Gen Con is one of the largest[4] and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. The convention has featured role-playing games, miniatures wargames Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures and modeled terrain as the main components of play. Like other types of wargames, they can be generally considered to be a type of simulation game, generally about tactical combat, as opposed to computer and board wargames which have greater variety in scale, board games A board game is a game in which counters or pieces that are placed on, removed from, or moved across a "board" . As do other form of entertainment, board games can represent nearly any subject, live action role-playing games, collectible card games A collectible card game , also called a trading card game (TCG) or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards. While trading cards have been around for longer, CCGs combine the appeal of collecting with strategic gameplay, strategy games A strategy game is a game in which the players' decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome. Many games include this element to a greater or lesser degree, making demarcation difficult. It is therefore more accurate to describe a particular game as having a certain degree of strategic elements, as in being mainly, computer games A personal computer game is a game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine. Computer games have evolved from the simple graphics and gameplay of early titles like Spacewar!, to a wide range of more visually advanced titles, and more, where attendees can engage in various levels of tournament and interactive play. Gen Con, begun by Dungeons & Dragons Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). The game is currently published by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro. It was derived from miniature wargames with a variation of the Chainmail game serving as creator Gary Gygax in 1968 as a wargames convention, was initially held in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Lake Geneva is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,148 at the 2000 census. A resort city located on Geneva Lake, it is southwest of Milwaukee, and popular with tourists from metropolitan Chicago and Milwaukee. The convention's main site was moved to various locations in Wisconsin from 1972 to 1984, until finally settling in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin and 23rd largest in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 596,974. Its estimated 2008 population was 604,477. Milwaukee is the main cultural and economic center of the in 1985. Other Gen Cons were held sporadically in other locations in the United States, and beginning in 1990, Gen Cons were held in European locations as well. Gen Con, owned by gaming company TSR, Inc. since 1976 and later Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. Originally a basement-run role-playing game publisher, the company popularized the collectible card game genre with Magic: The Gathering in the mid-1990s, acquired the popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game by purchasing the, was sold to Wizards' founder Peter Adkison in 2002, and was moved to Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. The United States Census estimated the city's population, excluding the included towns, at 795,458 in 2006. It is Indiana's largest city and is the 14th largest city in the U.S., the third largest city in the Midwest (behind Chicago and Detroit) in 2003.

Gen Con 2002 brought in about 26,000 attendees; which makes the convention similar in size to E3 The Electronic Entertainment Expo, commonly known as E3, is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association . It is used by many video game developers to show off their upcoming games and game-related hardware. The new E3 Expo is run by International Data Group (IDG ) instead of by in 2006, Entertainment for All Entertainment for All Expo or E for All is a public video game trade show, created to allow the general public to see and experience new products from the video game industry. The inaugural E for All Expo was open October 18 to October 21, 2007, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The Second E For All Convention took place from October 3 through, Dragon Con and Origins. Gen Con is currently held in Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. The United States Census estimated the city's population, excluding the included towns, at 795,458 in 2006. It is Indiana's largest city and is the 14th largest city in the U.S., the third largest city in the Midwest (behind Chicago and Detroit). Gen Con UK conventions have also been held in the UK in a variety of cities. Despite a recent lawsuit from Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO and filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Chapter 11 is a chapter of the United States Bankruptcy Code, which permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is available to every business, whether organized as a corporation or sole proprietorship, and to individuals, although it is most prominently used by corporate entities. In contrast, on February 15, 2008,[5] Gen Con Indy 2008 was held as planned. GenCon 2009 will be held once again in the Indiana Convention Center, from August 13-16, 2009. [6]

Contents

History

Early years

Gen Con began in 1967 as an informal gathering of wargaming enthusiasts at the Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Lake Geneva is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,148 at the 2000 census. A resort city located on Geneva Lake, it is southwest of Milwaukee, and popular with tourists from metropolitan Chicago and Milwaukee home of Gary Gygax, later termed "Gen Con 0"[7].[8] In 1968, Gygax rented Lake Geneva's vine-covered Horticultural Hall for $50 to hold the first formal Lake Geneva Convention, also known as the Gen Con gaming convention for short,[8][9] with roughly 100 attendees. The International Federation of Wargamers, which Gygax had also co-founded, sponsored the first Gen Con.[8] Gygax met Rob Kuntz[8] and Dave Arneson He was a University of Minnesota alumnus and commenced work on wargaming and role-playing while at Coffman Union. He kept a relatively low profile in later years, by which time his reputation had been established as an "unsung legend" in the early development of RPGs[10] in August 1969 at the second Gen Con.[9][11] The main events at this time were board games A board game is a game in which counters or pieces that are placed on, removed from, or moved across a "board" . As do other form of entertainment, board games can represent nearly any subject, and miniature wargames.[8]

Gen Con's name is a derivation of "Geneva Convention," given the convention's origins in Lake Geneva. The name also is a play-on-words A pun, or paronomasia, is a form of word play that deliberately exploits ambiguity between similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect. Such ambiguity may arise from the intentional misuse of homophonical, homographical, homonymic, polysemic, metonymic, or metaphorical language, as the "Geneva Conventions Geneva Conventions consist of four treaties formulated in Geneva, Switzerland, that set the standards for international law for humanitarian concerns. These four treaties are the basis for humanitarian law across the world" are the name of a set of important international treaties A treaty is an agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as: agreement, protocol, covenant, convention, exchange of letters, etc. Regardless of the terminology, all of these international agreements under international law are regarding war and the earliest Gen Cons had a focus on wargames.[8] For the first nine years, Gen Con was sponsored by the Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association.[12]

TSR

Beginning in 1976, Gen Con was managed and hosted by TSR, Inc., original publisher of the Dungeons & Dragons Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). The game is currently published by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro. It was derived from miniature wargames with a variation of the Chainmail game serving as role-playing game.[13] Gen Con West was held in California for two years only, in 1976 and 1977.[14]

