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Post by Malchor on Mar 17, 2024 8:52:21 GMT -6
What are some area locations outside of the con itself to visit? Be it for: - A quick stop, look, and photo
- A favorite place of Gary, Rob Kutz, or anyone else related to the formation of the game, TSR or whatever
- Just something to see, do, experience or place to eat
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rayotus
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 123
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Post by rayotus on Mar 17, 2024 9:04:41 GMT -6
The Lake Geneva Chop House (inside the convention venue) is well worth it. We go every year. I recommend the French Onion soup, the corn dish, and a filet. We've tried a lot of other places to eat and have never found anyplace spectacular, though we used to enjoy Sprechers. As for photo ops, there's, of course, 330 Center Street. (Gary's old house.) Last year (or was it the year before) we went to the old TSR offices house where Ernie & friends set up their little enterprise. (Probably the less said about that the better.)
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 17, 2024 9:45:02 GMT -6
On my first trip in 2017, when I pulled my rental car into town, I parked to get my bearings and looked up and there was 330 Center Street across the street. I then drove around town to a few locations using Steven Sullivan's blue map on the end papers in Michael Witwer's Empire of Imagination Book. Along those lines, Paul Stormberg now has a neat walking tour map available: www.gygaxmemorialfund.org/amolg-initiativeI got one a few months ago and plan to bring it. It's very detailed. Last year, with two friends in tow, I revisited a few of the town sites plus the Gygax Memorial tile by the water. See here: zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2023/04/gary-con-2023-day-0.htmlMy top must-see picks would be: -330 Center Street: Gary's house when working on D&D draft. This year I'm signed up for one the tours here on Saturday. -330 Broad Street: Horticultural Hall, site of first Gen Cons. Beautiful leafy building. I went to a Gary Con event here in 2017. -722 W. Main Street: the former Hotel Clair, where the TSR offices were in the early 80s, with the Dungeon Hobby Shop in the basement. -Gygax Memorial Tile at waterfront. Roll your d20 on it for luck (or unluck). -Lake Geneva Library, which now has a new Appendix N reading nook. I stopped outside here in 2017; beautiful location on the lake. Also, get some cheese curds and/or fancy cheese at the Piggly Wiggly or a small shop for the full Wisconsin experience. I've heard the Cheese Box recommended, but haven't had time to go. |
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Post by Malchor on Mar 17, 2024 9:58:50 GMT -6
Perfect, thanks for the run down. Was the memorial map a PDF delivery or shipped? I assume Paul will have someone selling them there, though was hoping to do all my site seeing the day before. |
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 17, 2024 9:59:31 GMT -6
I've also read there's a new exhibit at the Geneva Lake Musem called The Wizard of Lake Geneva. www.gygaxmemorialfund.org/twolg-initiativeFrom their FB page: Kind of limited hours to get there while at the Con though. If they were open later on Wed it would be more feasible. |
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 17, 2024 10:04:51 GMT -6
Perfect, thanks for the run down. Was the memorial map a PDF delivery or shipped? I assume Paul will have someone selling them there, though was hoping to do all my site seeing the day before. You're welcome. It's a physical product. Unlaminated paper map, 4.25 x 10 inches when folded up. Hand-drawn map of the town by Paul Stormberg with 42 sites. All text in Futura! I will check with Allan Grohe to see if he will have it in stock at the Black Blade booth. |
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Post by Megatapirus on Mar 17, 2024 10:24:49 GMT -6
-330 Center Street: Gary's house when working on D&D draft. This year I'm signed up for one the tours here on Saturday. Maybe I'll see you there. I have eight hours of gaming planned that day. Castle Greyhawk upstairs followed by some Chainmail on the basement sand table. |
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 17, 2024 10:51:16 GMT -6
Update: Per Allan ( grodog), the Black Blade booth in the vendor hall will have the Adventurer's Map in stock, as well as other Paul Stormberg ( stormberg) published products; see www.tlbgames.com/ |
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 17, 2024 10:54:14 GMT -6
