GenCon 2015 Report Part 5 - The Wrap-Up

1,683 kilometers (or 1,052 miles for those south of the Canadian border) later and there are no regrets. Despite the 9-hour road trip (one-way), getting lost in Detroit, and the severe storm we hit on the way back, GenCon 2015 was well worth it all.

This trip was my first to GenCon, so I didn't have a real frame of reference to compare it to the previous years. But, I've attended various conventions, large and small, such as the San Diego Comic Con, Boston Comic Con, and the Toronto Fan Expo. I found GenCon very well run overall. The ticketing system worked well and it was easy to pick up your tickets. The convention center was a great venue that catered to many different gaming tastes.

The Exhibit Hall was crazy most of the time, but I was able to demo several games, so I never really felt that the crowds impeded my enjoyment. The prices were a bit disappointing as I was expecting, as a visitor from Canada, deals would be significant. They weren't, in fact with the Canadian dollar down to almost .75 cents US, it really crushed my spending.

The Writer's Symposium was also a lot of fun and I learned quite a bit. It was great that the seminars were so closely located in one dedicated area. The roster of writers was impressive and quite diverse.

A few suggestions though. More networking opportunities, especially for introverted writer-types. I saw several of the same people in those sessions, but didn't get up the nerve to chat with them about their writing. Maybe an informal session where writers can meets other writers at a similar level and connect. Or perhaps a dinner or a meet-up at a local bar might do the trick. I'd also like to see more workshops and critiquing sessions. One other suggestion, particularly towards the comic writing track, is to set up a speed-dating event for comic creators, trying to match up writers with artists.

Gen Con 2015 set an attendance record with 61,423 unique attendees and a turnstile attendance of 197,695. It was also nice to see that Gen Con raised more than $38,500 for the show official 2015 Charity, The Julian Center.

Gen Con 2016 returns to the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis on Aug. 4-7th, 2016 and I'll do my best to be there!

GenCon 2015 Report Part 4 - Day 4 True Dungeon!

Sunday - True Dungeon!

I'll admit upfront that I was skeptical about doing this and had to be convinced to participate. Why? I'm not really into Live Action Role Playing and the price seemed a bit steep especially with the Canadian dollar being so low. However, my friends prevailed and we signed up for both of the session on Sunday morning. We decided to do the puzzle route as it featured more puzzle rooms than combat rooms.

We picked up a couple of packs of True Dungeon tokens ahead of our sessions to supplement our equipment. There was a kind trader just outside the entrance who took the time to explain the types and rarities of the tokens. A tip of the hat to him.

Armed with that knowledge, we entered The Underdark. The session kicked off with the assignment of equipment through the use of those tokens. You place them on a user-friendly character map and the attendants record your equipment and stats.

You then take your character sheet and put it around your neck. I selected the Paladin class and was the party's tank with an armour class of 22.

Next, you're introduced to the mechanics of combat and spell casting. Combat proved to be quite fun. At the end of a table there's an outline of the character or creature we're battling. Each player puts their weapon of choice into a small puck and slides it towards that outline. Across the outline is a series of numbers, from 1-20, representing the value of your hit. All players must slide their weapons before the Dungeon Master can determine the amount of damage caused. As the time in each room is closely monitored, you have to work as a team to defeat these monsters. Your puck can knock other pucks closer or off the mark, so you have to be careful.

The spellcasters, like wizards, clerics, and druids, had to memorize and identify elements of their spells. When they cast their spells during the adventure, they're put to the test and if they succeed, their spells succeed with bonuses.

It didn't take us long to get into the action and work our way through the Underdark chambers in search of a Drow assassin. The puzzle rooms were a lot of fun as well, creative and entertaining. The size and the scope of the layout was impressive, considering that the entire dungeons had to be transported here, assembled, and then taken down.

By the end of The Underdark, I wanted more and couldn't believe how quickly the adventure had passed. Fortunately, we had signed up for the other adventure, The Sable Gauntlet. We had failed at the final room in the previous adventure, so we found ourselves the captives of the Dark Elves and as their prisoners, we were forced to walk their gauntlet. Once again I was impressed by the puzzle rooms and the volunteers who acted as the dark elves put on a fabulous show. The only complaint I had was for the first adventure, there didn't seem to be a resolution of the storyline, even though we failed the final room.

The next time I attend GenCon, I won't have any doubt or skepticism in taking on True Dungeon's next adventures!

GenCon 2015 Report Part 3 - Day 3

Saturday
I had a great night's sleep with a belly fully of milkshake and burger from Rally's.

The day kicked off with a panel of "Character Craft" which could be succinctly summarized as create interesting character in interesting situations. Look for character that the reader will fall in love with. But don't forget that people are fascinated by broken or fractured characters. Be wary of character sheets and focus on identifying the 3 most important things to that character. And don't be afraid to write in layers, coming back again to a chapter and adding that extra layer of character depth after you've nailed down the story.

The "Character Voice" panel explained how it isn't about a character's background, race or gender, it's about who they, how they operate, and how they make choices in their environment.

I then went downstairs and fought my way through the throngs of attendees to get to the Artists' Alley. I had the pleasure of meeting Chuck Wendig, the author of The Kick-Ass Writer. As he autographed my copy, he asked me about my own writing project and quickly reminded me that I really need to work on my novel pitch.

I had lunch at the Ram which was a bit disappointing. Their beer selection was impressive, but their food, not so much. 

The last seminar of the day and of the Writer's Symposium was Michael Stackpole's "Advanced Characterization". Stackpole exclaimed: "You are in the business of torturing readers." Figure out what the reader wants from the character and do your best to not give them that. Have their past erupt into their present. Look for those secrets that the protagonist doesn't even know about themselves. Engage a reader's emotions to make your world seem real.

