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I have played and GM for several years at GenCon and still wonder what, realistically, should I bring to the table for my character.
1) Character sheet - OK this is a no-brainer.
2) According to the Guide for Organized Play, I need to bring any book my PC references. Not a problem as I have all the hardcovers on my IPad and can bring the one or two Player's Companions with the PC.
3) Item Inventory Sheet - some form of this.
4) Now, do I need to bring all my chronicle sheets? In a decade of going to GenCon, I've only been asked once, last year, by the GM for any of my chronicles. She asked for my most recent on on my 11th level fighter. For each PC I keep my chronicle sheets in a 1" 3-ring binder. It's efficient, organized, BIG, bulky and heavy.
I know as a GenCon GM, I'm not going to audit a player unless there is something really fishy going on. It takes time away from the game, and makes me look more like a rules lawyer and cop instead of a GM.
So how many chronicles should I reasonably take?
This is what I'm thinking of taking in the way of chronicle sheets. Any and all boon chronicles - like my Aasimar boon; Most recent chronicle; and any chronicles that have stuff listed on them that I'm using. So if I do this, instead of taking 36 pages of chronicle sheets and boons in a 3 ring binder, for my 11th level fighter, I'm taking four or five sheets in a folder.
Your thoughts?
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I'm a bit paranoid, I bring every chronicle for the characters I'm going to be playing plus their source material in addition to dice and minis. I don't want to have the PFS Characterquisition invalidate my character (and possibly the table) because I don't have 'x' or 'y' or 'z'.
If the table is cramped, I will present the books/.pdf that the source material is in, and inquire if I need to have them out and handy or if I can put them away to save space. Typically, the 'more space' wins versus 'MUST HAVE IT ALL OUT NAO!'
...plus, a couple of times having those chronicles HAS helped in a given scenario.
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I have asked for chronicle sheets in a few situations, including one particular situation in which I caught a bunch of PCs having falsified their levels. (I did this after my party of 11th level adventurers had no idea how power attack worked.) Although formally not allowed, I don't think many GMs would quibble with scans. Your mileage may vary, of course.
Here are some things, both physical and ephemeral, that you should bring to the table:
1) Dice that are clearly readable. I find it very annoying when players that I am not familiar with use dice that I can't read from across the table, then scoop up their dice before I can verify their good fortune. I would never accuse any of these people of cheating, of course, but I do like to see those 20s.
2) A character introduction. In my opinion, every PFS GM should go around the table and do character introductions, for the benefit of both GM and party. Have an idea of who your character is. I love a great opening monologue.
3) A concise explanation for any numbers that you think are unusual. If you have a CMB or attack bonus above 40, or if your spells obviously do a great deal more damage than the dice are showing, it helps if you can simply tell me a list of feats.
4) A snack, a drink and an empty bladder. The GM will give you a break about halfway through the scenario, but we sort of get frustrated as various party members are missing for various parts of the story as they go and attend to one of these three necessities.
5) A good attitude. Excitement is contagious, and it can be somewhat difficult to keep up on the GM's side of the screen after seven sessions of Pathfinder. If you come to the table expecting a good time, your GM will likely reciprocate.
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Andrew, is there a place to purchase empty bladders at GenCon? For some reason, mine is always full.
Hmm
You know, I've often wondered that myself, particularly back in the days they used to lock us in the room for the special until our players were seated. I'm not saying it's an absolute requirement, just that it helps.
Venture-Captain, Nebraska—Omaha
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Until the guide is updated, which may not happen until the day of or day before gencon, every chronicle should be present.
I found last year that record keeping was very spotty. I have all my chronicles with my characters in a single folder. Every character has their own folder. Note, these are not binders, but clear plastic folder that can be sealed like a zip lock bag.
I am glad I am doing only Starfinder so I don't have to mess with chronicle sheets as a GM.
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I bring all of my characters, with every chronicle for ALL of them, to every game. Even if I'm GMing. You'd be amazed how often I've shown up at my local store to play/GM, and the game I was signed up for didn't happen, so I ended up playing/GMing something different.
The only exception is my level 14 - he's retired, and I have no intention of ever pulling that folder off the shelf again.
My problem is that I have a rolling milk crate to carry them all, along with some books, mini carrying case, and a small bag for other sundries (dice, pencils, granola bars, condition cards, buff deck, etc), and it takes up a lot of space next to the table. At my local store, I know how much room I have to work with. At conventions, you never know how much space you'll have at the table until you get there.
A pen, pencil, eraser and note paper. Don't be an illiterate Barbarian!
