Ross Payton, co-host of Role Playing Public Radio and author of Road Trip and Zombies of the World, discusses the many types of zombies. Shambling hordes of flesh eating ghouls can be more than just easy monsters to kill. They can provoke moral dilemmas, puzzles and provide backdrops for new and unique settings. Find out what zombies can do for your game. All attendees get a free mini-zombie adventure for Wild Talents and other goodies.
Join the hosts of the Award winning podcast Brilliant Gameologists and learn words that will bring out the worst emotions in your gaming group and will counter the real message - either names you could call players (Munchkin, Powergamer, Drama Queen, Rules Lawyer, Meta-gamer) or whining to your GM (It’s not fair! It’s not realistic! You are railroading us!). Learn alternatives to name calling that are just as fun and clarify the real problems.
Join celebrated fantasy author R.A. Salvatore to discuss his past work, his upcoming projects, and what else is new in the world of the Forgotten Realms campaign and the life of Drizzt Do’Urden.
Relive the days of yore when the command line was king! GO WEST and LIGHT LAMP in a live-action text adventure with a few hundred of your closest friends.
Magic in most RPGs--and most fiction, for that matter--is typically based on Old World or “exotic” magical traditions. That’s fine for pre-colonial games, but games set in America should feature magic that draws on American superstition, folk magic, and even pop culture. If you’ve ever wanted to play a Hoodoo Man or Elvismancer, this panel is for you.
Over the past year, major new capabilities have been incorporated into Lone Wolf Development's industry standard roster construction tool for miniatures games. Learn how you can leverage these new features to fully customize output, integrate photos of your troops, and easily enter newly released units for immediate use.
Being a great Dungeon Master requires a variety of skills, such as rules arbiter, character actor, and expert storyteller. The art of the Dungeon Master is in combining all of these talents. Join a panel of D&D designers to discuss various tips and tricks to bring the best adventure to your players, as well as ways to make them equal participants in the story. A Q&A session will follow the discussion.
Balancing Act: The Fine Art of Creating Balanced Characters
Description:
Mr. Perfect is a pretty dull chap. Well-rounded characters—ones folks enjoy reading about—have flaws and foibles. How do you add the right amount of baggage to a hero, villain, or sidekick? How can you avoid stereotypical troubles and latch onto something sparkling and masterful?
Many theories exist out there concerning the Nazca Lines in Peru. We’ll focus on one in this talk, and then look at the evidence and see which one is supported best. We’ll look at the more recent studies concerning the Nazca Lines and what the best theories are. Bring your Tinfoil hats and be prepared!
Want to know what the future holds for Exile Game Studio? Come find out what's next for Hollow Earth Expedition and the Ubiquity Roleplaying System. What secrets will be revealed? You'll have to be here to find out! This is a chance for fans to ask questions directly to Jeff Combos and Sechin Tower.
Writers can find big opportunities to break into publishing through the small press. Learn where to go, and what it takes, to make it big in small press. Our panelists include small press publishers, editors, and writers.
Building LEGO® Games with Cephas Howard & Reiner Knizia
Description:
Join acclaimed games designer and consultant on LEGO® Games, Reiner Knizia and LEGO Games Lead Designer Cephas Howard as they present, discuss and answer questions about the creation of LEGO Games. A behind the scenes look at how the LEGO brick turned into a series of games.
Business of Writing: Agents & Query Letters & Piches, Oh My!
Description:
Writing might be an art, but there’s a side that’s all business. Do you need an agent, and how do you get one? How important is the query letter, and how do you write one? And what about pitches? We’ll offer the tools you’ll need if you want to get serious about the business of writing!
Be prepared to take notes. Now that you have your world built, your characters filled with angst, and your plot twisted, we’re going to give you more than a few tips on preparing your manuscript. We’ll also provide sage advice on catching an editor’s eye ... in a good way.
Capes, Capers, and Cannons: Margaret Weis Productions Q&A
Description:
Find out what Margaret Weis Productions has in store for fans of Cortex Plus and enjoy an opportunity to catch up with Margaret Weis and her Crew! Bring your questions and we'll do our best to give you answers. Book signing and exclusive insights into the new worlds of Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes.
