Gen Con 2016 Call for Volunteers!

holy crap, this is early and unexpected. I haven't even started thinking about summer yet.

How do we answer the questionnaire if we don't have a gmail account? It wants me to login to Gmail.

Is the questionnaire asking for slots yet? If so, is there more info about the specials?

Looks like you do need a Google account to sign in with. The questionnaire asks if there are any slots you cannot work.

Details on the specials and the full schedule will be forthcoming (look for updates from Tonya on that).

All my papercuts have healed so I signed up to play with thousands of chronicle sheets again.

You'll be sent to the spice mines of Kessel! Smashed into who-knows-what!

Also,

I think the shifting of the times is not beneficial.

1) I've attended GenCon the past several years as a Tier 2 GM and watched PFS grow to fill the Sagamore. I have only seen a few problems with morning slot tables not getting done in 4 1/2 hours.

2) Pushing back the afternoon slot and therefore the evening slot means we all get one less hour of sleep each day.

3) Ending at 1:00 am is even more family unfriendly then ending at midnight. I've seen and been at evening tables with teens and kids.

As Tonya said, if it's too terrible we can adjust next year. Also, it's not like the kids and teens have to be at school the next day. Short sleep and crazy schedules are part of what big cons like Gen Con are about, after all.

Finally, no one is forcing folks to play every slot against their will. We're trying to provide the most play opportunities but give everyone a chance to do things like go to the bathroom and eat, too. Just getting food at the food trucks can take 30 minutes; longer if you get something from a real restaurant; sometimes shorter if you go to one of the vendors in the convention hall itself.

Has it been considered to have 2 sessions a day instead of 3? Should solve both of those problems.

Steven Schopmeyer wrote:

I have a feeling GenCon would object to that.

I have a feeling our players would object to that. Why would we offer fewer play opportunities?

After filling out the questionnaire, should there be a confirmation email or no? How do we know we successfully signed up?

See you all in Indy! :)

You should have gotten a success message at the end of the questionnaire. There doesn't appear to be an automated email response, but I expect you'll be hearing from Tonya in the not-to-distant future.

rknop wrote:

Interesting that the GenCon call for volunteers is coming before the PaizoCon call for volunteers, given that P is two months earlier than G. (Or did I miss the PaizoCon call?)

Seems like they pushed it forward so GMs getting comped badges but not hotel rooms can get into the Gencon housing lottery.

I'm pretty sure that you wont get in the hotel lottery. Last year GenCon issued the Paizo badges the week before you could register for events, (mid-April ?).

Wow that snuck up on me!

I'm pretty sure that you wont get in the hotel lottery. Last year GenCon issued the Paizo badges the week before you could register for events, (mid-April ?).

The idea is that if folks are getting badges *on their own* and rooms *on their own* they can put in the times they're willing to work, and then make an effort to do exactly that as far as the acquisition.

If it turns out after the fact that room could not be acquired or other situations, I'm reasonably sure volunteering time could be adjusted after the fact to make up either difference?

It's a nice effort to try and give people more chances.

Just volunteered to help run the PFS HQ. Would be my first GenCon.

Avatar-1 wrote:

Has it been considered to have 2 sessions a day instead of 3? Should solve both of those problems.

Steven Schopmeyer wrote:

I have a feeling GenCon would object to that.

I have a feeling our players would object to that. Why would we offer fewer play opportunities?

There was a fair amount of noise about PaizoCon last year when the afternoons didn't have PFS games scheduled officially. Of course, the Con was a day longer than it had been previously, so the same number of slots were available. (And I'm pretty sure there were some added "pickup" PFS games during off times.)

I really liked the fact that the afternoons were off, though. Made it possible to be a Tier 1 GM without completely dying. Also allowed me to Tier 1 and still run another and play another game. (And get some break time in there on the third day.) And, it allowed me to actually go out to dinner with friends instead of finding the nearest fast food restaurant and shovelling food in at a dog's pace so that I could get back for the next slot. I hope PaizoCon sticks with that.

So for those of us not getting Paizo to pay for our hotel, does anyone have any input on the hotel lottery thing? I volunteered to GM a couple of sessions, but not that many.

The past few years, I've gone to GenCon with friends who go every year and know all the ins and outs. So I didn't have to deal with hotel planning, because they'd do it, and I'd just bunk with them and split the cost. But they're probably not coming this year, so I have to figure it out on my own. I figure I'll book a room and then see which of my friends are thinking of going - I'm sure I'll have no problem finding roommates to split the cost. I just don't know anything about how the signups and lottery stuff work.

So for those of us not getting Paizo to pay for our hotel, does anyone have any input on the hotel lottery thing? I volunteered to GM a couple of sessions, but not that many.

