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 Gen Con Indy*. August 14 - 17, 2014. Once, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin's finest wargaming event, filling the Horticultural Hall to near-capacity with nearly 100 attendees. Now, Indianapolis, Indiana's finest (and arguably-largest in the world**) gaming-writ-large convention, filling the Indianapolis Convention Center to near-capacity with nearly 50,000 attendees, and growing ~15% yearly.  BADGES ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW! UNLIKE INFERIOR CONVENTIONS, THESE CANNOT SELL OUT! BUT GET YOUR BADGE SOON SO YOU CAN LOCK IN THAT SWEET MILD DISCOUNT!!! BEHOLD GEN CON:   HANZO STEEL!  CHESTBURSTERS!  NON-EUCLIDIAN DICE!  MY TWO PRIMARY INTERESTS COLLIDING!  HE KNOWS!  HUMANOID LIONS!  UNANSWERED CALLS FOR HELP!  PICTURES OF GEN CON!  GEN CON GEN CON GEN CON  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH actually celebrating Gary Gygax formally opening the exhibit hall the last year he attended before his death, rest in peace Gary UNASKED QUESTIONS Q. WHAT A. In miniature: GEN CON! In its own words, it "is a consumer and trade experience dedicated to gaming culture and community. Gen Con Indy is the largest annual consumer fantasy, electronic, sci-fi, adventure and hobby game convention in North America. Each year gaming enthusiasts converge to share their love for all things gaming, from tournaments to guest appearances, exhibit hall booths to electronic games, workshops, seminars, anime, art shows, auctions and countless other activities." In my words: Whether you are into role-playing, boardgames, collectible card games, collectible figurine games, collectible game games, or probably even anime and fursuits or whatever, YOU WILL FIND WHAT YOU SEEK. Whether you are terrified of other human beings or cannot live without constantly telling everyone around you about your character/army/custom table, YOU WILL HAVE AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE. Whether you thought I should cut my hair or thought I looked just fine as-is, I WILL FIND YOU AND PUNISH YOU FOR YOUR INSOLENCE. You may have heard of other major nerd conventions like Comic Con, Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), or Dragon Con. Gen Con is a little bit like all of those: there are comics (and celebrities, sometimes) at Gen Con, there are often a half-dozen or more electronic game retailers set up with obnoxious booths at Gen Con, and there is COSPLAY GALORE at Gen Con. If any of those things are your exclusive nerd interest, then Gen Con may not be for you. BUT IF YOU LIKE ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND/OR MORE, THEN GEN CON IS PERFECT FOR YOU, BECAUSE IT IS EVERYTHING AT ONCE ALL THE TIME I LOVE IT SO MUCH AHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  This is unrelated to Gen Con, which is clearly part of why Indianapolis is a good host city Q: HOW? A: SIMPLE It is $70 to buy a 4-day badge, better known as your guaranteed front-row ticket to HELL YES. I believe it is $40 for a 1-day badge but c'mon, clearly you can go for more than 1 day, so the 4-day badge is a must! There is also a Very Important Gamer (VIG!) package that I think is like $600 and sells out immediately every year.  The Will Call booths are actually open 24/7 (24/4?) on-site so if you have any concerns whatsoever about mail not reaching you then you should probably roll like that. I would link to hotel information, but the entire hotel block sold out in less than a day after registration began, and the other downtown hotels were nearly sold out in September when I booked my usual yearly emergency room, so, yeah. I will say that I hear there is a pretty good shuttle from the airport, so your second-best bet to managing to nail a last-minute downtown hotel may be staying at an airport hotel. There is usually a decent amount of parking available in the area surrounding the convention center as well, but of course it is fairly expensive and I have heard more than one story of someone forgetting where the car was parked since all the parking garages look the same. Q. SO WHAT SORTS OF EVENTS HAPPEN AT GEN CON BESIDES WHAT YOU ALREADY MENTIONED? A. Well, you know: Tournaments for dozens or maybe even hundreds of various board, card, miniature, and role-playing games. An exhibitor/dealer's hall larger than a football field. The world's greatest Auction***. True Dungeon, which is basically a Children's Discovery Museum for adult gaming nerds. A pretty substantial Art Show and Author Alley where their pleading eyes only occasionally guilt you into buying something. The Costume Contest