The energy was high at the 2006 GenCon, which wrapped on Sunday in Indianapolis, in a tabletop gaming market that's down in all but one category.  We heard more than one report of record first-day sales for a Thursday that seemed to have heavier traffic than the same day last year.  Demo tables were full throughout the exhibit hall on both Thursday and Friday.

There were also signs of confidence in the publisher plans announced at the show, which although scaled differently than they would have been a couple of years ago, were generally cautiously optimistic after a couple of years of pessimism.

There were new entrants into the CCG business (Tenacious, CCP) at the show, continued growth in board and family games, and action in CMGs (Dreamblade, HorrorClix) and unpainted miniatures.

Wizards of the Coast used banners
instead of a large structure this year.

But the underlying market weakness was also visible in subtle ways. Wizards of the Coast, for example, which has included imposing structures in its booth since well before the move to Indianapolis, opted for a system of banners on the floor and suspended above to mark its space this year.  And there seemed to be a decline in the exhibit space occupied by roleplaying games, the hardest hit category, which was taken up by other categories, including electronic games.     

Over-all, there seems to be at least some hope that the cover blurb on the ICv2 Retailers Guide to Games #12 ('Hobby Game Market Bottoming?'), released at the show, holds true.

As was the case in San Diego, the convergence of electronic and tabletop gaming was visible here, with Blizzard's cohabitation of a booth with Upper Deck (which is publishing the World of Warcraft CCG this fall) perhaps its most visible manifestation.  GenCon's first two story booth, which housed Eve Online and the associated Eve:  The Second Genesis CCG from CCP, was also a cross-over exhibit.

An armored shopper conducts
a transaction at GenCon.

The city of Indianapolis is increasingly welcoming to the gamers, with a growing awareness of the impact of a convention of this size (unique attendees in the mid-twenty thousands, see 'GenCon's Record Turnstile Attendance'). 

'Indy's Largest Convention:  A Bunch of Nerds' proclaims the cover blurb on the Indianapolis Monthly in the rooms at a nearby hotel. 

The hotels and restaurants seem to understand the gamer crowd better than they used to, and are more accommodating to its needs.  We noticed more food and drink specials with gamer themes at nearby establishments, and convention center concessionaires and hotel staff are now much more comfortable with the easygoing, often fantastically attired conventioneers.   

GenCon has re-upped for several years in Indianapolis, which will carry its relationship with the city until an expansion of the convention center gives the show more room around 2010.