GenCon SoCal Post Thoughts

[spyscribe]

I was running Living Spycraft from 10:30 - 6:00 on Saturday. By the end of the day, I was about ready to defenestrate somebody.

Ah, defenestration. I knew the con was missing something, I just couldn't put my finger on what.

Fajitas, WLS, ellinor, and I (along with a couple others) were playing a classic Oriental Adventures Module in the 2-6 slot. Good fun despite the DM running the module cold and no one at the table having the OA sourcebook.

("Any idea which one of these is my spellcasting class?" "I don't know, any idea what my spells do?")

You might have noticed us. We were the table with five women and two guys.

(--P.S. Story hour update Tuesday at the latest.)

 

[Bloodsparrow]

I also went on Sat.

It was bigger then what I remember of the Gamex cons, but smaller then I expected.

I really only went for two things... Shopping, and True Dungeon.

True Dungeon rocked like the proverbial hurricane.

Shopping was... Okay... We thought there would be a Kenzer and Co. booth, but to no avail. There was even a moderate shwag factor that I didn't expect.

I agree that Dec. is a bad month for a con. Not only is it "family time" it's also "finals time" for people who are still in school.

I live in Orange County, so the fact that it was at the Anaheim Convention Center was a bonus for myself and my friends. I heard from a little birdie that they have a 4 year contract with Anaheim so...

Here's something I don't get. Perhaps more regular Gen Con goers can help me either understand it, or tell me what I'm doing wrong...

At the Gamex cons, as I recall, I pay my registration fee, and then I can sign up for games. But for Gen Con So Cal, I paid my registration fee, and then, if I wanted to sign up for games, I'd have to pay extra for them... For True Dungeon, it makes a certain sense, but for more traditional table top games? At first I thought this was because I only got a shopping pass for one day, which made perfect sense, but a co-worker got a full four day pass and said that he also had to pay extra for games. I don't get it. Either there's something weird going on here, or I miss-heard him.

Can anybody tell me about how it works?

 

[JDragon]

Bloodsparrow - thats pretty much how most of the larger cons are run. You pay x to get per day or for the whole weekend and then buy tickets to individual events you want to play in.

The only real reson I can see for this is the need to charge more since it is a signifigantly larger place than a hotel (where most smaller Cons are done). So I guess the games and other events are the easiest way to get it.

I've been to cons that have done it both ways, but the ones I went to, the "in the door" charge was less than it is a s amller con where you get the games/events included. But that didn't seem to be the case for GenCon pay just as much to get in for 4 days & pay for the events.

Such is life though.

 

[BrooklynKnight]

I have always wondered, do they ever plan on having a REAL GenCon East? Indy isn't really east, it's more central. And many of us on the east coast would like to see a GenCon East, instead of getting left out all the time.

Last year I asked peter about doing one in NYC and he told me it was "possible" for 2005 or 6, who knows it might happen.

But people should email the gencon site and say they want one in nyc!

 

[PowerWordDumb]

Last year I asked peter about doing one in NYC and he told me it was "possible" for 2005 or 6, who knows it might happen.

But people should email the gencon site and say they want one in nyc!

While NYC is at least closer (and a good convenient excuse to finally visit New York), I and a lot of other Canadians would love to have one in Toronto (although my western buddies would likely prefer one in Vancouver).

Paying for hotels, food, transportation and gaming supplies in the states with our canadian dollar ain't any fun cause of the brutal exchange rate, but buying the same stuff here is much less painful.

 

[Dark Jezter]

Heh. If GenCon is held in Indiana, GenCon SoCal is in California, and GenCon East (if it actually happens, that is) is held in New York, then all they'll have to do is hold a GenCon in the Mountain states and they'll have one for each region in the United States (West coast, east coast, midwest, and mountain).

Perhaps GenCon Las Vegas?

 

[BrooklynKnight]

Canada is too far north for Gencon, NYC or DC would be the prime locations for an EAST Gencon.

The primary problem with NYC is the cost. Though there ARE hotel rooms in Times Square that go for 80/night.


Due to the current starved economic state of NYC i have no doubt that Bloomberg would give some kind of massive discount for someone to do a large convention in nyc. (In fact the olympic village he is supporting to be built in queens would be used for conventions and low cost housing after 2012.)
Anywho I'm overstepping here quite a few years.

Vegas would be an intresting location for Gencon West if So Cal doesnt work out after 2 years.

NYC is also the "best" choice because it has no shortage of hotel space, or convention space. And its NYC, i mean, who needs an exuse to come here!

Anywho i'll harken back to something Peter told me, (well it may have been him, its been over a year and i dont remember rightly, heh..)

As much a labor of love Gencon is, its also a buisness. Gencon needs to be profitable (at least in the long run as he noted in his SoCal Report), NYC is very expensive to run a convention in, and the taxes dont exactly help much. Who knows what the future holds though. After SoCal becomes a stable, profitable venture (which might take 3 years, as again noted in the report), he might again be willing to invest in expanding.

Though one should remember, just how many conventions CAN we have. 2 Gencons, and Origins are already the top 3 conventions in North America. Then there are the countless Magic Pro Tours that a good portion of the attendees already travel for. How many conventions can the gamer/consumer afford to travel too? Making too many might be good for us, because we can pick and choose which to go too, but not for Gencon LLC because the fanbase would be spread thin and thus less profitable.

Its a dream, a nice one, but just a dream.

 

[LightPhoenix]

I'm gonna just argue a bit why I think NYC is a terrible idea, nothing personal ArthurQ, I like NYC too, and I know plenty of people I could stay with for free down there

It's expensive space (as you've stated). It would cost a lot more to run a con there, on the business side of things. You might get more people wandering in, but I would bet ticket prices would have to be higher. Someplace like Boston might be better if you're dead-set on having it in the northeast.

Transportation. It doesn't seem like it would be one, but it would be. Driving anywhere down there is a total pain, especially if you're not familiar with it, and for people unfamiliar with the subways and buses it can be quite daunting. Most people I know like to have their cars anyway - a big draw for Indy IMO, or a smaller city.

You mentioned it, so I won't go too into it, but NYC is expensive to be in. Many places on the east coast don't have near as high costs of living, and while people from NYC don't really think about it too much, it's definitely something you notice if you're not from there.

Also, there may be a lot of hotel rooms down there, but they will probably be for the most part over-priced for what you get compared to what most people are used to. Again, this ties into the fact that NYC just costs more to be in.

All-in-all, while I personally would enjoy having one in NYC, I think overall it would be a better idea to pick a city like Boston or DC for a con. Like you said though, there already are a lot of cons, so having one on the east coast isn't too likely. And realistically, Indy isn't too far out of the way for most of us north-easterners.

 

[seankreynolds]

Val Kilmer was an invited and scheduled guest, who then apparently flaked entirely. I don't know if GenCon had to put up money up front for that, but that was entirely unprofessional. It may not have been what Mr. Kilmer was expecting, but I can't blame Adkison for being very angry.

I almost literally ran into him on Saturday morning walking from the con center to the hotel where my seminar was taking place. I remember thinking, "Wait, that scruffy guy on the cell phone looks awfully familiar...."

So in a way you could say it's my fault, he was afraid of the tall skinny bald man.

 

[PowerWordDumb]

Canada is too far north for Gencon, NYC or DC would be the prime locations for an EAST Gencon.

I'll agree it's too far out of the way for a Gencon East, but I'm asking for a Gencon North. Different drawing area completely. I'm not going to say I think it's feasible, but it would be nice. NYC is way too expensive for most americans to visit let alone us poor Canadians with our brutal exchange rate.