22 tips from Consaves for Gen Con Newbies...
Useful Gen Con Websites
Official Gen Con Sites: The Gen Con Website Gen Con Forum Gen Con Facebook Group Gen Con Discord: discord.gg/gencon – might be helpful to use during Gen Con to find last-minute RPG games. Fan-Managed Gen Con Sites Fans of Gen Con Facebook Group Unofficial Gen Con app for events Gen Con Hotel Alerts –...
The Ultimate List Of DM Idea Notebook Prompts
In looking at the methods that Game Masters use to keep themselves organized, I was intrigued by what types of things they were recording. Their records could be broken up into two groups: 1) current adventure plans and preparation and 2) a collection of ideas for future adventures. Focusing on the idea side, I...
Should I Go to Gen Con or Origins Game Fair?
For the lucky ones where life and budget permit, the question probably shouldn’t be either or but why not go to both Gen Con AND Origins seeing that they are two great game cons in their own right. However, for many of us who want to attend a large gaming convention, the question comes...
Learn from My Mistakes in Theater of the Mind
During my Vaesen RPG game last week, I attempted to focus on Theater of the Mind (TotM). To put it simply, it was a fiasco. What made my efforts go down in flames? Perhaps my greatest mistake was that I neglected the visual. Humans are visual beings. And our ability for spatial understanding varies...
Gen Con Newbie Event Registration Guide
Remembering the good old days of high school or college class registration nerves? Well, if those days are long behind you, then no fear, Gen Con Event Registration is here to help you relive those memories! When is Gen Con Event Registration for 2023? Registration opens on May 21, 2023 Noon Eastern Time. When...
20 Brilliant Ways to Give Each Character the Spotlight
In a convention game, time is limited. How do I help each player have a chance to be in the spotlight? John Barth explained that everyone is the hero of their own story. Your players want their character to be a hero too. You can make that happen by giving their character the spotlight....
Important Gen Con Dates
All of these dates can be found on Gen Con’s official website but here is a list of them all together in one place. Gen Con 2023 Dates January 29, 2023 (noon) Badges go on sale Event Registration- opens at Noon (Eastern) Must purchase a badge by this date to be included in the...
Two Simple Rules for Choosing Convention Games People Want to Play
I have just connected with my local gaming convention, and I want to try my hand at gamemastering there. Now as I stare at the registration form, I am asking myself which game should I run. The online consensus seems to be that a convention roleplaying game needs to be either simple or familiar....
The Three Golden Skills of Convention Game Mastering: Part Two
Part Two Find Part One here In the first part of this post, we started looking at three skills we can work on today to help us be better game masters at conventions. The first skill was social skills and focuses on helping make players at ease at the table and helping them be...