Tag Archives: 2019

Gen Con 2019 Post-Mortem

My table at Gen Con 2019.

Another Gen Con has come and gone. As usual, it’s a working vacation for me, but it’s also the biggest show I do every year. I haven’t heard attendance numbers yet, but I’m sure it’s comparable to the years with 60,000 attendees.

Calling it a “working vacation” was more accurate than ever this year. Due to some last-minute financial setbacks, I didn’t have much spending money, so I couldn’t make it to many events or buy new games. Couple that with the fact that I wouldn’t leave my table for more than an hour at a time from 10am-6pm most days, and I spent most of my time in the dealer hall. My friend and co-author Eric Anderson, founder of Nerd Chapel, would slip away and play some games throughout the day. In other words, I did all the work, and he had all the fun. (Just kidding, Eric!)

I wasn’t able to get to Indianapolis (or “Indy,” as we Hoosiers call it) until late Wednesday night, which did throw a monkey wrench into the weekend, but that’s what happens when you have other commitments right up to the convention. I stayed at the Sheraton with Eric and his friend Matt Gort (and yes, he has cosplayed the robot from The Day the Earth Stood Still), which was a 10-15 minute walk from the Indiana Convention Center. I went to the ICC to get my event tickets, but even at 11:30pm, the line went on forever. So, I decided to wait until the next day.

I scrambled to get into the dealer hall to set up in Authors Avenue before 9am when I thought the VIGs (Very Important Gamers) would come in before everyone else like in years past, but that didn’t happen. There was no early access; everyone came in at 10am. I realized I could’ve gotten my tickets then. That would’ve been nice to know. I’m pretty sure I was told this was still happening this year. Oh well.

The game Horrified.
Who needs a “booth babe” when you have bearded Waldo? 😛

I spent the whole day in the dealer hall since I was unable to get my event tickets. I joke every year that I need a “booth babe,” but Eric cosplaying as a bearded Waldo might been even better. While financial setbacks left me with little spending money for the show, I did wander into the play test hall and tried Horrified, a new cooperative board game themed around the Universal Horror Monsters. My fellow players and I managed to defeat Dracula and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The day ended with what became my nightly routine with Eric: playing the amazing game Unmatched, which saw an early release at Gen Con. It’s the glorious lovechild of Heroscape and Star Wars: Epic Duels, two of our favorite games.

Eric and I with a fellow Starfleet officer.

Friday was much the same as Thursday, although I was able to slip away for one writing seminar at the Writers Symposium. Eric and I both did Star Trek cosplays, with me as Capt. Kirk and him as Cmd. Riker. That evening Eric and I had dinner with a guy (whose name escapes me now, sorry!) who was curious about Nerd Chapel and our work. I (and eventually Eric) then spent the evening at the Love Thy Nerd meet-up, where I played Dice Throne Adventures. I was a barbarian, so I made sure to crush my enemies and see them driven before me. 😛

Speaking of Star Trek, I met Chris Spurgin from Five Year Mission, who gave me a free copy of their latest album for recognizing him. Score!

The upcoming game Deliverance.

Saturday was all work. I wanted to go to one writing seminar, but I was too busy in the hall. I expected as much. It’s usually the busiest day. Afterward, me and Eric’s friend Darrin joined us at the InnRoads Ministry meet-up. There was food (including homemade pretzel bites that were my crack for the evening), fellowship, prizes, and of course, games. I learned about a spiritual warfare-themed dungeon crawl fantasy game called Deliverance, where players take on the roles of angels fighting demons in a church. However, we spent our time playing Unmatched and showing it to InnRoads’ leader, Michael. The evening was capped with Darrin, Eric, and I returning to the Sheraton for one more game of Unmatched. (By the way, I won every Unmatched game I played and Eric lost all of his. I felt bad).

The banner that welcomed attendees to the worship service.

Sunday began with the Christian Gamers Guild’s worship service, which is always a highlight of the weekend. It’s not often I’m in a room full of fellow Christian nerds worshipping God. I was then in the dealer hall from 10am-4pm. Eric and Gort left early, so I alone was left to tear down and return everything to my car (which was in the cheapest parking garage I could find). The shelving I brought was too cumbersome, so a pair of Good Samaritans from Texas named Jim and Kathy helped me get everything there. I never would’ve made it myself. I gave them free books as a thank you, although Kathy had to insist that they take them.

Trogdor the Board Game!!

Wanting a little downtime before the two-hour drive back to Fort Wayne, I met up with Darrin, his wife Michelle, and one of their friends. We tried to find a meet-up but were unable to find them, so we set up in the lobby and played “Trogdor the Board Game!!” As a fan of the Homestar Runner website, I loved it. I’m happy to say we won—everything was burninated!

With that, I drove home.

It wasn’t the best year of the con (my fellow authors and I have some things we want to discuss with the managers of Authors Avenue), but it was still a good time.

To see more photos and such from Gen Con, check out the Twitter pages for myself and my upcoming podcast, The Monster Island Film Vault.

Did you go to Gen Con this year? What did you see/do/play? What’s your assessment of this year’s show?

2018: Looking Back and Looking Forward

It’s been a wild year.

Happy New Year 2019 with colorful fireworks

2018 wasn’t always a good year, but it was an eventful one. One filled with changes and new ventures and adventures. Here are a few highlights:

-Bought a new car after being in an accidents

-Started a new job.

-Finished the first season of my podcast, Kaijuvision Radio.

-Attended several conventions, where I met some great people and made some excellent connections.

-Started grad school.

-Moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, like I’ve wanted to for a long time.

-Competed in The Winter Solstice, my first real ballroom dancing competition.

-Was interviewed for the first time on the radio.

So, on the last day of 2018, I’ve decided to look ahead to 2019 with a few important goals. I took some much-needed big steps forward in 2018, and I want to keep that momentum going. My creative goals include:

-Getting one or two new books in print (the publishing industry could only be slower if it was run by sloths).

-Write a stand-alone novel…

-,,,to get a literary agent (apologies to my readers who want those promised sequels soon).

-Finish my second and third semesters of grad school.

-Host a panel at G-Fest XXVI.

-Hold 3-5 book signings (including at least one at a convention).

-Get published in 2-3 anthologies.

-Compete again at The Winter Solstice.

-A SECRET GOAL I’LL REVEAL LATER THIS YEAR IF IT COMES TO PASS!

Bring it on, 2019! Let’s do this!

What are your goals for the New Year?