One Man's View
[It's always difficult to get beyond your own perspective about an event like a games convention. So, I'm grateful to Jeff Jesner for giving me his short piece about how he found DiceConWest 2004.]
As a newcomer to gaming, this was my first DiceCon. I was amazed at the number and variety of games that were available on the day, most of which I had never heard of. I only played one round of Settlers as I was needed to make up numbers. (I was only introduced to the game half an hour before the tournament.) [Ed: Jeff's quite right to point this out. But he did creditably well all things considered. And, given his next statement he wasn't too bruised by the beating.] However, I have now gone out and bought my own copy of the game.
For me the day was about learning new games, and I learned and played at least half a dozen games. For somebody brought up on Monopoly, Subbuteo and Risk, DiceCon was a wonderland. I can't wait to play some of the games again. Now I have learned the various rules, I need to work out the tactics. Even a simple game like Galloping Pigs is not as simple as it seems!
Thanks to Ellis and Gordon for all their hard work and for introducing me to a new world. My only regret was having to leave at 7.30pm as I understand people were still playing at 11pm. [Ed: even later, Jeff. But an 11 hour stint is a good start for your convention career!]
Roll on the next DiceCon.
Jeff Jesner
15 June 2004