The curtain came down on the 40th Gen Con, but what an amazing four days it was.
While the announcement and discussion of Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition took the spotlight, that was hardly the only thing going on. Four days of Magic events crowed three new champions in Block, Legacy, and Vintage formats plus had an epic Grand Melee. Dreamblade ran its second 50k championship, with Ben Stoll taking home the Dream Series trophy. Gamer Zer0 prowled the halls and put together 30 videos showcasing untold angles of the con. That's only the tip of the coverage...take some time, dig deep and you're bound to find all sorts of news and information, thanks to the tireless staff of Bill Stark, Bart Carroll, Mike Lescault, Chris Thomasson, and Bob Mull.
But like all good things, Gen Con must come to an end. We'll see you again in 2008!
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D&D 4th Edition: Straight from the Designers
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Making the DM's life easier, with Mike Mearls |
D&D Minis and 4th Edition, with Steve Schubert |
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by Chris Thomasson
Panel: James Wyatt (leading), Rob Heinsoo, Stacy Longstreet, Bill Slavicsek So I'm at the second Q&A, and I keep hearing Rob, James, and Bill talk about stuff that will be up on D&D Insider . . . Clearly, I'm not getting invited to the right meetings back at the office. Some of this is news to me! James talks about encounter progression. In the current game, you can blow all your nonrenewable resources in the first fight of the day, and the game then encourages you to go back to the inn and wait 23 hours to go back to the dungeon. That's just not fun. The new game actually provides you with enough options to continue adventuring longer, and not run out of important resources too quickly. When you make the choice to go home, it's an important, interesting tactical decision, influenced probably by your per-day resources. But there aren't classes that only rely on per-day abilities. Wizards won't need to pull out a crossbow again unless they really want to. I get a chance to tell people a little more about the fan-generated content repository we're working with the Gleemax team to create. This will be a place where fans can post their own homebrew content and share it with the community. Fans will retain the rights to their own work, provided they're not using our own intellectual property (like your Drizzt fan story wouldn't give you the rights to publish your own Drizzt novel). I know we're really excited about the repository. It will give us a great place to browse for new writers. Most everything else from this seminar was covered in Friday's Q&A. Check out mine or Bart's post from Saturday's blog for more juicy tidbits. by Bill Stark
Meet David O'Brien. For 361 days out of the year, David might appear as your average, self-employed resident of Evansville, Indiana. But for four days each year at Gen Con, he appears to be something else entirely. In fact, David's outfit was so interesting, no Magic/fantasy/gamer junkie could resist the temptation to show you this:
 That's right, Magic: the Gathering chain mail. The custom-made suit (retail line coming soon to a retailer near you...) prominently features the iconic Shivan Dragon on the front with the super-rare Black Lotus on the back and, in case any other visitors to the RCA Dome this weekend WEREN'T in the know, the title "Magic." How much time did David spend on the piece? "A lot. I did it over the course of a year, but probably spent five months on it if I had worked consecutively." Originally David had started by creating the Black Lotus for last year's Gen Con. Unable to finish the front, he simply wore a plain chain, no pun intended, front with the Lotus back. How much experience would you need to try creating such an interesting piece of "art"? "Uh...this was my first try, actually. I didn't even have a pattern, I just tried it." It certainly was a good effort. O'Brien, who's 28 this year, said he's been playing Magic since Revised, and still enjoys the game a great deal. He added that he normally eschews tournaments like Pro Tour Qualifiers in exchange for larger events like Prereleases. "There's nothing better than opening up packs from a set for the first time." He explained. Perhaps opening those packs in chain mail representing two of the game's most famous representatives would be a LITTLE bit better... by Chris Thomasson
Panel: Rich Baker (leading), Ed Greenwood, Eric Boyd Rich starts the seminar with a brief rundown of the Forgotten Realms products for the year. He breezes through Cormyr and Shadowdale, which are both pretty interesting and innovative adventures. When he gets to Undermountain, Rich gets Ed to talk about this product, acknowledging that there's no way to fully detail Undermountain in any one product. Ed jokes that this is the first of 42 books, intended to detail the upper levels of the complex.  