During the following decade the event grew and was hosted at a variety of southern Wisconsin Wisconsin ( /wɪˈskɒnsɨn/ ) (French: Ouisconsin) (officially The State of Wisconsin) is one of the fifty states in the United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States. It borders two of the five Great Lakes and four U.S. states (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota). Wisconsin's capital is Madison, and its locations, including an American Legion The American Legion was chartered by the U.S. Congress as a patriotic, mutual-help, wartime veterans organization of the United States armed forces who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress. The American Legion was founded in 1919 by veterans returning from Europe after World War I and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and Hall, George Williams College Aurora University in Aurora, Illinois, USA is a private liberal arts college that admits both male and female students to four-year undergraduate, master's and doctoral degree programs. Aurora University has two campuses: the main campus in Aurora, Illinois and the George Williams campus in Williams Bay, Wisconsin near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and the former Lake Geneva Playboy Resort. In 1978 the convention moved to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside campus in Kenosha Kenosha is a city in and the county seat of Kenosha County, United States. With an estimated 2006 population of 96,240, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. The city lies on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, 32 miles (51 km) south of Milwaukee and 50 miles (80 km) north of Chicago, Illinois. Kenosha is considered part of the.[15]

During these years, an annual Gen Con South was held from 1978-1984, in Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida, and is the county seat of Duval County. Since 1968, as a result of the consolidation of the city and county government, and a corresponding expansion of the city limits to include almost the entire county, Jacksonville has been the largest city in land area in the contiguous United.[14] Gen Con East I was held in 1981 at Cherry Hill Inn, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. In the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 69,965, making it the 13th-largest municipality in New Jersey. As of 2006, the township had an estimated population of 71,586. Cherry Hill is in the Delaware Valley coastal plain about five miles, and Gen Con East II is held in 1982 at Widener College, in Chester, Pennsylvania.[14]

MECCA

Gen Con moved again to the Milwaukee Exposition & Convention Center & Arena (commonly known as the MECCA) in Milwaukee Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin and 23rd largest in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 596,974. Its estimated 2008 population was 604,477. Milwaukee is the main cultural and economic center of the in 1985,[15] due to the need for more space.[16] Attendance steadily rose from 5,000 paid admissions in 1985[17] to a peak of 30,000 in 1995[18], making Gen Con the premier event in the role-playing game industry. In 1992, Gen Con broke all previous attendance records for any U.S. gaming convention, with more than 18,000 people in attendance.[16] Gen Con briefly joined forces with its major competitor, Origins,[16] and were run as a single convention for 1988. Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. Originally a basement-run role-playing game publisher, the company popularized the collectible card game genre with Magic: The Gathering in the mid-1990s, acquired the popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game by purchasing the debuted Magic: The Gathering at Gen Con in August 1993; the game proved extremely popular selling out of its supply of 2.5 million cards, which had been scheduled to last until the end of the year.[19] The ensuing collectible card game craze has been cited as generating the extra attendance that produced the 1995 record.[20]

Wizards of the Coast

Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. Originally a basement-run role-playing game publisher, the company popularized the collectible card game genre with Magic: The Gathering in the mid-1990s, acquired the popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game by purchasing the purchased TSR in 1997, and Wizards was in turn purchased by Hasbro Hasbro is a U.S. based, multinational toy company. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world, second only to the toy giant Mattel. Hasbro is also the publisher of the world's most popular commercially-designed board game, Monopoly. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States. The majority of its products, in 1999. Gen Con moved to the Midwest Express Center (MEC, now the Midwest Airlines Center) in 1998 when the MEC replaced the MECCA. In November 1999, Wizards announced that Gen Con would leave Milwaukee after the 2002 convention.[15] Peter Adkison, the founder of Wizards of the Coast, then purchased Gen Con from Hasbro in May 2002.[21] Adkison formed Gen Con LLC in May 2002 to run the convention, and the first show under Adkison's leadership took place August 2002 in Milwaukee.[2]

Indianapolis

Cosplay at Gen Con Indy 2008

The Midwest U.S. convention moved to Indianapolis Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. The United States Census estimated the city's population, excluding the included towns, at 795,458 in 2006. It is Indiana's largest city and is the 14th largest city in the U.S., the third largest city in the Midwest (behind Chicago and Detroit) in 2003. Peter Adkison attributes the move to lack of hotel space, a less spread out convention center, 40% more floor space, and frequently broken escalators in Milwaukee's convention center.[21][22]

Gen Con in the United States was split into two different conventions in 2003: Gen Con Indy (in Indianapolis, Indiana) and Gen Con SoCal (in Anaheim, California). Gen Con Indy is the larger of the two, drawing approximately 25,000 attendees per year,[23][24] on par with the Gen Con conventions in Milwaukee during the 1990s and early 2000s. It takes place in the Indiana Convention Center. Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. Originally a basement-run role-playing game publisher, the company popularized the collectible card game genre with Magic: The Gathering in the mid-1990s, acquired the popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game by purchasing the helped to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game at Gen Con Indy 2004.[25] In 2005 it was reported that Gen Con Indy generated the most direct visitor spending of any annual convention in Indianapolis.[26]

Gen Con SoCal was smaller, with approximately 6,300 attendees in 2005.[27] Gen Con SoCal was the 3rd largest consumer hobby game convention in North America. It was held in the Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim Convention Center is a major convention center in Anaheim, California. It is located across from the Disneyland Resort on Katella Avenue. Much of the Anaheim Convention Center has been renovated in recent years with state-of-the-art facilities. The basketball arena, fronting Katella Avenue, was opened in July 1967, while the convention. One day badge prices were $30 to $35, while 4 day badges were $55 to $65. On January 26, 2007 Gen Con So Cal was cancelled.[28]

A game of Settlers of Catan Settlers of Catan is a multiplayer board game designed by Klaus Teuber. It was first published in 1995 in Germany by Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. under the name Die Siedler von Catan being played at Gen Con Indy 2003.

In mid 2006, Gen Con LLC announced plans to provide more show space for video games to allow video game businesses a place to show their products after the downsizing of E3 The Electronic Entertainment Expo, commonly known as E3, is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association . It is used by many video game developers to show off their upcoming games and game-related hardware. The new E3 Expo is run by International Data Group (IDG ) instead of by.[29] Gen Con described their intentions as to "pick up where E3 [left] off."[30] Several years earlier in 2003 Gen Con's owner, Peter Adkison, said that he did not want Gen Con to become a "mini-E3".[21]

Gen Con LLC also ran Star Wars Celebration, the official Star Wars Star Wars is an epic space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was originally released on May 25, 1977 by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, spawning two immediate sequels, released in three-year intervals. Sixteen years after the release of the trilogy's final film, convention held in banner years of the franchise. This is unlikely to continue as on January 10, 2008, Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO filed a lawsuit against Gen Con LLC, claiming breach of contract, conversion and unjust enrichment over Celebration IV, held in 2006. The suit also claims Gen Con failed to give money from a charity auction held at the event to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.[31] Soon after, Gen Con filed a counter-suit claiming Lucasfilm had no basis for their claims and owed money to Gen Con. [32]

On February 15, 2008, Gen Con LLC announced that it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Chapter 11 is a chapter of the United States Bankruptcy Code, which permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is available to every business, whether organized as a corporation or sole proprietorship, and to individuals, although it is most prominently used by corporate entities. In contrast,, citing "significant unforeseen expenses associated with ... externally licensed events". [5] As a result of the bankruptcy filing, the Lucasfilm lawsuit has been delayed until November 19, 2008.[33] Gen Con Indy 2008 was held as planned.

