Celebrity Sightings

Published: Mon, 08/27/18

Hey !

I know this is unprecedented, but I've only been to a single convention since my last message. It was a big one, though! And I know I talked a lot about Gen Con last time, so I'll try to keep this short.

The main thing here is that there were some big announcements at Gen Con I couldn't talk about before, but I can talk about them now! Actually, I already talked about them...

But, anyway, in case you hadn't heard, a digital version of Gloomhaven is coming!

And also, I am working on a new version of Dark Tower with Restoration Games!

Seriously, if you want to know more about either of those awesome things, click on that link above. Oh, there it is again, too. Imagine that.

It also goes without saying that Gen Con was awesome. I signed so many things and met so many fans. It was great. I tried to be present for everyone, but it did get a little tiring, and often I had people pulling me in five different directions (not literally, that would have been weird). I just hope everyone who came by the booth had a great experience!

This is me and ORPHAN BLACK CREATOR JOHN FAWCETT.

We were geeking out over each other. It was great.

So the great thing about Gen Con (sorry, I am not good at making things short), and other big conventions is that I get just a small taste of being a celebrity. And a small taste is the perfect amount. I am not a celebrity in every day life. I spend most of my time at home. Occasionally I will go to the grocery store, or go out to eat with my wife, and out in public, no one knows who the hell I am. I am just some normal dude, and that is perfectly great, because I am an introvert and am happy to go about my everyday business in peace.

If I were, say, Chris Evans, I imagine getting accosted by fans everywhere you go would get old pretty fast. I'm sure there are times, though, when Chris Evans says, "Hey, I'm just going to go out in public today and interact with my fans," and I bet that is fun. I think choice is a key part to the equation. You don't want to necessarily be interrupted when you are at the store just trying to get milk for your cereal, but when you decide to go out and interact with people, it's a different experience.

So what I am saying is it is great not being Chris Evans. I am only famous in a very specific circle of the world - "nerd famous" as a friend of mine calls it - so when I do want to be famous, I can just go to a convention and it is wonderful, and then I can just go home and turn back into a normal person. The best of both worlds. Also I've never been beaten up by Thanos, so that's another a plus.

This is Chris Evans, in case you had no idea who I was talking about.

So I picked up exactly three games at Gen Con, which is actually significantly more than usual. The first was Brass: Lancashire, which I had never played before. I had heard good things, and obviously Roxley was going to do great work with the presentation. I was not disappointed on any front. That game is fantastic, and now I want to try out Birmingham.

I also got Rise of Queensdale, the new competitive legacy game from Inka and Markus Brand. It's a pretty light experience, but I am enjoying playing it through with my wife. I've only played a prototype of Charterstone, but it feels very similar, in that you are building up your engine over a series of smaller games. After getting about 1/3 of the way through, though, I fear my wife may be souring to it because I have yet to lose a game (to be fair, she has only lost once - most of the time we share victory). I really hope we can keep playing so that I can see all the different mechanics that pop up!

And lastly I got Dinosaur Tea Party, mainly because my wife requested it by name, which doesn't ever happen. She still hasn't played it with me, though (it does require 3 players minimum, which may have been a purchasing oversight on my part). Oh well!

You thought this was going to be a picture of Dinosaur Tea Party, but, nope.

It's just more Chris Evans, and you'll like it.

So, okay, look. I really don't want to just go on and on about all the cool conventions Isaac is going to and has gone to, but before I go, I really do need to mention two more things.

First of all, Grand Con is in two and a half weeks, where I will be a special guest! Panels and Founders demos and whatnot. You can find out more about that stuff when the Grand Con event page goes live, but what is also happening is that Rob Daviau and I are looking for play testers for Return to Dark Tower.

If you'll be going to Grand Con, and are interested in providing some feedback on it, just let me know. Keep in mind that the number of slots we have is very small, so I may not get back to you about it, and this is completely about providing feedback and not at all about getting a sneak-peek at a game that will likely change very significantly from what it is now to the final product.

And finally, Essen Spiel! We will be there, of course. With a booth and copies of Founders, though, as I said last time, sadly no copies of Forgotten Circles. We will have demos, though, and the designer himself, Marcel Cwertetschka. Also, though, we will have the illustrious Paul Grogan at the booth! I am super-excited to have him helping out this year, teaching people Founders probably better than I could teach it myself, so come on by and bask in his glorious English accent.

All right, that is very much it from me. I have gone on way too long. Next time, which will still be before Spiel happens, I will try very hard to talk less about conventions and fantasize more about being a super-hero. Or something. If you think any organization or planning goes into these things, you give me way too much credit.

I will mention, though, that there will be a pre-order going up for Forgotten Circles, and the next letter will correspond with that, so you will be the first to know. It's not happening now, but I will send out another letter when it does go live. And it won't be a Kickstarter - just a normal everyday pre-order.