Are there avid gamers out there who hate cons?

[Digital M@]

I went to Gencon for a few years while it was in Gencon. I did it for the shopping and it was only a 2 hour drive, so I could buy a 1 day pass. I found pick up games were hard to find or organize and I don't really feel a need to buy anything else game related so I will stay away from cons unless they are an easy drive from home. I like meeting new people and sharing experiences and trying new things, so I am sure I will go to other cons.

 

[Aristotle]

I don't dislike them, so much as I dislike the elitism of them. In other words: I'm jealous and I admit it. Sure I wouldn't like the crowds. Sure there would be lots of stuff I would think was silly or just not very interesting. But the ability to pick up some stuff (sometimes) weeks before it hits the game stores, the ability to meet and maybe say a few words to the artists and authors who keep my imagination reeling, and all of that? That would be sorta cool.

When I was younger I just couldn't afford the costs of the trip. Now that I'm older I can't ever seem to afford the time. *sigh*

 

[orchid blossom]

I used to go to GenCon when it was in Milwaukee since it was an easy drive and I could do one day. I enjoy going through the vendor hall and the art exhibit, etc. But I found after the first year I went that I don't like gaming with strangers. I don't make any special effort to get to cons these days.

I do enjoy Enworld game days, which are a while different animal, since you are not gaming with complete strangers. It's more like a friendly get together of rarely seen friends.

 

[Wombat]

I've been to five game cons in my life -- four DunDraCons and one KublaCon

Never again if I can avoid it

Some of the shopping is okay, but the prices are no better than my FLGS, and I prefer supporting the local guy whenever possible. I don't enjoy con games - I find I game in a very different style (certainly not by-the-book) and I prefer to be with my regular gang. I loath the crowds. I did my time in the SCA and don't really like being reminded of that anymore. I find most of the costumes bizarre or embarrassing (as in "You would never catch me DEAD in public in something that stupid!").

And then there are the people who corner you and want to tell you about the character you don't know from the campaign you've never been in under a set of rules you don't use...

Last time I went to a con (the aforementioned KublaCon) I wore a black t-shirt with a picture of an oak tree. On it it said "Orthodox Druid". Three guys greeted me with "Shalom!" (All of them were quite serious about this.) Another started to speak to me in Hebrew. I guess it's my long beard that threw 'em...

And don't get me anywhere near the people playing Diplomacy

Nope, done my con time. No further interest.

 

[Steel_Wind]

I find it odd that people are commenting on the gaming at a convention with the observation that you prefer gaming with your own group at home.

Well...of *course* you do. Everyone does.

Gaming at a con is not like a normal campaign. People are strangers and the focus is upon the pre-generated character, role-playing, puzzles and sometimes rules applications.

It's a different type of game and a different type of gaming. I can see why it's not for a lot of people. I'm with you on that one.

The part for me that I find fascinating though is not so much the exposure to other players in that sort of game environment (though that has its moments).

The part which is uber_cool is getting exposed to different DMs. I've gamed for 26, nigh on 27 years now. I have rarely played in the past 20 years and, a few exceptions aside, have only DM'd. My group has for the most part been pretty stable over that course of time as well - so I game "our way" - the way we always have.

As a result, I find that my exposure to different DMs and different styles of running a game is very educational and eye-opening and you can learn a lot from this exposure.

So....you're right. It's not as good a game experience as playing with your comfy group at home in an established campaign. It's not meant to be as good as that. It's meant to be something else - and that something else can still be very worthwhile.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

The part which is uber_cool is getting exposed to different DMs.

For me, any advantage is wiped out by the possibility that I just won't like him or her. The social context of gaming is more important to me than anything else.

The last time I took a risk on a game worked out - Hong's group are decent people. I wouldn't have gone if it hadn't been Hong's game at Hong's house, though, and if I hadn't known Hong at least the little bit that I did.

 

[Psion]

I'm not a real big fan of cons.

But I am a fan of hanging out with my ENworld buds, and I am a fan of the GenCon exhibitor room.

 

[Numion]

I've been to one con, and that was quite enough for the rest of my life. I just don't like the general high level of geekyness. Of course cons are the place for all those silly things, but I think that the overgeeky aspects of RPG gaming circles are standing on it's way of being a more accepted form of entertainment.

Cons are concentrated gamin geekyness. I don't like it.

 

[amethal]

I went to a Games Workshop event in Derby once, a long time ago. Don't know if it counts, but it was time consuming and expensive, and I didn't get a lot out of it.

It was also my introduction to the "By the book, regardless of how silly it is" style of Warhammer Fantasy Battle, which I have never got over. (We used to play "Common sense" Warhammer.)

For instance, we assumed that you couldn't use wardancer abilities on horseback - since they depend on movement, agility and "dancing" your way through your enemies. It didn't say you couldn't, so people there were doing it.

I would like to go to Gen Con at least once, just to see what it was like. Also, I hate being left out of things!

 

[Grand_Director]

I don't play role-playing games at cons anymore. It is always the same thing; eight players get an introduction and then there is one major fight. I always tend to end up in games that are an extension of the dm's home game. Two hours of the four hour slot are spent in "role-playing" between two players while the rest of us stare into space. Then one of the players is a socialy akward guy and he yells things like "SILENCE 15FT RADIUS!" The fight hinges on some obscure application of a magic item that you overlooked on the character sheet because the the character is 14th level and there is a lot of info to take in. And the DM gets upset because you didn't anticipate his BBEG's tactics. Just...ugh. I find that I spend the whole time wanting out.

Now I go to cons only to play boardgames. If you find yourself at a con and you can't find a thing to do, you can't go wrong finding the Steve Jackson Games MIB. I have never run into a bad one. They will teach you SJ games and they hand out prizes. Half my SJ collection are games I have won and the other half are games I bought because I liked what I was playing. I also find that cons are a great place to learn new board games.

My only advice is to avoid games that have a large group of people who know each other. You will be singled out and eaten.