Two weeks ago, I attended RinCon ’09 in Tucson, Arizona. As you might have guessed from the fact that I’m a new gamer, this was my first gaming convention. I guess you might have figured it out by the title of the post, too. Before coming to the convention, I didn’t really know what to expect. Well, RinCon ’09 far exceeded any expectations and was an epic convention. It really was a stellar con all around.
But, what do I know? I’m new to all this. Well, don’t take my word for it. Listen to these fine folks talk about how awesome RinCon was. Or read about how awesome Berin Kinsman, father figure of RPG bloggers, thought it was and what the plans are for next year here. Or read about what this guy named Wil Wheaton thought about RinCon at his website.
That’s right. Wil Wheaton was in attendence. Not only that, but he held the first ever Wil Wheaton Dwarven Dungeon Delves Doom! And I was lucky enough to play in Wil’s second delve on Sunday of the con. I plan to write up the experience and post it soon. So, more on that later.
I had several goals I wanted to accomplish at the con. First, I wanted to broaden my gaming horizons. Prior to the con, I’d only played various versions of D&D (Swords & Wizardry, 3.5, 4th), so I wanted to try something different.
On Friday, I played in a game of the Star Wars RPG: Saga Edition. I really had a great time. We had a good group. (And I have to say, throughout the whole convention, everyone was friendly, welcoming, and generally just cool.) The GM ran a good game with an interesting story. We barely made it through our first battle against incoming fighters in an asteroid field. I found the mechanics for operating the ship in battle was interesting. Everyone had something to do and the combat was really exciting. It was interesting to play an RPG in a setting other than fantasy.
My second goal was to play some board games. On Saturday, I played a new, not-yet-released game called Terra Prime run by the designer. I was drawn in by the space exploration theme. It was an interesting and rather complex game. It translates many aspects of a 4x computer game to a board game. It was almost a little too complex for my tastes. I think I’d have to play it again to really sink my teeth into it. I also played Ticket to Ride or the first time. I really enjoyed it. I like games with simple rules and complex strategies and Ticket to Ride fits that bill.
My third goal was set when I learned about Wil Wheaton’s plans for the dungeon delve. I wanted to play in it. Well, as I’ve already said, I did and I’ll be writing about it soon.
RinCon ’09 was truly a great experience. I couldn’t have asked for a better first con. I played some great games and met some great people. If you are a new gamer, I highly recommend going to a local gaming convention. It’s a great way to broaden your horizons and start to become a member of the community.
My goals for RinCon ’10: 1) become a volunteer at the con, 2) run a game as a GM, and 3) play Dungeon & Dragons with another, slightly obscure, former Star Trek cast member. I’m thinking maybe Levar Burton.
