DragonCon this year was at the same time as Origins, unfortunately. This diminished the RPG crowd there but did not seem to have an overly-harmful effect on the con.

I'll break this review down into two parts:

SUBSTANCE:

Beautiful. Many game companies were represented there - unfortunately, not as many as last year, but there should be more next year. SJGames, FASA, White Wolf, TSR/WotC were all there, along with demos of their newest games, both role-playing and computer. Role-playing sessions went on all day, from around 9 am in the morning to about 2 am. LARPs went on all day long (and most of the night).

In addition to just straight RPGs, there were a number of other events going on. GWAR was there, as usual, and this time with the premiere of their new miniatures game. A number of other bands such as Cruxshadows, Godhead, and the Changelings also played. All kinds of comic book artists, various other artists, Troma films, martial arts suppliers, and the such filled the dealer's room, and there were panels on everything from Pern to Billie Dee Williams to anti-spam issues.

STYLE:

DragonCon really got their act together this year. The con basically took place in two places - the Apparel/Merchandise Mart and the Hyatt Regency, which was completely filled with con people (no norms at all). It made life much easier to find where you were going. In addition, registration this year was in the hotel, which made life much easier.

All in all, it was a great con - and it gets better every year. Highly recommended!

You can reach their web page at: http://www.dragoncon.org/

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)