Gen Con 2019 Video Blitz 1: Pathfinder 2.0 W/Erik Mona and Jason Bulmahn

 Featured, Gaming News, Gen Con 2019, Paizo Publishing, Pathfinder Second Edition  Comments Off on Gen Con 2019 Video Blitz 1: Pathfinder 2.0 W/Erik Mona and Jason Bulmahn
Aug 012019
 

In this Gen Con Video Blitz Matt caught up with Paizo and chatted about Pathfinder Second Edition with Erik Mona and Jason Bulmahn. We chat about the 3 action economy, beasts empowering GM’s, combat and multiclassing.

I am so happy that this is now our game!

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 Posted by at 10:45 PM

Gen Con 2019 block party!

 Gen Con 2019  Comments Off on Gen Con 2019 block party!
Jul 052019
 

Are you ready for Block Party? Gen Con’s outdoor presence on Georgia St. and South St. runs all convention long, featuring the Sun King Beer Garden and over 65 food trucks! 

On Wednesday at 6 pm, Sun King will tap BREWTRON 9000, this year’s official Gen Con 2019 brew! Join the party from 6 pm – 10 pm, featuring music provided by Indy local DJ Helicon!

Food trucks this year will run three shifts:

  • Breakfast (Thursday – Sunday): 8 am – 10 am
  • Lunch (Thursday – Sunday): 11 am – 4 pm
  • Dinner (Thursday – Saturday): 5 pm – 10 pm

The Sun King Beer Garden (21+ only), will be open 5 pm – 10 pm on Wednesday, and noon – 10 pm on Thursday – Saturday!

Plus, check out our official food and beverage partners: HotBox Pizza, Quills Coffee, Burger Study, and Wild Bill’s Soda Pop!

 Posted by at 5:00 PM

Gen Con Expands Gen Con TV Streaming Video Program with New Shows

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Jun 242019
 
Gen Con Expands Gen Con TV Streaming Video Program with New Shows

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEATTLE (June 21, 2019) — Gen Con, the largest and longest-running tabletop gaming convention in North America, expands its Gen Con TV streaming video program with new shows. Gen Con TV, a year-round streaming video program launched in January 2019, features tabletop gaming news, live gaming, interviews, and more. Shows are streamed live on Twitch, where fans can watch and chat in real time, often interacting with the shows’ hosts; episodes are then posted for on-demand viewing on YouTube.

“Livestreaming has become a huge driver of the growth of tabletop gaming culture, connecting fans across the world and attracting new audiences by making the hobby more accessible to newcomers,” said Kristen Jensen, Gen Con’s Marketing Manager. “We’re excited to connect with Gen Con fans year-round, both in Indianapolis and around the world, through our Gen Con TV streaming video channels, and can’t wait to share our plans for future content as the program grows.”

After launching in January 2019 with weekly tabletop gaming news show TableTakes and live gaming program Game Night, Gen Con TV has expanded its schedule with new programming including Fireside with Peter Adkison, an interview show focused on the history of tabletop gaming.

TableTakes, Presented by Gen Con, is a tabletop gaming news and culture talk show, streamed live each Friday from Gen Con’s studio in Seattle. The show is hosted by game designer Emma Larkins (Heartcatchers, …and then we died), actor and director Christian Doyle (Zombie Orpheus Entertainment), Gen Con Senior Event & Program Manager Derek Guder, and geek-culture streaming personality Banzai.

Game Night with The Brothers Murph is a weekly live-gaming show with brothers Mike and Nick Murphy, who play a variety of board and card games live on air while interacting with their audience in Twitch chat.

Fireside with Peter Adkison is a live interview show focused on gaming history, investigating games and movements influential to tabletop gaming’s development. This season, Adkison, the founder of Wizards of the Coast and current Gen Con owner, traces the inception and early years of Magic: The Gathering, featuring interviews with key contributors to the creation, growth, and success of the popular trading-card game.

Gen Con launched convention-long streaming of events on Twitch at the Gen Con 2018 convention in Indianapolis, netting more than 300,000 unique viewers of its programming with more than three million minutes of watched footage during the four-day event. Convention streaming will return at this year’s convention, across three Twitch channels featuring Main Stage events, live gaming with popular tabletop streamers, and game previews and interviews from publishers and designers.

Gen Con returns to Indianapolis August 1-4, 2019.

About Gen Con

Gen Con is the largest and longest-running annual event devoted to tabletop gaming culture in North America. The convention, which began in 1968 in Lake Geneva, WI, attracts 70,000 attendees and 520 exhibiting companies each year. During the convention, attendees choose from 17,000 ticketed events representing a wide array of board games, card games, roleplaying games, seminars, entertainment events, and more. Gen Con takes place each August in the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, and surrounding downtown hotel spaces in Indianapolis, IN.

