Quote from: jeff37923;976923Oh, nice! The Klingon Kosplayer doesn't think you are a True Gamer if you do not attend conventions. You better go sign up and spend that money or some anonymous internet wanker will have a poor opinion of you!

Quote from: Dumarest;976944That's about the dumbest logic I've ever read as far as a reason to go to a convention goes. I should go because otherwise you'll think I'm a "bitter non-gamer"? :rolleyes:

I don't need to meet any more gamers and have plenty of friends and RPGs. Plus, and this is the amazing thing, I could do all that for free if I want to and have done so many times. No need to pay an entry fee and hang around a lot of guys with poor understanding of personal hygiene.

Another reason not to go: I won't have to meet or play a game with "Koltar."

Sensitive folks.

If you have plenty of gamer friends and don't like conventions, don't go. If you don't have plenty of gamer friends, then go and meet people. It's pretty simple. Point is, a lot of posters here ARE bitter non-gamers: they don't have regular games, they don't ever play, they just bitch about other people having fun. Those posts crack me up.

This will probably be the first Gen Con I've missed in 14 years, and that sucks for me: it's a lot of fun.

Quote from: darthfozzywig;977914This will probably be the first Gen Con I've missed in 14 years, and that sucks for me: it's a lot of fun.

Truthfully? I wish you could go then.

 I know what that feels like.
Four or five years ago I missed going to a Gen Con weekend and it felt very strange.

- Ed C.

I will be there.  I go every year, but mostly I bo to talk to people for my show...and buy stuff.

Go to GenCon to play in the "Legends of Wargaming" historical miniatures games.

Because REAL gamers play historical miniatures.

The wife and I will be going as press again this year.

Quote from: Dan Davenport;978561The wife and I will be going as press again this year.

Cool ...Very Nice.

Oh, and to re-state it for the record - the first 7 to 8 times that I went to Gen Con were to work the Charity Jail & Bail as a Klingon. It wasn't damn 'cosplay' - it was at the request of Gen Con itself and who was in charge of it in the early 2000s.  
They asked for Klingons - I showed up as a Klingon.

- Ed C.

Quote from: Koltar;978565Oh, and to re-state it for the record - the first 7 to 8 times that I went to Gen Con were to work the Charity Jail & Bail as a Klingon. It wasn't damn 'cosplay' - it was at the request of Gen Con itself and who was in charge of it in the early 2000s.  
They asked for Klingons - I showed up as a Klingon.

- Ed C.

Hence why it is referred to as Kosplay.....

Quote from: Koltar;978565Cool ...Very Nice.

Oh, and to re-state it for the record - the first 7 to 8 times that I went to Gen Con were to work the Charity Jail & Bail as a Klingon. It wasn't damn 'cosplay' - it was at the request of Gen Con itself and who was in charge of it in the early 2000s.  
They asked for Klingons - I showed up as a Klingon.

- Ed C.

Oh, and yes, the wife is in charge of taking pictures.

Quote from: Dan Davenport;978561The wife and I will be going as press again this year.

Do you get a press pass...? Anything official? (and if so, how?)

Quote from: J.L. Duncan;978866Do you get a press pass...? Anything official? (and if so, how?)

Yup, we have official press passes. GenCon has a press office from which you can request them.

That's pretty cool.

Quote from: Kravell;976872I ran DCC two years ago. Those games are always fun. What adventures are you running?

DCC was the least enjoyable thing I did at last year's Gen Con. Not for the game, not for my fellow players.....but because they crammed eight(?) tables in a room better-suited for half that number. It was impossible to hear your fellow gamers, I was hoarse and headachy by the end of it.

That said, it was still pretty fun, and a good intro/funnel adventure.

Please post GenCon pics!!

Thank you in advance to everyone who will be posting pics! They are always appreciated.

As for the expense of cons, they are a vacation. All the same issues - housing, food, travel, entertainment. And just like a vacation, some destinations are more fun than others and so much of the value depends on whether what you experience is meaningful to you.

I love heavy metal festivals. It's like cons, except I'm standing in a mosh pit for 12 hours with 5000 people trying to crush me into the railing while the band tries blowing out my eardrums.

Heaven.

BTW, if anyone is looking for how your con experience can be made cheaper, you can check out my sticky thread on the Palladium forums.
http://palladium-megaverse.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=100873

Also, new Palladium Open House next year!! Woot!

Quote from: Dumarest;976880Never  been interested in conventions.

Do you attend local game days at your FLGS? Cons are essentially just larger versions.

