Interactive GenCon 2011 Exhibit Hall Map

In case you haven’t caught it on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook, I’ve taken the liberty to create an interactive map of the GenCon 2011 Exhibit Hall. You can drag and zoom (using the mouse wheel or the up/down arrow keys) the map and when you rollover a booth, it displays the name of the vendor located there. If you click on the booth, it will take you to the vendor’s website (or GenCon.com if a website could not be found).

I’m hoping this will help everyone in aiding with finding, discovering, and planning this GenCon.

Listening to: Ramin Djawadi - Game of Thrones OST – North of the Wall

GenCon

Last night GenCon released the Exhibitor List & Map^[1] so future attendees can see where their favorite game companies will be positioned in the new expansion. That’s right, this year’s exhibit hall will not be in the same place as last year, but rather in the shiny new areas along Capitol Street. GenCon even made a video to walk you through the new area.

Exhibitor List (PDF)

GenCon 2011 Exhibitor Map

Listening to: Passenger – Passenger – In My Head

References

[1] GenCon Community – Exhibitor News Post

I voted, have you?

The 2010 ENnies Awards at GenCon should be called the Year of Pathfinder. While the very awesome Year of the Shadow Lodge event was taking place at Pathfinder Society, Paizo took home 12 awards (10 Gold and 2 Silver and totally swept the Best Monster/Adversary category) and non-Paizo Pathfinder related products took earned Pathfinder another 3 (KW, City Guide, & d20PFSRD) awards for a total of 14 Gold and 3 Silver ENnies! In fact, only a single product from Paizo, Campaign Coins, didn’t place.

The ENnies began with a special a Special Recognition Award to DTRPG for their efforts raising money for Haitian relief… which really recognizes the charity of all the gamers that bought the Haiti Bundle that allowed DriveThru to donate to the cause.

The following is the list of award winners. I’ve bolded winners that matched my picks, but congratulations to all the winners!

Fan’s Choice Best Publisher

Gold Paizo Publishing

Silver Fantasy Flight Games

Product of the Year

Gold Pathfinder

Silver Eclipse Phase

Best Game

Gold Pathfinder

Silver Shadowrun 20th Anniversary Edition

Best Supplement

Gold Mysteries of the Hollow Earth

Silver Player’s Handbook 3

Best Setting

Gold Day After Ragnarok

Silver Rome: Life & Death in the Republic

Best Monster/Adversary

Gold Pathfinder Bestiary

Silver Pathfinders Classic Monsters Revisited

Best Adventure

Gold Pathfinder Adventure Path #31: Stolen Land

Silver Trail of Cthulhu:  The Armitage Files

Best Regalia

Gold Cthulhu 101

Silver Battletech: 25 Years of Art & Fiction

Best Miniatures Product

Gold D&D Minis

Silver Gaming Paper

Best Aid/Accessory

Gold Pathfinder GM Screen

Silver Gaming Paper

Best Electronic Book

Gold The Great City Player’s Guide

Silver Pathfinder Society #29:The Devil We Know, Part 1: Shipyard Rats

Best Free Product

Gold Advanced Player’s Guide Playtest

Silver Lady Blackbird

Best Rules

Gold Diaspora

Silver Hero 6th Edition

Best Writing

Gold Eclipse Phase

Silver Victoriana 2nd Edition

Best Production Values

Gold Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook

Silver Shadowrun 20th Anniversary

Best Cartography

Gold Pathfinder City Map Folio

Silver Aces & Eights: Judas Crossing

Best Interior Art

Gold Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook

Silver Shadowrun 20th Anniversary

Best Cover Art

Gold Pathfinder Bestiary

Silver Eclipse Phase

Best Blog

Gold Kobold Quarterly

Silver Gnome Stew

Best Podcast

Gold Atomic Array

Silver All Games Considered

Best Website

Gold Obsidian Portal

Silver d20pfsrd.com

Listening to: Fear Factory – Obsolete – Edgecrusher

IUPUI School of Informatics

My alma mater, Indiana University – Purdue University of Indianapolis, returns to GenCon this year. Not only are doing a bunch of workshops and seminars concerning making video games, they are also hosting a FREE offsite (four blocks away) event with Tracy Hickman.

Tracy will be doing a dinner version of his infamous (and sold out) “Killer Breakfast.” And did I mention it’s FREE? So if you wanted to get in on some of the TPK action, here’s your chance! Following the “Killer Dinner,” Tracy will be giving a seminar about the future of fantasy literature and his new project, Dragonsbard.

Press Release:

The IUPUI GenCon Extravaganza returns, building on last year’s smashing start with a full, FREE evening of GenCon “afterparty” activity on the IUPUI campus. Sponsored by the IU School of Informatics, our mission is to celebrate games and gamers at IUPUI, in Indianapolis and beyond!

IUPUI students, Indianapolis residents and gaming enthusiasts everywhere are invited. All attendees must be age 16 or older, unless accompanied by an adult. Did we mention it’s FREE? Join our community on Facebook.