-330 Center Street: Gary's house when working on D&D draft. This year I'm signed up for one the tours here on Saturday. Maybe I'll see you there. I have eight hours of gaming planned that day. Castle Greyhawk upstairs followed by some Chainmail on the basement sand table. Wow, that sounds awesome. I'm sure we will pass through while you are gaming. I just checked and I am in the 2:30 group. |
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Post by Malchor on Mar 17, 2024 11:09:44 GMT -6
Update: Per Allan ( grodog ), the Black Blade booth in the vendor hall will have the Adventurer's Map in stock, as well as other Paul Stormberg ( stormberg ) published products; see www.tlbgames.com/ Will have to check if there are vendors open on Wednesday. |
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 17, 2024 13:15:59 GMT -6
Update: Per Allan ( grodog ), the Black Blade booth in the vendor hall will have the Adventurer's Map in stock, as well as other Paul Stormberg ( stormberg ) published products; see www.tlbgames.com/ Will have to check if there are vendors open on Wednesday. Unfortunately I don't think the vendors are open until Thursday; the schedule is here: tabletop.events/conventions/gary-con-xvi/exhibitors/move-in-outBut perhaps you could contact grodog (Allan Grohe on FB) directly about getting one on Wed. He's already there for F&L. |
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Post by Finarvyn on Mar 17, 2024 14:04:51 GMT -6
Love the chatter in this thread. Even though I'm missing GaryCon I feel sort of like I'm there.  |
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 23, 2024 7:19:43 GMT -6
Having a great, busy con so far. Some highlights: ---winning Knights of Camelot on a 6' long gameboard. ---solving a mystery in a town-based Dungeon magazine BECMI game run by paleologos. ---losing the keep to the invaders in the pre-Chainmail Siege of Bodenburg, ref'd by stormberg. ---playing in the annual Legends of Role-playing AD&D tourney written by stormberg. My team included paleologos and we were DM'd by grodog, who is very patient with players stymied by nefarious puzzles. ---Having great groups of players in each of the two games I ran. This was my first playtest of Party of Balrogs and the players took to playing Rogs with gusto. More games today, and a tour of a crucible of D&D, 330 Center Street! |
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Post by Finarvyn on Mar 23, 2024 10:36:15 GMT -6
---winning Knights of Camelot on a 6' long gameboard. Sounds like a blast, and reminds me that in the 1980's or 1990's I used to see a gigantic board for Avalon Hill's Kingmaker with metal minis for the nobles and stuff like that. I always wanted one of those, but never felt like I had the skill to make one. If this game/board was anywhere as cool as that I'll bet it was a great experience. Plus, you won. That makes it even more memorable. |
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 23, 2024 16:04:04 GMT -6
Yes, and I even got a handmade trophy! I will post photos later. This morning I played in a fun Land of the Lost Savage Worlds game, where I was Enik the Sleestak ancestor. In the afternoon I visited the Lake Geneva Museum, where they have a new exhibit The Wizard of Lake Geneva. And then the tour of 330 Center Street, Gary's house when he wrote and started running D&D. Down in the basement they were running Battle of the Brown Hills on a sandtable, and I met Megatapirus who was playing in the game. |
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Post by Megatapirus on Mar 23, 2024 21:31:58 GMT -6
Yes, and I even got a handmade trophy! I will post photos later. This morning I played in a fun Land of the Lost Savage Worlds game, where I was Enik the Sleestak ancestor. In the afternoon I visited the Lake Geneva Museum, where they have a new exhibit The Wizard of Lake Geneva. And then the tour of 330 Center Street, Gary's house when he wrote and started running D&D. Down in the basement they were running Battle of the Brown Hills on a sandtable, and I met Megatapirus who was playing in the game. That was indeed fun. Highly recommend it. I can now finally say I've played a proper game of Chainmail and it really was a blast. |
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Post by Malchor on Mar 25, 2024 6:38:03 GMT -6
It was great to see and meet those I crossed paths with!
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Post by howandwhy99 on Mar 25, 2024 10:09:52 GMT -6
I know we had two fun Ross Maker games together. After Sunday, now I have even greater doubts on if I will ever get a pdf of Wesely's Strategos-N rules. But if anyone doesn't know: Source of the Nile is coming soon to Steam!
An exceptional GaryCon this year. Worthy of living up to the 50th anniversary. We were packed to the seams.
