Best cons to go to other than Origins and Gen Con

[Walking Paradox]

Exactly what the subject line says. What are the best game conventions to go to, other than the two that are the oldest and the most famous?

 

[ThirdWizard]

I usually go to DragonCon, though I won't be going this year.

I mostly go for the sci-fi and fantasy stuff, but it really has a huge area for games, too. I've never played there, but I have walked around and looked at games being played. I've also done some demo games in the dealer's hall.

Plus there are concerts and drinking. And crazy antics. Some friends of mine ended up getting drunk with the cast of Firefly a few years ago.

 

[Crothian]

Gamedays. We hold them at many points during the year and multiple locations though mostly on the East side of the States. They are small and exclusive but a hell of a good time.

 

[filthgrinder]

PAX Prime and PAX East. While the main focus is on video games, there are TONS AND TONS of table top stuff there. At PAX East this past year, a huge area was laid out with tabletop gaming. Vendors were selling tons and tons of board games, rpgs, mini, and CCGs (and billions of zombie dice [I know one of the local game stores who had a vendor booth sold out of zombie dice on the friday, even though steve jackson games was there and selling them at their booth just down the aisle]).

I went to both PAX East events, and last year's PAX Prime. They were easily (and I mean, far and away) the BEST cons I've ever been to. Tons of people, but everyone was nice and cool. Just meeting people in line for panels, or in line and in game was the WotC events was great.

The entire weekend from start to finish is really well done and creates a great atmosphere for gamers and gaming.

 

[Umbran]

Your local con. Low travel costs and local gamer networking - meeting new people is good. Meeting new people you can continue to game with afterwards is even better.

 

[Dannager]

PAX Prime and PAX East. While the main focus is on video games, there are TONS AND TONS of table top stuff there. At PAX East this past year, a huge area was laid out with tabletop gaming. Vendors were selling tons and tons of board games, rpgs, mini, and CCGs (and billions of zombie dice [I know one of the local game stores who had a vendor booth sold out of zombie dice on the friday, even though steve jackson games was there and selling them at their booth just down the aisle]).

I went to both PAX East events, and last year's PAX Prime. They were easily (and I mean, far and away) the BEST cons I've ever been to. Tons of people, but everyone was nice and cool. Just meeting people in line for panels, or in line and in game was the WotC events was great.

The entire weekend from start to finish is really well done and creates a great atmosphere for gamers and gaming.

Pretty much this. It's too late to get tickets to PAX Prime this year, but plenty of time to start planning for next year's PAX East.

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

I'm biased (I helped start it and I'm friends with the people who run it), but AnonyCon (Welcome | AnonyCon) is my favorite con. I've also had lots of fun at ConnCon. KublaiCon and Dundracon are both also fun, although quite different from East Coast cons (which appear to be fairly similar to Midwest cons). But I mostly agree with Umbran.

 

[lejanius]

For the last three years my favorite con to attend is Garycon (in honor of Gary Gygax!)

Tons of gaming but not a lot of vendors. However, if you mostly want to play games and enjoy a less than 400 person con this is the one for you.

http://www.garycon.com/

 

[Treebore]

I made the aforementioned Gary Con this year, had a good time.

Neon Con, the first weekend of November, in Las Vegas is a lot of fun.

My absolute favorite, even over Gen Con and Origins, is Con on the Cob, October, in Ohio.

 

[DumbPaladin]

KublaCon, on the west coast. A pretty large event -- over 2,000 attendees this year -- in a very nice hotel, with great people, a huge PFS presence, and many different kinds of fun to be had: board games, RPGs, LARPing, contests, and seminars ...