The past few years, I've gone to GenCon with friends who go every year and know all the ins and outs. So I didn't have to deal with hotel planning, because they'd do it, and I'd just bunk with them and split the cost. But they're probably not coming this year, so I have to figure it out on my own. I figure I'll book a room and then see which of my friends are thinking of going - I'm sure I'll have no problem finding roommates to split the cost. I just don't know anything about how the signups and lottery stuff work.

Okay, this is how it *ideally* happens.

You get your badge today (or at any point before the room lottery opens on Sunday).

Then you get on Sunday, you're given a reasonable time and reasonable time frame to pick a room at a given location that you're comfortable with.

(I *need* a downtown room within five blocks -- walking distance -- or no-sale on my part)

You place the reservation for the room, and you're set.

What's happened the past two years:

You get your badge.

Some 'undocumented feature' happens (two years ago, it was everyone buying just 'Friday Night', last year it was people buying their badges RIGHT before rooms opened up) that pushes a bunch of folks into the queue ahead of everyone else, and all the rooms within a mile radius vanish within thirty minutes.

Now the waiting game begins.

There are three cut-offs that are important to watch for if you didn't get the room (DO NOT MAKE A RESERVATION IF YOU DON'T WANT THE ROOM, the system WILL lock you to that choice and then you'll have to finagle if you don't want it. Also, unless you get a *prime* location really close to the convention, don't put someone else on the room or buy their badge with your account, the system only gives one lottery draw for every two badges on a given account.)

The first is when the penalty for the room equals one night's stay, usually about five to six weeks before the convention.

The second is about a month before the convention when cancellations kick in.

The third is the week before (hopefully you didn't have to wait this long).

In addition, keep your eyes and ears open for room opportunities in the meantime.

Despite the amount of stress involved, it's ultimately worth it to me, at least?

The ability to have a room with folks that have respect and understanding for personal hygiene is huge.

EDIT: Important to note, I'm heading down on *Tuesday* and coming back on *Monday*, so my difficulties might be an aberration.

So for those of us not getting Paizo to pay for our hotel, does anyone have any input on the hotel lottery thing? I volunteered to GM a couple of sessions, but not that many.

The past few years, I've gone to GenCon with friends who go every year and know all the ins and outs. So I didn't have to deal with hotel planning, because they'd do it, and I'd just bunk with them and split the cost. But they're probably not coming this year, so I have to figure it out on my own. I figure I'll book a room and then see which of my friends are thinking of going - I'm sure I'll have no problem finding roommates to split the cost. I just don't know anything about how the signups and lottery stuff work.

Check out the GenCon forums. There is a lot of ideas there (I think a whole forum) on lodging. There will even be some swapping of hotel stuff and people looking for roommates. There are a lot of options. I plan to camp about 10 minutes from downtown this year. Just not interested in the book. Also the cost for 24 hour x 5 day parkin is much greater than daily parking plus camping (and I don't share a bed).

Registered. Just to clarify, should the PFS Headquarters on Sunday Morning be 8:30am instead of 8:30pm?

So for those of us not getting Paizo to pay for our hotel, does anyone have any input on the hotel lottery thing? I volunteered to GM a couple of sessions, but not that many.

The past few years, I've gone to GenCon with friends who go every year and know all the ins and outs. So I didn't have to deal with hotel planning, because they'd do it, and I'd just bunk with them and split the cost. But they're probably not coming this year, so I have to figure it out on my own. I figure I'll book a room and then see which of my friends are thinking of going - I'm sure I'll have no problem finding roommates to split the cost. I just don't know anything about how the signups and lottery stuff work.

Generally speaking, the hotel blocks are referring to the ones right downtown. If you are okay with a brief drive in the morning, you can find accommodations for yourself that are not overly expensive 5-10 minutes outside of downtown. Course, you'll have to find and pay for parking, but there are relatively inexpensive options for that too. The name of the game is convenience. If you want it to be maximized, you'll have to pay for it. If you are okay with a little inefficiency, you can save some money.

Before I was committing my entire GenCon to working, I used to stay at a Holiday Inn Express just southeast of downtown. Double rooms were $79/night and the drive was just under 10 minutes from parking lot to parking garage. Add $20/day for parking and you are at $100/day. Split that between two (or more) people and you can do GenCon relatively inexpensively considering the nature of the event.

You can certainly get involved in the chaos that is the Hotel lottery, and many people do. Just offering an alternative to that. Once the hotels downtown sell out, the ones in the outskirts sell out VERY quickly.

Before I was committing my entire GenCon to working, I used to stay at a Holiday Inn Express just southeast of downtown. Double rooms were $79/night and the drive was just under 10 minutes from parking lot to parking garage. Add $20/day for parking and you are at $100/day. Split that between two (or more) people and you can do GenCon relatively inexpensively considering the nature of the event.