Parade, where for about ten minutes straight hundreds of people in legitimately-amazing costumes stroll through the convention center and block traffic to make you mad. Plus, there are indeed often celebrities of one caliber or another (one caliber: John Rhys-Davies, Sean Astin, Traci Lords, Peter Davison, Hayden Panettiere, Sid Meier; another: people from minor cable reality shows, The Great Luke Ski, Someone Who Wore A Full-Body Costume In Star Wars). And if you are the sort of person who thinks of game designers as celebrities, and you probably are if you are reading this, then this is a chance to meet all kinds of them--and they are not getting any younger, so strike while the iron is hot! As for this year specifically, event submission is ongoing, but you can look at Alan DeSmet's amazing GenCon.HighProgrammer page to look through last year's events to get an idea of what else you might find. The main point is this: if it is nerdy and you like it, IT IS PROBABLY HAPPENING AT GEN CON.  Even the Doctor is concerned about Utilikilts Q. WHAT SHOULD I BRING???????? A. QUAREX'S ARBITRARY GEN CON RECOMMENDED ADVENTURE KIT:
 Q. WHAT IS FOOD A. PLACES EVERYONE SEEMS TO SUGGEST YOU EAT IN THE AREA: Firstly, a map showing all the places to eat close to the Convention center: http://www.icclos.com/pdf/DTRestaurantsMap.pdf The closest food to the convention itself is likely in the form of food trucks on Georgia Street (right outside the uhh East entrance I think). I have heard basically only good things about all of those trucks though I have not tried them myself yet.
 Q. DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER GENERIC TIPS FOR ME A. YES AND YES I DID STEAL THE IDEA FOR THIS SECTION FROM THE EXCELLENT COMIC CON THREAD
 I seriously still laugh every time I see this picture *(ne้ Lake Geneva Wargames Convention) **Last year I thought that Essenspiele in Germany had 3x as many attendees--then I found out that they only list their TURNSTILE attendance, which is each day's unique visitors added together, not their total number of unique visitors. Ergo, the 150,000 they claim is very likely smaller than Gen Con given that Gen Con's turnstile attendance is closer to 175,000 if I recall correctly. ***Full disclosure: I am an RPG/T.O.V.A. auctioneer, though I loved it and talked it up constantly every year even before joining up in 2012. ****There is no **** but thanks to Torrent for naming the thread. Plus here is where I will randomly link this delightful random-generation "gaming convention bingo" board: http://stpatricksbingo.com/conBingo.html
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Feb 5, 2014 08:15
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Reserved SO HARD for information on Goon-run events, of both the formal and informal variety, to make it easier to find and access a concise listing of them than last year when nobody could tell what the hell was going on at all ever. Also because I have always wanted to reserve a post. Edit: OK I AM GOING TO PUT THIS IN HERE!!!!!! WE HAVE AN OFFICIAL IRC CHANNEL AHAHA WOOOOOOO Hawaii_Lame-O posted:Server is irc.synirc.net AND WE HAVE AN OFFICIAL OTHER-THING CHAT THING GROUP.ME!!! Lawen posted:I made a new GroupMe group to use again this year. I will probably have both of these on my phone at The Con. I use AndChat for IRC, personally. No clue what cool people use. ADD YOURSELF TO NESBIT'S GOOGLE DOC!!! nesbit37 posted:The main part of Gen Con starts a week from today! Go add your name and contact info to this spreadsheet if you have not done so already and want goons to check in with you on things. Between this and group me we should be able to organize things spur of the moment pretty well while there(they both worked well last year): AND COME TO THE COLTS GRILLE FOR NERD TRIVIA BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT 7:00, WHICH DOUBLES AS THE OFFICIALISH GOON MEET! @ColtsGrille posted:Yes we are [having nerdy trivia on Wednesday, August 13]! There are 3 sessions, starting at 7:30; 8:15; and 9:00. Hope to see you out! Colts Grille (next door to the Embassy Suites Indianapolis Downtown, if you know where that is!) 110 West Washington Street Indianapolis, IN 46227 AS FOR THOSE WHO LIKE "THE ALCOHOL" THERE IS THIS: camoseven posted:
Dr. Quarex fucked around with this message at 15:00 on Aug 11, 2014 |
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Feb 5, 2014 08:16
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THE GOON BEER TOUR AND GENERAL INDY BEER INFO 
. I also killed two birds with one stone and threw some things in there for my family, so just ignore any references to my mom's place or whatever.
