In Which The Warlock Updates...

No, friends and neighbors, I haven't totally discontinued this blog.  Obviously, entries are somewhat slow to come by in recent weeks, but I owe you an update at the very least.

In the past month, I've actually found some gainful employment, if not quite what I'd like to be doing:  I'm currently in training with Kaplan to become an SAT/ACT prep coach.  It's on a part-time basis, which isn't ideal, but coupled with my regular freelancing gigs and my (hopefully soon incoming) profits from Cold Steel Wardens, I'll be able to continue searching for a full-time position.

Speaking of CSW, we've hit another delay--this time, on the publication end.  Ideally, we'll head to press before the end of February and the PDF will be on sale before that.

I am, however, still intending on representing Blackfall Press on the convention circuit.  I've been hard at work on a new series of adventures, including ones based on DC Comics' Birds of Prey and Image Comics' Chew.  Ideally, I'll have my 2014 convention schedule up within the next few days.

Hopefully, I will have a few more entries as I get back into the swing of things and back into a 'normal-ish' routine.  Thanks again for your patience!

30 Days of GameMastering--Day 29!

Just two more entries to go in Lindevi's "30 Days of GameMastering" challenge!  Let's dive right in!

Teaching the game:  how do you sell players on the system while running a demo or convention game?

While I don't run games online, I do run them at conventions, as you followers of this blog well know.   Even before starting Cold Steel Wardens, I demoed WEGS and Pittsburgh 68, to say nothing of my numerous convention games at Origins and the many local conventions here in the Miami Valley.

Everyone has a different schtick!
Keep your PCs unique!

Firstly, I make sure to play up the major themes and archetypes in any game that I'm running.  This helps provide your players a jumping-off point, as well as helps them to understand the setting better.  For CSW, my pre-generated characters all echo already-existing comics characters and I describe them as such.  Dusk, for instance, is an unabashed pastiche of Nightwing, while Veritas is a slightly less psychotic Rorschach.   In my Deadlands one-shots, I included very archetypal Old West characters:  a big-game hunter, a riverboat gambler, a 'lady of the night', and an Indian ambassador.

However, this emphasis shouldn't just extend to your pre-generated PCs.  Rather, you should ensure that your adventure itself emphasizes the core themes of the setting.  One of my most successful convention games--the Deadlands one-shot included over in my free gaming materials:  "Westbound on the San Juan Express"--played this angle up with emphasis.  "Westbound..." emphasized the alternate history angle of the setting, as the PCs were hired to escort Samuel Clemens to Denver to deliver a speech, but also touched on the occult/horror theme, as the game also featured a mysterious Harrowed and a batch of walkin' dead, hidden away in the cargo cars.

I also try to ensure that PCs all have interesting, unique things to do and don't step on one another's toes.  In my "Reno Six-Pack" of Hell on Earth adventurers, I do include three 'spellcasters', but all three use different powers:  the Templar focuses on healing and self-buff powers, the Doomsayer blasts things with radioactive energy, and the Junker has Tesla-based gadgetry.  Even though the mechanics of their spellcasting is nominally the same, their form and function differ greatly, providing niche protection and covering unique bases.  Further, the non-caster characters cover numerous unique skills.  The Road Warrior, obviously, is the best at driving and piloting checks, but is also a terror in melee, wielding a mini-chainsaw.  The Harrowed gunslinger makes for an expert marksman, but is also a capable tracker and scout.

Taking the pain out of the system's learning curve also helps aid play.  After players pick characters in a CSW one-shot, I walk them through the character sheet, using one of the non-chosen characters.  In doing so, I also demonstrate what certain rolls look like, particularly showing how certain modifiers (for CSW, mainly Skill Specialties) fit into a given roll.  This tends to speed things up, though I often start each one-shot with an 'easy' encounter, where the players can get their feet wet in an environment that isn't going to harm them drastically.

Lastly?  Remember it's just a game.  For a one-shot--especially at a convention--it's a much better idea to fudge some rules for the sake of the game moving forward and players having fun.  Getting hung up in minutia, particularly with new players, isn't worth the hassle.  Make sure everyone's having a good time and that they leave the table satisfied.

In Which The Warlock Returns to Blogging!

Wow.  Four months goes fast, doesn't it?!

While I'm still in the full-time job hunt, I've decided to refocus my writing efforts and get back on board the blogging train.  Maintaining a blog has been one of those routines that have kept me (relatively) sane over the past few years, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to provide my usual offbeat perspective once again in my scrolls.

