On behalf of the entire Volunteer & Staff members- we would like to thank everyone who came out to support and make Gary Con III an overwhelming success! We are extremely humbled by the love & support we get in honoring Gary- as we mark his passing every March. This year was our biggest gathering yet. We learned and made improvements from GC II, And, from the feedback we received at the Lodge and the trip reports being posted to various forums- it looks like we achieved our goals. We made the experience better for everyone with more space and a bigger selection of games. The attendance was our largest ever. We had over 400 visitors this year! In no small part than our established core of gamers who told their friends about Gary Con. We want to thank everyone that attended- and even those of you who could not make it, but wanted to. I think the positive nature of Gary Con is a huge reason for its continued success. A common phrase heard during the gathering was how much of a TSR family reunion GC has become. It is literally a who’s who as you wander around The Lodge. A big round of thanks to the TSR alumni that makes their appearance year-after- year. Trust us, we have not forgotten how much you guys did for the hobby we all love. Looking towards the future, in the coming months we will begin to announce new & exciting changes for Gary Con. Did you think GC III was awesome? Wait until you hear what we have planned for GC IV. We held our first meeting on Monday and the changes are already underway. Our main goal will to always honor Gary Gygax and what he represented to the gaming hobby. We want his spirit of adventure to always be a part of what we do every year. Thank you for allowing us the ability to hold this event, and to be widely accepted by the gaming family. You mean everything to us, and we look forward to seeing everyone next year!
Excellent, Dale ~ great post! Is it possible to have too much fun?? Fantastic weekend and "thanks" right back atcha!! Well done to all!!
I have to say that one of the greatest phrases I heard at GaryCon was, "This is a living memorial to Gary Gygax." I can think of no better way to honor this man who brought so many of us into the gaming fold. It was quite an experience and I enjoyed it very much. In fact, I gamed more this GaryCon than I have in the past. Usually I spend a lot of time hanging out and jumping from place to place (and I did that this time as well) but the open gaming area allowed me to sit down and get some great gaming in at the wee hours of the morning. Thanks again for providing us a place to have a lot of fun, celebrate old school gaming and those who brought it into our lives. I'd like to especially thank Tim Kask and Frank Mentzer. These are two of the coolest guys to hang around with and game with.....I didn't game with Tim but I always try and sit down and find a game with Frank. These two, in many ways, epitomize why our hobby got the reputation early on that it was a "thinking man's game." Or thinking person's......
My two daughters and I had a great time at the con. Thank you to Chris, Luke and other desk staff who helped me get a complete set of the signed Poker cards. The daughters had a blast getting the cards for our poker hands. (We won two of them). The Jeff Easley print is awesome and we had Jeff embellish it right after winning it. We played two games this con: Star Wars d6 (I took out an AT-AT by myself!), and Hackmaster (thanks for the fun, George!) Also played Brown Box D&D with Tim Kask. That game ended prematurely with a player killed half the party with a bonehead move. Thank you to all the TSR alumni who signed my books, (Brian, Zeb, Skip, Harold, Frank, Tim, Tom, Jean, Jon, Jeff Easley and Jeff Dee to name a few. Thanks again to Chris and Luke for another great con! Can't wait for next year!
Haha, your daughter was wheeling and dealing those cards - she ended up with my "2" Rules card, which then gave me a pair of 2s....which of course didn't count since they were BOTH a 2 of clubs! Lol...but it's all good, I wasn't playing - I just wanted the cards as souvenirs, so congrats on the wins!
Gary Con III was most definitely a great time - thanks to all who attended!! And as Dale aptly pointed out - those who WANTED to but couldn't - just bring it on next year!!
I know the DGS members all had a wonderful time at this year's Garycon and cannot wait for GaryconIV when we will again be back with another whole slew of out-of-print or no longer supported editions of great games from our past--and more Power Rings of Gaming, of course. For me, Garycon is special in a way unlike other conventions as despite the fact that I began my gaming back in 1981, I never had the opportunity to attend those first Gencons back when they were still getting started at Lake Geneva. In a sense, Garycon is my time machine.
Well said Dale! I want to echo my thanks to all that support Gary Con and help us continue a living memorial to my Dad. Keep the suggestions for any improvements coming and Chris, Dale and I will work on making Gary Con IV even better! Luke
GC3 was a wonderful time, and I can't wait for next year! Thank you for all of the hard work that made the con possible---from the convention organizers to the DMs and players who built fun at each game table!
Allan- thanks for coming and continuing to support Gary Con. I appreciate it- and so do all the guys that get to experience your Greyhawk stuff from all reports
Happy to, Luke. Next year I'll have to work harder at sinking a few of them to Davey Jones' locker permanently (although draining 8 levels from the party wasn't too bad, either, I suppose ).
Better late than never. I posted my GaryCon III AAR at my OSR blog: http://noschoololdschoolgames.blogspot. ... k-not.html Enjoy, and see everyone next year!
I am constantly being reminded of how much fun I have every year out there, with pictures and commentary being sent around the net so frequently. Great time, as always. And yes, I do recall (almost) all of it!
Finally got the COMPLETE signed set of poker cards framed along with the Easley print. See the results below: The picture doesn't do it justice. Thank you to all who helped make this possible!
That really puts to shame the Royal Flush that Redd helped put together at GaryCon II. All I have is a nice shadowbox but I'm still glad to have it. Of course, the wizard in the middle is what really does it! Sets off the whole display very nicely.