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Good thread and excellent advice for any GenCon newbie. You cannot emphasize strongly enough the power of a shower; especially since GenCon will be in high summer and is always hot and humid. I certainly hope if you're attending; you got your reservations already because anything withing 30 miles is GONE. Good thing this is my last GenCon; it's getting a bit pricey and the crowds are getting insane. Thanks much for the pictures in the thread; don't forget to post one of the 2 obese gamers who are a couple and have a stroller taking up the entire aisle as they walk .001mph and block everyone (I love dealing with that). I'll be there on Friday for sure this year; thinking about giving the opening day a miss just because of the monster crowds of unwashed obese people. If possible; let's get a informal 'get together' set up here beforehand.
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Feb 5, 2014 19:15
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UncleSickey posted:Good thread and excellent advice for any GenCon newbie. You cannot emphasize strongly enough the power of a shower; especially since GenCon will be in high summer and is always hot and humid. I certainly hope if you're attending; you got your reservations already because anything withing 30 miles is GONE. Good thing this is my last GenCon; it's getting a bit pricey and the crowds are getting insane. UncleSickey posted:Thanks much for the pictures in the thread; don't forget to post one of the 2 obese gamers who are a couple and have a stroller taking up the entire aisle as they walk .001mph and block everyone (I love dealing with that). If anyone took any pictures last year--particularly of Goon events (double-particularly of T.O.V.A., you know, just because) do feel free to post them for MORE HYPE UncleSickey posted:I'll be there on Friday for sure this year; thinking about giving the opening day a miss just because of the monster crowds of unwashed obese people. UncleSickey posted:If possible; let's get a informal 'get together' set up here beforehand. Edit: I will occasionally cross-post things from the Gen-Con forums in here because some of the quotes are unbelievably amazing, though often you need insider knowledge to appreciate them. Like the hotel thread where more than one person complained about the Embassy Suites being a little far to walk back and forth from during the convention ... it is a block away.
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Feb 8, 2014 20:34
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Oh wow, the Embassy Suites is too far away? I'm jumping up in the air and clicking my heels because I actually found a hotel room a mile away (instead of my usual 25-30 miles away)! That being said, I must apologize about my unwashed/obese rantings. Looking back on my posts, it did seem that I was on a tear about it; my main reasoning is that I just wanted to warm and notify any prospective attendee of the sights and sounds you will be assaulted with. It's highly suggested by me if you do have a weight issue and think you're fat; please attend the Gen Con vendor area for half a day; I promise you, you will think you're skinny in no time at all and leave with a excellent body image! I do want to post some Gen-Con pictures if I can find them; but they are about 4-5 years old (mainly of that incredible Valkyrie statue that was hanging in the back of the dealer's room). From the mumblings I'm seeing and hearing thus far; the dealer area will be very nice this year, with plenty of gaming goodness and add-ons (dice, etc.). One thing I must admit to; in all of the years I've attended GenCon (going on 22 years or so now, yes I'm one of the old farts there); I've not actually played any games there. The main reason I attend GenCon is the dealer's room; where you can find very rare and hard to find videos, t-shirts and all sorts of weirdness. This year, my plan is to pick up a excellent walnut walking cane (as I'm recovering from cancer surgery and need one for awhile). I know I can find a cheapie cane at walgreens, and have one; but a nice deep brown walking cane with exchangeable headpieces can only be found at GenCon, nowhere else. So if you're interested in sci-fi and fantasy; but not really into games, you will have more than enough enjoyment at GenCon! Cosplay shows, minstrels and bards wandering around and more than enough art and clothing sellers to fill any needs you may have. It'll be at GenCon and with far lesser lines than the San Diego ComicCon (that goes without saying). If you're still on the fence, just pick up a one-day badge and walk around a bit; you'll find yourself either in a pickup game or learning about sizing a corset for your lady friends, you never know what'll happen when you're at the Con. Uncle
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Feb 10, 2014 16:11
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Anyone who says that the Embassy Suites is too far away is insane. It's like two blocks away, and you can take the hamster tubes the entire way if you absolutely have to. I'm one of the lucky few who manages to rock the VIG program every year, and it is so incredibly worth it, if for no other reason than being able to avoid the room lottery. I also host a podcast and my co-hosts and I are running our annual "So You Want To Start A Podcast" seminar again this year. Edit: UnderDiscussion's "So You Want to Start a Podcast" Seminar SEM1456537, 8/15 at 2pm And a few pictures from gencon:  Cardhalla  Fat Guy & Foam Weapons. Watch for the kickstarter.  A practically empty dealer hall.  If there's a boardgame you like, Gen Con has a giant version of it you can play. 8one6 fucked around with this message at 05:27 on May 8, 2014 |
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Feb 11, 2014 10:13
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8one6 posted:
His spirit animal is a hobbit. I signed up about half an hour after hotel registration started and got a rum directly across the street. gently caress taking a cab every day.
