Gaming Cons Have Changed (I'm Old)

[bsss]

Nobody checked my tickets at Gamehole Con. I mentioned this, and one of the GMs said something like, "We don't really do that here. At Gen Con they're pretty fanatical about checking, but I won't check unless there's more bodies at the table than I expect."

They are more laid back about tickets at Gamehole Con compared to Gen Con, having attended both (Gen Con for decades until recently, and the last few years for Gamehole Con), but one other thing to add, the GM has a table manifest, basically. I was the last person to arrive to a game, and the GM was like "there's bss!" before I sat down. If you're a vet at running games, you get used to just sneaking a peek at the badge.

I had a good time at GHC as well, and I agree with all of your observations. Living in the area, it's easy for me to bounce over, so thankfully the hotel situation was a non-issue for me.

I didn't experience the age issue as badly, though. I played a few games with people my age or higher (I'm in my 40s), but I think most of the tables also had a couple 30-somethings and maybe a couple players who looked more like college or recently out of college age. So there might be a bit of packing in which cohorts are playing which games? Who knows.

Great con, though, glad you had a good time!

 

[jolt]

I haven't gone to GenCon since 2014, but I've been going to Origins for a while now. It helps that I live only a tow hour drive away. They do collect tickets at Origins, I think in part to get an accurate count of who's attending what, but also to see who uses an actual event ticket versus who's using a generic ticket.

 

[Lanefan]

I haven't gone to GenCon since 2014, but I've been going to Origins for a while now. It helps that I live only a tow hour drive away. They do collect tickets at Origins, I think in part to get an accurate count of who's attending what, but also to see who uses an actual event ticket versus who's using a generic ticket.

GenCon comps their more prolific GMs (or used to, anyway, no idea if that's still the case) and turning in the players' tickets to the organizers was proof you actually ran the game you said you were going to run.

 

[Mannahnin]

Paying for both the ticket and the games is not that common ime and one of the oddities of gameholecon. Glad to hear you had a good time. I have only attended cons in the past few years but have not yet encountered CPM.

I find it weird that it's thought of an oddity considering GenCon had been doing it when I started going to conventions back in 1983. I mean if the Big Daddy of RPG-industry conventions does it, how odd can it be?

I haven't gone to GenCon since 2014, but I've been going to Origins for a while now. It helps that I live only a tow hour drive away. They do collect tickets at Origins, I think in part to get an accurate count of who's attending what, but also to see who uses an actual event ticket versus who's using a generic ticket.

I remember it being a thing at the few conventions I attended in the 80s and 90s, and running into it again when I returned to cons in the 2000s. Individual event tickets/registrations in addition to the weekend or day badge.