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@AJ, my Canadian crew? Damn, their Michigan accents must have been worse than my Aussie one! Great to meet you too, mate.
Now, I just have to go and figure out how to say "tower" properly if I ever want to run Six Seconds to Midnight for an American group again... maybe I'll just say "clock tower". :-)
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I already posted about Friday night...now I'm exhausted just thinking about trying to summarize my con.
I spent half the con running card game demos -- it was exhausting, but more fun than I feared. I feel like I never quite ran them as fast as I should have, but I also feel like I convinced some people to check out Organized Play. One of the interesting things was the number of people who sat through the demos who already owned the game, but weren't sure if they were playing right.
Loved the specials. In contrast to other posts, our run of True Dragons went short -- we finished at 10:30. Only the second fight was tough -- we obliterated everything else, and diplo'd the boss. I was with a great group -- everyone else had been playing together for over a year, but had never met in person before, so they were having a blast.
The lowest point was probably the Sunday morning special, and I wouldn't call that any worse than 'ok'. Worst part was that the pregens were so complex that it took us an hour of reading over our characters before people felt ready to play. (Handing someone a level 7 Brawler without preparation is just *cruel*.) Let me be clear -- the characters were actually *really awesome*, they were just hard to play cold, especially at 9am the last day of the con.
My precon and postcon games were great fun. (What is that, Slot 0 and Slot Infinity?) Everyone I met was awesome, but I'll mangle the names if I try to list them, so I won't even try. But they were definitely a highlight. My monk has *still* never lost a companion, even temporarily.
The last callout I want to make is one that no one else will think to do. Both of my times checking out at the Paizo booth were handled by the Master of the Coin himself, Chris Self. Everything from subscription pickup to checkout went supersmooth, and the lines moved briskly. Also, one of the things different for this years GenCon is that it straddled the end of July. So while everyone else is recovering from GenCon, spare a moment for the accountants, whose GenCon rush starts *now*. (Accountants always live life one month behind.) You now get three guesses to figure out what I do for a living. :)
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Most of my GenCon was spent Demoing and helping Organizing the Demoing of the Card game near the Paizo Booth. I had very little free time to socialize.Mine too. Wish I'd said 'hi' -- now I'm trying to figure out which other demoer you were.
It was nice to meet you Ph.
Steven was the clean-shaven VL who wore his green shirts.
I'm Neil, the "mature" gent who did a lot of the player greeting on Thursday. (and by greeting, I mean chasing them as they approached in the aisles)
... Wilmanattor and his
CanadianMichigan crew, and many others.
Don't worry AJ, I fixed it for you. Looks good eh?
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I've met Silbeg (aka VL Jack Brown from Minn) for years via his participation in PbP. On Wednesday, we finally met. A couple of notes: the entire Minneapolis/St.Paul/Cloud PFS group is pretty freakin' spectacular. From Ryan B, to the other Ryan B, to Jon D, to Ray and Keith, Mark, and Aaron, and AChristain...they are a piddlespot ton of fun. And man do they drink. My liver can only take so much of these guys, but I love them to death.
For next year I suggest a vigorous cross-training regimen of whiskey and malt liquor.
Contributor—Canadian Maplecakes
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I just wanted to pop in here and say what a wonderful year this Gen Con was. As in the past, seeing hundreds of players scattered across the room playing a special that I wrote, I one of the best feelings imaginable. Given some recent life changes, this was a huge boost and I want to give a heartfelt thanks to all the people who came up to me during the convention to offer praise, feedback, or even to get their copy of Occult Adventures signed.
In no particular order, here are some highlights...
--Day 0 shenanigans with the PFS HQ crew. Particularly 'holding court' with Walter on the streets outside the Westin.
--Getting to see the first hardcover I contributed to, released at GenCon!
--Seeing (and signing) Chris Hays' stunning 3d terrain for True Dragons of Absalom.
--Running a table of True Dragons for several of my Paizo staff friends, as well as Trusty Tonya from PFS HQ.
