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So Gen-Con is coming right up. So I would like to just offer some advice.
This year will be the busiest year more so than any other year. Expect record attendance as well as added space this year.
For the record attendance expect longer lines everywhere. Expect more food trucks on Georgia Street. (My favorite is a Pork Chop Sandwich and a Velvet Cupcake from 2 different trucks).
Couple things I would recommend.
Don't loose your badge, I have personally done this twice. Both times the Companies HQ held on to it for me. I was very lucky both times.
Shower every morning (has to be said), dedicate yourself to at least one good meal a day. Skip fast food like McDonald;s, Subway and Steak and Shake. They usually are extremely busy. Consider some of the area’s dining-in restaurant’s or just trying something different. You may like whatever fast food, try something different.
Drink plenty of water, have some sort of back-up snacks as well as aspirin.
If you have a vehicle at the Convention, consider packing a cooler with some food. It is almost always faster to walk to a car and get food than getting food at or around the Convention. Also if you do bring a cooler, it is always nice to give away some water soda or chips. Over the years, I have given out allot of water that big name Author on the New York Times best seller list, they don’t want to pay 5-6$ on a bottle of water. I have had allot of good conversations with some of my favorite Authors and Game Designers that have started with giving out a bottle of water.
Cosplay - be respectful of people in costume. If you want to take a photo be polite and ask, don’t photo bomb. Also if you are going to be wearing a costume, please consider wearing it only for one day or have some sort of laundry service available.
Be considerate of your GM, ask if they need anything, they are your volunteer’s. For ticketed events try to not waste tickets, if you are going to skip a game turn your ticket in for a refund that way someone else will at least have a chance to purchase a ticket for that game.
Also be kind to the Game Marshal’s they volunteer their time and have a stressful job, yelling at them or hurting their feelings helps no one.
If you wake-up late and think you may skip playing an event. I would recommend skipping it, relax drink some coffee and get a big breakfast.
There is allot of stuff going on at the Convention you simply can’t see everything. If you are crazy enough check-out some of the late/early morning stuff. Between midnight and 7 a.m. you can find a whole different Gen-Con.
I am sure others will have some good advice.
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Skip fast food like McDonald;s, Subway and Steak and Shake. They usually are extremely busy.
Drink plenty of water, have some sort of back-up snacks as well as aspirin.
Water bottle: check.
Suggestions on the back-up snacks?If you have a vehicle at the Convention, consider packing a cooler with some food. It is almost always faster to walk to a car and get food than getting food at or around the Convention.
Game Marshal
What's a Game Marshal?
Also, thanks for making this thread! This'll be my first GenCon, so definitely interested in advice.
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I've seen that higher protein, low sugar snacks make for a good pick me up. Trail mix, nuts, granola bars type things. Jerky is also another good one if you like to chew.
Game Marshal will be the volunteers trying to wrangle players and GM's to their respective tables in record setting times...they can get bum rushed and not always treated respectively unfortunately.
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Game Marshals are the volunteers that muster players to sit at tables, I think Game Marshals are a old timers term.
Also there are Klingon Wedding Marshals for those people who are getting married at Gen-Con.
Snacks since you have a car Jiggy I would suggest spending 20$ or so on snacks at a CVS or Walgreens.
Something like Fiber Bars or Granola bars, even that Vio stuff is great.
Snacks I wouldn't recommend nuts trail mix, anything that is not wrapped that you can avoid touching.
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Jiggy:
For back up snacks, my suggestion is to avoid most sugary items (oh, a small amount of candy would be okay) - think of things with protein (meat snacks) or good fat (peanuts, etc.) As a diabetic, I really can't have too many carbohydrates (and sugar in particular), so I usually keep things like beef jerky, some pecans, etc. I will also keep a bit of fresh fruit on me - I don't really have an issue with having periods of low blood sugar, but I do need a bit of a sugar boost now and then, so I try to use fruit.
I would also add this: a new Marsh grocery store opened a month or two ago about 4 or 5 blocks north of the Convention Center. You could always go there to get stuff.
But for snacks like Chris is talking about, get stuff you like, but I would try to keep them balanced so you don't get the "sugar-high-then-crash." That usually works for me.
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Con Crud
I would also suggest washing your hands often, perhaps carring around some anti bacterial hand wipe or lotion, limit a set of dice for "guests!!".
I would skip any form of snack that you need to touch unless you first wash your hands.
Don't kiss Mark Moreland on his lips I think he is Con Crud carrier 0.
