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GenCon '04 Dead Gentlemen Productions & Dungeons and Dragons Online 
GenCon is the traditional paper gaming grand exhibition which has been going on for over 30 years in the Midwest, where gamers and game companies meet for all things gaming. From across the country gamers descended upon the "Crossroads of America" at the Indianapolis Convention Center as the convention was held this year from August 19th to the 22nd, it's been dubbed as the best four days in gaming. We agree!
This is the third part of our GenCon Recap covering Dead Gentlemen Productions, indies behind the movie "The Gamers," and Dungeons and Dragons Online in development by Turbine Games.
Dead Gentlemen Productions
The Gamers is a comedic look at the antics of a college gaming group sitting around a table doing what all of us have done at least once in our lives, gaming but with a bent. They mock us and make us laugh with them as the gamers adventure within their game word and have the players also take on the roles of their characters in costume, on location. This is better than LARP! Dead Gentlemen Productions has recreated to the big screen everything that we as gamers are, in our true natural gaming worst! From the loud and obnoxious rules lawyers sitting around the table complaining, to the adventure version of what happens to a player who does not show up for the game as he has a date, to the Guild Masters infatuation of the girl next door as the Princess. We'd really like to talk this up more, without ruining it. Suffice it to say, you really need to so this, if you have not yet. You will not be disappointed, especially if you see it with your gamin group! Dungeons and Dragons Online It's 6:10pm on a Saturday night. The exhibit hall has been closed and security has made their final round to make sure no general attendees are lingering. Exhibitors have closed their booths and are leaving in a rush. The lights are low and the aisles are dimly lit, a small crowd of twenty people consisting of press and exhibitors have surrounded a lone PC monitor near the Atari booth. Two figures wearing embroidered shirts displaying their company logo emerge and the small crowd goes silent. The two figures introduce themselves, as if - for those not knowing who they were, they are Nik Davidson (otherwise known as the DnD Guy) and Justin Quimby of Turbine Games, and were in their world now, the world of Eberron as they gave those of us gathered a private demo of Dungeons and Dragons Online. Eberron is the game setting which was selected two years ago to be the new home for DnD created from a player submitted contest, which mixes technology and dinosaurs. It's being built for the latest incarnation of the rules set 3.5 for paper. Before we get too far into it, rest assured that Turbine is doing a great job with the granddaddy of all titles which fantasy gaming today I based on. There is a ton of pressure as one can imagine with having this name in the house, and it's a running mantra within the Studio to do it right. Game play will start from a central hub, or a community town center where everyone who plays on that server will initially log in. Then as you take on quests or adventures, you will move out and away from the central location after forming your groups or party members. Unlike other games which are promoting 10,000 simultaneous users online at the same time, Turbine took a step back and noticed that we the players do not enjoy worlds where we don't know anyone except our guild mates. "How often is it that you can see the name of a person on your server, and never see that person again," explains Nik. "Instead of multiple servers were looking to form communities, so instead of large servers were going with smaller multiple servers." For those who have done early betas, remember how you knew the people you interacted with, and formed friendship or rivalries with selected folks.
The game is combat heavy and will have moves and counter moves. You can actually move aside or roll on the ground in real time to try and avoid an opponents hit. It's going to be fast and furious, without a dull moment as you need to know what you are going to do in twitch mode. Will you be fast enough? You or the lives of your party members could be at stake. PvP is still in the works and something they are taking a hard look at; with the game having destructible objects we can see the massive bar room brawl. Some ideas that they are looking into are instanced private arenas for group on group fighting. Any veteran of Dungeons and Dragons knows there are some one shot kill spells and for this reason they are taking the time to make sure it's balanced. They can't stress enough how they want to do it right, and are working closely with WoTC to make sure the game is true to gamers. "WotC has been great to work with," Nik told us, "and have helped us out with source material to fully flesh out the world." When we asked more about crossing the paper and online games it turns out they already have been. Mobs which have been created in game have been added directly to the paper cannon after WotC had them assign a write up. Forty five minutes later we had more questions and all of us were drawn into the stunning graphics and immersive game play. We asked about Guild Tags and how we could name our Band of Heroes that adventure along with how Guild tags will display which is still an item in development, they have secrets yet to reveal! Two classes which won't be making their way into the game, at least during release will be the Druid and Monk due to balancing issues; they are over powered now in paper. Not all of the races have yet to be revealed on whether or not they will be making their way into game, so time will tell. Warforged will be in. Security was now asking us to leave the floor at 7pm so the presentation had to draw to a close. There was more we wanted to ask, and learn but time was short, and everyone had to eat and drink. Nik did join us for a shot of Tequila though making him another one of the great Community Relation Managers on our list that will go to great lengths to serve the public! Next: EverQuest II and something just "For The Guys!" Back: City of Heroes and DAoC Catacombs! Discuss: Funniest Movie Ever, and sharing a drinks with Nik always is a great way to end a night.
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