What should I take to GenCon?

[Goddess FallenAngel]

Okay... this is my first GenCon, and my first Con in general.

So, what becides the obvious (Money, books/dice for the games I am in, notepad, pens/pencils, and umbrella) should I take with me to GenCon?

What should I expect, anyway?

Help?

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Comfortable shoes.
Breath mints / Listerine strips / sugarless gum / mouthwash.
Unless you are walking outside a lot, you won't need an umbrella.
Camera.
If you sign up for games, print them all out in chronological order on a little sheet and tuck it into your badge holder. Then you can whip it out and see where you have to be & when.

The vendor hall can be overwhelming. Don't give in to impulse buys until you have been through the entire hall at least once. Write down what you want, prioritize (much of it you can buy later at home or online--do you really need to buy it at GenCon?), and then make purchases. Take note of the hours the vendor hall is open. Plan time to take your purchases to your room (if possible) so you're not lugging them around all day.

Oh, and stop by The Gamer's Bag booth and buy a bag!

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Comfortable shoes

Comfortable shoes (can't say this enough)

A decent, medium sized backpack to carry your purchases in. DON'T bring a backpack on wheels, they just trip everyone. Make sure you have some sort of marking on it so you know it's yours.

A waterbottle or two

Soap, toothbrush/paste, & deoderant (I'm not saying you stink, but far too many people don't think of it)

Snacks (granola bars, apples, other easily carried & eaten things)

A few quarters in case you need to use a payphone

Sweatshirt or sweater (I found a few of the gaming rooms to be too cold for my tastes last year, and I usually like it on the chilly side)

Tylenol, asprin, or your (legal) painkiller of choice (it can get loud, and a headache can ruin your day)

Any medication that you need. I was in a game with a guy last year who had asthma and he had left his medication in Pennsylvania.


I'll post again later with a few links to pages that have lots of great information about the convention and what to do/not to do

 

[HiLiphNY]

ANTI-PERSPIRANT or DEODERANT.

All of the other crap above is secondary to this.

 

[alsih2o]

Your favorite stomach calmer. You will be eating out of the ordinary, and you will need it.

 

[diaglo]

mang,

i can't find my pic of last year's Baggage of Gen Con.

it had all the essentials to healthy gaming.

 

[kenobi65]

If you didn't pre-register, expect to stand in line to register -- though, if you're arriving on Thursday or Friday, it may not be as bad. Saturday on-site registration was the mother of all lines last year, in large part due to computer problems.

Oh, and one other piece of advice I just heard -- the Indianapolis Colts have a preseason game in the Hoosier Dome (which is *right* next to the convention hall) on Saturday evening. If you're driving, and parking near the convention center, parking is going to be at a huge premium on Saturday afternoon and evening -- so, if you already have a parking spot, don't move!

 

[Von Ether]

The vendor hall can be overwhelming. Don't give in to impulse buys until you have been through the entire hall at least once. Write down what you want, prioritize (much of it you can buy later at home or online--do you really need to buy it at GenCon?), and then make purchases. Take note of the hours the vendor hall is open. Plan time to take your purchases to your room (if possible) so you're not lugging them around all day.

I find that a certain tactic works great at Disney land, When you get in, DON'T head to the attraction (or booth in case of Gen Con's dealer room) closest to the opening doors. Bypass everything and head to the back of the park (or dealer's room in this case) and check out those first and then work your way to the front.

You should keep your crowd control down to a miniumum, meeting the biggest crowds towards the middle or nearer to the doors. You'll have to accept that some booths will be crowded all day long and decide whether its a priority to waste time in line for that particular vendor.

Have I been to Gen Con? No, but I walked all the way into my seat for Epot's Spaceship Earth (the trademark "golf ball") as my last ride of the day compared to morning when the line for the ride went all the way back to the gates.

 

[KB9JMQ]

I agree with the above that comfortable shoes are a must.
A good book bag/backpack.
A watch to keep track of when your games are
The ability to not impulse buy on the first trip thru the dealers hall.
(I wish I had that last year )
A notepad to write down prices adn booth locations for the things you want so you can go back to the good ones.
Schedule some time to take stuff back to your room. This will save your back.
Bottle of water.

Stop by the ENWorld Booth (outside the dealers hall)
Stop by the Gamer's Bag booth - They're good folks.

 

[Pyrex]

Personal Hygiene Products -> Bring 'em & use 'em

Food -> Clif Bars, Trail Mix, anything nutritive & portable (healthy food will keep you going much longer than junk food)

Water -> Other beverage are good too, but make sure to drink at least as much water as everything else put together.

Vitamins -> Not only will they offset the effects of eating poorly, but with 1000's of people from all over the country coming to one place they'll go a long way towards helping you not get sick. (and, depending on your inclinations, they're a much better way to fight a hangover than tylenol or advil)