|
The VIGs for this year are all gone. There were like half a dozen that didn't renew this year so Gen Con had people who wanted to get in email them and the staff rolled dice to see who got the remaining badges. I know for a fact there were no companion badges left for the this year's new VIGs. Speaking of ludicrous con suggestions, the annual "GenCon needs to make the VIG program suck so people will stop renewing!" thread started before registration even opened this year. Edit: poo poo, top of the page. Ummm... I'm running a seminar at Gen Con! "Starting a Podcast & Sticking with it!" SEM1567950 Most likely Friday at 2pm. Most likely in the rear end end of the convention a.k.a. Grand Central Hotel. 8one6 fucked around with this message at 23:17 on Feb 24, 2015 |
#
?
Feb 24, 2015 23:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 29, 2024 08:21 |
|
|
Nemesis Of Moles posted:You could always do what my friend does and sleep in your car every night! (do not do this) We could probably make a list of the gooniest things you should NOT do at GenCon, this being one of them. The other being, of course, to not shower. Although if you're sleeping in your car, I think you are also probably not going to shower either (but not for a lack of trying, I hope). Always take a shower every day at the con. It's the right thing to do.
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2015 23:42
|
|
|
But realtalk, get a hotel 20 minutes away and rent a car, it'll be pretty cheap and the parking, while not great, isn't the worst in the world in my experience.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2015 00:06
|
|
|
Nemesis Of Moles posted:But realtalk, get a hotel 20 minutes away and rent a car, it'll be pretty cheap and the parking, while not great, isn't the worst in the world in my experience. I've done this most years I've gone to Gencon. Parking breaks down like this. If you want convenience, you have to get there early and pay $20 to park in the mall lots. If not, there's all-day lots a few blocks away for ~$5 day. You have to plan your day out more than if you're next door and it sucks not being able to drop off your nerd loot right away.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2015 00:14
|
|
|
I knew VIG itself had long sailed- I just heard they were waiting until a certain date to let VIG have their pick of the reserved housing pool and then release the rest back into the shark tank. Rumors, I guess. Outside Downtown isn't really tenable. My fiancee loves the convention but she gets really exhausted quickly. Without the ability to disengage and catch a nap she's going to be miserable- and driving back and forth and eating parking each time isn't great, either. I'll keep looking around.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2015 01:08
|
|
|
Nemesis Of Moles posted:Speaking of events, in the spirit of doing the exact opposite of what I did last time I went to GenCon, I'm going to run a single session of a Dungeon World game. I'm a pretty good GM and it should be fun and you're all invited as my new best friends I just might have to get in on this since AW has been my group's jam for the last 8 months and I've forgotten how to play any other system. 
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2015 01:08
|
|
|
Last year, my friends and I got a hotel just outside the city and took shuttles and cabs to and from the center; I also saw a ton of Uber cars that weekend. Our shuttle service was totally hosed though. Some trips let us get on, while others said we needed a specific badge and did not let use use them. If you're going with a couple people, 8-10 bucks split however many ways for a cab/Uber is pretty cheap, and you can haggle before jumping in because it is a feeding frenzy of transportation outside every door. If you can deal with a bit of aggravation, you can save quite a bit of money on transportation. Only downside is you have to carry all the poo poo you buy all day, or send someone back with everything. E>> One other thing I would suggest I didn't see in the OP, is dressing in layers. I know it's the middle of summer and you're going to be packed into the center like cattle, but by around 8 pm, a large amount of people start leaving. And by close to midnight, all the AC units in the place turn it into a giant meat locker. I froze my rear end off the first night. Slandible fucked around with this message at 01:49 on Feb 25, 2015 |
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2015 01:33
|
|
|
Nemesis Of Moles posted:But realtalk, get a hotel 20 minutes away and rent a car, it'll be pretty cheap and the parking, while not great, isn't the worst in the world in my experience. This is pretty much my group's plan. The shuttle situation sounds pretty hosed so I'm not too happy about that but there's not too much that can be done.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2015 02:29
|
|
|
