I stepped away from the thread for a bit because I felt like slipping into my Keyboard Warrior costume...not a good look.

I’m fairly certain the entire GenCon staff is operating on a hope for the best and plan for the worst basis during normal years because Murphy is an a-hole and his law has become a force of nature. This year just went from hard mode to insane mode.

As attendees, we can either trust that the staff is looking at all the available information and will make an informed decision based on what is actually happening in a few months, or decide not to attend. 

This is a huge production every year that generates a lot of revenue for Indianapolis. If there’s a way for it to happen that won’t cause a public health issue, it will.

Like brotherbock said, just because modifications to the existing format aren’t being announced doesn’t mean that the company isn’t working on a variety of them. They want to have Gencon go on more than all of us. They love it so much they made it their job. They are also human beings who really don’t want people to get sick or die because they held Gencon or didn’t take certain steps. I can’t imagine the extra stress and strain on top of the regular crunch of getting GenCon off the ground every year. 

As attendees, we also have a responsibility to each other to be careful and respectful of others’ personal space bubbles, wash our hands frequently and properly, use sanitize our own dice, minis and writing implements, and practice good hygiene. We can’t just shout into the forums about how GenCon needs to make things safer for us without taking steps to protect ourselves as well. 

We are all hoping for the best and waiting to see what’s going on before making any final decisions. 

In the meantime, where do we send the gratitude booze and chocolates?
 

No need for booze and chocolates right now, but I'm personally a single malt and Hendricks drinker for further notice.
 

if gencon happens, I will be there and I promise to cut back on the licking of my lucky d20 by at least 35%.

Laser tag using the expo hall and all the people in it as cover?

Anyone see a market for dice with Microban antimicrobial plastic?

Understanding the current state of the US, ( messed up worse than usual) I am still going forward with the hope (dinged and damaged as it may be) that GC will happen. Therefor I am eagerly awaiting registering for games and events I want to participate in. Should GC not happen Then System credit and hope for next year is always a possibility.

By the way, not that this belongs here but do you think if the Con is cancelled, can we get the Crystal Caste 6 siders for 2020?
 

The obvious answer is 'that's up to Crystal Caste', but keep in mind -- a *lot* of game company manufacturing happens in China, and while I've seen things that suggest that China's freight capacity is cycling back up, things like commemorative dice and other con exclusives likely need to be ordered months in advance and, if ordered before the virus really started to hit in China, are very probably either still waiting to be made or are just getting ready to be made. Given a likely backlog of orders all across the manufacturing spectrum, I suspect gaming company backorders will really push the deadline to be ready for GenCon.

I doubt this will affect the decision to have the convention, but keep in mind that new product may be somewhat lower than usual for 2020, and swag may well be at a premium.

--
David W.

Just wanted to mention here, during the press conference yesterday, Dr Fauci was asked about summer, and about going back to normal; people looking forward to baseball games, and concerts would that stuff happen. 
He answered that he expects at the end of that curve(around June 1st) we would ease social guidelines and go back to a more normal way of life while preparing for the fall. Again, this is ever changing, ever evolving but it definitely gives me hope for this years con which is almost 2 months from that 'end of curve' area 
 

I also have a social distancing question for Derek: can I change all of my games' event location requests to "Union Station Ballroom", regardless of the event size? :)

I do have a relevant question for the thread, however--is GC considering hand sanitizer/wipes stations for the Con? I'm educatedly guessing that wouldn't be cheap, but even a sanitizer station at the entrance to each of the big halls, hotels, etc would be helpful even after social distancing isn't needed. But of course GC doesn't have unlimited funds, and I don't know what the costs of that would be. Or would that be something the hotels and con center would be providing?

We are closely following the current outbreak of COVID-19. We know that our attendees and community are as concerned as we are about the virus and the uncertainty that comes with it, and we are monitoring the situation and recommended health guidelines from Indiana State officials as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) closely and preparing for any contingencies. At this time, we do not anticipate any changes to the normal operation of Gen Con 2020. If that changes, we will notify our community as soon as possible as everyone will be a partner in our effort to mitigate the impacts that will be experienced by our partners, our community, and Gen Con itself.

"and preparing for any contingencies."