Gen Con and Thanks for All the Fish

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Gen Con 2016 is in the books (and Delta's computer failure gave me and many other Paizonians a lovely bonus day or two in the fabulous airport waiting areas of Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and/or Salt Lake City) and what a show it was! Demos of the upcoming Mummy's Mask Base Set were a huge hit in the exhibit hall, with 10 tables of action running basically at capacity for four straight days. Many thanks to Dominick Trascritti and his skilled demo team for giving fans old and new an excellent introduction to Mummy's Mask.

Action in the Sagamore Ballroom was also hopping, with the Adventure Card Guild area serving up more tables of Pathfinder Society Adventure Card Guild play than ever before. We showcased the epic final adventures of Season of the Runelords. We debuted the insane Season of the Goblins, written by Tyler Beck, David Jacobson, and Keith Richmond... and let's just say that people were not expecting to eat that many slugs. (For those of you who didn't make it to Gen Con, these adventures will be available for sale soon!)

We debuted a multimodal special event, The Cosmic Captive, mixing RPG and ACG tables to great effect. We got a ton of great feedback on how to improve the ACG side of future such events, so thank you all for being our guinea pigs on that. Venture-Lieutenant Kevin Hanley and his phenomenal volunteer staff did a spectacular job marshaling and managing the area, as well as the trial by fire that was running multiple tables simultaneously. (The Cosmic Captive will be available exclusively to conventions for the next year.) It was a privilege and a pleasure to work with so many enthusiastic and talented Pathfinder Society folk this year. (To my Special GMs: JUMP!)

We also brought back the ACG Open for a second year, to the delight and chagrin of dedicated players. This year's tournament, "The Cayden Cailean Way," took 64 players through a variety of tests in honor of the Lucky Drunk. In case you need to be terrified, this year's event had rounds written by Chad Brown, Keith Richmond, and Mike Selinker, with a little synthesis done by yours truly. The final round featured last year's runner-up team, Level 5, against an upstart team of pick-up players called Team One. Both teams completed the final scenario within one minute of each other, but Team One won the day with a higher overall score. Level 5, I am rooting for you to level up next year!

The 2016 Adventure Card Game Open finalists.

This year's Gen Con (my nineteenth, yipes!) was bittersweet for me, because it marked an ending and a beginning for me. I'm starting a new adventure this fall: nursing school. Unfortunately, the demands of school and the demands of ACG players are a little too much to handle at once, so I'm bidding farewell to Paizo's hallowed halls. I leave the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game in the capable hands of Vic and the Sharks, and the Adventure Card Guild in the capable hands of Organized Play Coordinator Tonya Woldridge. Being a member of the ACG and Pathfinder Society teams has been a joy, and I couldn't ask for better stewards.

Thank you all for allowing me to strain your brains and add fun to your days with the Class Decks and the Adventure Card Guild. I've really enjoyed doing it, and I look forward to playing with you all at a convention soon. Onward to adventure!

Tanis O'Connor
Adventure Card Game Designer