Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Set" data-source="post: 3345011" data-attributes="member: 41584">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.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />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!</blockquote>

Verification