You’ve got the acceptance letter, but now what? How do you keep your editor happy and asking for future manuscripts? What can you do to make their life easier, your writing more attractive to them ... and what can you expect from them in return?
After WWII, many Melanesian tribes adopted new religious practices. They imitated the behaviors of the Allies who had used their island homes as staging areas for resource distribution in an attempt to exhort the gods for 'cargo.' These 'cargo cults' are a powerful analogue for pseudoscience and those that practice it. What can Melanesian tribes teach us about the difference between science and pseudoscience? Attend this talk to find out.
Sometimes ideas don’t come easy. It may take a lot of work and rumination to cull a workable idea for a story or book. We offer techniques for brainstorming and discuss the resources we turn to when our thoughts go stale.
Come join us for a non-denominational worship service sponsored by the Christian Gamers Guild. We'll read scripture, sing familiar hymns, hear a sermon, and offer an optional communion. Stick around afterwards to meet fellow Christians and learn more about the CGG organization.
Join us for a panel discussion with Q&A time on balancing faith and gaming, starting a gaming group at your church, and other topics on how to be both a Christian and a gamer. Learn about the Christian Gamers Guild at our website.
Think you've got what it takes to make a daily comic strip? Join the award winning team of writer Jeff Meurer and artist Phill Dishon as they show you what it takes to make a daily comic strip and let the audience help them make a special Super Phillainy comic strip live at Gen Con!
Want to find your way to the top of an editor’s slush pile? Don’t want to end up in that proverbial circular file? Take notes! Our panelists talk about what they look for when wading through the slush piles, finding the worst of the worst, and uncovering a few rare gems.
Ever wanted to directly influence the future of your favorite RPGs? Curious about what goes on behind the scenes at a gaming company? Looking for the inside scoop on Spycraft Third Edition, the Mistborn RPG, Ten Thousand Bullets, or Fantasy Craft? Join Patrick Kapera and Alex Flagg in this no-holds-barred, town hall-style roundtable on all things Crafty. Expect lively discussion, juicy reveals, and maybe even a few giveaways.
Crazy Conspiracies and Coverups: Secrets THEY Don't Want You to Know About
Description:
Join the Skeptical Gamers as they take you on a wild ride through the world of conspiracies, coverups, and the tinfoil hat crowd. We'll crack open the secret tomes of the Illuminati, take aim at JFK assassination theories, and figure out whether or not Paul is really dead. Join us for the fun...unless you're afraid the reptoids who run the government will send the black helicopters for you!
Creating Independent TV & Film for the Gamer Audience
Description:
Big budget movies and TV can't afford to serve the needs of all niche audiences. That's where independent producers step in. Retro sci-fi, fantasy adventures, drama and comedy with RPG-playing leads - come find out how these creators and producers do it and why. Panelists: Chris Preksta (The Mercury Men, Captain Blasto) Ben Dobyns (The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, JourneyQuest) David Nett (GOLD, Night of the Zombie King)
Creating Memorable Non-player/Non-point-of-view Characters for Gamers and Writers
Description:
Veteran Gamemaster and Writer, Dr. Rich Staats, steps participants through a tried and true process for creating memorable characters for games and stories.
Creating Memorable Non-player/Non-point-of-view Characters for Gamers and Writers
Description:
Veteran Gamemaster and Writer, Dr. Rich Staats, steps participants through a tried and true process for creating memorable characters for games and stories.
Presented by the d20 Radio Network! Join hosts from ENnie Award Winning and industry recognized podcasts such as The Order 66 Podcast, Chronicles: The Pathfinder Podcast, Brew City Gamers, and others. In this round-table style panel, the hosts will provide tools, tips, and tricks to planning, recording, and hosting a gaming podcast - with a primary focus on the answering of attendee questions and heavy audience interaction.
The modern West is awash in the paranormal, from ghost hunting to alien abductions. The paranormal, however, is hardly unique to us. Different cultures have had their own unique conceptions of the paranormal. If we widen our gaze from beliefs espoused by the Ghost Hunters and others, we see that paranormal ideas generally draw from cultural narratives and fill in perceived holes to help explain the anomalous or extraordinary.
Join the Dungeons & Dragons R&D team on a quest through the streets of Neverwinter. The entire audience takes the role of an adventuring company trekking in search of gold, glory, and adventure, with the R&D panel serving as a hive mind Dungeon Master. Thrills, chills, and surprises await.
