Pilgrimage to Gen Con: Planning, Logistics?

[Nerfwright]

While idly discussing summer travel plans with my spouse, we discovered that I'm planning to go to Gen Con this year. While he wasn't completely surprised, I was. I'm really excited and would appreciate any guidance the community might have.

I have been to Gen Con before, way back for '83/84/85/86, but I know it's changed a lot. I've been digging through threads from last year, so I know to go to Indianapolis, not Racine or Milwaukee. I've preregistered at gencom.com, and will use that registration to purchase my badge at the stroke of noon on Feb 11th, then immediately use the confirmation information from that transaction to post my preferred hotel reservation as quickly as possible...

I had a real blast at my first GameDay, so I look forward to meeting folks. I assume there will be planning threads beforehand as August draws near, but how does the coterminal ENWorld Phantom Con usually manifest? Is there an ENWorld sigil people put on their badges?

Which hotels do folks' suggest, and why? What games or events do you recommend? Should I try to volunteer for something? Is it worth spending a couple extra days in Indy?

Beyond this, what should a n00b/returnee plan for? I figure that a lot of folks would like to hear about it early - please share!

NerfWright

 

[Lalato]

I assume there will be planning threads beforehand as August draws near, but how does the coterminal ENWorld Phantom Con usually manifest? Is there an ENWorld sigil people put on their badges?

While I have never participated in the EN World festivities... being a longtime board member, I do know that some "pick up" games get coordinated here on the boards. Others get coordinated through the EN World booth or the Canadian Suite.

Which hotels do folks' suggest, and why? What games or events do you recommend? Should I try to volunteer for something? Is it worth spending a couple extra days in Indy?

I recommend any hotel that is within 4 blocks of the convention center. This will help you maximize your play time... and minimize your travel time.

As for games and events, I think that on your first visit, you should try a little bit of everything. That way on your future visits you'll know what things to participate in. I do not recommended doing all RPG, or all Miniatures, or all Board Games.

Volunteering can be fun, but I wouldn't recommend it for your first trip. You want this trip to be exploratory... and volunteering will take away too much time.

Indy is a nice town, but there really is no need to spend any extra time there.

Beyond this, what should a n00b/returnee plan for? I figure that a lot of folks would like to hear about it early - please share!

Bring money... this is a great opportunity to demo a lot of games and products... and you'll definitely want to just go ahead and buy what you want. Other than that... don't come expecting the time of your life... and you just might end up having the time of your life.

--sam

 

[FATDRAGONGAMES]

Make sure you hit a restaurant called The Ram (one block down from the con on Illinois street). They decorate it with a D&D theme for Gen Con and have great food.

 

[Steel_Wind]

Make sure you hit a restaurant called The Ram (one block down from the con on Illinois street). They decorate it with a D&D theme for Gen Con and have great food.

The Ram is quite decent....the problem is - so many recommendations for The Ram have lead to the place being essentially packed for every hour it is open during GenCon.

The owner of the Ram has a few other restaurants in Indy (so a server told me last year) and GenCon is the single busiest event of their year. They suck staff from the owner's other restaurants and people work overtime for five days. They basically don't stop. At all.

Good food; fine beer. DAMNED busy.

 

[Treebore]

Not to mention pick up games involving Necromancer board members in the back room.

Not sure about this year, though. We were talking about maybe using the rooms available in the nearby hotels next year. Much quieter. Just not so easy to buy beer, drinks, and food while your gaming.

 

[Qualidar]

This is my first GenCon. I'm going to the ENnies, the Candian Suite, the True Dungeon thing, out drinking with all the CM/ENWorld peeps, playing pick-up games, perhaps voulunteering a small bit in the ENWorld booth, and just going around and seeing everything.

I might try some of the "official" events, but it's not really my priority.

I started a thread over at Circvs Maximvs, and many people warned me not to be seduced by the dealer hall, as you can get most of the stuff cheeper online or later. I still intend to pick up City of Brass, though.


~Qualidar~

 

[naturaltwenty]

The Omni Severin which is around the block from the two microbreweries (one being The Ram) is an excellent hotel. I've stayed there with my son for the last three GenCon's.

Indy is a much better town for GenCon and I live only 20 minutes from Milwaukee (I've been to GenCon's 84-2001 and then 2003-2006) so that's saying something.

Later,

Greg Volz
Natural Twenty Gaming
www.naturaltwenty.com

 

[Treebore]

I started a thread over at Circvs Maximvs, and many people warned me not to be seduced by the dealer hall, as you can get most of the stuff cheeper online or later. I still intend to pick up City of Brass, though.


~Qualidar~

That attitude is probably fine with regards to products from the big boys like WOTC, but many of the third party publishers need that kind of financial support to justify coming back year after year.

So if you really like a 3rd party publisher buy their stuff at GenCon, or any other "small" publisher.

That is really poor advice they gave you over there.

I'm all for saving money, I buy plenty at discount on-line, but I bought a LOT at GenCon to support my favorite various publishers such as Necromancer, Goodman, Fat Dragon Games, Expeditious Retreat Press, Fiery Dragon, EPICrpg, AEG, Chessex, Ral PArtha, Chaosium, and others.

If you want to continue to see the smaller publishers at GenCon then spend some money. It is the best time, and way, to support them. They get every penny of what you buy from them, no middlemen eating up 60% or more of the profit potential.

Plus I spent oover $300.00 on ENNIE auctions before I even went ot GenCon to support ENWorlds efforts.

GenCon really is the place to put your money where your loyalties lay.

Yeah, really poor advice IMO.

 

[naturaltwenty]

Some of the companies use GenCon to launch new products like A Faery's Tale by Firefly Games. They had a special that if you bought the PDF copy of their game before GenCon you could get a dead-tree one at GenCon. Goodman Games was selling their boxed campaign set way before it hit the shelves.

I really go to GenCon to see some of the smaller stuff that I couldn't find on buy.com or one of the other e-tailers.

Plus buying small defect items at the Chessex booth rocks. Megamats for 10.00 all because there's some glue smudge on the fricking back of them.

GenCon really is the place to put your money where your loyalties lay.

Yeah, really poor advice IMO.

Later,

Greg Volz
Natural Twenty Gaming
www.naturaltwenty.com

 

[Steel_Wind]

T
GenCon really is the place to put your money where your loyalties lay.

Yeah, really poor advice IMO.

Totally agree.

Besides - the Dealer Hall is Will DC35 as far as I am concerned. There is nothing else in the world like it.

A Big Ass Mall. For gamers. What's not to like about that? Nothing. Highlight of the show for me.