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Feb 11, 2014 22:44
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 No Gencon thread would be complete without this. My badge has been purchased and I have a room at the JW. Hopefully I can get a decent game. I'm honestly just considering sticking to pick ups or running something just so I can play something I want to.
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Feb 12, 2014 07:45
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Got a room right across the street at the Marriott. I'm going to endeavor to play more demos and games with goons this year. Also not drink so much.
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Feb 12, 2014 15:22
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Kaddish posted:Also not drink so much. I think you might be doing it wrong, sir. I plan to, as always, be playing games with random strangers at Ram's Head. And this year I have a hotel within stumbling distance. 
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Feb 13, 2014 05:11
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I've a friend in Carmel, with a free parking spot downtown for me. Should be quite a time. It's been a few years since I hit up a big con, so I am extra excited. I am in for Goon Meets, Goon Gaming, and Goon Drinking, especially if they all happen at the same time.
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Feb 14, 2014 09:23
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Reposting my offer to host people this year. I have a large house a couple miles north of downtown, which is way closer than the hotels on the edges of the city. If anyone is interested, just hit me up and we can work out the details. I currently have 1 guest bed and 1 couch and lots of floor space.
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Feb 17, 2014 20:22
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Our group managed to score two rooms this year at the Embassy!  So now more of us can enjoy getting drunk and playing games til we pass out! We all live in Noblesville but driving back and forth can be a chore.The past two years I have done well in filling my schedule with games, and after doing a random 4 hour game of some 1970's groggy tank game, I plan on doing it again this year (although hopefully not as the French, having a tank that can move and shoot in the same action would be kind of nice). A few friends are wanting to run some Attack Wing demos and are trying to get me to go along with them but after running a game last year I think I just need to enjoy the con.
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Feb 17, 2014 23:12
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camoseven posted:Reposting my offer to host people this year. I have a large house a couple miles north of downtown, which is way closer than the hotels on the edges of the city. If anyone is interested, just hit me up and we can work out the details. I currently have 1 guest bed and 1 couch and lots of floor space. I may be interested in this. Drop me a line at my username at gmail.
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Feb 18, 2014 22:00
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UncleSickey posted:a nice deep brown walking cane with exchangeable headpieces can only be found at GenCon, nowhere else. WerrWaaa posted:It's been a few years since I hit up a big con, so I am extra excited. I am in for Goon Meets, Goon Gaming, and Goon Drinking, especially if they all happen at the same time. Dr. Doji Suave posted:A few friends are wanting to run some Attack Wing demos and are trying to get me to go along with them but after running a game last year I think I just need to enjoy the con. Sadly nothing too terribly depressing/hilarious has happened on the Gen-Con forums since my last post here, though I am still kind of hoping that the guy who was legitimately talking about how people had to accept that Gen-Con was going to leave Indianapolis in the very near future because no city without Michelin-star rated restaurants and a good selection of first-class flights could accommodate the gentrification of the board gaming hobby. ... I sort of assume that guy is a troll, but he was so consistent and seemed so confused by people suggesting that the average attendee probably drove ... so I mean, on one hand, it would be so amazing if being a nerd somehow became primarily the vestige of the super-wealthy, but get back to me once Warren Buffett heavily invests in Catan.
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Feb 27, 2014 10:04
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Go to Gen Con! Hook up with some crazy chick in full Elf garb who doesn't break character throughout your night of wild monkey sex, then get made fun of you for it by your best friends for 15 years then have to explain it at your wedding! See Klingon women who look like the homeworld of Kronos has cheesburger trees and lakes of ranch dressing! Buy a bag of dice so big you will never lose all of them! Pay 6 bucks for a 20 oz warm Diet Mt Dew and be happy for it! Don't sleep for more then 3 hours a night in a hotel room stuffed with 8 guys and one poor girl that tagged along. Show up to a MTG tournament with a deck of X-files the CCG! Pay way too much for a katana made by the finest 9 year old Indian craftsmen, then almost chop your thumb off with it showing off your 2 kenjutsu lessons! All of these things and more can be yours!