They said we could never do it, but last year’s D&D monster design seminar heralded the return of the modrons! What strange, wacky creature does R&D want to unleash on the world with your help this year? What makes for a good monster, and how can you use the mechanics of the D&D game to create it? Join the Wizards of the Coast R&D staff in creating a set of new monsters for publication in the pages of Dungeon Magazine.
Come listen to a panel of experienced Game Masters talk about how to integrate skill challenges, social conflicts, faster combat, and simple skill use into your game topics such as adding props, terrain effects, and efficient tile use in your games. Join in a live recording of the DMs Roundtable as a credited guest.
The infamous Call of Cthulhu magazine 'The Unspeakable Oath' has returned! Join the editors to talk about what we're doing in the Oath and what you want to see in it. And that's the perfect time to talk about the future of DELTA GREEN, the legendary Call of Cthulhu setting that got its start in the pages of The Unspeakable Oath!
Come speak to the mind behind Third Eye Games, Eloy Lasanta! Learn about the company, what it takes to start your own, and hear about all the great products coming from Third Eye Games in the future!
We're making a pen and paper RPG, and you're invited to the design meeting! During the panel, you'll address the problem-solving and analytical questions required to design a successful game. During the discussion, we'll cover the basics of game theory and how to outline, centered around an example you're participating in.
We're making a pen and paper RPG, and you're invited to the design meeting! During the panel, you'll address the problem-solving and analytical questions required to design a successful game. During the discussion, we'll cover the basics of game theory and how to outline, centered around an example you're participating in.
Learn five dirty secrets that the game industry doesn't want you to know. Use them to make your games better. Designers Luke and Jared share their jaded, sometimes humorous view, of the world of game design. Jared will do this entire seminar in a character voice!
Get an exclusive look at upcoming titles for the D&D RPG, novels, and board games direct from the game’s designers, developers, and editors. This seminar will take a look at D&D’s upcoming releases and tease new mechanics and story directions.
Each month, Dragon and Dungeon magazines deliver adventures, feats, magic items, and other options for your gaming table. Have you ever wished that you could pick and choose which articles live and die? This panel is your chance to pitch an idea for R&D to work on. Bring your list of what D&D needs and what you want to see in the future.
Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) – The voices of the dead caught on recording. Where do they come from? What do the dead have to say? Join the Indiana Ghost Trackers as they take you on a journey to the other side. We’ll examine some fascinating EVPs caught right here in the Hooiser State on real paranormal investigations and ghost hunts.
It's not a part of the Head of Vecna. It's possibly the worst published piece of fantasy fiction. Dare you try to read even a page of Jim Theis' purplish prose? This year, we're spicing things up! Assigned parts? Live action? Interpretive dance? Sequels, prequels, parodies? It's not a surprise; we haven't figured it out. But we're committed to making you committed. 18 and over only, please (for bad language—not dirty, just bad).
We as Christians know that in life we are involved in the greatest story: God's story of our redemption. Long time gamer and GM Erik Mehring discusses how we can tap into that at the gaming table, to explore plots and characters who search for, and may ultimately find, the redemption we all need and hope for.
The next big thing in computer RPGs. All CRPGs are nothing more than combat simulators with static NPCs. We are unveiling at Gen Con our new MMORPG that plan to fundamentally change the way you experience games. Presented by Jonathan Tweet (Everyway, D&D 3rd) and Brian Green (Meridian59).
Fantastic Females: Dynamic women should rule the pages of your manuscript ... not the mousy types waiting to be tied to a railroad track. Our panelists discuss how to avoid weak clichés and over-used stereotypes, and how to craft strong, interesting ladies that advance your story.
Real spacemen don’t eat grilled cheese! Little details help make your fiction real and add depth to your characters. Fictional food can also reveal important information about the climate and culture you are crafting. Learn how to make up food and diets that are exotic but still believable.
Have your epic deeds or stories ever fallen on deaf ears at the gaming table? Has another player's grandiose schemes ever made the group want to bundle him in raw meat and toss him over the side of the airship into a pack of lions? Maybe you and your group could benefit from listening to the words under the table.