Left Hawkins: Please Come Back

Chapter 1 - Lake Hanover Gaming Convention

Lake Hanover, WI Late February 2006

It was a Sunday and it was the last day of the Lake Hanover Gaming Convention or Hancon as the marketing materials advertised. The convention brought together people that played everything to Tabletop Role Playing Games to Collectible Card Games to Boardgame enthusiasts. It was a place smaller, niche game companies could show off their wares and interact with customers and potential customers. Here is where Will Byers found himself.

The convention closed in less than 2 hours as everyone who had a display had to go back to their homes and lives. Will was eager to leave as he left his nearly 14 year old son home alone as Will tried to sell expansion packs and sets of his 2 of his most popular games, Bicycle Patrol and Heroes of the Kingdom. The games were card based games for 2 or more players. Bicycle Patrol was a simple game of custom cards showing either monsters Will created, a tool/weapons cards or situation cards. A simple d6 dice was used to calculate how much damage or if the player escaped the situation. It was a casual, fun game he invented in 11th grade to play on long bus rides to swim meets with one or more of his teammates. The team became addicted to the fast, engaging play without having to do alot of math or complex thinking like in D&D. Will made a game as fun as Uno but a little more engaging. This game became the basis for the start of Byers Game Labs or BGL. Heroes of the Kingdom was a card based game with fantasy elements like Rogues, Paladins, Clerics, Spellcasters, Rangers, Mages and Bards. Instead of using so many classes of characters, Will simplified it into 3: Support, Heroes, and Dark Elements/Criminals. He wanted a game people children on up could play and play with as few as 2 or as many as 20. Will wanted a faster, simpler version of a TTRPG that didn't need a pile of people to play or hours spent in preparation for a campaign.

Will poured his time and money into this game going around the country to set up players groups and exposing people to play the game. Today the game is played at homes and groups in varied settings like American Legion halls, Community Centers, Schools and Colleges, and Gaming Stores. Will set up tournaments in certain areas to get people to play the game and fit it into their lifestyle. It is the 5th most popular card/tabletop game in the nation far behind Magic the Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons and other popular games.

Will wanted to leave because he was sold out of stock. He loaded the minivan full of items but sold out immediately. He was down to taking orders for his products. His newest game was sold out for months and was invented by his son Trevor (adopted son who Will loves more than life itself.) It could be played as a game or used as a card collection. It was anime style drawings of students of a school and the cards and game were called Majestic Skies High. The beauty of the cards were that every year new students were added and others 'graduated'. Each student has points assigned and attributes if you want to play the cards as a game, but most just collect. This feature and the fact the printer cannot keep up with the demand from people turned BGL from a moderately profitable company to a very profitable company since the cards are not overproduced. Seeing young kids and teens with their parents ask about buying Majestic Skies High cards hurt Will because he could only advertise the series at the con but couldn't sell any due to his contract with the authorized stores who sell the product. Trevor put BGL on the map for customers.

Will fiddled with his watch looking at the time when two older people approached his booth. The man wore glasses and had grey hair and was reading the poster Will set up while the woman had brown eyes and a little grey in her hair. "Will Byers, do you remember us?" The woman asked. Will thought the couple looked vaguely familiar. It dawn on Will and he brought his arms out to hug the woman.