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As others have said, better safe than sorry. I don't want to be at HQ and hear about table strife because a GM asked for an audit at a 12-15 table, and the player didn't have their chronicles because they take up too much room. It's just a bad situation for everyone involved.
Personally, I whittle myself down to three characters for most conventions. Low level, mid level, and high level.
For each of those characters I bring everything I need to play them. Any specific rules print outs (obscure feat or item?), chronicles, inventory sheets, faction cards, etc. That's a stack of maybe 50-75 pieces of paper, which fits in a single folder. Or in my case, a single character folio with the inner pages removed.
Writing implements for such sheets, obviously. And extras for people that forgot this step.
I also bring any specific miniatures, props, or dice those characters use (roll a bunch of d6? bring those d6).
Last item is an iPad, with versions of whatever books those characters use. If I didn't have an iPad, but still had digital copies, I'd have a screenshot of my downloads page on hand. If I didn't have digital copies, I'd have a copy of my receipts for those books, and just keep them in a zip-lock. This is a newer FAQ, but a great one to know of that makes such alternatives legal.
Ultimately, you can travel very light for a convention, even if you're bringing a few characters. My entire PFS travel bag is the size of a small laptop satchel, and includes everything I need for GMing as well: map, pens, extra miniatures, new PFS #s, charging cables, etc. Here's what it looks like broken down, although I've added a handful of 3" bases as well (for that odd-ball huge monster).
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I'm with Fromper. I bring everything except my two seekers and their chronicles.
I think it is very important for experienced players to bring options to the table, to help balance out groups and what tier is being played. And to have flexibly to play at other tables if needed.
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Bring your chronicle sheets for any character you intend to play. They are the official record of the character's history and not having them, puts you at risk of having to play a pregen. If this happens, you really have no one to blame but yourself. Don't hate on the GM for enforcing the rules and don't spoil the other player's fun by complaining about the situation and your opinions about the quality of the pregen for the whole game.
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Things to NOT bring:
Lit Cigarettes
Vaping equipment
Chewing tobacco
Illicit pharmaceuticals
Hangover reek
Unbathed bodies
Aromatic foodstuffs
Things TO bring:
A keen mind
A creative imagination
A willingness to work with others
An understanding that space will be limited
Another understanding that the convention center will be loud, so turn off/down any electronics one might have -- it can dramatically impact play, and besides, if one is playing a game, why do they have their phone out watching their Twitter feed or whatever instead of playing the game with the rest of the table?
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I have asked for chronicle sheets in a few situations, including one particular situation in which I caught a bunch of PCs having falsified their levels. (I did this after my party of 11th level adventurers had no idea how power attack worked.) Although formally not allowed, I don't think many GMs would quibble with scans. Your mileage may vary, of course.
Here are some things, both physical and ephemeral, that you should bring to the table:
1) Dice that are clearly readable. I find it very annoying when players that I am not familiar with use dice that I can't read from across the table, then scoop up their dice before I can verify their good fortune. I would never accuse any of these people of cheating, of course, but I do like to see those 20s.
2) A character introduction. In my opinion, every PFS GM should go around the table and do character introductions, for the benefit of both GM and party. Have an idea of who your character is. I love a great opening monologue.
3) A concise explanation for any numbers that you think are unusual. If you have a CMB or attack bonus above 40, or if your spells obviously do a great deal more damage than the dice are showing, it helps if you can simply tell me a list of feats.
4) A snack, a drink and an empty bladder. The GM will give you a break about halfway through the scenario, but we sort of get frustrated as various party members are missing for various parts of the story as they go and attend to one of these three necessities.
5) A good attitude. Excitement is contagious, and it can be somewhat difficult to keep up on the GM's side of the screen after seven sessions of Pathfinder. If you come to the table expecting a good time, your GM will likely reciprocate.
Andrew makes excellent points! Though in the case of "readable dice" I've always just used the dice I want and the party and GM can verify the number whilst I'm singing the song of my glorious natural 20 roll making running laps around the table. Conversely when I roll badly I'm know to quote some 'Spaceballs' (appropriate company assumed) with "I ain't found S@~#".
I also LOVE doing character introductions, especially when one of the party is a character that's played with my character before.
To address the OP directly. I keep a 1" three-ring binders with my characters, inventory sheet and chronicle sheets in them. I don't yet have a level 11 character, but my binder with my primary characters has four characters and all paperwork without being too unwieldy. The rule books I keep the digital (and watermarked) versions on my iPad, or if I'm particularly unsure of a specific rule I just print out that specific page from my paizo watermarked PDF.