You can certainly get involved in the chaos that is the Hotel lottery, and many people do. Just offering an alternative to that. Once the hotels downtown sell out, the ones in the outskirts sell out VERY quickly.

Some of us do not drive (and cannot afford a cab to and from every night -- there are no buses this year) or like Bob mentioned above, the logistics of moving books, self, and in a timely fashion precludes the additional finagling of parking on a daily basis (not to mention that on the weekends some garages close VERY EARLY and do not open until Monday morning...)

The 'middle ring' of hotels (2-5mi range) start selling within the first hour and a half, and by the time the third and fourth hour roll around, all that's been left in previous years is 'not enough days to make a weekend on either side of blocked out areas' and stuff 10-20mi away.

So if you drive and want to do something close but not in the immediate area, there may be a better chance of it.

Good hunting, and may you be first in line if you lottery.

So if I am still pretty new to PFS and Paizo but interested in helping some, what would the learned and experienced among us suggest I do?

Volunteer to run the special. I know I did!

So if I am still pretty new to PFS and Paizo but interested in helping some, what would the learned and experienced among us suggest I do?

VOLUNTEER! Fill out the online form with the amount of time you want to help out and we'll see ya there. We do not assume you have been a volunteer before so we will provide you with what you need to perform your volunteer tasks. Just decide what area you prefer: GMing, running card game demos, or working with the HQ staff

Gary Bush wrote:

So if I am still pretty new to PFS and Paizo but interested in helping some, what would the learned and experienced among us suggest I do?

VOLUNTEER! Fill out the online form with the amount of time you want to help out and we'll see ya there. We do not assume you have been a volunteer before so we will provide you with what you need to perform your volunteer tasks. Just decide what area you prefer: GMing, running card game demos, or working with the HQ staff

Ok I did. By the time Gencon rolls around I will have a few GM tables under my belt.

- there are no buses this year-

Wei, where did you see this information?

I still see the Go Express Travel logo on the Gen Con website, but maybe it just hasn't been removed from last year.

Wei Ji the Learner wrote:

- there are no buses this year-

Wei, where did you see this information?

I still see the Go Express Travel logo on the Gen Con website, but maybe it just hasn't been removed from last year.

I had gotten an email blast (long since deleted) from Gen Con saying that it had been discontinued for this year?

Things may have changed?

Are you talking about special buses for the convention or general public buses?

Bob Jonquet wrote:

Gary Bush wrote:

So if I am still pretty new to PFS and Paizo but interested in helping some, what would the learned and experienced among us suggest I do?

VOLUNTEER! Fill out the online form with the amount of time you want to help out and we'll see ya there. We do not assume you have been a volunteer before so we will provide you with what you need to perform your volunteer tasks. Just decide what area you prefer: GMing, running card game demos, or working with the HQ staff

Ok I did. By the time Gencon rolls around I will have a few GM tables under my belt.

The question I would ask is are you new to GenCon as well? If this is your first GenCon by all means volunteer one or two times but I wouldn't spend the whole con in the Sagamore Ballroom there is after all so many things going on, now if you have gone to Gencon several times then by all means play/gm your way to euphoria.

About the only information I can find (I'll be honest, I deleted it because it's 'walking distance or bust' for me) is that Go Express will run from the airport to downtown if you reserve a spot on them.

Apologies if I was misinformed/unawares.

Filled in the form, pretty stoked, this is my first GenCon, worst year for it from a Canadian Dollar perspective, but super excited.

Are you talking about special buses for the convention or general public buses?

Bob, I'm talking about the special buses that made circuits between the convention and many of the surrounding hotels. They weren't prefect, but I used them 2 and 3 years ago and found them to be a reasonable solution.

Okay, this is how it *ideally* happens.

...

What's happened the past two years:

Thank you for that.

I was on the fence as to going to GenCon or not.

This made it easy to make the decision.....

-Rob

Can anyone confirm there is or is not going to be any special bus services? If so, what the schedule is? what the routes are? Cost? Contact info? Or maybe its too early in the season to know what Indy will have available for us. Past experience indicates they embrace the GenCon crowds and try to offer extra services.

Nefreet wrote:

Sarvei taeno wrote:

sadly no way i can afford the hotel so no gen con for me

Go Tier 1, and you don't have to pay for it =D

Speaking of... when will the official call for PaizoCon volunteers be announced? I was expecting that to be announced before GenCon would be.

Tier 1 & 2 both get hotel room space at Gen Con. I wouldn't recommend Tier 1 GM for a novice at Gen Con, it's a rough run spending 80% of the con running games.

This will not be my year to finally make GenCon, but I am keeping an eye on 2017 and Tier 1 is about the only way I CAN do it, not because of cost but because of handling anxiety attacks at the sheer number of people. :) Tight focus helps me a lot, and I'm rather used to running most all slots of any con I attend. Trying to get better about that actually...

