A certain degree of silence will follow.

It’s Gen Con time again. Various DungeonTubers and others are already talking about the awesome time they’re going to have all over social media. And I’m just not feeling it this year. I might be just a tad bitter this year.

Last year would have been a perfect storm for me to go and ask lots of questions, sit in on some panels, seminars, etc. There are normally game company reps and higher ups at this particular convention. It’s supposed to be THE convention to go to every year. The traditional logic of decades past was that if you went to one major convention in a year, save back for Gen Con.

Why is this one convention so important?

The last few years have taught me the importance of in-person networking. I’ve seen a couple of guys go from being virtual unknowns in the hobby to having writing gigs, recognitions, panel appearances at other cons and so on after going to Gen Con and getting their name out there. This past two years I’ve watched a couple of people really make a name for themselves and it started at Gen Con.

[Side Note: It looks like I’m straw-manning this, but I’m keeping with my tradition of not naming specific people on the off chance that someone takes offense to me mentioning them by name. Right now there are some serious creative differences between myself and a couple of YouTube personalities who I was (?) pretty close friends with, or so I thought, over the use of AI. I’m sure that will be a hot-button issue at Gen Con, too.]

Don’t get me wrong, I’m more than happy for people who find any degree of success in the hobby, industry, or just life in general. Good for them. That’s lovely, really. I’m happy for them. My point here is that it often starts by going to a major convention, such as Gen Con, and doing the networking, getting one’s name out there, meeting some of the “big names” in the industry, etc. Basically doing things that can’t be done remotely outside of a major gaming convention.

The sad reality is we don’t all get to go.

In years past I’ve been stuck here at home due to family commitments. School activities are getting going for my wife and kids. Money is always tight with back-to-school shopping, activity fees, and more recently my bloody unemployment. I know for a fact I’m not the only one in this boat. There are plenty of responsible adults out there who have to stay home during Gen Con week for one reason or another. I get it. When I was working it usually amounted to not being able to get the time off.

I truly empathize with the people who have to stay at home and be all responsible, reliable, and dependable while members of their group go off to party for five days at Gen Con. A lot of times it leaves the rest of us looking for something to do since regular gaming activities are cancelled. As an upside, it can be a great time to run one-shots or try out new games that have been sitting on the shelf for a while.

Personally, it bothers me that I’m stuck here in corn hell bumf*ck nowhere Iowa with no one to talk to aside from family, cats, and the Internet. Now that the nest is becoming a bit emptier I’m hoping to build a career in the TTRPG industry because it’s been my number one passion for decades now. (Minus the spiritual awakening phase, but even then it just made me more grateful for who I am and what I have now.)

What to do when the Internet is abuzz with Gen Con talk?

My main source of contact with the “outside world” became rife with Gen Con talk last year. I caught a major depressive episode. I was still safe, just really, really sad. I do not want a repeat of that incident.

Call me any name you’d like I guess since my main point of contact with the outside world is the Internet. Maybe that’s still unusual. I don’t know. What I do know is that my local TTRPG scene is pretty, uh, shabby. Not promising to me, anyway, but that’s a whole different article.

So I came up with a new plan this year. I’m going to stop consuming that part of YouTube and social media in general for about the next five weeks. I can schedule posts. WordPress uploads directly to some sites, so if you see my post that’s probably why. Otherwise, I have playlists full of ASMR, Law of Attraction, Affinity tutorials, and a lot of other things to catch up on. I’ll still be around to check private messages and wish The OG GM a happy birthday.

This hiatus also coincides with the Deathbringer crowdfunding campaign which I am eternally grateful to be missing. Most anticipated game of 2026? Deathbringer. The thing Professor DM has been going on about for however many years now finally coming out as Shadowdark? Thanks, but no thanks unless I’m offered a free review copy and we all know I’m such a small fry that will never happen. I don’t have the hundred plus dollars it would take to buy into that franchise, and I already have my game for 2026 on my devices. It’s called Twilight Sword and I really like it. (Full review to come at a later date.)

So off I go for now…

I’ll still check messages on X (Twitter,) Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, BlueSky, Mastodon, email, and my phone. I’m still around if anyone needs/wants to get in touch. I’m just not going to be actively scrolling for anything or digging through entire accounts because I like their pics. (Wait. Did that last part sound sketchy? I love artists, bunnies, and kittens.) The OG GM has assured me he has enough new channels to go a while on Saturdays.)

And as I was saying, there will still be scheduled content, just nothing terribly topical unless it comes to me directly for some reason. Let con season come and go. If you’re stuck home like me, just make the best of it with whoever or whatever you have on hand. If you’re going, have fun but please do not mention it to me directly. Stay out of trouble. Enjoy yourself.

Try solo gaming. Read a book. Take a nap. It’s all good.

I say it every year, but I think 2026 bears repeating it. This year I intend to write more, read more, and discuss cool TTRPGs as well as supplements. Most of all, let’s just have more fun. Let’s explore. Let’s save the kingdom from the evil warlord. Let’s discuss all the fun stuff in gaming that we love.

With the world in the state it finds itself in today, please be kind. Please be considerate to one another even if we don’t agree. Lastly, please pursue the thing that brings you the most joy without harm to others. Thank you!