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I would also suggest checking out the food trucks on Georgia Street. I have seen some around here from time to time that offer vegan food as well, and Georgia Street runs right up to the entrance of the Convention Center. :)
Definitely will! She's a foodie truck...truckie foodie? She likes food trucks.
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Redward:
Don't quote me on this, but there is a Noodles & Company a block or so away, and I believe they have a number of vegan options.
Mark
I can't attest for the vegan options, but the Noodles & Company was responsible for a number of my meals last year. As long as you're okay with takeout, they make stuff relatively fast and it was pretty good. Also their doors were painted like a TARDIS.
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Venture-Agent, Ohio—Columbus
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This will be my first GenCon. I'll be staying at one of the hotels on the east side.
I called to find out about parking near the convention center. I don't recall now exactly how much they said it would be, $25-$30 a day I'm thinking. Then I read about the shuttle for a one-time $50 fee. Now I'm torn. The shuttle is much cheaper, but the schedule is fixed and wouldn't provide the convenience of having a nearby supply cache.
I'm already paying a small fortune for the hotel room, what's an extra hundred dollars for parking?
Any advice on the availability/convenience of parking near the convention center?
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Some advice I would give is pack smartly. Apparently they removed the lockers from the ICC since I was there last in 2007. Choose wisely what you want to bring unless you have a connected hotel. Cough drops or mints to keep your throat from getting scratchy. Also, the Gencon community forum has lots of advice for people going. They cover everything from restaurants to parking and everything else.
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This will be my first GenCon. I'll be staying at one of the hotels on the east side.
I called to find out about parking near the convention center. I don't recall now exactly how much they said it would be, $25-$30 a day I'm thinking. Then I read about the shuttle for a one-time $50 fee. Now I'm torn. The shuttle is much cheaper, but the schedule is fixed and wouldn't provide the convenience of having a nearby supply cache.
I'm already paying a small fortune for the hotel room, what's an extra hundred dollars for parking?
Any advice on the availability/convenience of parking near the convention center?
I am not sure how far east you are, but there is a decent bus system in Indy
http://www.indygo.net Go to INDY GO.
Also the farther out you go the cheaper the parking is at the Con, you could ask around and get a carpool thing going or sharing a taxi.
Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area North & East
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Some advice I would give is pack smartly. Apparently they removed the lockers from the ICC since I was there last in 2007. Choose wisely what you want to bring unless you have a connected hotel. Cough drops or mints to keep your throat from getting scratchy. Also, the Gencon community forum has lots of advice for people going. They cover everything from restaurants to parking and everything else.
Link?
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I'm a local and a foodie so I might have some suggestions worth looking over:
The parking on South Street around Delaware is a bit more scarce as they are turning it into apartments last I heard. That was the lot directly south of Banker's Life Fieldhouse (which was dirt cheap).
If you do the early morning breakfast thing, go to Yolk (220 E. South Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204)... you're welcome.
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Anyone know of any good vegan options around the convention center? The fiancée will be accompanying me and I wish to reward her with food that she can eat.
So I was looking around, and now I remember some of the places that I saw there last year that I can recommend.
There's a PF Chang's just over a block northeast of the convention center. I never went to that location, but I went to their locations in Florida a lot when I used to live down there. They're a good Americanized Asian food chain.
There was also a slightly more upscale place called Palomino, which I think is practically next door to PF Chang's. Looking at their menu online, I'm not sure if they have any vegan options listed, but they can customize easily enough to leave cheese off their stuff. That place is recommended for beer lovers, but the food was good, too.
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Anyone know of any good vegan options around the convention center? The fiancée will be accompanying me and I wish to reward her with food that she can eat.So I was looking around, and now I remember some of the places that I saw there last year that I can recommend.
There's a PF Chang's just over a block northeast of the convention center. I never went to that location, but I went to their locations in Florida a lot when I used to live down there. They're a good Americanized Asian food chain.
There was also a slightly more upscale place called Palomino, which I think is practically next door to PF Chang's. Looking at their menu online, I'm not sure if they have any vegan options listed, but they can customize easily enough to leave cheese off their stuff. That place is recommended for beer lovers, but the food was good, too.
Awesome! Thank you!
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Venture-Captain, Michigan—Mt. Pleasant
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I've used Parkwhiz.com for parking the last two years. Last year I did a month or so before GC so got a parking lot about 8 or so blocks away from the hotel. From Wed to Monday it was I think $70, but it was park and stay, no in-and-out. This year I'm about four blocks from the hotel in a covered garage from 6am Wed until 6pm Monday $55. Of course I got my parking in January... But for six days I'm paying what a lot of people are paying for 2 days or so. Plus its like half a block from Scotty's. :)