Jill in Nashville, TN
Fogel Pens & Creations will be exhibiting for the first time at GenCon. I am waiting for booth location information, but we make pens, pencils, magic wands, and lots of other items from domestic and exotic hardwoods. The hand carved phantom Titan (inspired by the armorcast era) and vampire hunter inspired flyers will be on display and for sale
Also, someone started a Google Doc to keep track https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G0IShmyMQG2pAspcvlTc1XvdsA49Bwo69VeJgoemHfY/edit?fbclid=IwAR3jXTk9JScKsvqFHUsNXutiXK800xE14GD5RNmh0Q154wIPm1f_fOqNG9c#gid=0
TD had said for a while they were going to be at Gen Con. They must have just recently made the decision not to go.
Monte Cook Games is looking for 2021 GMs and Gate Keeper Games was looking for booth help, so that says to me they should be attending, as well.
N.
Ars Invicta: Art of Charles Urbach will be there - with a full exhibitor booth outside the Art Show and my expanded inventory to go with it. I'll have all my usual prints, gaming mats, and mouse pads but a lot more too - banners, larger wall decor, art books, games, artist proof cards of my Magic work, stationery, miniatures - lots of content I could never fit in the Art Show.
Does anybody know if the Battletech Pods will be there?
Even though I have a hard time envisioning Gen-Con without the Battletech Pods, I feel like people would be warier than ever of sitting in a tiny enclosed space shared by dozens of people this year.
A handful of small UK publishers that will be attending for the first time:
As more UK publishers sign up under my Last Mile Games banner I'll update this and the other lists.
The big companies keep abandoning....seems like they have bought into the fear of COVID despite vaccinations. They also appear to try to be buying in online conventions instead of in-person conventions. Also, maybe GenCon didn't offer enough advantages this year for them to attend. If that's the case, shame on GenCon.
I will say GenCon in-person is the best event and in-person is key for the industry. Online conventions just don't have what it takes to overtakes in-person conventions. My group and I have zero interest in online convention and gaming, so if the industry shifts that way it will be a loss for us and them. I am concerned about GenCon: if they are pushing for online events over in person events for the future of the industry, I really think in the longrun this is a lose-lose for the industry.
My guess is, with larger companies, the economics of the situation probably play a bigger role than concerns about gatherings, but concerns about gatherings is a more palatable message for the masses than 'We don't want to lose money'.
First Exposure Playtest Hall should be there.
OH, and we will hopefully be doing a math trade provided SOMEONE can find us the room. We may have to do it in a parking lot but we'll see.
That is a good way to put it. I would never begrudge anyone their enjoyment of an online convention, but be it undiagnosed ADHD or what, I literally cannot pay attention to videoconferencing for more than few minutes and end up playing video games or catching up on e-mail instead. One of the things I love so much about attending Gen-Con is that I entirely leave my normal life behind; considering my normal life is "sitting at computers," a virtual convention feels like my normal life but watching a slightly different livestream of something while doing my usual routine.
For me, virtual conventions were alright when they were our only option. My first experiences playing D&D 5E were at virtual conventions, and I had a great time with them, plus I finally learned to use Roll20 and Discord in the process.
But now that things are getting back to normal, vaccine dose by vaccine dose, I'm ready to go back to in-person conventions. The games are only part of the convention experience, and nothing online can possibly replicate or replace the rest of it.
Getting back to the subject of the thread, does anyone know if there are any guests -whether "official" guests or noteworthy authors/artists/etc. who may just be hosting smaller events- that have stated they plan to attend?