The "I'm not at GenCon and I'm bummed about it" thread

[DungeonmasterCal]

The title says it all. I've only ever been able to attend one GenCon, and that was 9 years ago. I didn't get to do a tenth of the things there it seems and it's galled me ever since.

A good friend of mine goes nearly every year. Fortunately he doesn't gloat about it....like I would... lol.

So who else is stuck at home during the Greatest 4 Days in Gaming?

[Shadowborn]

Meh. I've never attended GenCon. If I moped every time I missed one August would be a terrible month for me. I hit PaizoCon and that was good. One of these days I'll get to GenCon, I suppose.

[The Mite]

::sob::

[TriOmegaZero]

Edit: My condolences Cal.

I figure one day I will hit GenCon, to say I've been. I just don't do well with large crowds.

[Hama]

Since i don't live in the US, and the price of a plain ticket alone is a 2 month salary, I don't see me coming over. And i would love to. Comic con and Gen con and E3. MAN I'd love to.

Mope. Mope. Mope.

[Adamantine Dragon]

Never been there. Went with my son and daughter to a local anime convention so I got some of the same flavor I think. Amazed at what people will wear and do in public.

I'd like to go to Gencon. Every year I make casual plans to do so. Every year something more important takes precedence.

[DungeonmasterCal]

TOZ, thanks. I don't handle crowds well anymore, either. But with Xanax, and enough of it, and I can fake it.

[Lord Snow]

I already vowed to make it to gen con one day, but that will require that I be in an entire new phase of my life. It might take me about 8 years, but I'll be there.

[Lord Snow]

By the way, I really like this, and I hope it replaces true blood - sounds logical as it has somewhat similar themes, which proved very popular with HBO fans.

[Adamantine Dragon]

Lord Snow wrote:

I already vowed to make it to gen con one day, but that will require that I be in an entire new phase of my life. It might take me about 8 years, but I'll be there.

By then it might be a completely virtual convention and all you'll need to do to "get there" is put on your google glasses.

[TriOmegaZero]

I can't see VR ever replacing the actually sitting down at a table together. Especially when it's my sitting across from SKR and he can finally try and kill me in-character. :)

But I am running Year of the Shadow Lodge online with the Ironhelixx crew next weekend, so I'll let you know if it changes my mind.

[Adamantine Dragon]

Tri, I am right there with you. But I also suspect that my attitudes will not be picked up by those generations which follow me, and within a few decades, "virtual presence" may well be preferable to "actual presence."

We live in interesting times.

[TOZ]

Don't you curse at me like that! :P

[Lord Snow]

Adamantine Dragon wrote:

Lord Snow wrote:

I already vowed to make it to gen con one day, but that will require that I be in an entire new phase of my life. It might take me about 8 years, but I'll be there.

By then it might be a completely virtual convention and all you'll need to do to "get there" is put on your google glasses.

Yes, that was my plan.

[Irontruth]

Not going and I'm a little bummed.

Last year was my 3rd time, the first after a 6 year lull. It was a lot of fun. A fellow gamer had been diagnosed with colon cancer, so a friend and I took him to go meet lots of people and play a bunch of games.

Next year I should have enough money early enough to make reservations again.

[Rynjin]

Lord Snow wrote:

By the way, I really like this, and I hope it replaces true blood - sounds logical as it has somewhat similar themes, which proved very popular with HBO fans.

Was this supposed to go in the "American Gods" thread?

[ulgulanoth]

I shall make it to ze gencon... one day... but not this day... :(

[Mazlith]

I like this thread. Good work

[TanithT]

I have mixed feelings. My SO is there, and I'm glad he gets to see his friends and the folks he works with and have a good time. One of these days it might be fun to go with him, though I refuse to share a hotel room with a crowd so that would up the cost quite significantly. I've also had enough horrific experiences at conventions that I'm no longer excited about going to any of them.

It's sad, because I used to go to every local gaming con I could when I was a broke student, and I always thought that when I wasn't any more I'd really enjoy doing GenCon. But between those times, too many of my convention gaming experiences were ruined by serious jack@$$ behavior at my table, often directed specifically at me for being the only female there. I prefer not to game with strangers any more. Not after shelling out several hundred dollars for a convention weekend upstate and having the prime Saturday gaming slot ruined by a player first stating he was raping the barmaid then asking to roll to rape my character. You know that guy in the Dead Alewives skit? Yeah, that guy, pretty much. The DM did not allow the roll, but he also did not care enough to make this guy quit turning the game into his own personal rapeland fantasy. When that became clear, I walked, and there was no chance to get into another game. That was a complete waste of that 8 hour slot, and it made the con really not worth having spent the time or the money. That one was pretty much the last straw for me. I haven't been to a gaming con since. I'm not sure I'll ever be willing to go out of my way to go to one again.

That and tons of minor incidents where guys felt it was somehow appropriate to question or challenge my 'geek cred' because I had bewbs. Including wet-nosed kids who were probably still playing with their alphabet blocks while I was writing for Dragon magazine. I have other fun ways to spend my weekends that don't involve a high chance of being automatically disrespected for my visible gender, so generally I'll go do those things and reserve all my gaming time for my friends. It's just not worth it.

Would GenCon be any better? Maybe, but it is much more expensive, and the chances of the same old sh** happening are high enough that the investment doesn't look good to me. One of these years I might go to keep Todd company, but I'm also fine not going and wishing him good luck and enjoyment.

[Digitalelf]

While a trip to GenCon might be nice, I am no longer really interested in attending. The times I was really interested in going, was back when 1st and 2nd edition AD&D were in their respective heydays. I'm sure there would be ample things for me to do there now, but I just don't really see the point anymore...

PaizoCon however, is something that I would love to someday attend!

[The 8th Dwarf]

I live 10,000 miles (give or take) from Gencon... :-(

[Pan]

Would it be worth ever attending if you had no plans to sit in any games? My days of sharing hotel rooms or sleeping in vans are well behind me. The investment and stress seems really high based on the threads I have read about it.

[CapeCodRPGer]

I am going to try and go next year. Never been to a major game con. Have they said the 2014 dates yet?

[Joe M.]

Next AP (for after The Mummy's Mask) announced! Thread here.

[Danubus]

I plan on going next year. Economy kicked my butt this year. I hate living in Southern IL. Nothing here except cows and corn. Hate it! Also, CapeCod, I was talking to someone on twitter (Dungeonbastard is his twitter handle) and he said next year are same dates. In 2015 they are moving the Con up one week. Also, GenCon will be in Indy till 2020.

[FireberdGNOME]

On Staff Duty in Grafenwoehr, so GenCon was out of the question anyway ;) At least here I get live music on the regular. :D