I love me some conventions! Even in the days where conventions were an exhausting gauntlet of projects, questions, problems, and not being able to walk more than 50 feet in a convention hall without be deluged with stories about characters and campaigns, I still loved them. It was just one of those abusive love affairs you crime dramas always warned you about.
But with Gen Con under my belt and Enfilade! come and gone, I’m ready for another convention go, so I’m off to my favorite place in the world—Las Vegas!
I’m being sarcastic here. I’m actually not a fan of Vegas. It’s too loud, it’s too bright, it’s too decadent, it’s just a bit much. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some things that I like and respect about Vegas. Each time I go there I’m just fascinated by the design of the city and its casinos. Vegas is a trap meticulously designed to separate you from your money. The cynical side of any game designer has to respect just the devious nature of sin city.
That said, Vegas is not without its draws. My wife loves Vegas…for many of the reason I don’t And while she does love road trips along the Oregon coast, she does have to put up with my brewery stops along the way, so being a good husband I put up with Vegas from time to time. As a fan of the Beatles, I loved…well…Love (and recommend that, and just about any Cirque show—Vegas or no Vegas—to anyone who has never seen one) and I do appreciate the fact the city is pretty fast and loose with its alcohol rules. Now if they would only carry my favorite Oregon microbrews and stop flicking porn trading cards as I walk down the strip!
The best part about Vegas? Hands down is NEONCON. And I feel confident about saying that having never been to this show. How can I know? First off, I’ve had many reports from friend who just love the hell out of this show. They rave about the staff, the events, and the general atmosphere of the show. But one of the most exciting things about NEONCON is CreativeU (formerly called GamesU). Basically a conference (or an unconference, as the website explains) where creative types with a geeky disposition share their ideas in a series of talks and workshops, the NEONCON offering is rather unique among “gaming” conventions. And I was both pleased and surprised when NEONCON expressed an interest in this NeoGrognard coming to share his thoughts on the state of the tabletop RPG industry and its bright future.
This year’s theme of CreativeU is “Light My Fire.” A boy do I like to light fires! That’s why my discussion topic is called “The Two Rules of RPG Growth.” Those of you who were around during my RPGA days will probably have a good idea of what two rules are, because they were the basis of the General Rules of the RPGA during my tenure. Let’s just say that my talk should be a tad irreverent, a bit enlightening, and hopefully inspiring. That’s what I’m shooting for anyway.
Talk aside, what do I plan to do? Game! My good friend Jason Bulmahn (of Paizo and Pathfinder fame) is also attending and participating with CreativeU, so I’m sure we will be causing some trouble from time to time. The rest of the guests are fantastic, and I’m pleased to share a venue with them, and I’m looking forward to attend all the talks that I can fit into the weekend. If you are thinking about going, I suggest you do. If any of you are going, feel free to let me shake your hand. I love meeting fellow gamers. And by hook or by crook, I’ll have the newest version of Hexploration with me…so if you want to see how it works, and give us some feedback, track me down.
If you haven’t heard of NEONCON, or you want to find out more, check out their website here, follow them on Twitter here, check out this year’s event on Facebook here, and check out their trailers and past discussions (including last year’s awesome keynote from my friend Erik Mona) here.