This year’s event features a special “Killer Dinner” by New York Times best-selling fantasy author Tracy Hickman, along with his wife and partner Laura! “Killer Dinner” is a spinoff of Hickman’s wildly popular “Killer Breakfast” series of wacky, no-holds barred improvisational role playing games with show-stopping musical numbers. The best part? YOU get to play along as one of the stars! No actual dinner is served.

Hickman will follow his role play by speaking about his revolutionary new project “Dragonsbard” and the future of fantasy literature. He will also do a Q&A session with the audience.

Seating for the Hickman features is limited to the first 200 guests.

The Extravaganza’s other events include a standard-rule Magic the Gathering tournament, Cosplay and costume contest with prizes. The costume contest is open only to IUPUI students with ID at this time.

PARKING: Those without a valid IUPUI parking permit are invited to use campus parking garages.

Official Schedule of Events

6 p.m. – Doors open

6 p.m. – 8 p.m. – Magic the Gathering Tournament (Standard rules)

7 p.m. – 8 p.m. – Costume Contest Registration

8 p.m. – 9 p.m. – Tracy & Laura Hickman “Killer Dinner – Dragonlance Musical” *

9 p.m. – 10 p.m. – Tracy Hickman on his new project “Dragonsbard” and the future of fantasy literature. Will include Q&A opportunity.

10 p.m. – Costume Contest Voting and Prizes

10 p.m. – 11 p.m. – Costume Play (CosPlay)

Listening to: Prong – Rude Awakening – Controller

This article was originally publish August 3^rd, 2009.

Gen Con

I know most gamers who converge upon at the Crossroads of America in Indianapolis for GenCon rarely have time to do anything else but game, talk about games, or shop for games. However, just in case any of my readers have some free time, arrive early, or leave later, I am writing a series of articles that present attractions and events that might pique your interest. This second article of the series deals with the local hobby game scene as well other types of gaming.

HOBBY GAMING

First up are Indianapolis’ friendly local gaming stores. These stores serve as hubs for the local hobby gaming community and we’re lucky enough to have several fine establishments in the area.

Arsenal Game Room

Indy’s only downtown location dedicated to hobby gaming. The Arsenal not only has three themed game rooms (dungeon, back alley, and board rooms) but they also have a cafe that offers modestly priced food (I recommend Troy’s pulled pork sandwich). It may actually be the cheapest place to grab a bit to eat in the immediate vicinity. A buddy of mine, Mr. Givens, has secured the Arsenal for a couple of old WoD LARPs he is currently running. The Vampire game is held every 2nd Saturday and the Werewolf game is held every 4th Saturday.

If you are looking for a decent place to play outside of the con, I recommend you check out the Arsenal and see if you can set up in the board room.

Downtown Comics

Downtown Commics has been around for 15 years, and is a very established geek hangout. Though not only focused on gaming, Downtown Comics does support a lot gaming, and they have an annual post-GenCon Heroclix Big Battle (1200pts). Also, since they are celebrating their 15th Anniversary during GenCon, you can get in on some special deals (check out their website for more information).

Gamerz

Not far to the south, in the suburb of Greenwood, is Gamerz. It is a fairly new addition to the hobby community and has recently changed proprietors. Though it is new, I believe it is making excellent strides in providing gamers a friendly place to network and organize events. Gamerz is often the meeting place of the Indy Gamers meetup group (boasts 413 members on their site) Last I checked, they were also gearing up to open a new cyber cafe for LAN and online gaming.

Games to Die For

Located north of the airport in Indy’s west side suburb of Avon, Games 2d4 is also a new fixture in the local gaming scene. I haven’t been there recently, but the store was heavily focused on wargames (and there is certainly nothing wrong with that) when I visited. In fact, I picked up my Lich Lord Terminus from Games to Die for while I was there (it was after the price increase by Privateer Press, but it still sported a pre-increase price tag).

The Game Preserve

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention The Game Preserve. TGP is a local mainstay and it has been around as long as I can remember (the original store being established in 1980). It now has four locations: Keystone Crossing Fashion Mall (northeast), Greenwood (south), Bloomington, and West Lafeyette. So not only does The Game Preserve serve the Indianapolis area gamers, but it is also an icon for the two largest universities in Indiana (IU & Purdue). The Game Preserve locations in Indy are small but pack a lot of merchandise.

NON-HOBBY GAMING

If you scratch a tabletop gamer, you’ll often find pixels. Many hobby gamers also play video games, albeit just to fill the downtime between being at the table. I’ve also included action pursuit gaming, because who doesn’t like live-action wargaming? Besides, sometimes you need to get off your rear and move around.

Gameworks

Gameworks Studio is located on the 4th level of the Circle Centre Mall and is your typical arcade. I mourn the old Mechwarrior pods that used to be located here, but there are plenty of the newest generation arcade games here to throw your quarters at.

Xscape

Xscape offers many of the same arcade games as Gameworks, but adds additional amusement attractions like bowling, bumper cars, and go karts. It is located further north off I-65 on Lafeyette Road. They also have more variety in food.