On the home front, we haven't actually been doing a lot of serious gaming recently.  ChaoticFrederick ran a short 4e campaign, but mainly we've been subsisting on a steady stream of board games:  mainly Arkham Horror and Sentinels of Multiverse (which I now own every expansion for--thank you, Amazon gift cards!).  I'm looking to start a Planescape game in the near future and may be playtesting an upcoming Cold Steel Wardens campaign when Wittenberg is back in session.

Great for reading;
Even better as inspiration!

Speak of the devil, there's big news for Cold Steel Wardens!  We're forging our way through layout and gunning hard for a GenCon 2013 release.  Buzz has been really spectacular for my debut solo game and I've actually sold out of my five GenCon events!  For only running games on two days, that's a spectacular turn-out!

I'll be running the same two scenarios at GenCon that I ran at Origins:  "Needles by Moonlight", our two-hour demo session, and "We're All Mad Here!", my homage to Grant Morrison's classic Batman storyline, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth.  Unfortunately, the PlatinumChick will not be joining me at GenCon.  That's a real shame, as her Birds of Prey-themed adventure, "Birds in Flight" was a huge hit!

One of the best parts about Origins, though, was meeting so many spectacular gamers.  Some of the newest ones that I've met, in fact, were the Rule Zero Podcast gang, who sat in a "Needles by Moonlight" demo game.  I made such an impression on them that they wanted to interview me!  Check out this interview, where we chat about comics, my gaming origins, some of the neat mechanics of CSW and more:  Rule Zero Podcast: Andy Klosky and Cold Steel Wardens

The whole publishing process has been a blur thus far, though the biggest surprise for me has been the phenomenal work my artists have done.  First up, take a gander at our cover art, done by the phenomenal Talon Dunning!

Cover art for Cold Steel Wardens
Created by Talon Dunning

And, we even have a spectacular logo, created by the enigmatic (though equally talented) Cheshire!

Trust me when I say this:  CSW is becoming a gorgeous book.  I can't wait to see it in print, and the days are coming very quickly!

As a last bit, so you know:  this entry marks my 398th blog entry.  Could it be that I'm gearing up for something big for number 400?!  Stay tuned, lovely readers!

The Warlock's 2013 CSW Convention Tour--Stop #1: CincyCon

As part of my efforts to show off  Cold Steel Wardens throughout the Ohio Valley, I decided to start my yearly convention route just a hair earlier, at CincyCon at the Atrium Hotel in Cincinnati.  I'd never managed to make it to CincyCon, though I'd heard good things about it at several other conventions throughout the area.

The CincyCon War Pig!

First up, my demo games:  I was pleased to have three of my four demo games go off throughout the weekend, which was a massive plus.  This had been a personal worry for me, as when I'd demoed less-familiar games at other conventions--WEGS comes immediately to mind, at AnCon a few years back--I'd had extremely limited success.  Seeing interested gamers willing to give up an hour or two to try a new system was particularly encouraging.

And those games?  A total blast!  Our first game saw the burly metahuman Sawbones leaping through a mafia goon's SUV-windshield, using one of the goon's compatriots as a human shield.  Our second game was even more bombastic, despite the fact that several gamers at the table had never played an RPG in their lives!  One player, taking on Crackdown, looked at the character sheet as if it were in Cyrillic before I waved him off and said, "Don't worry about this.  You're a big black guy with lightning fists, standing on top of a warehouse.  Tell me what you want to do, and we'll make it happen."  From that point on, he was hooked!

It's that game that really stood out to me, as I received one of the best compliments I could have asked for.  One of the players there had convinced the rest to try CSW, as she was a big comics fan, particularly of the Iron Age.  Before they sat down, I even remarked on her old-school Ghost Rider t-shirt, as I was decked out in my own gray-and-black Dark Knight t-shirt.  Halfway through the game, she looked up from the table with a big smile and said, "This reminds me so much of Sin City.".  All I could do was beam.

The convention on the whole was a truly positive experience.  Events were well organized, with an optional pre-registration system.  While the main hall was fairly loud, space was ample and well-lit.  The Atrium Hotel has surely seen better days--it's a little worn around the edges, but still in great shape, and our room was spacious and well-worth the price.  I might have liked to see the Dealer/Vendor Hall be a little more separate from some of the games--the Dealer Hall shared space with numerous miniatures games, which made for some crowded navigation, but this is a minor caveat.

