Teach me how to GenCon...


Gamer Life General Discussion


Hello, friends. I am thinking that never having attended a GenCon is becoming a black mark on my street cred that I can no longer allow. I've found the GenCon website with next year's dates, but I'm afraid I won't know enough to plan a really good time there. I'd really appreciate the help of any Con veterans...

What's the deal with hotels? How early do I need to reserve a room? How early do I need to get a badge? How do I get the most out of my time there? What unknowns might I not know to plan for? What common pitfalls and mistakes should I be wary of?

Thanks in advance.


Shower every day. Seriously. The gamer funk can be overwhelming.

Seriously, though, I think that if you follow the GenCon website you'll be able to find out when badges go on sale, where to best book a room, etc. Getting the best out of your time is subjective; the one time I got to go I signed up for several games online and played them once I got there. There are seminars for just about everything gaming from how to develop a great dungeon to how to get started writing your own fantasy or scifi novels and stories. And the merchandise, oh the merchandise!

Organized Play Developer

Come volunteer with us at the Sagamore! :)
Paizo should post a call for volunteers (including GMs and HQ staff) around January.


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Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Get some friends or at least contacts to work out extra shots at getting a room if they use the same forsaken system they used last year.

But even if you don't get that, keep plugging at it. I got my room at the JW (expensive, but worth it!) the day before the first deposit was needed, and then had to book the 'shoulder nights' (Tuesday and Sunday) separately and then have the whole thing mushed together.

As far as the convention itself:

As noted above! BRING EXTRA CLOTHES! If you're going for Wed-Sun, bring six outfits to wear in entirety, so you have some flexibility.

Loose clothing is better, allows your body to 'breathe' a bit more.

Schedule your games minimally -- pick out maybe two or three things you REALLY want to do, and leave the rest as 'open' time to do other things at (whether it be volunteer as Jez says above, or vegetate in your room, or go grab a nice meal at a non-main drag restaurant, etc).

Make at LEAST one trip to the Dealer Hall to see stuff, preferably on Thursday or Friday. Again, unless you're desperately wanting some rare release of signed gold-plated collector's edition something, don't go to the Exhibit Hall right as it opens at 10AM, give it a couple of hours to die down from the initial rush.

FOOD. EAT. Seriously, do this. But do it smartly, and try to minimize the amount of junk/convention center food intake. Your body will thank you.

I don't recommend my Extreme Conditioning Programme (I eat as if I'm practicing Ramadan the six weeks before the convention to get my body used to eating once in the morning and once at night after the convention), but be aware that not eating at all will lead to erratic behaviour over time. And it is possible given the amount of activity to go nine to ten hours between meals without realizing it.

BATHE. WHOLE BODY. WITH SOAP. Seriously, do this. Not only is it healthy, but if you don't you'll feel it by the end of the first day.

REST. Okay, this one is a bit harder, but try to get a minimum of four hours of sleep a night, possibly eight if you can swing it. By the time Saturday evening rolls around you'll be on fumes if you don't.

The common mistake I've run into is assuming I'll remember to pack everything for the weekend. Invariably I'll forget something (this year it was shorts for lounging in the hotel room on 'off' slots and sleeping). Carry some extra cash/credit for handling that situation.

CASH. Don't carry a craptonne of it with you. Not because of fears of being mugged or mobbed by the homeless people/gamers who 'HoboCon' the event, but because you'll burn through it FAST and not even realize it. At the outside I'd suggest maybe a night's hotel plus a hot meal somewhere as cash reserves, just in case.

The restaurants and hotels can handle 'large bills', so try to keep your wallet thin by trading up to 'platinum pieces' (100$ bills, 50$ bills when possible. A fat wallet gets attention. A thin wallet gets ignored.)

There WILL be crowds, there will be lines, and the paths through the Dealer Hall on every day are going to be more crowded than any major thoroughfare in a city you can think of. Be patient if you can, and avoid blocking the aisles with you or your backpack/bag if you stop to look at a booth. Be surroundings aware not only for your own safety but that of your fellow gamers/con attendees.

These are off the top of my head, I'll try to touch back if I remember anything else.


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Get a badge early, and have it mailed to your home. Pay the $3, it's worth bypassing the hours in line.

Choose your events when the list comes out. When events go live, you need to be poised with a finger over the button. Seriously, some events vanish in five seconds. If you're looking for bigger events, like a PFS game, you've got more time, they can seat hundreds.

Hotels, if you can believe it, go even faster. You can't do it later that day. Or the next hour. When they go live, be ready, or your hotel will be a ways from downtown. If you get stuck, keep checking back, sometimes you can catch a cancellation.


Wei Ji the Learner wrote:
Advice

This is perfect! Thank you.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber
Jezebelle wrote:

Come volunteer with us at the Sagamore! :)

Paizo should post a call for volunteers (including GMs and HQ staff) around January.

I can't wait! :)


Hey, when you all say ya gotta be right on the computer to make your reservations, roughly what time of year are we talking about? Does that stuff go live like 6 months early? Or like a month early?


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