Grand History of the Realms: This product is unique for us. Brian James, the author, first compiled the information online, which we then bought from Brian. Rich found it and lobbied to buy the pdf product and host it, but other folks thought the book would make a better print product. It's cool that a product came about in this fashion. Anauroch rounds out the trilogy of big adventures, started with Cormyr and Shadowdale. Anauroch will be a great preview for the villains and events of the Realms that will shape the setting in 4th Edition. This year is the 20th Anniversary of Drizzt. I feel so old. I bought The Crystal Shard in my local mall's Waldenbooks back around 1988. I was immediately hooked, and read pretty much every FR novel printed from then until around 1995. If I had more time to read, I'd probably still read 'em all, but the demands of time require me to be a bit more selective. August, 2008: Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting for 4th Edition. We're hoping to have it out on or around Gen Con next year. Lots of plans for the Realms—significant changes—but Rich can't talk about details yet. Next year will also have an as-yet unnamed FR product out, which players in Realms campaigns will want. There will be a big event in the Realms soon, called the Spellplague. Rich says it won't leave a corner of the Realms untouched. Cool, a new world map in the new CS. I really liked the one in the 3.0 campaign setting, so I'm looking forward to the new one. Mmmmmm . . . maps. Maybe I'm getting hungry. That weird muffin I ate this morning isn't doing much for me now that it's almost dinner time. Someone suggests an interactive map feature for D&D Insider. I won't say we haven't been thinking about something like that. I'd love that utility. We'll have to take that back to the office and think on it some more. I'm jealous. I just read Bart's post about seeing the costumes, as well as browsing the hall. I think I've been in the hall a total of 30 minutes the last three days. Woe is me! Too many seminars! Too much information! Head go asplode! Okay, time to hit the hall, or I'm gonna get cranky. Sunday also brings the Top 8 of the DDM Championship, which I'm gonna have to check out. Okay, I'm just about to duck out to eat, and Chris Perkins puts me on the spot about Realmslore. That's our newly revised FR column running every other Wednesday. So there we go: I've pimped our coverage, and I'm off to eat. Yay! by Bart Carroll
Rich Baker, Chris Perkins, and a host of authors including of course Ed Greenwood hosted this seminar, taking a tour through the future of the Forgotten Realms novels, including: October: November:  Plus: There will also be the start of a new trilogy in the new edition, written by Rich Baker and set in the corner of the Moonsea, involving undead "entanglements"... the story of a fellow who returns home, to find he has some work to do... As far as RPG products, Rich also showcased the 4th Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, coming out August 2008, as well as a brand new Realms adventure. Big, new stuff is definitely planned for the Realms, with some significant changes hinted at. And with that, Rich opened the floor to questions. Chris Perkins mentioned, once more, that campaign setting information would be robustly supported on DnDInsider.com. Subscription prices were not announced, only that DnDInsider would include both editorial content as well as the online suite of tools such as the D&D Gaming Table, in a single subscription. For suggestions of content that folks would like to see online, Chris Thomasson also stated dndinsider@wizards.com would be the direct email address to use. As far as maps, poster maps will be included in the campaign setting, as well as part of the adventures. Requests were made for more interactive, online maps, as well as a corrected map for Expedition's Yawning Portal Inn map. Rich further hinted at what changes may be taking place with the new edition of the Realms (involving world-changing events—named the Spell Plague—to explain changes, as opposed to ret-conning); and, that the first inklings of these events have been vaguely referenced in Expedition to Undermountain and Grand History of the Realms, and will be more so in The Orc King. by Bill Stark
Occupation: Student/unemployed Number of Times Attending Gen Con: 6 Number of Times Playing Vintage and/or Legacy Championships: 1 Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour/Nationals/Grand Prix Day 2: 0 Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 0 Other previous Magic accomplishments: 5 Color Worlds Top 8, twice What deck are you playing and why? GWS Pitch Long with my own special twist... What card is the most powerful in the format? I would have to say Black Lotus because it won me the most games. What deck is the most powerful in the format? The one I'm playing. How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with? I looked up a decklist at 3 a.m. this morning with a cell phone. I didn't play a single game with the deck until Round 1.
Occupation: Grad Student in Computer Science at Purdue Number of Times Attending Gen Con: 3 Number of Times Playing Vintage and/or Legacy Championships: 3 each Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour/Nationals/Grand Prix Day 2: About 3 Pro Tours, 3 Nationals, 3 Grand Prix Day 2. Number of GP/PT Top 8s: None Other previous Magic accomplishments: Rhode Island state champion, won Waterbury, 20th at Grand Prix-Philadelphia, around 12th at Grand Prix-New Jersey. What deck are you playing and why? Gro-a-Tog (GAT): It is consistent and powerful. It is strong against everything from degenerate combo to aggro. I am very happy Gush is unrestricted—it keeps the format safer from combo. What card is the most powerful in the format? Black Lotus What deck is the most powerful in the format? Flash has the most raw power. GAT is, I think, the best deck. How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with? Thanks to my teammates on Reflection for all their help preparing. New England has a wonderful Type 1 scene and I was fortunate to have played the format at many events this summer. The New England Vintage scene has great players, too numerous to name. Much thanks everyone.
