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BountyHeadBebop.com | BHB Hardcopy Available at IPR | BHB Products Now Available On-Site | Free Preview Here | GenCon 2015!

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Author Topic: GenCon 2015  (Read 63289 times)

BerkaZerka

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #50 on: August 04, 2015, 12:03:54 pm »

So, GenCon Indy was a good time overall, but felt different this year; and I wouldn’t say in a good way. The gaming we did was great, but the overall crowd (and it was very crowded) seemed less ‘gamer’ and more… I don’t know…

It just wasn’t the same vibe it has always been for us and wasn’t very inviting, to be blunt.

In fact, Lady Z and I ditched more of the Convention than usual, running 3 out of our own 4 events and being relieved that the last one was a no-go due to a lack of players – because it allowed us to leave early Saturday night. We didn’t even bother returning to the Con for Sunday at all, choosing rather to just relax at our cabin for the day and then go out for our traditional Korean dinner - which was awesome BTW!

Then, we only played in 2 events (other than our own) and 1 of those was a complete failure on so many levels that I think I would have enjoyed a visit to the dentist for a root canal more than I did the game. *shudder

The other game we played in was thankfully, a decent little piece of roleplaying.

As for our own events, what we ran was a blast!

Dungeons & Drag Queens had 7 players; and this year we included a bunch of silly little props (feather boa, silk fan, evening gloves, riding crop, etc) that the players got as their characters found them throughout the adventure. Of note, this group decided to do things backwards, going to the last section of the adventure first and then traversing from there, through the middle, and then on to the beginning last. It was a bit of an oddball approach, but it worked for them haha! Glad to see our BHB group isn’t the only one that does things completely off the rails!  XD

Nazi Sasquatch Death Squad also ran with 7 Players and went pretty much according to plan. We had a good time with it and it reminded me of when we played it on CYS. A funny bit during the game was when 1 player had his character steal a car from the airport rental lot, only to have the rest of the team rent a car and be given the keys to the stolen car!

Sanitarium had 8 Players show up, but I could only run for 7 max, so 2 bowed out, leaving 6 players. It was by far the most fun we had at the Con. The idea to incorporate a shared dream worked like a charm and things ran as smooth as they could possibly have gone. All 6 characters survived, having captured a guard to sacrifice at the end. The parting observation of the players, tongue in cheek, was “what this adventure needs is more rape.”

Escape Facility 7 was the game we cancelled, because only 1 player showed up. This was a bit irritating, because all of my games sold out within 30 seconds of event registration going live. So it begs the question of what happened to the rest of the players. But being Saturday evening, 6:00 PM, facing a 5 hour game that I was really dreading the whole time, due to how complex it can get – I was so grateful for the free ‘out’ handed to me on a golden platter. We thanked the 1 player who showed up, gave her all the swag that we would have split with the group at the end of the game, and I even gave her a signed copy of BHB for her trouble.

So, that was the gist of things for GenCon 2015.

Don’t think I’ll ever go back after this. Not that it was bad or anything, just that it no longer felt like ‘my’ GenCon and Origins is 3 hours closer, much more laidback, and more self-contained.
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Ugilick

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #51 on: August 04, 2015, 12:18:29 pm »

So I guess I won't go to Gencon next year. Would have prefered you be able to describe a great time all around!
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Forge

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #52 on: August 04, 2015, 12:23:42 pm »

Sadly many things go this way after a few years, maybe it will pick up though in the future. One day I'll pop down for one of these, my only recent event I could geek at was a fan-con which had a single table for running d&d but I got to meet two truly awesome actors sooo...
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Not Aman

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #53 on: August 04, 2015, 12:24:50 pm »

Sad to hear. Glad sanitorium was a blast!
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Sethaniel

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #54 on: August 04, 2015, 12:47:10 pm »

Glad we could give you a "what not to do" for sanitarium XD

Sorry to hear the con isn't as fun anymore.
Darn kids, ruining everything. XD

The last con we had up here was kinda like that- still great but so many (mostly younger) people hanging around in giant groups. Not playing games or buying merch or meeting celebs-- just sitting/standing around talking to each other.
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BerkaZerka

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #55 on: August 04, 2015, 01:17:38 pm »

So I guess I won't go to Gencon next year. Would have prefered you be able to describe a great time all around!

Are you closer to Indianapolis or Columbus?

If you've never been to a major gaming convention, then it's definitely worth getting to at least once. It's something you'll never forget!

Maybe this year's Gencon was just a fluke thing for us, but as Origins is closer anyway, we'll be hitting that from now on.

Personally, I've always liked Origins better, because GenCon felt so big by comparison. Maybe this year (for us anyway) was the tipping point from feeling 'so big' to being 'too big'.
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Ugilick

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #56 on: August 04, 2015, 04:05:17 pm »

Are you closer to Indianapolis or Columbus?

