, asked me to be a part of their panel for this event and I couldn’t refuse! I love talking about game design and it’s even better when people are asking questions and are genuinely interested! I mean… talking to my wife while she nods her head is great and all… but I really enjoy being engaged by truly interested people. Stop by, say hi, and maybe we can answer a few questions for you!
Friday – Aug 16
2000 – ???
The Game Crafter Community Game Night (JW : 308 : 1–5)
This is a social event… intended for members of thegamecrafter.com community… but we won’t be mad if you show up. Promise! We like to show our games and hang out. It’s a casual thing and I’ll be there mostly to put faces to the names I see every day in The Game Crafter chat.
Saturday – Aug 17
1900 – ???
The Game Crafter Community Social (Scotty’s Brewhouse)
This is a completely informal event that’s not on the books anywhere. I plan on stopping by for a while and just hanging out. Not sure if there’ll be much gaming going on, but I’m fairly certain that there will be some crazy stories and we’ll create some hilarious inside jokes. You don’t want to miss out on that action do you?
That’s it. These few events are the only official times I have planned for GenCon this year. I’m not running any events. I’m not playing in any tournaments. If there is a game design seminar, you can assume that I’ll be in the crowd somewhere, but I usually make the decision to attend those things on the fly. Throughout the show, I’ll be tweeting my whereabouts and like I said before, I’ll probably be hanging out with the group: Grant Rodiek, Matt Worden, and AJ Porfirio. Follow all of our twitter accounts to find us.
I do have a few publisher meetings, but nothing is scheduled yet, so I’m pretty flexible. I’ll arrive in town on Wednesday at about 1600 and will immediately be seeking out gaming oopportunities. If you want to meet up with me, the easiest way of finding me is on Twitter and through GMail. My phone will be up and running the whole show and I’ll get your messages. I’d love to hear from you!
As usual, I’m taking requests for anything you want live-tweeted. Any games you want pictures of? Booths you want to see? Questions you want asked of publishers? I like to spend a decent amount of time traveling the Dealer Hall and seeing awesome stuff, so I’ll gladly help you out if you aren’t attending. Just let me know in the comments below or through my other communication channels!
See you at the show!