On November 20, 2008, a letter of intent to purchase Gen Con LLC's assets was filed with the bankruptcy court. It announced that a to-be-formed company called Gen Con Acquisition Group would purchase Gen Con LLC., with the purchase price being set equal to Gen Con LLC's outstanding debt.[34][35] Gen Con LLC President, Adrian Swartout, described the letter as "suspiciously cryptic" and that after review "is not in the best interest of our creditors."[36] Gen Con plans to disregard the letter of intent.[36]

International

Gen Con spread to Europe in the 1990s, with the first annual European Gen Con held in Sussex, England in 1990, and Gen Con Barcelona in Spain in 1994; both of these Cons were also held in 1995 and 1996.[14] European Gen Con in England was the only 1997 European Gen Con, and the only 1998 European Gen Con was Benelux Gen Con, held in Holland.[14] In 1999, Gen Con UK was held in England, Gen Con Barcelona returned, and Gen Con Europe was held in Belgium.[14] The only Gen Con in Europe in the year 2000 was Gen Con UK, held at Manchester University.[14] In 2001, Gen Con UK was moved to London, where it was held every year up through 2003.[14]

After two unsuccessful years of running Gen Con Europe in the UK, Adkison decided to scale back and focus his efforts on the US shows. In 2004 licenses were issued to groups who would go about creating the franchises Gen Con Barcelona and Gen Con UK. In early 2006, Gen Con LLC announced that it was going to run a new official Gen Con Europe, to be held in Paris, France. The convention was held on the weekend of April 21-23, and reportedly received 4,000 attendees.[37] The convention was held again in Paris in 2007. A Gen Con was held in Brisbane Brisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia. The city is situated on the Brisbane River on a low-lying floodplain between Moreton Bay and the Great Dividing Range in south-, Australia in July 2008.[38]

Events

The Gen Con Indy 2003 exhibit hall

The convention features a large exhibit hall filled with game publishers, artists, and related businesses. It is a popular attraction and frequently very busy[citation needed]. The majority of attendees spend at least $100 in the exhibit hall.[4] Most Gen Con attendees are men between 20 and 39 years of age who earn more than $50,000 per year.[4]

The only game to be on the event schedule every year since Gen Con I is Fight in the Skies[39][40] (later renamed Dawn Patrol Fight In The Skies, also known as Dawn Patrol, is a board wargame written by Mike Carr which models World War I style air combat. Carr began working on the game after watching the movie The Blue Max. It is the only game to be on the event schedule every year of the Gen Con convention since Gen Con I. The game attracted a devoted following and it), first introduced by game designer Mike Carr in 1968 and a fixture on the schedule every year since.

The D&D Championship Series (formerly the D&D Open) is a long running series of Dungeons & Dragons Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). The game is currently published by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro. It was derived from miniature wargames with a variation of the Chainmail game serving as games at Gen Con. Game sessions are scored based on the team's progress; those groups scoring the most advance to later rounds. This leads to an emphasis on quickly solving challenges and moving through the modules. The D&D Open is currently run by the RPGA (Role-Playing Game Association). The open began in 1977.[12]

Tom Lommel organizing players for a NASCRAG event at Gen Con Indy 2005.

The gaming group NASCRAG has run Dungeons & Dragons events at Gen Con since 1980. NASCRAG events sometimes donate their ticket fees to charity. The games run tend to be humorous.

The RPGA runs large numbers of events at Gen Con. They run so many events that they are given their own category (RPGA) instead of sharing the general RPG category. These days RPGA events are primarily "Living" games where players create characters who persist between events. The RPGA first ran events in 1981.[12]

The Game Base 7 games library from the 2003 Gen Con Indy

In 1987 a games library was added from which attendees could borrow games.[12] The library is currently run by Game Base 7.

MIDI Maze MIDI Maze was an early first person shooter video game for the Atari ST developed by Xanth Software F/X, published by Hybrid Arts, and released around 1987. It owes a significant debt to what may be the first of its genre, Maze War. The original MIDI Maze team consisted of James Yee as the business manager, Michael Park as the graphics and, an early networked first-person shooter First-person shooter is a video game genre which centers the gameplay around gun- or projectile weapon-based combat through the first person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other shooter games, which in turn fall under the video game A video game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device. However, with the popular use of the term "video game", it now implies any type of display device. The electronic systems used to run by the Milatari Atari computer user group, was a draw to the early video game room of Gen Con. It no longer runs at Gen Con; the original display now appears at the Midwest Gaming Classic.

The Klingon Jail and Bail are a group of people who dress as Klingons Klingons are a warrior race in the fictional Star Trek universe. They are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and seven feature films. Initially intended to be swarthy antagonists for the crew of the USS Enterprise, the Klingons ended up a close ally of from Star Trek Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. The Star Trek fictional multiverse created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting of six television series, including the original 1966 Star Trek, and eleven feature films. The franchise also includes dozens of computer and video games, hundreds of novels and instances. For a donation to charity they will "arrest" and detain another convention attendee for a short period of time. The Jail and Bail originally appeared at Gen Con in 1993.[41]

Appearing in 1994 was the first Magic: The Gathering World Championship, won by Zak Dolan, who defeated France's Bertrand Lestrée in the finals.

Cardhalla at Gen Con 2005

Gen Con has also featured a number of events that raise money for a variety of charities. These include Cardhalla, in which donated cards are used to build a large city. Attendees are then invited to throw coins at the city to destroy it. The coins are collected for charity. Cardhalla was first run in 1999.

The Gen Con EN World RPG Awards (the ENnies) are an annual awards ceremony devoted to roleplaying games. Established in 2001, the ENnies are hosted at Gen Con Indy (since 2002) and are organized and owned by EN World, a D&D/d20 System news website.

