This will be my 9th Gencon and in the past I've filled my con with RPGs, mostly. This year, I'm sure I'll do my share of RPGing but can you suggest cool events that I could check out or things that you can only experience at Gencon? I was fortunate enough to catch the Killer Breakfast a couple years back and the charity auction is now a don't miss. Any suggestions?
True dungeon should be done at least once.
Battletech has masters and minions. The only chance to play against the developers (and often affiliated people like Jordan weisman). But only 40 people for one event.
Orc stomp 5k! Start off Friday with a 5k run. Surprisingly fun.
Drunk-ass games legendary party at the ram. If you like drinking games (all hail the death cup!)
I you like RPGs and you're looking for something you can only get at Gen Con, I will humbly suggest the Nascrag Tournament. Nascrag has been putting on RPG tournaments at Gen Con since 1980. This will be our fortieth.
Nascrag focuses on the rolepaying a lot more than the dice rolling; puzzles and riddles and offbeat original stories and art. We're loud and boisterous and always having a good time. We did a playtest of our event last night and I was laughing so hard I lost my breath at one point. And as a bonus, if you play Nascrag you get to play in Lucas oil Stadium. Right down on the playing surface like the colts - you definitely don't get that experience at home. :-)
I recommend "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" on Thursday and Friday night (usually 10 pm to midnight). It's funny, it's naughty, it's comedy done by the audience and it's the "best $2 you will spend at GenCon"!
It's also so late in the day it won't clash with hardly anything else you might be planning to do.
In addition to NASCRAG, Gamers: Live is a yearly must-do for me! it's a great show and happens only at GenCon. (Okay, it happens a few other places, but not anything like the scale of GenCon.)
If you enjoy a good murder mystery, I will be hosting my 3rd annual interactive murder mystery event at GenCon Thursday night at 8:00 PM or Friday at 2:00 PM. These are self-written, complex stories -- not like what you find in the box shelf games -- where you can either portray a suspect or be one of the police officers attempting to solve the case. They are always a blast, and have sold out every year.
Ever since Origins canned their version for whatever reason, you can certainly say that the Gen-Con Live Games Auction is a one-of-a-kind beast. I mean, there are other auctions and other places to buy games, but nowhere else I know of might you be able to buy a copy of a gaming supplement from the 1970s being auctioned off by the person who wrote that supplement. Or see a box of miscellaneous gaming crap sell for far more than it is worth just due to the amount of laughter created by the auctioneers feeding off each other to egg on the bidders.
Full disclosure: I am an Auction volunteer, but that is also because it became my objectively favorite part of the entire convention and I had to be a part of it!
If you want to try out a concert, Hit up Mikey Mason. He normally does multiple days. He is a comedic singer, well worth going. Look up "Best Game Ever" on youtube.
I Shot the Sheriff, and I Wish I’d Shot the Deputy Too! (LRP19145896 - Friday afternoon)
This will be my 25th Gen Con. I have played a lot of different games. Last year was my first year playing a Megagame; Sengoku to be precise. This was easily top 5 games I have ever played in all of those years. I have run 2 megagames for the customers of my store since last year's Gen Con.
Take it from an old guy, play a Megagame, especially at Gen Con, the crew there does it so well. You will have a great time.
But for non-gaming events, always catch Gamer's Live. I catch the Friday iteration. Those guys and gals are awesome.
Thanks for the endorsement, istivan!
I was one of the game control for Sengoku last year, and am a year-round volunteer with the Megagame Coalition (who puts on the megagames at Gen Con). We'll have 10 megagames running this year, nine of them unique.
One of our members created a Mega Board Game (a smaller version of a megagame in a box) that's being published by Everything Epic Games. This game (Blood Feud) will run many times at our event space as well.
Our new website is still being updated, but once it's finished, I'll be sure to post the link here. All the game descriptions will be on it.
Chris Ode Zombie Orpheus Entertainment
I can second the recommendations of both late night Whose Line and murder mystery as different things that are quite enjoyable. :)
Whose Line - A lot more fun if you volunteer. Quite a few people just go to be audience members, but its the audience in this one case that are the improvisors. Nobody else knows you here, so there's nothing embarassing about just putting yourself out there and having fun. I've done this one twice now since I started going to Gen Con again (2017 and 2018).
Murder Mystery - I did this one last year (I still want someone to replace my damn car). Looks like it's a new story this year. If you do it, remember that you can be anyone you want at Gen Con, and a role in a murder mystery is just another character...have fun with it.
I recommend the speed paint events if you have any interest in mini painting. It is a $2 event (last year anyway) that lasts 45 minutes. Everyone gets the same mini and a limited selection of paints to see who can get the best results in under an hour. Several manufacturers sponsor the events so you can chose one that fits your game. My favorite is Impact miniatures. They often donate adorable chibi minis for the event.
I would strongly recommend the Survivor or Werewolf Survivor events.
I'm a huge fan of the show, and being able to participate in the game was both a very thrilling and very memorable experience. Despite the nature of the show (voting people off) it's a surprisingly bonding experience as well :).
Our family has greatly enjoyed the big "Run for Your Life, Candyman!" game run by Smirk and Dagger games late on Saturday night. Lots of gingerbread-y fun ! It usually starts around 11 PM and is a blast...