Jillian’s

Is a three-level sport’s bar located in downtown Indianapolis. The first level is primarily sports events presented in hi-def (and the best place to sit and eat), the second floor has over 100 video games, and the 3rd floor is bowling and billiards.

Dave & Buster’s

D&B’s just got an Indianapolis location, situated on the northeast side in Castleton. It is a nationwide (located in Canada too) restuarant, bar, and arcade. I haven’t been there yet, but I have heard good things.

Mission Control

Located west of the airport in Plainfield, Mission Control is one of the few gaming cafes in the Indianapolis area that I am aware of. I know for sure that they have Xbox 360 and PC gaming available. Mission Control’s claim to fame was that they were featured on a local news channel’s story about profanity and online gaming. At least the story offered sound advice: parental involvement!

Toxcity

Toxcity is located on the southside in Greenwood and offers 20 XBOX and 360 stations, GameCubes, PS2, Wii’s, and 12 PC stations, 4 110″ Screens, 150″ Movie Theater with 5.1 surround and hundreds of games. They also do collectable trading card games and offer all-night lock-in parties with live music.

Dark Armies

Dark Armies was my first paintball experience, and it was fantastic. DA is located in an underground warehouse and takes place in almost absolute darkness. It really exudes a post-apocalyptic/survival vibe. Especially when they send out the guy in a Predator costume (don’t know if they still do, but I hope so). In October, Dark Armies is transformed into the Necropolis haunted attraction.

White River Paintball

Located in Anderson, about 20 miles northeast of Indianapolis off of I-69, White River Paintball offers 125 acres of paintball field. They have eight signature fields: air strip, woodsball, Bedlam City, Omaha Beach, battlefield, dunes, Fort Field, and Skid Row. They offer open play, scenarios, and private parties. They also have a Pro Shop on the premises.

Want to read more about conventions? Check out this month’s well timed RPG Blog Carnival hosted by Chgowiz. Also, you can check out my other articles on GenCon.

Other GenCon Articles:

• IUPUI Events
• Pub & Restaurant Guide
• Local Museums

Listening to: Stabbing Westward - Darkest Days - Drowning

This article was originally publish July 28^th, 2009.

Gen Con

I know most gamers who converge upon at the Crossroads of America in Indianapolis for GenCon rarely have time to do anything else but game, talk about games, or shop for games. However, just in case any of my readers have some free time, arrive early, or leave later, I am writing a series of articles that present attractions and events that might pique your interest. This first article of the series deals with museums.

King Tut Exhibit from 2009

Indianapolis Children’s Museum

Distance from Downtown/Monument Circle: 2.94 miles

This is probably my favorite museum and don’t let the title fool you, adults love it too. Their boxed text says it’s a nonprofit institution committed to enriching the lives of children, is the largest children’s museum in the world. The more than 400,000-square-foot facility houses eleven major galleries that explore the physical and natural sciences, history, world cultures and the arts.

The Children’s Museum is a place to learn and do. Whenever possible, exhibits are “hands-on” or participatory in nature. The Children’s Museum strives to be one of the vital links in the lives of children as it supports their intellectual curiosity and love of learning. The museum, situated on 14 acres of land in Indianapolis, presents thousands of programs and activities each year.

You just missed the Walking with the Dinosaurs exhibit which features life-sized animatronic dinos, but you’ll still be able to catch Star Wars: The Clone Wars exhibition as well as the spectacular Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs exhibit.

Yeah, actual artifacts from King Tut’s burial chamber will be on display! Ancient Egypt is one of my favorite periods of history and their imagery automatically sends me into gamer mode. [Edit: The above exhibits were from 2009]

For 2010, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars exhibit is still there as well as theRock Stars, Cars, & Guitars exhibit. One of my favorite things to see there is the Dinosphere. If you’re in town and have any spare time, I HIGHLY recommend the Children’s Museum.

The Children’s Museum is open daily, 10 am – 5 pm.

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art

Distance from Downtown/Monument Circle: 0.57 miles

This museum, along with the neighboring Indiana State Museum, is literally right across the road from the convention center. I was always fascinated with the American West (especially the Wild West) and this place could be the ultimate source of historical inspiration for many Deadlands gamers out there. What better way is there to spice up your Wierd West campaign than with actual artifacts and cultures from the American West?

The Eiteljorg Museum is unique, one of only two museums east of the Mississippi with both Native American and Western art. Located in downtown Indianapolis, the museum is within walking distance of the Indiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium, Circle Centre mall and major downtown hotels.

The building’s distinctive design was inspired by the land, people and architecture of the American Southwest. The American Western Gallery includes works from the Taos, New Mexico Artists’ Colony, as well as pieces from such legends as Remington and Russell.

Contemporary artists who tell the story of today’s West are also represented and the Native American collection includes pottery, basketry, sculpture and other artifacts from all 10 North American native cultural areas. And it’s only getting better.

The Eiteljorg is open Monday – Saturday: 10 am – 5 pm and Sunday: Noon – 5 pm.

