Gen Con is known for gaming, but Gen Con is not just gaming. This posting continues my series on things newbies should be aware of. The vastness of Gen Con makes it easy to miss a lot of what is happening at Gen Con. There are also hundreds of seminars, workshops, and other sessions being offered. Even better, many of the seminar sessions have no additional fee to attend – although you do still need an event ticket for each. In this installment, I’ll talk not only about sessions at Gen Con, but also about similar offerings such was workshops and the misfits. I’ll then dive into a few specifics many newbies don’t often know about including the Writers Symposium, The Stink, and Session Zero.
Sessions and Gen Con
Seminars are a nice break from intense gaming as they allow you to sit back, listen, and learn. There are a wide variety of topics for seminars at Gen Con. At the time of this writing, the Gen Con event planner listed 382 seminars from Thursday through Sunday with over 300 still having tickets available. It is worth noting, however, that over 100 of the sessions are tied to the Writers Symposium. there are also often a number of sessions tied to the authors, artists, and game designers attending Gen Con where they talk or present on what they are doing. For example, Elisabeth Bear, Sheree Renée, Carlos Hernandez, C. S. E. Cooney, Kelli Fitzpatrick, and Gabrielle Harbowy are just a few names that can be found associated to seminar sessions.
There are also sessions on game building, game designing, and all things associated with games. The last few years have included sessions on doing Kickstarters/crowd funding as well as game creation topics such as legal issues, contracts, indie publishing, and more. A few game companies do sessions where they present their plans for the future. Most sessions are an hour and (as mentioned) have free tickets. A few are two hours such as the “GM 101: Introduction to Gamemastering” session. Examples of some of the games related sessions include:
- Dexterity Games – Striking the Balance
- GM 201: The Art of Conversational GMing
- Improving Your GMing
- How Gaming Helps with the Mental Health of Military Veterans
- A Character Study of D&D’s Greatest Villans
- Punish Your Players with Landscape Science,
There are also generally a few sessions that are simply off the beaten path such as:
- How to Become a Puppeteer
- Let’s Talk About Comics
The Writers Symposium
While there a good number of sessions on game building, most of the seminar sessions fall within the Writers Symposium. The Writers Symposium is its own full-fledged conference included within Gen Con with a focus on writing and publishing. As surprising as it might seem, there are those that go to Gen Con not for the games, but specifically to attend this conference within the conference.
For anyone who has started a novel or that has ever considered writing a novel, short story, gaming add-on or other literary work, the Writers Symposium has sessions that can likely help you. They offer you the opportunity to learn tips, tricks, and other advice that can help you on a writing journey no matter whether you simply have an idea for the next great novel or (if like me) you have already authored several dozen books.
The Gen Con site highlights the features of the symposium with the following list:
- Learn best practices to self-edit your TTRPG
- Uncover tips about writing for your favorite IP
- Participate in small group discussions with authors, editors, or publishers at our “Coffee Klatches”
- Engage with over 80 best-selling authors and writing experts
- Choose from over 100 events specially concentrated on the art and science of writing
- Register for workshops curated by top authors
Many of the sessions include time for questions at the end. Several sessions include panels that provide various perspectives on the given topic.
The sessions for the Writers Symposium are located in the Marriott hotel (the regular Marriott, not the J.W. Marriott) on the second floor. They are in the hallway just past the Gen Con auction and the Gen Con consignment store. The sessions are standard Gen Con ticketed events. Having said that, many of the sessions have a lot of no-shows due to being free tickets, so you can often get into a session after the ticketed people have been seated – although there is no guarantee.
Gen Con Newbie Tip: As mentioned, many of the free sessions within the Writers Symposium often have a lot of “no shows”. As such, you can generally get into the sessions once the ticketed people have entered. In the past, I’ve never needed a generic or other ticket to get into one of these sessions as a standby person.
Session Zero
The most important session for a Gen Con newbies is the Gen Con: Session Zero seminars. Gen Con started Session Zero a couple of years ago. They are sessions that focus on teaching new Gen Con attendees about all the things happening at Gen Con – They provide the tips, tricks, and suggested highlights to focus on each day.
The sessions are free. Even though they allow for 150 people in each session, they fill quickly when wish lists are initially processed. The sessions also provide attendees with a Gen Con passport that they can use to visit various areas of the conference and receive a stamp. Those completing the passport get entered into a drawing on Sunday.
