This last weekend I attended the first Tabletop Network conference. Two days of talks from amazingly talented individuals, including some giants of the industry.
There were more talks than one person could actually see so they had to be divided into two rooms about halfway through each day. Thankfully they were being streamed/recorded so I'll be able to go back and see the stuff I missed, and maybe rewatch a few of the talks I attended.
To people who attend a lot of conferences, all of that probably just sounds like what I conference should be. And maybe it is, I haven't really attended a lot of conferences (I did attend GDC once), but I have attended a lot of conventions. And so that is where my expectation was rooted. And from a convention perspective, this was easily one of if not the best experiences I've had.
I think a lot of it comes down to almost a tribal feeling of connection and support. There was a feeling of reverence for the craft. A craft that we all have chosen to share. It doesn't matter if you are a first time designer or a giant of the industry. These are my people. We are all peers in the craft of game design.
I am certain I will be attending next year, and for many years to come. And if you are a designer and you did not attend this year, I would give serious consideration to attending next year.
Worth every penny.
Various musing of an analog (i.e tabletop) game designer/developer.
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