LOL, Wulf!
Hygeine is a must. After 12 hours of gaming, trotting around a huge convention hall, and experiencing temperatures from the 60's to the low 80's (depending on which building and room you are in), the value of a nearby hotel and a relaxing shower cannot be underestimated.
Some of my personal suggestions (haven't looked at Sean's site in a while):
Schedule some games you have NEVER tried before. Why travel many, many miles just to play D&D? Play something you've been interested in but never tried. It's how I fell in love with Alternity three years ago!
Hang out in the dealer's room some, but try to get a chance to talk to some of the industry people - people you've always said, "it would be so COOL to meet them!" Most of the folks are down-to-earth, nice guys that don't mind hearing a kind word about how much fun you've gotten out of the products they sell. EDIT: to voice Nemmerle: DO NOT tell these people gaming anecdotes. they've heard them all.
If you've ever been in the Navy, and miss it now, get Gary Gygax to talk about Lorraine Williams.
(I'm just kidding.) Seriously, drop in and say hi to Gary. He's a swell guy, and could tell you more volumes about the history and great wide world of gaming than anybody at the 'Con. Plus, if he's true to his word, this is the last Gencon he may ever attend, because of the move. My Geek quotient in my group went up 12 points after I could claimed to have shook Gary's hand.
DON'T MISS THE ART EXHIBIT.
If you see a woman in a chainmail bikini walking around, MOVE, because guys with cameras and video-cams will walk
over you to get a good picture.
Finally, if you see ANYTHING you think "that would be interesting," DO IT. The more you do (legal things, that is
) at the con, the less you regret later, and feel like you've missed something, or feel like it wasn't worth it. I know some people who go to Gencon, they walk around, they spend a few bucks, and never play anything or do anything. They've wasted one of the best gaming experiences of their lives when they do this.
Good luck, and have fun! Live it to the fullest, because that's why you are going. In my visits to Gencon, I've gamed for 24 hours straight, I've played pick-up games of Magic against some of the better magic players in the country, I've destroyed 70-ton 'mechs in virtual simulators, I've traded for hideously expensive Magic cards, I've watched performance art by GWAR, I've played in visual dungeons that would cost me a fortune to play in at home, I've had in-depth conversations with people whose work I've enjoyed for half my life, and I've just geeked out in the presence of people who share one of my greatest passions.
Have Fun.
