Gen Con 2017 is now just fading treasured memories of celebrating 50 years of gaming with friends, family, fans, and complete strangers who love the same things we do. As in years past, Gen Con 2017 was full of gaming, panels, movie screenings, cosplayer parade, vendor hall sell outs, and companionship in many forms. Here’s some of our photos:
Growing crowd for dealer hall opening. Gen Con Day 1, 9am.
Every year the crowd starts to gather before 9am to get into the dealer hall when it opens at 10am. This year was no different. We are told that the attendance was over 200k for the entire 4 days, at this time there are no unique turnstile numbers, but I anticipate that we’ll see the number around 65k. In addition to the entire Indianapolis Convention Center, Gen Con 2017 utilized every hotel connected to ICC’s private convention space to the point of discovering spaces we didn’t even know existed. It led to some tricky moments, but at the end of it all, the convention seemed to go off without lasting impact.
Paizo sold out of the Starfinder Core Rule Book on Thursday before close of day, other Starfinder products quickly followed. Many vendors throughout the dealer hall had similar experiences, which is not uncommon at Gen Con. The photos don’t do the line at the Paizo booth justice, there was a roped off section then the line looped around the ever growing Paizo booth, twice.
Paizo Booth, 10:20 am Day 1
Brandon Hodge slinging Starfinder off an ever dwindling pile, 10:20am Gen Con 2017 Day 1.
Games sold out minutes after the wish lists started processing months ago, causing the gaming rooms were wall to wall people, rolling dice and telling stories.
Four Horsemen Open contenders getting last minute instructions, Round 2. Friday morning, Gen Con 2017
Four Horsemen Open, L to R: Horseman Dan Dillion, guest GM Jason Eric Nelson (Legendary Games), and Horseman Steve Helt (Paizo RPG Superstar 2013).
During the lead in to this year’s Four Horsemen Open we learned that next year’s event will feature anti-hero protagonists. Next year we’ll be bad guys!
Four Horsemen Open, Gen Con 2017.
Four Horseman Stephen Rowe (and master monster maker – Talented Bestiary) and Monica Marlowe run the winning team’s table in this year’s Four Horsemen Open, Gen Con 2017.
Margaret Weis indulging dice rituals.
On Saturday morning, I won a set of dice during Tracy and Laura Hickman’s Killer Breakfast. I may have had a few more luminaries of the gaming community give them a little tweaking.
Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon indulging dice rituals.
I made some new friends while GMing for both Pathfinder events and Monte Cook Gaming!
Gen Con 2017 Day 1, Predation by Monte Cook Games.
Gen Con 2017 Day 1, Cypher System by Monte Cook Games.
Marlowe House at The 2017 ENnies with Monte Cook Games.
Friday night is reserved for The ENnies – where the gaming community gets together to recognize those in our industry and do a little celebrating (which we rarely need an excuse to do).
Lou Agresta and blogger Monica Marlowe.
Throughout the convention we found time to find our friends from far and near, to pass a little time and share some laughs. For those who went, I hope you made it home safe, for those who hope to go, there’s always next year and I hope to see you there!
Everyman Gamer and KD podcaster Alex Augunas, the only man not buying Starfinder at Paizo on Gen Con Day 1.
KD Podcaster Perram gaming with (l to r): Rachel Ventura, Neil Spicer, Keith Kappel, Perram, and Amber Scott.
I was told this was an AMA so:
1) You have to choose one of your offspring to be changed into a monster from Pathfinder. Whatever monster it is, the only restriction is that it can’t naturally change its shape and it cannot be a humanoid (monstrous humanoids otherwise ok). CHOOSE!
2) A supervillain will either destroy the world or erase the existence of one of these things from the planet: peanut butter or jelly. It is up to you to choose which goes and which stays (or if the world is destroyed).
3) Same supervillain, slightly different situation. They are either destroying the world, changing all four-wheeled vehicles, four-legged structures/furniture, AND four-legged creatures to have only three instead OR they will make all biological gaseous expulsions thrice as unpleasant and highly visible. Which of these fates comes to pass falls to you!
I actually meant on social media, but okay here we go!
1. Well that’s easy, my son Thomas is a Kolyarut Inevitable (although I would argue that he would make an excellent gold dragon, but you put the shapeshifter thing in). Kate would definitely be a grig.
2. I love peanut butter, so long jelly we’ll miss you!
3. Three legs are more stable, have you ever sat on a four legged stool/chair and one of the legs was uneven? Totally going with 3 legged things. Plus, as a nurse, I already suffer enough, thanks.