Occupation: Freshman in college Number of Times Attending Gen Con: 1st time Number of Times Playing Vintage and/or Legacy Championships: 1st time Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour/Nationals/Grand Prix Day 2: 0 Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 0 Other previous Magic accomplishments: Top 16 Regionals What deck are you playing and why? Ichorid. The deck plays no power and was cheap to build. Although Leyline was probably a 4-of in 90 percent of the decks, it didn't scare me from playing it. However, it did scare everyone else so that loosened the pressure on Ichorid. What card is the most powerful in the format? Black Lotus - OBV What deck is the most powerful in the format? Flash – Fast, easy to play, and hard to disrupt. Being able to back up a turn 1 win with double counter backup is ridiculous. How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with? I goldfished a couple of times and went to a couple of tournies. My friends at Team Ogre playtested with me a bit, and then made fun of me for picking a virtually suicide choice.
Occupation: Math Teacher/Department Head Number of Times Attending Gen Con: 4 Number of Times Playing Vintage and/or Legacy Championships: 4 Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour/Nationals/Grand Prix Day 2: 1 Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 0 Other previous Magic accomplishments: Tournament Organizer of TMD and TML Open (Waterbury) Tournaments What deck are you playing and why? Staxless Stax. I have played this deck religiously since I created it two years ago. It is the best Workshop-based deck in Vintage. What card is the most powerful in the format? Jagged Poppet, obviously What deck is the most powerful in the format? Tie: Staxless Stax and The Mountains Win Again How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with? Playing in local events (Myriad Games, ELD's Mox events, Hadley, etc.). Playtesting with Team TPS.
Occupation: International Real Estate Agent Number of Times Attending Gen Con: 2 Number of Times Playing Vintage and/or Legacy Championships: 2 Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour/Nationals/Grand Prix Day 2: 0 (never entered a Pro Tour) Number of GP/PT Top 8s: I only play Vintage Other previous Magic accomplishments: Top 16 about every Vintage event I've been to. Second place in a 700 person tournament 10+ years ago. What deck are you playing and why? FSB: Forino Sui Black or as Josh Meckes likes to call it "Ghetto Storm." What card is the most powerful in the format? Black Lotus What deck is the most powerful in the format? No one deck is best; as for most powerful probably Flash. How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with? Praying – to God goes all the glory. I also played with my NY crew: Roland, Raffaele F. Josh Meckes.
Occupation: Feng Shui Consultant Number of Times Attending Gen Con: 1st year attending, 2nd day playing Number of Times Playing Vintage and/or Legacy Championships: I have played in Legacy Championships Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour/Nationals/Grand Prix Day 2: Never played in one Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 0 Other previous Magic accomplishments: Did OK in Legacy tournament yesterday What deck are you playing and why? Supreme Stax because Ryan Trepanier told me to play it. What card is the most powerful in the format? Your choice. What deck is the most powerful in the format? Obviously mine How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with? Team Supreme testing at Penny Lane without Ryan Trepanier
Occupation: IT Industry Number of Times Attending Gen Con: 3 Number of Times Playing Vintage and/or Legacy Championships: 3 Vintage, 1 Legacy Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour/Nationals/Grand Prix Day 2: 0 Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 0 Other previous Magic accomplishments: What deck are you playing and why? Landstill. It's exciting to play because every game is a struggle and it is a highly interactive deck. What card is the most powerful in the format? There are many powerful cards in Vintage. If I had to choose I'd say Black Lotus. What deck is the most powerful in the format? There is no one deck that stands above all others. Currently GAT is the most powerful, consistent deck. However, Flash is most powerful in terms of raw power. How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with? I've been playing Vintage for 10 years, but I didn't do anything to specifically prepare for this event. Much of my success can be attributed to my teammates (Lam Phan, Peter Olszewki) for there insight on improving my gameplay.
