#fillycon 2016

All good things must come to an end.

So Fillycon 2016 has drawn to a close, and all I have to say is that it was worth every penny spent. I hadn’t been to a convention in years, so this was a great refresher into the environment. Admittedly, there were issues, but that’s expected for a first-time convention. Prices for vendor merchandise and gaming hall prizes were a little high, as people were expecting more traffic and thus a higher flow of sales. The truck that brought the initial equipment for opening ceremonies was also late by an hour, so the first-day activities were pushed back slightly. I also heard about some behind-the-scenes issues that I won’t go into detail about, but let’s just say that the organizers did a really good job at making the event work despite the problems.

Every little panel and event hall that I went to was a blast. The vendors were selling some really high-quality pieces of artwork, shirts, plushies, games, and toys. I bought a copy of the base set of Buck: Legacy as well as one of its expansions, Beyond Loria. After playing it a few times in the game room, I got hooked on it and will be trying to get people at school to play with me. There was also the small panel with Ingrid Nilson (voice of the Pie sisters, sans Pinkie), where we got to do a Q&A session. I shared the theory I heard from Drowning in Horseshoes from way back, that Maud Pie was a high-functioning autistic and thus could be a good source of inspiration for other people on the spectrum. Ingrid didn’t know one way or another, but she did support that interpretation, so I’ll take what I can get. She also held a yoga session yesterday morning, and I have to say I’d never been so aware of my body in physical space until afterwards. It was kind of an eye opener how much all of that stretching and meditation helped clear my mind. Seeing Voice of Reason there was a nice little treat as well.

Going back to the game room, I have to give a big shout-out to the staff group that was running that place. I tried out so many new games with so many people, and the demos that the staff gave were so well done. Some of them didn’t even know the game (a side effect of the aforementioned issues) but it just made it a learning experience for everyone. I played Tak-Tak, Red Dragon Inn, Buck: Legacy, Arkham Horror, Dominion (in which I beat Cyril the Wolf :p), and Magic: The Gathering. All of those games were absolute blast, and I wish I could have been there even longer to keep on playing. It was amazing, simple as that.

To any Fillycon higher-ups (Glitch and co.), seriously, that game room staff was awesome. Keep them in mind for next year.

To anyone reading this who I didn’t get to really talk to all that much: it was an honor to interact with all of you. I feel sad that it’s over, but hey, there’s always next year.