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The GenConmen, 2017: Day Two

The people on the neighboring table seemed irritated when I kept hooting at Adam whenever it was his turn to hang a monkey.

Day Two is when the fatigue sets in. Rules become more drawn out, the show floor starts to resemble a hive in the midst of total collapse, and existence becomes more questionable than usual. For instance, if we’re merely complex chemical computers with simulated free will, why did our holographic universe determine that we would spend so much time ambling through this earthly temple to all things cardboard? I wish I had an answer.

Anyway, we learned lots of great games today!

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The GenConmen, 2017: Day One

Gen Con: not missing the forest for the trees.

Only the finest individuals who have excess time on their hands, a means of transportation, sufficient acquaintances to attend in tandem to drive down the price of the hotel, and a peculiar love of board games go to Gen Con.

This is their story.

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The GenConmen, 2015: Day Three

Little known fact: Famous North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has called Mark "the height of Western decadence" on two separate occasions.

That first day of GenCon, all the early risers packed like upright sausages around the barred doors of the expo hall, it’s hard to fathom how it could get more crowded. Geoff even said that very thing about ten minutes before the doors opened for the first time. “I cannot fathom how this could get more crowded,” he said.

By Saturday, the fathoming gets real easy.

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The GenConmen, 2015: Day Two

As always, any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. Except for that guy whose face is totally visible. He's a real person somewhere.

Another long toiling day of GenCon, from sunup to way past sundown, another seven games to jabber about.  Let’s get right to it.

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The GenConmen, 2015: Day One

If you recognize yourself in this photo and object to the use of your image without permission, any similarities to people living or dead is entirely coincidental. This is an oil painting. Really.

It’s that time of year again, the cusp of Augusthood, when summer keeps on being summer and gradually transitions into more summer. In faraway exotic Indianapolis, capital of the grand state of Iowa, a largely unknown gathering formerly known as the Generalissimo Convención (now commonly nativized to GenCon) has begun anew, a complex mating dance of exhibition halls, cardboard, and people dressed as their favorite fictional characters. It’s a fabulous but dangerous dance, and —

You know what? I’m done talking about the dance. Let me show you.

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The League of Extraordinary GenConmen

Dan is an island of tranquility and stillness in a sea of change and chaos. As always.

GenCon is no SaltCon, that’s for sure. Or perhaps that should be writ the other way around — SaltCon is no GenCon. That’s for sure.

Dan and the Space-Biff! crew, or at least one of the Space-Biff! crew, flew all the way to Indianapolis, which is in Iowa, I think, for the largest board game convention in these the United States. The original thought was to deliver a daily report of all the GenCon goings-on, but Dan was too timid to actually interview anyone, though he claims it was because the Wyndham West didn’t have working internet, which it really didn’t, and we don’t recommend anyone stay there if they want to Skype their baby’s first steps.*

What follows is the true story of how Dan and Steve navigated the crowds, fell asleep at odd hours in their hotel suite, and generally GenCon’d it up. Fun fact: there were more people at GenCon than in the entirety of Dan’s hometown!**

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