The rain fell on the city, but that didn't stop the gamers from descending on downtown Indianapolis for the last two days of Gen Con. It was more than just rain and gamers who descended upon Indy on Saturday, as severe thunderstorms erupted, bringing heavy rain and a tornado warning was issued about 45 minutes before the vendor hall closed. The rain subsided soon after 6:30, leaving cloudy to partly cloudy skies for the remainder of Saturday and Sunday.
Gaming did not stop; shopping continued; seminars and sessions were held; drinks and dinners with friends were enjoyed. Gen Con is always a unique experience filled with fun and games. Here are my top 5 moments of days 3 and 4:
5. Halcyon Daze documentary at the Gen Con Film Fest
I have never attended the Gen Con Film Fest before, but I stumbled across a title that I couldn’t pass up. Halcyon Daze: The Final Voyages of Disney’s Star Wars: Galactic Cruiser. Here is a summary of the documentary from IMdb:
A journey from casual interest to full-on obsession with Disney's short-lived, award-winning interactive attraction. Experience adventure, colorful characters, and the surprisingly profound feelings of its cast and fan community. IMdb Halcyon Daze
Having taken the journey in June of 2023, the second-to-last voyage, this film connected to me in a personal way, with a walk down memory lane, but the film went further as it dove into how community is found through the experience. I am not sure I experienced the profound connections the people in the documentary did, but I can certainly relate to them and see how they would find these powerful connections. I appreciated the research and science discussed in this film that answer the question of how the Halcyon experience has such a life-changing effect on people.
4. Nighttime Walks
A tradition that started when our group began securing hotels that are connected to the convention center is walking the convention center and Lucas Oil Stadium after hours. As if we don’t get enough walking around during the day, it is enjoyable to stroll the convention center and see pick-up games all around in the Play Hall. There are hundreds of empty tables where people have found a place to settle down with their new game purchases and play with friends. It isn’t packed, but this year, it was notably busier into the night than past years. I’m not sure what the difference is, but there are more people playing late into the night than before. The same is true for the field level in Lucas Oil Stadium. Many more games are going late into the night in that space as well. One favorite tradition is seeing the social deduction games underway in the main hallway of the convention center outside the play hall. Blood on the Clocktower and Werewolf, among other games, are played in group after group as we walk down the hall. It is great to see the diverse groupings all working together or against one another in each game.
3. Generosity of Vendors
Over the years, I have encountered generous vendors who have supported my game club with products or large discounts on products. This year was no different. I had two vendors offer free products for my students and teachers to use in the club or in classrooms. I know for some it is a write-off and for some they have the financial ability to do that. When they talk to me about the club and ask questions about the students and how the club works, I appreciate their interest and their belief in what we are doing in our school.
2. D&D Carnival at the D&D Tower
I didn’t know what to expect from the D&D Tower, but what I discovered was a ton of fun! We entered the tower on the seventh floor and were given a ticket that stated what character class we were. I was a Ranger. Then we discovered that the Witchlight Carnival had appeared! Legend has it that the carnival appears from another plane every eight years and disappears almost as quickly as it came. Visitors got to play games that tested each of our abilities: Dexterity, Charisma, Wisdom, Intelligence, Constitution, and Strength. We received rewards (stickers) for completing the test of our abilities. The carnival, complete with NPCs, had carriages, tents, signs, and more. There was a cyclops that we had to stare down to test our constitution. We had to test our charisma by convincing an NPC which cup we poisoned. After an hour and a half of participating in the fun, we received prizes for our time at the Witchlight Carnival, and we headed out to the convention.
1. The Dungeon Masters Live Play at the D&D Tower
This may be my favorite activity for the entire convention. I joined several hundred D&D fans in the Indiana Repertory Theater to watch the recently created live play group The Dungeon Masters (DMs) official D&D Live Play campaign. The cast is amazingly talented, all led by The DM, Jasmine Bhuller, with players Mayanna Berrin, Christian Navarro, Neil Newbon, Devora Wilde, and special guest Theo Solomon. We laughed, cheered, gasped, and sat on the edges of our seats as we watched this compelling storyline unfold. It was a ton of fun, and I wouldn’t have wanted to spend this Saturday night at Gen Con any other way.
