Gen Con, Schedules, and Future Plans

Greetings, readers! It's been a busy time here at the Rogue Warden fortress-monastery, and it's a good time for a quick update as Gen Con 2013 approaches this week.

One of my favorite things about Gen Con is getting a chance to talk to fans and other designers. If anyone wants to catch up with me and chat during the show, here's my schedule of where I'll be.

My Gen Con Schedule

Thursday

11 AM: Professionalism in the Gaming Industry Seminar
Location: Crowne Plaza : Hay Market B
I'll be on this panel with John Dunn and Jason Marker, talking about one of my favorite subjects!

Friday

9 AM: Working with a Licensed Product Seminar
Location: Crowne Plaza : Grand Central Bllrm D
Another seminar with John and Jason, this time talking about how to work on licensed IPs like Star Wars and Warhammer 40K.

2 PM: How to RPG Freelance! Seminar
Location: Crowne Plaza : Grand Central Bllrm D
This is my third seminar alongside John and Jason, wherein we tell you all about how to become a freelancer in the RPG industry--all the ups, downs, and sideways of such a profession.

Saturday

1 PM: Primeval Thule Seminar
Location: Westin : Grand Blrm III
I'm helping write up an official adventure for this setting so I'm going to make sure and cheer on the Sasquatch crew!

5 PM: Pinnacle Seminar
Location: Crowne Plaza : Victoria Stn C/D
My new project, the Accursed RPG setting, is for the Savage Worlds system--so I'm definitely going to make an appearance here to get in touch with the Savage Worlds community.



I've got various time open during Saturday and Sunday, so if you want to make some plans, let me know!

Gen Con Advice for Gaming Professionals

Here's a few thoughts from me on how you can improve your Gen Con experience if you are attending as a gaming professional--whether that be as an artist, a writer, an editor, developer, publisher, or anything else!

1. Gen Con is the Superbowl of RPGs

This is a true statement--Gen Con is where the best and brightest of RPGs are displayed. Having a presence at Gen Con, no matter how small, can be very important to any RPG product.

In addition, the profile of Gen Con means that professionals need to be on their absolute best behavior--the industry is a small one and word of any inappropriate or ill-chosen attitudes gets around fast.

2. Business Cards

Have some made. Bring them. Remember to pass them around when you are networking. Make sure the business cards mention your name, your contact info, and what you do.

3. Organize Meetings Ahead of Time

Gen Con can be a crazy place for five days--events can get cancelled or moved around, people can get lost, and any number of other issues can arise. It's best to try and set up a specific place and time for any meetings ahead of time. Don't fall prey to the easy answer of "We'll just catch up at the booth!"

4. Communication is Good!

Because of the noise and distractions, cell phone calls during Gen Con can be problematic. Instead, I recommend using text messages to keep in touch. There's a free app for iphones and android called WhatsApp that allows for free texting.

Lastly, don't forget to wear comfy shoes! You'll likely be doing a lot of walking.

Future Plans: Accursed

So the big new thing I'm working on now is an RPG setting for Savage Worlds called Accursed.
Accursed is a dark fantasy world that is best described as "Hellboy meets Ravenloft," and we've already got an ongoing blog site and a Facebook page set up for it.

Look for more news about Accursed in September! It's going to be big, it's going to be different from anything you've seen before, and it's going to be something I've poured my heart and soul into--in short, it's going to be awesome.