This year I made my second trip out to the Indy Gen Con in Indianapolis.  This event has been taking place here for about 40 years and features anything and everything that has to do with role playing.  Pick your poison and most likely it is represented here in some form or another.
     Many big companies made the trip out to showcase their games.  Wizards of the coast was there giving demos for their games, like Magic the Gathering, Dual Masters, Dreamblade (their newest game), and other products.  If you demoed all of their products (which was marked off on a sheet) then you were able to roll a die and win from several prizes which consisted of D&D books, Magic the Gathering cards, novels, and other Wizards of the Coast products.
     WIZK!DS had a large setup featuring demos for their games as well as events for HeroClix, MechWarrior, and Battlestar Galactica.  They also had HeroClix 3-D table events going on at all hours. 
     If you are a fan of Eve Online, CCP Games was in attendance with the launch of their Collectible Card Game called "EVE: The Second Genesis".  Convention goers were able to get a demo of the game as well as a free starter deck and signup for the release championship and possibly win up to $10,000 in cash prizes.
    Upper Deck Entertainment was in attendance and showing off their card games; Yu-Gi-Oh!, Vs. System, Pirates of the Caribbean, and a preview of the World of Warcraft:  Trading Card Game.  A few Blizzards reps were at the Upper Deck booth as well as stations setup where you could play the hotly anticipated World of Warcraft:  The Burning Crusade expansion.
     CCG’s and Table top miniatures weren’t the only games being showcased, Quite a few computer games were shown as well.  Atari was letting people play the upcoming Neverwinter Nights 2 (which is on the top of my list) and Dungeons and Dragons Online:  Stormreach.  Mythic was on hand to let attendees play Warhammer:  Mark of Chaos (which I must say looks a lot like World of Warcraft, and not in a bad way).  NcSoft  had computers setup that allowed you to play City of Heros/Villains, Auto Assault, and Lineage II.  Absent were anything to do with Tabula Rasa and a few other of their upcoming games. 
     There was so much to do and see, tons of games from smaller companies, video game tournaments, scavenger hunts, tons of retailers selling a wide range of products, and TV stars from Mythbusters, Willaim Katt (Greatest American Hero), and Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) to name a few were on hand to sign autographs.  This is just a small taste of all the events that were there. All in all it is a good time and I highly recommend if you are given the chance to attend the Indy Gen Con you should definitely check it out.

Don't forget to check out all of our Indy Gen Con 2006 pictures!