I've never gone and want to go this year. However, I didn't realize how packed it was going to be; like 90% of the events are already sold out, along with the hotel.
Assuming I even get a hotel, is it worth going if you aren't going to be in most of the good events? Is there just lots of stuff going on you can check out, etc.
Most cons I've gone to don't force you to buy tickets for events, you can just get in line at the door, so... a bummer.
We only tend to make it for Sunday, the Family Fun Day of GenCon.
For a family of four, you can get in for $30. (At least that was last year's price.)
From my perspective, that gives you enough time to get through the entire main vending area once, if you're taking your time checking the booths out. That first year or two, however, we never made it to everything.
A lot of the decent sized board game and card game vendors will have areas devoted to playtesting games; Fantasy Flight, Mayfair, Asmodee really stand out in that regard. Even though it gets mixed reaction here, there's even been playtest space in the main vending area for the FFG Star Wars RPG.
What I've found, especially with kids in tow, is that the so-called family games that the smaller companies have out can be very damn clever. If you're willing to check out non-RPGs and you're tired of the Monopoly flavor of the month, hanging around in the family area is a good thing to do.
As for RPGs, it depends on the booth themselves. I've had a good time chatting with people from Troll Lord, Paizo, Fantasy Flight, and the Savage Worlds folks. The Triple Ace people were good to talk to as well, but they weren't there last year. Green Ronin were kind of so-so last year; they just seemed tired of the con by then.
The tickets, at least when I attended, tended to not be too pricy so that is usually not a huge problem as you will be hitting up only a few usually over the course of the con. They were intended to help make sure people actually attended the events that they signed up for.
There are also, or were, open gaming rooms that did not require tickets.
The vendors area can take up hours and hours and hours of time and money. It was one of the things I went to the con to enjoy actually. The other was to see all the costumers and artists, a few of which I knew personally way back.
A hotel is the biggest hassle. You either book one close a year in advance or you end up in one increasingly further from the con. GenCon when it was still in Wisconsin was notorious for using up all the local hotels.
Plan out what you intend to do and keep in mind that you will be doing likely an immense amount of walking. Hiking really as you can end up having to traverse the width and breadth of the con to get to things.
Least whn I attended there were alot of great minor events going on. The trick is finding them.
Loads of stuff to do, pick up games, run your own games, board games, CCG drafts all great.
I personally skip the big "events" like True Dungeon because I hate queuing up and you have much more fun playing Amber in a side room with some nice folks that want to play games rather than fighting the kids that go to such things for a small chunk of attention.
Gen Con is big though so you don't get much chance to interact with many folk though the artists are great.
Origins is nicer cos you can usually grab a beer with some of the designers and have a chin wag.
For me the best bit it catching up with my Canadian based mates, although sharing a room with half a dozen hairy arsed canucks isn't the most fun you can have if you have a sense of smell and/or hearing. I went to one on my own once as I was traveling across America and there it was but ..meh.. not as much fun.
I attended two Gen Cons back when it was in Wisconsin, 88 and 93 I think they were. There were about 15K and 19K attendees at the events. Best vacations I ever had. Four days of gaming, being surrounded by people who also love gaming, looking at dioramas, costumes, vendors and seminars. I remember on one Saturday I laughed so hard all day long that my entire torso ached terribly, it hurt to continue laughing, yet laugh more I did. On Sunday too.
One time I attended a seminar on "Great Fantasy Literature" held by four guys and kept the papers of the lists they made. I still have them and occasionally refer to them on what to read next.
One year I attended a Battletech tournament and won the first round but skipped advancing in favor of more RPGs. I still wonder how far I could have gotten. Probably not too far, I like the game but am not fanatical about it.
Once I stabilize my life and improve my finances I hope to go back and attend more. Smaller cons too.
Yes, the crowds and lines can be a hassle and a big waste of time. Booking a room is a pain as is getting back and forth; finding a decent meal too. This is one reason I tend to choose simpler and quieter vacations to New Hampshire and Maine.