I snagged a ticket to an Arkham Horror game. It turned out to be one of the worse games of AH that I've played, spending the majority of my time either in the Asylum or in the Hospital. However, the only thing I managed to do of any worth was join the Silver Twilight Lodge. And it turned out that upon a return visit there, I successfully closed the last game to secure our victory, redeeming myself!

We finished up around 10pm and I was blown away by the numbers of active game in the Halls. Tables and tables of games of all kinds and several with their own custom, hand-made boards. It was truly something to see. I joined a late-night game of Firefly and explored a new corner of the 'Verse with the Kalidasa expansion.

GenCon 2015 Report Part 2 - Day 2

Day 2 - Friday
On our way out on Thursday evening, we spotted a cheaper parking garage downtown, so on Friday morning we made our way there. However, I forgot my day's worth of tickets in our hotel room. Sigh. You can get the tickets reprinted, but you have to pay the full cost again. Turns out so did my friend, so I didn't feel so bad that we had to head back to the hotel! We were fortunate enough to get back in time to still find a spot in that cheaper parking garage.


The "Dialogue and Dialogue Tags" panel was a fun one that highlighted the most important rule in writing: there are no rules. Each panelist had a different opinion and style that worked for them. I think the key for dialogue tags is to work at it and try to put the emotional content in the actual dialogue. Don't rely on action dialogue tags or adverbs.

I took a lunch break walk through the Exhibit Hall and tried several games, including the revised edition of Fury of Dracula and Tigris and Euphrates. The Fury of Dracula will be perfect for my gaming group as several players act as vampire hunters and pursue Dracula across Europe and Great Britain.

Michael Stackpole's "Characterization" seminar broke down the different ways your can use to create a character, whether you model them after a historical figure or your friends, build them as an archetype, or blend those methods. His blitz characterization technique shows a lot of promise in providing that initial spark: use two positive and then a negative that get the reader thinking. For example, George was well dressed and attended church on Sundays, but non one trusted him with the collection plate.

Stackpole's second seminar on "plotting" turned out to be more of an interactive class as he worked with the class to create a plot. Together, we built and discussed the necessary plot elements of a good story. The basic idea is that you have to figure out what has to happen and then work backwards and make it happen, let the scenes that need to be there, evolve in your mind. Don't forget though that the story you think you're writing changes as you write it.

I had just enough time to head over to the Sun King Brew Tent and grab a Drink On And Prosper before my Game of Thrones game. We played on a 3-D game board and it was beautifully done, including miniatures for all the military forces. As House Greyjoy, I pounced into the neck of Westeros and clashed against the Lannisters. House Martell and House Tyrell fought several battles in the south over sea and land. After 8 rounds of play, I claimed two castles, including the Lannisport, and won the game with seven castles.

GenCon 2015 Report Part 1 - Day 0 and Day 1

Day 0 - Road Trip Wednesday!
Despite a rough night's sleep as I was excited and anxious to attend GenCon, we left Toronto around 10am and crossed over the border at Detroit. We got lost for about half in hour in the Detroit suburbs before we got an internet connection that helped us get back on the right road.

After about a 9 hour drive through 2 states and constructions delays, we arrived in Indianapolis. It was easy to find street parking and we joined the long line at Will Call to pick up our tickets and badge. The line moved quickly and smoothly.

Outside at the Sun King Brewery tent, I snagged a cup of The Froth of Khan from the last keg of last year's Gen Con Official beer and after that drive, it went down smoothly. We had a nice Italian dinner at the Palomino restaurant.

The Froth of Khan!

Our hotel was near the airport and the drive out there was relatively easy. We settle down for the evening and planned for our first day at GenCon!

Day 1 - Thursday

We got up early, drove downtown to find some parking. Traffic was a bit crazy in the downtown core, but we fought our way through and found parking less than a mile away from the convention center. I checked in at the Press Room and got my badge with ease. The Press Room was a pleasant Oasis in the madness of the Con. The delightful staff there were friendly and welcoming and kept the refreshments stocked.

I skipped my first seminar to spend a bit of time getting my bearings and to taking it all in. The masses were assembling at the entrance to the Exhibit Hall as the door opened at 10am.

Attended the second part of Alexander Drake's "Anatomy of a Fight Scene" at 10am, which had some solid practical advice on how to write up a good fight scene. I couldn't resist the lure of the Exhibit Hall and snuck downstairs after 11am to see what was going on. And it was crazy insane! I spent the next hour just walking around, overwhelmed by all the exhibitors and boardgames. 

I headed back up to the Symposium for my noon class, "Tension on Every Page", by author Brad Beaulieu. Using the Hunger Games as a guide, Beaulieu walked us through the techniques to establish and harvest conflict through a novel. Lots of great advice. Will have to re-read the Hunger Games with more of an eye to see how it was done so effectively.

My first panel of the symposium was "Character Craft - Common People in Epic Conflict". Lots of great debates and discussion on character requirements for an epic story and how to craft them. "When to Show, When to Tell" was next and focused on how you can provide maximum impact with minimal words. A great tip was to pay attention when you're reading and when a particular emotion is stirred, invest the time to look back and see how the author made you feel that way.

The last seminar for the day was Michael Stackpole's "Badass Badguys". Stackpole broke down badguys into categories, highlighting the differences and how you can use them in your fiction. I'm particularly interested in serial fiction, so it was great to see how you could evolve your antagonists from category to category. I learned a lot from this class and will be keen on reshaping my novel's antagonists.

Wrapped up the day by doing another tour of the Exhibit Hall and had dinner at California Pizza.