Conventions -- Why do you go?

[Ealli]

Conventions like GenCon are like a second Halloween in a year. You have an excuse to get dressed up in a fun costume then wander around asking for treats.

 

[kenobi65]

Can you still go to a convention just to look around and watch people play or would it not be worth going if you just did that?

Depends on the convention, I imagine.

At a big convention, like GenCon, you need to buy a badge, even if you're not planning on playing anything -- event tickets are extra, but you need to have the badge just to get *into* the convention.

There were times I'd just go to GenCon for the day (back when it was in Milwaukee, and only a 90-minute drive away), and get a one-day badge, so I could hit the dealer room and art show. Now, I go to Origins or GenCon for the full 4 days, and am gaming most of the time.

 

[Dragon Snack]

Gen Con - meet up with friends I rarely get to see, buy Con exclusive stuff (or grab free schwag) to hawk on eBay to subsidize my trip (I know, this upsets lots of people to no end), attend the writing for Paizo seminars (because I swear real life will give me an opportunity to have time to write professionally sooner or later).

Local Cons - Mainly to run demos so I can get free stuff, buy some last day deals of stuff the stores don't want to pack up (B1G1, 50% off, or even *free*).

Seriously, as a rule I don't game at Cons. I've been talked into a Reaper Warlord tourney a couple of times (I've tied for first and taken 3rd) and I almost joined a D&D game in one of the last ones I went to (since I'm stuck DMing for my group), but for the most part I just go to hang out. Well, back when I started out I did the "I'll demo yours if you demo mine" thing a few times, but I haven't needed to do that lately...

 

[ronin]

I only attend Gen Con mainly each year. Meeting old friends and making new ones are fairly high on my list as reasons to go. Gaming is really secondary but I usually get dragged into some type of game I'd never play at home. Most of the time they are passable at best but every once in a while I find one that I truly enjoy. Werewolf was one game that was a blast to play and I would never have played it at home.

Plus the dealer hall is pretty cool too.

 

[grodog]

I love to meet folks I know from online, meet new folks who share less-common interests (Ars Magica, Titan, Abalone, etc.), and I love to play and demo games that I wouldn't necessarily otherwise get to check out without shelling out $$$$.

Going to Lake Geneva Gaming Con over this previous weekend was a blast: I met AD&D gamers I know from online but had never met in person (some of whom I've known for 7-9 years), I met fellow Greyhawk enthusiasts, I mapped the dungeons of El Raja Key as run by Rob Kuntz (first time ever!), and played Chainmail (pre-OD&D version) for the first time. What's not to love?

 

[Olaf the Stout]

I went to my first ever gaming convention last year in my home town of Adelaide. It was only the first year running (after several years of no gaming cons in Adelaide.

I went for a few reasons:

Firstly, it was a chance to meet other gamers. Our gaming community is quite insular so I was interested in seeing just how many gamers there actually were in Adelaide. I was also hoping to get in touch with some other gamers from my area, with a view to inviting them along to join my gaming group

Secondly, I got to play for a change. I am the regular DM of our group so I enjoyed getting the chance to play again.

Thirdly, I got to try out some games that I had never played before. I got to play my first ever sessions of Feng Shui, Paranoia and Call of Cthulu. I really like all 3 games and I hope to get a chance to run some Feng Shui and/or Paranoia sessions for my group sometime in the future.

Fourthly, catching up with friends. There was one guys that I used to play with that had to move interstate for work. He was coming down for the Con though and I thought it would be a good opportunity to catch up. Unfortunately he came down with the flu just before he was due to leave and had to stay home in bed.

Finally, the chance to game for 2 whole days straight definitely had an appeal (I currently only game once a fortnight for about 4-5 hours).

Overall I enjoyed myself and will definitely be going again. Unfortunately it won't be this year as my wife is due to give birth to our first child at about the same time as the con. I don't think she would appreciate it if I left her alone to game for the weekend (in fact, I would be lucky to walk, let alone game again if I did! )

I did find that the 3 1/2 hours allowed for each slot seemed to be too short for my liking. It felt like you were just starting to get into the game when it was time to stop.

A plus was the nice feeling of knowing that it didn't matter whether your character lived or not beyond this session. It allowed me to take more risks with my characters compared to an ongoing campaign game.

Olaf the Stout

 

[D'nemy]

The dealer's room. A chance to compare and see and hold potential buys before laying out cash (and frequently being able to ask the designers questions).

