Convention Reviews

Gen Con 2018: A Weekend in Review (Plus Cosplay Photo Gallery)

Posted: August 10, 2018 at 11:41 am   /   by   /   comments (0)

SUNDAY

On Sunday morning, James and I discovered the most frustrating part of GenCon: event tickets. We ordered tickets for the Magic Commander 2019 preview event on Thursday night. We arrived at the con about 9:30, a half hour before the event was to start. It was a guessing game because the confirmation emails didn’t tell us where to pick them up. We went to GenCon HQ because that’s where we got the generic tickets, but since we bought them online they told us we had to go to Will Call. Fortunately the event started late, because we had to wait through a 10-minute long line of people waiting to get their badges for the day.

We hurried back to the Magic registration area, arriving about a minute before the event was supposed to start and then had to wait another fifteen minutes until the event started. This event was a big one because this was the first time these decks were being played by anyone. We met several people who were hoping to get into the event, but it apparently sold out the night that James and I ordered our tickets.

The event involved us getting random decks, but luckily people were willing to trade. The guy sitting directly across from me got the one deck that I wanted, and I got the deck that he wanted. So it worked out nicely for us, and even better for me when I found that my deck was amazing! I took an early lead in the match and coasted until time was called, winning the round. I didn’t stick around for the second round because the matches were taking longer than I expected. Dylan sat in for me while I went to the exhibition hall to pick up the Knights of the Old Republic prints I bought from Mike Sass.

Of course I got distracted again by cosplayers, stopping several times along the way back to the Magic area. I ran into a couple of Critical Role cosplayers, one of which was dressed as Sam Riegel’s character Scanlan. She took me by surprise when she started singing a song about her trip to GenCon and how she was giving out bardic inspiration in the form of dice! As a fan of free dice, I was overjoyed by this interaction. I didn’t have much time to talk to them though, since I felt like I should get back to the game I was supposed to be playing.

By the time I got back to the Magic area, Dylan had the second round of Commander games in the bag. My new deck was performing even better than I hoped, so I was quite happy despite the oncoming feeling of illness. I think the two cons in a row left my immune system in a weakened state; I felt the definite signs of a sinus infection. I let Dylan continue the event in my place while I went up to the quiet room, where they had some cough drops and other various over the counter medicines for emergencies. The quiet room is something that should be featured at every con, honestly. It made for a nice safe space for someone to get away from the hectic convention floor for a nap or a break.

We wrapped up the Commander event with enough prize tickets to get an entire draft set of Battlebond, a set that most of us haven’t had a chance to play yet. We had hoped to do a Battlebond event at GenCon, but with me in costume and everything going on Saturday, we couldn’t make it happen. So we’ll definitely be setting aside a day sometime soon for a big Magic battle!

Exhausted and with a decent drive ahead of us, we decided it would be best to get a quick meal before heading back to St. Louis. We dropped our stuff off at Dan’s car and walked up the street to see what our nearest options were. A place called the Pita Pit got our attention, but as we walked closer we noticed that it seemed to be closed. From the corner we happened to be standing on, we turned to see Scotty’s Brewhouse less than a block away. Since we all enjoyed it on Friday, we decided to give it another shot. I ordered what was probably the biggest sandwich they had, a massive breaded pork tenderloin. It was accompanied by loaded waffle fries, which were just as amazing as Friday. I knew the heavy meal wouldn’t be as much of a problem since we were just about to drive home… I absolutely slept the majority of the way back to St. Louis.

My first GenCon was an incredible experience that I will never forget. If I can make it happen, I will surely be returning next year. With everything I learned from this time around, I think I can make the next trip to GenCon much smoother and even more fun. I’ve got almost a year to prepare and develop a game for their design competition. Time to start looking for hotel rooms!