Occupation: Attorney Number of Times Attending Gen Con: 4 Number of Times Playing Vintage and/or Legacy Championships: 4 Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour/Nationals/Grand Prix Day 2: 1 Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 0 Other previous Magic accomplishments: Top 32 at Grand Prix-Columbus, Top 8 in Vintage champs in 2004, at least 10 Starcitygames Power 9 Top 8s, Starcity columnist since 2002 What deck are you playing and why? I helped develop Gro-a-Tog in 2003 and helped push Gush towards destruction. What card is the most powerful in the format? Yawgmoth's Will followed by Black Lotus and Ancestral Recall. What deck is the most powerful in the format? Flash is interesting in one sense; GAT is most powerful in that it is the best deck. How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with? Testing with teammates and in tournaments by Bill Stark
by Mike Lescault and Bob Mull
Gamer Zer0 Mike Lescault and cameraman/partner-in-crime Bob Mull sneak into the Wizards booth and liberate the only box of the new Axis & Allies miniatures starter set "1939-1945" that came to Gen Con. Let's hope their bosses don't watch this. by Bill Stark
As Gen Con celebrates its first 40 years of existence, the Magic coverage team though it'd be a good idea to take a look at a Magic tradition dating back "almost" as long (read: 10 years). When we heard about a "league" which meets at Gen Con each year and features all Alpha cards played with only Alpha rules, we couldn't help but investigate.
What about sleeves? "I used to play with my Black Lotus naked but after about five games, I just couldn't play unsleeved anymore..." said Williamson. Ogre, a prominent trader and former gaming store owner added "I can get almost every other card; it's actually hard to get this stuff." The crazy elder rules provide for some interesting decks. Ogre spread his out on the table, pointing out some of the highlights: 12 Lightning Bolts and 6 Black Vises. When asked if the deck was good he shrugged "There's certainly better." When pressed, they provided this list, approximated from memory as best as they could recall from years past:
The list, actually piloted by one of their cohorts, is difficult to beat due to the extreme likelihood it can kill a player on the first turn. Fortunately for the playgroup, the no-land/all-land mulligan didn't come until AFTER Alpha, providing the possibility that the deck's pilot COULD fail to draw a win condition or draw spell. The two players admitted that since the tradition had started they had begun playing whenever their mutual paths crossed be it at Regionals, the occasional Grand Prix, U.S. Nationals, etc. Gen Con, however, has remained the largest place they congregate to battle and their playgroup has expanded to include friends Mark Geranic, Mike Swailes, the aforementioned Woodburn and Wolfe, and a number of other players as well. What's up next for the crew? Williamson and Ogre agreed they'd continue playing Alpha next year when they returned to Gen Con. As for the possibility of adding new players to the group? "So long as they only use Alpha!"  by Bill Stark
by Bart Carroll
And I am happily exhausted. Gen Con is a big gooey mess, and I've been having a blast. I could easily walk these halls for 4 more days if they let me. Just a few quick notes from yesterday. One story I loved happened at Shelly Mazzanoble's book signing. A girl walked up to the counter, and slammed down her copy of Confessions. When Shelly asked why she might be so upset, the girl said that her boyfriend was "finally making me learn this RPG stuff." Sure enough, there he was behind her, arms crossed and nodding. And a message for Judy. I've been trying to convince Shelly to embrace the scandalous lifestyle of being a celebrity—causing scenes, abusing coworkers, making constant demands ... unfortunately, she's behaving like her usual polite self. She didn't even stay out too late her last night of the convention. And, somehow I lost a second bet to her involving a very tall hostess, and now owe her a second cupcake. The rest of us, including Chris Thomasson, Scott Rouse and Courtney Marrabatta, on the other hand, found our way once more at the Slippery Noodle, Indy's oldest tavern. You know, purely for historical sightseeing purposes. And from there, to the White Wolf party, a few blocks away... Late nights and too much fun. I'll need to recover next week, but now it's time to check out the Minis tournament and D&D Open. by Bill Stark
There is, perhaps, no other event in the TCG hall of Gen Con which has generated as many stories as one particular tournament finishing in the WEE hours of Sunday morning: the Grand Melee. When the event was announced as being included at Gen Con this year, players went abuzz with the possibilities. Was something like Project X, which could gain "infinite" (arbitrarily large) amounts of life, create "infinite" tokens, and possibly kill every single opponent, the best deck? Were there decks built specifically for the format which would be better? Could a deck which tried to play "fair" even be relevant? Answers to those questions and more could be found in spades as the tournament progressed. First the logistics of the event needed to be worked out so some Melee-specific rules were created. Unlike traditional Magic, players had a "range of influence" in which they could impact other players through attacking or spellcasting and be impacted by the same actions from their opponents. That meant you could only attack the player to your left, be attacked by the player to your right, cast spells on either of those two players, and be affected by only their spells. The second primary adaptation involved "turn markers" which designated whose turn it was at any given moment. One marker, shifting to the left around the horseshoe-shaped play area, was present for each 1-7 players, with two markers for eight players. That meant that at any one time there could be dozens of turns happening simultaneously but because of the spheres of influence none of the turns happening on one side of the table were directly affecting the other side.