True Dungeon is an immersive life-sized dungeon crawl live action role-playing game (LARP), run at Gen Con since 2003. It features a challenging series of puzzles and scenarios designed to recreate a D&D environment and session. It emphasizes team work, creative thinking and problem solving, as well as employing a fighting and magic system; furthermore, unlike traditional LARPs, it does not require staying in-character throughout the experience.

The Gen Con Costume Contest runs Saturday evening at Gen Con Indy, and features a range of categories such as SciFi, Historical and Fantasy, Talent, and Children's divisions. This event is preceded by a costume parade, in which all costumed attendees are invited to show off their costumes around the convention center. The contest itself generally fills quickly, both for participants and attendees, and features pre-show and intermission entertainment.

Over Gen Con history, a number of games have been announced or released at the convention. Plans to update the D&D game with a third edition were announced by Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. Originally a basement-run role-playing game publisher, the company popularized the collectible card game genre with Magic: The Gathering in the mid-1990s, acquired the popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game by purchasing the at Gen Con 1999 as the game celebrated its 25th anniversary; the third edition of the D&D game debuted the following year at Gen Con 2000, with the release of the new Player's Handbook.[13] White Wolf Game Studio's New World of Darkness The World of Darkness is the name given to three related but distinct fictional universes. The first was conceived by Mark Rein-Hagen, while the second was designed by several people at White Wolf Gaming Studio, which Rein-Hagen helped to found. The first two World of Darkness settings have been used for several horror fiction-themed role-playing game line debuted at a party held during Gen Con 2004. Dungeons & Dragons third edition was announced at Gen Con 1999, while fourth edition was announced at Gen Con Indy 2007.

Gen Con 2007 added a Trade Day to the schedule for the first time ever. This is an additional day of programming for industry insiders and retailers, held the Wednesday before Gen Con opens to the public.

Timeline

Attendance at Gen Con conventions, based on the numbers given below:

1967–1977: Lake Geneva

Event Date Location Approximate attendance Notes
"Gen Con 0" August 1967[7] Gary Gygax's Home Lake Geneva, Wisconsin 12[42]
Gen Con I August 24, 1968[7] Horticultural Hall Lake Geneva, Wisconsin 50[43]–100[12] First official year of Gen Con
Gen Con II August 23, 1969 Horticultural Hall Lake Geneva, Wisconsin 150[44]
Gen Con III August 22–23, 1970[7] Horticultural Hall/Guild Hall[7] Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Gen Con IV August 21–22, 1971 Horticultural Hall/Guild Hall[7] Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Gen Con V August 19–20, 1972 George Williams College[7] Williams Bay, Wisconsin >650[45]
Gen Con VI August 18–19, 1973 Horticultural Hall/Guild Hall/Legion Hall[7] Lake Geneva, Wisconsin >700[45] TSR, Inc. Founded[7]
Gen Con VII August 23–25, 1974 Horticultural Hall/Guild Hall/Legion Hall[7] Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Dungeons & Dragons published[7]
Gen Con VIII August 22–24, 1975 Horticultural Hall/Guild Hall/Legion Hall[7] Lake Geneva, Wisconsin[46] <1,600[47]
Gen Con IX August 20–22, 1976 Horticultural Hall/Guild Hall/Legion Hall[7] Lake Geneva, Wisconsin[46] 1,300[48] TSR takes ownership of con[7]
Gen Con West September 4–6, 1976 McCabe Hall San Jose, California[46]
Gen Con X August 18–21, 1977[46] Playboy Resort/Horticultural Hall/Guild Hall[7] Lake Geneva, Wisconsin[46] 2,300[49]
Gen Con West 77 September 3–5, 1977 Villa Hotel San Mateo, California[7]

1978–1984: Parkside

Event Date Location Approximate attendance Notes
Gen Con South February 9–11, 1978 Robert Meyer Hotel, Jacksonville, Florida[46][50]
Gen Con XI August 17–20, 1978 University of Wisconsin-Parkside 2,000[51]
Gen Con XII August 16–19, 1979 University of Wisconsin-Parkside[46]
Gen Con South February 15–17, 1980[46] Ramada Inn, Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Gen Con XIII August 21–24, 1980[52] University of Wisconsin-Parkside[52] 4,500[53]
Gen Con South February 6–9, 1981[14] Ramada Inn, Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Gen Con East I July 23–26, 1981[46] Cherry Hill Inn, Cherry Hill, New Jersey[46]
Gen Con XIV August 13–16, 1981 University of Wisconsin-Parkside 5,000[54]
Gen Con East II June 17–20, 1982[46] Widener College, Chester, Pennsylvania[46]
Gen Con XV August 19–22, 1982[46] University of Wisconsin-Parkside[46]
Gen Con XVI August 18–21, 1983 University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Gen Con South 8 March 16–18, 1984[46] Royal d'Iberville Hotel, Biloxi, Mississippi[46]
Gen Con 17 Aug. 16–19, 1984[55] University of Wisconsin-Parkside 3,600[12]

1985–1997: MECCA

Event Date Location Approximate attendance Notes
Gen Con 18 August 22–25, 1985 MECCA (Milwaukee Exposition & Convention Center & Arena), Milwaukee, Wisconsin 5,000[17]
Gen Con 19 August 14–17, 1986 MECCA, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 5,000[12]
Gen Con 20 August 20–23, 1987 MECCA, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Gen Con 21/Origins August 18–21, 1988 MECCA, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Gen Con and Origins were run as a single convention this year
Gen Con '89 August 10–13, 1989 MECCA, Milwaukee, Wisconsin >10,000[56]
Gen Con '90 August 9–12, 1990[57] MECCA, Milwaukee, Wisconsin[57] >12,000[58]
European Gen Con November 30–December 2, 1990 Pontin's Holiday Center, Camber Sands, East Sussex, England [14] First European Gen Con
Gen Con '91 August 8–11, 1991[59] MECCA, Milwaukee, Wisconsin[59] >15,000[60]
European Gen Con 1991 November 15–17, 1991 Pontin's Holiday Center, Camber Sands, East Sussex, England [14]
Gen Con/Origins '92 August 20–23, 1992[61] MECCA, Milwaukee, Wisconsin[61] >18,000[16] Gen Con's 25th year. Gen Con and Origins are run as a single convention this year
European Gen Con 1992 November 13–15, 1992 Pontin's Holiday Center, Camber Sands, East Sussex, England
Gen Con '93 August 19–22, 1993[62] MECCA, Milwaukee, Wisconsin[62] 20,000[63]
European Gen Con 1993 November 11–14, 1993 Pontin's Holiday Center, Camber Sands, East Sussex, England
European Gen Con 1994 May 12–15, 1994 Pontin's Holiday Center, Camber Sands, East Sussex, England
Gen Con '94 August 18–21, 1994[64] MECCA, Milwaukee, Wisconsin[64] >25,000[63]
Gen Con Barcelona 1994 November 11–14, 1994 Drassanes Reials, Barcelona, Spain[14] First Barcelona Gen Con
Gen Con UK 1995 April 27–30, 1995 Pontin's Holiday Center, Camber Sands, East Sussex, England
Gen Con '95 August 10–13, 1995[65] MECCA, Milwaukee, Wisconsin[65] 30,000[18]
Gen Con Barcelona 1995 November 3–5, 1995 Drassanes Reials, Barcelona, Spain[14]
Gen Con '96 August 8–11, 1996[66] MECCA, Milwaukee, Wisconsin[66] 27,000[67]
Gen Con UK 1996 September 5–8, 1996 Loughborough University, Leicestershire, England
Gen Con Barcelona 1996 November 15–17, 1996 Mercat del Born, Barcelona, Spain[14]
1997 Gen Con Game Fair August 7–10, 1997[68] MECCA, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 27,000[67] Wizards of the Coast purchases TSR, Inc., gaining control of Gen Con
European Gen Con 1997 August 28–31, 1997 Loughborough University, Leicestershire, England[69]