Indianapolis Museum of Art

Distance from Downtown/Monument Circle: 4.12 miles

Just a short drive or bus ride from downtown Indianapolis on 152 acres of gardens and grounds, the Indianapolis Museum of Art is the fifth largest general art museum in the United States, with a collection of more than 50,000 works that spans a wide range of cultures and eras.

The IMA has one of the most outstanding collections of Japanese Edo-period paintings in the nation. It also has significant holdings of African art, Chinese ceramics, West Asian rugs, fashion arts, and a rapidly growing contemporary collection from emerging and internationally renowned artists.

The IMA is open Tuesday – Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm and Thursday – Friday, 11 am – 9 pm, closed Monday.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame

Distance from Downtown/Monument Circle: 4.51 miles

I know there are some avid race fans out there in the gamer world, and Indianapolis is famous for the sport. We have the Indianpolis Motor Speedway (Home to the Indy 500 & Brickyard 400) as well the O’Reilly Raceway Park. I’ll cover racing events later, but for those racing history buffs, the Motor Speedway Hall of Fame is right up your gasoline alley.

One of the world’s largest, most varied collections of racing, classic and antique cars is housed here featuring more than 30 Indianapolis 500 winning cars. Tony Hulman Theatre presents a 20-minute film depicting the history of the track and race highlights. Bus tours around track are available when track is not in use for racing or testing.

The museum is open daily, 9 am to 5 pm.

Civil War Museum

Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum

Distance from Downtown/Monument Circle: 0.00 miles

For the wargamers and armchair war historians in the gaming community, a museum list would not be complete without something dealing with war. Recognized as one of the world’s outstanding monuments, the structure has come to symbolize both the City of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana.

The Limestone used for the monument is gray oolitic limestone from the Romona quarries of Owen County. It stands 284 feet, 6 inches high, only 15 feet shorter than the Statue of Liberty.

Located in the lower level of The Soldiers and Sailors Monument in the center of downtown Indianapolis this 9,000-square-foot exhibit explores the effects of the civil war on the people of Indiana.  A historic and unique gallery space posed challenges for the design and production that in turn enhanced the visitor experience. Large rear projected local re-enactment video engages the visitor in real war situations.

The Civil War museum is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm.

Indiana War Memorial

Indiana War Memorial

Distance from Downtown/Monument Circle: 0.39 miles

Dominating the five-block picturesque setting of War Memorial Plaza in downtown Indianapolis is the Indiana World War Memorial. Sitting 210 feet above street level, this mausoleum-style limestone and marble memorial pays homage to Hoosiers killed during World Wars I and II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

The Shrine Room, with 24 stained glass windows, is a magnificent architectural setting for the 17-by-30 foot American flag that is suspended from the center of the room. The main floor houses exhibit space, administrative offices, meeting rooms and the Pershing Auditorium. Also on this level is a listing of the names of all Hoosiers who participated in World War I and all Hoosiers who were killed or are MIA from World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

A military museum in the basement allows visitors to follow the history of Indiana soldiers from the Battle of Tippecanoe through the most recent conflicts.

The IWM is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm.

Connor Prairie

Distance from Downtown/Monument Circle: 16.5 miles

Certainly not a traditional museum, at Connor Prairie, the Smithsonian Museum Institution’s only Indiana affiliate, you’ll find that “Look, don’t touch” becomes “look, touch, smell, taste and hear.” As you explore five themed historic areas on 200 beautiful, wooded acres, you’ll discover more exciting, memorable ways to experience the past than your family or group can pack into a day.

During the days from April through October, you’ll take in the hustle and bustle of pioneer Indiana, jump in and help with chores in a Victorian farm community or hold newly hatched chicks at the Conner Homestead. Throw tomahawks in an Indian trading post and feel the thrill of soaring 350 feet above Conner Prairie’s landscape in our newest historic area, 1859 Balloon Voyage.

Did you read that? A Victorian era hot air balloon! Airship pirates-in-training apply inside.

The Prairie is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm, closed Monday.

More museums of interest.

Want to read more about conventions? Check out this month’s well timed RPG Blog Carnival hosted by Chgowiz. Also, you can check out my other articles on GenCon.

Other GenCon Articles:

• IUPUI Events
• Pub & Restaurant Guide
• Local Gaming

Listening to: Skid Row - Skid Row – Youth Gone Wild

Gen Con

Just in case anyone is wondering (and for my own reference) I am posting my group’s schedule for this year’s Gen Con. I’ve left Saturday evening free because I’m anticipating that I’ll be attending White Wolf’s infamous Gen Con Party (assuming it’s happening and/or I score an invite). Either way, I’ll be partying with my wife and some of our friends.

As you can see, my friends and I are booked solid with Pathfinder Society and a couple of quick games of D&D 4e (looking forward to experiencing some Dark Sun). Too bad Green Ronin doesn’t have an organized play arm for Mutants & Masterminds… that would be interesting.

I also might try attending the Meet & Greet at Scotty’s Brewhouse on Wednesday before the Con officially kicks off, but that remains to be determined.

