Monster Steps 6: GenCon Wrap Up

So if you have been keeping up with all the other blogs on this website the following sentiment may seem old to you… still yet, it needs to be expressed. 

“Holy crap, GenCon!”

In my last (it seems so long ago) post, I mentioned my excitement about attending my long-time-dreamed-about-mecca that is GenCon. In short, it was everything that I thought it would be… as least I think so. I’m still not exactly sure what happened. I remember getting there in a road weary and sleep deprived state, grabbing my camera and rushing to the floor. From there, the next few days are simply a blur. I still come back to this site day after day and watch the posted videos just to remind myself of what exactly went down. There are a few flashes of clarity that I remember and I will elaborate on them if you stick with me. Then next week, I will get back to the business of Monster Stepping (right now I am low on A-Die) and break down my three Monster Masters Matches for you. I will say this the whole tournament experience both changed the way I play MonPoc and cemented me as a player for a long time.

First and foremost I have to thank Privateer Press for everything. They were extremely nice, welcoming, and helpful. They not only gave us great access and interviews but also some pretty candid off the record spoilers. Oh if you only knew what we know. =) We couldn’t have brought you interviews of such high quality without their cooperation. And for that and so much more I am very thankful to them. So props guys, not only do you make a hella good monster game but you are also wonderful people.

Moving on, but only barely, the Privateer Press booth was very nice. I’m sure most of you have seen our video on the diorama they made — it was awesome! They had their demo tables filled every time I came by… which was constantly. Hopefully they sold more than a few starters, I look forward to any and all new MonPoc players I may encounter. Oh also, they printed up some tiiiight shirts. I would say that the PP both was easily the coolest booth there (I was not too impressed with the Wizards of the Coast booth) and probably the busiest.

Also, if you read my last post, you know that I am a nerd, but I have never felt so nerdy than at the Q-Workshop booth. I was wrist deep in d10s and 20s before I realized that I was basically drooling over dice. Who does that!? Me, apparently, and the Q-Workshop guys certainly had plenty to drool over. I ended up buying a d10 inscribed with Japanese numbers instead of the usual Western digits. This is for two reasons, one I am studying Japanese and two, everyone has to take my word for what those numbers mean, 10’s all around!

I really don’t remember much else. The costumes, of course, are always a highlight… but it seemed like some people just used it as a reason to dress strangely. I’m pretty well-versed in nerd icons but when I see a guy in a hunting cap and a sledge hammer walk by me, I can only assume he simply dressed to confuse. If that guy is reading this, mission accomplished.

The art section was enamoring. I could have spent hours there. In the end I made it out with a few sketches all bought in, literally, the last 5 minutes of the con.

Lastly, I have to give a bit more props to Privateer Press for sponsoring some brews at one of the local bars. Nothing like winding down after a long day of MonPoc interviews with a Rogzor Ale (not the real name, but close enough).

So if you have made it this far you might be thinking to yourself, “well dang, all he talked about was all the stuff I have already seen video of, didn’t he have a life away from the camera?”

Welp, to tell you the truth I didn’t have much of a life away from the camera. Team Covenant had me on such a tight schedule that I rarely ever put the camera down. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. There are a few more videos we have for you guys and they will be parsed out in the next few weeks. To all the people I interviewed, thank you. And to everyone else, thank you. It was an amazing, if not crazy busy time and I look forward to next year even more than I did this year.