GenCon Virgin

[DaveStebbins]

GenCon advice, OK.

Don't overbook yourself. If you pre-book every minute of your weekend you'll run yourself ragged and miss lots of things you hear about later.

Personal experience - signing up for EN World games end up being more fun than official GenCon events. Official events tend to be hit or miss, some are great, some aren't, some never get off the ground. EN World events (which will be set up through the inevitable sub-forum here sooner or later) tend to have a higher ratio of great times. Plus, you may recognize some people who you've been interacting with in the community here and generally things are just more friendly, relaxed and fun in the EN World games.

General stuff, try to get some sleep, don't carry too much junk (August in downtown Indy can be wilting and you'll be doing lots of walking), and for goodness' sake wear comfortable shoes. Enough sleep and eating reasonably well are important because with thousands upon thousands of gamers ina confined space, many come down with the GenCon Crud during the weekend. Being sick during your vacation, or for a week after you get home, is not fun. Running your body into the ground is a good breeding ground for he Crud.

Bathe or shower every day. You'd think it goes without saying. You'll be surprised at least once by the 'gamer funk' as someone walks by.

Decide what you really want to do there. I try to give myself lots of time to wander the dealer hall during the weekend because it is like a freaking football field sized toy store. Also, I enjoy hanging out with folks I've gotten to know from this board, so I make sure I'm free for parties, dinners, TBR, etc. I also sign up for zero official events (except the occasional free seminar), spending all my time with friends instead and it's the most fun I'll have all year.

There will be some food and drink available on-site but it is ballpark pricing, so be prepared. To some people it means eating offsite, carrying snacks, or just budgeting extra, whatever works.

Don't be afraid to say 'hi.' There will be an ENnies booth where many EN Worlders will hang out from time to time. Someone will probably take on the task of making up EN World badges with our screen names and real names on them. So you'll recognize some folks. Strike up a conversation! The ratio of quality people and the number of geniune friends I've made from this board at GenCon (and Game Days) is very high. But if I'd never participated and stepped forward, I wouldn't know lots of these wonderful people.

That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure others will have good advice to add.

 

[Set]

I always try to sign up for at least a few games I've never played, just to learn about new stuff. Sometimes it works out great, other times, not so much. Demo games are the best eye-opener. If a guy who works for the company and / or loves the game enough to run demos for it can't make it fun for you, then it's probably best to give it a pass.

Sign up for all sorts of stuff. Overbook all you want, and then just bail on anything you don't want to deal with because you're tired, nauseous for con food, met some cool people and want to go to an offsite game, stayed up too late the previous night or just want to spent another hour in the dealer room. I overbook myself, and skip about one game a day, just because I'm beat, found something I'd rather be doing, etc. I'm polite enough to show up at the start of the game and say that I won't be there, no sense in making people wait around for me to show up, and there are *always* people there, 'generics' in hand, waiting to fill the seat I'm vacating.

In fact, I get at least two games a convention that way. Some game developer is running a game, someone doesn't show, and I wibble my lips and clutch forward my generic ticket with big eyes and boom, I'm in. Just because a game is full up in the schedule doesn't mean that everyone who signed up for it is actually going to show, and their loss can be your incredible gain, so if there's a 'full-up' game that you *desperately* want to be in, show up when it starts and see if there's an open seat.

The one thing I do *not* do at GenCon or Origins is sit through a game I'm not enjoying. I'm spending *far* too much money to have a bad time, and there have been many sessions where I've politely stepped out, because the room was overpacked and I couldn't hear the DM, the game was overbooked and had too many players, or the game turned out to be *radically* different than what was advertised. (If you show up with the rule-book to a tabletop RPG game you've always wanted to play and a few characters you've prepared, and the GM says, 'oh, we're not really using the rules, you won't need those sheets, it's more of a freeform LARP sort of thing, in the theme of the setting,' I think that wishing him a good evening and walking away is a perfectly valid response.)

Bring extra clothes, something will always get spilled. Bring aspirin, or any other sort of medication (insulin, whatever) you might not want to run back to the hotel room to get, if a game runs longer than you expected. Bring extra dice (that you don't love), they roll away and nobody wants to crawl under a bunch of strangers to find them. Bring snacks that won't get you nauseous or constipated or send you to the bathroom to pee every 10 minutes (or have even less speakable side-effects). Practice smiling and not saying what you're thinking. *Every* game will be a 'pick up game' and there will occasionaly be someone at the table that you'd never choose to game with, but hey, it's only an hour or two of your life, and think of all the good karma you're earning not telling them why they scare you.

After twelve hours of sitting around a dozen other people in July temperatures, no amount of having showered in the morning will save you. I carry deodorant in my game-bag, 'cause you never know when it'll fail, and I'm not above dipping into the book and putting a tiny dab on my finger and then surreptitiously wiping it on my upper lip, to make dealing with those who did not so prepare a little less trying. Yes, I'm insane that way. Some smells make me nauseous, and I prefer not to barf while I'm gaming.

If you've got lots of online friends you want to meet, or have an established 'net persona,' you may want to wear a nametag or custom-T-shirt that announces your identity to those who won't know your real name or have the slightest clue what you look like. I can't even describe how many times I've bought something from a vendor and then belatedly realized it was the dude who wrote the book, or some person I've corresponded with off and on for years, and I freaking missed my chance to say hi, or get my book autographed, or just annoy them with embarassing fanboi-ishness until security drags me away...

Accept that your 'game group' will often include an expert rules-lawyer, and a couple of people who had no idea what they signed up for and will compete enthusiastically to make the most rookie mistake ever. It's actually fun, because no matter what your level of skill in a game, you'll find someone who can teach you some new tricks, and someone else who can use a few helpful hints. A few might be impatient with the 'noobs,' but everyone's there to have fun, and if they learn a new game, the hobby gets some fresh blood which is good for everyone. A table of all rookies, or all rules-lawyers, is, IMO, less fun than a good mix. On occasion, it's the 'rookies' that end up finding an innovative solution to the day's dilemna, which makes a game more memorable than some cunningly interpreted bit of rules-wankery.

Patience and an open-mind are key to a good time. Some GMs will take a bit to 'get into it' and not make the best first impression, but end up presenting a rocking game. Some players that start out on the wrong foot, arguing about a stat on a character sheet, might turn out to be excellent role-players and get just as enthusiastically into character.

Wear your badge. Darn things are *way* too easy to lose. Few things are more frustrating than walking out on Sunday and thinking, 'Oh, I wanna go to the dealer room, to see if they've got any good last-minute sales' only to realize that my badge is in the hotel room, the car, my luggage or has eloped with someone else's badge and is drinking tequila in Mexico.

Most important advice ever;
Leave extra room in the luggage for the swag you'll be porting back! Nobody leaves empty-handed!