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Feb 27, 2014 17:49
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I've been going to Gencon for years now but I tend to do the same things - run games for Arc Dream inc (and you should too! You can get free product if you run games for them) go to panels and events to record them for my podcast and play/run games for podcast fans and fellow game designers/publishers after hours. That, plus wandering the exhibition hall tends to take up my time. I've browsed the auction house in the past and I'll probably check it out this year, but what other games/events would you guys recommend? I don't want to try true dungeon and I've played Spaceship Artemis in the past.
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Feb 28, 2014 03:01
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Angel Giraldez announced he is teaching a class... I want to go so bad! Also, go to Gencon.
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Feb 28, 2014 04:49
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Quarex posted:YES! They probably will. Have you been to this particular convention before?!? Yup! I grew up outside Indy. Nissir posted:Go to Gen Con! Hook up with some crazy chick in full Elf garb who doesn't break character throughout your night of wild monkey sex... And have to explain it on SomethingAwful...?
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Feb 28, 2014 05:50
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clockworkjoe posted:... I'll always recommend Games on Demand for trying new things.
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Feb 28, 2014 08:30
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The hotel reservation system they used this year was dogshit. Once I finally got in and went to select a room it stopped working. By the time I managed to get back to the hotel list 20 minutes later, there wasn't anything within 6 miles. Some friends of mine managed to get a room about the same distance away so I said gently caress it and claimed a spot with them. They're on the wait list, so hopefully we can get something a little closer. Last year I spent most of my time, once I finished co-GMing a couple of events, running pick-up games of Cards Against Humanity and it was glorious. Not running any events this year, which means I'll have a lot more time to gently caress around. Hopefully event registration goes better than hotels did. Quarex posted:Yeah, showering is pretty awesome. It does seem like the ongoing "hygiene shame" campaign has sort of reduced the random sudden horrible stench-clouds in the past decade. Its not nearly as bad as it use to be. Sure, you'll probably find more than one person who stopped showering well before the con started, but at least in Indy there's a lot more space for the funk to disperse over. Walking into the vendor floor in Milwaukee was like hitting a loving wall because MECCA was really drat small in comparison and the stench would just linger. I remember the last year in Milwaukee our group raided a housekeeper's cart, took a bunch of soap, printed labels that said things like "Please Use Me" or "Do Everyone A Favor", and handed them out. Is that kind of an rear end in a top hat thing to do? Yeah, but it was necessary.
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Feb 28, 2014 09:45
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Double Agent posted:The hotel reservation system they used this year was dogshit. Once I finally got in and went to select a room it stopped working. By the time I managed to get back to the hotel list 20 minutes later, there wasn't anything within 6 miles. Some friends of mine managed to get a room about the same distance away so I said gently caress it and claimed a spot with them. They're on the wait list, so hopefully we can get something a little closer. It really was a terrifically huge clusterfuck. I almost got within seven miles of the convention, but the system actually booted me off and made me wait in line again to make my reservations. I'm just glad that in the end, I was able to get three nights all in the same place, even if it is crap. The last thing I wanted to do was have to shuffle hotels every day/night like I'm pretty sure some people are doing. It'll be my first time going to this convention - I am really looking forward to it!
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Mar 3, 2014 02:11
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make sure you get wait listed.
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Mar 3, 2014 04:33
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Is this the place to share our Gen Con stories? Because I feel the need to share a
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Mar 3, 2014 06:15
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Bucnasti posted:Is this the place to share our Gen Con stories? Classy Chassy for life.
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Mar 3, 2014 06:20
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Bucnasti posted:Is this the place to share our Gen Con stories? clockworkjoe posted:I've browsed the auction house in the past and I'll probably check it out this year, but what other games/events would you guys recommend? Nissir posted:Go to Gen Con! Hook up with some crazy chick in full Elf garb who doesn't break character throughout your night of wild monkey sex, then get made fun of you for it by your best friends for 15 years then have to explain it at your wedding!  I mean, I appreciate your enthusiasm. But the only Con that ever led to hooking up with someone for me was GoonCon  because honestly I would be more than a little afraid to try to pick up someone at Gen-Con for precisely the reasons you just discussed. Did this actually happen? Because I would like to know why you had to explain it at your wedding if so. Also, kudos on your 1990s-era Elf HookupLuiCypher posted:It'll be my first time going to this convention - I am really looking forward to it! Double Agent posted:Its not nearly as bad as it use to be. Sure, you'll probably find more than one person who stopped showering well before the con started, but at least in Indy there's a lot more space for the funk to disperse over. I remember the last year in Milwaukee our group raided a housekeeper's cart, took a bunch of soap, printed labels that said things like "Please Use Me" or "Do Everyone A Favor", and handed them out. Is that kind of an rear end in a top hat thing to do? Yeah, but it was necessary.