Gen Con tip: While these sessions are intended for newbies, in the past there was no check to verify that a person is new to Gen Con. As such, those that have been attending for a few years can also sign up for these sessions. Many newbies might be surprised to learn that many people who have been attending Gen Con for years, still don’t know about all the different events and activities that are available at the convention!
Seminars Versus Workshops at Gen Con
In this post I’ve talked about the seminars that are offered at Gen Con. There are also hundreds of workshops. In fact, there are more workshops listed (over 500) than seminars (just over 300). Workshops differ from seminars in that they tend to be more interactive and often involve creating or learning something. For example, there are a variety of workshops where you build dice bags, capes, armor or other items. They also differ in that they generally have a fee.
Examples of the variety of workshops offered at this year’s Gen Con include:
Again, this list is just a sample of the 500 events listed under Workshops.
- How-to-Play Guide for Role Playing Games ($12)
- Leather Badge Holder ($24) – You create a badge holder
- Making a Steel Chainmail Dice Bag ($36)
- Mandalorian Martial Arts ($12)
- 3D Printing Basics ($8)
- K-Pop Slays ($12)
- Designing Serious Games ($2)
- Foam Armor Crafting Workshop ($38)
- Capes for Adults ($12)
- Pitch Us & Refine Your Game ($24)
- Juggling 101 ($18)
- Running Cthulhu LARP with Bridgett Jeffries ($118)
- Cosplay Fabrication: Electronics & Electrical Components ($72)
- Creating Games from Great IP: How to Create Games for Fans (free)
- Control Your Puppet’s Hands ($16)
Gen Con Newbie Tip: Most workshops have fees because there is a cost to the person who is presenting the workshop. This cost might be for supplies (such as in workshops where you create something) or for equipment (such as in workshops where you are learning something). The presenter of the workshop only gets reimbursed if you provide them your ticket. As such, if you miss a workshop, it is a good gesture to still try to get the ticket to the person running the event. This is true for games and any other events as well.
The Isle of Misfit Events
I’ve talked about seminars with a focus on the Writers Symposium, I’ve mentioned workshops, and I called out Session Zero. Within the event list for Gen Con, there is also an event type called “Isle of Misfit Events.” These are events that don’t fit cleanly within the other areas of Gen Con.
The reality is, many of the sessions within the Isle of Misfit Events are also seminars, workshops, or “non-game” events. Many more simply “gatherings” where like-minded individuals can get together. Some are games. Some are oddities. Some are things that will be familiar such as the Gen Con Auction, which is also listed within this category. Game previews, access to gaming libraries, meet-ups, puzzling, and other events are also listed in this event category. The best way to see what is a misfit is to simply browse the category in the Gen Con event listing.
The Stink at Gen Con
When people mention the Stink at Gen Con, they are not referencing the smell of thousands of gamers that have been broiling in the hot sun of Indiana but rather are referring to a specific event. The Stink (or Stink 21 this year) is an event that happens on Wednesday starting at 5:00pm. For many, it is the opening event of Gen Con even though it is on Wednesday.
Gen Con Newbie Tip: Most events on Wednesday are part of the Gen Con Trade Day, which has a separate fee. The Stink, however, is part of the 4-Day ticket events.
The Stink is a meet and greet for gamers. It’s a time and place to simply hangout for up to 3 hours within the Union Station Grand Hall. This is a ticketed event, but the 400 tickets go almost immediately once the wish lists are processed. They do, however, allow stand-bys to enter after all the ticketed people. It’s a first chance to play some games, meet a few people, and more. For those that are part of the Facebook Fans of Gen Con group, this is a first chance to get the D6 die (and lanyards this year). With this being the 21st year, the Stink is now a Gen Con tradition that many try to at least swing by to see what is happening. In years past there has been a bingo card to fill out to be put into a drawing as well as other gaming activities.
In Conclusion
Like my previous posts, this post barely scratches the surface of what is offered at Gen Con regarding seminars and workshops. If you were interested enough in attending Gen Con, then there is a high probability that you will find a least one non-gaming session that catches your interest. If you have any interest in writing, then you definitely want to take a look at the Writers Symposium. And, if you still consider yourself a Gen Con newbie, keep an eye on the Gen Con: Session Zero events. You never know if a space will open.
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