Other than that some dice, pencil, and I keep a little pocket notebook for writing stuff down. It all fits in my messenger bag with room for swag.
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As others have said, better safe than sorry. I don't want to be at HQ and hear about table strife because a GM asked for an audit at a 12-15 table, and the player didn't have their chronicles because they take up too much room. It's just a bad situation for everyone involved.
Personally, I whittle myself down to three characters for most conventions. Low level, mid level, and high level.
For each of those characters I bring everything I need to play them. Any specific rules print outs (obscure feat or item?), chronicles, inventory sheets, faction cards, etc. That's a stack of maybe 50-75 pieces of paper, which fits in a single folder. Or in my case, a single character folio with the inner pages removed.
Writing implements for such sheets, obviously. And extras for people that forgot this step.
I also bring any specific miniatures, props, or dice those characters use (roll a bunch of d6? bring those d6).
Last item is an iPad, with versions of whatever books those characters use. If I didn't have an iPad, but still had digital copies, I'd have a screenshot of my downloads page on hand. If I didn't have digital copies, I'd have a copy of my receipts for those books, and just keep them in a zip-lock. This is a newer FAQ, but a great one to know of that makes such alternatives legal.
Ultimately, you can travel very light for a convention, even if you're bringing a few characters. My entire PFS travel bag is the size of a small laptop satchel, and includes everything I need for GMing as well: map, pens, extra miniatures, new PFS #s, charging cables, etc. Here's what it looks like broken down, although I've added a handful of 3" bases as well (for that odd-ball huge monster).
Very nice! What are the magic cards for? (and those cards near the magic cards?) One suggestion I have would be to put your blank buff/spell cards in one of those clear plastic card sleeves--then you can take a marker and write the details on the sleeve instead of the card--the sleeves are cheaper than the cards ;).
Also, at cons, I always bring throat lozenges for me and anyone else at the table that wants one (i.e. the gm). Also we try to bring snacks for the GMs, too, because they have less time between games than players do. (obviously that's in addition to everything required to play and to have per the PFS rules)
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Very nice! What are the magic cards for? (and those cards near the magic cards?) One suggestion I have would be to put your blank buff/spell cards in one of those clear plastic card sleeves--then you can take a marker and write the details on the sleeve instead of the card--the sleeves are cheaper than the cards ;).
Love the sleeve suggestion--wish I'd thought of it before inking up my buff cards. I use the MTG cards to track initiative when I GM--just use an expo and write down their name and bonus, then I can stack em up and flip through during combat. Similar to an actual initiative tracker.
Also, at cons, I always bring throat lozenges for me and anyone else at the table that wants one (i.e. the gm). Also we try to bring snacks for the GMs, too, because they have less time between games than players do. (obviously that's in addition to everything required to play and to have per the PFS rules)
Yes. Yes. Yes.
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Bring a vegetarian meal to the tables I GM and you'll make me a very happy GM!
Dumb question: Have the GMs of GenCon ever thought about subscribing to a catering service or sandwich delivery scheme so that we can all get fed?
Hmm
The ICC/Gen Con management teams take a very dim view on organized outside food being brought in when they have food stands right outside of the Sagamore at most hours.
They don't raise MUCH of a stink, because there are dietary restrictions and they realize that if they went down that route, they could face legal action, but someone bringing in a motorized cart loaded with food might raise some eyebrows.
EDIT: I don't know if anything official has been inquired about PFS:GM wise, but I do know that it was an issue with other organizations I've been involved with.
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Venture-Captain, Nebraska—Omaha
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Bring a vegetarian meal to the tables I GM and you'll make me a very happy GM!
Dumb question: Have the GMs of GenCon ever thought about subscribing to a catering service or sandwich delivery scheme so that we can all get fed?
Hmm
Having a worked for larger hotels in a prior life I wondered why Paizo didn't work with Hyatt to setup some type of buffet / grab and go setup for volunteers. I wouldn't expect Paizo to pay for it but to facilitate something that volunteers could purchase.
I would be willing to put down say $30 or $40 for the weekend to have a breakfast and one other meal that I could go get.
I know it could be done, the question is would it be affordable.
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Venture-Captain, Minnesota
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Bring a vegetarian meal to the tables I GM and you'll make me a very happy GM!
Dumb question: Have the GMs of GenCon ever thought about subscribing to a catering service or sandwich delivery scheme so that we can all get fed?
