Annual Gen Con conference draws all kinds of geeks, nerds and techies

While I was waiting in line, a pair of "Star Wars" storm troopers marched past a Roman centurion encouraging people to come spar with him. A few spots in front of me an elf wizard was chatting with a woman being followed by a young fairy.

This wasn't some bizarre dream. It was just opening day of Gen Con Indy, the largest gaming convention in the country, which runs Aug. 14-17 in Indianapolis.

The 41-year-old celebration of all things geeky has been growing annually. Last year, about 27,500 people showed up, indulging in every hobby that could have gotten you picked on in school from spending hours playing "Dungeons and Dragons" to doing battle with miniature superheroes.

You'll find basically any game you might want available, from poker to live-action vampire role playing to board games that haven't actually come out yet. Most of the games are just for fun, but you'll also find tournaments for cash, trips and other prizes.

Gen Con spans four days with events going on at all hours. Even if you stay the whole weekend, no matter how little you sleep, it's impossible to do everything. There's 5,500 games, 85 artists and 15 authors showing and selling their work, and 300 exhibitors selling clothes, costumes, dice, DVDs and just about everything else a science fiction or fantasy fan could want.

The event also features auctions, anime screenings, a library of Japanese comic books or mangas, a costume contest and way more events to easily list.

According to Megan Culver, director of marketing for Gen Con, this year's convention will have a few special events honoring Dungeons and Dragons creator Gary Gygax, who died this year.

"We're supporting one of Gary's favorite charities, the Fisher House Foundation," Culver said. "Basically we have different things that are going on during the show: a charity auction, card hall, a memorial event and a charity speed painting and auction."

Gen Con takes the hobby to a new level. A sprawling hall for collectible card games features live-sized statues of characters.

One of the highlights for me was True Dungeon, a 10,000 square-foot dungeon constructed in a local hotel. Instead of the usual "Dungeons and Dragons" experience, where players sit around a table talking out the actions that their characters take, True Dungeon allows you to actually walk through creepy darkened rooms, elaborate libraries and cramped tunnels searching for treasure, hidden doors and traps. In one room, we encountered a woman dressed up as a medusa and were informed anyone who looked at her without a mirror would have their character turned to stone. Despite her best efforts, we got away with just one statue but she was the bane of many other adventurers.

The crowd at Gen Con is overall incredibly friendly and accepting of any brand of weirdness.

Puzzles are scattered around the grounds as part of a convention-wide competition and while keeping the answers to yourself might improve your odds of winning prizes, groups of strangers gathering together to work out a challenge was a common site.

While I left the convention exhausted last year, I've been waiting to go back ever since. Pack your lucky dice and I'll see you there.