Should you go? Of course only you can decide. If you love games Gen Con is something you should experience at least once. But smaller cons will give you at least half the same stuff anyway. You don't even need the main events, there's plenty on the sides to do. You gotta study the guide books and try to focus on your priorities with a mind to where things are. As Omega said, you don't want to be hiking through crowds all day long. I dunno. It's almost June which is a bit late for planning this year's con. I'd say start making plans for next year instead. Get some friends to go with you, book a closer motel room, plot out what your priorities are (mostly RPGs? Mostly board and miniature games? Seminars? A mix of each? When will you eat? What will you eat? Can you survive a day on diet bars, candy and bottled water? How little sleep is okay with you?)
Just my 2 cents.
Quote from: jibbajibba;832485Loads of stuff to do, pick up games, run your own games, board games, CCG drafts all great.
Is all that even if you didn't buy tickets for it ahead of time?
Quote from: Doughdee222;832503Should you go? Of course only you can decide. If you love games Gen Con is something you should experience at least once. But smaller cons will give you at least half the same stuff anyway. You don't even need the main events, there's plenty on the sides to do. You gotta study the guide books and try to focus on your priorities with a mind to where things are. As Omega said, you don't want to be hiking through crowds all day long. I dunno. It's almost June which is a bit late for planning this year's con. I'd say start making plans for next year instead. Get some friends to go with you, book a closer motel room, plot out what your priorities are (mostly RPGs? Mostly board and miniature games? Seminars? A mix of each? When will you eat? What will you eat? Can you survive a day on diet bars, candy and bottled water? How little sleep is okay with you?)
Just my 2 cents.
Yeah I should have; I only heard about Gen Con as registation was opening and looked into it. By then almost everything was sold out and all the hotels booked. But maybe I could still scrounge something together if it was really worth going. Who knows if the same games and people will be around next year.
Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;832504Is all that even if you didn't buy tickets for it ahead of time?
Yeah I should have; I only heard about Gen Con as registation was opening and looked into it. By then almost everything was sold out and all the hotels booked. But maybe I could still scrounge something together if it was really worth going. Who knows if the same games and people will be around next year.
According to the GenCon staff there is still an open gaming area. This does not require tickets. But it is very much first come first served and you will have to watch for announcements of sessions or just case around.
As for event tickets. Gen Con's base price is $2 per 2 hours of table time requested. Individual event GMs can add $2 increments to that.
You can also buy batches of generic tickets and use them for events with openings due to non-attendees.
This will be my first GenCon; I'm reliably informed that I can get by with some generic tickets because I don't mind pick-up gaming, filling empty seats as I see 'em, and the like. We'll see.
I figure there's enough to see and do that I should be fine; I'm extroverted enough to find gaming at a con. :)
Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;832424Assuming I even get a hotel, is it worth going if you aren't going to be in most of the good events? Is there just lots of stuff going on you can check out, etc.
IME, you'll have about a 90% success rate with RPG events if you just buy generic tickets and walk up to tables that are theoretically sold.
Even without tickets you've got all kinds of company demo areas, open game rooms, pick-up games all over the place, seminars, yada yada yada.
My first year at Indy Gencon was a last minute decision because a friend ended up with some hotel space. I was registered for nothing and found it extremely easy to pack my weekend full of amazing stuff (with a long list of stuff that I would have loved to have done, but simply didn't have the time).
The problem now is just finding a hotel. Literally everywhere except the $2000/night places are sold out. Is the only way to get a hotel to just basically reserve them months ahead?
1) Remember, you can return generic tickets (on Sunday, at a booth in the convention center) for GenCon credit. If you ever plan on attending again, then, it's better to have too many of them than too few; any extras, just turn 'em in and get credit for next year.
1A) Also, generic tickets are the only way to play the still-really-cool Battletech battle-pods thing. It's good fun, there's no pre-registration, you just show up, sign up, and play within 5-10 minutes.
2) If anyone is in need of a room and is willing to pony up to (a) crash with strangers, (b) sleep somewhere besides a bed, and (c) take a cab to and from the convention, I have a room with just me and a buddy in it, so far, so plenty of space for gamers who'd otherwise be stranded.
Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;832592The problem now is just finding a hotel. Literally everywhere except the $2000/night places are sold out. Is the only way to get a hotel to just basically reserve them months ahead?
As someone who's been to Gen Con, I can tell you that Indianapolis is a pretty nicely laid out city, especially compared to something like Atlanta(what I'm more used to). It also has ample, easy-to-find, and not too expensive parking in easy walking distance of the convention. The one time I went, I stayed in a Super 8(or something like that; it's been a few years) on the outskirts of the city, and it only took me about 20 minutes to get to and from the convention from my hotel each day. I know how awesome it can be to be right there during a convention, but considering that the money you save can be pretty huge(it'll more than make up for having to pay for parking each day) and the commute is really not bad at all, that's the route I'd suggest you go at this point. Try something like Expedia, Priceline, Kayak, Hotels.com, etc. and give it either a 20-mile or 30-mile radius around the convention center and see what pops up. You won't be using your room for much except for sleep, so no need to be all fancy.
Another way to go that's already been mentioned is to network. Be careful, of course, but you might be able to find an online friend who lives in the area or who already has a room and would be willing to let you split the cost with them. It looks like Critias is offering. I don't know how well you guys know each other, and I always urge due diligence and basic internet safety when entering into such arrangements, but that's one way to go.
Some other little tips:
1. If you see any games available that you want to play, go ahead and sign up. They've got tons of stuff to choose from, so even if a lot has been sold out already you should be able to find something.
2. Check your regular haunts on the internet to see if you have any friends going who'd like to get together. When I went, I managed to get into a few off-the-books games that way, as well as had a couple of nice meals w/ some other folks. There are some nice restaurants and pubs really close to Gen Con, and there's a place that serves dim sum(if it's still there) that was about 10 minutes driving time from the convention center.
2b. You may want to do 1 and 2 in the reverse order. I think they're particularly important if you're coming from out of state. There's a ton to see and do at Gen Con, but it's nice to have at least a few things pre-planned with other con-goers just in case.
3. Find out the location and hours for Games on Demand and make use of them! You can find people willing to run a huge variety of stuff in there, which works out great for someone like myself who loves to try out new games. You'll need to pay for time spent there with generic tickets, so don't forget about the return policy on those mentioned by Critias above.
That's really about it. There's the standard vacation thing -- make sure to have a list of what you need to take so you don't forget anything while packing, work out trasnportation(will you have your own car, will you rent a car, will you rent a cab, etc.), decide how you're going to handle food ahead of time(taking meals you planned with others into account), print out an itinerary of stuff you already scheduled and events/panels you want to attend, and . . . yeah, have fun! Don't starve yourself, keep hydrated, hit the dealer's hall later in the day so that you don't have to lug your purchases around with you all day(I made that mistake one day) . . . that's about all I can think of!
Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;832592The problem now is just finding a hotel. Literally everywhere except the $2000/night places are sold out. Is the only way to get a hotel to just basically reserve them months ahead?
Check out hotel.com. You might need to book outside of the downtown area (although I'm seeing some stuff available down there still), but parking downtown is plentiful and affordable. So a rental car can make things pretty easy-going.
I would totally love to go someday but it's a little far to travel for me. It will happen one day though! :)
Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;832592The problem now is just finding a hotel. Literally everywhere except the $2000/night places are sold out. Is the only way to get a hotel to just basically reserve them months ahead?
If you have your own car then start ranging outwards from the center. GenCon in Wisconsin was notorious for using up all the local hotels and then the ones in neighboring towns!
If you can stand a little drive in and out each day and the hassles of finding parking. Then that may be an option.
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.
Speaking of three meals a day, I hear there are food trucks typically?
I would also welcome any recommendations on interesting restaurants in Indy, particularly in walking distance from the con area.
Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;832788I actually found some hotels after all. Awesome. Hotels.com to the rescue.
Now the question remains what events to look at and whatnot.