Thank you for that.

I was on the fence as to going to GenCon or not.

This made it easy to make the decision.....

-Rob

If one goes as a higher tier judge or the like, it probably would not be an issue (as Paizo will comp your room after a certain point, and make the arrangements for said room)

Please also bear in mind that my experience is atypical, as I've been trying to avoid the 'gamer barracks' method (which is also HIGHLY illegal in Indy, and can get you kicked out of your room) of having people crammed into every nook and cranny in a given room.

The question I would ask is are you new to GenCon as well? If this is your first GenCon by all means volunteer one or two times but I wouldn't spend the whole con in the Sagamore Ballroom there is after all so many things going on, now if you have gone to Gencon several times then by all means play/gm your way to euphoria.

Yes also new to Gencon. So what I did is fill out form at tier 6 and excluded the evenings. Seemed reasonable to me.

Please also bear in mind that my experience is atypical, as I've been trying to avoid the 'gamer barracks' method (which is also HIGHLY illegal in Indy, and can get you kicked out of your room) of having people crammed into every nook and cranny in a given room.

Having worked in the hotel industry, "barracks" activity is something that will get you kick in almost all hotels in the US.

Yes also new to Gencon. So what I did is fill out form at tier 6 and excluded the evenings. Seemed reasonable to me.

If you need assistance as the convention gets closer, there are plenty of people around here that can give advice and other support. I'll be driving in, so if there is something you can't get a hold of mini or mapwise, I can probably bring it if I have it. (And there's not a lot I don't have. :)

Gary Bush wrote:

Yes also new to Gencon. So what I did is fill out form at tier 6 and excluded the evenings. Seemed reasonable to me.

If you need assistance as the convention gets closer, there are plenty of people around here that can give advice and other support. I'll be driving in, so if there is something you can't get a hold of mini or mapwise, I can probably bring it if I have it. (And there's not a lot I don't have. :)

Thank you. I may take you up on that offer!

At a minimum I expect to enjoy a beer or two! (Assuming you like beer of course)

I will certainly watch you drink a beer. I may even enjoy a fizzy drink while I do so. ;)

If I am bribed with treats and goodies I may be willing to shuttle others this year to the convention center :)

Did the Tier 6 GM boon have the Character Rebuild option last year?
I don't want a snazzy race, so I'm trying to figure what Tier I'd need (if I manage to go ;).)

Character rebuilds are typically only granted to Tier 1 volunteers.

Did the Tier 6 GM boon have the Character Rebuild option last year?

I don't want a snazzy race, so I'm trying to figure what Tier I'd need (if I manage to go ;).)

Last year I don't believe there was a boon for Tier 6. I was a Tier 2 GM and the only thing crossed off was the Tier 1 Skinwalker access. The Character Rebuild is still available on it.

Last year I got the Rebuild and the Gripple, everything else was marked off.

Can anyone confirm there is or is not going to be any special bus services? If so, what the schedule is? what the routes are? Cost? Contact info? Or maybe its too early in the season to know what Indy will have available for us. Past experience indicates they embrace the GenCon crowds and try to offer extra services.

There was an email from Gen Con a couple of weeks ago that said they would not be offering the bus service they had the last couple of years. The only bus service being organized is the airport to downtown and return for those flying in and out.

I did see the electric cars when we were there last year. It was a car share system that might work for a few people, but I'm not certain how far put they go.

Last year the rebuild was available to everyone that GM'd.

Woooo, first year volunteering, and a Tier 2 even.

To those that say don't go tier 1-2 for your first try at GenCon I say it worked great for me. Have had a blast the last two years, and expect it only to get better!

If I wanted to get our of sagamore I have the opportunity (2 slots) but for some reason I decided to play. Huh, go figure.

Now, this year, maybe I will try something else (but probably not).

I have talked to people who have had good success with renting an apartment in downtown. So, maybe homeaway.com or similar is worth checking out. This was a couple of years ago, however and may have changed with increased numbers.

Did the Tier 6 GM boon have the Character Rebuild option last year?

The language for the free rebuild may have changed slightly from year to year. Last year it did not specify a tier requirement. So while the portion that provided access to a normally banned race varied from tier to tier as to what race/s you were granted access, the free rebuild was worded in such a way that all GMs earned it regardless of tier. That may or may not be the case this year. We typically do not get advanced notice of the contents of the GM boon so we'll have to wait until the con to see what it says.

Squee GenCon GenCon, my favorite con to GM at. And who known maybe this year, if I am selected to GM, I'll get to run the tier I was supposed to prep for the special. After my first special I prep all the tiers.

Very wise.

What is this word, 'prep'?