Yeah, the same song twice in a row, but it's just so damned appropriate.
Pictures:
So R:tAG got all the photo credits on this trip; go to his blog to see 'em. In the picture of our hotel room/railway car, you can just see my head peeping out the bathroom door... this was on our last morning there and I was still en déshabillé.
Stories:
Fourth funniest GenCon moment: R:tAG's company had a recruiting booth on the exhibition floor, separate from the booth actually advertising their game. There were only four employees attending, including R:tAG, and all of them are gamers and therefore wanted to be elsewhere during GenCon. So various spouses and friends frequently ended up manning the booth. So when the official GenCon photographer came 'round, none of three people in the picture of the booth actually worked for the company they were shilling.
Third funniest GenCon moment: R:tAG and his boss were in the company booth when three very large and very hairy drag queens came up. Fans of the game, apparently, they excitedly asked which of the two men was "Statesman." R:tAG's boss (who plays Statesman) wordlessly pointed to R:tAG.
Second funniest GenCon moment: This happened to a friend of a friend, but I did meet him and witnesses who swore to its truth. This guy was at GenCon this year. His wife doesn't game, but came along for the trip. The guy has gamed at least once a week since he got married, and has a wall full of minis and books. So, he bought a D&D board game and brought it back to the hotel room. His wife flipped out upon seeing it, screaming "YOU PLAY D&D?????!!!???" and went on a fifteen minute rant about how she couldn't face any of her friends or relatives now. I am still not clear what her problem with the game was, but I am baffled about what she had thought all the weekly events, paraphenalia, and the bloody con that they were in town for were about, exactly.
Funniest GenCon moment: Seeing Freelancer Five's techique of defusing discussions that are getting heated.*
Spending Money:
I only ended up attending two games, both Cthulhu Live LARPs run by the PST boys and they were, as always, awesome. R:tAG and I might be helping them run Something Cool at Origins next year, and I am wiggly with excitement.
We saw the PEG people, and Dan F. and Don K. from S'toon, which was an unexpected pleasure (unexpected to me, anyway), and even Raven and Shades from Edmonton whom we hadn't seen in... must be ten years.
I bought a very nice mask, and a very nice corset. Lord knows where I'll wear either, but they sure are pretty.
I didn't buy a new game called Qin: The Warring States but I should have. I might like to run a one-shot of it. I'll have to watch more wuxia movies to see if I can set the mood properly and get some plot ideas.
I bought the new Order of the Stick book but didn't manage to get it signed by Mr. Burlew, alas.
We bought some art from Andy Hopp, creator of Low Life and a nice guy.
Once again I didn't buy a T-shirt with "DON'T TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER" written on it. I am strong. I don't need more funny T-shirts.
And I'm still a bit tired.
* It consists of saying "Penis!" over and over and over again, getting louder each time, until eventually he is standing up, shrieking and waving his arms. I can personally attest that it is impossible to continue an argument in those circumstances.
I would suggest wearing the corset and mask at the same time. But that's just me.
A lesser person would take that as an insult. :)