So which of the 112 participants who sat down to compete was taken out first? That ignominious blip in the record books goes to Chicago, Illinois native Derrick Engel. Poor Derrick was the victim of a bit of a savage beating. "The player to the right of the player on MY right played two Hunted Horrors back-to-back." While the player casting the Ravnica reject couldn't actually attack Engel, the benefactor of the 3/3 Centaur tokens certainly could, and all Derrick had time to do was play a Howling Mine and a Rites of Flourishing from his Martyr Fog deck before getting taken out. At least he got a nifty playmat, which was handed out to ALL the participants, for his efforts. It didn't take long before players, judges, and spectators realized plenty of participants sought to "break the format" by creating some sort of arbitrarily large loop allowing them to overwhelm their opponents in some manner or another. While a plethora of players had ported their Project X lists as expected, one player opted for a strategy that was a bit more off the radar. Young Korey Fay of Cincinnati, Ohio spent his early turns playing Howling Mines and Rites of Flourishing, politicking his way into the good graces of his neighbors before unleashing a true twist: Walk the Aeons. The Rites allowed him to play additional lands each turn, Crucible of Worlds allowed him to play sacrificed lands from his graveyard, and Tenth Edition retread Abundance allowed him to prevent himself from getting decked. All that combined to fuel a constant barrage of Walk the Aeons with buyback and when he began demonstrating his loop, his neighbors quickly turned from friendly to nervous. Sure enough he quickly started looping additional turns, preventing his nearest neighbors from taking THEIR turns and began taking players out, one-by-one. Because he had a seemingly endless supply of turns, his win condition of choice was a Quirion Dryad (continuously pumped by replayed Walk the Aeons) and a Vinelasher Kudzu. However, he had no means of gaining life, which opened up the possibility of ten players simply holding on to one of their Shocks and spelling his doom. It was a Melee-specific rules interaction, however, that disrupted him enough for his neighbors to take advantage. As he took out more and more players, turn markers began disappearing from the table per the rules dictating their existence, and eventually he was forced to pass the turn when he had played the turn represented by his marker, which then disappeared. The rule specifically designed for this situation said "if a player has extra turns and their turn marker is removed or they must pass the turn marker, the turns are saved and taken before their next regular turn." Fay would eventually start the cycle all over the next time he got a turn marker, but that meant his neighbors had a chance to so something about it first. Inevitably the shenanigans cost Korey any hopes of allying with his neighbors, though the player to his attacking right did refuse to attack with an arbitrarily large amount of Spirits for a time until HIS attacker threatened him with a Savage Twister for his entire board. Fay was inevitably eliminated after winning eight boosters, one each for the players he had knocked out. Asked about the deck, he said his brother had given it to him after he found out he wasn't going to be able to play the event. And what did his opponents think of it? "Initially they were upset to know I was going to beat them, but when I got the combo going I think they were impressed." Eight boosters weren't the biggest haul for headhunting on the evening, however. That honor fell to Jesse Daniel who managed to take out TWELVE players before finally succumbing himself. His path to victory? Every Timmy's dream come true: a 100+ combination Sliver/Dragon deck. His hits included Wild Pair, a playset of Bogardan Hellkites, a total of 12 dragons and 21 Slivers, both Akromas AND her Memorial, and a Reya Dawnbringer "just in case." When asked whether the over-sized deck was built large intentionally to prevent himself from getting decked during a long game, he thought for a moment and responded "No. I used to have a Dragonstorm deck with Seething Song but after Tenth Edition came out that was gone so I built this." That was my second guess...
