Gencon is known for having events that just cannot be missed. After months of scouring over the event catalog, we've put together a list of the events that we think are going to be the ones that everybody will want to get into. If there's anything that we missed, do not hesitate to let us know in the comments!
True Dungeon
AEG Board Game Night Extravaganza
For the past several years, AEG has put on a big gaming party for its players where they sit everybody into an area and let you play their games with them in a small intimate environment. They give out prizes, sit with people and chat about mechanics, and - oh yeah - give away loot boxes full of board games and promos. This one is a lot harder to get into with generic tickets, but can be done for those who arrive early. It's a lot of fun and a great chance to talk to AEG about their games.
AEG never lets slip what's in the box until the event has started. The first year attendees received a copy of Nightfall, a copy of Myth Pantheons, and several Thunderstone and L5R promos. Last year they received a Nightfall expansion, a gold foil copy of Smash Up exclusive to the event, L5R decks, and more promos. It's anybody's guess what attendees will be receiving this year, but it's rumored to be "insane".
Hickman's Killer Breakfast
Hickman's Killer Breakfast is a Gencon tradition in which participants roll out of bed at 8am Saturday morning after a night of partying / drinking / gaming, and make their way to Ballroom 500 to attain level 1 characters and die horribly at the hands of Tracy Hickman, renown writer and GM. This highly entertaining event is as interactive as you want it to be, you can choose to go on stage and suffer your fate, or just be a part of the audience and witness the hijinks ensue. Everybody who goes to Gencon should attend this show at least once.
The Big Game
Mayfair Games is making an official Guinness World Record attempt at Gen Con 2013 with the largest game of Catan ever played. Participants will receive a limited edition Catan resource deck, and wood pieces made in special colors just for this event. Entry is $10, and there's still tickets available. Signup begins at 5:30 on Friday night and the game will last 62 turns to make sure we can end sometime this year.
HEX MMO Trading Card Game League
Cryptozoic, fresh off of their very successful Kickstarter campaign, will be presenting HEX to the public for the first time at Gen Con 2013. Players can receive a wrist band which will allow them unlimited play in their LAN area where they can try out several pre-constructed decks and earn points to trade in for exclusive in-game rewards. VG30 is a big believer in this project and is looking forward to getting our hands on it for the first time.
D&D Next Events
Last year, Wizards sent players running around the convention trying their games out to put together a set of dice that were being called "Drow Dice". It was very hard to get a full set, requiring singing up for events well before anybody had an idea that they would be needed to get their goods, or standing in line for hours hoping that generic slots would open up. This year they're going about it a little differently. Wizards sold passes to all the events in one bundle (which are already well sold out), and then set everything else aside as generic tickets only. So to get into one of these events, you're going to need generic tickets and to stand in line. Hopefully this year they're more ready for the number of people who want to play, let alone the people who want the yet to be revealed dice sets, which only require one event to get.