--Fogo... *drool*
--Proving that my Canadian girlfriend is real!
--Staying up past 3am several nights in a row, discussing so many things with so many friends.
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Loved the specials. In contrast to other posts, our run of True Dragons went short -- we finished at 10:30. Only the second fight was tough -- we obliterated everything else, and diplo'd the boss. I was with a great group -- everyone else had been playing together for over a year, but had never met in person before, so they were having a blast.
Good... GOOD! Dahak approves. You may survive the inevitable end of all things by his talons and fire!
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Loved the specials. In contrast to other posts, our run of True Dragons went short -- we finished at 10:30. Only the second fight was tough -- we obliterated everything else, and diplo'd the boss. I was with a great group -- everyone else had been playing together for over a year, but had never met in person before, so they were having a blast.Good... GOOD! Dahak approves. You may survive the inevitable end of all things by his talons and fire!
Thank you, mighty Dahak. Not only did we avoid the final fight, but we also
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Most of my GenCon was spent Demoing and helping Organizing the Demoing of the Card game near the Paizo Booth. I had very little free time to socialize.Mine too. Wish I'd said 'hi' -- now I'm trying to figure out which other demoer you were.It was nice to meet you Ph.
Steven was the clean-shaven VL who wore his green shirts.
I'm Neil, the "mature" gent who did a lot of the player greeting on Thursday. (and by greeting, I mean chasing them as they approached in the aisles)
And not so clean shaven by the end, and lost my voice, and body told him if he stayed after his shift ended on Sunday he would collapse.. ;) And I didn't even go out drinking! Still getting used to that low-cal diet i think.
Venture-Lieutenant, Washington—Pullman
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I believe that should be arch-nemeses.Andy's list of arch-nemesi is long.... Andy Christian (my arch-nemesis!) ...Hey! Andy's *my* arch-nemesis! Get your own! ;)And the horse you rode in to town on.
:)
I just call them his Fan Club.
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So, the promised update. I guarantee I will miss names as well as events... it was a long weekend of gaming, drinking, and .
So, after Jon, Ray and I had settled down, eaten a late lunch at Scotty's (downing our first tower of the weekend. They come in towers?), we had headed back to the hotel, to wait on UndeadMitch and crew for the Pregen Deathmatch (tm). Well, while waiting, some yahoo with a 510 area code started texting me, and prompting me to head back to Scotty's. Well, after waiting their for a while (and not being able to get in), I finally met up with him (by now, I had a clue, but no confirmation until he introduced himself). Painlord himself!
So, needless to say, pregen deathmatch turned into food and beers (mostly beers) at Champions, getting to know the mighty Painlord himself. Was quite the pleasure, I must say! He's a pretty great guy. I have to apologize to Mitch once again, though, as we ended up blowing off his planned event (though we did have 3 copies of Arena flip map with us. We'll have to be more organized next year and actually do it!).
The evening ended at Scotty's with several tower being consumed. I don't know why you all think the Minnesota crew drinks so heavily. As I recall, I had only one drink that time (ok, perhaps we were calling a 101oz tower a single drink. I can't recall!)
Thursday was a GREAT day. Was a little worried that my slot of 7-03 The Bronze House Reprisal wasn't going to happen, but to my delight a group of six showed up at my table! Marvelous! A good time had by all! Then, miracle of miracles, I got to finally meet Wilmannator and PapaSteve (as well as Ryan)! A year of playing at least three concurrent PbP games, and I finally get to meet these awesome guys in person!
We sat down, and played Tapestry's Toil. Their solutions to things were... interesting... and I went with it every step of the way. Cieran couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, and Damien's zeal at playing Lort was almost overwhelming! I think Cyrus was out of ki by the end of the second encounter? I dunno for sure, but it was a blast.
