Sunday
already? Bummer. After
checking out, Janet and I paid a last visit to the
dealers' room. The balloon dragon was finally complete. Somehow, it looked a little sad. It was to be the prize for the winner of a certain contest, who would then slay the puffed up thing with a mighty sword. The dragon would
go with many a hearty pop when its time would come. We'd be well
underway by then.
The
crowd was already building up twenty minutes before the dealers' room
opening. Gen Con staffers did their best to make room for exhibitors
trying to get in. Costumed visitors were having fun as usual,
getting their last bit of attention from bleary-eyed gamers. The
ubiquitous CCG fans found some space here and there to run a last-minute round or two.
Once
again, the gates were flung open, and the crowd rushed in. We
followed. First stop was Inkwell Ideas' booth (Hexographer, Coat of
Arms, and loads of other stuff.) Said hi to Joe Wetzel and his
staff. By the time I came around to snapping a picture, two had
already wandered away.
Joe Wetzel & colleague |
Margaret Weis |
Janet
and I hurried back to that booth, which was unbelievably crowded. I
located the miniatures. Rats! None of them bore German markings.
No wonder they were discounted. Nonetheless I grabbed two French
Dewoitines, plotting to get some Me-109s later for a 1940's scenario.
There were Stukas, but they all bore Italian markings. . . Not what
I wanted. For good measure I snagged a Japanese Val and a Wildcat
for a future Pacific scenario. I've got a long way to go. I saved
my next purchases for my buddy at the Lake Geneva Game Shop.
Larry Elmore |
Janet with Ed Greewood |
We did have a chat with Laura who told us about their book Eventide and how tough it had been to get publishers interested in anything besides epic wars, blood and guts, and general mayhem. I told her they were all lemmings striving to jump off the same cliff and that electronic self-publishing was fast becoming the way to go. I wasn't sure she agreed with me entirely, but there was no doubt we all sorely missed earlier days of publishing. In this day and age, just wait another week, and the whole industry may be turned on its head once more. Maybe it is a good thing. Time will tell. Meanwhile, just don't sneeze: it might cause your publisher to fall off the edge of your desk.
Time
was up too. Reluctantly, we left the convention hall and made our
way back to the car. Four hours later, or five, we'd back home with
good memories and the eager expectation to show up again next year.
Why don't you? Perhaps the next few pictures will convince you.
Gen Con's Grand Bazaar! |
For those who need to recover! |
Under construction |
The dragon's maker hard at work. |
Nichelle Nichols says Hi! |
Yes, there's life outside |
Miniatures painting workshop |
Another very popular game at the convention: Leviathans! |
CHARGE! |
Well, it sure was a whole lot of fun. So long, folks! See you next year. |
Great pictures! Loved seeing Margaret Weis, Larry Elmore and Ed Greenwood as well as the cosplay crowd. The Star Wars lineup made me very nostalgic! :)
ReplyDeleteI guess there's only one way to fix that. . . next year. Hint. Hint. :)
DeleteWish I had sene ya there, Bruce! I would've given you a handout of my free adventure and a copy of the Adventurer's Guide to the Imperial City!
ReplyDeleteHi Josh. I'm easy to find if you make an appointment. I did swing by Inkwell Ideas's booth Sunday morning, but I didn't see any Mystara fans there, besides Joe. Next time. . . :)
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