 Posted by at 5:55 PM

Monte Cook and Shanna Germain Announced as Gen Con 2019 Industry Guests of Honor

 Gen Con 2019  Comments Off on Monte Cook and Shanna Germain Announced as Gen Con 2019 Industry Guests of Honor
May 242019
 
Monte Cook and Shanna Germain Announced as Gen Con 2019 Industry Guests of Honor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS (May 22, 2019) — Gen Con, the largest and longest-running tabletop gaming convention in North America, announces Monte Cook and Shanna Germain as Gen Con 2019 Industry Guests of Honor. Each will host a seminar event during this year’s convention, and both will participate in an “Uncommon Conversation” main stage speaking event moderated by veteran game designer Tyler Bielman.

“We’re very excited to present our Industry Guests of Honor for Gen Con 2019,” said Jeannette LeGault, Gen Con’s Senior Director of Event Programming. “Monte and Shanna have years of experience and influence in the tabletop gaming industry, and we’re honored to host them on our stage to share their knowledge and insight with attendees.”

All three Industry Guest of Honor events will be streamed live on Gen Con’s Twitch channel during the convention, and posted afterward on YouTube for on-demand viewing.

Gen Con returns to Indianapolis August 1-4, 2019.

About Gen Con

Gen Con is the largest and longest-running annual event devoted to tabletop gaming culture in North America. The convention, which began in 1968 in Lake Geneva, WI, attracts 70,000 attendees and 520 exhibiting companies each year. During the convention, attendees choose from 17,000 ticketed events representing a wide array of board games, card games, roleplaying games, seminars, entertainment events, and more. Gen Con takes place each August in the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, and surrounding downtown hotel spaces in Indianapolis, IN.

About Monte Cook

Over his 30-year career, Monte Cook has written hundreds of roleplaying game products, along with numerous short stories, novels, nonfiction titles, and comic books. Best known for his work on such notable titles as Planescape, the 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons (co-designed with Jonathan Tweet and Skip Williams), Numenera, the Cypher System, and Invisible Sun, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. Monte currently works as Creative Director of Monte Cook Games. More information can be found at montecookgames.com.

About Shanna Germain

Shanna Germain’s award-winning body of work encompasses stories, games, poems, and essays, about lust, lies, and leviathans. Her best-known work includes Predation, No Thank You, Evil!, As Kinky as You Wanna Be, The Lure of Dangerous Women, and The Poison Eater. The co-owner of Monte Cook Games, she’s currently hard at work on a fantasy novel about drunken gods and sticky notes, a roleplaying game about fairy tales and madness, and a cookie recipe that she hopes will bring all the puppies to her yard. More information can be found at shannagermain.com.

Media Contact for Gen Con

Stacia Kirby, (206) 363-1492, stacia@kirbycomm.com

 Posted by at 5:53 PM

Tanya DePass and Steve Kenson Announced as 2019 Gen Con Insights Speakers

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May 242019
 
Tanya DePass and Steve Kenson Announced as 2019 Gen Con Insights Speakers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS (May 10, 2019) — Gen Con, the largest and longest-running tabletop gaming convention in North America, announces Tanya DePass and Steve Kenson as its 2019 Gen Con Insights speakers. Each will deliver a short talk in front of a live convention audience, to be streamed live on the convention’s Twitch channel and made available afterward on YouTube.

“Tabletop gaming has become much more accessible to a wider audience in recent years, in part due to the availability of high-quality podcasts, livestreams, and other content made by passionate fans,” said Jeannette LeGault, Gen Con’s Senior Director of Event Programming. “Insights is our contribution to that conversation, providing talks about big ideas in gaming in a concise format with high production values.”

The Insights speakers for this year were selected as key contributors to the ongoing conversation about diversity in gaming, and are presented under the Insights theme for 2019, “Diversity by Design.”

Launched in 2018, Gen Con Insights is an initiative committed to sharing the stories and ideas that matter in tabletop gaming through the production, recording, and sharing of premiere speaking experiences. Previous Insights talks are available to view on demand on Gen Con’s YouTube channel.

Gen Con returns to Indianapolis August 1-4, 2019.