While I have it listed, I’ll probably skip the ENnies this year due to scheduling conflict. The actual ceremony won’t be starting until 8 PM, and since they take more than an hour, there isn’t much sense in attending. I wish they had separated the VIP cocktail party/silent action into separate events for registration so I would have known ahead of time.

Gen Con

This article was originally posted August 3rd, 2008.

If anyone is like me, a few hours of gaming gives you an appetite. And since a lot of GenCon attendees will not be familiar will with downtown Indianapolis, I figured I would give a list of my favorite wining (or at least beer drinking) and dining locations.

With more than 260 destinations for food and beverage in the greater downtown Indy area, it may be difficult to find a decent place to grab some grub. The conveniently close restaurants like the Subway and the McDonalds (in the Hyatt basement), and Circle Centre Mall’s food court, and the Steak’n'Shake are all standing room only.

Nothing downtown is cheap because we all have to pay for that new fancy Lucas Oil stadium they are building beside the Hoosier (RCA) Dome [update: the RCA Dome has been demolished]. That’s not a joke, they actually placed an additional tax on restaurant food (which is why I’m packing my lunch). I am not going to provide directions, because that is just tedious, and because I am confident that if a gamer can figure out game mechanics, they can read a map.

I have actually been to all these establishments and give my official seal of approval on them.  If you would like to find out more about downtown Indy visit this IndyDT (though be warned about broken links and the freakin’ irritating mouse icon!).

MBL’s Top 13 Locations:

1. Ram Brewery

140 S Illinois St
(317) 955-9900
Get directions

• Food – ****
• Beer – *****
• Price – $$$
• Atmosphere – ****
• Other – Privateer Press usually make their home here.

2. The Rathskeller

401 E Michigan St.
(317) 636-0396
Get directions

• Food – ****
• Beer – ****
• Price – $$$
• Atmosphere – ****
• Other – German cuisine and beer, go to the Biergarten!

3. Spaghetti Factory

210 S Meridian St
(317) 635-6325
Get directions

• Food – ****
• Beer – *
• Price – $$$
• Atmosphere – ****
• Other -Huge portions, Excellent for the family

4. The Claddagh

3835 E 96th St
(317) 569-3663
Get directions

• Food – ****
• Beer – ****
• Price – $$$
• Atmosphere – ***
• Other – Pretty good Irish Pub, sometimes the seating can suck

5. The Arsenal Game Room & Cafe

874 Virginia Ave
(317) 822-4263
Get directions

• Food – **
• Beer – :(
• Price – $
• Atmosphere – ****
• Other – Hey, its a game store with a cafe!  No beer, but really good for snacks, open late (1am)

6. Buca di Beppo’s

7. New Bethel Ordinary

8838 Southeastern Ave
Wanamaker, IN 46239
(317) 862-5020
Get directions

• Food – ****
• Beer – *
• Price – $$$
• Atmosphere – ****
• Other – The best pizza I have ate in a while, its a little out of the way, but worth it if you have some time to burn.

8. Acapulco Joe’s
365 N Illinois St
(317) 637-5160
Get directions

• Food – ***
• Beer – ?
• Price – $$$
• Atmosphere – **
• Other – Probably the best Mexican food downtown, small, cramped, and packed

9.  Alcatraz Brewing Company

Circle Centre Mall
49 W. Maryland St. Suite 104
(317) 488-1230
Get Directions

• Food – ****
• Beer – *****
• Price – $$$
• Atmosphere – ***
• Other – I really dig the Dark Ale Smoked Ribs and their Sinister Double red belgian.

10. Scotty’s Brewhouse

1 Virginia Ave.
(317) 571-0808
Get Directions

• Food – ***
• Beer – ****
• Price – $$$
• Atmosphere – ***
• Other – They don’t offer their own brew, but they have a very wide selection of imports/micros as well as some odd mixes.

11. Slippery Noodle Inn

372 S. Meridian St.
(317) 631-6974
Get Directions

• Food – **
• Beer – ***
• Price – $$$
• Atmosphere – *****
• Other – Excellent live music and most recently recognized for their blues offerings.

It should be noted that I am a fan of hip-hop, (c)rap, or country. My interests lie in face melting guitar riffs and double kick drums.  That being said, the following bars/clubs I have actually had a good time in.

12. Howl at the Moon

20 E Georgia St
(317) 955-0300
Get directions

Dualing pianos… nuff said.

13. The Pub

30 E Georgia St # A
(317) 822-9730
Get directions

The next bar over from HatM!

Want to read more about conventions? Check out this month’s well timed RPG Blog Carnival hosted by Chgowiz. Also, you can check out my other articles on GenCon.

Other GenCon Articles:

• IUPUI Events
• Local Gaming
• Local Museums

Listening to: Tesla- Mechanical Resonance - Little Susie

GenCon

As GenCon^[1] approaches, my thoughts keep wondering about how emerging and existing technologies could be used to make the convention/event experience more enjoyable. I took a high-level look at using location-based social technology before in Leveraging Geolocation for Roleplaying Games^[2], but I wanted to explore the technology at the implementation level for gaming conventions and events.

Why Go Geosocial?

