Gen Con Milwaukee Remembered: Part 6

Here is the last of the Gen Con series of journal entries that I wrote back early last decade when Gen Con was held in Milwaukee. This particular entry chronicles the last days of Milwaukee's Gen Con.

So dig in and enjoy.....

Saturday August 11^th, 2002.

- Another healthy walk to the Midwest Express Convention Center brings me to Sci-Fi Saturday. It is the day in which most of the celebrity Q&A sessions are to take place.

- I get there at about 9:30am and see that certain Gen Con traditions will never die. The entire schedule has indeed changed. I get on the pay phone and leave a message on Spanky’s cell phone (THAT HE SHOULD HAVE HAD TURNED ON!!!) and tell him to get here STAT ‘cause Lisa Ryder’s (Becka from “Andromeda”) Q&A was a few minutes away.

- I’m not much of an “Andromeda” fan at all. I think I watched half of one episode once. But I’ll tell you this, if you thought Lisa Ryder was pretty on television…. you need to see her in person! I made sure I got a good seat near the front.

PEOPLE WATCHING LESSON #4:

WHEN OGLING THE FEMALE CELEBRITIES… revert back to Lesson #3!

- Miss Ryder seemed very personable and happy to see everyone. Half the people there were from her fan club which seemed to consist of young, giggling girls. Go figure.

- I walk across the way where officials were getting ready for the costume contest.

- I took a picture of a gentleman in an incredible Legolas (From Lord of the Rings) outfit.

- There was still no sign of Spanky or Koreboy by the time Ethan Phillips (Star Trek: Voyager / Benson) showed up for his Q&A.

- Surprisingly he didn’t talk a lot about Voyager. Instead he talked about what it was like starting out as a stage actor in New York. It was quite interesting and entertaining until…

- Suddenly the door to the room swings open. A figure wearing a tie-dye Darth Maul T-Shirt stands in the doorway… It’s Spanky.

- Spanky makes his way over to where I’m sitting right in the middle of Mr. Phillips Q&A. Spanky is accompanied by Koreboy and his friend Tom.

- Mr. Phillips makes the wise decision to ignore the interruption and go on with his story.

- The Q&A session ends and Spanky shows me his bag of free con swag. He’s in geek heaven.

- About 15 minutes later the next Q&A session starts. It’s Warwick Davis who played the title role in the fantasy film “Willow” as well as Wickett the Ewok in “Star Wars, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”.

- Warwick was very funny and seemed to have a great sense of humor about things. He was very outgoing and charming.

- After he waddled on off Spanky, Koreboy, Tom and I decide to head to the mall and get a bite to eat.

- Outside of one unfortunate incident involving Tom, his wedge fries and the floor, lunch at the mall was pretty uneventful.

- We decide to head back to the main hall where Spanky wanted to get some celebrity autographs and play some form of “Family Feud” that would win him MORE free swag.

- We head to the autograph area where Ethan Phillips is signing. Spanky is in front of me in line and reaches Ethan first.

- At this time Spanky decides it’s time to play Mr. Comedy with Ethan and asks poor, tired Ethan to sign his autograph “ To the president of the James Noble Fan Club. (James Noble is the actor who portrayed the Governor on the TV sitcom “Benson” on which Ethan Phillips played Pete Downey) Ya see, in Spanky’s mind an obscure character actor reference = big side splitting laugh from Star Trek celebrity. Mr. Phillips gives a quick chuckle. No side splitting laugh as was expected by Spanky.

- When I get to Ethan, he asks me if I’m a member of the same fan club.

- I reply, “…umm, I think I let my membership laps.” At which he gives a bit more of a laugh than he did with Spanky.

- We move off the autograph stage and over to the hallway to get our swag in order when “it” hits my nostrils…

- Either rotting corpses have risen from the grave and are lurking up and down the halls of Gen Con, or somebody decided that three days of non stop gaming with no bathing would be a welcoming idea. Think again, B.O. Boy!

- I decide that it would have been a good idea for convention officials to hand out bars of soap to people entering the con.

- We decide to split up because Spanky, Tom and Koreboy want to go “play the Feud” while I stay in people watching mode.

- I walk up and down the isles a bit more and run into the Clyde Caldwell art booth.

- I have a very good time looking at his wonderful fantasy art.

- I have an even better time looking at his wonderful model dressed in skimpy barbarian clothing…. Not that I’m into that or anything. Hey, I’m an art lover. What can I say?

- I run into Hope, Mario and a few other people I have gamed with including Dave and Jim. We walk around a bit together and end up by the autograph stage to just shoot the breeze a bit.