About Gen Con

Gen Con is the largest and longest-running annual event devoted to tabletop gaming culture in North America. The convention, which began in 1968 in Lake Geneva, WI, attracts 70,000 attendees and 520 exhibiting companies each year. During the convention, attendees choose from 17,000 ticketed events representing a wide array of board games, card games, roleplaying games, seminars, entertainment events, and more. Gen Con takes place each August in the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, and surrounding downtown hotel spaces in Indianapolis, IN.

About Tanya DePass

Tanya DePass (she/her) is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a non-profit organization based in Chicago dedicated to the better diversification of all aspects of gaming. She’s also part of Rivals of Waterdeep, a Dungeons & Dragons show on twitch.tv/dnd that features all POC and some LGBTQIA cast members. She often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality, and other topics at conventions. Her writing appears in Uncanny Magazine, Polygon, Vice Gaming, and other publications.

About Steve Kenson

Steve Kenson (he/him/his) began working in the tabletop RPG industry in 1992, freelancing for FASA Corporation. Since then, he has written well over fifty books and contributed to or co-authored many more. His 1999 Shadowrun novel Crossroads featured a gay protagonist, and Steve helped to launch the popular “Queer as a Three-Sided Die” panel on LGBTQ topics in tabletop gaming at Gen Con.

Media Contact for Gen Con

Stacia Kirby, (206) 363-1492, stacia@kirbycomm.com

 Posted by at 5:52 PM

Gen Con Announces Pop-Up Convention Activations in US Game Stores

 Gen Con 2019  Comments Off on Gen Con Announces Pop-Up Convention Activations in US Game Stores
May 242019
 
Gen Con Announces Pop-Up Convention Activations in US Game Stores

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS (May 3, 2019) — Gen Con, the largest and longest-running tabletop gaming convention in North America, announces Pop-Up Gen Con, a new retail initiative bringing the convention experience to local game stores across the United States during Gen Con 2019 this August.

“We’re excited to bring the Gen Con experience to more tabletop gaming fans than ever before through our new Pop-Up Gen Con program,” said Gen Con President David Hoppe. “Local game stores that combine community space with traditional retail are the heart of the hobby, and we’re proud to be a part of that by connecting with gamers nationwide.”

In partnership with Alliance Game Distributors, the pilot-year program will deliver pre-release copies of new games from major publishers to participating stores, giving Pop-Up Gen Con attendees the opportunity to play and pre-order convention-release games before they hit the market.

“As a leader in the hobby game business, we are excited to be working with the clear leader on the hobby game convention circuit,” said Mike Webb, VP of Marketing for Alliance Game Distributors. “The opportunity to bring a slice of the excitement of Gen Con to Friendly Local Game Stores around the country is a dream come true.”

In the pilot year of the Pop-Up Gen Con program, activations will occur at approximately 40 game stores across the United States. In-store experiences will offer space to play pre-release copies of the featured games, and video content will be streamed live from the Indiana Convention Center.

“Gen Con has been the most influential gaming convention in the world for decades. Many gamers look at attending the show as a bucket-list event,” said Travis Severance, Owner of popular Rochester, NY game store Millennium Games. “Having the opportunity to bring a little taste of that to local customers is a great opportunity and a huge honor. We look forward to an exciting premier year and many more to come.”

Information about participating stores, featured games, and attendee registration will be announced in the coming months on the Gen Con website. Pop-Up Gen Con registration will be available for a small fee and include a commemorative badge and an exclusive pin.

Gen Con returns to Indianapolis (and comes to a store near you) August 1-4, 2019.

About Gen Con

Gen Con is the largest and longest-running annual event devoted to tabletop gaming culture in North America. The convention, which began in 1968 in Lake Geneva, WI, attracts 70,000 attendees and 520 exhibiting companies each year. During the convention, attendees choose from 17,000 ticketed events representing a wide array of board games, card games, roleplaying games, seminars, entertainment events, and more. Gen Con takes place each August in the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, and surrounding downtown hotel spaces in Indianapolis, IN.

Media Contact for Gen Con

Stacia Kirby, (206) 363-1492, stacia@kirbycomm.com

 Posted by at 5:51 PM

Cherie Priest Announced as Gen Con’s 2019 Author Guest of Honor

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Apr 242019
 
Cherie Priest Announced as Gen Con’s 2019 Author Guest of Honor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS (April 12, 2019) Gen Con, the largest and longest-running tabletop gaming convention in North America, has named Locus Award-winning and Hugo Award-nominated author Cherie Priest as the event’s 2019 Author Guest of Honor. Ms. Priest will take part in several events as part of the convention’s Writer’s Symposium program, including book signings and appearances.