California has a few excellent conventions. I personally recommend PolyCon (San Luis Obispo) and KublaCon (Bay Area).

Cons offer some things that you can't get in home groups BUT the value of the con experience is based on whether or not those things matter to you. For me, the advantages of a convention and their unique offerings make the effort and expense worthwhile.

For me, the big advantages are demos of new games, playing with game designers, playing in large scale events, tournaments and meeting new gamers and learning some new GM tricks.  

Quote from: Dumarest;976880I don't even go to Comic Con here in San Diego.

Comic Con is a strange beast now. Back in the day, you could have easily gotten a ticket the day of the show. These days the tickets vanish almost a year in advance and the lines are beyond bizarre. People actually queue up the day before the big events. Blows my mind compared to the 90s when it was still a comic book convention.  Now its a TV & Movie con. People still love it though.

Quote from: GameDaddy;977026made my sixth appearance at Origins in Columbus back in June, I really should post up a few pix here and an after-action report from Origins as I met a lot of gaming friends, and got to checkout some awesome new gaming stuff.

YES!! Please do an Origins thread.

Origins is on my must-attend list. It's eluded me far too many times due to scheduling nonsense.

Quote from: Edgewise;977056Of course, I've never gamed at a convention before, so what would I know?  I'm sort of jumping in with both feet, here.  God knows what I'm getting into.

God may be quiet on the subject, but myself and other attendees certainly know what you're getting into, so ask away!

I've been a con GM for 30+ years. My main suggestions is be prepared (pregens are a must) and assume your players know nothing and won't even have dice. A one page system cheat-sheet is a good idea. Also, bring plenty of water.
 
The noise level at GenCon can be an issue. Its why I prefer smaller cons where I can get a private RPG room or small shared room. What I've done at GenCon is scope out a better space and move my table once all my players arrive. Get creative. At the last GenCon in Milwaukee, I found the door to a service hallway was unlocked and moved my table there and we played for 6 hours without anybody noticing we were there.

If you are stuck ground zero in the loudness, use maps and minis if possible to keep attention on the table. For GenCon especially, I bring printout of images for the players because I know I may not be able to do a lot of verbal immersion with them due to the noise. Pictures = 1000 words, etc.

BTW, if you are flying to GenCon and don't want to carry minis, I highly suggest cardboard / paper figs. They are weigh nothing and look good.

Quote from: Edgewise;977056OStupidly, I haven't actually signed up for any gaming sessions myself, yet, and I heard a month ago that most of the DCC tables were full  I've been too preoccupied being ready to run mine.  I'm hoping my status as a Judge for Goodman Games will give me a chance to jump in if there are no-shows, but I have no idea how this works.

I would contact Goodman's GenCon Judge Wrangler and ask them in advance. Explain your goof and they'll let you know if they can assist.

Also, double check the GenCon website and see how they are doing seat assignments for no-shows. I remember that changed a few years ago and don't want to give your old info.

You still have a month so I would plot out your schedule. There are always drop-outs and shuffling in the last month so who knows what you could get if you keep tabs on the sign ups.

Quote from: Harlock;977272I'd like to go to a con, but not a huge one. GaryCon would be a fun one for me, but the expense is just beyond my budget.

Have you checked out the North Texas RPG Con?
http://ntrpgcon.com/
 

Quote from: RPGPundit;977270I'm not going, but then I've never been able to go.

You of all people absolutely need to do GenCon at least once.

Make it happen!

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;977361It's a tradeoff.  Nothing is free.

Herpes?

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;978145Because REAL gamers play historical miniatures.

Agreed! My favorite historical period is the year 40,000!

According to the Indianapolis Business Journal Today:

"Gen Con triggers the biggest influx of cash of any city event and it also has the highest profit margin due to gamers' heavy spending."

 The eating and drinking isn't confined to hotel restaurants. The Hot Box location on Georgia Street downtown last year reported record sales--topping the cash that came in during the run-up to the 2012 Super Bowl.

"We sold a boatload of pizza," said Gabe Connell, founder of Hot Box Pizza LLC. "Friday and Saturday of last year were just insane. We were shocked and surprised. And we're definitely expecting big things this year."