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Mar 3, 2014 13:22
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So it would be a good thing to say how I nearly ended up in the hospital on Day 1 last year thanks to my own stupidity?
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Mar 6, 2014 07:07
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Awesome OP. I'll be back this year. I was ready right at hotel registration and got screwed into getting something on the other side of the airport. Oh well, at least it's a room. Go to Gencon, get crazy loot!    Go to Gencon, get your nerd yearbook signed!   SirFozzie posted:So it would be a good thing to say how I nearly ended up in the hospital on Day 1 last year thanks to my own stupidity? 2014: The year SirFozzie makes it through Gencon without a hospital visit.
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Mar 6, 2014 08:07
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*laughs* Free hint: Skipping breakfast on day 1 because you overslept (making it approximately 20+ hours without a real meal), and then carrying 20+ pounds of new RPG's and boardgames around the Con Hall for hours is contraindicated.
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Mar 7, 2014 06:18
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Anybody else getting all the Gen-Con correspondence e-mail Spam who would like to know how to sift the wheat from the chaff: I guess if you like the 2014 shirt design you should go hog wild and get the hoodie with it, but what you REALLY should do is buy the Gen-Con Messenger Bag (yes, of course that is my review). Sleek, sturdy, and as sophisticated as any gaming accessory can ever possibly be! Even my wife agrees that it can easily be a "big boy" bag since 99% of onlookers will assume Gen-Con is some sort of important businessperson convocation. SirFozzie posted:So it would be a good thing to say how I nearly ended up in the hospital on Day 1 last year thanks to my own stupidity? ritorix posted:Go to Gencon, get your nerd yearbook signed!
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Mar 8, 2014 12:05
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I already ordered the GenCon Messenger Bag (it arrived yesterday)  And I violated the 3/2/1 rule of GenCon which is: At least 3 hours sleep At least 2 full meals At least one Shower. (well, the 2 meals). Basically, since I overslept, I figured, "Hey, I'll eat after I walk the convention floor". Bad idea. Horrendous idea. You see, not only is the dealer hall a freaking humongous place, with crowds everywhere, the first day of the con has the longest lines and the newest, shiniest stuff. So, I carried 20 or so pounds of board games and RPG's in my travel bag, and then stood in Catalyst Game Labs (the folks behind Shadowrun and Battletech) line for 90 minutes (AFTER walking the floor for 2 hours). Your body needs fuel. Your body needs not to overstress itself on day one. As I waited in line (I was third in line for the cashier), I started to get a wee bit shaky/sweaty.. I took off my glasses and leaned over, trying to get my system to work right. Thankfully,, one of the folks working the Catalyst booth was a trained nurse and saw that I was going down HARD and got me to the ground before I fell down. Basically, I was wayyyy out of it, incoherent and just on the edge of unconsciousness. Turns out it was a low blood sugar thing, and they had me sip on a lemonade while they summoned the medics (who are folks from the local hospital).. and I got to ride the stretcher into the medical room to rest and recover. They offered to take me to the local hospital, but I was feeling better as my body returned to at least a bit of equilibrium and declined. However, I spent the rest of that day resting/sleeping. So.. here's the suggestions. A) Know where the bottlenecks are. Here's a hint: Many of the major companies like to put out their big new releases at GenCon. Know where they are and avoid them if at all possible on the rush of day 1. (I would put Catalyst, Paizo, D&D (odds are D&D Next will be released at GenCon), as the major culprits, but sometimes a smaller company can be there too. Most times, these companies will have more than enough stock on hand that you can buy whatever you're looking for later on Day 1 or on one of the later days. (Now that I think about it, getting the badge itself and shopping for ConGear can be bottlenecks too. however, ConGear almost ALWAYS sells out) B) Put yourself in a good position. Eat regularly, eat as well as you can, sleep when you can. Carry a water bottle that you can refill at various spots around the con. Carry stuff like snack bars to tide over the cravings (your body needs fuel) C) Know your limits: Take breaks when/if you can. If you start to get tired/woozy.. DON'T try to tough it out. Your body sends out warning signals for a reason, ignore them at your own peril. D) Be careful when booking events.. you may think "Ah I can do this from 3-5 and this from 5-8.. but A) usually that'll screw you out of some fun either at the end of the early session or missing some of the late session.. especially now that GenCon events can be in many different hotels. I missed out on the NCAA 14 tournament last year because I showed up 3 minutes early, only to be told that they had a rule that if you weren't there 10 minutes early, you were disqualified. E) Buy lots and lots of generics. You never know when you'll want to do something (the arcade hall was fun with a Rock Band Marathon for example). F)Do something silly, like sit in the auction for an hour or two and bid on random things. G) There's nothing like talking rpg's with random folks at 3:45 in the morning at Steak n Shake 