1998–2002: MEC

Event Date Location Approximate attendance Notes
Benelux Gen Con 1998 July 31–August 2, 1998 Motel Tiel, Tiel, Netherlands[14]
1998 Gen Con Game Fair August 6–9, 1998[70] MEC (Midwest Express Center), Milwaukee, Wisconsin[70] >19,000[71]
Gen Con UK 1998 September 3–6, 1998 Loughborough University, Leicestershire, England
Gen Con Barcelona 1999 April 9–11, 1999 Cotxeres de Sants, Barcelona, Spain[14]
1999 Gen Con Game Fair August 5–8, 1999[72] MEC, Milwaukee, Wisconsin[72] >22,000[73] Wizards of the Coast is purchased by Hasbro after the convention. Hasbro now owns Gen Con.
Gen Con UK 1999 September 2–5, 1999 Loughborough University, Leicestershire, England
2000 Gen Con Game Fair August 10–13, 2000[74] MEC, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 21,000 (projected)[75]
Gen Con UK 2000 August 31–September 3, 2000[76] Manchester Conference Centre, Manchester, England [76]
Gen Con Benelux 2000 September 23–24, 2000[77] Den Bosch, The Netherlands [77] Last Gen Con in the Benelux.[77]
2001 Gen Con Game Fair August 2–5, 2001[78] MEC, Milwaukee, Wisconsin[78] >25,000[12]
Gen Con UK 2001 August 30–September 2, 2001 Olympia 2, London, England
2002 Gen Con Game Fair August 8–11, 2002[79] MEC, Milwaukee, Wisconsin[79] 23,000[23] Gen Con's last year in Wisconsin, 35th year of the convention. Peter Adkison purchases Gen Con from Hasbro.
Gen Con UK 2002 August 29–September 1, 2002[80] Olympia 2, London, England[80]

2003–present: Indianapolis

Event Date Location Approximate attendance Notes
Gen Con Europe 2003 April 18–21, 2003 Olympia 2, London, England
Gen Con Indy 2003 July 24–27, 2003 ICC (Indiana Convention Center), Indianapolis, Indiana 25,000[23]
Gen Con SoCal 2003 December 11–14, 2003 ACC (Anaheim Convention Center), Anaheim, California 4,148[81]
Gen Con Barcelona July 1–4, 2004 Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain (licensed event)
Gen Con Indy 2004 August 19–22, 2004 ICC, Indianapolis, Indiana 21,741[82]
Gen Con UK 2004 October 14–17, 2004 Minehead Butlins, Somerset, England (licensed event)
Gen Con SoCal 2004 December 2–5, 2004 ACC, Anaheim, California 5,559[81]
Gen Con Indy 2005 August 11–14, 2005 ICC, Indianapolis, Indiana 25,106[24]
Gen Con UK 2005 November 3–6, 2005 Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England 1,957[83] (licensed event)
Gen Con SoCal 2005 November 18–20, 2005 ACC, Anaheim, California 6,326[27][81]
Gen Con Paris April 21–23, 2006 Paris, France 4,000[37]
Gen Con Indy 2006 August 10–13, 2006 ICC, Indianapolis, Indiana >21,250[84]
Gen Con SoCal 2006 November 16–19, 2006 ACC, Anaheim, California 5,840[81]
Gen Con France 2007 May 25–27, 2007 Paris, France 4,200[85]
Gen Con Indy 2007 August 16–19, 2007 ICC, Indianapolis, Indiana 27,000[1] 40th anniversary
Gen Con UK 2007 August 30–September 2, 2007 Reading, Berkshire, England 1,746[86] (licensed event) (2006 was cancelled due to siting issues)
Gen Con France 2008 April 25–27, 2008 Paris, France
Gen Con Australia July 3–6, 2008 BCEC (Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia >10,000[87] First Gen Con in Australia
Gen Con Indy 2008 August 14–17, 2008[88] Indianapolis, Indiana 28,600+[89]
Gen Con UK 2008 August 28–31, 2008 Reading, Berkshire, England (licensed event)
Gen Con Indy 2009 August 13–16, 2009[6] Indianapolis, Indiana
Gen Con Indy 2010 August 12–15, 2010[88] Indianapolis, Indiana

