Gen Con 2008 Report!

Wow!

There were more than 28,600 attendees at this year's Gen Con (a new record), and I think most of them got to play Champions Online!

We had six demo stations running Snake Gulch constantly at the Cryptic booth, along with demos of the Champions RPG and trivia contests that packed the aisles with people racking their brains for the answer that would win them a big pack of Champions Online swag.

It was so great to be able to introduce hundreds of new people to our game – including interacting with objects. I got my first chance to pick up and throw things around in-game right before the dealer's room opened on Thursday morning, and I was having so much fun I didn't want to stop! Because seriously – you haven't lived until you've chucked a stagecoach at robot cowboys. :)

I also got to meet a lot of people I knew from the forums, and it was super to finally put some faces to the names and personalities. I got to meet Alpha Dean, KO Gilligan, people from Watchfire and Babes of War and the Hellfire Group … there were a lot of names I recognized, and a few I didn't. Lurkers, isn't it time to come out of the electronic woodwork and post a little more?

But most importantly, everyone got to try the game and have fun. We had keyboards and Xbox controllers available, and I know I was switching back and forth all the time as I was showing people how to play. Both work well, and normally I play with a controller at work and a keyboard and mouse at home, so I'm comfortable with either one.

We had such big crowds at the Cryptic booth that I didn't get to see much else of the convention, but that's a good problem to have. It was great seeing Champions Online posters and signs everywhere you went – even on the tables and the floors – and the Champions Online staircase was really impressive. And I saw more and more Champions Online T-shirts being worn as the convention went on!

I did, however, get the chance to finally try a game of Grand Tribunal. I also got a rockin' zombie T-shirt and had time to buy some of the new products from Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Pinnacle was sold out of Slipstream, but I grabbed a copy of Traveler's Tales (for The Savage World of Solomon Kane) and Coffin Rock. I also snapped up a stack of Champions RPG books (thank you Steve!), including the new Monster Island and Book of the Destroyer sourcebooks. Hero Games had access to Champions Online when working on these books, and they contain some information on Champions Online that hasn't appeared anywhere else – so get your copies now!

I definitely learned a few things about working at a convention rather than attending one (bring extra shoes, Ricola cherry cough drops are full of win when you're about to lose your voice) but I had such a great time that I can't wait to do it again.

Talk about this in the forums!

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