“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” -- Helen Keller
Well, I’m back home. The initial excitement and adrenaline have subsided. Now I can look at my recent trip to Gamehole Con.
First Impressions
I guess the first thing I noticed was how well this convention is ran.
Alex Kammer and team did a fantastic job. It was everything he said it would
be. It’s a larger RPG con at around 6,000 attendees but feels like about 600.
It’s spread out so it doesn’t feel cramped. Will Call was a breeze with no line,
and I love how they had food trucks, so you don’t have to travel offsite. The
other thing is how many people in the industry attend this con. I met up with
some of the folks I follow at the Hobbs and Friends of the OSR booth. I got to
meet Victor Raymond, chair of the Tekumel foundation. During our conversation the
subject of the old TSR days came up. Just then Victor tells me why we don’t ask
someone who was there as Tim Kask walks by and joins our conversation. The
whole experience was surreal.
What did I Play
Thursday
- DCC - Wide-Eye Terror Zine. Nice game to start the Con. Fast paced and lots of fun.
- CoC – Great Keeper and a great group of players. Loved the RP.
Friday
- Hack Noia – One of the highlights ran by Merle Rasmussen.
- Shadowdark – Had to support my friends at HazardQuest.
- Vaesen – Another great table with awesome RP.
Saturday
- TOV – Even though I backed this, I’m losing the desire to play 5e.
- TSR Marvel Superheroes- Can’t believe I still have the table memorized after not playing for 30 years.
- Aliens – Another great DM and group of players.
Who did I meet
It started Wednesday. We got to hang out with the guys from
Pirate Borg, Luke and Tyler. I’ve played with them a couple of times at a local
game shop in Denver. They invited me and my buddy Mike to a Dopapod concert at
the Majestic that night. Great show. I also got invited to hang out at the
Hobbs and Friends booth. I’m a big fan of the Gaming and BS podcast. I finally
got to meet Sean but Brett didn’t make the con. Sean introduced me to the most famous
personality in RPG podcasts the man himself Jason Hobbs as well as a bunch of
other BS Gamers, sorry I didn’t remember all of your names. I finally got to
meet up with the Grumpy Wizard aka Travis Miller. I’ll keep an eye out to join one
of your S&W games at the next con. Lastly, I got to talk to Doug Kovacs and
Brendan LaSalle in the dealer hall both nice guys.
Loot
I picked up some DCC and Hyperborea modules as well as the Swords & Wizardry and Tome of Adventure Design.
Final Thoughts
As I look back my friend Drew said it best that first day, “I’m
walking around thinking …. I don’t know anyone, but I know everyone!” I
totally had that same feeling. I listen to the Podcasts, watch the YouTube videos,
and read the blogs. All these content creators share a little bit of themselves
in their work and you end up feeling like you know them. To some up my first
Gamehole Con experience I’d have to agree with Travis “I think I found my people”.
It was great meeting you. I hope you have an much fun keeping in touch online and future conventions!
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