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Post by Malchor on Mar 25, 2024 13:14:38 GMT -6
I know we had two fun Ross Maker games together. After Sunday, now I have even greater doubts on if I will ever get a pdf of Wesely's Strategos-N rules. But if anyone doesn't know: Source of the Nile is coming soon to Steam! An exceptional GaryCon this year. Worthy of living up to the 50th anniversary. We were packed to the seams. The original Totten version is here www.google.com/books/edition/Strategos/06tAAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 |
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jamiltron
Level 2 Seer
Always looking for games/player in West LA
Posts: 44
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Post by jamiltron on Mar 25, 2024 16:33:32 GMT -6
I had so much fun at this GaryCon. Definitely the highlight was both the "seminar" with Bob Meyer, as well as getting to play through Blackmoor with him. It's also great to see old and new friends, try out different peoples' playstyles, look through the vendor hall, etc.
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Post by Megatapirus on Mar 25, 2024 16:34:52 GMT -6
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 26, 2024 15:21:00 GMT -6
Great write-up Megatapirus! My last two games were fun. On Saturday night, I played a descendant of Sturmgeschütz & Sorcery on the sand table in the Legends of Wargaming hall. "It's a Bug Life" had three factions: Starship Troopers, Bugs and Evil Wizards/Humanoids in a giant free-for-all. It was run by Ben Reese with advice from his father Mike Reese, author of Tractics and Gary's opponent in the original S&S game. Sunday morning I played a session of the FASA Dr. Who RPG from 1985. The scenario was "Cult of the Cyclops", with the PCs all former companions who had to join up to find the 15th doctor, gone missing in Britain in the early 1990s. This had everything I look for in a con game, a masterful GM and supremely enthusiastic and engaged players. All in all, another outstanding Gary Con! |
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Post by Megatapirus on Mar 26, 2024 19:48:25 GMT -6
Great write-up Megatapirus! My last two games were fun. On Saturday night, I played a descendant of Sturmgeschütz & Sorcery on the sand table in the Legends of Wargaming hall. "It's a Bug Life" had three factions: Starship Troopers, Bugs and Evil Wizards/Humanoids in a giant free-for-all. It was run by Ben Reese with advice from his father Mike Reese, author of Tractics and Gary's opponent in the original S&S game. Sunday morning I played a session of the FASA Dr. Who RPG from 1985. The scenario was "Cult of the Cyclops", with the PCs all former companions who had to join up to find the 15th doctor, gone missing in Britain in the early 1990s. This had everything I look for in a con game, a masterful GM and supremely enthusiastic and engaged players. All in all, another outstanding Gary Con! Both these games sound amazing. How I wish there was time to play everything! |
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Post by grodog on Mar 26, 2024 21:07:28 GMT -6
In the afternoon I visited the Lake Geneva Museum, where they have a new exhibit The Wizard of Lake Geneva. And then the tour of 330 Center Street, Gary's house when he wrote and started running D&D. In addition to the TSR/Gygax exhibit and gaming room, the museum’s exhibits about the history of Lake Geneva were great too. I captured a bunch of pics from there in my trip album on Facebook at www.facebook.com/share/8CTJaKw2g93gJYsw/? (album is public, so anyone should be able to view it, in theory). Allan. |
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rhialto
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 128
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Post by rhialto on Mar 27, 2024 4:48:39 GMT -6
In the afternoon I visited the Lake Geneva Museum, where they have a new exhibit The Wizard of Lake Geneva. And then the tour of 330 Center Street, Gary's house when he wrote and started running D&D. In addition to the TSR/Gygax exhibit and gaming room, the museum’s exhibits about the history of Lake Geneva were great too. I captured a bunch of pics from there in my trip album on Facebook at www.facebook.com/share/8CTJaKw2g93gJYsw/? (album is public, so anyone should be able to view it, in theory). Allan. As a Facebook non-entity I can see the pics: very cool, and so nice to see such a range of local history preserved. |
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Post by grodog on Apr 1, 2024 17:43:54 GMT -6
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Post by grodog on Apr 11, 2024 18:11:06 GMT -6
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Post by grodog on Apr 25, 2024 12:22:54 GMT -6
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