GenCon Indy 2004

[AlHazred]

Alright, it's time to plan event attendance at GenCon. Is there some way we can get a sound off of what's being run, in which system, and when? I'd love to see the GMs who plan to run post stuff here to help me decide what to do!

[BlackSword]

I am not running anything, but yesterday I signed up for events. Mostly Hero games, but one game each in tri-Stat and unisystem. Looking forward to meeting some of the Hero gang at this mega-event.

Thu 19 Aug
8:00am - 12:00pm LXG 2004 (Hero) GM: Rich Bowers
Noon - 3:00 pm Lost Slayers (Buffy, Uni)
8:00 pm - Midnight Dark Champions: In the Shadows (tri-stat , no wait Hero) GM: Joe Linehan

Fri 20 Aug
Noon - 2 Authority: Battle Royale (tri-Stat) GM: GoO
7:00pm - 1:00am JLA vs Avengers (Hero) GM: Jim Baize

Sat 21 Aug
Noon - 4 City of Heroes (Hero) GM: Joe Linehand (didn't realize I had two games with same GM)
5:00p - 7:00p Whose Line is it Anyway
7:00p - ??? Drink Indianapolis Dry (System: Corona) GM: Me

[wcw43921]

Is anyone else besides me entered in the Champions:BYOB event on Thursday evening? I would think everyone here would jump at the chance to run their own characters, even if they are brand new. (Or at least their old favorites reworked to 350 points.)

[mattingly]

Hey, cool. I'm running the BYOB game. I'm considering making it an annual event.

[BoloOfEarth]

I'm signed up for BYOB as well. Now to decide on which two characters to bring. Are you sure I can't bring an even dozen? Just kidding, Dave.

I'm also signed up for some of the Hero games being run by the fine folks at Infinite Imaginations. The Wake, The Guard, SuperSquad America, maybe one or two others. (I'm not sure whether or not Texas Rangers and Bright Star Dying are III games.)

Oh, and of course a Paranoia game. Those are always good for some laughs.

[CpSpalding]

Great to have you in a couple of my games Black Sword.

Joe Linehan

[rjcurrie]

I'm signed up for BYOB as well. Now to decide on which two characters to bring. Are you sure I can't bring an even dozen? Just kidding, Dave.

I'm also signed up for some of the Hero games being run by the fine folks at Infinite Imaginations. The Wake, The Guard, SuperSquad America, maybe one or two others. (I'm not sure whether or not Texas Rangers and Bright Star Dying are III games.)

Oh, and of course a Paranoia game. Those are always good for some laughs.

Texas Rangers is definitely an III game. The Rangers were the first group of heroes featured in the Hero Auxilliary Corps (forerunner to Infinite Imaginations, Inc.) and Mike Malony (one of the original HAC GMs) has been occasionally running untold tales of the Rangers in recent years.

Rod

Also glad to see you signed up for my SuperSquad America event.

[rjcurrie]

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am running my SuperSquad America Champions game at GenCon Indy. I am also runninng my Friends of Justice Pulp Hero game. Both games are being run as part of the offerings from Infinite Imaginations, Inc. III is a GMing group who offer a number of Hero games as well as some games using other systems.

Rod

[Greatwyrm]

I was hoping to get into some of the scheduled HERO games. Unfortuately, most of them conflicted with other stuff I wanted to get in or asked for more familiarity with the system than I think I have. Does anyone know if there are open demos or regular pick-up games (regular pick-up, is there such a thing?) that I could sit in on?

[Darren Watts]

Check at the Hero booth for any demos or pickups that might be running. I know I'll be doing at least one. dw

[teh bunneh]

Anyone have any advice for a GenCon virgin? I've never been and am looking forward to it... There's just so much that looks cool! For those of you with more experience, should I fill up my schedule with games and seminars so I'm busy all the time, or should I leave large blocks of time free for pickup games and showroom wanderings?

Thnx!
Bill.

[Steve Long]

It's been ten years since I was in your position, Bill, but here's what I'd advise:

1. Don't load up on games and seminars -- yet. Unless you've done a lot of convention gaming, you might find it's not for you. Try a few early on, then get some generic tickets to try to get into other events if you find you like con gaming.

2. Leave plenty of time for wandering the exhibit hall (the dealer's room). It's so large and full that you can walk through it wall-to-wall four times and still discover that you've missed some things when you go back for the fifth walk-through. Also, you'll want to stop and talk to company reps and game designers (feel free to come by the Hero booth, say hi, buy some books, and hang around to talk Hero). And you might want to play some demos of games in there, too.

3. Eat well and get enough sleep. Being around 25,000 other people creates a big risk of catching someone's cold or flu. The best way to reduce that risk is not to abuse your body or tire yourself out. I've also found that taking vitamins and cold pills every morning, even if you feel fine, is a big help.

4. If you plan to purchase a lot of stuff, bring one of those collapsible luggage carts or the like to the exhibit hall when you plan to buy. Your back and arms will thank you.

5. Buy lots of Hero books!!!!

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, you're welcome to ping me at SteveL@herogames.com. You might also want to post this on "Company Questions" or other boards that get more traffic so you can get more responses.

[Greatwyrm]

Anyone have any advice for a GenCon virgin?

Here's some non-game-specific advice. Please keep in mind that these are things I've posted elsewhere and are not intended to be an insult to you or anyone else here.

1. Please bathe at least once while you're at GenCon. You might be surprised at how many of your fellow convention attendees choose to ignore this.

2. Don't take any money with you on your first trip through the dealer's room. Early impulse buys will leave you with less cash for something you discover later on in the con and will be harder on your back. Also, try to time your shopping so it's just before a trip back to your hotel room. Less time carrying heavy stuff.

3. It's worth your time to scout around and find food sources outside the convention area. In Milwaukee, it was easy to find a nearby hotel restaurant or mom-and-pop place with good food for a lot less than you got in the convention center. I'd imagine this is true in Indy as well, although this will be my first year there.

4. You'll spend a lot of time on your feet, so limit what you carry (a backpack is a must). A couple of pencils, a handful of dice, clipboard and scratchpaper, maybe one or two game manuals (the basics: D&D PHB, HERO Fred). Also be sure to include a few doses of your favorite pain killer (Alieve, Advil, etc.). You really don't need much more than this. If you're playing in some demos or sponsored games, pretty much anything else you'll need will be provided or specified in the game description.

4.5 Comfortable shoes. Leave the sandals and combat boots at home. Get yourself a good pair of sneakers, even if it means a special trip to Wal-Mart. You'll find it hard to have fun if you can't walk after the second day.

[Greg]

Here's my list off stuff:

Psi Hero VIII - A Light in the Distance
The Wake: Beware the Wolf (Year 3, Part 1)
Earth's Children: Mammoth Hunt
Pirate HERO: The Secret of Skull Island
So you want to be a 'runner?
Hellgate
Isle of the Dead
Magi-Nation
Great Dungeon Quest 1-7

Other than a intro to Shadowrun 2-hour filler game and a round of BESM for something different I'm going for all Hero stuff. I get enough of D&D during the year and Call of Cthulhu was already sold out. I'm looking forward to the Narosia setting games, I played in one last year and saw on their website that they're official Hero licensees now. The best part is it's only a 15 minute drive from home to the show. I've left Sunday open so if anyone has anything Hero-y planned post them here.

[Steve Long]

Don't take any money with you on your first trip through the dealer's room.

Unless, of course, you are planning to make a beeline for the Hero Games booth. In that case, please bring money, credit cards, traveler's checks, or something we'd be willing to trade for.