Then the special. Was a little disappointed that I didn't get to GM for you guys, but I had a great time as well. Ran at 7-8, which I had prepped for (after all, I was assigned to run), but didn't have a stat extract for (my bad). Still, managed the page-flip just fine, and went well. I am told by AJ Torgerund I ran the <redacted> wrong. Still, I pulled a GM bluff off and still made it an interesting combat
Oracle states he's going to cast blind on the Rukh (a two-headed gargantuan vulture). I say, "It's got two heads". With that simple statement, the table argued whether or not it would work, and then decided against trying. For the record, it would have worked... I never said that it wouldn't. :D
That evening Ryan, Steve, and Damien were supposed to join our merry little crew from Minnesota back at Scotty's, and I still held out the secret of Painlord... but it wasn't to happen. They decided unwisely to get some sleep.
Then, on to Friday!
I got my first chance to play... Returned to Sky with UndeadMitch as GM, and me playing Gunari, Warpriest of the Drunken Hero... along with Cyrus, Cierdan, and Lort! Fellow MSP'er AJ was there as well, playing his Abjurer Edward. Just about everyone was surprised when he decided to sit out parts of each combat, 'cause we "had it under control". That final battle was EPIC, Mitch, with both Gunari and Lort near death at one point or another.
Then, another slot of 7-03, this time with the Drongos! Was a blast. I believe this is the point that that Damien decided I was a "Hard Core GM" -- when Cyrus's wakazashi got sundered, as well as the Magus's scimitar almost destroyed. Still, they were effective. Was great seeing them getting into the spirit of the adventure, even though I needed to fast forward a bit due to time. Damn Con Time!
Then, The Sky Key Solution. When I saw the group, with Pirate Rob and Phoebe in tow (well, I didn't know Phoebe, yet, but...). Then the thoughts through my head... both Pirate Rob and Painlord at my table? OMG! The game was brutal at times... and too easy for them at others. This special was really more of an issue of resource management than anything. But, I was SO looking forward to the final encounter with a party having Aroden Reborn. I guarantee there would have been RP bonuses there! But, I was just setting it up, when time was called. That's the way it is with the Specials. Oh, and for future reference, folks, use your Aid tokens! the more they are used, the more often they can be!
This is really turning into a wall of text. Wonder what the character limit on posts is?
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Oh, and did I mention that I FINALLY got to meet Chris Lockwood (Acre)! Was amazing as well! I even had to "lockwood" his mini (inside joke from the PbP folks). That evening, we headed to Scotty's again, for some food and beer (thanks for the dinner, guys! It was needed. I think Chris picked it up, but I am not sure any more. There's been a LOT of beer since then). TOWERS!!! We closed them down, but not before we found out that the last two towers ordered went in AFTER they had closed the bar. The service there was... sub-par... I do not believe we shall be going there again. Then, back to the room, and a couple of more hours of hard drinking (without the Drongos, though they were invited). AJ and I finally hit the hay at 5:15... Jon and Ray went "wandering".
Oh, and I do think that the victory margins were set to high for this one, IMHO.
So, if the 8AM slot of 6 Seconds to Midnight was a little rough. AJ and I were still... not sober... and the coffee wasn't kicking in yet. Still, Damien did a great job, and showed great enthusiasm for the art of GMing. We had a blast, even though we got "Town" and "Tower" confused... else I would have cast that calm emotions spell...
Then, an afternoon slot that almost didn't happen. No table was sat for me for Tapestry's Toil (which is sad). Thank you, Glen Shackleton, for offering to take my table if you didn't get one, but luckily you did! Hope it went well! I was asked by a musterer (sorry, I didn't catch a name, but she was in costume) if I could run Scions part 3. I said, sure, but I had only played it, not run. Then, that didn't happen... but a table was sat for The Confirmation for me (I had to run back to the room as this was the first time I hadn't brought my prep kit for this scenario). Then, unfortunately, the family had to leave (3 players), leaving us at 3. Well, we made it happen, and as it was, none of the three remaining had ever played the scenario! Was a great time! This scenario gets better for me every time I run it (I think that was #7), especially with new players!
