When people think about summer their minds turn to summer vacation and where they might go. Some people might be lucky enough to go to another state to have fun at a theme park while others might spend time closer to home and go to the beach or lake. However, for some 100,000 people they have all converged on the great state of Indiana for only one purpose.
To play games.
GenCon 2024 takes place in the great city of Indianapolis and I decided that I was going to go down there on a Friday, spend time there for a bit and then head back. Unlike last year I did not come close to death as the trip was around two hours as I pulled my car into the connecting parking garage and made a beeline to the press area and picked up my badge. One secured I looked around to see what I could get into as the exhibitors hall wouldn’t open until ten.
If I haven’t said it previously this convention center is massive as I clocked in around ten miles of walking that day and two days later I am still feeling sore. There are two massive rooms, the first being the Exhibit Hall where people show up and sell their games and products and the other is an Event Hall where people run demos of the games and some even sell their products as well. While there were many big studios such as Avalon Hill and Wizards of the Coast showing off and running events I looked at some of the mid to smaller studios to see what was going on before the hall opened in two hours.
One of the first games that caught my eye was Super Show as this was a card game that allows you to battle your opponent in the squared circle in a no holds barred wrestling match. This is a fast paced and enjoyable game and there is always content coming out for it. The folks over at Corvus Belli had rows upon rows of tables set up for not only their Infinity miniatures game but their fantasy one called War Crow. Catalyst Game Labs who hold the Shadowrun and Battletech licenses had a massive showing and one of the things that blew my mind was they had the pods from the old Virtual World setup! For those that don’t know there used to be a business called Virtual World where you could play games in these pods and Battletech was one of the licenses. After a few hours of walking around checking some of the games from some smaller publishers such as Akinji Entertainment as they were debuting their CATaclysm RPG in which yes you play as a cat! The premise looks super fun and this will be coming to a crowdfunding site near you! There was also Rising Empire Studios with their game Cosmic Conquest, BA Games with Forges of Ravenshire and Mindware Games with their latest game called Ziggurat.
There were also some publishers that had their own rooms off to the side showing off games and running demos and I managed to peek into two before the hall opened. The first was the folks over at Monte Cook Games and they had a lot to show off including their Cypher System which is by and far one of the most flexible RPG’s around. In fact if you haven’t checked out Callisto Six on Youtube you need to! But they were also showing off their Old Gods of Appalachia RPG which if you love horror you definitely need to check out. The other room I managed to visit was the folks over at Free League Publishing and they make RPG’s from fantasy to sci-fi including some universes you might have heard of including Lord of the Rings, Alien, Blade Runner and the Walking Dead!
As the masses lined up to get into the exhibit hall there were so many people it was almost impossible to move. One of the first games I encountered was from Iron Studios called Ozob and in this is a cyberpunk miniatures game where you are trying to protect your VIP while managing your adrenaline. Walking around the exhibit hall I managed to find a lot of great companies such as Palladium Books and they are working hard on their releases. The TMNT RPG is being worked hard right now for a first quarter 2025 release. This is going to be in two releases which are a full color and a black, white and red color as well as a GM screen and dice. If you love RPG’s like Final Fantasy or other JRPG’s you need to check out Need Games Fabula Ultima. This is a great system that the players and the GM can shape into their own unique world. Ever wanted to customize your own starfighter and take it into combat? Now you can with Snapship Tactics! This customizable game allows you to build your own starfighter and pit it against your opponent.
Tabletop Tycoon has a litany of games that they have released and one of their series is a game called Everdell. This world of cute and cuddly critters shows how enterprising they can be and the booth even had their own arcade with a claw machine, penny press and even their own pinball game! Another great tabletop game company I ran into was Solis Game Studio and they have a lot of great games such as Pocket Paragons which is a fighting game to Space Lion which is a game about managing armies. If you are into miniature games that look like Elden Ring or Dark Souls you might want to check out Kingdom Death. There are two starter sets along with boosters to get you and your players in the mood and while the price tag is steep the miniatures are outstanding.
