Stacking Up at Gen Con 2024!

Board gamers from all over the world came together this year at the amazing convention held in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana to compete, share, introduce, and expand their knowledge at the largest board and card game convention in the United States called: Gen Con.

While in the past, Gen Con has been pretty busy, this year was different: Gen Con 2024 was completely sold out of badges! Not just online, but the convention itself would not have any badges to be sold at the doors.

The weekend attendance boasted of more than 71,000 attendees (the average sports stadium holds about half of that), and had more than 540 exhibitors, all coming together to share in their joy of gaming. We were all here to enjoy the company of other gamers, see and play the new games while having tons of fun. It may have taken time to get here, with searching for lodging, saving up money, finding parking, and traveling from far and wide, but when gazing upon the huge waves of people pouring into the convention center, I knew it was all going to be worth it, and this weekend would be amazing!

Attending the Convention

As the beginning of the article stated, this Gen Con this year was completely sold out. Not that they did not want to sell more tickets, the convention hall just would not hold any more people, even if they tried. The convention was even split between the Indiana Convention Center and the Lucas Stadium down the road. Certain hotels even housed meetings, demos, and a film festival that went on all weekend too! Knowing this, I tried to mentally prepare myself for the chaos that would soon be within my sights, as I got out of my car, and moved towards the exit.

But when I walked out onto the streets of Indianapolis, super excited to finally be starting my Gen Con experience, I saw nothing but a sea of people swarming up to the doors. Nothing could prepare me for this amount of people all in one place, all moving, all shifting, it was like sitting on a river bank and watching the water shift and sway in front of you. Roads were clogged with cars trying to find parking, sidewalks had both motorized scooters and skateboarders, both weaving the neverending torrent of gamers and fans all trying to enter what would be their next four days of cool air, mixed with sweaty bodies, and tons of gaming and nerdom as far as the eye could see! “SOLD OUT” signs everywhere, and for good reason: there was just no room for more people to attend.

As I navigated to the doors, the humidity almost making me turn around to go back to my car, I finally walked into the convention hall, just to be met by even more people, crowded in a much smaller area, all talking, moving, and working their way around the convention to get to their various areas of interest. Some had trading cards in their hands, shifting around their best deck and preparing for the upcoming trading card game tournaments they would be attending. Others were procuring their badges from the Will Call or General Admission booths. While still more people were just trying to find the closest entrance into the main hall so that they could find the exhibitors and see what they were selling! The ambiance was electric with anticipation of what was in store for everyone this year, what cool new games would be presented, what awesome artist might have created over the last year, and what demos might be available at their favorite vendor’s booth this year! The excitement could be felt, and this was just the hallways.

Bracing myself, I wandered into the exhibitor’s hall and was immediately hit with an uptick of both excitement and desperation, and awe all at the same time. Every inch of the floor was filled with feet or booths, tables, and chairs. The massive amount of people was just incredible. Yet again, while most sports arenas hold, on average, around 40,000 people, this convention had almost double that in attendees (that does not include the exhibitors and staff). While, of course, not all the attendees were visible from this vantage point, nor were they all in this hall at this time, the sheer amount of people coming and going, was just jaw-dropping.

I could barely make out what people were saying around me, as I wandered towards the first line of booths. The vendors were talking, and explaining games, while salespeople were trying to catch the attention of those walking by to check out new demos or to purchase items, and there was an ever-present low rumble of constant conversations of the attendees with each other as they wandered through the labyrinth of blue carpeted flooring and booth lanes.

Now, I am normally a very extroverted person, and I usually love crowds, so when I say that this was even daunting to me, I cannot imagine how hard this must have been on those who do not like crowds. But there was a silver lining to the whole experience, which was to meet new and exciting people, vendors, creators, and developers, and seeing all sorts of amazing new product lines and creations that were made this year. With over 540 different exhibitors in attendance and plenty of demos to be played, even with the massively chaotic amount of people in one place, Gen Con was still the place to be that weekend!

There was everything gaming at this convention this year. Board games, card games, TTRPGs, live panels, and even some video games could be found at Gen Con. Yes, even though it is known for being the largest tabletop gaming convention in the whole of North America, at Gen Con this year, there were video games that were available to demo. From the Steve Jackson game Munchkin in video game form to Tabletop Mirror it is a one-stop place for all things TTRPG, and even some indie video games too!