Then, it was True Dragons of Absalom! I have to thank Marc Granlund personally here (with a "c" not a "k", Pain), since he picked up a quesadilla for me (and Ray, and AJ) from Champions. Was a lifesaver! Once more, I didn't get the Drongos, but I had a good table. They really got into being kobolds, and they did a great job of setting things up! I loved it all! Just wish we had time for the third act (mostly RP), but I felt I should push things to get to the final encounter, which they did wonderfully! Impressive, guys! If you all get the chance you HAVE to play this one. Try and do it in a slot more than 5 hours though... let your GM shine (as he or she will be a five star). I am sad that I cannot run this again until at least November...
So, after sharing some of the Maple Bacon (and other beverages) with Thursty and Tonya (among many others) we went to O'Reilly's, and were treated fantastically! They were very apologetic about the kitchen having just closed, but let us bring pizza in! The beers kept coming, and we took advantage of the extra hour of sleep for Sunday's slot.
The final event was EPIC!! The group got into playing Aspis agents... and I was hamming it up as well with whatever I had left of my shattered voice. "Surrender now, and you will live"... "I am a Pathfinder! We never surrender!!" The final encounter did get cut off a bit... but, I guarantee it would not have gone well for the PCs if I had been able to finish the round. Guaranteed TPK I tell you.
A sad farewell to new friends, and Damien finally got to sample the Maple Bacon Bourbon! Drongos! We'll have to do this again!
Then, a quick bite and a beer at Champions, and then on to the "slot 11" game with Jon Dehning running 7-03. We had Pirate Rob, Nefreet, Chris Mortika, AJ Torgerund, Phoebe, and me. Amazingly, we pulled off the scenario (broken up by the VO dinner at Shapiro's, but still good) without a single attack roll or attack spell! A totally non-violent scenario! Props to Chris Mortika for having the exact item we needed to pull it off!
All in all, it was an amazing Gen Con. I didn't get the chance to make it to the dealer room (or do anything outside of PFS), but I have no regrets!
Thank to everyone who I met for the first time and didn't mention yet (includes Walter Sheppard, Todd Morgan, GM Tektite, and a whole slew of other great people!) Until next year!
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That evening [Thursday] Ryan, Steve, and Damien were supposed to join our merry little crew from Minnesota back at Scotty's, and I still held out the secret of Painlord... but it wasn't to happen. They decided unwisely to get some sleep.
Dude! How much were you putting away? We were present and closed the pub out with you and the rest of the crew! In fact, we got there first and had a tower ready when you arrived. It was Saturday night that we wisely decided to sleep... at 1:30am after waiting at the pub for over three hours for you. :-) Still, really wish I could have meet Thursty. Fatigue had definitely set in at that point. Glad, though, to still have my voice on Sunday (one step better than you, Jack!)
We do indeed have to do this again, though. I've already sown the seeds of a Minnesota trip for your 150th table in October/November... not saying it will happen, but I'm trying to grow a "wife credit" tree. Vegas, Australia and GenCon in under 2 months may have left the ground barren... but I'll try!
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My first GenCon and my first major Paizo event went great, even if I was heavily unprepared.
Painlord was great and able to jump right on the train of picking on the new guy (though I may have deserved it). I met him, Mitch, Thurston, and Tonya all on my first night there, though I'm not sure I had any sort of coherent conversation.
I had VOs at multiple tables of mine who were all great to play with, got bumped up for both of the interactive specials but the players ran with it and had a great time anyway.
The first table included 4 Bonekeep survivors that did their best to not die with the odd table (9, 9, 9, 9, 10, 11 got seated together).
With the second special, I had an amazing table, the (Ad)Venture Capitalists. If anyone else played with them or has any idea who they are, let me know. We were trying to get together again for the Sunday slot, but it wasn't meant to be.
I need more practice to keep up, apparently, cause I was exhausted Saturday and Sunday as soon as my tables were over. But we pressed on.
