9) The Bustle. It's a great thing to see an enormous hubbub entirely devoted to games and gaming. It's fulfilling. It's reaffirming. It's high energy in a way I don't get in my daily life.
8) Work. Okay, it sounds weird, but it'll be nice to do the things I'm assigned to do: man the booth, run the delve, run LFR, and wander, absorbing the true nature of gaming.
7) The Costumes. When people dress up well, it looks awesome.
6) The Ram. 'Nuff said.
5) Gamers. Allowing for standard variance, gamers are good people. And we have so much in common! I'm looking forward to random chats with random folks about random games.
4) 4E. Where else could this go? We get to see thousands of people putting 4E into action. Glorious!
3) PS238. I'm jonesing for the next trade in Aaron Williams's fantastic series.
2) White Wolf. Last time I talked to some of my chums there was - gasp! - last GenCon. It'll be great to reconnect.
1) Games. Why do I even need to explain this? Games are awesome!
Peter Schaefer RPG R&D, D&D Developer Check my blog for game- and fantasy-related tidbits.
I found out Tuesday night that my 8am flight was delayed until 11.30 yesterday, which meant my connecting flight was no longer an option. A phone call with an agent put me instead on a 6am flight - better than the later combination that got me into Indy at 11.30pm.
The flights were neutral, but the times between were pleasant. Stacy Longstreet, our art director, had been shifted to the same flights, so I had someone to talk to.
Whups. Time for breakfast if I'm going to have any at all!
Peter Schaefer RPG R&D, D&D Developer Check my blog for game- and fantasy-related tidbits.
Here's a rough breakdown of my schedule today: Up at 7.15 or so, my roommate Ken Nagle and I were into the convention center for breakfast (by which I mean an apple and a bagel) by eight.
Eight-thirty was our pre-con meeting at the booth, where the event organizer said a few words about safety and other guidelinish issues. Everybody's there, including a couple people I hadn't seen since Game Day. And then: time to see the floor.
Nine to ten, I walked the exhibit hall, checking out the last-minute setups, the other booths giving pre-con talks, and generally seeing what's there. I made sure to stop and pick up a copy of Extraterrestrial Credit, the newest PS238 trade by Aaron Williams, and The Start of Darkness, the (not new) comic book for Order of the Stick.
I'm allowed to shop on teh job? Weird.
Quarter before ten, I head to Sagamore, settle down, and run a couple hours' worth of Delve. Some great players push into the dungeon, including one group that was tight! I mean, those folks had it together and almost beat the third encounter before the time was up. Hats off to you, Dave, Mike, Dan, Jim, and Eric. Hope I didn't slow you down.
Noon is lunch time. I met up with Jefferson Dunlap and snagged some food and talked politics (the contents do not go here). Then we wandered the exhibit hall for a while and played in a demo of Sons of Liberty. At my control, Benjamin Franklin kicked ass and slept with as many British men's wives as he could, all in the name of the Revolution.
At two, I was due back in the Sagamore to watch people play D&D like that creepy kid who you wouldn't let sit at your table in high school. I walked about and absorbed it all, from difficult skill challenges to wacky solutions, from dangerous combats to tactical-minded proportional responses. My mind's still sorting out whether I learned anything useful from that hour, and some sleep will help with that.
An hour of free time, which I used to buy some dice, and then back to the Sagamore for another delve.
Dinner was at Fogo de Chao (though I might be getting the name wrong). Hot meat of all kinds carved off of skewers right onto your plate. At least two meats served wrapped in bacon. If that doesn't get you going, you're... you're... not interested in going out to dinner with Chris Perkins, that's for sure.
And then to the Slippery Noodle for drinks. Fantastic bar, with almost a warren in the back, and live blues. Wait. Don't go there, it's crowded enough. Don't bother. Slippery Noodle. Freeze ray. Tell your friends.
And... I think that's about it. Wow. I need to sleep with a vengeance. Vengeance!
Peter Schaefer RPG R&D, D&D Developer Check my blog for game- and fantasy-related tidbits.
My stomach's growling, so I'm going to make this quick. Luckily, my schedule today makes it easy.
First, two hours of Dungeon Delve in Sagamore. A quick lunch (which was a terrible grilled chicken sandwich) turned into preparation for my one o' clock LFR game. I had one of the maps drawn out and was skimming one of the fights when I realized I needed to hustle to Sagamore and check in.
The game went very well. Everyone seemed to have fun, and I didn't make any "never GMed through RPGA before" mistakes. It swallowed four and a half hours like nobody's business.
And now it's probably time for dinner.
Peter Schaefer RPG R&D, D&D Developer Check my blog for game- and fantasy-related tidbits.
I'm putting off lunch to write this, and my belly hates me for it. You'd better appreciate this, internets!
Noteworthy Events I ran two hours of Delve in Sagamore. Neither group knew much about 4E yet, and after we were done there were cries of "This is fun!" and "I could run this! I couldn't run 3.5!" Thanks. You made my day.
Visiting the WW booth got me the chance to chat with Kelley and Ethan, who are both happy over their award last night. Kelley is especially proud after working so hard to mobilize their fan base. I couldn't find Travis Stout, with whom I shared a room last year. We appear to be missing each other as we stop at various places.
There is more today left, so I'd better eat and make sure I have the energy for it.
Peter Schaefer RPG R&D, D&D Developer Check my blog for game- and fantasy-related tidbits.
I found Travis after Saturday's 4E Q&A. Unfortunately, he was staying for the freelancer seminar and I had barely eaten, so we didn't have time to shoot the breeze. He's applying for a good job, also, so keep your fingers crossed for him.
The seminar itself went well, and I got to talk about some of the things I love best about the game, especially rituals.
And about Saturday night, let me just say: White Wolf throws the best parties.
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And GenCon is not about sleep. The little I got was enough to make me ready for another two hours of Dungeon Delves in Sagamore. Thanks to Dru and Gregg for keeping that pit running through the con. Special thanks also to both the groups I ran through the Delve Sunday morning. The first group knew what they were about and worked together like champs, and everyone had a good time. Mike, mark the guy as quarry. The second group was there more to learn, and they picked up their powers fast and all enjoyed it. I got my second "I think running this will be much more fun than running third" comment.
I also ran into a couple old faces from AX. Great to see you guys. You know who you are.
After that, it was all about slowly getting home. My cat was happy to see me.
Any questions about my GenCon?
Peter Schaefer RPG R&D, D&D Developer Check my blog for game- and fantasy-related tidbits.
