By the third day of Gen Con, I had settled into a comfortable rhythm. Wake up, grab breakfast, find the next game, wander the exhibit hall, buy something I probably didn’t need, and somehow make new friends along the way. It was another full day of gaming, though this one had a little more weather than I expected.
Our first event of the day was a demo of 13 Omens from Paizo. The premise immediately caught my attention. We weren’t playing traditional adventurers or investigators—we were the cast and crew of a paranormal reality television show.
Our crew consisted of the show’s host, a camera operator, an occult specialist, a superfan, and the long-suffering gopher responsible for hauling all of the equipment. The episode we were filming took us into the lava tubes beneath Mount Saint Helens in search of supernatural activity.
I played the occult expert while Jenn took on the role of the camera person. One of the other players portrayed the television host and absolutely stole the show. He perfectly captured that over-the-top reality TV personality—equal parts charm and ego—constantly forgetting everyone’s names and making every discovery somehow about himself. It was hilarious.
The game itself leaned heavily into collaborative storytelling rather than crunchy mechanics, something I’ve found I enjoy more and more these days. Unfortunately, this particular session didn’t quite come together. The game master seemed rushed and a little underprepared, and the pacing never really found its footing. It wasn’t a bad game by any means, but it ended up being our least favorite event of the convention. Considering how fantastic everything else had been, that’s actually a pretty good record.
Afterward we headed back to the event hall to play a party game called Bring Your Own Book, and this one was an absolute winner.
Imagine Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity, except instead of playing cards from your hand, everyone searches through a real book they’ve brought with them.
Each round, one player serves as the judge and chooses one of two prompts from a card. Prompts ranged from things like “A great superhero name” to “Something you’d yell after stubbing your toe.” Everyone then had two minutes to frantically search through their book for the perfect sentence or phrase. Once time was up, each player read their selection aloud, and the judge picked the winner.
The twist came once someone earned two prompt cards—they immediately had to pass their book to the player on their left.
That simple rule completely changed the game. Suddenly you weren’t just learning your own book—you were adapting to someone else’s writing style halfway through the game. Some books were packed with dramatic dialogue. Others were full of technical jargon. Every round produced completely unexpected answers, and our table spent most of the game laughing.
If you love books even half as much as you love tabletop games, I highly recommend giving this one a try.
Around lunchtime Jenn and I met up with our longtime friend John Klauk. As we sat down to eat, a thunderstorm rolled into Indianapolis. Watching the rain pour down while catching up with an old friend made for a nice break from the constant energy of the convention.
Of course, once lunch was over we wandered right back into the exhibit hall.
Now, I would love to tell you that I exercised restraint.
I would love to tell you that I walked confidently past the dice vendors.
I would love to tell you that my collection is finally complete.
None of those things would be true.
A particularly talented salesperson delivered perhaps the greatest sales pitch in the history of tabletop gaming:
“The right amount of dice to own is what you have… plus one more set.”
Reader, I was powerless.
Some arguments simply cannot be defeated.
With my newest mathematical proof sitting safely in a shopping bag, Jenn and I wandered toward the open gaming area hoping to find a group looking for players.
That’s when every phone in the convention center suddenly erupted with emergency alerts.
Tornado Warning.
Being from south Mississippi, tornado warnings are unfortunately something Jenn and I are pretty familiar with. We know the routine. But judging by the reactions around us, many convention-goers weren’t quite as accustomed to seeing that message appear on their phones. Indianapolis doesn’t see many tornadoes, especially in the downtown area, so there was definitely a moment where thousands of gamers collectively looked up from their dice and wondered what came next.
The storm dumped enough rain that several buildings in and around the convention center experienced flooding.
Fortunately, after things settled down, gaming resumed—as it always seems to at Gen Con.
Eventually we found an open group playing Monster of the Week, and we jumped right in.
Our little Monster of the Week monster hunting party.
Our team of monster hunters investigated an old museum where reports of acid-spitting worms had people running for cover. Like our morning game, Monster of the Week emphasizes storytelling over detailed tactical rules, but this session really clicked. Everyone leaned into their characters, the mystery unfolded naturally, and there was just the right balance of investigation, humor, and monster-fighting.
It was a wonderful way to end the day.
One thing I’ve noticed throughout Gen Con is just how many different approaches there are to tabletop gaming. Some games are deeply tactical, full of charts, modifiers, and carefully optimized decisions. Others hand you a character, ask you who they are, and simply let the story happen.
Both have their place.
After decades of gaming, I think I’m finding myself drawn more and more toward games that encourage collaboration, improvisation, and memorable moments around the table. The rules are important, but the stories are what stay with you years later.
Day Three had ghosts beneath volcanoes, hilarious literary scavenger hunts, lunch with an old friend, another unnecessary—but completely necessary—set of dice, a tornado warning in the middle of Gen Con, and acid-spitting worms in a haunted museum.
Honestly…
That feels like a pretty normal day at Gen Con.