Gen Con 2021

Gen Con returned to Indianapolis this year after Gen Con Online last year. Rob, Karen, and Buck couldn't make it this year, but we had Lou, Nick, James, and me from previous years, and Lou's old friend David joined us.

I was in five games (20 hours) of D&D, and my longtime Gen Con warlock Aleister made it to 16th level. Three of those games were "the D&D Experience," where you play with the same Dungeon Master and players for all three games. Here's our table for the first D&D Experience game, including Lou, Nick, David, and our Dungeon Master Jacob. We're gearing up to ambush some goblins.

Here's our last game on Sunday morning.

Here's a pano of the big (non-D&D) play area in the conference center; gamers took over the lounge at our hotel too.

It was a good year for costumes. These plague doctors were a good pick for the covid pandemic.

The Dungeon Master from the 80's D&D cartoon.

Edgar Allen Poe.

King Arthur and Patsy.

We went to the costume contest this year - here are the finalists on stage. The kids' group winners won the overall contest too.

The exhibit hall was crowded but not as crazy as previous years. Most of the usual suspects seemed to be there except Fez-O-Rama.

Our favorite DM from 2018 and 2019, Zac, was in the hall at the booth for his company Drifter's Atlas.

I found some original 70s D&D boxes for sale, for $500. As crazy as that is, it's not as much as a lot of Magic Cards.

Eric Lang's new game, Ankh, was on sale about a month before release.

We kicked off Wednesday night with Lou’s traditional foodie dinner. This year it was Lou, Nick, and Nick’s gaming friends, and me. From left to right, Lou, Diego, Nick, Randy, and Daniella.

Also enjoyed a couple meals at the George Street food trucks - jerk chicken tacos + deep fried cheese curds, and a pulled pork bbq sandwich.

Boston

I visited my friend in Wei in Lexington in 2015. I visited Wei and her family again, and spent an afternoon lazily walking part of the Freedom Trail in Boston. I really enjoyed Boston, there's a ton to explore there.

I started at Copp's Hill Burying Ground near the harbor in the North End, which dates from the 1600s. Among others, Increase, Cotton, and Samuel Mather are buried there; Increase and Cotton were key figures in the Salem witch trials.

The Old North Church is nearby. In 1775 the sexton Robert Newman famously hung signal lanterns in the church's belfry to warn Paul Revere that the British were coming. My picture shows the church's organ; privateer Thomas James Gruchy captured the cherubim from a French ship.

Paul Revere Mall, behind the church.

The "Old State House was the seat of the British colonial government between 1713 and 1776" and the facade still sports the English lion and the Scottish unicorn. The basement is a subway station.

The Old South Meeting House, where Samuel Adams kicked off the Boston Tea Party.

Benjamin Franklin in front of the Old City Hall, which was the city hall from 1865 to 1969.

The Granary Burying Ground dates from 1660. Folks buried here include Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and victims of the Boston Massacre. Paul Revere has two monuments next to each other.

The Massachusetts State House, under repair.

The state house seen from Boston Common.