Hmm
Having a worked for larger hotels in a prior life I wondered why Paizo didn't work with Hyatt to setup some type of buffet / grab and go setup for volunteers. I wouldn't expect Paizo to pay for it but to facilitate something that volunteers could purchase.
I would be willing to put down say $30 or $40 for the weekend to have a breakfast and one other meal that I could go get.
I know it could be done, the question is would it be affordable.
Exactly. We need something like this for this convention.
I need real food. Without real food, I stop being the nice Hmm. It's a Jekyll / Hyde thing. Really, we don't want to see what I am like without some sort of real meal between slots.
Hmm
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Bring a vegetarian meal to the tables I GM and you'll make me a very happy GM!
Dumb question: Have the GMs of GenCon ever thought about subscribing to a catering service or sandwich delivery scheme so that we can all get fed?
Hmm
Having a worked for larger hotels in a prior life I wondered why Paizo didn't work with Hyatt to setup some type of buffet / grab and go setup for volunteers. I wouldn't expect Paizo to pay for it but to facilitate something that volunteers could purchase.
I would be willing to put down say $30 or $40 for the weekend to have a breakfast and one other meal that I could go get.
I know it could be done, the question is would it be affordable.
Exactly. We need something like this for this convention.
I need real food. Without real food, I stop being the nice Hmm. It's a Jekyll / Hyde thing. Really, we don't want to see what I am like without some sort of real meal between slots.
Hmm
You're vegetarian? Being veg myself, and having gone to Gen Con the last 4 years, I can tell you that there are plenty of options around. Almost every restaurant has veg options, but they aren't necessarily that healthy. A lot of it is standard "pub food", but with a veggie burger as an option. Either that or salads with no real protein, which just aren't enough for me. And since most of them are sit down restaurants, they're probably too slow to hit between sessions. Every hotel has breakfasts, though, so you should be set first thing in the morning.
There are food trucks right outside the convention center, which are probably your best bet if you're in a rush. Pizza is plentiful, and there's a falafel truck. I heard something about an Indian food truck with good veg food a couple of years ago, but I've never actually seen it. I don't think it was there last year.
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I heard something about an Indian food truck with good veg food a couple of years ago, but I've never actually seen it. I don't think it was there last year.
Spice Box and Dhaba Indy come to mind. I haven't eaten at either though.
There's a Moroccan food truck called Poccadio that's really good. Their lamb shawarmas are delicious. They do have a spinach and feta vegetarian sandwich--I haven't had it though, so I can't speak to its flavor.
My favorite Indy food truck is the Twisted Sicilian. Though they usually don't rent a spot on Georgia Street because they're a bit slower so it's harder for them to make up the cost of the spot on the street.
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Bring a vegetarian meal to the tables I GM and you'll make me a very happy GM!
Dumb question: Have the GMs of GenCon ever thought about subscribing to a catering service or sandwich delivery scheme so that we can all get fed?
Hmm
Having a worked for larger hotels in a prior life I wondered why Paizo didn't work with Hyatt to setup some type of buffet / grab and go setup for volunteers. I wouldn't expect Paizo to pay for it but to facilitate something that volunteers could purchase.
I would be willing to put down say $30 or $40 for the weekend to have a breakfast and one other meal that I could go get.
I know it could be done, the question is would it be affordable.
Saw something about GenCon doing something with the Westin restaurant
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I know the OP was asking about characters, but as other people also mentioned physical comfort stuff, Im gonna add, a sweatshirt. I know, I know, the weather says its going to be hot and Im crazy right?
From previous experience, they turn the AC *all* the way up and its actually fairly cold in there.
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If we're expanding this to Gencon survival gear then you are going to need enough Sudafed to make people think you're going to make meth. I've never had problems with allergies or sinuses but then I spent four days in Indianapolis. I felt like my face was going to explode and it would have been a mercy if it had.
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If we're expanding this to Gencon survival gear then you are going to need enough Sudafed to make people think you're going to make meth. I've never had problems with allergies or sinuses but then I spent four days in Indianapolis. I felt like my face was going to explode and it would have been a mercy if it had.
Welcome to the Midwest, where allergies are never optional.
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If we're expanding this to Gencon survival gear then you are going to need enough Sudafed to make people think you're going to make meth. I've never had problems with allergies or sinuses but then I spent four days in Indianapolis. I felt like my face was going to explode and it would have been a mercy if it had.
It's kind of funny, I've found eating spicier/hotter foods, watching what I eat, remaining hydrated and getting plenty of rest has made more of an impact on allergies than any allergy pills I used to take for them.