Columbus Georgia is not very far away at all.
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BerkaZerka

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #57 on: August 04, 2015, 05:11:29 pm »

Columbus Georgia is not very far away at all.

Well there ya go - meet me and Lady Z there next year haha!  ;D
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Malkalack

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #58 on: August 04, 2015, 06:31:00 pm »

This kind of reminds me - have any of you guys actually met IRL?
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Not Aman

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #59 on: August 04, 2015, 06:46:48 pm »

Tan and I!  ;D
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Tanstaafl

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #60 on: August 04, 2015, 07:46:34 pm »

:P
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BerkaZerka

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #61 on: August 05, 2015, 05:48:12 am »

This kind of reminds me - have any of you guys actually met IRL?

I met Mark Reed (Thayan); Nestor; and Baboon Bill (Bill Dodds) at GenCon, plus a few others that have posted here in the past.  8)
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killa_robot

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #62 on: August 05, 2015, 07:32:06 am »

Sucks that GenCon got bigger. I guess people who weren't really interested in games showed up because they thought it sounded good, then got there and weren't interested in doing anything. Maybe you just need to start your own convention!

Good to hear the test run with us resulted in Sanitarium being a success.

Also, you have to share more about why the one game was a failure on so many levels.
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BerkaZerka

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #63 on: August 05, 2015, 09:17:28 am »

Also, you have to share more about why the one game was a failure on so many levels.

Ugh... I'm trying to forget.  :P
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Ugilick

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #64 on: August 05, 2015, 11:52:28 am »

Ugh... I'm trying to forget.  :P

Could you forget after you tell us? If you had a bad experience you can at least laugh about it! Otherwise you risk some kind of psychological trauma blah blah repression blah blah id, ego blah blah.

I'm curious about it myself.
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Aeon_spiral

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #65 on: February 10, 2016, 10:28:56 pm »

You going to be present at this year's Gencon? I'm only about 2 hours away tops. I'd love to meet up and do one of these face to face!
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BerkaZerka

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #66 on: February 11, 2016, 06:42:27 am »

Probably not going to do a GenCon again, after last year's unsettling offness about it.

But Lady Z and I will still be doing Origins in Columbus regularly (just not this year)  :)
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Aeon_spiral

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #67 on: February 11, 2016, 08:31:49 am »

I can make Columbus in just over an hour, so I will definitely have to meet up with you next time you're in town brother.

So what's next for the Penguin? Do you plan on publishing more games in the future or...?
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BerkaZerka

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #68 on: February 11, 2016, 09:05:16 am »

Probably not. Lady Z and I are gearing up to open another martial arts school this year, so the publishing will be on the back burner - somewhere 'left' of finishing Dungeon Stompage II over on CYS haha!
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Aeon_spiral

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #69 on: February 11, 2016, 09:10:27 am »

Probably not. Lady Z and I are gearing up to open another martial arts school this year, so the publishing will be on the back burner - somewhere 'left' of finishing Dungeon Stompage II over on CYS haha!

Dude that's awesome! I need to get back to training. I have a green belt in Shaolin Kempo Kosho, I've always wanted to push further.
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BerkaZerka

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #70 on: February 11, 2016, 09:11:49 am »

Definitely worth it, if you have the time and funds for that sort of thing. Might help stave off some of the health challenges you mentioned too.
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Aeon_spiral

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #71 on: February 11, 2016, 09:16:41 am »

Definitely worth it, if you have the time and funds for that sort of thing. Might help stave off some of the health challenges you mentioned too.

Yeah, it really centers me. The problem is, I only of two Teachers in the states that are licensed for Shaolin Kempo Kosho, my instructor I progressed to green belt with is back in Massachusetts from when I lived in Boston for awhile.

After experiencing everything SKK has to offer and what it teaches physically and even spiritually, Idk if i could follow through with anything but that style.
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BerkaZerka

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #72 on: February 11, 2016, 09:25:33 am »

Honestly not surprised to hear that, based on your level of experience with it, but you can find great schools (and incredibly awful ones) in every area across the U.S.

Style is only one flavor in the martial arts bag of chips.  ;)
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Aeon_spiral

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #73 on: February 11, 2016, 09:47:04 am »

I did ameteur golden glove in my teens, Western style Boxing, Hapkido, and shaolin Kempo Kosho as an adult. Learned so much about my own body and its limits.

What style do you guys teach?
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BerkaZerka

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Re: GenCon 2015
« Reply #74 on: February 11, 2016, 10:10:01 am »

We've taught Tang Soo Do, a traditional Korean martial art, since 1999. We also started a separate MMA program on the side in 2005.

Been around a lot of styles over multiple decades (standup, wrestling, and ground). Having actively promoted both traditional martial arts and contemporary MMA, I am of the opinion that MMA is best for learning how to fight, while traditional martial arts are best for long term betterment of self.

MMA has a relatively small window of viability, usually between the ages of 18 and 25, while you can benefit from traditional martial arts all your life.
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