They really aren't kidding when the organizers dub it that. GenCon is a veritable mecca for gamers, and I was fortunate enough to be able to attend once again this year. And now that I have gotten some sleep, I am here to share with you some of the highlights of my weekend.

Thursday started early for me. I was up at 5:30 to pull myself together to catch my ride to the con. We had a two and a half hour ride to Indianapolis and we wanted to be there early. I kissed my wife and daughter goodbye and jumped in the car. GenCon awaits.

We wasted no time once we arrived, making our way to the Gaming Hall as soon as we could. Hand shakes and hugs were the order of the moment as we approached the HeroClix area, old friends all ready to greet us as we joined their ranks. And let me tell you, that is one of the best parts of an event like this. Getting to see long time friends. Putting faces to the many screen names that you know. And the perfect strangers that by weekend's close you feel as though you've known for years. All together to share in the game that we love.

A bunch of familiar faces were already lined up for the Grinders, hoping that they might be the next World's Champ. But for me, the Battle Royals were where I wanted to test my skills. But we won't linger on that for long, for I quickly discovered that not only were my gaming skills rusty, so were my dice. A Battle Royal win was not to be had. I blame Doom.


But that didn't keep me from having a good time. I knew that no matter what, I had the HCRealms Member Appreciation Dinner to look forward to. At the end of the day, my group and I made our way to the Old Spaghetti Factory and found ourselves among the most amazing collection of gamers I could imagine. We all gathered into one of the large dining rooms and proceeded to have one of the best meals of my life. And it wasn't the food that made it excellent, even though that was quite good. It was the company. HCRealms really knows how to put on a party. We all ate, told stories and laughed uproariously together like the giant family that we are. We even adopted a few new members into the family (Adam, if you are reading this, you are welcome at our table any time).

If you are an HCRealms member, and you go to GenCon without attending the Appreciation Dinner, you really are missing out on one of the best parts of the weekend.

For Friday a small group of friends here on HCRealms had organized a multi-player free for all game that saw seven of us sit down together for a great game that resulted in yours truly taking home his only "W" of the weekend. It was a casual affair that saw most of us bringing thematic teams of well loved characters to the table, while one Mad Titan thought it would be fun to capitalize on all the KOs that his opponents were dealing out. Next year I do believe that Vlad will be a marked man.


After that, it was time to take a short break from gaming to check out all the cool stuff in the Dealer's Hall and the excellent displays in the main hall. One of my personal favorite items of the weekend was the gigantic Fin Fang Foom created entirely from balloons. It was an impressive thing to say the least.


When you are there, take your time to check out all the cool stuff. There's lots to see. Don't worry. The HeroClix will still be there when you get back.

One "Dealer's Hall Tip" that I cannot stress enough is that if you see something you want, buy it. Don't wait until tomorrow. Don't even think that you can wait until the end of the day. Buy the thing now. Because if you don't, someone else will. And there may not be any left when you come back. This advice would have prevented me from missing out on a few things that I would have liked to have come home with.

Friday ended for me with a few casual games with friends, one of which saw my Asgardians go toe to toe with a Chase Thanos/Sentinel Capture Box. ibeatdrew is an evil genius.

Others stayed even longer than I, taking part in the annual HCRealms After Hours Tournament. It went into the wee hours of the morning, but from what I hear was an absolute blast. This is something that I will definitely have to make a point to participate in next year.

Saturday arrived and it was time to get serious. The World Championship was picking up steam and the players gathered to get in on the Last Chance Grinders and attend the Golden Age Semi-Final round. It was a pleasure to watch these fabulous players put all manner of teams on the board in an attempt to make the cut into the final sixteen players for Sunday. And HCRealms was there, table side, ready to cover all the action.


I was able to preview many of the players that would make it into Sunday's game, including Josh Robinson, Tim Bold and Mike Tran. Only an unfortunate bit of circumstance would keep Mike out of the action on Sunday. I would have very much liked to see what he would have had in store for his opponents.

Saturday wrapped up with a couple more casual games of Clix and saw me cave into something new, finally allowing my friends to teach me how to play Settlers of Catan. I'm not really sure why I resisted for so long, because I loved it. Due in small part to the fact that I won the game. Beginners luck I'm sure, but source for a valuable lesson: there is far more than Clix to play at GenCon. Be open to new experiences. You'll likely go home with something new to show your friends.

And then finally, Sunday was upon us. Norm Barth, like the previous mornings led the players in the HeroClix chant, announcing to the Gaming Hall that the Clixers were ready to play. But it was a bit different that morning. There was an electricity in the air. There were sixteen players chomping at the bit to be crowned World Champ, and none wanted to be kept waiting.

It was thrilling to watch these players in action. Carefully calculated moves. Precision figure placement. Gauntlets spinning furiously. The rounds flew by, sixteen becoming eight. Eight down to four. Four became two. Alex Avila and George Massu. Ready to play. Hungry for glory. With nerves of steel Alex held his ground against a two time former Champ. He knew better than to back down. This was his year. And with Morgan le Fay, Scarlet Witch and Wasp by his side, he was proven correct. Alex Avila stood victorious as the World Champion of HeroClix.

With a collective sigh my friends and I congratulated the new champ, and made our way toward the exit. This was the final stamp, and a perfect way to end another GenCon. We made our way home, to family and friends, tired from the weekend but with plenty of stories to tell.

Last year I was only able to attend the Con for two days. This year I knew that I would need all four. Little did I know that four days still wouldn't be enough. I guess I'll just have to go back for more next year. Who's with me?

im with ya. great time and nice meeting you

I miss Gencon.

Great write up TAT. Gencon really is the Mecca for gamers and it's something everyone should go to at least once.

I'm with ya! Already starting to plan for next year.

If the wife wasn't ready to pop, I think I may have made it this year. Oh well, here's to next year!

Loads of fun. I cannot stress enough, how much fun the dinner and after hours event were. Definitely doing both again next year.

Man, I made it out for Saturday, but I really wish I'd been there for the whole thing.

The dinner is only going to get better, I would appreciate any feed back so that we can keep improving it, IE location, pricing, time, ....

Location was great. I don't see how anybody could complain about the cost. The time was a little late for most everyone I spoke with, but considering the size of our party, I understood the reasoning. I wouldn't change a thing.

If I read Groovy right, the DHC will be moved to Gencon next year. In which case, my title can be defended. In in which which case case, I'll be there with bells on!

The only issue I had with the location and time was it was the same night as the ViG mixer. That's the only issue I had with it so I missed that.

What time was the mixer?

A great write up from my brother Jeremiah (TheAvengerThor). It really captured the feeling one gets when trying to do as much as possible. We're going to have to play Catan now next time you come to visit as well as clix. Hopefully next year the Peterson brothers (And Wives) can tag team the hell out of Gencon. I want to see Ogre representation at least 10 strong!

TaT, it was pleasure finally meeting you and playing against you. Here's to Gen Con 2013!

At that point we should just have our own tournament with the prize being more cursed dice.