Low light: Being forced outside the lovely heated walkway from the hotel to show on Saturday because of a tween dance team meet blocking the route. If that had happened on Thursday, when it was still 70 degrees out, that would have one thing, but it mean hauling a coat to my games that I didn't need.
Best experience: The organizers set up a chance to explore and buy items from the ACD warehouse located in Madison. This is likely the closest I will ever be to wandering the warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Worst experience: We were told that some items in the warehouse might be unavailable due to game store order that had not been picked yet. They say there were between 20-30 items in the warehouse that would be unavailable for purchase. I picked two.
Best bargain (had to buy it, no freebies): I picked up a book I wrote where I'm still waiting on an authors copy years after the book came out. I confirmed at Bar Con that company is notorious on both the retail and production side for being completely unreliable.
Best Freebie: John Kovalic designed an adorable owlbear plushie that went from my suitcase directly into Batkid's crib.
Most welcome surprise: After my Firefly RPG session, the three VIG gamers at the table told me they upgraded to VIG specifically to make sure they got a space at my table.
Most unwelcome surprise: Despite sharing a room, I barely got to see much of Mighty Matt Forbeck. At least we were able to talk about the highs and lows of being a geek dad at Bar Con on Thursday.
Best game: Heebie Jeebies is a casual party game where you have to guess which of four selected cards squicks out the Judge for that round. It's a killer party icebreaker and got a table of strangers talking after less than a full round.
Most interesting game concept: Three Pillars is a Mille Bornes style game of supernatural investigation put out by a crew of actual supernatural investigators.
Sleeper game: I am super excited to bring Star Wars Catchphrase to Nerds at Heart events.
Coolest booth: The Half-Price Books booth actually had good games for half price, rather than their usual selection of collector-priced options.
Strangest moment: Realizing I already knew one of the other guests of honor because she was one of Sarah Babe's Ingress buddies from Gen Con.
Played:
Heebie Jeebies
Three Pillars
Fate Ghostbusters
Firefly RPG
Save Game
Atomic Robo RPG
Purchased:
Mysterium
Firefly Kalidasa Expansion
Stars Without Number
D&D5e: Out of the Abyss
D&D5e: Princes of the Apocalypse
D&D5e: Screen
Murder in Baldur's Gate
Force and Destiny: Chronicles of the Gatekeeper
Age of Rebellion: Desperate Allies
Age of Rebellion: Strongholds of Resistance
Eldritch Horror: Mountains of Madness
Eldritch Horror: Strange Remnants
Swag:
Hotel room
Bar Con tab
Guest of Honor shirt
Guest of Honor badge
Owlbear plushie
Heebie Jeebies
Marriage Material
Cash'n' Guns 2nd Edition + Expansion
Winds of Fortune
Pathfinder flip-mats