- While I’m in mid conversation I hear what sounds like Daffy Duck having his liver pulled out of him through his nostril with no anesthesia. The sound seems to be coming from the autograph stage.

- I suddenly realize that it’s Spanky calling my name.

- I look up to the stage, and sure enough, there’s Spanky holding up the line of people who want to get Don P. Davis’ autograph.

- He sees I have my camera and wants a picture of him and Don together.

- He continues to hold up the line until I get the picture taken.

- Just as I’m about to go back to Hope and Mario, Spanky grabs me as he comes off the stage and pulls me over to a smaller autograph table where Lisa Ryder is signing.

- He has her sign a picture and write, “Spanky, SHUT UP!” on it. Ya see, this way when people who know Spanky see the autograph, they’ll figure Miss Ryder is a close friend of his too seeing as most of his friends spend a lot of time telling him to “SHUT UP!” Not gunna happen, Spanky.

- I take his picture with her. She looks freighted.

- I finally get back to Hope, Mario and the others and finish our conversation.

- We no sooner head out into the lobby when Bruce and Leslie show up dressed in full Rebel Trooper outfits (You know, the guys who wore those goofy white helmets, who ended up being cannon fodder at the beginning of “Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope”). Not far behind them is a fellow dressed up as infamous Imperial leader, Grand Admiral Thrawn (From the SW novels Aire to the Empire, The Last Command…etc.), blue face and all!! Very cool!

- I take many pictures of them all!

- Not much happening after they close the main hall doors, so I head home.

Sunday, August 11^th, 2002.

- I arrive at Gen Con at 9:30am to meet Koreboy in the main lobby of the Midwest Express Center so he can drop off something he picked up for me at this year’s Wizard World Convention (a big comic book convention in Chicago).

- I’m in a rather melancholy mood with this being the last day of the last Milwaukee Gen Con. But, what can ya do. Incompetence and greed always seem to come out on top, don’t they?

- After a while Koreboy shows up with Tom and Spanky in tow. He hands me a bag with a small treasure inside. A 6” Chianna from “Farscape” action figure. Now I have my little own GiGi Edgley to put up in my work space at my job. Do you see how sad, little pathetic things can make me happy.

- They head into the main hall while I wait for two of my fellow Cthulhu players who have never been to Gen Con to show up.

- After a while Muffy and Shifty show up and we head into the convention.

- After fiddling around with getting Shifty and Muffy registered and trying to put together the annoying, little, cheap plastic chain that holds the con badge around one’s neck, we head up to the show room.

- Within the first 10 minutes, Muffy and Shifty have dropped $30. It’s going to be an expensive day. Especially because I have to get my hands on whatever’s left here that I want!!

- During the day, Muffy, Shifty and I lose the contents of our wallets to crap such as…

- More beanie-plush Cthulhus (They’re so damn cute when they suck your soul from ya!).

- I get 5 more sets of dice to make up for whatever years of Gen Con I’m about to miss.

- A compilation of Lovcraftian, Cthulhu mythos stories.

- Mini remote control cars.

- Miniature replicas of Star Wars vehicles and ships.

- A T-Shirt with a shield and skulls designed by Brom.

- A Mystatonik University Student Parking sticker (an inside Cthulhu joke).

- A KFC (Kids For Cthulhu) T-Shirt.

- A life-sized, anatomically correct mannequin of Herve Villachez that says, “I love the Cheese Castle” in Portugese, when his pinky finger is squeezed.

(I made up that last one just to see if you were paying attention.)

- After Shifty and Muffy were taped out and exhausted, they decided to hit the road. I stay and do the last of my people watching.

PEOPLE WATCHING LESSON #5:

MASKING TAPE HAS FAR MORE USES THAN I THOUGHT. EVIDENTLY, IT CAN BE USED AS A BIKINI.

- I meet up with Bruce and Leslie again. We all plan to meet Hope and Mario at the entrance to the main hall at the last minutes of Gen Con and head out to a restaurant and toast the end of the biggest gaming convention known to mankind!

- I take one last walk around the main hall and at 3:55pm, I head to the main entrance and meet up with the rest of the gang. As we leave the convention center there are no tears, just disappointment that this is the end.

As the curtain finally closes on Milwaukee’s last Gen Con, many gamers wander slowly back to their cars and hotels and get ready to leave the city, not to return to Milwaukee next year or possibly ever again.

