Gen Con 2024 Exhibitor Spotlight

Gen Con is one of the most exciting and stressful times for exhibitors. Their next full year could hinge on the success or failure of this convention because Gen Con is the largest and most well-known gaming convention in the US. Exhibitors from all over the world come to show new games, improvements, and expansions for older games, network with other exhibitors to make improvements for their companies, and show off all the various ways that they are trying to make the gaming experience better for their fans.

Spotlight Exhibitors

While there were over 71,000 attendees at Gen Con this year, there were also over 540 exhibitors in attendance, and some just did not get the attention that they deserved. Not just because they have amazing products, but because of their personalities, their drive, their stories, and their true love for the products that they have spent endless amounts of time developing, creating, and publishing.

So here we will spotlight the top 5 exhibitors of Gen Con 2024. This is only my opinion, and it comes from a long laundry list of reasons. Some of the deciding factors on this list are just the backstories that these exhibitors shared, and the true passion for ensuring that their game is what their fans would want, enjoy, and love.

Without further ado, here is the list (in no particular order):

Grant Dalgliesh - Columbia Games

Every time I walked past the Columbia Games booth, there was Grant, speaking with attendees, smiling, laughing, and showing his true passion for the Harnworld maps and the Julius Caesar block game that was on display. He was never pushy about anything, and always very polite and friendly. Speaking with him was like speaking to a brother you have not seen for a while. Just warm, inviting, and welcoming. This probably stems from the fact that Columbia Games is a family-run business started by his father, Tom Dalgliesh, over 50 years ago! Grant has been running conventions and booths with his father ever since he was a kid. Columbia Games has a full world that they have created, making backstories for their RPGs so that gamers do not have to worry about that and just dive right into the amazing games that Columbia Games has to offer.

Chris Solis - Solis Game Studio

Chris grew up like most at the convention; loving games. But the difference with Chris was that it was not just playing the games that he loved, rather his love stemmed from the process in which the games were created. At a young age, Chris learned about the planning, playtesting, creation, publication, illustration, and all the other intricate ins and outs of how games were made. This is what drove Chris to creating his own company from the ground up with his first game Pocket Paragons. This fast-paced two-player game took off and Chris knew he had found his calling. He made more expansions and versions of Pocket Paragons, to the point where he now has over 10 different versions! And Chris did not stop there, because Chris was at Gen Con this year showing off his newest creation: Space Lions Divide and Conquer. This board game plays 1-5 players battling it out for supremacy in three different lanes of battle. Chris even created a Pocket Paragon version that has the same characters as Space Lion, so that fans can have some continuity between games, which is always a nice twist. Chris also stated that he has plans for multiple games coming out this next year, but did not want to over-promise just in case he hits any speed bumps in production and distribution. So keep on the lookout for his next big creation!

Varun Singh - Tabletop Mirror

RPGs have always had a few things that can make playing them daunting: the various books and paperwork, and getting all the players together in one spot to play. Varun has made all of this much easier with his newest creation called Tabletop Mirror. From the character sheets to maps, to the actual rulesets and the game books, Varun is striving to beat out other platforms that seem to fall short of having all of what RPG players need to run a game on their devices using only a single window or app at a time. Not only does Varun want players and GM/DMs to be able to play this way, but he also invites creators and publishers to his platform too. The reason for this is so that they can create and sell their own works, from single character creations to full-length campaigns, monster manuals, player books, maps, and full worlds that they have made on the platform. And do not worry, Varun assures everyone that there will always be a tier on the platform that is free and can hold everything for one to two campaigns (maps, monster and character sheets, ruleset, and any other items that a GM/DM would need to run the full campaign).

Tabletop Mirror is your one-stop shop for TTRPG Homebrewing and indie development. Design and play entirely new Tabletop Games, build intricate worlds and flesh out lore for your table, and connect with your community to share your creations, get feedback, and build connections. - Varun Signh 2024 Gen Con.