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Gen Con Indy Wraps Up 2007 With Record Attendance". Gen Con, LLC. 2007-10-02. Archived from the original on 2007-10-25. http://www.webcitation.org/5SrcIpwMZ. Retrieved on 2007-10-25.
  2. ^ a b "Company Information". Gen Con LLC. Archived from the original on 2007-10-15. http://www.webcitation.org/5Sciu6qUj.
  3. ^ "Contact Us". http://www.gencon.com/contact.aspx. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
  4. ^ a b c Kneale, Klaus (August). "Gen Con: The Party's Over". Digital Download. Forbes. Archived from the original on 2008-09-10. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.forbes.com%2Fdigitaldownload%2F2008%2F08%2Fgen-con-wrap-up.html&date=2008-09-10. Retrieved on 2008-09-10.
  5. ^ a b Gen Con, LLC. (2008-02-15). "Gen Con Files for Chapter 11 (Press release)". Gen Con, LLC.. Archived from the original on 2008-02-16. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fgencon.com%2F2008%2Fcorporate%2Fnews-pr%2Freleases%2F2008%2F2008.02.15.Press.aspx&date=2008-02-16. Retrieved on 2008-02-16.
  6. ^ a b "GenCon 2009". UpcomingCons.com. http://www.upcomingcons.com/upcomingcons/27-GenCon. Retrieved on 2009-07-04.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Gen Con Indy 2007 Program Book. Gen Con LLC. pp. 42–43, 132–133, 142–143.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Laws, Robin D. (2007). "40 Years of Gen Con: Preview Edition" (PDF). Atlas Games. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.genconhistory.com%2Fimages%2F40YearsPREVIEW.pdf&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
  9. ^ a b Kushner, David. "Dungeon Master: The Life and Legacy of Gary Gygax". Wired.com. http://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/news/2008/03/ff_gygax. Retrieved on 2008-10-16.
  10. ^ King, Brad; Borland, John (2003). Dungeons & Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Chic to Geek. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-222888-1.
  11. ^ La Farge, Paul (September 2006). "Destroy All Monsters". The Believer Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-10-04. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.believermag.com%2Fissues%2F200609%2F%3Fread%3Darticle_lafarge&date=2008-10-04.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Porter, Randy. "A little History". Keeper of Ancient GenCon Lore. Archived from the original on 2006-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20060617233343/http://php.iupui.edu/~wrporter/Genconhistory.html. Retrieved on 2006-08-17.
  13. ^ a b "Dungeons & Dragons FAQ". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-10-03. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wizards.com%2Fdnd%2FDnDArchives_FAQ.asp&date=2008-10-03. Retrieved on 2008-10-03.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Gen Con Complete Timeline". Trident, Inc.. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.genconhistory.com%2Flabels%2Ftimeline.php&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2008-06-20.
  15. ^ a b c Miller II, Stanley A. (August 3, 2002). "Gen gone: Next year, gamers will be draggin' their tales to Indiana prairie". Journal Sentinel. http://web.archive.org/web/20070809193643/http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=63415. Retrieved on 2008-12-17.
  16. ^ a b c d "The History of TSR". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-10-04. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wizards.com%2Fdnd%2FDnDArchives_History.asp&date=2008-10-04. Retrieved on 2005-08-20.
  17. ^ a b Christian Wilson (2007-11-30). "The Road to GenCon 2008 #2: A Look Back". RPG.net. http://www.rpg.net/columns/theroadtogencon2008/theroadtogencon20082.phtml. Retrieved on 2008-11-19.
  18. ^ a b Haring, Scott (January/February 1996). "AADA News". Pyramid #17 (Steve Jackson Games).
  19. ^ Tinsman, Brian (2003). The Game Inventor's Guidebook. Krause Publications. pp. 11–12, 18, 63, 76. ISBN 0-87349-552-7.
  20. ^ Lydia Leong (1996-08-13). "GenCon Report". http://www.black-knight.org/~lwl/rp/essays/gencon96.txt. Retrieved on 2009-02-20.
  21. ^ a b c Bub, Andrew S. (2003-07-26). "Interview with Peter Adkison". GameSpy.com. http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july03/gencon2003/adkison/. Retrieved on 2007-06-21. Archive page 1 (2008-08-25) Archive page 2 (2008-08-25)
  22. ^ White, Damon (2002-03-24). "Interview with Peter Adkison". GamingReport.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamingreport.com%2Fmodules.php%3Fop%3Dmodload%26name%3DSections%26file%3Dindex%26req%3Dviewarticle%26artid%3D42&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
  23. ^ a b c White, Damon (2003-08-02). "GenCon2003: Gen Con Indy Debuts In Indianapolis, Breaks 35-Year Attendance Record". GamingReport.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamingreport.com%2Farticle.php%3Fsid%3D9540&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-08-17.
  24. ^ a b White, Damon (2005-09-08). "GenCon 2005: GEN CON Indy 2005 Record Attendance for Event". GamingReport.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamingreport.com%2Farticle.php%3Fsid%3D18532&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-08-17.
  25. ^ "Celebrate At Gen Con Indy As Dungeons & Dragons Turns 30". May 24, 2004. http://ww2.wizards.com/Company/Press/?doc=20040524a. Retrieved on 2008-11-08.
  26. ^ Smith, Erika D. (2005-09-09). "Tourism: The last, but definitely not the least". The Indianapolis Star. http://web.archive.org/web/20051214135610/http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050909/BUSINESS/509090456/1003. Retrieved on 2007-08-09. "Gen Con, Indianapolis' largest annual convention in terms of direct visitor spending, reported record attendance for its last trip to town for a while."
  27. ^ a b White, Damon (2005-11-23). "GenCon 2005: GenCon SoCal Official Attendance". GamingReport.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamingreport.com%2Farticle.php%3Fsid%3D19439&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-08-17.
  28. ^ "Gen Con Announces Changes For So Cal". 2007-01-26. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gencon.com%2F2007%2Fsocal%2Fpress%2Fpress-release.aspx&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2007-01-27.
  29. ^ Dobson, Jason (2006-08-08). "Gen Con Expands Focus, Adds LACC Appearance". Gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamasutra.com%2Fphp-bin%2Fnews_index.php%3Fstory%3D10402&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-08-17.
  30. ^ "Gen Con Picks Up Where E3 Leaves Off". Gen Con press release. 2006-08-08. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gencon.com%2F2006%2Findy%2Fpress%2Freleases%2F2006.08.08.Press.aspx&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
  31. ^ Eriq Gardner (2008-01-14). "LucasFilm: Force Is Not With 'Star Wars' Auction". THR, Esq. Entertainment & Media Law Blog. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Freporter.blogs.com%2Fthresq%2F2008%2F01%2Flucasfilm-sues.html&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2008-07-29.
  32. ^ Dustin (2008-02-22). "Lucasfilm Sues Gen Con". TheForce.Net. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theforce.net%2Flatestnews%2Fstory%2FLucasfilm_Sues_Gen_Con_112361.asp&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2008-07-29.
  33. ^ "Lucasfilm Ltd v. Gen Con LLC Update". livingdice.com. 2008-07-25. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.livingdice.com%2Findex.php%2F268-Lucasfilm-Ltd-v.-Gen-Con-LLC-Update.html&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2008-07-29.
  34. ^ "Trask" (2008-11-21). "Gen Con For Sale and A Purchase Offer is Pending!". LivingDice.com. LivingDice.com. Archived from the original on 2008-11-30. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.livingdice.com%2F783%2Fgen-con-for-sale-and-a-purchase-offer-is-pending%2F&date=2008-11-30. Retrieved on 2008-11-30.
  35. ^ Bowles, C.R. (2008-11-21). "Re: Letter of Intent for the Purchase of the Assets of Gen Con LLC Chapter 11, Case No. 08-10844 (Bkrtcy W.D. Washington)" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2008-11-30. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.livingdice.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2008%2F11%2Fgencon-intent_to_purchase.pdf&date=2008-11-30. Retrieved on 2008-11-30.
  36. ^ a b Swartout, Adrian (2008-11-26). "Public Response to LOI (Press release)". Gen Con web site. Gen Con LLC. Archived from the original on 2008-11-30. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.gencon.com%2Fblogs%2Fpress_releases%2Farchive%2F2008%2F11%2F26%2Fpublic-response-to-loi.aspx&date=2008-11-30. Retrieved on 2008-11-30.
  37. ^ a b "Gen Con Paris 2006: Debriefing". Gen Con France. 2006-05-30. Archived from the original on 2006-06-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20060620003736/http://www.gencon.fr/news/163.debriefing.html. Retrieved on 2006-10-11.
  38. ^ Gencon Oz - Homepage
  39. ^ "Only one game has been played every year at Gen Con since 1968 -- the Dawn Patrol board game, originally entitled Fight in the Skies by Mike Carr." (Laws 2007, p5)
  40. ^ Henion, George (2006-08-24). "Re: Keeper's Project With Atlas". Gen Con Community Forums. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.gencon.com%2Fforums%2Fpost%2F52185.aspx&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-06.
  41. ^ Moore, Roger E. (October 1993). "Editorial". Dragon #198 (TSR, Inc.) XVIII (5): 8, 14.
  42. ^ "...a weekend gathering of about a dozen aficianados...at the home of future game designer E. Gary Gygax." (Laws 2007, p3)
