Advice for a newbie to GenCon?

JesterPoet · Feb 20, 2004

Okay, I know this has been done to death, but I can't search yet and figured maybe someone will still be willing to help me out.

I'm FINALLY going to GenCon this year. I'm not really concerned about tickets, hotel rooms, whether or not to bathe (I do), etc, as I have most of that under control. What I'd like to know is how to go about signing up for things. How do I find good events, and how do I get into them? When do I want to start looking, and what am I looking for?

Can anyone offer any advice?

JesterPoet · Feb 23, 2004

Also, are there any events that are good places to meet fellow ENWorld members?

Hand of Evil · Feb 23, 2004

Pre-reg!

The best place and time to meet other ENWorlders is at the ENNies Friday night but we do show up at the EN-Publishing booth just to say high.

Pick-up and Demos - I have had my most fun with them, these are new game systems or events put on by companies.

Spend time looking, don't schedule yourself to game the whole time you are there, walk around and look at what the CON has to offer.

JesterPoet · Feb 23, 2004

Hand of Evil said:
Pre-reg!

When do events start showing up in the registration thingy? And how quickly do they all fill up?

Hand of Evil · Feb 23, 2004

JesterPoet said:
When do events start showing up in the registration thingy? And how quickly do they all fill up?

Event registration does not start until May 7th (I think). Some events fill quite quick. Check to see if the event has another time too, people will sign up for the first event they see without checking to see if it is being run at a different time.

Wyn A'rienh · Feb 23, 2004

~waltzes into the thread~

I'm going to GenCon too! ~grins and bounces~ I just started playing D&D about a year ago but my boyfriend has been playing for years and years and years. So! I got a nice tax refund and decided that GenCon was a good way to spend some of it.

What was my point again? ~scratches her forehead~

Oh! I'm glad this you posted this, original poster. I was a bit confused about events and signing up and schtuff. Now there'll be advice from the pros! Yeehaw!

Hope to get to know some of you here on the boards. That would make meeting you all in person a lot more interesting. Though I have to say, I haven't been posting much because it's a little intimidating. It's hard for me to chime in on the insert-really-involved-rule-question thread. ~blushes~

Okay. /ramble.

~waves and waltzes back out of the thread, whistling happily~

Quickbeam · Feb 23, 2004

Pre-reg is definitely the place to sift through the myriad of game/event options beforehand. You can search through what's available item by item, or specify parameters to narrow your search (game system, date, time, etc.) and go from there. Each game/event has a description -- most of which are pretty useful -- and that info along with your own availability and preferences should suffice.

For my part, I spent about and 60-90 minutes perusing the online event listings before making my selections last year. Then I just sat back and let the Con take over. As Hand of Evil suggests, pre-scheduling all of your time is a very bad idea, because unexpected items and opportunities are certain to catch your fancy.

This will be my second GenCon. Last year I only spent two days in Indy, and had scheduled four games plus the ENnies ceremony. It left me with far less time in the dealer area than I wanted (needed), and almost no latitude for spontaneous action. This year I'm going the whole time, and will still probably only schedule four games in advance. Flexibility is key at GenCon.

Cthulhu's Librarian · Feb 23, 2004

Last year, I scheduled 2 events each day, and ended up dropping (or they were cancelled) 1 each day. There were plenty of things to do, I'm sure that even if you were not to sign up for anything, you'd still find more things to do than you have time for. There are always drop in games happening, and demos running all the time. Plus, lots of games end up in the final schedule that were not available for pre-registration.

For more general GenCon info, I'd also take a look at the following sites:

http://php.iupui.edu/~wrporter/
Randy Porter's wonderful guide to all things GenCon

http://forums.gencon.com/
Official GenCon Forums

BrooklynKnight · Feb 23, 2004

Last year was my first year. I scheduled a ton of events and ended up going to none of what I actually scheduled!

I recommend only scheduling one or two things you'd really like to do, and then winging the rest. Buy some general tickets if they are still doing that this year, and just wander looking for stuff.

I really recommend seminars like the FR Seminar and Who's Line is it Anyway?

Hand of Evil · Feb 23, 2004

ArthurQ said:
Buy some general tickets if they are still doing that this year, and just wander looking for stuff.

I really recommend seminars like the FR Seminar and Who's Line is it Anyway?

Yes they are doing the generics tickets, $1.50 a ticket. Seminar are always great to go to. Costume contest is a hoot, art show is amazing, just watching miniature games is fun, the Auction is the place for deals!

Advice for a newbie to GenCon?

JesterPoet

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JesterPoet

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Hand of Evil

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JesterPoet

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Hand of Evil

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Wyn A'rienh

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Quickbeam

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Cthulhu's Librarian

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BrooklynKnight

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Hand of Evil

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