For me, Gen Con is the biggest gaming related show of the year. I’ve been going to the con for over a decade, and always have a great time. Heading to Indianapolis is almost like a pilgrimage for me. Once each year, I got to hang out with people who were just like me and totally geek out about games.

This year, Gen Con was extra special. Not only was I going to raid the exhibit hall and try all the new games, but I was going to work! We were throwing a party for SOE Gamers at Jillian’s in Indianapolis if you remember, so I was actually going to be at the con not just for my own reasons, but also to hang out with friends from the SOE universe. On paper, it really could not get any better, in practice it did!

What is Gen Con?

For those who don’t know, Gen Con is one of the longest running gaming conventions in North America. Its roots are in tabletop games that pre-date Dungeons and Dragons, but the show has constantly evolved to touch on everything a gaming geek could love. It’s a beautiful mix of war games, role-playing games, card games, board games, computer games, online games, Renaissance Faire vendors, geek culture, and a strange amalgamation of every single Sci-Fi and Fantasy license out there.

In a nutshell: If you are a gamer, Gen Con has something for you.

The Invasion of Indianapolis

What makes Gen Con extra special is that over twenty thousand gamers descend upon a city and take over. Everywhere you look people are wearing costumes, convention badges, and carrying around backpacks full of games. The restaurants are dominated by gamers at every table, and some of them are even wise enough to come up with custom menus, and partner with game companies to deck their walls with banners and posters to make the gamers feel welcome.

Much like Fan Faire, Gen Con is a time where it’s safe to assume that most everyone you meet is a gamer like you, and that makes these events special. Watching Darth Vader troop down the street, followed by a guy dressed up as Ichigo Kurosaki who is being chased by a crazed Irishman on stilts is a lot of fun.

EQII and Gen Con

Steve “Saavedra” Kramer was on hand at the SOE booth to demo Rise of Kunark to the Gen Con crowd. This man is a tank. For four days Steve was manning the booth and talking to everyone who wanted to know more about EQII. He was there for everyone who had questions, and should be applauded loudly for his hard work.

RoK showed well at Gen Con, as did the rest of the SOE games, and our booth was in a great location to be seen by many gamers of all stripes. Gen Con has made efforts to step up and fill some of the void left by the changes to E3, and mixing up SOE games with the larger gaming audience was a good thing, we were able to show our games to people who have yet to even try an online game, which is a very important opportunity to show that anyone who games can be an online gamer!.

Legends of Norrath at Gen Con

Legends of Norrath was also featured at Gen Con. Not just with a demo at our booth, but also in one of the game rooms where people could play it! The LoN team was on hand to ensure that people could try the new game and have their questions answered as they experimented.

That nifty T-shirt in the image above is the LoN T-shirt. Anyone who gave it a try got a free shirt for the experience!

Jillians

Friday night we had the party at Jillian’s that we made note of on the EQ2Players.com website. Over two hundred people showed up to have some drinks and appetizers with SOE and it was a great time!

Being able to meet and chat with people about EverQuest II is always a good thing, and having a casual environment where it’s not a presentation or formal Q&A and is instead a good time with fun people is refreshing. I had a blast meeting new people and trading stores and laughs about the games. It’s important to note that this was not just an EQII event either; I meet players from Star Wars Galaxies, EverQuest, and Vanguard as well and had a blast. Having so many games available ensured that we packed the house with a variety of people and had some serious fun.

Heading Home

Flying home to San Diego on Sunday was rough. I was very tired and spent most of my time sleeping on the airplane. Thankfully Ashlanne and Brenlo were there to take pictures of that too, and make sure that I was properly mocked. Ashlanne and Zatozia have also posted their own recaps (click on their names to read them) for Gen Con, be sure to check them out.

I’m looking forward to going through my loot pile this weekend. I have minis, cards, and more to open up and game with!

Gen Con Mini Photo Gallery

Did you go to Gen Con? Share your experience with us in the Gen Con Celebration thread in the official forums!