CincyCon made for a great way to start off our convention season, and I know I'll be back next year.  Next up?  WittCon X, and the debut of my homage to Grant Morrison's "Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth".  

In Which The Warlock Returns From Hiatus...

So, it's been a while!

I decided to take off some time following the ChristmaHannuKwanzaakah holiday, so that I could recover from the fatigue of running the Cold Steel Wardens Kickstarter and focus on preparing the beta rules draft for KS backers.  While I'd like to say that I had a relaxing time off...well, it hasn't really been that, now has it?

A fantastic art piece for CSW, by Eric Douthitt.
This will become the opening "splash page",
at the start of the Equipment chapter!

Art direction's taken up a significant amount of my time, this past month, as it's really not something I've ever done before.  While I have a stable of capable, talented artists, I've been working to provide them quality, thorough notes on what I'm looking for to make Cold Steel Wardens a reality.  The art pieces that have been coming in, so far, have really been impressive.  There's almost a noir-quality about them, inked in black and white, which really complement the mood of the game brilliantly.  While I've only gotten a few pieces in, the art will be mounting up as we start approaching the end of March!

Earlier this month--and much to the detriment of my health, after I came down with an upper respiratory infection!--my editors and I held our "staff meeting" where we hammered out quite a few of the niggling issues surrounding CSW.  One of these was a chapter that I was particularly proud of, outlining a history of the Five Ages of Comics, but is probably going to get the axe.  While the content is solid, it reads too much like a textbook or a dissertation, rather than a rule-book   And, while the discussion is important, there's just no place for it when discussing rules, GMing and providing an evocative setting.

Almost unsurprisingly, we haven't exactly gotten a whole lot of gaming in over the past few weeks.  While we've managed to slide in a few sessions of Hell on Earth--including a great improv session in which the PlatinumChick almost managed to take out two party members in one combat!--they've been few and far between.  I did pick up a new game:  the co-operative superhero rumble Sentinels of the Multiverse.  You can be sure to expect a full review, once we get a play-through in!

And, most excitingly, I'm locked and loaded for this year's convention schedule!  Starting in March, the blitz for Cold Steel Wardens begins, as I'll be heading all over the Ohio Valley running demos and full investigative session of the first ever Iron Age Superheroes game.  Stay tuned to see the schedule!

In Which The Warlock Ends a Year in the Life...

Apologies on the missed post this past week--between the holidays and focusing on ending out the Cold Steel Wardens Kickstarter drive, my attention has duly been focused elsewhere, as you might imagine.

In spite of everything, though, my Kickstarter for CSW has forged on.  As I write this, we're a mere $330 from achieving our funding goal.  We experienced a fantastic surge in the few days following the Christmas holiday, and it's looking like we're going to be funded.  For a first-time RPG-designer, this is more than I could have imagined.  While I would have loved to meet some of our stretch goals, the sheer idea of my dream being funded, being expected still astounds me.  The work ahead is going to be huge, but it's work that's worth it.

That said, I've learned more than I've ever wanted in the last few weeks about starting and marketing a Kickstarter drive, to say nothing of how I work.