The move was a smart one. Unable to be attacked, the turn markers continued moving past him for hours while he sat comfortably and quiet, slowly grinding it out until the final eight players, guaranteeing himself a box of product for his efforts. At one point in the tournament, well after midnight had rolled around, a frenetic Pat Chapin, watching from the peanut gallery and hyperactively running around the room trying to examine each possible correct play situation for all of the players active, exclaimed: "Man, you haven't taken a turn ALL DAY!" Players and judges alike couldn't help but laugh at the technically true statement. Still, Attila's plan worked perfectly and the grad student from New Jersey not only made the Top 8 but managed to finish third. The most amazing fact? In all of that time he managed to not kill a single other competitor.
Before the players got to the Top 8, they had to eliminate everyone else and THAT inevitably meant one player was going to be the last one out before each player received a box for their efforts. The duty inevitably fell to Orange, California native David Nava. After driving 2,200 miles with three other friends cross country to make it to Gen Con, David had decided on a whim to play the Grand Melee event. One problem: he didn't have a deck. Fortunately one of his travel companions had the hookup in the form of a completely legal Aggro Sliver deck from Time Spiral Block. Despite not playing many Standard cards, Nava was able to hang on for quite some time. Though excited the player couldn't help but exclaiming "Man, I was SO close!" With the Top 8 finally set up the players took a brief respite from the trials and tribulations for free deck boxes, some bottles of water provided by Tournament Organizer Alan Hochman, and a chance for a photo:
It would be two players participating in a gigantic Prisoner's Dilemma experiment who would prove victorious, however. Dylan Austin, a 19 year old from Ann Arbor, Michigan and Chris Boomer, a Chicago suburbs resident, had never met each other prior to the event, but that didn't stop them from offering each other a proposal as the two sat down: you don't mess with me, I won't mess with you. The plan worked perfectly as Boomer's aggro-burn deck allowed him to play defense for Austin's WG Turbo Fog build and occasionally take a player out. When he was in trouble? Austin would pitch in with a timely Beacon of Immortality targeting his compatriot, or perhaps fog-effect to stymie an attack. Boomer's Jotun Grunts allowed him to constantly recycle cards to the bottom of his deck while Austin relied on Gaea's Blessing to the same end. It was Austin's singleton inclusion of Extirpate, however, which allowed him to march to victory. His entire plan was to play nice with his neighbors, occasionally removing a troublesome combo card with the pricey rare from Planar Chaos. Decking a player in that manner was his only means of winning, but that would be enough against Boomer, who simply had no means of dealing with Austin's massive amount of life gain and creature removal, eventually leading to his demise at the hands of not having anymore cards in his deck. And, 12 hours later, that was it! Players running out of ink in their pens, gaining infinite life, players trying to take infinite turns, trying to take infinite NOT turns, and ultimately two strangers with "fair" decks working together to take things home. Stories are sure to be told about all of the major happenings from the event, and for now they'll be all we have to tide us over until NEXT year...
by Bill Stark
Coming in to this year's Vintage Championships at Gen Con, the community was positively abuzz about Wizards of the Coast's recent decision to restrict Gifts Ungiven and unrestrict Gush. The impact of that move could be seen early on at the Con as a preliminary tournament featured two Groatog decks in the Top 8, one played by world-renowned Vintage expert Steve Menendian. The actual Vintage Championships themselves felt the sting of the decision with a quarter of the Top 8 being Groatog. In fact, both decks met in the finals in an epic battle between two of the community's biggest stars: aforementioned Steve Menendian and Richard Shay. Menendian, who many may recognize from his Vintage articles on Starcitygames and recent inclusion on the Magic Invitational's Storyteller ballot, is a rare breed of gamer. A Vintage player through and through, he is a combination of intensity, competitiveness, and politeness. Despite not having a Pro Tour circuit to showcase his skills to the world he has still managed to carve out quite a niche of followers within the Vintage community and his matches throughout the tournament were always surrounded by onlookers and well-wishers. The second finals competitor Richard Shay is certainly no slouch either. Shay is well respected within the world of Vintage and has seen some minor success on the Pro Tour and Grand Prix circuits too. Like Menendian he is popular amongst his fellow old school players and gravitated towards Gush with the opportunity to play it as a 4-of thanks to the recent policy change at Wizards. The celebrity of both players within their community, long supported by a network of ardent fans, meant the finals would be played out under the watchful eyes of a large crowd. Before starting, the two players each had a thought to add on what it meant to play for the title: Shay: "I didn't come to win packs or a card in a fancy card frame. I came to be the Vintage Champion." Menendian: "I came to play Rich Shay. Seriously, Vintage to me is about playing the best players."
