Beans Doing Things at GenCon 2025
For many people -- it's me, I'm one of many people -- half of the fun of GenCon is getting together with friends. What better time and place to meet up with WorldAnvil Beans you love than by attending one of their events? Put a face to the screen name, get a (consensual!) hug, and do what the WorldAnvil community does best: share and grow, together!!
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GenCon doesn't just offer games. There are workshops, panels, crafts, live entertainment, LARPs, and even an available educational certificate! To simplify matters, worldbuilding (and worldbuilding-adjacent) events are marked with an asterisk (*).
Haly the Moonlight Bard
Worldbuilding for Writers and Gamers*
This all new 4-hour workshop will cover the essentials of worldbuilding, including geography, cultures, technology, and history. Through interactive exercises and collaborative projects, attendees will learn to develop unique magic systems, integrate worldbuilding elements into their narratives, and create vivid characters that bring their worlds to life. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced worldbuilder, this workshop offers practical techniques, hands-on exercises, and valuable feedback to help you create rich and engaging worlds for your stories and games. Come ready to unleash your imagination and explore new realms of creativity!
Get Tickets: Worldbuilding for Writers and Gamers*
Crafty Villainous
Join us for the annual "Crafty Villainous” sit-and-stitch, a unique 20-person event where the focus is on creativity and camaraderie. Bring your favorite small craft project—whether it's knitting, crochet, or embroidery—and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere while playing the board game Villainous. With plenty of time between turns, you'll have the perfect opportunity to chat, make new friends, and work on your crafts. This event is all about the joy of crafting and socializing, so come ready to stitch and have a fantastic time!
Get Tickets: Crafty Villainous
Coming Soon: Hand-Dyed Yarn with Haly, Saturday, 10-2
Coming Soon: Hand-Dyed Yarn with Haly, Saturday, 2-6
(GenCon is still adding events to the catalog; SPA events have expanded and they are struggling to find room!)
Laura VanArendonk Baugh
Go West! The Journey to the West Legend*
From Dragon Ball to Jackie Chan, there have been countless adaptations of the world's most popular folk tale! Learn the true history that inspired the stories, the legends, and the 16th-century novel.
Though less ubiquitous in Western culture, the Journey to the West story is thought to be the widest-known cultural tale in the world. Many modern adaptations take their inspiration from the 16th-century novel, but the stories themselves date back nearly a thousand years earlier -- and were based on real events. We'll examine the historical and cultural context for the novel and the lore it collected, plus take a look at modern adaptations including cinematic blockbusters, McDonald's Happy Meal toys, video games, and even K-pop hits!
Get Tickets: Go West! The Journey to the West Legend*
Abe no Seimei: Man, Magician, & Myth*
Abe no Seimei is a figure surrounded by myth, from his rumored kitsune bloodline to his powers of divination. How much was true? Join us for a look at Japan's most famous onmyouji in fact and fiction.
Unlike his Western corollary Merlin, Abe no Seimei was a real person with a life recorded in court and legal documents. Learn who he really was and how many of the fantastic deeds attributed to him might be real in this study of his life and times.
Get Tickets: Abe no Seimei: Man, Magician, & Myth*
Ja-PUN-ese: Fun With Japanese Wordplay*
With its limited phonetic syllabary, the Japanese language is built for puns and double meanings! Come enjoy some of our favorite Japanese plays on words, from dad jokes to advertising slogans.
We'll also share examples from anime, manga, and pop culture.
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