Let’s Talk Exhibitors!

Everyone knows that Magic the Gathering tournaments and TTRPGs are being run, and even the large Warhammer statue will always happen at Gen Con, we sometimes forget about all the exhibitors that show up to show off their cool new games too. So let’s take a moment to highlight some of the coolest games and exhibitors that were at this convention and their new games coming out this year or next!

We cannot start off a list without mentioning a cool new board game coming out. So we will start with the fun and amazing game called Lunar Rush by Dead Alive Games. This game is pretty fantastic, because not only can you play it with friends, but you can also play it alone (which is sometimes a nice change, when sitting at home after a convention like this one!). The game is all about resource management, a market economy, bidding, and being the first corporation to make it to the moon and back with newly discovered “wonder materials”. Lunar Rush can be played by 1-4 players and has plenty of replayability. Check back for the full article soon!

The next exhibitor that caught the eye was that of one of my favorite games Star Realms, Wise Wizard Games, who were celebrating Star Realms’ 10th anniversary with giveaways, and a slew of games and expansions for their game catalog. There were plenty of demos at their booth, ranging from Star Realms Academy (a simplified version of Star Realms, so that it can appeal to more casual players and children), to a fun party game called Caution Signs! Robot Quest and Sorcerer were also on demo tables, as other fun games to try out and purchase. Check back soon for the full article on Caution Signs and other games by Wise Wizard Games!

What is Gen Con without seeing something super innovative and amazing for TTRPGs? Well, this year did not let us down, because in attendance was Varun Singh, the creator of a new personal virtual tabletop homebrew platform. Tabletop Mirror is your one-stop shop for everything you need for TTRPG Homebrewing and indie game 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. Check back for a full story about Varun and Tabletop Mirror!

As most would guess, certain companies ran low or completely sold out of their stock, but none really hit the hall of fame like OP Games. OP Games has a new, and very cute, game called Gnome Hollow. This game sold out before 1 pm on DAY ONE of the convention! Andrew Esposito was on hand to explain that the game was such a hit, that the company needed to make an emergency run to their warehouse and grab more copies a mere 3 hours into the convention! The company also boasts two other new games: Stalk Exchange and Aang’s Destiny. All three games should be coming for review soon, so check back for the full story on these record-breaking games!

Another cool convention item that every gamer needs is tables for all the games we picked up at the convention! This year there were quite a few different companies boasting great tables and chairs for all sorts of game rooms and homes. One that stood out was the family-owned and run company called Carolina Game Tables. This company not only has videos of the owner/creator standing on his tables to show their sheer strength and stability, but they showcased a new line of “Dragon Chairs”. These chairs make any gamer feel like a king!

And last, but certainly not least, Solis Game Studio. This company was created by entrepreneur and game designer/publisher, Chris Solis. His passion for the gaming community is palpable in his delivery of his demos, as well as his great games! Chris was there demoing his newest game Space Lion. Space Lion is a lane dueling game for 1-5 players, where players are fighting to defend their bases while destroying their opponents. Check back for a full article on Space Lions: Divide and Conquer!

While there were more than 530 other exhibitors, this quick overview of a few shows the vast array of games, companies, and demos that each attendee was able to find at this year’s Gen Con, and while there are plenty more amazing people and companies that I would love to write about, they just cannot be summed up in one article! And while some will ask “What about dice and dice-related stuff”, there were so many companies with so many different new and cool items, that choosing just one to highlight would be tough.

With all the exciting new games, companies, and the intimidating amount of attendees, this convention was just awe-inspiring and fun.

Convention Wrap Up!

Once Sunday arrived, the convention hall cleared, an eerie silence fell over the hall. The exhibitors, tired and hungry, silently closed their booths down, packing away their meager amounts of unsold products, and security guards roamed the well-worn walkways that had seen so many feet this weekend, that even they looked exhausted.

Gen Con 2024 was a sight to see, an experience to behold, and it left me with fond memories for the rest of my life. The excitement, the showmanship, the creations, the creators, the sights and sounds, and the feeling of awe, all solidified in this writer’s mind forever.

Thanks for a great convention to those that came, and I hope to see all my readers at next year’s Gen Con in Indianapolis, Indiana!