Why should gaming events even bother with adding a geosocial element to their business model? I think there are several valuable reasons to do so: free advertisement, added value, and social-space unification.

Businesses achieve free advertisement every time someone posts about them (assuming it’s positive) to their favorite social network. I personally believe traditional advertisements are becoming obsolete. The real marketing power is getting everyone to talk about your product/location (favorably). Building a game into a location-based mobile web app that broadcasts updates to social networks is a good way to do that.

I believe the most important reason to look into developing a geosocial social network is because it bridges the gap between the online and physical social-spaces. There has been a social disconnect between the two since the inception of virtual communities. Becoming too involved the virtual world creates real-life problems. It is common enough now that we have entertainment that parodies those issues (i.e. The Guild^[3]). Geosocial apps unify the virtual and actual social worlds.

Issues with Current Geosocial Apps

Foursquare

The current versions of the popular geosocial applications, Gowalla^[4] and Foursquare^[5], have limited or absent support for events. This is because they have naturally built their applications to identify permanent locations (i.e. venues), not events (recurring or otherwise limited by time). Gowalla recently added limited support for events, but they have a 12 hour limitation.

I imagine it will only be a matter of time (within the year) before both apps, or new apps, have improved support for events. For now though, it would require a partnership between the app and the event to pull off a truly engaging and useful implementation. Besides, when you’re using Foursquare to check into a location, you don’t want the search results choked full of events from the last few (or next few) years; it would make the application difficult to use in a city with an active event schedule.

A Possible Solution

Beyond coming to an agreement with the software developer of an existing application, the organizing entity of an event could develop and maintain their own application. With Foursquare’s or Gowalla’s API, the event application could even interface with those apps, taking advantage of the power of the existing software (and keep the overhead low).

I think the best solution would be to develop an application built from the ground up with time-limited events in mind. The application would detect the user’s location (either via GPS, cell tower triangulation, or IP address) find nearby venues and check for current events happening at those venues. The user would then be able to select from the listed events and check in.

Event managers would be able to tie their events to multiple locations, all of which could be active simultaneously or scheduled for different times. This feature would be useful when an event overflows from the primary venue to adjacent locations such as from a convention center to connected hotels. It would also allow managers to schedule recurring events ahead of time.

A geosocial event application should also allow for nested events. For instance, GenCon isn’t just one event; it is a collection of hundreds of events happening in different rooms of the venue (and connected locations) at different times around the clock for four days. To be truly useful, the applications should allow a user to not only check into the primary event but also the multitudes of events functioning under the umbrella of the convention.

Processing Voluminous Events

Because the accuracy of most devices are not really granular enough to recognize two tables sitting a couple of feet apart from each other in an exhibit hall, nested events become difficult to navigate through after more than a handful are occurring simultaneously. However, I see two excellent, but involved, answers to this problem.

The first answer is for event managers to provide registration information to the app. The application would cross-reference the user’s ID with events they have registered for and provide a custom list of sub-events to select from. The enterprising software developer would supply a turnkey registration system for events (upload a formatted excel spread and voila!).

The second answer would allow for more than just events requiring registration but would require more than just a user’s mobile device (until hardware manufacturers build it in). It would also require more logistical overhead of the application isn’t owned by the event itself. The event would issue RFID enabled badges and set up scanners at each event.

Precision RFID Check-in

RFID stands for Radio Frequency IDentification. It is most often used to track inventory, but it can also be used for access management and human identification. There are certainly concerns about privacy and security when employing RFID, but in this context I believe those concerns can be mitigated by not becoming too eager to embed or track any more information than necessary (userID & access level is all that is needed).

Depending on the specific RFID frequencies and scanners used, tags can be read from distances ranging from just a few inches (~2 centimeters) to more than forty feet (~12 meters). Long range readers would be useful for checking visitors into large, general areas (i.e. exhibit halls, ballrooms, & floors) while short range readers would be more effective at checking visitors in at individual booths or tables.

I can two layers of implementation here. At the macro level are scanners that cover large areas that would be most useful for the convention organizers to track. These areas would have long range scanners that are networked to a few workstation/servers operated by the convention that would process the incoming data and communicate with the event web application.

At the micro level would be the individual booth/event readers. To reduce costs, the convention could charge connection (if the vendor provides their own scanner) and/or equipment rental fees. Vendors would also have to bring their own computer (a netbook might be even be sufficient), run the communication software, and connect to the convention’s network.

A recent example implementation of such technology is the RFID enabled tags that Facebook handed out to attendees at their F8 Developer’s Conference a couple of weeks ago^[6].

Additional Benefits of RFID

Aside from the primary benefit of precision location check-in, investing in RFID would have operational benefits too. Visitors and vendors would not need to keep track of even tickets anymore; simply checking in with your badge could interface with event registration records. Access to specific levels of visitors (press, vendors, VIPs) could be managed by RFID scanners. Visitors could use their badges to get event information (such as directions on how to get there) from information kiosks. Visitors could even pay for items with system credit stored on their account and accessed by RFID.

