Gen Con Expands!

relief from overcrowding for sure. I'm happy about it!

 

[DEFCON 1]

There's also the "other" method for going to GenCon and getting a hotel room right across the street from the convention center... which is volunteering to DM for 32 hours for Baldman Games.

I did that for 2014. Got a free pass, got a free hotel room (shared with another couple of guys)... I just had to DM a lot of the weekend. On the one hand, you lose out on a lot of potential events and games to attend because you're running D&D four to twelve hours each day... but on the other, you're only paying for your flight and food. For those people who have never gone to GenCon before, it's a definite option. And you *do* get some free time to walk around and play other games if you so choose... but you do lose your voice by the end of the weekend.

 

[ccs]

I've never been to GenCon... and even though I want to, I'm nervous about it now because of the housing situation.

Don't be. Despite the impression you'll get from threads like this, Indy doesn't have any shortage of housing.
Especially if staying right downtown isn't a requirement.
Stay cheap up north/ne, rent a car, & drive in/out.
Oh, & travel light gaming wise. Especially if you're room isn't in walking distance. You don't need to carry everything you own to have a good time at GC.

 

[darjr]

That may be my in.

 

[qstor]

I called six downtown hotels a few weeks ago to get a room outside the block. No luck. That's how I got my room for 2013 and 2015. Like others said I wouldn't count on the registration system for getting a hotel downtown.

 

[Corone]

I think its awesome Gen-Con is expanding the space,
it will mean more room perhaps for more exhibitors (there is a long line of companies looking for trading space)
But it would be nice if there were more hotels.

Having said that, I'm reminded by the previous post about driving,
that there seems to be a pretty large car park just on the other size of the railway bridge next to the con centre.
So if you can drive it may be pretty convenient.

 

[Nylanfs]

Also note that Indy's bus system is pretty reliable. So you can get a place on a main route and get back and forth reliably.

 

[Lanefan]

Also note that Indy's bus system is pretty reliable. So you can get a place on a main route and get back and forth reliably.

Indy has a bus system?

I've been 5 times now and I think I've seen maybe 6 or 8 buses in total between all those trips.

I exaggerate, perhaps, but it's never struck me as a bus-first city. And it has no rapid transit at all - no subway, no LRT - which is kinda surprising for a city that big. Even a 24-hour light rail service between downtown and the airport would be a huge improvement, as it would bring all the airport hotels much more into play for major events like GenCon.

Lanefan

 

[darjr]

How is the bike infrastructure? Are there bike lanes?

 

[Nylanfs]

Indy has a bus system?

I've been 5 times now and I think I've seen maybe 6 or 8 buses in total between all those trips.

I exaggerate, perhaps, but it's never struck me as a bus-first city. And it has no rapid transit at all - no subway, no LRT - which is kinda surprising for a city that big. Even a 24-hour light rail service between downtown and the airport would be a huge improvement, as it would bring all the airport hotels much more into play for major events like GenCon.

Lanefan

Here's the routes, pretty much anywhere in the city you should be within 2-3 miles of a bus route.

http://www.indygo.net/route/

How is the bike infrastructure? Are there bike lanes?

Downtown is pretty decent, I don't know about the rest of the city. There's also a bike sharing system for downtown, can't remember the name of it though.

 

[Alzrius]

Here's the routes, pretty much anywhere in the city you should be within 2-3 miles of a bus route.

http://www.indygo.net/route/

I can't speak to the convenience of the buses, but that does look like a better option than the shuttle service that Gen Con was using for the 2015 convention. Said shuttle service charged you for traveling in each direction, and didn't take cash; while neither of these were especially burdensome, the real kicker was that you had to make a reservation for the shuttle ahead of time...usually weeks ahead of time.