Worried about GenCon.

Hello All.
	Well, I got some rather interesting news today.  Steve Jackson
Games,
Palladium, R. Talsorian Games, RPGnet and a few others WILL NOT be
attending this year's GenCon.  It seems that these companys are really
pee-ed off at Wizards of the Coast's handling of the fair.  According to
SJG's Daily Illuminator Site (http://www.sjgames.com/ill), WotC has
raised booth prices up to 50% of last year's rates.  SJG will also not
be sponsoring any events for their own games.  This is not good.

[Author note..... the following paragraph contains statements that are
based upon rumor and speculation.  Please do not panic for they could be
totally and completely without merit.  Thank you.]
	
	Wisconsin's gaming community has been worried about GenCon for a
couple
years now. Last year, everyone was saying that 1997s GenCon would be the
last one held in Milwaukee and that WotC would move it to a larger
city.  Now there are mumbles about how this just might be the last
GenCon period.	By all the current indication's WotC is poorly
organizing this year's event.  If this game fair flops.... then a great
institution may have just bitten the dust.
	For myself, and a lot of gamers like me, GenCon is our ONE major
gaming
event of the year.  I don't make that much money right now, and I can't
afford to go any other conventions.  Too lose GenCon would be nothing
short of a personal disaster.
	The trouble is I don't know what we can do about it.  We can't
blaim
the companies for wanting to stay away.  If they think that WotC is
being unfair to them, then they have every right in the universe not to
participate.  The thought of complaining to WotC seems also pointless. 
I've had little experience with them, but from what I've seen so far
they seem like a company that cares little for their customers. 
(Perhaps because the average WotC customer is 10-15 years old is too
young to know that he or she is being swindled.)

-- 
Later,
Mark A. Siefert

E-MAIL: cthulhu@csd.uwm.edu		WWW: http://www.uwm.edu/~cthulhu
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