Nerd Burger Games has a lot of great games on their menu ranging from the Capers universe where you play a super-powered gangster to Code Warriors as you play programs living inside a computer that is crashing. Middara is a story driven tactical board game from the folks over at Succubus Publishing and it looks amazing. And the best part is you can play this with three of your friends or completely solo. If you want a publisher that will deliver unique games at a great price then look no further than Wet Ink Games. From serious World War I action against eldritch horrors in Never Going Home to just playing a dog in Heckin Good Doggos this company gets gamers and has a lot of great titles. In fact they just released Home which takes place in a haunted house and Garbage and Glory is releasing next year as you play raccoons scavenging for trash.
Some game companies were unique this year and here are some that stood out to me. First is a company called TTcombat that releases a lot of various miniature wargames based on properties such as Carnivale, Dropzone Commander and Rumbleslam! And that’s not all as this company also releases terrain and paints as well! Finders Creepers is a great game about hunting monsters in a haunted house however, if the monsters escape the house you have to use your phone to capture them and get them back into the house! One of the most ambitious projects I have ever seen has to be a company called Teburu. They have two products that are integrating both tabletop and digital gaming and the first is an unique IP called The Bad Karmas. You are people who are tasked to save the world from monsters who have manifested into our world. The second game is based on the Vampire: The Masquerade universe and is Vampire: The Masquerade Milan in which you try to shape the city of Milan to your will. So you want to get into wargaming but don’t have a lot of money? No problem! Look for the folks over at Necromolds to help you out! This game is amazing as you can use clay to shape your monsters with spell books and take out your opponent.
If you are a fan of horror then the folks over at Trick or Treat studios have you covered. Not only do they release some amazing horror merchandise but they also release games as well! From original titles to some that are based off some iconic movies such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Chucky and coming soon House of a 1000 corpses! One of those booths that got me to stop, look and even giggle a little was the folks over at Friendly Skeleton. They have a new game called Trash Talk and there was a LITERAL dumpster there with someone in a raccoon kigurumi demoing the game so check that out! Ever want to get with your friends and just talk shit, drink beer and throw dice? Then look no further than the folks over at D-Verse Publishing with their game Nexus Arena as you control your fighter against your opponents in the arena however, they might not always do what you want. Want a more unique role playing game to play with you and your friends? Check out the folks over at Mythworks as they have games ranging from a Mork Borg inspired cyberpunk called cbr+pnk augmented to a game about skateboarding and giant bugs called Slugblaster.
If you are like me and can remember the old role playing games then you need to check out Shadowdark. This game has simple rules and a great setting that will get you and your players to explore some dungeons. And speaking of RPG’s have you ever wanted to save a city from a diabolical mastermind? Then look no further than the Legends Superhero RPG as it will allow you to create the hero you always wanted. Wanting to host a game night with friends and family and are looking for some fun games to play? Look no further than Weird Giraffe! From games about hacking computers to games about altering dreams there is some amazing fun here for the whole family. Every game deserves another chance as that is the motto behind Restoration Games and they have a new project in the works for their Unmatched line. In September 2024 there is going to be a kickstarter to have a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle version of Unmatched. Want to go behind enemy lines as a vampire to try and drink Hitler’s blood? That is the world of Eat the Reich from Rowan, Rook and Deckard and this game is amazing as it is ultraviolent.
The Last of Us has been a sensation both on the Playstation and on Television and now the folks over at Themeborne are releasing a game based on that franchise. This along with their other games Escape the Dark Castle and Escape the Dark Sector need to be experienced. CGS stands for Creative Games Studios and they bring that out in spades. From their dungeon crawler Chronicles of Drunagor to their upcoming game based off of Dante’s Inferno this is a company to watch. Shadowborne Games makes some amazing games as they have released Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood but they are not resting on their laurels just yet. They have another game entitled Avalon that is in the works and this game looks amazing as the last. And my last stop at Gencon was over at Mantic Games and they need no introduction as they make some amazing products from fantasy Kings of War to the sci-fi Deadzone. Now they are going to be taking another license to their miniatures line with Halo: Flashpoint. With beautifully detailed miniatures and a fast paced rule set this is going to mimic the video-game in great detail.
And with around eight hours of being in Indianapolis I limped back to my car and began the long drive home. And next year hopefully I get to do this all over again and if you want to experience the best in gaming you need to go to www.gencon.com and get ready for 2025 in Indy!
