Conventions like GenCon and Paizocon are the heart of the roleplaying game industry. They provide networking opportunities, education, and direct fan-contact time that keep industry professionals connected, energized, and inspired.

We are Christina Stiles, Amanda Hamon, and Owen K.C. Stephen. Together, we have more than 25 years experience in the gaming industry, and we’d like to share that experience with the fans and other professionals that attend GenCon and PaizoCon, and to have the opportunity to learn from and connect with the gamers and gaming industry attendees there.

What We Need 

We are asking for $3600 dollars in travel expenses, which include airfare, hotels, and meal assistance.

What You Get

We know money is tight, and it’s always nicer to get some reward for helping others. So we’ve put together several tiers of support to thank those who are helping us achieve our goal.

Electronic Bundle ($25): an ever-growing .pdf bundle of 78 PRODUCTS from publishers supporting our campaign. Here's what's included so far (Updated as of 5-23-2013):

• Misfit Studios: The Rogue Mage RPG Player's Handbook
• Super Genius Games: Super Genius Presents the Vile Magic of Argonax the Mad, The Genius Guide to the Godling, The Genius Guide to What's in My Pocket, Anachronistic Adventurers: The Enforcer
• Adventureaweek.com: When the Ship Goes Down, A0: Crow's Rest Island (pdf), A0: Crow's Rest Island (for Fantasy Grounds II), Cry of Ill Omen by Ronald Corn, Fall of House Rodow by Haakon Sullivan, VTT maps of Vikmordere ship (top and below decks) by Todd Gamble, and B10: White Worm of Weston
• Battlefield Press: Sherwood: The Legend of Robin Hood (Savage Worlds Edition)
• Black & Green Games: Breaking the Ice and Shooting the Moon
• Cartography Unlimited: The NPC Collection
• Clockwork Gnome Publishing: Along the Faerie Path and The Virtuous and the Vile--Morithal, Lord of Unceasing Hunger.
• Dreamscarred Press: Third Dawn Adventure Path—From the Deep #1: Uncertain Futures
• Eden Studios: Conspiracy X 2.0 and All Flesh Must Be Eaten
• Elf Lair Games: Spellcraft & Swordplay, and Monstrous Mayhem
• Fabled Environments: Modern Floorplans Airships and Arctic Research
• Fat Dragon Games: Dungeon Delvers Weapons and Borderland Keep
• Fat Goblin Games: Feyborn, Open Gaming Monthly #1, Call to Arms: Archer's Arsenal, CLASSifieds: Pyromancer, Creature Monthly, Detective Carnacki’s Serial Killers of Vathak, Racial Ecologies: Guide to Hauntlings, Shadows over Vathak, Condition Tokens, and Call to Arms: Tomes of Power.
• Frog God Games: One Night Stand: Death in the Painted Canyons
• Game Room Creations: The Modern Path - Heroes of the Modern World 2.0 and The Modern Path - Arcana of the Modern World
• Green Ronin: Blue Rose RPG
• Gun Metal Games: The Yaurcoan Empire
• Gypsy Knight Games: Quick Worlds 17: Tal'Kalares, Quick Worlds 24: Erlik, Quick Worlds 25: Sophronius
• Interjection Games: Annals of the Drunken Wizard: +0 Weapon Modifiers and Class Expansions: Love for the Universalist
• Jess Hartley: Conventions for the Aspiring Game Professional
• Kobold Press: Tyman's Taunting Tower and Alleys of Zobeck
• Legendary Games: The Necrotic Verses and Meditations of the Imperial Mystics
• Little Red Goblin Games: Tome of Leaf & Thorn (ranger redesign)
• LPJ Design: Enemies of NeoExodus: First Ones, Enemies of NeoExodus: Folding Circle, and NeoExodus Chronicles: Usual Suspects
  
• Matt Forbeck: "Prometheus Unbound" story
• Minotaur Games: Monster Focus: Skeletons
• Monica Valentinelli: "My Compliments to the Tailor" story
  
• Pinnacle Entertainment Group: Pirates of the Spanish Main
• Purple Duck Games/4 Wind:(4WFG) Inkantations and Albion Armitage's Astounding (PDG) Legendary I: Legendary Blades and Legendary IV: Legendary Shields.
• Rite Publishing: A Witch's Choice (AE) part 1 of Rituals of Choice adventure path, The Secrets of the Luckbringer, 101 New Skill Uses, Adventure Quarterly #1, #30 Haunts for Houses, Faces of the Tarnished Souk: Belladonna, the Face of Love Unrequited
  
• Sub Rosa Ars Magica fanzine issues 8-10
• Total Party Kill Games: More Malcontent
• Troll Lord Games: Castles & Crusades Player's Handbook, Curse of the Khan C&C adventure, C&C A1 Adventures on Blacktooth Ridge, and AMAZING Adventures (pulp-action Castles & Crusades)

Industry Insider Program ($30):  Are you or your company running events at GenCon? Want to stand out from the crowd? We’re putting together a special program of (tentatively called the Industry Insider) to showcase exactly where and when your fans can find your events at the show, without having to search the entire GenCon program book. It will be available as a free download. Includes:

• Bio/picture
• Booth # and Events Listing
• A small ad to promote a product of your choice
  
  

Professional Pitch Sessions ($100):Time is a valuable commodity, and networking is the most valuable tool an industry professional has. Get a private pitch session with Owen (Super Genius Games) or Christina (Misfit Studios/Christina Stiles Presents): 30 minutes to an hour to talk about what you’re creating. Maybe it’s something we’re looking for. Or maybe we have some advice on how to make it better.

Industry Q&A Sessions ($100): Ever wish you could sit down and ask an experienced professional about the best way to break into the gaming industry? Had some questions that you just didn’t know where to turn to for answers? Sit down with Christina, Owen, or Amanda to learn more about how to break into freelancing or get your industry-related questions answered by experienced professionals.

OR

Game with us! ($300): Your chosen host will run a game for you or 5 of your friends off-grid at GenCon (or PaizoCon for Christina or Amanda). If you can't make the show, G+ hangouts are an option. Or, we play in a game that you run.

Falling Short

While we hope to fully fund (and unlock some interesting stretch goals!), if we don’t reach our entire goal, we use the funds to get at least one of us out to a show. If that’s not feasible, the funds will be donated to to GenCon’s charity.

Exceeding Beyond Expectations

We want to get Jess Hartley, Endzeitgeist (Thilo Graf), and KTfish (Josh Gullion) to GenCon, and we want to get Owen Stephens to PaizoCon.

The Impact

If you get us to the shows, you might just help make some fans happy! You know you WILL make us happy! Happy game designers make more and better games.

Other Ways You Can Help

There are lots of ways to support our goal, even if you can’t donate directly.

• Spread the word about our campaign using the one-click tools IndieGoGo provides!
• Share on your social media - Word of mouth is the most useful advertising.
• Ask your favorite publisher to consider contributing a .pdf to our Electronic Bundle (or donate one yourself, if you’re a creator!) 

If you can’t contribute but want us to reach our goal, please spread the word about our campaign. IndieGoGo has tools for that. Also share on your social media, and ask your favorite publisher to consider contributing a pdf to the cause!