“We are very happy to announce Cherie Priest as our 2019 Author Guest of Honor,” said Jeannette LeGault, Gen Con’s Senior Director of Event Programming. “Fans of her many popular and award-winning books will get the chance to meet her at this year’s convention, and new fans will have an opportunity to discover the worlds imagined in her work for the first time.”

The convention features a wide range of programming for fans and authors of speculative fiction, including Authors’ Avenue in the exhibit hall and the extensive offering of seminars and events that make up the Writer’s Symposium. Specific details about events will be released in the event catalog on the convention’s website in early May.

Gen Con returns to Indianapolis August 1-4, 2019.

About Gen Con

Gen Con is the largest and longest-running annual event devoted to tabletop gaming culture in North America. The convention, which began in 1968 in Lake Geneva, WI, attracts 70,000 attendees and 500 exhibiting companies each year. During the convention, attendees choose from 17,000 ticketed events representing a wide array of board games, card games, roleplaying games, seminars, entertainment events, and more. Gen Con takes place each August in the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, and surrounding downtown hotel spaces in Indianapolis, IN.

About Cherie Priest

Cherie Priest is the author of nearly two dozen books and novellas, most recently BrimstoneThe Family PlotI Am Princess XChapelwood, and the Philip K. Dick Award nominee Maplecroft; but she is perhaps best known for the steampunk pulp adventures of the Clockwork Century, beginning with Boneshaker. Her works have been nominated for the Hugo and Nebula awards for science fiction, and have won the Locus Award (among others) – and over the years, they’ve been translated into nine languages in eleven countries. Cherie lives in Seattle, WA, with her husband and a menagerie of exceedingly photogenic pets. More information can be found at www.cheriepriest.com.

Media Contact for Gen Con

Stacia Kirby, (206) 363-1492, stacia@kirbycomm.com

 Posted by at 5:50 PM

Emily Fiegenschuh, Ralph Horsley, Omar Rayyan Announced as Gen Con’s 2019 Featured Artists

 Gen Con 2019  Comments Off on Emily Fiegenschuh, Ralph Horsley, Omar Rayyan Announced as Gen Con’s 2019 Featured Artists
Mar 242019
 
Emily Fiegenschuh, Ralph Horsley, Omar Rayyan Announced as Gen Con’s 2019 Featured Artists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS (March 15, 2019) Gen Con, the largest and longest-running tabletop game convention in North America, has named Emily Fiegenschuh, Ralph Horsley, and Omar Rayyan as Featured Artists in the convention’s 2019 Art Show program. As Featured Artists, the three recipients will showcase their works in a dedicated space in the Art Show section of the Exhibit Hall during all four days of the convention.

“We are excited to announce our three Featured Artists for Gen Con’s 2019 Art Show,” said Barbara Fisher, Gen Con’s Art Show Manager. “The quality of their work and their ongoing contributions to the gaming industry exemplify what the Art Show is about and how it has grown over the years.”

The Art Show showcases more than 80 artists working in fantasy, sci-fi, comics, horror, and gaming illustration.

Gen Con returns to Indianapolis August 1-4, 2019.

About Gen Con

Gen Con is the largest and longest-running annual event devoted to tabletop gaming culture in North America. The convention, which began in 1968 in Lake Geneva, WI, attracts 70,000 attendees and 500 exhibiting companies each year. During the convention, attendees choose from 17,000 ticketed events representing a wide array of board games, card games, roleplaying games, seminars, entertainment events, and more. Gen Con takes place each August in the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, and surrounding downtown hotel spaces in Indianapolis, IN.

About Emily Fiegenschuh

Emily Fiegenschuh’s freelance career began with illustrations for the 3.5 Edition Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual II, which kicked off a decade of illustrating for Wizards of the Coast. Emily has also illustrated for Paizo, Inc., Cricket Magazine, Inhabit Media, IMPACT Books, and Llewellyn Worldwide, and her artwork has appeared in Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art. For more information, visit www.e-figart.com.

About Ralph Horsley

Ralph Horsley is based in Leeds, UK. His favored medium is oils, and he is known for his complex and detailed compositions. Throughout a career that spans three decades, he has worked on Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, World of Warcraft, and Warhammer. For more information, visit www.ralphhorsley.co.uk.

