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 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 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.

Gen Con 2015

One sleep before I head south for my first Gen Con! I'm not really sure what to expect though. I've read a lot of 2014 post-con blog write-ups to get an idea of what to expect. The main draw for me is two-fold: the Writer's Symposium and the gaming.

The Writer's Symposium has a solid line-up of talent, including Terry Brooks, Chuck Wendig, Tracy Hickman, and Pat Rothfuss. I'm looking for some character and dialogue help. And hoping that the environment and the talent help push me to finish my novel.

I'm looking forward to cruising through the Exhibit Hall. There really isn't a particular game that's a must-buy for me, but I'd like to demo a few games. My gaming group usually brings together 4-6 people every Friday night, so I'm interested in something that will engage them all. As a Kickstarter backer of Monolith's Conan board game, I'll definitely be checking out their demo.

My schedule's pretty busy. Thursday and Friday are jam-packed with writing seminars while in the evenings, I'll be playing Twilight Imperium and A Game of Thrones, respectively. Saturday night is opening and I'm still searching for something fun, perhaps an RPG. Sunday morning will have us check out True Dungeon before the long drive back home.