The Las Vegas Open has come and gone, and we’re finally home to talk about it. All that’s left is the mourning of fortunes lost and the things I was told we weren’t supposed to talk about. As the saying goes: “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” but I still have an Insider to write, so I guess we’re breaking that rule today.
We flew out Thursday morning, and normally this wouldn’t be worth noting other than our travel schedule resulted in the first time ever we livestreamed Get Your Paint On! without a studio painter as the host. Production lead Tanner Thomas and Retail Support Account Manager Loren Lower did an admirable job filling in, but that didn’t stop Jordan (and the rest of us) from watching the stream on our phones at the airport and contributing to the show.
When we got in, we barely had enough time to check in and set up our booth before the LVO VIPs were allowed early access to the merchant area. The timing was so tight I didn’t even have time for pictures before our community was there, looking to buy the latest releases.
Friday started bright and early with Champions, as well as the booth opening to everyone. Jordan and I ran demos of Monsterpocalypse and Riot Quest, and we had a steady stream of attendees wanting to try out both games; lots of people also wanted to just get some games in with us when we got the chance (which wasn’t nearly as often as we wanted).
Hungerford bounced between helping with the Champions event and throwing down at some Riot Quest, games he claims to have won, though I now suspect otherwise. From the Champions event, Chris Dancocks, Shawn Hopkins, Dave Bergstrom, Tucker Jackson, and Bret Fogel made the cut to Sunday’s Finals.
I can’t talk about what happened after we closed up for the day on Friday and went out to dinner with members of the community, because Vegas, but it did reaffirm my love for the people that play our games.
Saturday looked like it would start much the same way as Friday, with Masters starting early and Jordan and I hitting the demo tables, but the crowds looking to try out Riot Quest picked up significantly. The moment one group of people finished trying out the game, a new group was sitting down to take their turn. And here I thought I was too busy for pictures on Thursday!
Those who made the cut for Sunday finals after the two Heats on Saturday were:
Sunday was a bit slower, so I had some more time to watch the Finals. Every time I get to do so, I come away with an immense amount of appreciation for the level of play and sportsmanship from competitors at the highest level.
At the end of the day, it was David Bergstrom who walked away with the trophy and his ticket to Warfaire Weekend punched.
Once it was all said and done, all that was left was teardown. We got the booth packed up, and it was off to dinner and more (definitely not) debauchery. While we all love conventions and spending time with the passionate members of our community, we were definitely ready to get home and sleep in our own beds.
But that doesn’t mean we didn’t find the time to get a couple more games of Riot Quest in while we waited for our flight out the next day.