About Omar Rayyan

Having created illustrations for many publishers, including Simon & Schuster, Random House, and Hyperion/Disney, Omar’s primary output has comprised cover and interior illustrations in children’s and young adult’s magazine and books. His illustration work in the gaming market notably includes Magic: The Gathering, where he has done card art and concept work. For more information, visit www.studiorayyan.com

Media Contact for Gen Con

Stacia Kirby, (206) 363-1492, stacia@kirbycomm.com

 Posted by at 5:48 PM

Gen Con Selects Game to Grow and Special Olympics Indiana as Charity Partners for 2019 Convention

 Gen Con 2019  Comments Off on Gen Con Selects Game to Grow and Special Olympics Indiana as Charity Partners for 2019 Convention
Dec 242018
 
Gen Con Selects Game to Grow and Special Olympics Indiana as Charity Partners for 2019 Convention

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS (December 13, 2018) Gen Con, the largest and longest-running tabletop game convention in North America, has chosen Game to Grow and Special Olympics Indiana as its Official Charity Partners for 2019. Since moving to Indianapolis in 2003, the annual convention has raised more than $300,000 for its charity partners.

“We are proud to partner with these two worthy organizations, who share a core belief with our attendees: the idea that coming together around a shared passion can build community, provide opportunity, and enrich lives,” said David Hoppe, president of Gen Con.

As part of this agreement, both organizations will receive proceeds from Gen Con’s 2019 fundraising efforts, including longstanding charity events such as an auction, a balloon sculpture, and the popular “Cardhalla,” a mass destruction of giant playing card structures.

“Like sports, the games celebrated by Gen Con have the power to unite and to break down barriers while providing outlets for creativity, competition, and joy,” said Scott Furnish, senior director of development at Special Olympics Indiana. “Special Olympics exists to provide similar opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, both on and off the playing field. As we commemorate 50 years of changing lives in Indiana through the transformative power of sports, we are proud to partner with Gen Con and thrilled to be featured as an official Charity Partner for the 2019 Convention.”

Gen Con held its 51st annual convention in 2018, attracting over 60,000 attendees and 520 exhibiting companies. The event’s diverse programming, including more than 17,000 individual ticketed events, encompasses the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, outdoor activations on Georgia St. and South St., and many surrounding downtown hotels.

“Gen Con is a perfect example of how games can build and strengthen community,” said Adam Davis, Executive Director of Game to Grow. “Game to Grow’s services, using RPGs to help kids and teens build social skills, is built on the amazing power of games not only to develop and reinforce friendships, but also to help us as individuals to learn, grow, and change. We are honored to be partnering with Gen Con, as it will allow us to help more kids and families and serve our mission to raise awareness about the life-enriching power of intentional gaming.”

Gen Con returns to Indianapolis August 1-4, 2019. Badges will go on sale on January 13, 2019.

About Gen Con LLC

Gen Con LLC produces the largest consumer hobby, fantasy, science fiction, and adventure game convention in North America, Gen Con, The Best Four Days in Gaming!™. Founded in 1968 and acquired in 2002 by founder and former CEO of Wizards of the Coast, Peter Adkison, the company is headquartered in Seattle and takes place each August in Indianapolis.

About Special Olympics Indiana

Special Olympics Indiana is a nonprofit organization that is a part of the global Special Olympics movement, using sport, health, education, and leadership programs every day around the world to end discrimination against and empower people with intellectual disabilities. Founded in 1969, Special Olympics Indiana has grown to more than 16,000 athletes and unified partners in virtually every county throughout the state. With the support of nearly 10,000 coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics Indiana provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in more than 20 Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities at no cost to the participants. Learn more by visiting www.soindiana.org.

About Game to Grow

Game to Grow is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2017 on the belief that games of all kinds have the power to improve people’s lives. Game to Grow’s weekly therapeutic social skills groups help young people become more confident, creative, and socially capable using tabletop games, most notably Dungeons and Dragons. The founders and lead facilitators Adam Davis and Adam Johns use their years of experience in couple and family therapy, drama therapy, and education to promote social growth among youth in a fun, safe environment. Game to Grow also works to spread the intentional application of games by traveling to speak at public conventions and academic conferences. The founders provide training and consultation services so that other therapists, educators, and community organizers can use the beneficial power of intentional gaming in their own communities, around the country and around the world.

Media Contact for Gen Con LLC

Stacia Kirby, (206) 363-1492, stacia@kirbycomm.com

 Posted by at 5:37 PM

Flip Through: Pathfinder Playtest (2nd ed)

 Featured, Flip Through, Gen Con 2018, Paizo Publishing, Pathfinder  Comments Off on Flip Through: Pathfinder Playtest (2nd ed)
Aug 282018
 

In this Flip Through Matt takes a look at the Pathfinder Playtest core book.  He makes note of many of the changes and new design.  Much of the book is about Character Creation.

This is my first thoughts on the Pathfinder Playtest book. I hope to be able to go more in depth next week (August 30 2018).

 Posted by at 5:52 PM