Seventy percent of Hot Box's sales during Gen Con were for delivery. "We deliver to all the downtown hotels and our delivery guys were going every which way at all hours," said Connell, whose downtown location is open until 4 a.m. on weekends.
gencon-30-15col.jpg Gen Con triggers the biggest influx of cash of any city event and it also has the highest profit margin due to gamers' heavy spending. (IBJ file photo)

To join the Gen Con game, Scotty's Brewhouse, Buca Di Beppo, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Harry & Izzy's and Primanti Brothers are conducting special promotions; some are offering movie screenings and game rooms for Gen Con visitors. Ruth's Chris, for instance, gives Gen Con diners a discount if they come in costume.

"Businesses that proactively embrace Gen Con do very well," said Gen Con spokesman Jake Theis.

 Sun King Brewery is one of the businesses that has done just that. In 2012, it began brewing a Gen Con-themed beer, which is sold on tap and in cans.

Due to the beer's popularity and the expectation of larger crowds, Sun King has increased its production of its Gen Con beer--this year called Dragon's Delight--from 100 barrels to 155.

Sun King will host a tapping party on Georgia Street, and many restaurants will carry the beer during Gen Con.

"We've found the [Gen Con attendees] love collecting the artwork [on the cans]," said Sun King spokeswoman Beth Belange. "This year, the artwork is stunning."

Belange said Sun King looks for any way it can connect with Gen Coners, including hosting a game night.

"They're polite, kind; they like to drink beer, eat food and tip," she said. "So it's a great crowd."

Ray said Gen Con attendees' buying habits have changed dramatically since the event first landed in Indianapolis in 2003.

"They've grown up from just eating chips and drinking Mountain Dew to going for the full-meal deals," Ray said. "Places like St. Elmo and other upscale restaurants have really seen a big increase over the years as the Gen Con crowd has matured."

Ruth's Chris downtown store has seen sales of its Gen Con Steak Break steak slider special triple in recent years, said Ramona Adams, the high-end restaurant's local sales director.

"We think our promotions and specials let Gen Con attendees know we welcome them," Adams said. "Once we started doing that, they started showing us love back."

Despite Gen Coners' sometimes quirky appearance, dressed as a Star Wars Storm Trooper for instance, "their money spends just like anyone else's," Adams said.

"These are folks with discretionary income," she added. "You have to remember, there are no formal food functions with Gen Con. As a restaurant operator, that's when your eyes open wide. You just know it's going to be a flood."

Gahl expects all 33,000 hotel rooms in the Indianapolis metropolitan area to sell out for multiple nights, with some attendees staying as far away as Bloomington and Lafayette. General Hotels is expecting a sellout at its Holiday Inn Express about seven miles south of downtown and its Homewood Suites at Keystone at the Crossing, as well at its downtown and airport hotels.

Several sources close to the gaming community said pre-convention Internet chatter--with lots of people seeking information on hotels and new restaurants--is more than double that of previous years.

 Gen Con 2017 is expanding its presence in Lucas Oil Stadium, using the field for the first time in addition to the stadium's exhibit halls and meeting rooms it used last year. Lucas Oil is connected underground to the south end of the Indiana Convention Center.

The field will be used to stage a re-creation of the first Gen Con show in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The name Gen Con is shortened from Geneva Convention.

"We think the displays we have on the field will be a really big draw," Theis said. "We're going to be celebrating gaming in the '70s, '80s and '90s, and we're building a tribute to this event's origins in Wisconsin."

At Lucas Oil, attendees will see gaming artifacts and tributes to the early Gen Con events, including a model of Lake Geneva's Horticultural Hall where the first convention took place.

Gen Con last year first tested using parts of Lucas Oil Stadium--specifically, 60,000 square feet of its meeting space. There was concern attendees wouldn't want to walk the block from the Convention Center to the stadium, so convention officials filled the street-level corridor leading to the underground tunnel with attractions. The test was a success, they said. Gen Con this year will use 152,000 square feet of stadium space, including two exhibit halls and the field.

In total, the event will use more than 750,000 square feet in the Convention Center, the connector corridor and the stadium combined. It's the most space ever booked for an Indianapolis convention.

"Lucas Oil Stadium was connected to the Indiana Convention Center and deliberately designed to serve as a multipurpose venue to provide exactly this kind of flexibility in growing events here," Visit Indy CEO Leonard Hoops told IBJ.

In addition to staging events on Georgia Street, Gen Con for the first time will use Bankers Life Fieldhouse--to host a concert featuring Grammy Award-winning They Might Be Giants. Theis predicted the concert "will be the largest [single] event in Gen Con history."

Gahl said that is the kind of ancillary event that could draw a throng of people who might not be able to score a ticket.

"The footprint of this event just keeps growing," Gahl said. "And as that grows, so does the economic impact."•