GenCon '21: "What is the GenCon?"

 GenCon reopened its door this year and boy was I happy to hear it. While they didn't open the events registrations to any small time gaming outlets like Peryton Publishing, a guy like me that has some wherewithal was able to show up and run games in the open gaming area and still hang out. Heck, I even got a room at the Omni Severin without having to rely on the GenCon room lottery or a distributor allotment.

I left last Monday in the later AM after working a night shift. I had put in my reservation for the Indy Severin for Tuesday and wanted no interference with getting into the room by showing up late. The road trip went swimmingly and I could've showed up in Indy that night (Northwest Arkansas to Indianapolis is only just over one tank of gas in my newish car). I was still getting droopy and fatigued, so I stopped where else but Effingham, Ill. The Drury Inn where I stayed was full people that made me look young and happy, meaning that they were all older and grumpier than I am. Still, El Rancherito remains an amazing Mexican spot, and this comes from a guy that lives in a state where good Mexican food is the norm not the exception. The next morning, once again a late start, I started the final part of getting into Indy. My drive and check-in were spotlessly easy.
I have been to the city on the regular week days away from the convention more than a few times before. On my walk around the downtown area, I was kind of struck by how muted things where. I meant to stop by a CVS and figured I must've gotten lost when I couldn't find it. Accosting a passerby, I told her I must've took a wrong turn. "You're not turned around." She replied. "It was burned out during the riots."
So not only kicked by the Bat-Flu, Indy was dealing with the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter protests. Later at a the Good Wood Brewery, the old Ram, I'd hear that most downtown restaurants went fairly unscathed by their owners hiring people to board up windows before things got really going last year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still, the places where I hanged out were, like me, ready for GenCon to get things rolling again.

Wednesday I mostly walked around seeing how big the event was likely to be. As as experienced GenCon-ner, you can get a feel for the rest of the convention by all the fussing on the day before it, the "Fuss before the Muss" as I like to refer to it.

 

Good friend-wise I was pretty lonely. Nobody, except Jordan and his youngest son, showed up for Wednesday night's Old Home Dinner. He announced that now that I was not running events all week, he didn't have time to be bugging me to do other things. He had found a yoga retreat to get his excitement from. Getting back to the room somebody else texted me telling me that it was my fault that she couldn't make it to the dinner because I only posted in our groups forum with a time and location months ago-- it was like confusing or something. Other folks would wait a day or until after the convention to tell me that they weren't coming this year. Bricker was too busy to check his phone while drinking late nights at the McMarriott and without a call I wasn't leaving my comfortable nest. Sligo was attending so I'd end up doing dinner with him on Saturday.

From Thursday on, the convention would start filling up with probably around 30-40 thousand ppl. While many were complaining about how emaciated the place was, the numbers were more akin 2005-2008 when ppl were complaining how big the convention was-- and ten times bigger than any other TTRPG gathering ever. In the Open Gaming Area and at the bars, I'd meet ppl. Some where newcomers, a lot were ppl that I'd seen around and were hardcore attendees like me.

Out of five potential sessions, two of my on-the-side games went off. I am particularly proud of "The Streets of Gotham: The Smell of Fear and Cats". While we never really got into Cat Woman, my three players complimented me on my take on the Scarecrow. You see my professor Crane was not spraying people in the face with some gas, he was forcing the three PC detectives to face fears like rats and spiders, darkness, and heights. Then he used the gas... . My Crawlspace session "The Hotel Detective" was a fine romp for two players that weren't actually attending the convention so we did it in my room. 

 

 

Funny tales
At a party on Wednesday, I watched a Pathfinder fan and a D$D: 4th Edition go at it. It was all fun and games (and fucking hilarious), until 4E dude threatened to report the Pathfinder for harassment. It was still funny.
I ended up at a strip joint on Thursday instead of trying the mac and cheese GenCon dish.
Friday night, I didn't even try to party. I figured I'd dork out with the Sy-Fy Channel. I'd end up watching something science-fiction-y on TBS because it was John Wick weekend on the science-fiction outlet.
I had multiple ppl ask me "What is the GenCon thing going on here?" all weekend long.

Well, well, well. Since coming home, as well as "Oh was there somewhere we were supposed to meet emails" filling up my inbox, sales of my Crawlspace and Red Bat  products have almost paid for my room at the Omni Severin. THANX GUYS!