1. There is never enough sleep.  I'm an insomniac by nature, but the sheer stress of running the Kickstarter in addition to all the other works has run me down like a renegade truck.  While I've managed to sleep while off from school, spending numerous nights with 3 or less hours of sleep definitely took a toll on both my health, my sanity, and my ability to focus.
2. Publicity is a bitch.  It's all well and good to update your Kickstarter.  I made the mistake of updating too sporadically at the start, but swiftly changed to a twice-weekly rotating schedule of videos and text updates.  But, each update requires publicity of its own, which means time set aside for Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter updates.  Needless to say, that's a lot of work, in and of itself.
3. Your base is extremely important, particularly if you've never done this before.  I underestimated this one drastically, and my recovery from this may well be the only reason that I'm on the verge of success.  While your ability to draw in new backers does hinge on your ability to provide a solid product for people you've never met, it's the people who know you that are going to do the most publicity for you and spread the word.  Further, they're much more likely to invest more money, given that they have an emotional investment in seeing you succeed.  Ensure that your base is on deck, before launching!
4. December isn't the cruelest month.  There's been a lot of debate recently as to whether it's worth it to run a Kickstarter over the holidays.  As someone who's sitting in the midst of that debate, I don't believe I've seen a real difference based on the time of year.  With an intent to publish by August 2013, I could have waited for January, but it seemed like folly--I'd rather have the extra time to begin working on ensuring that CSW is a fantastic rpg.  Further, one might need only look as far as the FATE Core Kickstarter or the KS for ICONS: Great Power to see drives that are experiencing massive success in the holiday season.  That said, I wouldn't want to push into January or February, as peoples' wallets begin recovering from the holiday splurge.
5. Appearance matters.  While I've been happy with my updates thusfar, my lack of finished, finalized art for Cold Steel Wardens has definitely been a drawback.  However, that pushed me into that conundrum:  do I pay for art before running a Kickstarter drive with the intent to pay for art?  While that would mean additional funding set aside for layout, it also means a greater up-front investment.  That cost, coupled with the delay in waiting for said art to arrive, pushed my hand towards a December drive.  That said, I may have recouped the cost by tossing in more money up front.
6. Get your international shipping options straight from the start.  One of the first things that I was asked early in the drive was "Why aren't you offering international shipping?"  I truly hadn't given it any thought and, when I decided to actually offer such an option, I had to add all-new pledge levels specifically to accommodate them!  It seems like a small item, but it's one you want to have in order as you set up your drive!
7. Stay in touch.  If someone drops you a message, respond to it within one day.  If you have a comment on the Kickstarter at large--which everyone can see--respond as soon as you can get an answer, even if it's "I don't know right now--I'll look as soon as I'm able."  
8. KickTraq is a double-edged sword.  While it provides fantastic data in regards to what projections one might expect...the math is hard to tear away from.  And that math?  That math lurks within a realm of madness and guilt.  The more you stare at the numbers, the more you wonder "What haven't I done?  What am I doing wrong?  Why aren't people backing me?"  While those are good questions to ask, they eat at you.  He who gazes into the abyss, and all that jazz...

And the biggest piece of advice?  Never give up.  Even when hope seems lost.  Persevere.  

2012 is over, and the next step awaits.

In Which The Warlock Comes Up With a Backup Plan...

For those of you playing along at home, you may have noted that I haven't been talking much about our romps in Deadlands on Friday night.  Truth be told, it's been quite a while since we've actually had a session of "The Flood"!  Real-life issues took their toll, between our trip to C2E2, some illnesses, and a few alternate obligations, resulting in over a month of missed sessions!

Yeesh!  That's a lot of time.  But, many groups face the same situation--what do you do when you need the whole group present, and it just hasn't happened?

For us, the answer is usually board games.  Arkham Horror is a particular favorite, as two sessions of that can fill an entire game night for us.  Lately, we also broke out Innsmouth Escape and had a blast with Munchkin Axe Cop.  These are usually good for single night sessions where we're just looking to unwind after a long week, but occasionally we just get the itch for some actual dice-rolling RPG that a board game just can't scratch.

The PlatinumChick and I, after years of running games for conventions, have quite the library of one shots.  Under normal circumstances, we tend to use these sorts of nights for playtesting.  Most of my WEGS games and several of our other one-offs get tested with our home group when a few players are missing.  Again, that's good for most circumstances, but when we don't exactly have a lot of one-shots to test this year, due to the Origins date change, that leaves that option out in the cold.

So, the question has been:  "What do we do now?"



Straight from the comics, onto my gaming table! 
Iron Man and the Avengers take on Carnage in Marvel Heroic Roleplaying

The answer, interestingly enough, arose from one of my recent reviews:  Marvel Heroic Roleplaying.  After going to see The Avengers a few weeks ago (and again a week later...), we were all really high on some superhero goodness, and I was eager to give the system a run.

So, with no prep at all, we decided to delve into the book-built scenario, based on Brian Michael Bendis' "Breakout" arc from "New Avengers".  Serendipitously taking on Bendis' Avengers--Iron Man, Captain America, Miss Marvel, and Wolverine--we dialed up the action as the SHIELD/Riker's Island prison known as "The Raft" exploded with an EMP pulse.  With Iron Man in the in the sub-basements upgrading security and the rest up top, examining some new holding cells with Maria Hill, we started with the party already split....and Carnage making a beeline for Iron Man!

The nice thing about all this?  I've already managed to lay down enough plot hooks in one session to provide a ton of possible "episodes" in the future.  Where did Carnage escape to, after attacking Iron Man?  Who was at fault for the explosion?  Who were the infiltrators in the northwest guard tower, and what's their relationship to "Mutants Sans Frontiers"? 

