Going to my first ever convention!

[DumbPaladin]

Hello, everyone. I am a convention virgin.

Can anyone give me some idea about the Do's and Don'ts of convention attending? What can I expect in terms of ... everything? Are there any mistakes you've made that you would like to share so that I do not befall the same fate? Are there any things you've done that turned out to be awesome, that you would like to share so that I can consider trying them as well?

--DP

[Edit: A couple notes -- I already practice excellent hygiene and I like to eat GOOD food, so no worries there. Let's assume I am an well-bathed, well-fed, well-mannered paladin and go from there. The convention is KublaCon, which seems like a smaller, more regional convention, and nothing as huge as GenCon.]

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

Hello, everyone. I am a convention virgin.

Can anyone give me some idea about the Do's and Don'ts of convention attending? What can I expect in terms of ... everything? Are there any mistakes you've made that you would like to share so that I do not befall the same fate? Are there any things you've done that turned out to be awesome, that you would like to share so that I can consider trying them as well?

--DP

1) DO take a shower each day.
2) DON'T be a dick.

These two seem obvious, but MANY people need to learn these for everyone else to enjoy the Con.

Other advice depends on the size and scope of the Con.

 

[invokethehojo]

I just went to GenCon for the first time last year. Here is what I learned.

I found the event thing a little daunting, so I just wandered around looking for pick up games. It wasn't until after I got home I looked through the event list a little more and found that several games I liked had walk in nights.

Also, if you see a game you want to demo do it as soon as you can, that way you have the rest of the convention to find games for it to play in (ask the dudes at the booth where to find games).

If you have a money limit bring only the cash you can afford to spend and leave plastic at home, you can go through a lot of money quickly.

If you plan on drinking, or just think you might, bring your own along in a cooler, it's way cheaper.

 

[darjr]

Give your self some time between events.

321 rule. Minimum 3 hours of sleep a night, 2 REAL meals a day, and 1 shower a day. Those are minimums.

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

My very first convention was Gen Con 2008 as a WotC booth volunteer.

From that perspective, my advice would be...

1. Start small. If you go to a big convention as your first, the sheer size and number of things to do will be a bit overwhelming (luckily, my time was taken up mostly in the booth...yeah I missed a lot of stuff, but if I'd been left to my own devices I probably just would have stood around stupidly staring at everything with my mouth hanging open, drooling slightly).

2. Be courteous (even to those who aren't). Most of the folks you run into will be also be courteous, but there will be those who think they are still on the internet and can be a troll simply because they aren't likely to see any of these people again. Smile, move on, and then mock them unmercifully on the internet later.

3. If you are relatively well known in internet and forum circles, wear something that identifies you as your online handle. I wore a hat with a monkey on it...and everyone who knew Crazy Monkey was able to ID me despite having never seen me in person before.

4. Have fun.

 

[darjr]

Oh, and I read this on Mike Mearls blog. Start walking. Even if you are in shape get some walking exercise in before the con. Start with short walks and increase it a bit everyday. Your feet and legs will thank you.

 

[Stoat]

Find a place that serves decent food and eat there. Three or four days of crappy food will kill you.

If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation.

Get some sleep.

 

[The Shaman]

Can anyone give me some idea about the Do's and Don'ts of convention attending?

Shower. Wear pants.


Remember, the booth girls are paid to be nice to you. They're not really interested in hearing about your character.

 

[OnlineDM]

The self-care advice is good, but my advice is more around how to figure out how to spend your time in the actual gaming part of the convention.

My first con was Denver's TactiCon over Labor Day Weekend 2010. I bought a badge in advance and browsed the event catalog but didn't buy any event tickets. I bought a few generic tickets on-site as well as a couple of tickets for specific games I wanted to play that still had seats open.

My advice is:

• Browse the events catalog in advance of the convention
• Buy tickets for a few events that seem really interesting to you, but I'd suggest booking no more than half of your time in advance
• Try out games that you've never tried before - this is a rare opportunity to learn about a new game!
• Chat with your fellow players and game masters who seem friendly and talk to them about the fun stuff they've done at the convention - look for inspiration about what to try next!
• Try to arrange things so that you have a day after the convention to recover.

That last point is because at both of the cons I've gone to so far, I've ended up fully booked, doing something in every slot. Both cons were also done over holiday weekends (Labor Day and then Presidents' Day), but the cons ended on Sunday. This meant that I had Monday off work to recover, and I greatly appreciated it.

Conventions are fun, but exhausting! Pace yourself, and try to allow for recovery time if at all possible.

Enjoy!

 

[DumbPaladin]

The self-care advice is good, but my advice is more around how to figure out how to spend your time in the actual gaming part of the convention.

My first con was Denver's TactiCon over Labor Day Weekend 2010. I bought a badge in advance and browsed the event catalog but didn't buy any event tickets. I bought a few generic tickets on-site as well as a couple of tickets for specific games I wanted to play that still had seats open.

My advice is:

• Browse the events catalog in advance of the convention
• Buy tickets for a few events that seem really interesting to you, but I'd suggest booking no more than half of your time in advance
• Try out games that you've never tried before - this is a rare opportunity to learn about a new game!
• Chat with your fellow players and game masters who seem friendly and talk to them about the fun stuff they've done at the convention - look for inspiration about what to try next!
• Try to arrange things so that you have a day after the convention to recover.

That last point is because at both of the cons I've gone to so far, I've ended up fully booked, doing something in every slot. Both cons were also done over holiday weekends (Labor Day and then Presidents' Day), but the cons ended on Sunday. This meant that I had Monday off work to recover, and I greatly appreciated it.

Conventions are fun, but exhausting! Pace yourself, and try to allow for recovery time if at all possible.

Enjoy!

Not that I don't appreciate the self-maintenance advice, but this is more the kind of advice I was looking for, Online DM, so thanks for that.

Crazymonkey, neat idea. I doubt I'll be known by many people at this convention, but it's still a fine suggestion.

darjr, I'll remember 321.