GenCon part 2

So the True Dungoen was awesome. They wouldn't let me take any pictures, so sorry about that. I ended up, totally randomly, being put into a party with my buddy Dan who I haven't seen in a year. I played a paladin. There were two options for the dungeon run, combat and puzzle. We did the puzzle run, which had four or five great puzzles of varying difficulty. Two we just couldn't figure out at all, and the other three involved some trial and error, and some loss of hit points before we finished them. It was very immersive: everything looked really good, from the decomposed skeleton lying on the ground to the monster costumes, to the floating eyeball and the pitch black "passage through the shadow plane".

Then, when you were done, you could hang out in the Green Griffon Tavern, a medieval-looking tavern with a cash bar. Dan and I had a drink and caught up. I'm thinking about opening one such tavern here in Austin, right next to the game store, with a bar, snacks, and tables big enough to game on in the back. Whadda you think? Would you come to a medieval tavern, to hang out or to game at?

After that I went to their "black and white" ball, a dance in one of the opulent hotel ballrooms. The DJs were up on a balcony and responded well to requests accompanied by bribes. They kept doing that annoying thing where they'd shut the music off during the chorus, forcing the crowd to shout the words out loud. So basically they hired wedding DJs. But the dance was lots of fun anyway.

So, my favorite parts of the con? Miniatures. I just love those elaborate playscapes, be they large or small. Here's a couple of pictures of my favorites.

This was the centerpiece of the huge RPGA room: five foot tiles and a life-size troll and beholder.

And of course, lots of small sets (click on any of them for a larger image).

So, check back tomorrow for one more post about my nerd adventures at GenCon, with some of my favorite products I saw there and costumes, costumes, costumes!