The information gathered about visitor traffic could help convention organizers streamline and improve the layout of events. Does that free gaming lounge actually attract more visitors, or is it a waste of time, space, and equipment? Would placing two large vendors at different ends of the exhibit hall improve the flow of traffic by eliminating choke points? These are a few of the questions that could be answered using the data collected by RFID scanners.

Other Possible Features

In addition to posting information on the event application itself, updates could also be broadcast across other social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, or MySpace. The more visibility the convention (and its app) has, the better. I would also implement shared logons such as OpenID^[8] or OAuth^[9] allowing users to use their Facebook, Google, Twitter, or other accounts to log into the convention app. This would remove a barrier for many people to use the application due to their unwillingness to create yet another login.

It would also be great if users could share their experiences by uploading photos, video, audio, and by capturing public Tweets containing hash tags associated with the convention. Some very cool visualization^[10] could be programmed into this part of the application by finding associations between locations, frequency, and tags.

Listening to: Clutch – From Beale Street to Oblivion – Electric Worry

REFERENCES

[1] GenCon: The Best Four Days in Gaming

[2] Leveraging Geolocation for Roleplaying Games

[3] The Guild – A web series that spoofs a World of Warcraft gaming group

[4] Gowalla – Location-based social network

[5] Foursquare – Location-based social network

[6] F8 RFID Tags for Facebook Presence^[7]

[7] Facebook Presence

[8] OpenID – An open authentication standard

[9] OAuth – An open authentication standard

[10] Visualization – The visual representation of large collections of non-numerical data.

GenCon 2009

Well, it has been almost a week since GenCon 09, and I am sure everyone got their fill of GenCon related posts, but I still feel like I need to debrief my readers on my experience. I have attended every GenCon since it migrated to Indianapolis but one, and each has been an entirely different experience for me. This year was no exception.

I’d like to apologize if my writing seems a bit… off. I am currently swimming in a sudafedrine induced miasma due to some oddball virus (I’m dubbing it GNCN-09).

Last year I had every hour of my schedule packed with RPGA events, leaving only about 4 hours of breaks a day. All I did was game, and it was the best GenCon I had until this year. This year due to untimely badge registration with me and my group of friends that make the yearly pilgrimage, we couldn’t pre-order event specific tickets.

Also, this year two of us had evolved and were attending the convention in new roles. I was attending as a proto-industry professional (attending the ENnies as a nominee, being a panelist, published author, and Nevermet Press founder) and one of my good friends was going as an RPGA game master. So my perspective had changed a little.

Personally, I was torn between the desire to just relish in gaming as a gamer and my ambitions to network with established professionals in the industry. I am what I consider a passive networker; I will introduce myself to professionals and strike up conversations but if it appears they are not interested I cut things short and move on. I can just imagine all the fanboy-wanna-bes that get in the face of the publishers, developers, and designers at cons. I certainly don’t want to come off as pushy.

There is also a part of me that just wants to leave the business at home and relax by throwing down some dice, networking be damned. Despite my passive networking, I think I did manage to meet several professionals and make an impression. I’ll have to follow up with them soon and see if they remember me…

The following is a list of highlights by day.

Wednesday: Day 0

Technically GenCon didn’t start until Thursday, but that doesn’t stop the hardcore gamers. My pal Bruce arrived early for RPGA meeting where they hand out shirts and badges. My other GenCon comrade, Mike tried to get his 4-Day badge, but was turned away. After that, we decided to grab some people and run slot 0s. Bruce ran the new Adventuring Company module, which was interesting.

I’d like to point out that since Bruce started DMing for the RPGA (with the release of 4e) he has improved tremendously as a game master. He has slowly expanded his DM bag’o’tricks along with some useful equipment that definitely enhances and smooths play. So yeah, just want to give a shout out to BH2 for growing into an awesome DM.

Thursday: Day 1

I arrived early and got my Press Badge, which I would like to extend a hearty thanks to Stacia and her crew for hooking me up. There was at least one irate press member that was being a dick. All I have to say is you need to have more class, especially considering you’re getting a free badge with fringe benefits. Like the special pass to get into the exhibit hall an hour early, which I took advantage of. It was that pass that allowed me to be present on the inside and see the crowd nearly trample each other to get to the Paizo booth at which I was already standing. I quickly grabbed my copy of the Pathfinder book and a giant purple Paizo d20 and stepped in line where Jason Bulmahn, lead designer, signed my book.

Folks, the line for the Pathfinder book was insane; it wrapped around their booth twice and then went back to the corner of the hall. Even the local Channel 8 news crew was on hand to ask attendees what all the hubbub was about. After I checked out and marveled at the Paizo crew greeting just about every face in line, I went and hooked back up with my own crew.

We got some generics and squeezed in some RPGA events. It was the only day I did any real gaming, and the gaming caused me to miss the RPGBN panel that I wanted to attend. I apologize to my blogging friends for not showing, but I think gaming is an acceptable excuse. I don’t remember what happened during the rest of the afternoon except that we all went and ate at the RAM. I had a pint of their GenCon brew, two thumbs up!

