Welcome to the Finder’s Archives. This is going to be a slightly different article this week, as I want to take a look at the community that GM Chris and GM Dave started, and what it has evolved into.
The Order 66 Podcast was the beginning of it all. I know that many of us here have been with the podcast from the humble beginnings when it was a SAGA Edition podcast, and where it didn’t even have a website. Since then it’s grown into the D20radio network. It has dedicated Facebook pages, a Patreon, a Discord, people writing content like this for the website, and a number of other podcasts have come and gone from the Network.
But all of that is not why I’m here.
Around the time where this article will go live, I’ll have been on a podcast called Intrepid Heroes. It’s not on the network, but I was asked a question when I was the guest of “would you like to come to the US for a con?” – and the answer was that Yes, I would. But it would not be PaizoCon or GenCon – the ones he was expecting me to answer. My answer instead was to explain to him GamerNationCon.
The reason for this is simple: I’ve never been to GamerNationCon – it’s a long travel, and quite expensive. I’d actually managed to save up last year to have gone this year, but unfortunately, real-life happened – I lost my day job, and the savings I’d put aside (mainly from my writing and such) went instead to fixing the car at a crucial time, as well as Christmas presents.
But why GamerNationCon? Well, that is a two-sided answer. If I put on my freelancing hat, then I have to be brutally honest and say that as a career-move, it’s smarter to go to PaizoCon or Gencon. It’s where I’m most likely to run into people from Paizo and Wizards of the Coast, and they’re the big fish in this business. Of course, at GNC there’s the opportunity to run into all the good folks from FFG – and one of these days I’ll have to dip my toes into Genesys and the Foundry. (Edit-note: this was written before the FFG announcement).
But – freelancing hat aside – my heart wants to go to GNC. It’s the single most openminded and free-spirited gaming community I’ve ever been apart of. That includes things like tight-knit World of Warcraft guilds, other TTRPG communities, and even an (ancient) X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter Clan. And that’s because the GamerNation feels like family. Sure we’re all a bit weird, but the vast majority of us are here because we have a vested interest in seeing the hobbies that we so enjoy grow – and grow with our families. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s looked at my kid and thought “One day, you’ll be gaming with me,” and by extension, the GamerNation family.
So I guess this is a belated Thanksgiving Article, but take it as a compliment. GamerNation – you’re special. Thank you all for being a part of it.
And next week, we return to something less soppy as we return to our regular schedule.
Kim Frandsen
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