Jeff Hickman GenCon Diary: Days 2 & 3

GenCon Diary Day #2

I have so much to talk about and so many things that happened, but I have so little space to put it in. Let me see if I can sum it up in a few short words: Ed Greenwood, RA Salvatore, Larry Elmore and Margeret Weis. Each of these names holds a place near and dear to my heart.

11am - Larry Elmore: A man whose art has inspired a generation. Who shaped the look of fantasy in my brain from a very early age. Whose beautiful art from Dragons of Autumn sits in my living room (achieving a lifelong dream). I finally met him today - a great picture that will sit next to his great art.

4pm - Ed Greenwood and RA Salvatore: Two of the shapers of my dreams. Who brought entire new worlds and characters to life. I met them in a bar tonight. Two average men with above average visions for what fantasy can be like.

5pm - Margeret Weis: If there were ever two people who shaped the way I look at fantasy and RPGs, it would be Margeret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I can clearly remember the first time I read through the original Dragonlance trilogy, and how it changed the way that I looked at the world. It inspired me and made me reach for things that I never before thought were within my grasp. I am not someone who is easily "star struck", but when I met Margeret today, I was almost without words. She was approachable and wonderful - it was a great moment.

Between all of those momentous events, were wonderful times with steampunk, Dark Age of Camelot, bourbon, chessex dice, Ruth Thompson, and a waiter named George.

A great day, all in all. Thanks to Paul, Jeff Preston and everyone else who brought it all together.

GenCon Diary Day #3 - the final entry.

Our final day at GenCon was today. We had a lot of really great experiences and as always made new friends and had some eye opening times with new games. Some final thoughts and highlights to leave you all with:

• GenCon is full of everything RPG and gaming related that you can possibly imagine. Rooms full of games, new and old. People playing, people buying and selling and people just hanging out and enjoying the experience. Go to have a good time, everyone else is.
• If you want to dress up and pretend to be someone else, by all means Do It! You won't be out of place.
• Computer gaming definitely has a place here. Though not hugely abundant you will see gaming computers in the area - RPGs, MMOs and card games are the most prevalent with Dark Age of Camelot, Warhammer and other Tshirts seen in the crowds.
• Sign up for some of the seminars and events that are all over the show. "Killer breakfast", True Dungeon, Celebrity D&D and lots of other things are there for you to experience. Great stuff!
• Steampunk is popular as hell at GenCon. They were all over the place...
• Bring comfortable shoes :)

Overall, anyone interested in gaming (especially RPGs) will find something for them here. MMO players will feel right at home in the crowds and will definitely be interested in all the show has to offer.

See you all next year in Indianapolis.