Gen Con 2023
Gen Con 2023 has wrapped up, and it set attendance records with over 70k people attending throughout the four-day event. I am fortunate to live in Indianapolis, so I had no plane flights or hotels to worry about. I could go for all four days with my brother-in-law and my son, who brought a friend one of the days. Here's what I saw and did.
The Crowds
Thursday is usually light in terms of people, allowing me to wander freely, get a feel for what I want to purchase, and check out the board games that seem worth playing. This year, Thursday was insane. This is the first time I've seen that many people in the vendor area on the first day. This made it impossible to check out the books, dice, and board games like usual. It was frustrating. I know that's unfair, but it wasn't so much the crowd but the vibe people were giving off.
Lorcana is an excellent example of what I mean. The line for the trading cards wrapped around the vendor area, the hallway outside, and back into the vendor area. There were a limited amount of cards each day, and people were hungry to get their hands on them. It wasn't because they desperately wanted to play the game. The resale value of the cards skyrocketed to $250 within the first few hours and slowly climbed throughout the convention. People wanted to sell them.
In good capitalistic fashion, they would do anything to get them. People got angry with one another. There was yelling. On the first day, people were pushed to the ground. I heard there were even a few fights, but I cannot confirm this. I wouldn't be surprised because the whole scene was ugly.
This energy carried over to the crowd in general. The community usually carried an upbeat, almost joyful energy. Everyone was happy to be there. People wanted to be there. They wanted to play games, watch live shows, and be around each other. The year, people still had a good energy, it wasn't the same. I'm not blaming Disney and their game. For whatever reason, people seemed off. It could be the crowds, or it could be the Covid hangover. It could have been any number or a combination of things, but it was a bummer.
Games
Whew, there were a lot of games. I'm sad my wife could not attend this year (work…boo). She usually plays six to ten games, and I tag along. We will block her calendar for next year, and I'm looking forward to it.
I tried out a couple of games that were being beta-tested. My favorite was Angry Town. The creator, Vincent Burris, was there, along with the artist, whose sadly name I did not catch. It's a deck-building style game. After we were done, they asked for feedback and were very receptive. I've encountered other designers who take offense to such things, but this was not the case. If you are into that style of game, I'd watch for their Kickstarter this fall.
Battletech Alpha Strike was a blast. We attended their Alpha Strike Academy, and they did a great job teaching us the game. I've avoided such games in the past. I don't need another addiction, but I now have one. After the session, I immediately bought the starter kit and rules hardcover. What's nice about Alpha Strike is that a game that would similarly take 8-10 hours can be completed in an hour.
I'm looking forward to playing again, knowing I'm doomed if I get into core Battletech. We checked out some other games, but these two stuck with me.
Film/Live Play
I attended my first short film this year and wondered why I never had before. Gen Con has a Short Film Fest every year, and I've heard great things. We watched a film called Channels. It was sparely attended, which was a shame. It was a fun little comedy. The film was campy, cheesy, and fantastic. The actors didn't take themselves seriously. They knew the type of film they were making and embraced it. The movie after ours had a line down around the hallway and was sold out. I have no idea what it was, but those people missed a fun film.
Next up was Blades in the Dark Live. It was put on by the founding members of the Glass Cannon Network. Holy shit..why have I never gone before? It was my favorite part of Gen Con by far. Why I've never had the chance to play the game, I've read the core rulebook. Even if you don't know the mechanics, the crew of actors made it easy to follow.
The game is essentially run by the players, and the GM has to create the story from their antics. Jared Logan is the GM, and he was incredible. How he could think on his feet with all the crazy crap the players created is beyond me. As I always say, players always do the dumbest shit, and wow, did they come up with some insane but hilarious scenarios. I will start listening to Glass Cannon because of this event, and I recommend you do, too. I'll be going next year for sure.
Conclusion
I'm sad the people were…grumpy, for lack of a better term. I didn't let it get to me and had my best Gen Con to date. Next year, I plan on playing a one-shot. I have done it once before a few years ago, but I haven't since. Stephen was the GM, and I went to support his endeavor. He was excellent as usual, but I'm looking forward to experiencing at least one new GM's play style next year. Overall, I give this Gen Con an 8 out of 10 and look forward to next year.
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Art Credit - Gen Con
