CMON Gen Con Preview
Every year in August, gamers descend upon Indianapolis for “The Best Four Days in Gaming.” Gen Con is a gathering point for fans of the hobby from around the world. This year, it celebrates its 50th Anniversary and CMON has a number of exciting events planned in honor of half a century of gaming. Visit booths #415 and #617 for more fun than you can pack into four days!
“I love working with our amazing events team to provide guests with unique, exciting experiences that they’ll talk about until Gen Con 2018,” said Sean Dooley, Events Coordinator for CMON. “People come back for those experiences, and it's great to see faces you recognize from events from previous years.”
Fans will get a chance to meet some of the designers behind the games they love. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday during the show, CMON will be holding autograph sessions with industry talents like Eric M. Lang (The Godfather: Corleone’s Empire, Rising Sun, Blood Rage), Michael Shinall (Rum and Bones: Second Tide, A Song of Ice and Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game), Fel Barros (Gekido: Bot Battles), and Fred Perret (Arcadia Quest: Inferno). Come by the booth with your game or rulebook to get an autograph, or you can get one of our special Gen Con 50th Anniversary postcards to get signed.
The CMON booth will be a great destination to try out the hottest new titles. We will be demoing a number of our games, highlighting recently-released titles and some sneak peeks of games that haven’t hit the market yet. You’ll be able to play games like Rising Sun, Massive Darkness, World of SMOG: Rise of Moloch, and many more! Our demos run all day and do not require tickets, so come by early and often to try out as many different games as you can handle!
Gen Con is all about being transported to new worlds, and at the CMON booth, we’re giving fans a chance to play our games like never before. One of the biggest new releases of the year so far has been The Godfather: Corleone’s Empire by Eric M. Lang. At Gen Con, attendees will get to take a trip to New York City for The Godfather: Corleone's Emprie Experience. They can grab a seat at an intimate Italian restaurant where they can keep their friends close, and their enemies closer. Participants will be treated to an hour-long demo and even get a souvenir of their time in Little Italy. Perhaps the land of Westeros is more to your tastes. In the A Song of Ice and Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game section of the CMON booth, participants will get to try out the new game based on the bestselling books by George R.R. Martin, while live music sets the scene for an epic battle. Both of these events are first come, first served, so be sure to get there early.
During the show, we’ll also be running a number of ticketed events, including learn-to-plays, special scenarios, and tournaments. Join forces to face an undead army in the Zombicide: Black Plague Evil Troy’s Army Assault, or set sail for adventure in a huge high seas clash with the Rum and Bones Big Boat Battle. If you want to enter the tournament ring, we have a bunch of different competitions that are sure to excite players of all skill levels, like the Ethnos – Beginners Tournament, or the Lorenzo il Magnifico Tournament. You may enter an attendee and leave a champion!
“We had to roll out some really cool stuff for Gen Con 50, and nothing screams ‘going big’ like the largest Arcadia Quest tournament we've ever run,” said Dooley. “The Gen Con Guildmaster Challenge has 32 players signed up. It's also incredibly exciting to debut our Zombicide: Black Plague Big Game, a multi-map, multiplayer experience like no other.”
Every year, Gen Con picks a local charity to raise money for, through a number of different events at the show. This year, they will be donating money from auctions and charity parties to an incredibly worthy cause. Child Advocates partners with community members to protect children who have been the victims of child abuse. They ensure these kids have a safe environment to grow up in, and they are their voice in court. CMON is taking up the cause and making a contribution as well. Each day of the show, we’ll be running special ticketed games of Rising Sun. Players will get a sneak peek at the next epic game by Eric M. Lang and get a chance to win an advance copy! All of the money raised from ticket sales will go directly to Child Advocates, and CMON will match that amount dollar for dollar.
With an event the size and scale of Gen Con, it takes an incredible staff working as a cohesive unit to give attendees the best show possible.
“Having a veteran, talented event staff means a better event experience for everyone” explained Dooley. “The team needs to function as one unit through great communication and teamwork, built on a foundation of trust. That trust and teamwork is especially important at an event like Gen Con where the crowds are massive and the tables are full every moment!”
Whether you’re a first time attendee or you’ve been coming since the beginning, Gen Con provides and incredible opportunity for fans of the hobby to embrace gaming. Gen Con 50 promises to be one of the best shows ever! CMON is excited to share the love of games with fans in Indianapolis, so be sure to visit booths #415 and #617. We can’t wait to see you there!