  43. ^ Gary Gygax is quoted as saying, "I rented the Horticultural Hall for a full 50 dollars.... ...admission was one dollar. I had enough paid admissions to exactly cover the cost of the hall." "...there were only maybe 60 people..." (Laws 2007, p5)
  44. ^ Gary Gygax is quoted as saying, "...150 paid attendees." (Laws 2007, p8)
  45. ^ a b Gygax, Gary (September 1982). "Guest Editorial". Dragon (Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR, Inc.) VII (4): 4.
  46. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Grohe, Jr., Allan T.. "Greyhawk Tournament History". The Dreaming City, Allan Grohe's web site. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.greyhawkonline.com%2Fgrodog%2Fgh_tourneys.html&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-12.
  47. ^ "GenCon VIII In Brief". The Strategic Review (Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR, Inc.) I (4): 4. Winter 1975.
  48. ^ Blake, Bob (October 1976). "GenCon IX's D&D Elimination Tournament". The Dragon (Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR, Inc.) I (3): 30.
  49. ^ "GenCon X, 18–21 August 1977 Final Report". The Dragon #10 (TSR Hobbies, Inc.) 2 (4): 6. October 1977.
  50. ^ "Convention Schedule 1978" (PDF). The Dragon #11 Vol. II (No. 5): 14. December 1977. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tekumel.com%2Fdownloads%2FDragon11.pdf&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-12. The listing for GenCon South states, "Endorsed by TSR."
  51. ^ Kask, Tim (October 1978). "Dragon Rumbles". The Dragon #19 (TSR Hobbies, Inc.) III (5): 2.
  52. ^ a b "Convention Schedule 1980" (PDF). The Dragon #40 Vol. V (No. 2): 58. August 1980. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cangames.ca%2Fimages%2Fglory%2F1980-article.pdf&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  53. ^ Jacquet, Jake (November 1980). "Conventions 1980". Dragon (Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR, Inc.) V (5): 10.
  54. ^ Fine, Gary Alan (1983). Shared Fantasy: Role-playing Games as Social Worlds. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 33. ISBN 0226249433.
  55. ^ Haring, Scott D. (Summer 1984). "The Driver's Seat". Autoduel Quarterly (Steve Jackson Games) Vol. 2 (No. 2). Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sjgames.com%2Fcar-wars%2Fadq%2F2%2F2%2Fdrst2-2.html&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  56. ^ Dragon #155 (TSR Hobbies, Inc.) XIV (10): 109. March 1990.
  57. ^ a b "Convention Calendar". Nightmessenger Vol. 4 (No. 2). 1990. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.novacw.com%2Fnm4-2.htm&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  58. ^ Moore, Roger (October 1990). "Number 23: The untold story". Dragon #162 (TSR Hobbies, Inc.) XV (5): 6.
  59. ^ a b "Convention Calendar". Nightmessenger Vol. 5 (No. 2). 1991. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.novacw.com%2Fnm5-2.htm&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  60. ^ "Z*Net International Atari Online Magazine, Issue #91-34". Rovac Industries, Inc.. Archived from the original on 1991-08-16. http://www.atarimax.com/freenet/freenet_material/6.16and32-BitComputersSupportArea/8.OnlineMagazines/showarticle.php?179. Retrieved on 2009-02-20.
  61. ^ a b "Convention Calendar". Nightmessenger Vol. 6 (No. 2). 1992. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.novacw.com%2Fnm6-2.htm&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  62. ^ a b "Convention Calendar". Nightmessenger Vol. 7 (No. 2). 1993. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.novacw.com%2Fnm7-2.htm&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  63. ^ a b Moore, Roger E. (November 1994). "D-Day in Milwaukee". Dragon #211 (TSR, Inc.) XIX (6): 48–58.
  64. ^ a b "Convention Calendar". Nightmessenger Vol. 7 (No. 5). 1993. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.novacw.com%2Fnm7-5.htm&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  65. ^ a b "Convention Calendar". Nightmessenger Vol. 9 (No. 1). 1995. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.novacw.com%2Fnm9-1.htm&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  66. ^ a b "Convention Calendar". Nightmessenger Vol. 10 (No. 2). 1996. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.novacw.com%2Fnm10-2.htm&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  67. ^ a b Varney, Allen (October 1997). "Current Clack". Dragon #240 (TSR, Inc.) XXII (3): 120.
  68. ^ "January 9, 1997: TSR Cancels Winter Fantasy Convention". Daily Illuminator. January 1997. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sjgames.com%2Fill%2F1997%2Fill-jan97.html&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  69. ^ "European Gen Con 1997". The Game Cabinet. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamecabinet.com%2Fannouncements%2FEuroGenCon97.html&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  70. ^ a b "Convention Calendar". Nightmessenger Vol. 11 (No. 4). 1997. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.novacw.com%2Fnm11-4.htm&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  71. ^ Daniel Charles McDeavitt (1998). "GenCon '98". Whoosh!. http://www.whoosh.org/road/gencon98/index.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-19.
  72. ^ a b "Gen Con 1999 information". Shao-lin Wooden Men web site. 1999-03-05. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.woodenmen.org%2Fshadowfist%2Fgencon1999%2F&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  73. ^ "Our Visit to GenCon2000". GreenTentacles. Archived from the original on 2000-10-xx. http://www.greententacles.com/articles/1/1. Retrieved on 2009-05-12.
  74. ^ "Convention Calendar". Nightmessenger Vol. 13 (No. 2). 1999. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.novacw.com%2Fnm13-2.htm&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  75. ^ "Wizards of the Coast". ESP. Archived from the original on 2000-03-xx. http://www.specialtyretail.net/issues/march00/wizards.htm. Retrieved on 2009-05-12.
  76. ^ a b "Full Thrust Tournament Rules". Tycho's Domain, Paul Radford's web site. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.paulradford.mistral.co.uk%2Fft%2Ftournament.html&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  77. ^ a b c "Spelmagazijn - Evenement - The Benelux Gen Con". [1]. http://www.spelmagazijn.nl/nl/activ03.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-10.
  78. ^ a b "Convention Calendar". Nightmessenger Vol. 14 (No. 1). 2000. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.novacw.com%2Fnm14-1.htm&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  79. ^ a b "Convention Calendar". Nightmessenger Vol. 14 (No. 3). 2000. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.novacw.com%2Fnm14-3.htm&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  80. ^ a b White, Damon (2002-08-29). "Card Games: Foil Plague Marine Promo Returns and GenCon UK Schedule". GamingReport.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamingreport.com%2Farticle.php%3Fsid%3D5159&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  81. ^ a b c d Adkison, Peter (2007-01-25). "The End of Gen Con So Cal". http://www.gencon.com/2007/socal/press/Open-Letter.aspx. Retrieved on 2007-01-27.
  82. ^ Porter, Randy. "Gen Con 2005". Keeper of Ancient GenCon Lore. Archived from the original on 2006-12-21. http://web.archive.org/web/20061221221542/http://php.iupui.edu/~wrporter/gc05.html. Retrieved on 2006-08-17.
  83. ^ "Perhaps the thing to do is to spread the word so next year there are a lot more of us than this year's attendance figures of 1,957, ..." Szachnowski, Lucya (2005-11-01), "Gen Con UK 2005" (PDF), Flagship (Birmingham, UK) (116): 9, http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://flagshipmagazine.com/BackIssues/issue116.pdf, retrieved on 2008-03-27 original
  84. ^ "Gen Con 2006: A Hit in its 39th Year". Gen Con LLC. 2006-09-06. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gencon.com%2F2006%2Findy%2Fpress%2Freleases%2F2006.09.06.Press.aspx&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-09-21. This press release indicates "turnstile attendance was approximately 85,000". Turnstile attendance counts each attendee once for each day they return. So given a 4 day convention, approximately 21,250. Given that some attendees don't attend all four days, it seems likely that this estimate is low.
  85. ^ "Qu’avez-vous fait à la GENCON ?" (in French). Tric Trac Index du Forum. 2007-05-30. Archived from the original on 2008-03-27. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.trictrac.net/jeux/forum/viewtopic.php?t=40321&start=103. Retrieved on 2008-03-27. "Pour infos, cette année entrées payantes + invités, la GenCon a eu un peu plus de 4200 visiteurs. [For your information, this year's paying and invited entries, GenCon had a little over 4200 visitors.]"
  86. ^ "Gen Con UK 2007 - Information on attendance". Horsemen Events Ltd. 2007-09-11. Archived from the original on 2008-03-27. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.consupport.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1030. Retrieved on 2008-03-27.
  87. ^ Houlihan, Ian (2008-07-28). "GenCon Australia - It's a Wrap!". Gen Con Australia. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fforum.genconoz.com%2Fviewtopic.php%3Ft%3D396&date=2008-08-25. Retrieved on 2008-08-25.
  88. ^ a b "Future Gen Con Indy Dates". http://www.webcitation.org/5Qynq31wx. Retrieved on 2007-08-09.
  89. ^ "Gen Con Indy Wraps Up 2008 with Record Attendance". Gen Con. Gen Con, LLC.. 2008-08-25. Archived from the original on 2008-09-16. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gencon.com%2F2008%2Findy%2Fpress%2Freleases%2F2008.09.11.press.aspx&date=2008-09-16. Retrieved on 2008-09-16.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gen Con

