GenCon check-in/check-out/scratchpad thread
Sidereal Knight
First Post
Matchstick said:
At the risk of this being a "me too!" post, I would like to echo Matchstick's sentiment. I was a bit concerned that, as a lurker, I wouldn't be as welcomed because I'm not a "Name". Not So! Almost every ENWorlder I met with was beyond nice.
Thanks again! I can't wait until next year.
HellHound
ENnies winner and NOT Scrappy Doo
Dextra posts again
Keystone memory #1: "The Beginning"
Thursday morning. 9am. The crowd of gamers lining up to get in to the exhibit hall extends past the ENnies booth down the hall I'd say about 100m. As the doors were opened, a ripple of excitement spread down the line, applause broke out spontaneously, and I had to choke back tears as I realized, "I am amongst my people. I am home."
The feeling was coupled with an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion that never escaped me throughout the weekend, but knowing that we had driven 15 hours to get here including a nerve-wracking border crossing, stop-and-go traffic on a highway, towing a trailer for the first time in my driving career had made me want to kiss the ground as we had pulled in Wednesday into the loading area, and that sentiment never really escaped me.
In the past few months of working on the ENnies we lost one job, largely due to the fact that we weren't able to dedicate the time and effort that was required of it. We contemplated declaring bakrupcy and/or not attending due to finances. We budgetted fiercely, ever thankful of a hotel that served a huge cooked-to-order breakfast buffet to help provision the family for the day. Then the generosity of the publishers and ENWorlders kicked in, and all the money I'd poured into the ENnies was paid back. We were able to enjoy ourselves a little better, going out for a couple of meals that weren't fast food. Weren't able to buy much in the way of books at the con due to financial constraints, but did pick up a couple of items.
Keystone memory #2: "The End"
Last night as I was catching up on a few threads, the phone rang. It was Mark from Creative Mountain Games. The tail light on the trailer was on as he was walking by the hotel at which he was staying (we had to park at his hotel- the garage we were at during the week doubled their prices on us- it was bad enough that they wanted $20 a day to start with, but there was no way I could handle $40/day retroactively!!! Anyhoo, earlier Mark had stuck around with us along with some other fab ENWorlders (Rel, Cthulu's Librarian and someone else whose nick I didn't get) to help tear down the booth, scored us a cart with which to move everything to the van, and then drove over to paark the van. He came by the Suite for a brief visit (always a pleasure chatting with him), donated some extra foodstuffs to the cause, and when he got back to his hotel, unplugged the electrics from the van to the trailer so that we might actually have some battery power left by morning. This just exemplifies the caring and friendship I experienced from some great people over the course of the weekend.
It's 8:30 am, and the alarm just went off for my family to get up. We're going to have some breakfast, hopefully a quick dip in the pool, then head off to JediSoth's place to drop off some stuff he was kind enough to agree to store for us (so we don't have to do the trailer rental with the associated PITA factor again). Then we begin the 15 hour drive home, stopping overnight to visit my mother. I'm loathe to leave- it feels as though once I check out of the hotel, all the magic and happy feelings will be gone, so I'm writing these thoughts down in the hopes of preserving them.
Keystone memory #1: "The Beginning"
Thursday morning. 9am. The crowd of gamers lining up to get in to the exhibit hall extends past the ENnies booth down the hall I'd say about 100m. As the doors were opened, a ripple of excitement spread down the line, applause broke out spontaneously, and I had to choke back tears as I realized, "I am amongst my people. I am home."
The feeling was coupled with an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion that never escaped me throughout the weekend, but knowing that we had driven 15 hours to get here including a nerve-wracking border crossing, stop-and-go traffic on a highway, towing a trailer for the first time in my driving career had made me want to kiss the ground as we had pulled in Wednesday into the loading area, and that sentiment never really escaped me.
In the past few months of working on the ENnies we lost one job, largely due to the fact that we weren't able to dedicate the time and effort that was required of it. We contemplated declaring bakrupcy and/or not attending due to finances. We budgetted fiercely, ever thankful of a hotel that served a huge cooked-to-order breakfast buffet to help provision the family for the day. Then the generosity of the publishers and ENWorlders kicked in, and all the money I'd poured into the ENnies was paid back. We were able to enjoy ourselves a little better, going out for a couple of meals that weren't fast food. Weren't able to buy much in the way of books at the con due to financial constraints, but did pick up a couple of items.
Keystone memory #2: "The End"
Last night as I was catching up on a few threads, the phone rang. It was Mark from Creative Mountain Games. The tail light on the trailer was on as he was walking by the hotel at which he was staying (we had to park at his hotel- the garage we were at during the week doubled their prices on us- it was bad enough that they wanted $20 a day to start with, but there was no way I could handle $40/day retroactively!!! Anyhoo, earlier Mark had stuck around with us along with some other fab ENWorlders (Rel, Cthulu's Librarian and someone else whose nick I didn't get) to help tear down the booth, scored us a cart with which to move everything to the van, and then drove over to paark the van. He came by the Suite for a brief visit (always a pleasure chatting with him), donated some extra foodstuffs to the cause, and when he got back to his hotel, unplugged the electrics from the van to the trailer so that we might actually have some battery power left by morning. This just exemplifies the caring and friendship I experienced from some great people over the course of the weekend.
It's 8:30 am, and the alarm just went off for my family to get up. We're going to have some breakfast, hopefully a quick dip in the pool, then head off to JediSoth's place to drop off some stuff he was kind enough to agree to store for us (so we don't have to do the trailer rental with the associated PITA factor again). Then we begin the 15 hour drive home, stopping overnight to visit my mother. I'm loathe to leave- it feels as though once I check out of the hotel, all the magic and happy feelings will be gone, so I'm writing these thoughts down in the hopes of preserving them.
DungeonmasterCal
First Post
I hat you all! Hat, I say!
Seriously... from what I've read on this and other threads, it sounds like GenCon was a smash this year. I hope hope hope to make it next year, and and hope hope hope to meet some of you!
Seriously... from what I've read on this and other threads, it sounds like GenCon was a smash this year. I hope hope hope to make it next year, and and hope hope hope to meet some of you!
Kanegrundar
Explorer
Same here. Although it looks like it will be in 2 years for me...DungeonmasterCal said:
Kane
Thank you for saying that, I was with you in spirit. I came '-' that close to jumping in my car and driving up Wednesday, even was up at 3 AM thinking about it, saying to myself if I left now I would be there by before 3 PM, room with John Criton. Ended up talking myself out of it.Buttercup said:It was the best ever. The only thing that would have made it better is if you had been able to be with us.
