Gen Con Indy: Day 2, Part 2

Again, I had limited internet opportunities today, so this report is coming in late.

Coming in this morning, we of course saw gamers sleeping in the various hallways connected to the Convention Center. Some just slept an hour or so after a whole night of gaming, some are "living off the land" during the convention. It's sort of admirable and adventurous, in it's own way, but it doesn't do much for the hygiene levels on Days 2-4.

The big announcement today was Margaret Weis landing the Marvel RPG license. The booth personnel were all smiles after the early afternoon announcement, and they plastered Marvel stuff everywhere. They couldn't have been prouder. Honestly, that's been the biggest news to come out of the convention so far.

The new convention hall is a dream--more room to maneuver, to visit a booth without feeling like my butt is hanging out in the aisle, etc. Everyone's giving it great reviews.

Vendors are still optimistic overall; there's more of a positive feeling overall, I think. I can't put my finger on why, but it just seems like perhaps it's a byproduct of having multiple companies really having their stuff together right now.

OK, here's some pics and commentary:

First off, by request, a cornucopia of Chessex dice!

The Lego Heroica games are like a Lego Dungeon Crawl. So many guys
my age were there, checking it out and just as impressed/excited as the
little kids were. What an awesome product!

This kid's Jawa costume rocked, pure and simple.

The Pathfinder Society gaming area appears to have doubled over
last year. There seems to be little doubt, no matter who you talk to
here, that Paizo is ascendant.

The Maps of Mastery line at the Game Mechanics booth is really impressive
in person. Talk about professional quality!

We got a pic of the Beholder statue lording it over the RPGA room.
Then we Shifted One Square and got the hell out of there.

DriveThruRPG is showcasing their print-on-demand skills with the 2-volume
edition of Monte Cook's Ptolus. It looks great, as did the rest of their POD items.

This Angry Birds game was sold out by the time I saw it. Fun stuff!

Obi-Wan in the background there was sort of the odd man out when it
came to photo ops. I sorta felt bad for him. The Sandtrooper, though, was
tearing it up.

It is really nice to have the folks behind GOLD: The Series with a booth there.
They has a number of production shots decorating the place, and are
always great to chat with. 

Tomorrow, I'll be attending with my daughter, so we'll be sure to get her keen insights as well!