There will be another gaming fair next year in Indianapolis, which I’m sure will be very, very good. Who knows, I may even make the trek out there in the next few years. But one thing is for sure, it won’t have the same charm as it did in Milwaukee! Let’s face facts; if it ain’t in Milwaukee…it just ain’t Gen Con!

The End………


I hope you enjoyed my homage to the Gen Con's of old in these last several posts. For the next blog we'll be back to normal as I wax poetic on the video game masterpiece Red Dead Redemption.

Stay vertical, true believers!

Zangz.

Gen Con Milwaukee Remembered: Part 5

Here we go with Part 5 of my Journal from back in 2002....


ZANGZ’S GEN CON GAME FAIR JOURNAL 2002 – THE LAST HUZZAH!

Thursday, August 9^th, 2002

- Here it is!!! The first official day of this years Gen Con Game Fair. I get there right at the stroke of 10am, just in time for the huge, 3^rd floor exhibition hall to open.

- There is such an over flux of people at this year’s Gen Con that convention center officials have to block off the escalators going up until the hall doors open.

- I’m trapped like a sardine between many other gamers who are trying to get onto the blocked off escalator.

- I look up from the second floor to the third floor and see my fellow Star Wars RPG gamers, Bruce and Leslie, standing there waiting to get in. They see me and wave. - I wave back to them helplessly as I’m still trapped on the 2^nd floor. Luckily most of the gamers I’m squished in line with don’t smell quite as bad as Gen Con legends have suggested that Gen Coners smell. But I bet by the end of Sunday some of their fragrance will be a bit ripe.

- About five minutes after 10am, there’s finally movement. People are slowly streaming into the exhibition hall. They finally open up the escalator and I make my way to the hall.

- The hall is once again a gamer’s version of heaven. The room is filled with booths loaded with new role playing games, computer games, card games, T-shirts and other geek goodies to empty our wallets for.

- I start shopping for things on my list and collecting free swag.

- Within 5 minutes there’s a gentleman handing out free T-shirts!! This convention is starting off pretty good after all!!

- I walk up and down the aisles grabbing up things I know that I need to get now, because Gen Con won’t be here next year.

- Items Purchased:

-There’s a small Beanie Cthulhu (creature derived from the horror writings of H.P. Lovecraft) that I purchase and name Desmond.

-Next up another Lovecraft Ale T-shirt (the one I bought last year was a size too small).

-Then I grab a CD of the soundtrack of the first two seasons of Farscape.

-Then I go back to the Cthulhu trend and buy the Creature Companion for the Call of Cthulhu RPG that I run.

- I find out that Hasbro is going to sell these new customizable action figures called Stikfas the next day in the huge WOTC castle that they have set up smack dab in the center of the convention hall. I’ll have to go back later and grab me a couple.

- I spend the rest of the day walking up and down the aisles, grabbing free swag and people watching.

PEOPLE WATCHING, LESSON #1:

IF YOU DON’T HAVE A BODY THAT’S CONDUCIVE TO SHOWING IT OFF, DON’T DRESS LIKE YOU DO!!

God knows I’m not blessed with Mark Walberg’s physique. And that’s why you will not find me walking around in skimpy chain mail.

- I head on over to the Hyatt’s ballrooms for a celebrity Q&A.

- I meet up with Bruce and Leslie there and we go over our purchased boons for the day.

- Bruce made out with a bunch of die cast miniatures he likes to paint.

- Leslie is having one of the attending artists do a Boba Fett painting for her.

- The celebrity Q&A turns out to be Don P. Davis who plays the Colonel on “Stargate, S.G.-1” and portrayed Agent Scully’s father in episodes of “The X-Files”.

- Don was laid back and amusing. Says he started out as a stunt man and worked his way up… or over, depending on whom you ask.

- Afterward, we head down to Wells street where the convention organizers have closed off the street under the convention center’s overpass where a block party / boxing matches is about to commence.

- The party started a half an hour late and featured big pretzels with cheese and mustard, boxes of pop corn, ice cream bars and of course the most important ingredient… FREE BEER!!!!

- After grabbing some food and beverages, we find a table front and center and facing the boxing ring. Gaming company White Wolf (Vampire, Wraith, Werewolf, etc…) have challenged a few other gaming companies to three boxing matches that will last a few minutes each.

- I leave the table to get more FREE BEER, only to be horrified to find that the beer is no longer free (Gee… a half an hour of free beer. How gracious. …And YES, I am looking a gift horse in the mouth. DEAL WITH IT!!).

- I run into my friend, Spanky on the way back to the table. He’s dressed in appropriate con decor….NOT!!!