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Mar 8, 2014 16:02
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Looks like I've got my housing issues sorted out thanks to Fiasco buddies (seriously, you guys, play Fiasco, it will make you friends for life), so I think I'm going to make it to the con this year! Sadly, the best Gen Con stories I have involve getting truly, properly drunk for the first time at the Safe House bar back when the Con was still in Milwaukee and narrowly missing hanging out with Sean Astin because of stupid things like "needing to eat."
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Mar 8, 2014 16:51
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Quarex posted:
I have heard this several times since last year in person as well among a few of my friends. All things considered Indiana does a way better job than Milwaukee ever did.  Also for those who buy way to many generics like myself, don't forget to return them at the end of the con so you can get some form of credit back!
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Mar 8, 2014 17:26
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Dr. Doji Suave posted:Also for those who buy way to many generics like myself, don't forget to return them at the end of the con so you can get some form of credit back! Wait, what? You can do this? 
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Mar 8, 2014 17:27
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ritorix posted:Wait, what? You can do this? GenCon Refund Policy posted:Only event tickets can be refunded onsite.Badges purchased onsite are non-refundable and non-transferable. http://www.gencon.com/attend/refundpolicies Gen Con's best kept secret!
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Mar 8, 2014 17:36
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Quarex posted:I remember a post on the official forums from a woman who was angry about blanket statements about gamers that smelled bad, because she said she had dated more than one gamer who could shower in the morning and already smell terrible by the afternoon just with normal exertion. ... the unspoken assumption of just how fat these guys (and this woman) probably were has sort of haunted me ever since. Come on, you've been to GenCon. You don't have to assume anything.
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Mar 8, 2014 20:38
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I had to explain it because my Best Man, was one of the people that dragged me to Gen Con, and it was part of his speech. You should always hook up at a con, it is the best part.
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Mar 14, 2014 21:56
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Nissir posted:I had to explain it because my Best Man, was one of the people that dragged me to Gen Con, and it was part of his speech. You should always hook up at a con, it is the best part. http://www.theonion.com/articles/plan-to-get-laid-at-dragoncon-2001-fails,260/
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Mar 14, 2014 23:53
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Gen-Con Wikipedia Article Trip Report: About six years after I anonymously questioned why there was a hideous picture of a group of poorly-dressed cosplayers holding a "WILL YURI FOR YAOI" sign as somehow representative of the costume scene at Gen-Con, someone has finally done the right thing and taken the picture down. At this rate, by 2021, the article will also no longer mention NASCRAG. Go away, NASCRAG. You are not noteworthy. Actually I guess any tournament run for more than 30 years at a major game convention probably IS noteworthy in the context of that convention. But that picture is so profoundly purple monkey cheese lol  not like that hilarious dragon-burgerOh, and the events listing is going to go up in a few weeks! Though it is not too late to submit events!!! Every year I am asked if I will give some sort of lecture merging political science and gaming ... and this year I think I just might actually pull the trigger and talk about the real-world and fantasy implementations/conceptualizations of eugenics. Sound like a fun topic for a gaming convention? I thought so!
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Apr 4, 2014 01:22
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Quarex posted:and this year I think I just might actually pull the trigger and talk about the real-world and fantasy implementations/conceptualizations of eugenics. Sound like a fun topic for a gaming convention? I thought so! I trade two wood for Hitler: the unfortunate implications of economic engines in Eurogaming
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Apr 4, 2014 01:35
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