One week from today, I'll be heading to Indianapolis to Gen Con for the first time in 20 years. The one and only time I've attended Gen Con was in 2004, and I am stoked to go back.
This year, I am attending as a member of the press, so I am really excited to get some behind-the-scenes info and interviews I can share with you when I return. Gen Con is the biggest tabletop convention in the world, so I have to pick and choose what I can spend time on.
There are literally too many games there to see anything but a small fraction. Here's my game plan and what you can expect from me in the week(s) after I return.
D&D's 50th Anniversary
It's no big surprise that D&D is going to be huge at this Gen Con. It's not only D&D's 50th anniversary, but it's also Gen Con 50th, too.
Top of the list is the 2024 update to Dungeons & Dragons. I've been vocal in the past about the changes during playtesting that I didn't like, but the things I've seen so far from the previews on D&D Beyond are pretty good (especially the 2024 Sorcerer).
I am also more than a little excited to have a chance to get the special Gen Con editions of the new core rulebooks. Cross your fingers for me, y'all.
What I am most excited about, though, is getting to attend some pre-con events with the D&D creative team, see some new stuff, even get to talk with and get to know some of them. I am so excited that I could burst.
While I don't have any scheduled at the moment, I am sure I will also hop into some D&D pick up games while I am there, too. I mean, I kind of have to, don't I?
Free League Publishing at Gen Con
It should come as no surprise to anyone that I am a huge Free League fan. Their games are spectacular, and I've been GMing a Dragonbane campaign for months now, and it's still going strong.
I have also GM'd CY_BORG and Pirate Borg, and I still hold that CY_BORG is one of the best TTRPGs out there, both in terms of mechanics and atmosphere. It's simply amazing, and you should pick it up immediately.
With that in mind, there's a new CY_BORG expansion coming out later this year, and the next Dragonbane title is called Path of Glory. I have read through a lot of a pre-release version of it, and I am already working my players toward it. It's really good, and I can't wait to actually get further into the plot rather than simply planting seeds and setting out breadcrumbs.
I have an interview with Tomas Härenstam on Friday, though I am not sure if I am going to be able to record it. Regardless, I can't wait to talk shop with him to really find out what's in the works for the studio and the games that have really become just as close to my heart as any other RPG ever has.
I also can't wait to talk to him about the Dragonbane novel that is not getting an English translation.
(Even then, I am still going to buy it for the art and just to have it in my collection.)
Writer's Symposium
The best thing about Gen Con is that it's not just for players. It's for writers and creators, too. There's a whole track dedicated to writing games and speculative fiction, and I have a lot of these sessions on my schedule, too.
I've written novels before, and I honestly miss it. So I've been writing a lot lately, and these sessions are perfectly timed for me to get a lot out of them professionally.
Wink wink, nudge nudge: You can buy my existing novels on Amazon, Audible, or anywhere else you get your ebooks.
I've been writing a lot lately. Mainly on a cyberpunk novel that's kind of like Shadowrun, but reversed–the fantasy world of magic, ogres, trolls, etc., has reached dystopian tech levels rather than fantasy invading modern society, and now the world itself is fighting back. It's a fun one to write, and it might actually end up being hopepunk instead of cyberpunk by the time I'm finished.
The writing sessions are sure to help me with those and other RPG projects I'm working on, such as a Duck Tales-like adventure for Dragonbane where the characters crash on an island populated by Mallards that's being threatened by a supposedly dormant volcano that's coming back to life because of a lava dragon named Quackzacoatl.
More to Come
I am sure there's a thousand other things that will be going on during convention week, and I will do my best to keep y'all updated. Most likely on Instagram and Threads (@bjk.games) and potentially some on Twitter.
Are you going to Gen Con this year? What are you looking forward to the most? What do you have planned?
[…] Tuesday morning, I set out for the 7-hour drive to Indianapolis, Indiana to attend Gen Con and take part in the 50th anniversary celebration of Dungeons & Dragons and cover a lot of other […]