- A suit and tie adorns Spanky as he’s just arrived from the office. What? He didn’t take the day off for Gen Con? BLASPHEMY!!!!!

- I talk to him and another geek friend, Koreboy, and make plans to go to the celebrity Q&As that will be held on Saturday

- I head back to Bruce, Leslie and Bruce’s sister, Bonnie, who’s just joined us.

- The new owner of Gen Con gets up and speaks to the crowd.

- He apologizes for having to move the con.

- A few “Boos” are heard throughout the crowd.

- He explains how excited he is to be moving it to Indianapolis.

- Crickets are heard chirping.

- Let the games begin!!!

- The first match is a bit of a slap fest. But the ring-girl is cute!!! White Wolf takes the victory!!

- The second match was a bit more violent. More of a smacking match this time. Cute ring-girl. White Wolf is victorious.

- The third match is far more exciting than the previous two. Blood was drawn!!! Ring-girl…cute. White Wolf wins again.

- White Wolf takes home the trophies… and the ring-girls.

- We pack it up and leave. I head home for a good night’s coma.

Friday August 10^th, 2002

- Another long walk to the convention center got me there a little after 10am. There was no wait to get into the convention hall this time so I was able to put a dent into my wallet a lot quicker.

- Items Purchased:

- Two sets of role playing dice.

- An Evil Dead T-shirt for my friend Shifty’s B-day present.

- Two Stikfa action figures.

- The Dark Side Source Book for the Star Wars RPG.

- Almost the entire day was spent wandering, shopping and people watching.

PEOPLE WATCHING, LESSON #2:

THE GIRLS WHO ARE REALLY GOOD LOOKING AND ATTENDING THE CON ARE EITHER…

A. ARE THERE WITH A BOYFRIEND (USUALLY A C.E.O. OF A GAMING COMPANY).

B. ARE THERE TRYING TO SELL YOU THE NEXT BIG COLLECTIBLE CARD GAME (also know as CCGs …also known as expensive book marks. They can also be good for starting camp fires).

C. ARE THERE TO BOOST THEIR EGO BY BEING STARED AT AND HIT ON BY US GEEKS, FULL WELL KNOWING THEY WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY OF US.

D. ALL OF THE ABOVE!

- I decide to break up the monotony by heading over to the art show where many of the artists sell their fantasy paintings, pictures, crafts and prints.

- I see Brom’s display. He’s not there, unfortunately.

- All of the art is quite enjoyable, and it’s nice to be able to meet and talk to the artists themselves.

- Sadly, outside of the Brom work, nothing really jumps out at me this year.

- I head back to the show room and wander up and down the isles some more.

- I see Don P. Davis and Teryl Rothery from Stargate-SG1 signing autographs at the autograph booth.

- I run into my friends Hope and Mario. They’re having a good time and rush on by to do more shopping.

- I walk down another isle to see a small line of people. At the head of the line is a tall slender fellow signing game cards.

- IT’S BROM!!! I get in line and when my turn comes up I gush like a complete idiot. I tell him I love his creepy, undead paintings. He says he likes painting the creepy, undead things. Cool. I got to meet him after all.

- Five minutes later, Brom alerts security to my presence.

- I do more walking and people watching.

PEOPLE WATCHING LESSON #3:

WHEN OGLING THE SPOKES-MODELS, DON’T MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH THEM. IF YOU DO MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH THEM, DON’T CONTINUE TO OGLE THEM. IF YOU DO CONTINUE TO OGLE THEM, DON’T DO IT FOR 45 MINUTES STRAIGHT. THE CONVENTION HALL’S SECURITY ARE ALLOWED TO USE PEPPER SPRAY!!

- It’s early evening and it’s nearing time for me to go to my first seminar. It’s on how to utilize villains in your campaigns.

- The seminar is a good one and answers a few questions I had on how to manage my lead villain in the “Call of Cthulhu” game I’m running.

- I find I have another hour before my last seminar. So I head down to the Hyatt’s bar and run into a few mutual friends.

- After a beer and good conversation, I head to the next seminar, a game masters’ panel.

- This seminar pretty much proved to me that I was running my Cthulhu game correctly so far as well as what to watch out for as a game master.

- It’s late and it’s time to head back home and sleep.


Part 6 is on the way, gang!

Zangz.

Gen Con Milwaukee Remembered Part 4

Today we start a new chapter in my recollections of Gen Con when it was held here in Milwaukee.

Part 3 wrapped up my mussings on what happened in 2001. We now venture into Gen Con 2002, the last year it was in Milwaukee.

So, here we go, back in time to experience....