Jamie Perkins - Steamforged Games

Hailing from across the pond, is Jamie Perkins, the creator of the Monster Hunter World board game. He was welcoming, with a bit of self-consciousness and shyness, yet he truly listened to his fans and welcomed their criticism of his game. He stood tall amongst the other exhibitors because he did not just allow people to walk by his booth, he stood out by his game, demonstrating how it is played and showing his passion for his creation. Jamie loved to show off all the models and miniatures that the booth had on display, and the details he dove into on how the game changed based on which monster you fought, just kept this writer intrigued the whole time. His nervousness dissipated once questions about the game were asked, and his answers were always superb and very clear. Jamie also stands proud of the fact that Steamforged Games was showcasing their newest addition of the Warmachine IP, which means that they will be able to create new games, miniatures, and all things Warmachine-related from here on. Jamie and Steamforged Games have tons to offer this coming year, and everyone is more than excited about it because of how much Jamie put himself into the game and presentation of all of it!

Andrew Esposito - The OP Games

Last but certainly not least of this list is the Product Marketing Manager, Andrew of OP Games. Andrew was placed on this list, not only because of his amazing presence at the convention but also because of his hilarious way of setting up his meetings prior to the convention too. Imagine getting tons of emails, usually pretty simple and straightforward from PR people stating, “Do you want a meeting with this person at Gen Con? Book now!” But then, you read through Andrew’s email about meeting at Gen Con, and it talks about meeting up at Gen Con, but in there it had 4 bullet points: the first 2 are the normal “new games” and “our partnership”, but you get to the third one and it states: “The Guinness World Record I have for… eating Ice Cream” and it just catches you off guard so much that it makes you laugh. And Andrew is just as comical in person. When walking around the booth, I realized there was a second floor to the OP Games booth. And that is where you have to go to meet Andrew! It was so bazaar because he even had a very polite and yet tough-looking young lady standing at the base of the stairs almost like a bouncer at the club! Mentioning that I was there to see Andrew, his head pops out from above and he nods and waves at me, like we are old friends. The top of the booth overlooks the whole of the convention, and you can feel an electricity up there above everything, and only then realize it is coming from Andrew himself! His presence and passion for the games that the company is putting out this year was just astounding. Andrew spoke about the success of their newest game, Gnome Hallow, and how it sold out on the first day of the convention! He then went on to speak about some older games and then dropped the newest one to come out: Avatar: The Last Airbender - Aang’s Destiny, and explained how the game will be based on the show and following the harrowing journey that Aang makes to become the Avatar! Andrew had a complete knowledge and answered any and all questions about every single game (both older and new). Just speaking with Andrew made the whole meeting just fun with his genuine love for his job, he believes in the products, and wants to be able to share it with everyone! Andrew’s energy, the unique email invitation, the two-story OP Games booth, and the variety of games that OP Games offered this year, made this one of the best exhibitors at the convention!

All of these exhibitors were ones that just truly stood out when walking around the convention, and while there were plenty of other amazing and fantastic exhibitors. Every exhibitor showed passion, all of them showed love for their game and company, and all of them had unique ways of making attendees feel special, and that's why there are some honorable mentions:

Chris Walz - WizKids

Katie Duffy - Steve Jackson Games

Bill Bricker - Indie Game Studios

Tomas Harenstam - Free League Publishing

Mike Dunlap - UVSGames

Brendan Kendrick - Dead Alive Games

Ross Connell - North Star Games

Lindsay Schlesser - Hachette Boardgames

The overall feeling of excitement comes mostly from the exhibitors and their love for their games and their fans. Regardless of how much work it took the attendees to attend the convention, it takes ten times that energy, excitement, and passion for gaming for the exhibitors to present their products and themselves! This begs the question: Who loves gaming more; the player or the creator?

Be sure to check back soon for a more in-depth look at Gen Con’s revealed games and their reviews!