I'd like to add I was really excited to meet Nefreet and apparently was standing a few feet away as I listened to Jon Dehning's table briefing before running his after con slot. Next time, I guess.
I know I met more of you, but peer pressure had me less than alert at some points throughout the weekend. Thanks to you and for everyone that I didn't meet that made GenCon great.
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My first GenCon and my first major Paizo event went great, even if I was heavily unprepared.
I know I met more of you, but peer pressure had me less than alert at some points throughout the weekend. Thanks to you and for everyone that I didn't meet that made GenCon great.
Peer pressure? I think your first paragraph explains your last.
Please see my suggestion for Painlord as to how you can keep up with us. You come from a state long with GenCon drinking tradition. I know you will do everything in your power to prepare yourself for next year's gathering.
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Venture-Captain, Michigan—Mt. Pleasant
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Ok, now that I've had a couple of days to recuperate, and now that the wife is out of my hair for a while I can finally put down my thoughts.
First off, if you've never been to GenCon and you're reading this, you should try whatever you can to go at least once, though be warned, it's like eating a chip, you can never have just one. I've tried explaining GenCon to many people, but it's an experience that is very hard to put into words and until you experience it yourself you just can't grasp the magnitude of it all.
I was VERY happy (and excited for them) to see at least a half-a-dozen players from my region come to GenCon for the first time. It was a blast seeing their expressions of bewilderment as they saw the size of the Sagamore on Wednesday, and again when I told them the dealer hall was 6+ times bigger.
This year instead of running my usual 7 tables of PFS in the Sagamore I instead opted to run 5 slots of demos of the PACG in the exhibitor hall across from the Paizo booth. I did this for a few reasons:
1- I love the card game. Maybe not as much as a lot of our PACG VLs do, but I do really enjoy the game and I think Mike did a great job designing it. I've played every set and I'm looking forward to playing Mummy's Mask when it comes out as some of the mechanics I heard it uses sounds fun.
2- I wanted a chance to see what it was like on the other side of the table. I've demoed a few games at GenCon and I thought it'd be cool to show people how fun the game is. They put together an awesome demo deck with everything color coded so we could break it down and reset it quickly. I would have loved to have been able to take one of the decks home so I could use it to demo games as easily, but from what Vic said they aren't cheap so I understand them wanting to keep them.
3- I thought it would give me a chance to interact with some of the Paizo staff, and it did. I was able to meet Vic for I think the first time which was a pleasure. I have great respect for both Lisa and Vic for the company that they've put together and I'm glad I finally have a face to go with the name. I was also able to use the time before the doors opened to fill the front page of my Occult Adventure book with Paizo signatures. :) It was handy being able to go to them without having to wait for pesky customers to finish talking with them. ;) (Even if there are a few signatures I can't decipher...)
4- I just wanted to do something different for my GenCon. I'm not sure if I'd do it again. It was fun, but I've got to say sitting for ~7
(and now I cry as the last half hour of finishing my post was eaten by the post monster...)
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I promised Painlord a blog post.. mostly about my thoughts on GenCon va. PaizoCon.
Firstly, I was so surprised to run into Painlord at Scotty's on Thursday. Since coming to GenCon was a literally a last minute con from Mike Brock at PaizoCon, I hadn't planned to be here long term. I can also say that since I am off summers I tend to do a lot of traveling and going to conventions. When I arrived on Wednesday there was a huge cluster regarding our room... in which we didn't have one. By the time I'd actually gotten to the hotel there was a room... a single king-sized bed in a small room for 4 adults. I was definitely not okay with this and very nearly said F-it and spent the weekend with my in-laws, I stuck through it though and by the time my room-mates arrived the front desk had called. I simply explained that the room was not okay at all and was not going to work. They upgraded us to a suite, which at least had two beds. So that made things moderately better.