While we're hoping to get back to "The Flood" this week--with the Battle of Shan Fan, no less!--we'll be revisiting MHR off and on, when we have missing members.  And, it's already looking to be spectacular!

In Which The Warlock is Too Busy to Post!

Sorry, gang, but I've been up to my eyeballs recently.  The PlatinumChick and I are about to head out for C2E2 in Chicago, so I've been trying to wrap up all my grading and lesson plans prior to, and she's been finalizing her costumes!

No worries, though--once we get back, you'll have all the pictures you could want!  Until then, cheers!

Chicago or bust!  :D

In Which The Warlock Has Too Much Plated...

Sorry, but it's a short entry this time, fellow gamers.

I've been staring at a computer screen all weekend, working on a pretty large segment on an upcoming book for The Laundry:  tentatively titled "Cultists Under the Bed". 

Because of this, I'll save the bigger details on what's been going on in The Flood, as well as what else I've been working on for the mid-week entry.  For now, you'll just have to be sated with my upcoming convention schedule for 2012!

In Which The Warlock Muses on the Future...

Last night was Wittenberg's first game night, which is always exciting for us.  It's spectacular to be able to meet a whole legion of incoming gamers and share with them all of the exciting events that the Guild puts forward, all of the events and systems that we run, and the cameraderie of slinging dice with your fellow man.

There's really nothing like the first time that you sit down to experience a game.  The 'first impression' that one gets just can't be replicated.  The first time I slung out the d10s and d6s in WEGS, for example, was a game unto itself.  The first time we broke out Arkham Horror, while frustratingly long, got us immediately hooked.  The first time we watched someone's dice 'ace' two and three times at a clip in Savage Worlds...it caught the eye like none other. 

What to write, what to write?!

But keeping that newness?  It's hard!  The longer one plays a game, the more apparent the flaws are in the system and the more 'rote' things become.  The Journeyman GM and I discussed this tendency on our way home from GenCon this year.  By this point, he had run his Blackbeard-based Doctor Who game nearly 12 separate times for various groups across the Miami Valley.  I'd been pinging my "WEGSthulhu" adventure and "Westbound on the San Juan Express" just as often.

As such, with the close of the convention season, it comes time for us gamers to think about what comes next:  what one-shots are on deck for the coming 2012 season, for the Friday Night One-Shot series at Witt, and what we're excited about.  But, that leaves me with a major question:  with so many options, what do I write?!

Obviously, my first and biggest option (and my biggest priority!) is my campaign of Cold Steel Wardens.  I'm running my alpha test--a campaign that I'm calling "Hard Rain"--at Witt this year, with my tentative players' Heroes making their way into the (ideally forthcoming) book as sample characters.  But, one-shots?  I have no issue running them at Wittenberg, but I'm not sure if the rules-set is ready for the convention circuit yet.

Last year, I built a series of Deadlands characters specifically for the purpose of using them on the convention circuit.  As such, I'm very tempted to bring back those characters for another go.  However, I'm at somewhat of a loss of what I'd like that adventure to look like.  I'm loathe to put forward another "train-based" adventure, and would like to lean towards something a little more investigative.  However, that's the furthest I've managed to think this one out.

The Laundry, similarly, is an appealing option.  While I'm more than proficient in the BRP Call of Cthulhu game, The Laundry has its own unique style that makes for a strange balance between absurdist comedy and deadly serious spy-drama.  But, that same balance makes it particularly difficult to GM appropriately.  Even for a skilled GM, it becomes difficult to shift gears so quickly between tones.  I'd been also thinking up a basic Call of Cthulhu adventure based around Shakespeare's "Scottish Play", but that's still in development.

Coming to a game convention
near you in 2012?

I'd also been thinking about potentially revisiting one of my all-time favorite heroes:  the Masters of the Universe in the role-playing arena.  However, I'm really not sure what system I'd use.  While I'd be tempted towards picking up Cartoon Action Hour, I actually think that ICONS would work really well for emulating the over-the-top action.  But, again, I haven't really thought out what the adventure would entail, or any plot ideas beyond the simple "He-Man and crew have to team up with Skeletor to take out a greater threat". 

And then...there are other options.  While I'm swearing off D&D for a while, my gaming stack's still full-up.  I'm planning on picking up All For One: Regime Diabolique in the near future, and I just found a copy of Wild Talents at Half Price Books for $5.  Also, The Journeyman GM still has my copies of Hell on Earth, while my regular Friday night group is chomping at the bit for some post-apocalyptic action.  Oh, and there's always WEGS, particularly with the Ultimate Dungeon Party out now, and the official printing of Dingbitt's Dunge-O'-Doom on the horizon. 

