Thankful For a Convention
While I am a loner by nature, there is definitely a significant amount of feeling lonely on this trip. Riding the bike by myself is an exercise (ha!) in solitude. I probably spend an average of 6 hours a day on my bike, and that’s a lot of time to sit with oneself without having much to do other than think (and dodge roadkill). Even when I’m not riding, I’m still in places where I don’t know anyone at all, and it’s not like there are game shops around every corner in every small US town.
Sometimes I wonder if this trip was the right thing to do immediately coming out of the forced isolation of the pandemic. There is an inherent social need in humanity, even among us introverts, that I am missing during the particularly long stretches between gaming stops.
InConJunction to the Rescue!
Thankfully there is a cure for all this loneliness: a gathering of the nerds! I posted in the Indy Tabletop Game Creators facebook group looking for things to do in Indianapolis on the 4th of July weekend, and some members were kind enough to point me to this event. I’m glad I went!
Within a few minutes of walking around the gaming area, the power of shared hobbies kicked in and I was invited to sit in on a game of Mariposas. While very different from Wingspan, I couldn’t help but notice Hargrave’s signature on this game, as she once again incorporates an elegant method to tracking how many actions have been taken in a round.
Katrina and James were kind enough to school me in Tiny Towns
It turned out to be an all-AEG day, as I bounced from Mariposas to Cubitos to Tiny Towns. We often joke around in Boston Game Makers Guild that we’re all currently pitching to AEG because they are such a welcoming and professional company. And of course, they produce great games!
Brian made sure I got in on this Villainous game.
But the games themselves were hardly important. I was treated to a group of incredibly welcoming and friendly players. Everyone was eager to talk about gaming and were happy to be around each other. The next morning they even restarted a game of Villianous for me so I could jump in and try that for the first time! What an awesome community in Indianapolis!
I maintain that Ursula did nothing wrong. Ariel signed a contract.
Cool kids (and also candy).
Pondering the Universe
It wasn’t all gaming in Indy.
InConJunction is primarily a science fiction convention, complete with honored guests, writers, and scientists. This is how I had the fortune to talk with Dr. Katie Mack (astrophysicist and author of The End of Everything).
She was able to put a term to a feeling I’ve had for decades. When I look up at the stars and contemplate how big the universe is, I find myself pointlessly small by comparison. I think of it as, “despair caused by the crushing breadth of the universe.” Apparently this is called Cosmic Vertigo. Hopefully someone makes a game out of it!
Dr. Mack also confirmed that my journey thus far has not even crossed a single grain of sand on the beach of the universe.
To that I say, I guess there’s not much to do but just keep pedaling.