Some thoughts, for pure PFS/PF things I would say that I genuinely prefer PaizoCon. Paizo has more control over than venue, the technicalities, and advertising than they do at GenCon. There are more players at GenCon, but more doesn't always equal better. For something as large as GenCon I would love to see more 'trial' games like the Goblin Invasion and Quests - GenCon is big with a lot of stuff going on, spending 4-5 hours on a single slot can sometimes feel like a waste of the convention time. I know that there are some veteran players that go to play, so for sure I'm not saying do away with everything, but I would like to see more balance in how PFS/Paizo is attracting new players at GenCon. Sadly I also noticed a lot of players and even GM's bashing new players and pregens when I was walking around. This is definitely one of my pet peeves when working with new players... there is no quicker way to make people feel less welcome than constant negativity. Perhaps because this is my first GenCon I misunderstood what the point of the con was (to draw in new players).
PaizoCon also allows for that intimacy with the nature of Pathfinder, especially the most recent year with the change in slots it was nice to be able to take things at the pace it was needed. Which isn't to say that GM's are always great.. I had a terrible GM for my Sunday Night special at PaizoCon (he was also at GenCon so I'm glad I wasn't playing). Slots at GenCon were pretty much back to back and were exhausting. I worked HQ almost the entire time and there was plenty to do. I've been reading through the Feedback thread and some of the feedback is very interesting.
I did not see nearly as many familiar faces as I thought I would. Some of the familiar faces were ones I recognized from previous PaizoCons (I've been to the last 5). This was my first GenCon, GenCon while very interesting as a convention wasn't as fun as Origin's was in terms of playing new games and having the opportunity to do so. I didn't have as much time to wander and explore GenCon as I would have liked so that may be something that is available, but that I didn't get to experience. I wished that I had exchanged my Core table tickets for PACG tickets - when I realized that pretty much no Core tables were going off (I only brought paperwork for my core character) I could have spent time doing something else on the slots I had off. So I skipped out on the two tables I purchased tickets for ... one because I slept in both times (see exhaustion above) and two, because while I don't mind pre-gens I had specific characters I'd rather play those scenarios with (Darkest Abduction and Out of Anarchy).
I did enjoy working with the HQ staff, though I would prefer a better adherence to the schedule we were given. Sometimes it was hard to know what to plan for when I showed up for my slots.
Final thoughts, if making a choice I would pick PaizoCon hands down, I preferred that pathfinder experience to the one at GenCon. For gaming I would pick Origins. For people watching I'm going to continue to keep with San Diego Comic Con. Gencon seems to want to be a lot of things and as such with the growth in commercialization I think it loses some of it's accessibility (so does SDCC; by a lot) to new gamers that want to try new things. I also tend to prefer conventions that are not pay to play. That was something I disliked about Origins and GenCon. Frankly, when I have a crappy experience at PaizoCon I know at least I didn't shell out $6 or $10 for the experience ontop of my badge and other fees.
I will also say that my experience got off on the wrong foot since we didn't have a room and then got different room-mates than planned since June. Nick Greene and Mizkitty were great and I am so glad we got them as roommates, but that definitely didn't begin the con on a positive note. I also realized as I got home that my copy of Occult Adventures ended up sprouting legs from our hotel room and walking away (I didn't want the book... but still a =/ moment).
Some highlights -
I loved working with the HQ staff, they were really great and it was awesome to get to know people within the area. I have a super severe anxiety disorder so if I came off as snobby, it wasn't the intention.
I enjoyed seeing the specials from the other side as it were. I played 2 of the 4 at PaizoCon and at some point TOZ will run the Kobold adventure for me and friends. I don't know when I'll do the Season 7 opener, but I'm sure it will be just as fun.
I met a ton of nifty people and I would have loved to chat more but I felt super awkward (see anxiety disorder above). I'm generally open to talking to people about just about anything.
Seeing Chris Hayes table (3d Terrain... all my <3 there) and Thursty's table was such a blast. I seriously couldn't contain my laughter.
