It's been five years since we've been to Gen Con. I think it has really improved in the intervening years. I don't remember the show floor (dealer area) being quite as big or professional looking. The quality of the booths was impressive. It is more like a professional trade show than a dealer area. The only complaint I have is that the costume contest needs a bigger venue. The old Plank Theater in Milwaukee always had plenty of seating. We just got lucky and sat in the second row at this years contest held in the Westin (not so) Grand Ballroom. There were apparently many (maybe hundreds) who did not get in.
For plenty of photos and good commentary on the show check out my wife's blog at http://bombadee.blogspot.com/.
Now for my favorite part of Gen Con: What was cool/new (to me anyway) and what did I buy? Monsterpocalypse was the big hit of the show. With this and Privateer Press's other popular games it was hard to even get near their booth. Every time I walked by the line to the registers was wrapped around the booth and up the aisle. However there must have been a chainmail bikini sighting nearby mid day on Friday. I was wandering by when I noticed only two or three people in line. I asked the booth attendant if this was really the end of the line. He said "yeah, it's the first time I've seen it this short. You might want to jump in now if you want anything." I gleefully did so purchasing my one per day allowed starter and some boosters of Monsterpocalypse. When I turned around the line had reformed all the way around the booth again. Apparently I had scored a critical on the purchase die. Incidentally it was the first purchase I had made for myself at the show and it really brought the edge off the gaming OCD.
Fantasy Flight had a huge booth packed with new games and lots of demos. The coolest part was that they were running a ton of games that they are working on and are not available yet. From what I heard they were even making rule changes based on player feedback right on the spot. I hope this idea catches on, it is really cool to play a game with the developer and help to shape its rules. A new Battlestar Gallactica board game was released in limited quantity. They sold out on Friday and I regret not snatching up a copy when I had the chance. I picked up a starter for Mutant Chronicles. I like the figures and think it could easily be a big game.
Simply Fun had a large booth and we bought Penguin Rescue for our daughter. We played it that night in our hotel room and had a lot of fun. We have other games from them and play them often. If your not familiar with them I highly recommend checking it out. They catagorize their games by type and age group that we have found to be spot on. If you want to play games with your kids other than candy land and go fish this is the place. Also, Simply Catan is a great variant (much faster set up for casual games).
I couldn't resist buying Trailer Park Wars from Gut-Bustin Games. Pink flamingos, SPAM and PBR are always a winning combination. A beer and pretzels game about managing a trailer park. This game takes about five minutes to learn and looks hilarious. I may have to pick up their other game Redneck Life this Christmas. If you watch My Name is Earl you should find these games funny.
Unfortunately I didn't make time to play any demos longer than about five minutes. I always feel so pressured to see the whole thing I don't want to sit down for an hour or so to play a game. The Indiana Convention Center is a great venue with plenty of space (except maybe for the costume contest). We never parked more than three or four blocks away, paying $10-$12 per day. There are plenty of good restaurants in every price range within easy walking distance. Not to mention there is plenty to do outside the con as well.
All in all an enjoyable trip. I had forgotten how much fun Gen Con can be. We are hoping to return again next year. Here's a photo of most of the stuff we bought or picked upat Gen Con 2008.
