Superfly Circus GenCon 2014 Special Edition Magazine

Great write-up! Stuff like this makes we want to make it there at least once.

It's a great write up, Pete.

For me, it articulates the precise reason why I would absolutely hate it and have no intention of ever going to it. Pure commercialism, crowds of people and hoards of vendors. However, I do go to WBC for entirely different reasons than just to play games.

Give me an open gaming room where vendors are not allowed and you don't have to pay extra cash for every friggin event. Also absolutely hate being forced to play with total strangers.

Gen Con was fine, but I'll never go back and kind of wish I'd had the cash I spent back instead.

I can see doing GenCon once as sort of a bucket list thing....but WAAAAY too many fucking people and the vendor hall while appealing at first glance is just a giant fucking shit show based on everything I've read.

It's a lot of money just to GO, you can just stay home and pick up the same games a few weeks/months later and save yourself the travel expense (and 30% on top of that if you'd like). I really enjoy Origins, and hope to attend regularly, but GenCon looks like too much of a headache for me.

I went to GenCon the first time because of Heroscape. I go back for the friends. The commercialism is only really found in the dealer hall and events, but there's games being played everywhere and there's no other place that you can easily try out so many new games in one spot at one time.

Is it worth the 600$ I spend every year (hotel, gas, food, parking)? To me, it is. That is primarily because I can see so many friends that I love to death and only get to see occasionally, all at once. That's my vacation. You might have noted that the magazine is only like 28 pages this year...I chose to cover that which interested me and might interest others, but not EVERY DAMNED THING like I've done in the past, and that's because my time is too valuable to me to be spending my entire vacation doing reporting, despite liking to do it. I spent most of the time with Dave, Jim, and a crowd of my dearest friends. That's totally worth it to me.

To me, GenCon is to me what WBC is to Andy....a time to catch up with old (and new) friends, and enjoy time well spent. The gaming is secondary to that end.

SuperflyTNT wrote: I went to GenCon the first time because of Heroscape. I go back for the friends. The commercialism is only really found in the dealer hall and events, but there's games being played everywhere and there's no other place that you can easily try out so many new games in one spot at one time.

Is it worth the 600$ I spend every year (hotel, gas, food, parking)? To me, it is. That is primarily because I can see so many friends that I love to death and only get to see occasionally, all at once. That's my vacation. You might have noted that the magazine is only like 28 pages this year...I chose to cover that which interested me and might interest others, but not EVERY DAMNED THING like I've done in the past, and that's because my time is too valuable to me to be spending my entire vacation doing reporting, despite liking to do it. I spent most of the time with Dave, Jim, and a crowd of my dearest friends. That's totally worth it to me.

To me, GenCon is to me what WBC is to Andy....a time to catch up with old (and new) friends, and enjoy time well spent. The gaming is secondary to that end.

I echo most of Pete's sentiments here except for one thing: I truly think the city of Indianapolis gears up for this convention every year, so the commercialism is not limited to the dealer hall and GenCon events. I saw the green monster with dollar signs raise its head specifically when it comes to hotel bookings AND with parking and/or cab fare or transportation. We stayed at the Crowne this year, and someone told me at their desk that a bus driver gave her a convention schedule, implying a special service through Indianapolis transportation. No, this was the GoGreen bus, which was 50 bucks for three days with a limited schedule.

Despite the commercialism, I had a good time with Pete at GenCon as well as the time I had at Pete's house.It seems that over time I'm having just as good a time hanging out, eating, drinking etc. with friends as I am playing games. Games are actually becoming secondary to hanging out at this point.

GenCon gaming low: Star Trek Expeditions. I SO wanted to like the game, but it just fell flat for me.

GenCon gaming high: True Dungeon. Details to come.

GenCon Low: Feeling as though I was getting nickeled and dimed, and the whole "sales pitch" thing

GenCon High: Meeting Legomancer and others, getting free shakes, hanging out with Pete and the monkey room guys.

Yes! I should say that it was great meeting Pete and Dave, and I even briefly saw Loter. Morgan Dontanville waved to me but I didn't realize it so I missed my chance to meet him as well. I'm sorry I didn't hang more with Pete an Dave, but my Saturday evening me and my pal were kind of wiped out. We are old, and do not dare to eat a peach.

It was worth going to GenCon just to meet you, if for no other reason than to have that conversation about the sad state of cosplay. I'm still laughing thinking about your "vague steampunk" comment.

Hell, I just laughed again right now. Not that my advice matters, but you should incorporate more of your sardonic wit into Dave Ex Machina, because you are one funny mother fucker.

I had a great time as usual, also as usual I didn't play a single game I wasn't getting paid to demo...

If you go to a big con to play a lot of games you're doing it wrong. It's all about the spectacle, the parties, and seeing so many friends. I def get going any taking demos of all the hot new stuff, that's great, but if you really just wanna play games, ummm play them back at home or a small cheap con.

I don't think I'll be doing another write up this year though; no fights, no scandals, and a lot more questionable behavior that would need to be glossed over!

I went to look for you several times at the booth, and you weren't there. At one point, I asked where you went off to and the guy replied, "I think he's sleeping it off!"

LMAO

Finally got around to reading this all the way through - Nice job!

Although I felt you were far too generous with the Amega Weapons guys. I didn't know how to react as I was getting their pitch, and it just kept getting worse and worse. I try not to be a 'game snob' and love all kind of games and support everyone's right to like what they like.

But my jaw just dropped on that one.

the game looked dreadful on an epic scale.

i lan to revisit them 6 months from now, buy their pewter as scrap, and send them a fat check. no way do they sell more than 100 copies. That said, I always support indie publishers, and especially those who put their own money up.