So many options, so little time, fellow gamers!  What should I run?  What would you like to see at WittCon, FOPCon, and all the rest in the next year?!

In Which The Warlock Posts on Three Cons...

As the weather heats up, so does the convention season.  And, lo and behold, it's finally broken 70 degrees out here in Flatland, which means that dice-slinging is on the horizon.

Alas, poor Den Con...I'll make it next year...

After a quality start to the con-season at WittCon, I was excited to have Den Con 2011 on the horizon.  The WittGuild's been trying to build relationships with area universities and gaming organizations, and Denison's group has been really busy, building a game library and gamer culture in Granville.  With them so close to Columbus (and The Big O), it's good to have some friends and neighbors up yonder...

...that is, it would be.  Unfortunately for me, the PlatinumChick came down with a nasty stomach virus Friday night, after my Laundry one-shot at Witt.  At 2 am, she was begging me to stay home with her, and I gave in.

I immediately felt horrible about it--not about the fact that my wife needed me; I have no regrets in that regard--but rather in a realization.  I've been running convention one-shots of various games (primarily WEGS) for almost 8 years now.  This was the first time, in all those years, that I've had to cancel.

I e-mailed Mr. Mike, the head of Den Con 2011, immediately, but still haven't heard back.  I'm hoping they're willing to have me back next year.  The WEGS train has to roll on!  Granville needs to hear the Cold Roll Gospel sooner than later!

Dayton's own Comic Book Extravaganza

But, with that cancellation, the PlatinumChick and I were able to sleep in and, on Sunday, meet L-Train, EEE, and NuJosh for a trip to Dayton's Gem City ComicCon, held at Wright State University.  I don't typically get to do much trolling for floppies at Champion City ComicCon, as I'm usually helping to run the game room, so it was nice to be able to peruse the vendors from all over the Miami Valley and beyond. 

I have come to a conclusion, though, regarding comics vs. gaming conventions, stemming back to our trip to C2E2 last year.  Overall, I tend to be much less a fan of comics conventions, simply because there's less to do.

At a typical gaming convention, I can always find something that piques my interest.  I might spend some time trolling around the dealer hall, then drift over to a Paint-and-Take event, then play a one shot or borrow something from the board-game library to play.  If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll go to a panel, or visit some of the small-press places, to find out what's on the docket for the coming release schedule.  Sometimes, I'll even try to do a little schmoozing with some of the muckitty-mucks at various gaming companies, trying to get my name out there.  Fundamentally, there's a variety of events, so that if I get bored at one, I can move on to something different with little difficulty.

At the comics conventions I've been at, the inverse is true.  While there might be some panels or artist/writer booths that I'd visit, the prime attraction is only the dealer hall.  And, truth be told, there just isn't enough variety in what they're selling to really appeal.  When you've trolled through case after case of Ultimate Spider-Man trade paperbacks, all priced relatively closely, things tend to get a little repetitive.  There just isn't enough variety in stock or items to keep my attention.


Dealer hall from GenCon Indy 2010


But you might say, "What about the gaming dealer hall?  Isn't it all the same stuff there?"  Well, yes and no.  While there are some similar games that get sold everywhere--d20 supplements, current edition D&D items--most of the vendors are more specialized.  Either they'll sell for a specific company--the SJGames booth comes immediately to mind--or they'll focus on a specific aspect of gaming.  There are booths specifically that sell minis, booths that sell dice or battlemats, booths that sell chits and other knick-knacks that are gaming-related.  There's enough variety that one can avoid just seeing the same items in box after box, on shelf after shelf.

What shocked me most at Gem City, though, was not something I found in the longboxes.  Rather, it was something from their program that blew me away:  Glory Con.  Yes, Wright State's apparently back, having a gaming convention once more. 

The last time we went to Glory Con, it was something of a disappointment.  While the creators had ample room and a quality vendor, in Bell Book and Comic, there was no real schedule, and EEE's and my classic WEGS module, "Return to Castle VonYumenstein, Part VI:  The Revengening! (a Prequel)" was one of the few actual games being run.  I'm hoping to see some more information on Glory Con in the near future.  I would have provided a link, like the conventions above, but there's no website or Facebook page to be found...

Time shall tell, I suppose.  Besides, what else am I going to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon, than chuck some dice?!