ZANGZ’S GEN CON GAME FAIR JOURNAL 2002 – THE LAST HUZZAH!

PROLOGUE:

(Yes, there’s a prologue. Stop your whining!!)

For nearly 20 years the Gen Con Game Fair has called Milwaukee its home. As a local gaming geek, I felt great pride that thousands of gamers as well as Sci-Fi Fantasy and Horror fans have made the pilgrimage to the city I call home. They come together every year and bask in all of Gen Con’s geeky - Gothic glory as the people and businesses in our city have welcomed them with very open and affectionate arms!!!

Sadly, things change and few years after TSR, originators of Gen Con, got bought out by Wizards of the Coast (or WOTC as they shall hence be referred to as), WOTC announced that after their commitment with Milwaukee convention officials is over in 2002, they’ll be moving our beloved Gen Con Game Fair to the way happening, party town of…………..Indianapolis, Indiana…………(sound of crickets chirping).

Imagine, if you will, what it would be like if one day some big conglomerate bought out Harley-Davidson Motorcycles and wanted to move the plant to Zimbabwe. Although that’s admittedly a gross exaggeration upon my part, it’s kind of a close analogy of how the move feels to me.

This decision would make this year, 2002, the last year that the city of Milwaukee would have Gen Con …The last huzzah.

Why did this happen, you may ask? Perhaps it’s because a certain huge gaming company is far more concerned about making more money than keeping tradition alive. Or maybe it’s because local housing officials, local city planers, as well as local convention and tourism officials, care very little about keeping big, popular conventions in the town they work for. Yes, I’m a wee tad bitter.

In any case, this will be the last Gen Con Milwaukee will see in a very long time, if not ever again.

This FINALLY brings us to the beginning of….

ZANGZ’S GEN CON GAME FAIR JOURNAL 2002 – THE LAST HUZZAH!

Here’s a play-by-play of my adventures culminating from this years GenCon….

Early January, 2002 to Late July, 2002.

- I could waste time telling you of the craziness of what it was like trying to pre-register for the Gen Con Game Fair on-line, but then I would start grinding my teeth again. Since my teeth are ground down to their gums by now, I’ll save you the agony. Suffice it to say, there was a lot of registering and re-registering and “Product not available” messages. Throw getting charged twice on your credit card for something you attempted to purchase ONCE into the mix and you’ll get a slight idea. All I could think was, “If this is the last Gen Con in Milwaukee, it better be worth the madness of the on-line registration they put us through.”

July 29^th, 2002.

- Since WOTC didn’t send out a schedule booklet, I go to the WOTC Gen Con website to get a grip on what all I really want to do at this year’s game fair.

- I see they have the celebrities finalized and set….

*Warwick Davis (Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Willow, Leprechaun)

*Don P. Davis - (Stargate, SG-1, X-Files)

*Ethan Phillips (Star Trek: Voyager)

*Teryl Rothery (Stargate: SG-1)

*Lisa Ryder (Andromeda, Forever Knight)

*Majandra Delfino (Roswell)

*Brom - Incredible fantasy / horror artist who does wonderfully creepy and disturbing as well as mind boggling and beautiful artwork.

-Originally Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: Next Generation) and Ted Ramie (Xena, Seaquest: DSV) were to attend, but those appearances fell through at the last minute.

-I make note of who I want to see when and what seminars I want to attend and make myself out a schedule, fully knowing that this schedule will be completely revamped when the convention starts.

Wednesday, August 8^th, 2002

- After a nice long walk, I get to the convention center in the late afternoon, to sign up for whatever events I couldn’t sign up for on-line (See Early January/Late February).

- I notice several huge lines of gamers also trying to register for events. The lines head every which way and never seem to end. Just great.

- After 10 minutes of running around in a state of major confusion trying to make some sort of sense of it all, I find a con program and the line I’m to be in to get registered for a few seminars I want to get into. The line winds around to the opposite side of the convention center than where the ticket booth is.

- I get in line and read through the program once.

- I read through the program a second time.

- I read the program a third time.

- I read the program one more time just to make sure there wasn’t anything I missed the first three times.

- Made awkward small talk to the individual in front of me.

- Read through the program yet again to initiate the whole, previous, vicious cycle all over again.

- I finally reached the Event Registration Ticket Booth.

- I recognize the individual who’s selling me the tickets, it’s Fred! Fred is a friend of Spanky’s (more on Spanky later).

- I finally have the seminar tickets in hand 3 hours after arriving. Time to go home and get some sleep.


Part 5 is just down the road, so keep your eyes open!

Zangz.