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I know the OP was asking about characters, but as other people also mentioned physical comfort stuff, Im gonna add, a sweatshirt. I know, I know, the weather says its going to be hot and Im crazy right?
From previous experience, they turn the AC *all* the way up and its actually fairly cold in there.
I actually brought a robe last year for my wife. That's in addition to the leggings she brought to put on under her jeans that she put on just for the Sagamore ballroom. Seriously, it was like an ice chest in there last year.
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I actually brought a robe last year for my wife. That's in addition to the leggings she brought to put on under her jeans that she put on just for the Sagamore ballroom. Seriously, it was like an ice chest in there last year.
...and it was the Elemental Plane of Fire on Sunday.
I, for one, appreciated the cold... for the most part... until the Saturday Night We Be Elementalz.
There were people coming in with blankets from their hotel room, and I was debating the wisdom of running to the hotel and grabbing a blanket DESPITE having a hoodie on.
I'd prefer to be chilled, though, than melting. Melting gamer aroma is pretty bad.
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I am going to play around with iOS microphone apps to see if it would be useful with my Bluetooth speaker. Just in case there are times that I can rest my voice a little when it gets really loud.
As for the sagamore, expect interesting climactic changes. There will be a LOT of people in and out of the room, all of which produce a lot of heat. They will be doing their best.
What I need to remember to bring is some of those picnic table tablecloth clips, because the plastic tablecloths used trap a lot of heat under the table, making it often quite uncomfortable, even when it is chilly in the room. That's been my biggest discomfort, save for 2015 when I blew my voice out at the first of four "specials" being run (could have used the. iPhone trick then!)
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Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area North & East
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Haven't seen anyone mention it yet - Mini's! Have something distinctive for your character. And if you can manage it, don't be like the guy at my store who uses the same mini for every character.
I prefer legos. You might not be able to get them fast enough, but here's a great resource for them: https://www.bricklink.com
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Haven't seen anyone mention it yet - Mini's! Have something distinctive for your character. And if you can manage it, don't be like the guy at my store who uses the same mini for every character.
I prefer legos. You might not be able to get them fast enough, but here's a great resource for them: https://www.bricklink.com
I've looked at Legos for minis before, usually in the Gen Con vendor room. But they never seem to have anything remotely like what I'm looking for in a reasonable price range. They're usually $8 or more for a single figure, and I'd usually have to buy more than one to mix and match the parts I want to get a mini that looks like one of my PCs.
For instance, they had green guys from some monster set or something, and they had pirates, so I could have bought both to make Green Beard the Pirate (my half-orc cleric of Besmara), but that would have gotten pricey.
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Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area North & East
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Haven't seen anyone mention it yet - Mini's! Have something distinctive for your character. And if you can manage it, don't be like the guy at my store who uses the same mini for every character.
I prefer legos. You might not be able to get them fast enough, but here's a great resource for them: https://www.bricklink.com
I've looked at Legos for minis before, usually in the Gen Con vendor room. But they never seem to have anything remotely like what I'm looking for in a reasonable price range. They're usually $8 or more for a single figure, and I'd usually have to buy more than one to mix and match the parts I want to get a mini that looks like one of my PCs.
For instance, they had green guys from some monster set or something, and they had pirates, so I could have bought both to make Green Beard the Pirate (my half-orc cleric of Besmara), but that would have gotten pricey.
Ah yes, buying pre-made figures is certainly not a cheap route to go, especially at convention prices. It's much more efficient to buy them piecemeal. (I need to make another half-orc myself, so this was a useful exercise for me).
3626bpb0731
3626cpb0772
3626cpb1240
3626bpb0772
3626cpb0772
3626bpb0369
3626bpb0280 - cheapest at $0.15
3626cpb1104
3626cpb1228
3626bpb0370
3626bpb0541
3626cpb1687
3626cpb1550
3626bpb0675 - most expensive at $3.75
As for pirate torsos, there's 56 torso's listed under Pirate, so I'll just give you the thumbnail gallery. The cheapest (in good condition) for these are about 15 to 25 cents.
There's only one green beard though, and it's printed onto the torso. You can get a white beard and paint it though (I had to do this for one character's blue hair)
For my own characters or notable NPC's I'll get the special legs too, but often I'll just use the solid colors. And of course, plenty of accessories. Minis can typically have a cape and a neck slot, something in the hands, and a hat or hair. Rarely you can fit a bit more.
Oh, and for any Small characters, these are the legs you want. They come in many colors.