Then I grabbed another buddy of mine, who goes by “Bubby” but whose real name is David, and went down to IUPUI for Tracy Hickman’s Killer Dinner and a seminar on the importance of story (not necessarily in gaming). I participated in the Killer Dinner and lasted a surprising 9 minutes and 15 seconds. During play, I managed to get [EDIT: ah... I managed to leave out the previous very important word, get] hit on by a well-manicured young guy with a heavy German accent (much to the enjoyment of my old prof, Mat Powers, who organized the event; he was the guy dressed like the swamp magi near the gaming booths). I’m as hetero as you can get but I rolled with it. Unforgettable.

After the KD, Tracy gave a very moving seminar on the importance of story and how each person creates a unique experience when they read a novel. I think I’ll save the details for later as it also fits with some other research I have been doing with story theory. I hope Mr. Hickman is feeling better, because despite his awesome performance during the dinner, he looked exhausted and I didn’t see him again the whole con.

Friday: Day 2

Friday morning consisted of Mike and I updating our Pathfinder Society characters to the new rules, which was easy considering we were only third level, but we also took some time to actually read much of the book too. I have a negative energy channeling Osirion Cleric of Pharasma (Death & Water domains) with Selective Channeling. I totally can’t wait to play him (since we had an epic fail to actually get in on some PF Society action).

Oh and for anyone attending a con, if you see someone creating a character with a brand new, just published core book, don’t ask them to borrow the son-of-a-bitch to create your own. First, I’m using the goddamned thing myself and second, it’s brand new and I would rather not have some stranger adding wear & tear. Go buy a frillin’ copy for yourself in the exhibit hall!

Then I met and old friend of the guys I game with, a very nice gal who loves True Dungeon (which is too expensive for me) and is getting back into gaming. Well, we ended up going to the exhibit hall to get some more autographs for my Pathfinder book when something amazing happened. I won’t name names, but a certain Paizonian staff member made an impression on my new friend. Needless to say, I hear things are currently going great between them. If you keep up with the Paizo message boards, you’ll know who I am talking about, but I am trying to respect their privacy as much as possible (while still geeking out about it here on the blog). I am totally claiming responsibility for anything interesting that becomes of their meeting.

I topped the evening off by attending the ENnies awards ceremony. If you haven’t heard, Chgowiz accepted the Silver medal for Swords & Wizardry for Best Free RPG, which is just an outstanding accomplishment. I think it sort of validates a lot of the good stuff the new-classical gaming movement is doing. I would also like to congratulate Obsidian Portal for beating everyone in the Best Website category by taking Gold. Last, but not least, I hereby give Wolfgang Baur and Open Design/Kobold Quarterly the ability to request me to accept any awards on their behalf should they not be able to attend next year.

That night, Bubby and I managed to run into Jess Hartley (of White Wolf fame), who much to my surprise, Bubby is good friends with. She asked us to playtest a new card game, Tinker’s Damn, she is developing that casts players as steampunk inventors. Bubby and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and I can’t wait to see it on the shelves. Jess, if you read this I’m available to playtest anytime.

Saturday: Day 3

I slept in late because I had a splitting headache, and I didn’t even drink anything! So I didn’t get to the convention center until around 1300, when I thought my panel was scheduled. I quickly found out it had been re-scheduled for 1600, but burned most of the time by talking to fellow panelist Quinn Murphy (At-Will) and Mike Shea (Sly Flourish).

Then I took my seat for the 4e Bloggers Panel. Those that read this blog may not realize that I create 4e content, but I have collaborated on the Skill Challenges of War series with Jonathan Jacobs and Quinn Murphy for The Core Mechanic. I have also been published in Kobold Quarterly #10 as a co-author (collaborating with the same people) via an article including skill challenges. I think the panel went rather well and I believe it will be turned into a podcast. I did manage to give a shout-out to Eddy Webb from White Wolf who was sitting in the audience. I know, White Wolf during a D&D panel, sacrilege!

Speaking of White Wolf, my pal Bubby and I managed to squeeze invites out their staff for the infamous Succubus Club. That evening, Mike, Bubby, and I descended upon the ICE Lounge downtown for the exclusive party. Needless to say, the environment made me miss my wife very much. I made some new friends and contacts (shout to the folks at the ENnie winning All Games Considered) and got very drunk on White Wolf’s tab. We also got invited to the after party in the Omni and thanks to our Designated Driver, made it safely home. Thank you White Wolf for the great time (publishers take note).

Sunday: Day 4

We wrapped the weekend up with a final walk through the exhibit hall. Mike had seen a live-action hentai movie, and was dying to show us, but we think the vendor actually closed up shop early. After we were done with the exhibit hall, we all piled into a car and drove to Monument Circle and had coffee while we debriefed each other on our GenCon experience which included gaming, networking, and romance.

Want to read more about conventions? Check out this month’s well timed RPG Blog Carnival hosted by Chgowiz. Also, you can check out my other articles on GenCon.

Other GenCon Articles:

• Pub & Restaurant Guide
• Local Gaming
• Local Museums
• IUPUI Events