Categories: August observances | Festivals in Indianapolis, Indiana | Gaming conventions

 

The above information uses material from Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Some facts may not have been fully verified for accuracy. [Disclaimers]
This page was last archived by our server on Tue Jul 14 23:47:14 2009. [ refresh local cache ]
Displaying this page or its contents does not use any Wikimedia Foundation's resources.
The owners of this site proudly support the Wikimedia Foundation.

[Hide]▼
'GenCon' News
Episcopal email conspiracy unwrapped - Times Online Blogs
timescolumns.typepad.com
Episcopal email conspiracy unwrapped

Times Online Blogs, UK

But Bishop Jefferts Schori has made clear that she will strongly resist any attempt to get the covenant through at GenCon in any case. Quite rightly, she wants the three years before GenCon12 to be used to allow dioceses and parishes time to debate it ...
Google News Search: GenCon,
Tue May 12 06:03:25 2009
'GenCon' Blogs
NunoXEI GenCon Indy 2008 Inspires New Song and More
nunoxei.com
NunoXEI GenCon Indy 2008 Inspires New Song and More

NunoXEI

2008-08-24 05:59:58

Last week I hit up . GenCon. Indy in Indianapolis. The road trip was, for the first time, not costly on my car; no flat tires with 400 miles to go, not key scratch along the whole left side of my Honda Civic, no pot hole damage to my axis . ...

Google Blogs Search: GenCon,
Tue Jan 6 16:05:27 2009
[Hide]▲