The event was in for a fairytale ending. After a grueling day of Vintage competition (including a quarterfinal round which stretched past the one-hour mark, hopefully putting to bed rumors the format is "all about turn-one kills") it was repeat Top 8er Menendian who FINALLY added the title he had been pursuing for years: "Vintage World Champion." Both players received the utmost respect from fans with a round of applause, then the finalists patiently made rounds around the tournament area to shake hands with each audience member. In a whirl of congratulations from friends, teammates, and onlookers Shay and Menendian kept the Mox Jet on display to allow fans to take photos, measure the scale, and generally offer up their oohs and aahs. But should Gush return to the Restricted list? The Top 8 doesn't necessarily indicate that to be the case. While both finalists WERE playing decks which abused the card, there were at least six different archetypes present in the single-elimination rounds and late in the day even a Jagged Poppet of all things could be seen at the top tables during the Swiss. Menendian added that he felt being able to Merchant Scroll for Gush was more problematic than the actual Mercadian Masques common itself, and fingered that as a possible source of examination for Vintage's future. Whether Wizards decides to return the card to a 1-of or not, the 2007 Vintage Championships are certainly one which will go down in the Vintage books. Congratulations to Steve and Rich as well as the rest of the Top 8. Now the only question is who gets to take that joint-custody Mox home... by Chris Thomasson
Panel: James Wyatt (leading), Jennifer Clarke Wilkes James had a presentation for this seminar, but I showed up late and caught just the end. He talked about very young kids at the start, I know, focusing on using books, board games, and minis in a simple, engaging way to fire the imaginations of the youngest. He moved on to talk about then gradually introducing some basic mechanical concepts from games as math and reading skills improved. Once those skills get to a certain point, though, anything goes. I know James has run several games for groups of young kids in the past, even inviting them to the office back home. Other folks in the department have done the same. James mentioned a bunch of helpful resources we produce, including the Practical Guides, the Mirrorstone books, playdnd.com (which we'll soon be updating), and D&D Minis, among others. But the most important rules to teach your young players was:
Jennifer shared that her husband Chris actually runs a game for high school kids at a local library back home. She says one of the biggest challenges he faces is keeping the kids' attention occupied (teenagers, go figure), and they tend to gun for each other over pursuing the goals of the adventure. Chris came up with the cool idea of having the characters swear a party oath not to mess with each other, or the god of justice in their campaign can bring the smackdown. Wait, I need to do this with my next group, adult or not. Someone in the audience mentioned that she uses games in all areas of educating her kids, whatever the subject. James then mentions that he used to run a campaign set in the ancient Roman empire, historically accurate as much as he could, which served as a great way to educate the players to that culture. In the discussion that follows, a big issue that comes up with the parents in the room is the violence in the room. They all have ways to deal with it, including making sure kids know why they're after the bad guys, and knowing why they're bad. They want to think that bad guys get punished, that there are consequences. Hmmm, I don't think that's just something kids find rewarding. I have a pretty strong justice complex, which is probably why I like playing paladins so much. Another member of the audience brings up that his kids like the Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon. They re-enact and also create their own episodes in the back yard, almost like they're doing a live action RPG session. I'm probably just dense, but it never really occurred to me that all those games of pretend (I remember acting out new episodes of everything from "He-Man" to the "A-Team" to "Lord of the Rings") when I was a kid were really training for playing—and eventually working on—D&D. by Bart Carroll
This is about it as far as my own Gen Con coverage, though we'll be continuing to post our thoughts and reports once we crawl, exhausted, back to the office.
Yep, this was my first Gen Con, and I'll be making darn sure it's not my last. This has been a great experience all around. Nina Hess even helped invent a new dance ("the beholder"—it involves closing one eye and waggling all ten fingers on the top of your head). No doubt, it was a tiring show. We had a ton of preparations to make, a big announcement to deliver, and constant coverage of events. I tried to find some time to walk the hall as much as I could, but next year I'd love the chance to participate in more demos and games... and next year, that includes 4th edition. If I saw you at the show, it was great to meet everyone. Thanks for a wonderful Gen Con! by Chris Thomasson
Well, it's 3:40 p.m. on Sunday. The hall is starting to empty out, although I know the strays won't leave the floor for a good 30 minutes or so after 4. I'm up atop the tower in the middle of our booth, a new feature for this show that has been absolutely awesome. You can see almost the entire show floor from up here, and this space has been great for meeting with press, talking to freelancers, or just grabbing a quiet (relatively speaking) moment to catch your breath. What a show. I'm exhausted, and as I look around the booth, I see the equally tired faces of all the folks who worked their butts off this weekend. I think this show, as rewarding as it was for all of us, and as big a relief as it was to finally, FINALLY, be able to talk about this stuff we've been working on for the past many months. We'll have some follow up commentary in the week or so following. I'm running out of gas here, though, so I'll give my highlights. I wish I had a camera, 'cause the visuals would make it a hundred times better. Luckily Bart had a camera, so you can check his entries to see a lot of this stuff.
