Just because I had not yet seen anyone mention the dance this year, even though last year there were several threads about it, I figured I'd post it here for easy reference.

Gen Con Dance: Steampunk or Dance!

ID: ENT00001
Web site: None available
Email: None available
Category: Entertainment Events
Rules: Game system not specified
Cost: $0.00
Duration: 04:00:00
Host: Gen Con LLC (Gen Con LLC)
Age requirement: Teen (13+)
Experience requirement: N/A
Are materials provided: No
Location: Union Station - Grand Ballroom
Tickets: 999 out of 999 are available (as of 11:33 am Thursday April 17th, 2008, but this information may be out of date.)
Official site: Check the official site for the most up to date information and to purchase tickets
Time slot: Sat Aug 16 9:00 pm - Sun Aug 17 1:00 am

The 3rd annual Gen Con Dance is taking a step back in time when life was simpler and much more fantastical. Join us for our Saturday night dance Steampunk style! Costumes not required, but as H.G. Wells once said, “Exuberance is beauty.” FREE to all attendees with a Gen Con Indy 2008 badge.

All sessions of this event

• Sat 9:00 pm - Sun 1:00 am (ENT00001): 999/999

This will make one of my friends happy. What is Steampunk?

I seem to remember Steampunk being a derivative of CyberPunk under the GURPs family of games. It's fairly low-tech, but the opening of the technical age. Think turn of the century with all the steam-power being dominant, but throw some magic, orcs and 6 guns in the mix. I could be way off since I never played it.

one&only:

This will make one of my friends happy. What is Steampunk?

Wikipedia has a pretty good explanation...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk

Warmachine from Privateer Press has some elements of it in its system, although I'll probably be labeled a heretic for suggesting such things...

Now if they can only get Abney Park (http://www.abneypark.com/2008/) to play at the dance. A great Steampunk band.

 Please? PLLEEEEAAASSEE?

RexCelestis:

Now if they can only get Abney Park (http://www.abneypark.com/2008/) to play at the dance. A great Steampunk band.

 Please? PLLEEEEAAASSEE?

 

It's very difficult to get a satisfactory live band for this sort of event.  GenCon caters to too many tastes for any one genre to satisfy everyone, or even a significant majority.  The alternative generic bands, such as wedding bands, work but lack the energy to really be worth the investment.  A good DJ, on the other hand, can play things that make everyone happy, even if not simultaneously.  The DJ they had last year, while not perfect, played something for everyone at some point in the evening, kept the floor packed throughout the event, was great at taking requests, and was decent at mood crafting.  Is he perfect for everyone?  No.  Is he perfect for anyone?  I doubt it.  But he, or a DJ like him, is acceptable by nearly everyone which is the best situation for an event like this.

Of course if you just want to make me happy, give a call to Brent Darley in Madison, Wisconsin.  Ever since I moved back to Philly I've missed his sets. 

one&only:

 What is Steampunk?

In a word? 

Goggles.

And yeah, historically the dance has a DJ, so I expect that to happen again this year.

The Party in the Plaza or annual equivelent up until recently had live bands.  Cost and what has already been mentioned taste in music has driven to DJ.  It kind of becomes a pirate vs ninja thing so of course the only real winners are the ones who decided to become accountants. 

I'd like to make a costume for this one! Ripley are you in?

Solitude:

I'd like to make a costume for this one! Ripley are you in?

Heh...already thinking how I can tie in my old riding boots into some kind of mechano-equestrian habit!   

If anyone is looking for costuming ideas, you can check out this site:

http://cyrengear.com/steam.html

There is some interesting stuff in there. I love the gas masks (if they are functional, I could use some at my Monday gaming sessions) and the goth scouts attire.

 The gas masks are functional. As a retailer, we carry more cyberpunk style items, but as a grad student in history, I love steampunk.

I'll be there in my Deadlands-esque wild west bartender's get-up. I just can't figure out how to easily incorporate clunky steampunk tech into my outfit and I don't want to go down down the 19th Century mad scientist route (you know that'll probably be common).

Oh yeah, for steampunkish ideas watch Wild West (with Will Smith) or Sleepy Hollow (with Johnny Depp). Really, all you have to do is to take any kind of 19th Century clothing style (wild west, US east coast, and Victorian England are the first that come to mind) and tack on some kind of funky looking "mad scientist" style gear. My bartender outfit for example, will probably have some kind of "Brew-O-Matic 2000" attached to the back...but how to do it without hindering movement...SIGH....well, there's always goggles...

Damn, if i could only figure out how to get that pesky warcaster armor working LOL

Hi,

A great source for costuming inspiration is the anime "SteamBoy". Actually, the costumes are a bit subdued, more victorian than punk but there are still a lot of cool details to spark ideas.  

Seems kind of Adam Antish.  I'm curious what kind of music is played there and if people dance to it.  Will there be a contest with this?

EDIT:  I like Adam Ant...or I did 25 years ago.  He was always smart enough to have hot women stand next to him in his videos.

(Edit: That was not the link I wanted... it was supposed to be a paper-steampunk costume. Bah...I don't think Stumble links the same as YouTube does. Now I have to go searching.)

Here's an idea for a costume.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=W95z1DqOIUg

Ok, let's try YouTube, a site I'm more familiar with... H.P. Papercraft.

It shows a paper-steampunk costume as well as generational rift.

atstepchild:

http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=z8qtb5w9rm

 

Here's an idea for a costume.

As perposterous as it might sound, when the Iraqi Soccer Team recently won a tournament a reported 35 people were injured by celebratory gunfire.  Sounds more Madmax than Steam Punk.

Would Army of Darkness be considered steam punk?  You could always come as Ash....."Yeeeaaaah Baby"