Happy holidays to everyone out there in Internet land! Michael here with the last Earthdawn blog of 2019. As we move out of the holiday season and into the new year, we begin to organize some of our most exciting items for 2020: conventions. That’s right, it’s still eight months to GenCon but we’re about to start planning our events. We’re also planning out the other conventions we’ll be at this year, so I thought this would be a good time to outline the cons that I’ll be running Earthdawn at this coming year.
GaryCon (March – Lake Geneva, WI): The first convention of the year for me is GaryCon, a mid-sized event that’s been growing steadily over the years. GaryCon has a focus on classic RPG systems, but is large enough that most gamers should be able to find something to suit their preference. The convention itself has grown to the point where it’s a bit uncommon to run into someone you know, but it still happens if you’re paying attention. I believe I’ll be the only person running Earthdawn at GaryCon this year.
Nexus Game Fair (May – Milwaukee, WI): This is the smallest convention I go to and is also the smallest. Nexus still seems to be looking for its audience, but has become a family friendly gaming event focused on board games. This has that quintessential ‘everybody knows everybody’ feel of a small convention and I will often end up scheduling several games with people I know by mere coincidence. One of my friends usually only comes to Nexus for a day, but even he gets recognized by a few people during the event. There should be two of us running games at Nexus and we always have space for a few more players.
Origins (June – Columbus, OH): Origins had a unique feel to it, but I’ve only been to it once so perhaps my first impression made it seem odder than it really is. The dealer hall felt massive and there was a large variety of games to choose from. The gaming spaces themselves, however, felt small and isolated to me. To me, Origins has the variety of a large convention while at the same time offering a gaming experience similar to a small con. We are upping the number of Earthdawn games available this coming year and are hoping for a similar uptick in player turnout.
GenCon (August – Indianapolis, IN): Love it or hate it, I’m sure everyone reading this knows the atmosphere GenCon provides. Personally, I’ve had some of my best experiences running games at this convention. We always manage to fill up our tables and, despite this being my largest convention, I’ve gotten several repeat players that have been showing up at our games for years. The number of games available is likely to be the same as every year, so there should be plenty of space for whoever wants to play Earthdawn.
GameHole Con (November – Madison, WI): I’ve only experienced GameHole as a player (not as a GM), but my first impressions of it were very positive. Everything was clustered around one main area, so getting from one game to the next never took more than 5 minutes. I would call this a small to mid-sized con that was focused on a broad variety of RPGs. This one had a very family friendly vibe to it, offering both events specifically for kids and rooms dedicated solely to mature content. I haven’t decided if I will run Earthdawn at this con yet, mostly because I’m unsure if I’d get players. If anyone reading this goes to GameHole and would like to see some Earthdawn offered, let us know in our Discord.
Five conventions…is that too many? It’s probably not a good idea to do all these again, but I had too much fun last year to skip any of these! This is just what I’m planning for 2020, I think a few of the other Dev team members make appearances at other cons as well. Keep an eye out on the FASA Facebook page for announcements for things of that nature. Until next time, thanks for reading!