2. The announcement teaser video. I've seen it about fifty times now, and I still laugh. I love the grapple joke, and I crack up at Chris's afro. 3. The excitement. Almost overwhelming support from our fans. Most were wary after the initial announcement, but after each Q&A, you could feel the tension drop over the course of the seminar, and the excitement build. And then there's the staff. We've been so eager to finally start talking with the fans about 4th Edition, our heads just about exploded. 4. My favorite shirt. It showed a beefy dwarf fighter carrying an axe, and it said "Elves are Fruity." I don't know what that was so funny, but it cracked me up. It might have something to do with the fact that I saw it today, near the end of the show, and I'm pretty punchy. Four to five hours of sleep a night each of the last four nights will do that. 5. The food. I got to go to local steak wonderland St. Elmo twice. Sweet. 6. The music. We found a bar called the Slippery Noodle, which has live blues on two stages every night. We went each of the last three nights, and it was awesome. 7. The freelancers. I got to meet with about 30 of the excellent writers, designers, and editors who have worked for us in the past on both print products, online projects, and for the magazines. Many I already knew, but it was fantastic to put names to faces. I know there's more. I mean, the announcement was great, a 14-year-old won the DDM Championship (and $2,000), and we had record turnout in the RPGA and DDM events. We'll be around again in the next couple of days for more wrap-up, but it's 4 p.m. and that is that. by Greg Collins
And at the crack of 4 p.m. Sunday, the doors to the Exhibitors Hall closed and Gen Con 2007 started to pull up stakes. For the last four days, thousands of gamers made Indianapolis their home, sharing their passion, energy, and french fries with friends and strangers alike. Twenty-six years ago this month, my brother Andy got a birthday present from our uncle Ralph (craftily suggested by our mom) that changed our lives ... the D&D basic set (blue box, if you're wondering). Fast forward through countless days and nights gaming and I find myself here in Indy. My job? I'm the guy who has been coordinating Wizards' event coverage all weekend, putting the spotlight firmly on D&D's 4th Edition ... co-designed by my big brother. That truly makes it a Gen Con I'll never forget. Thanks to everyone who enjoyed our Gen Con coverage this year ... I'm honored to share this weekend with all of you. |
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Name: Alex Franson
Name: Rich Shay
Name: Nick Calcaterra
Name: Ray Robillard
Name: Vincent Forino
Name: Steve Conway
Name: Richard Mattiuzzo
Name: Stephen Menendian
Dave Williamson and St. Louis Magic celebrity "Ogre" explained: "Alpha League is a bunch of old players who have been playing with each other since about 1999." The league, started by Bob Maher associate Jason Woodburn and Shawn Wolfe features the oldest cards in the game with the oldest rules to boot. ONLY Alpha cards are allowed (in fact, the players are so adamant about the rule that if anyone is asked "Are those Beta?" they must immediately respond "Beta is CRAP!") and rules enforcement consists of adhering to the ORIGINAL Alpha rules. That means interrupts and poly/mono artifacts, no stack, no mulligans, a minimum of 20 cards per player in your deck (meaning a circle game would require exorbitant amounts of cards), no 4-of card requirements, and of course cutting for ante.
The D&D Minis Championship has been going on all weekend, as has the D&D Open. We'll have full reports and photos of the winners coming soon—after all, we want to give due credit to those guys for all the work and dedication they put into their gaming. As far as D&D Minis, the championship laurels (a custom-painted Icingdeath, and $2000 prize money) went to the young, humble 14-year old Eddie Wehrenberg. And the D&D Open was won, for the 3rd year in a row no less, to team Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Congratulations to all the winners, and our thanks to everyone participating.
1. The troll. I was blown away by both the life-size sculptures we had made for the announcement, but the troll has always been my favorite D&D monster. I wish I had space in my house for the beast, but at 9 feet tall, he wouldn't fit anywhere except my garage.
