conSCIENCE Review: Genghis Con 2012
Genghis Con Stats
Feb. 16-19, 2012
Aurora/Denver, CO
1900 attended
Gaming
Where to start? Genghis Con is a gaming convention, and what they do, they do extremely well. I’m not typically a fan of mustering for games, but these guys did it better than any other con I’ve seen. The gaming staff was exemplary and the Rocky Mountain Savages ran an amazing 42 games of Savage Worlds with a 12 table Savage Saturday Night. Other great games were available too; I saw Hollow Earth Expedition, a pick-up game of Fiasco, and got to play in an awesome preview game of the upcoming Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG.
Location
The Red Lion Hotel is in southeast Denver right off I-225. The one night I left the hotel to eat, I noticed several restaurant options in the area. The rest of the time I ate in the hotel. The restaurant offered a buffet for breakfast and “5 minute meals” like a hamburger/chips or cheese pizza for quick hot meal options. They also had hot dogs, corndogs, hot pretzels, and the like at a separate stand during the day. If there was any issue it was the hotel being admittedly a bit understaffed, so a 5 minute meal took about 10 minutes to get, which still isn’t bad.
Accommodations
My hotel room had without a doubt one of the best hotel beds I have ever slept on. I only heard one person complain, and that was just an issue with their sleep number bed. The rooms were impeccably clean, and I noticed after the second day of using the coffee maker in my room, they provided a second pack of coffee apparently in case I wanted more. What makes it all even more amazing is that the room rate for the con is only $70 per night. That puts the Red Lion in probably my top 3 “quality for the price” con hotels.
Value
Unlike many cons, Genghis Con starts on Thursday afternoon instead of Friday afternoon, so you can get 2-3 extra 4 hour games for a $33 registration ($24 pre-registration) that’s less than some shorter cons. It’s even more viable when you consider that the low hotel rate makes that extra night truly possible. Eating at the hotel, the breakfast buffet cost under $10, hot dogs were $3, and the 5 minute meals around $7. The lounge also had two “happy hours” where a few appetizers were half price though be aware it may take longer to get your food.
Family Rating
Genghis Con is a very family friendly convention. There was some costuming, but at no time did I see anyone dressed in a way that would be inappropriate for children. Most impressively, kids age 7-12 have Con Jr. Starting on Friday evening, and running during the game slots (but no later than 10 PM), these guys have their own games, activities, and other fun stuff. And yeah, they even got a chance to do some roleplaying as there were two Savage Worlds games and one Faery’s Tale game run for them.
Stand-Outs
Denver Gamers Association. Every single one of them was awesome. Anyone I interacted with in any way at all was nothing but hospitable and welcoming. Rocky Mountain Savages. These guys rocked, pure and simple. If you wanted to play, they found you a game; the game could have no better representation than that. Players. I got to talk and play with some of the most amazing gamers I have ever met, not just great roleplayers but fun people to hang out with. Guests. The guests at Genghis Con aren’t heading up panels or at book signings from 1-2 in the atrium; nope, they’re running games or playing in them beside everyone else. Podcasts. I have to discuss the podcasts. I was fortunate enough to be part of three recorded at the con with open access for the fans to watch the recordings: the irreverent WombatCast, the incredible Smiling Jack’s Bar & Grill, and the poignant final episode of The Games The Thing.
Links
Denver Gamers Association Facebook Page
Genghis Con Pictures on the Gamerati Facebook Page
Genghis Con Videos on Gamerati
I had a blast at Genghis Con, and can’t wait for the next event. I particularly enjoyed the number of developers testing their designs…
It was really great to see all the Savage Worlds games go down. My favorite thing about them is that thematically they are so varied. There is a game to pique anyone’s interest.