Imagine a place where you can buy all manner of out-of-print and hard to find gaming materials, as well as current items. Where most of the collectable items go for reasonable prices and there are lots of great deals on new, or mostly new, gaming materials. The Auction at the 1999 Gen Con Game Fair is where you will find such a place.

The Auction is actually two different places in one. The main floor is reserved for auction items up for bid, and the auction store is reserved for items that don't get auctioned, but have a minimum price to sell. You have to buy a bidding card for about $2 in order to get in on the auction stuff, but it is well worth it considering the deals that await you inside.

"So if collecting is your thing then come with lots of cash and an iron will."

Both the Auction store and main floor have fantastic deals available. Last year, I managed to obtain the "Arcane Age" boxed set for the Forgotten Realms setting and the Ravenloft module "Into the Shadows" for a mere $12. Oh, and I should mention, they were also still in the original shrink-wrap! Though I stick mainly to RPGs , there are allocated times for the selling of CCG's, Wargames, Miniatures, Board Games, and Computer Games. Of course, the collectible items such as the original "Chainmail" game goes for much higher prices. For example, the Talisman game (2nd edition) by Games Workshop sold for about $75. So if collecting is your thing then come with lots of cash and an iron will.

"Remember, they want to get rid of this stuff as badly as you want to buy it."

I'm sure there are better qualified people to give advice on how to best buy at the auction, but I will offer my two coppers worth anyway. First of all, never buy items currently in print from the main floor unless you can get them for about 1/3 of the original price. If an item such as this appears once on the floor, then there is a good chance you will see it several times over the course of the convention and the competition for it will decline. Secondly, get to the auction store as soon as possible each day. There is usually a line by the 2nd or 3rd day of the convention and all the cool stuff gets snatched up quickly! Lastly, don't be afraid to ask the auctioneers to look for items that you want in the backstock area of the stage. Many times the auctioneers solicit from the audience what they want to see and no one says a thing. Remember, they want to get rid of this stuff as badly as you want to buy it.

If you need that one module in the "G" series or are dying to get hold of that rare Black Lotus to make your Magic deck a thing to fear , then be sure to make time to visit the Gen Con Game Fair Auction.