I'm staying at a hotel about 3-4 miles from the Con (my brother is in Cincy, so I'm busing up there, and we are taking his car over to Indy), and it wasn't expensive at all.

This is my first year going, and honesty, I didn't buy any tickets. I'm just going to wander around and jump in pick up games and whatever I can find (I'm huge into board gaming too, so it helps that basically anything at the con that doesn't require a ticket would probably interest me, so I doubt I'll have a problem finding something to do).

When I went, I played zero official games, though I gamed a ton.  I just signed up for games people were running in hotels, listed at EnWorld and CircvsMaxmvs.com, and 100% of them were awesome! I used the GenCon pass pretty much just for the shopping floor.

I'm only 5 1/2 hours from Indy and I love to drive so that's no problem. Neither does a short trip to the Con every morning. I should wrangle a friend or two to do this one year.

Emperor Norton's plan to spend his first visit wandering and soaking it all in strikes me as a wise idea. Seems like the overall event could be a little  overwhelming.

I actually found some hotels after all. Awesome. Hotels.com to the rescue.

Now the question remains what events to look at and whatnot.

Quote from: Mistwell;832778When I went, I played zero official games, though I gamed a ton.  I just signed up for games people were running in hotels, listed at EnWorld and CircvsMaxmvs.com, and 100% of them were awesome! I used the GenCon pass pretty much just for the shopping floor.

Games people were running in hotels? Did they have signups at Gen Con for it?

I always felt like GenCon was one of thse things that for me would've been good to go to ... 30 years ago...but now, eh, not so much.  I just don't know what would be there to interest an old goober like me.

Quote from: Raven;832782Emperor Norton's plan to spend his first visit wandering and soaking it all in strikes me as a wise idea. Seems like the overall event could be a little  overwhelming.

My first two years, I signed up for one game a day, and that was it.  Sometimes said "game" was just a one-hour speed painting thing, too (those're fun, if you've got a way to get a mini back home in one piece).  I liked having something to go to, because it helped me figure out which Indy buildings were which, made me explore a little more, and got me to wander all over the con, so I saw things I might've otherwise missed.

But yeah -- flexibility of schedule is a really, really, good idea, especially at first.

And, as an aside, I apologize if I'm coming on strong with the room offer.  One of my first GenCons (God, like fifteen years ago), I had a buddy who decided to go last minute.  To try and save money their first GenCon, they didn't get a room.  They just tried to catch naps in hallways or in the 24/7 anime viewing room.  Things did not go well.

So whenever I see someone this late in the GenCon process who's just now making up their mind to go, and who needs a place to stay, I speak up.  

Since my real name's easy as hell to figure out, I hope I don't come off as someone who's out to cut off faces and make little masks out of them or whatever.  If someone can get a safe, clean, place to crash for a few nights, and if I can get a little GenCon spending money out of splitting the room another way, well, everyone wins.

Quote from: thedungeondelver;832795I always felt like GenCon was one of thse things that for me would've been good to go to ... 30 years ago...but now, eh, not so much.  I just don't know what would be there to interest an old goober like me.

Well they still have the Battletech pods? aheh...

There will likely be people running about any game possible if you hunt around and luck out.

One of the things I liked to attend were the convention LARP-like events. Last GenCon I got to attend I was able to play in the Captain Proton game gosted by the writer. But missed out on a Cthulhu LIVE one as the GM failed to show.

Id live to see what the new GenCon is like.

Quote from: Critias;832804And, as an aside, I apologize if I'm coming on strong with the room offer.  One of my first GenCons (God, like fifteen years ago), I had a buddy who decided to go last minute.  To try and save money their first GenCon, they didn't get a room.  They just tried to catch naps in hallways or in the 24/7 anime viewing room.  Things did not go well.

So that was the other guy in the anime room? :cheerleader:

Two years in a row I ended up like that. The second was due to a friend whod offered a room not ever showing up the whole con due to this or that. I ended up dragging my stuff around the whole three days and on increasing levels of sleep dep. I crashed in the anime room.

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;832788Games people were running in hotels? Did they have signups at Gen Con for it?

When I went they had a post-it board set up with notices on when where and what. Most though went with the open gaming room. Albedo though for example was run each year in someones hotel room.

Quote from: Critias;832804And, as an aside, I apologize if I'm coming on strong with the room offer.  One of my first GenCons (God, like fifteen years ago), I had a buddy who decided to go last minute.  To try and save money their first GenCon, they didn't get a room.  They just tried to catch naps in hallways or in the 24/7 anime viewing room.  Things did not go well.

So whenever I see someone this late in the GenCon process who's just now making up their mind to go, and who needs a place to stay, I speak up.  

Since my real name's easy as hell to figure out, I hope I don't come off as someone who's out to cut off faces and make little masks out of them or whatever.  If someone can get a safe, clean, place to crash for a few nights, and if I can get a little GenCon spending money out of splitting the room another way, well, everyone wins.

I appreciated your offer and was considering it, actually. But if I could, I want to get my own room so I can bring my own friends along.

Quote from: Critias;832804And, as an aside, I apologize if I'm coming on strong with the room offer.  One of my first GenCons (God, like fifteen years ago), I had a buddy who decided to go last minute.  To try and save money their first GenCon, they didn't get a room.  They just tried to catch naps in hallways or in the 24/7 anime viewing room.  Things did not go well.

Ha, I have worked security at a large con (not GenCon large, but like, 20k large) and you always find these people. The worst part is that not only do they look half dead, they also smell awful. At a con, you really really really need to be on top of your hygiene, because that many people packed in very little space, it gets HOT. You will get sweaty. And the smell can be awful.

I'm always just... don't be that guy.

Quote from: thedungeondelver;832795I always felt like GenCon was one of thse things that for me would've been good to go to ... 30 years ago...but now, eh, not so much.  I just don't know what would be there to interest an old goober like me.

This is unsurprising.  But look, GenCon is, at heart, the same thing it was 30 years ago: a ton of gamers in the same place.  Surely there's something you can do with that.

GenCon is great but you need to plan far in advance.

If you have never done a convention, I highly suggest going to a regional convention. They are great events, usually over 3 day weekends. AKA, if you are in the SF Bay Area this weekend, you should be at KublaCon which is a really terrific convention, arguably best in the West.

GenCon is "the big show" so like ComicCon, its where the publishers promote their shiznak, but many people prefer Origins for actual gaming.

Also, something to consider are the Niche Cons, aka conventions that are company or game type specific. AKA, there is GaryCon for OSR events and the Palladium Open House for Rifts & Palladium Games, and both D&D and Pathfinder have their own weekend cons.

I am kinda surprised Savage Worlds and DCC haven't started their own niche cons. I'd love to play DCC for 3 days with a bunch of hardcore weirdos.

...another advantage of regional conventions is that its much easier to get a hotel room vs. the hostel room where Critias will make a flesh mask out of your face

BTW, I absolutely love going to conventions and I've attended many, many cons, even working as management at several. If there's anything you want to know, I'm happy to share (good, bad, ugly).

My favorite advice for would-be con-goers is the 3-2-1 rule:  minimum three hours of sleep a day, two meals, one shower.  

Anything extra is fine, anything less is trouble.