Seminars about upcoming products, Q&A's are good especially from companies who listen.

Meeting up with friends and all discussions gaming that come about.

Buffalo Wild Wings (well, that's GenCon specific I guess).

As my wife and I play RPG's about 6-7 times a month, the last thing we do when going to GenCon is play games!

-DM Jeff

This is EXACTLY what I was expecting to see people doing at conventions, but from what I've experienced at the ones I have gone to and from reading the responses here at ENWorld, clearly, we are in the extreme minority. At every convention there are special guests, guests of honor who sometimes travel thousands of miles to be there, special events, movie screenings, Q&As with writers, designers, artists... really cool stuff you can't get anywhere else, and only a handful of people ever go to any of these things. If asked why they ignored these events, the answer is always the same... "I had a game."

That's what surprised me the most.

To me, why spend your $25+ just to spend the whole weekend playing games you always play anyway? I understand if you don't have a regular group and this is the only chance you get to play, but that can't be for most people.

Or... maybe it's just me...

 

[fusangite]

This is EXACTLY what I was expecting to see people doing at conventions, but from what I've experienced at the ones I have gone to and from reading the responses here at ENWorld, clearly, we are in the extreme minority.

I think it's a mistake to judge what happens at Gen Con from what ENWorlders like to do there.

At every convention there are special guests, guests of honor who sometimes travel thousands of miles to be there,

I'm more interested in my friends who travel thousands of miles to be there. If I'm going to spend time with someone who puts himself out to attend the convention, I'll choose my long-distance friends over celebrities I don't know every time. Gen Con is certainly about seeing things and people you only get to see once or twice a year; I just choose to focus on friends rather than strangers who fall into that category.

I'm not saying that's the right or only way to do Gen Con but I thought I'd stick up for this choice in the face of the contempt with which you seem to be describing it. Go ahead and enjoy Gen Con your own way. Just don't try to make your way somehow seem better.

To me, why spend your $25+ just to spend the whole weekend playing games you always play anyway?

(a) Because the point of Gen Con is to have fun and if playing games is more fun for these people than sitting in some audience listening to other people talk, why should they do the latter?
(b) Because some of the finest GMs and players in the world (and by that I mean PirateCat) are there to play with
(c) Because what is unique about gaming at Gen Con is the chance to game with friends you only get to see once a year.

Or... maybe it's just me...

It's just you. We're cool with your choices but hopefully I've been able to make mine seem a little more rational to you.

 

[Piratecat]

To me, why spend your $25+ just to spend the whole weekend playing games you always play anyway? I understand if you don't have a regular group and this is the only chance you get to play, but that can't be for most people.

Ah, but I go to cons to play games that I don't always play. Games I first played at a con include:

- Call of Cthulhu
- Timemaster
- Torg
- Bunnies & Burrows
- Paranoia

...and about a bajillion others. If I hadn't gone to cons, I'd only play D&D, and I'd have missed out on quite a lot of fun.

Even better, I love the people I meet at con games. Playing with strangers is great. Not only does it give you the chance to meet cool new people, it lets you take chances when playing/DMing that you'd never be able to take otherwise.

I always feel for folks who go to a con and don't game; from my perspective, they're missing the best part by far.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Or... maybe it's just me...

Maybe it is

I don't care what B-list celebrities they trot out for autographs, and I'm not going to stand in line to meet them.

Some of the seminars look interesting, but I go to that kind of crap for work all the time. Sure, it may be educational, funny, intriguing, but its also passive. If you don't make it yourself, it's not fun, it's entertainment.

My last RPG session was the first week of November last year at a gameday in Rhode Island (and I spent almost 20 hours in a car round-trip for 12 hours of gaming!). My last board-game night was almost two months ago. GenCon is a chance to cram all the gaming I didn't get to do the previous year into four glorious days. And I get to do it with people that are just as into it as I am, that aren't stressed by their day at work, or worrying about the wife being pissed they were out late, or anything else.

Last year, it was CoC, True20, AE, Spycraft 2 (with the creators), Grim Tales, and Midnight. I got to play Gilligan as the groom-to-be of an Elder Goddess, a Roman priest in ancient Britain, a young kid tormented by nightmares come true, and more.

I had, without exception, excellent DMs and great players (well, ok, maybe the True20 game had a couple iffy players).

If your regular gaming life is that good, I'm envious. Me, I'm getting there early Wednesday so I can run a game and return the favor.