In 1999, WotC open-sourced D&D by launching the d20 System. Come hear d20 architect, Ryan Dancey, discuss d20 with d20 publishers, Eric Mona, Monte Cook, John Nephew, & John Zinser.
Description:
After TSR spent decades fighting off would-be imitators, WotC ushered in the new millennium by announcing the d20 System, enabling other publishers to use the Dungeons & Dragons game system as the basis for their own worlds, adventures, and bestiaries. Come hear d20 architect Ryan Dancey discuss the strategy with publishers who took advantage of it: -Eric Mona of Paizo, Monte Cook of Monte Cook Games, John Zinser of AEG, and John Nephew of Atlas Games.
Some roleplayers seek more immersive experiences. Hear Gen Con stories from veterans of cosplay (Anne Brown), larping (David Simkins and Drew Biddle), & True Dungeon (Jeff Martin).
Description:
Not every roleplayer is content to loaf around a table; some seek a more immersive experience. Before RPGs became an industry, cosplay was thriving at SCA events and Renaissance fairs. Once roleplaying merged into gaming, it was a short commute to live-action roleplaying (larping). Now, with True Dungeon, you can walk through a life-size adventure. Join Anne Brown (Gen Con costume contest), Jeff Martin (True Dungeon), David Simkins (Infinite Imagination, Inc. & RIT), and Drew Biddle (Mind's Eye Society) to hear tales of dress-up from Gen Con history.
Retrospective Panel: Running Gen Con - The Inside Scoop!
Summary:
What’s it like to actually organize Gen Con? Come hear war stories from current & past managers of Gen Con, Harold Johnson, Skip Williams, David Conant, & Adrian Swartout.
Description:
Every other panel in this track is about tabletop history that happened at Gen Con, what about the operations of Gen Con itself? What has it been like on the inside? Come join a panel of current and past managers of Gen Con, including Harold Johnson, Skip Williams, David Conant, and Adrian Swartout.
Magic: The Gathering created a new category of games. Hear Skaff Elias, John Zinser, Mike Elliott, Justin Gary, & Eric Lang tell stories of designing TCGs that dared to duel against the master.
Description:
In 1993, Magic: The Gathering was launched around an entirely new concept: the notion of tradable cards used to build decks. It was inevitable that its dominance be challenged; within a year new TCGs began to compete for market share, some more successfully than others. Join panelists Skaff Elias, John Zinser, Mike Elliott, Justin Gary, and Eric Lang, as they tell tales of TCG's that dared to duel with Magic.
Dungeons & Dragons was a national craze by the 1980’s. Come hear stories of the D&D heyday from Frank Mentzer, Zeb Cook, Steve Winter, & Harold Johnson.
Description:
At the height of the D&D frenzy in the early 1980s, Gen Con was the premier destination for fans to play the most popular fantasy game of the decade. Whether you loved the Basic or Advanced version, you can meet some of the key luminaries who defined them at this panel: Frank Mentzer, Steve Winter, and Harold Johnson.
Retrospective Panel: The Ancient Sisterhood of Gaming History
Summary:
Join Lisa Stevens, Adrian Swartout, Beverly Marshall Saling, Nicole Lindroos, & Jenny Bendel as they share stories about being a female games professional over the past decades.
Description:
The annals of tabletop gaming history speak mostly of the deeds of men. But if you delve more deeply you’ll find that women have also played important roles in developing this hobby we love, while also fighting the good fight to make room for women at the gaming table. Join Lisa Stevens, Adrian Swartout, Beverly Marshall Saling, Nicole Lindroos, and Jenny Bendel as they share stories about what it was like to be a female games professional back in the day and how they and their sisters-in-arms contributed to gaming history.
In 1991 White Wolf launched Vampire: The Masquerade. Join White Wolf staff who were there at the time: Stewart Wieck, Steve Weick, Mark Rein-Hagen, Richard Thomas, & Lisa Stevens.
Description:
In 1991 White Wolf launched Vampire: The Masquerade and changed the Gen Con scene forever with the launch of the most famous gothic horror roleplaying game of all time. Join five of the most influential pioneers of this new era of gaming, Stewart Wieck, Steve Weick, Mark Rein-Hagen, Richard Thomas, and Lisa Stevens.
Retrospective Panel: The First Gen Con - How it All Began!
Summary:
What were the first Gen Cons like? How did they get organized? Who was there? What did they play? Come hear from 5 people who were there: Mike Carr, Scott Duncan, Bill Speer, Mike Reese, & Tom Wham.
Description:
It's 1968, and 96 gamers come together in Lake Geneva for the first Gen Con. Roleplaying games and trading card games haven't even been conceived of yet; they are here to play historical miniatures games and Diplomacy. Did they have any idea they were taking the first bold step in a 50-year tradition, and that they were now part of history? Well, why not ask them yourself? Come hear the stories of the earliest Gen Cons, the IFW, and how it all came together, from five people who were actually there: Mike Carr, Scott Duncan, Bill Speer, Mike Reese, and Tom Wham.
Retrospective Panel: The Launch of Magic The Gathering
Summary:
In 1993, Magic: The Gathering launched at Gen Con. Come hear stories from WotC staff who were there, trying to explain starter decks & booster packs.
Description:
It's 1993, and the tabletop games industry is roleplaying games, Warhammer 40k, and a handful of board games. But a small company from Seattle with a 10' x 20' Gen Con booth releases a game that will change everything. Come listen to several of the Wizards of the Coast employees of that era tell the story of the launch of Magic: The Gathering at Gen Con in 1993 and the wild days that followed. With Lisa Stevens, Beverly Marshall Saling, Carol Monahan, Cathleen Adkison, and Skaff Elias.
Retrospective Panel: The Leveling Up of RPG Tie-In Fiction
Summary:
Publishers are excited about RPG tie-in fiction and Gen Con! We've come a long way, and our guests share how we got here. With James L. Sutter, Marco Palmieri, Shanna Germain