My favorite part about GenCon

I think my favorite part about GenCon was when my good friend ssanfratello showed up on Saturday evening following a 5-hour drive from Michigan, and he, Jonathan “Skippy” Schwarz and I went out for dinner. Skippy had a game demo to run aftewards, so Sal and I hit the convention center (which had just been emptied, and then re-filled thanks to a fire alarm) and walked through the game areas.

Upshot: For me it’s never about places or events. It’s always about people. The thrill of a convention center full of cool displays and awesome programming pales quickly when I bump into a friend and we get to geek out together.

Sandra was suggesting family trips for next summer and I realized that I don’t care where we go as long as we go someplace where there are people I like. Sure, sure, I’ll be going WITH people I like, but I want to catch up with old friends and make new ones. I don’t need to see the sights, ride the rides, or even eat the authentic eats. Not unless I’m doing it with friends.

24 thoughts on “My favorite part about GenCon”

  1. You nailed it. I always travel with the anticipation not of seeing places, but people. Relationships are the only thing that we can take with us. Not gold nor silver, nor stocksl nor bonds, nor autographed cartoons of smutto, but the bonds we have forged with friends and loved ones.

    About 25 years ago, I heard Brian Jackson Fetzer – one of our local music geniuses – sing a song which, despite its simplicity, has stayed with me ever since. One small verse ran,

    He doesn’t care too much for money,
    Counts his friends instead of his gold,
    He’s the king of the shim-sham palace
    In the wim-flam kingdom of the Zim-Sham-Bees

    My kind of guy…

  2. You nailed it. I always travel with the anticipation not of seeing places, but people. Relationships are the only thing that we can take with us. Not gold nor silver, nor stocksl nor bonds, nor autographed cartoons of smutto, but the bonds we have forged with friends and loved ones.

    About 25 years ago, I heard Brian Jackson Fetzer – one of our local music geniuses – sing a song which, despite its simplicity, has stayed with me ever since. One small verse ran,

    He doesn’t care too much for money,
    Counts his friends instead of his gold,
    He’s the king of the shim-sham palace
    In the wim-flam kingdom of the Zim-Sham-Bees

    My kind of guy…

  3. You could always make a road trip to Texas. It’ll be hot, but there’s a lot to see in Houston, then a run to San Antonio, then back up through Austin.

    The biggest downside is Kansas/Oklahoma.

    1. If you find yourself in The Alamo City, let me know. There’s plenty of cool places to go to here.

      It was great seeing you at GenCon. Your stories had Mark and I in stitches!

  4. You could always make a road trip to Texas. It’ll be hot, but there’s a lot to see in Houston, then a run to San Antonio, then back up through Austin.

    The biggest downside is Kansas/Oklahoma.

    1. If you find yourself in The Alamo City, let me know. There’s plenty of cool places to go to here.

      It was great seeing you at GenCon. Your stories had Mark and I in stitches!

  5. Seriously, that’s why Construct was fantastic for us this weekend. Many of our favorite people all together in the same place with maid service FTW!

  6. Seriously, that’s why Construct was fantastic for us this weekend. Many of our favorite people all together in the same place with maid service FTW!

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