House of Slack News ~ 2001

November 10, 2001:
Back from Essen! Man, I thought GenCon was huge, but it really had nothing on Essen. There were eleven exhibit halls, all of them crammed with game companies and dealers. Plus, let's not forget the people. One interesting change from the GenCon crowd was the composition of the crowd. There were lots more women in the crowd at Essen, along with more kids and families. It was nice to see — proof that gaming can be an activity that everybody can enjoy. It's just a shame it's marginalized in the U.S.

Anyway, Essen was also solely exhibit hall. There weren't tournaments to play in, although most booths allowed you to play demos. And when I say "demos", I mean complete games. The larger booths had tables and instructors, and you could sit down and play a full leisurely game. However, once I ran out of cash, I was pretty much done with Essen. It's not a show I would go to every year, I think, even putting aside the expense of going to Europe. But, I'm glad we went.

August 15, 2001:
GenCon report: It was like we had finally come home (but couldn't afford the rent). If you're a serious gamer, and haven't been there before, make plans for next year. It's fantastic.

The highlights of our experience included finally getting to meet Aaron Williams face to face, meeting other game industry people and selling a few copies of Ascension at Firepeak directly to gamers. So to those adventurous souls who bought a copy, we'd love to hear your feedback.

Our purchases included a few choice games (Battle Line by GMT in particular), some great T-shirts and lots of dice. You can never have too many dice.

Note to selves: Buy plane tickets next time. Spending two days in a car full of guys in August weather with weak AC was no fun. And then we had to drive back.

July 26, 2001:
We're heading to GenCon! We won't have a booth this year, but you can buy our game over at Dork Storm. (Thanks Aaron!) Mmmmm... slack.

July 18, 2001:
We're happy to announce that Ascension at Firepeak is now available for purchase! Take a look at our Order page for more information on purchasing the game.