Games people were running in hotels? Did they have signups at Gen Con for it?
GenCon doesn't run signups for them, but EnWorld/CircvsMaximvs does. They are all privately run games, open to pretty much any member of EnWorld or CircvsMaximvs, on a first come first serve (signup in a thread) basis. You could of course open a thread here and get a few TheRPGSite games going as well I suspect.
You can view the 2014 threads on it here (http://www.circvsmaximvs.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?57-GenCon).
The idea of an RPGsite meetup at GenCon - for a pickup game, or a round of drinks - does have its charms. I doubt it would devolve into fisticuffs. I'd be happy to participate in a meet-and-greet.
Who all's going this year? Macular, Critias, I've lost track of who else chimed in.
Quote from: VectorSigma;832952Speaking of three meals a day, I hear there are food trucks typically?
I would also welcome any recommendations on interesting restaurants in Indy, particularly in walking distance from the con area.
The food trucks these last several years have been a really great addition. Some of them have a lot of fun with it and dress up/decorate their truck with cool geeky stuff. A few are overpriced, but far more often than not I've left my food truck happy; they've become my go-to lunch option, every day of the con, and some of the carts/trucks stay out pretty late (even overnight) which can be a lifesaver.
For sit-down restaurants, my general guide is to try The Ram (especially if you're a fan of Privateer Press' games), Weber Grill (if you like steak, eat there, and it's nice to get a "nice" meal once per con), and keep Steak and Shake in mind (because it's open 24/7, I end up eating there at least once per con, and those shakes can help out if you get a con-funk sore throat). There's a Penn Station and a PF Chang for other chains (I dig Penn Station 'cause I don't have one locally, so it's turned into an every-year lunch spot for me and a buddy), just off the top of my head.
One thing Indy isn't lacking is decent restaurants.
In recent years I've eaten breakfast in my room (I've been staying at extended-stay type hotels with full kitchens), done lunch at a food truck, and then gone outta my way to get a good dinner somewhere, relaxing, taking our time, and feeling like fucking adults, just once a day.
Quote from: VectorSigma;832952Speaking of three meals a day, I hear there are food trucks typically?
Up to a certain hour there are usually vendor areas open. Never saw food trucks. Though the post above indicates that there are. But did see pizza and hot dog vendors. Each big hotel usually had a restaurant in it with varying hours.
Quote from: Omega;832975Up to a certain hour there are usually vendor areas open. Never saw food trucks. Though the post above indicates that there are. But did see pizza and hot dog vendors. Each big hotel usually had a restaurant in it with varying hours.
The trucks've been there just the last few years (so if it's been a while, you missed 'em), and they're only lined up on Georgia Street (so if you don't go that way, you missed 'em).
One minor thing with GenCon when it was still in Wisconsin was that the events sprawled out into the adjoining buildings and hotels. After a point it gets hard to tell where the heck anything was or required quite a hike. I didnt mind the hiking at all. But that had to be tough on some other attendees.
The aformentioned Captain Proton con LARP was one of those way off in another hotel. Room parties were a pain to track down too sometimes.
Dont know if it still sprawls like that or not at the new place?
It does, but it's not too bad as long as you plan for it. They're up-front about locations any time you look at a game, and there are maps of Downtown Indy with stuff pretty clearly marked.
I've never been to Gencon, but I suspect that if I did, I probably wouldn't actually be spending my time playing.
For you Pundy, GenCon might be more useful as an industry conference where you meet and greet people and make contacts. You would probably want to run a few events of your own games as Play with the Creator events which are always popular and of course, a theRPGsite meetup.
GenCon's a busy four days. There's plenty of time to play and network.
Quote from: Spinachcat;833918For you Pundy, GenCon might be more useful as an industry conference where you meet and greet people and make contacts. You would probably want to run a few events of your own games as Play with the Creator events which are always popular and of course, a theRPGsite meetup.
That last one would probably be the one thing that would really interest me.
I'd host an unofficial panel... somewhere that I could smoke a fucking pipe.