Post-Con Thoughts

As I've said innumerable times on this blog over the years, I am not a regular attendee of gaming conventions and yet, over the last couple of weeks, I've attended not one but two of them, specifically Gamehole Con in Madison, Wisconsin and CleriCon in Glen Williams, Ontario. I've attended both before and greatly enjoyed them, hence my return this year. Even so, my attendance, even after all these years, is somewhat contrary to my shy and introverted nature. I've never been all that comfortable in large gatherings full of strangers and that hasn't really changed since I have gotten older. What has changed is that I more fully recognize the need to leave my comfort zone and be social with people I previously didn't know. That's, frankly, one of the joys of conventions. After all, everyone attending the con is there because they share one thing in common: a love of roleplaying games. As such, you're probably more than halfway toward moving beyond any social awkwardness you might…