I know I'll be at PaizoCon this coming year, Phoenix Comic Con, and San Diego Comic Con. I'd like to try GenCon again, but that depends on my work schedule and contract.
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I also tend to prefer conventions that are not pay to play.... shell out $6 or $10 for the experience ontop of my badge and other fees.
I have to admit that this is one thing I find very off-putting about GenCon and Origins. I know that you could just consider it as part of the registration cost, and it's a perspective thing more than an actual cost thing. But, still-- it's like getting to the airport with your bag and discovering that your flight costs $25 more (each way) than you thought it was going to. It also means that if you've already convinced yourself to budget for the Con, you then feel stressed about each event -- "is it worth another $10 to play that event, or should I be more frugal?" And, as cyzanne notes, if it turns out that the event is crappy, you're really annoyed at having paid for it. Again, a perspective thing; they could make the registration fee $50 higher and not have tickets, and you might potentially be paying more, but I'd be much happier with that system myself. (I hate micropayments in general. I don't like to feel like I'm watching the meter at all times. I want to forget about the money for a time when I'm finally actually at the event I've paid for.)
This and the other things you say (crowds, commercialization, etc.) confirm my bias that I'd much rather go to PaizoCon than GenCon. Sadly for me, GenCon is now in driving distance, but PaizoCon is a flight away, making PaizoCon a much more expensive option in both money costs and ... well, another kind of cost that I don't know the name for. But, basically, it's that if I fly somewhere for a gaming con, then the question starts to arise why I don't fly to visit family more often. With a con I could drive to, the question wouldn't come up quite as obviously (both to family, and within my own mind).
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This and the other things you say (crowds, commercialization, etc.) confirm my bias that I'd much rather go to PaizoCon than GenCon. Sadly for me, GenCon is now in driving distance, but PaizoCon is a flight away, making PaizoCon a much more expensive option in both money costs and ... well, another kind of cost that I don't know the name for. But, basically, it's that if I fly somewhere for a gaming con, then the question starts to arise why I don't fly to visit family more often. With a con I could drive to, the question wouldn't come up quite as obviously (both to family, and within my own mind).
Opportunity cost may be what you are looking for.
Admittedly, the one thing I didn't like about GenCon is the ticketing system. As a very broke grad student it certainly limited me in my free time. But I also discovered some hidden gems in the free events. Both quests and Goblin Invasion were pretty darn awesome. Demos in the dealer room with employees who know the game, cool. And a personal favorite of mine was the Paint 'n Take table just outside the Sagamore. Free mini, free paintbrush and a place to paint. There was only a line one day and they'd let you go through more than once there seemed to only be a limit on the free brush. Shoot, I even saw a guy bring his own minis and paint them when there wasn't a line. I suspect if I put in some more effort I could have found even more to do.
All that said, if I had the opportunity to go to PaizoCon I would jump on it in a heartbeat. The descriptions look incredible, maybe someday when I'm a post-grad. Until then GenCon, at least for me, was a pretty incredible experience, that I'll look forward to again next year.
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This and the other things you say (crowds, commercialization, etc.) confirm my bias that I'd much rather go to PaizoCon than GenCon. Sadly for me, GenCon is now in driving distance, but PaizoCon is a flight away, making PaizoCon a much more expensive option in both money costs and ... well, another kind of cost that I don't know the name for. But, basically, it's that if I fly somewhere for a gaming con, then the question starts to arise why I don't fly to visit family more often. With a con I could drive to, the question wouldn't come up quite as obviously (both to family, and within my own mind).
Having been to both PaizoCon and GenCon exactly once, and sharing many of your issues, I would agree that all things being equal, if I could only go to one, I would pick PaizoCon. But I would suggest giving GenCon a try sometime -- I had a lot of worries going in and ended up having an absolute blast. My work schedule is such it will likely always be the determiner of which one I'm able to go to in any given year. (We have vacation blackout dates that move around a bit from year to year.) They're both great, just in different ways.
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Venture-Captain, Michigan—Mt. Pleasant
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I also tend to prefer conventions that are not pay to play.... shell out $6 or $10 for the experience on top of my badge and other fees.Again, a perspective thing; they could make the registration fee $50 higher and not have tickets, and you might potentially be paying more, but I'd be much happier with that system myself. (I hate micropayments in general. I don't like to feel like I'm watching the meter at all times. I want to forget about the money for a time when I'm finally actually at the event I've paid for.)
If all the events at Gen Con were equal, sure adding on $50 might make sense, but GenCon is more than just gaming. Take a look at the event booklet sometime. You'll see events that cost $40-$50 or more. Quite a few workshops where you learn to build something provide materials for it and so those cost more to participate in. Because of events like those, they have to charge different prices for them. $2 for 2 hours of time to me is worth it.
In Michigan our two biggest cons do it opposite ways. The one in the fall has tickets for events, the one in the winter doesn't have tickets, but it also doesn't have signups until just before events happen. They both have pros and cons. With the first you know you have a seat for the game you want, though it does cost a little more. For the second you aren't paying extra, but you might not be able to get the game you want if you don't sign up in time.
To do the second one at Gen Con would be insanity.
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One of my favorite things about Gencon in general is wandering the dealer room, trying new games. While specific events are ticketed, demos are free, and you get to try some games you might not otherwise try. It gives you a bit of both worlds, you get some free gaming, and you get to have the whole dealer room experience. Next year, for those of you planning on GM'ing again, just take some time during one of your slots off to try some demos. It's pretty fun.
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This and the other things you say (crowds, commercialization, etc.) confirm my bias that I'd much rather go to PaizoCon than GenCon. Sadly for me, GenCon is now in driving distance, but PaizoCon is a flight away, making PaizoCon a much more expensive option in both money costs and ... well, another kind of cost that I don't know the name for. But, basically, it's that if I fly somewhere for a gaming con, then the question starts to arise why I don't fly to visit family more often. With a con I could drive to, the question wouldn't come up quite as obviously (both to family, and within my own mind).Opportunity cost may be what you are looking for.
It's partly that, but it's not just that. It's also a sort of guilt cost....
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One thing to note about the slot costs... at least as far as I understand. Gen Con (as I understand it) did not always have them, but were having a large number of no-shows at events, which was horrible for a lot of GMs.
So, they started (as a trial) charging for slots. Lo and behold, people's attendance improved! There is something about paying for the slot that makes people more likely to attend.
So, even though I can see that it is an annoyance, I fully understand it.
Regardless, we don't have control over that.
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This and the other things you say (crowds, commercialization, etc.) confirm my bias that I'd much rather go to PaizoCon than GenCon. Sadly for me, GenCon is now in driving distance, but PaizoCon is a flight away, making PaizoCon a much more expensive option in both money costs and ... well, another kind of cost that I don't know the name for. But, basically, it's that if I fly somewhere for a gaming con, then the question starts to arise why I don't fly to visit family more often. With a con I could drive to, the question wouldn't come up quite as obviously (both to family, and within my own mind).Opportunity cost may be what you are looking for.It's partly that, but it's not just that. It's also a sort of guilt cost....
It's part of a rationing system, really.
The tickets ensure that those who signed up first can get seated, if it were not for this then trying to seat 1000+ players in the Sagamore would take an hour or so, and you'd have people lined up in the hallways to ensure they got a seat to the special. By having limited tickets, you ensure that people are not lining up and causing fire marshal issues.
Also, the event gets credit for the tickets they sell. This does two things: offset some of the cost for that company to hold events at GenCon (I'm sure Paizo is losing a load of cash, but at least they can re-coop some of the investment) and keep track of how many participants there are for different events based on ticket sales.
Yes, paying for events after paying for your badge seems like you're being double billed, but for an event this big you have to do it that way. There are so many reasons to do it and very few reasons not to.