I guess I will add the dress-in-layers thing, since I have heard it before, though I kind of assumed it was a joke the first few times it was suggested. I have definitely never been cold in the convention center, but I also go out in -10 weather in the morning to wipe snow off my car without gloves or a coat on.Len posted:I hate to be That Guy but does anyone know the dimensions of that bag? I've been looking for a new one and that looks pretty. Oh no the cat is sleeping in front of the linen closet with the measurement tools  There we go, I waited a day and he moved. Mudcrab Merchant posted:I... my events make me a lot of money, and they ARE the late night events. I don't normally set foot to freedom until about 3-4AM and then I just keep thinking how I have to be the next morning to open my booth in the exhibitor hall, and stay up AGAIN for my next event. Plus I'm a girl so add in make-up, hair, and all that stupid poo poo that makes people take me seriously in a professional setting. Also who was the Goon who popped up seemingly out of nowhere to hang out with you and Captain Rat and me in the Exhibit Hall the second time we hung out? Was that this mysterious "Ricky?" All I remember about him was that he talked really fast and apparently was addicted to one of the two seemingly identical games League of Legends/Defense of the Ancients 2. Nemesis Of Moles posted:You could always do what my friend does and sleep in your car every night! (do not do this) LuiCypher posted:The other being, of course, to not shower. Although if you're sleeping in your car, I think you are also probably not going to shower either (but not for a lack of trying, I hope). No indeed I do not recommend doing this, just saying that if you are going to live in your car, you have to go all out. Mad Fnorder posted:I knew VIG itself had long sailed- I just heard they were waiting until a certain date to let VIG have their pick of the reserved housing pool and then release the rest back into the shark tank. Rumors, I guess. Also the joke was on me this year, the companion badges sold out before my lackadaisicass got in gear to say "oh hey grab me one of those" about a week after they were on sale. Truly, we live in the End Times.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2015 03:01
|
|
My walks after my events are quiet ones, normally only one werewolf circle is left!
|
Mad Fnorder posted:So, I didn't have the best housing lottery luck. I heard that once VIG is officially done they'll throw the remaining scraps back into the pool. Anyone have an idea what the timeline on that is? I do not know the timeline but i can still see plenty of rooms available downtown in the VIG housing block.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2015 04:27
|
|
|
Thanks for the heads up. I'll mash F5 on a regular basis and reach out to see if I can find a VIG friend of a friend. Wilty posted:I do not know the timeline but i can still see plenty of rooms available downtown in the VIG housing block.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2015 04:47
|
|
|
Wilty posted:I do not know the timeline but i can still see plenty of rooms available downtown in the VIG housing block. Can you reserve rooms for friends, like new friends you just met online who are super awesome? 
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2015 08:48
|
|
|
Quarex posted:Also who was the Goon who popped up seemingly out of nowhere to hang out with you and Captain Rat and me in the Exhibit Hall the second time we hung out? Was that this mysterious "Ricky?" All I remember about him was that he talked really fast and apparently was addicted to one of the two seemingly identical games League of Legends/Defense of the Ancients 2. Wow, harsh Quarex, it was I. I was that goon who popped up after figuring out how GroupMe worked. And it was DOTA2, jeez. This year, my new conversation topics will go from Monster Hunter 4 right back to DOTA2 to Temporum. Quarex posted:Also the joke was on me this year, the companion badges sold out before my lackadaisicass got in gear to say "oh hey grab me one of those" about a week after they were on sale. Truly, we live in the End Times. Well, I get to also ride first class this year since my friend was one of the new VIGs who also happened to get even luckier and upgrade me to a companion badge! I'll enjoy all my free hot chocolates while tears cover my face due to how empty I actually am on the inside.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2015 11:03
|
|
|
clockworkjoe posted:Can you reserve rooms for friends, like new friends you just met online who are super awesome? I won my badge this year so i was only able to book one hotel room. =(
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2015 11:22
|
|
|
nesbit37 posted:You would think them getting almost all exhibitors a room would be easy since they know exactly how many vendors will be attending. There are only a limited number of booths, right, so why don't they just guarantee 1 room per floor space number you are buying (with the option to decline it) or something else like that? This is the rule for Exhibitors this year for room count: Exhibitors can book up to 6 rooms in a single online reservations session, but the eligibility limit is based on your exhibit space. You can book up to 2 hotel rooms per 10’x10’ booth rented I have a 20x10, so I am (was) able to book up to four rooms. They do an exhibitor 'block' of rooms, which is essentially that math, but it also includes the far away hotels, which no one actually wants to stay in. It also does not guarantee room type. So yes, I got all the rooms I 'need' in the hotel I wanted (the JW) but I don't have enough beds. Doubles were not even available to us. We're uhh.. still trying to sort that one out.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2015 15:46
|
|
|
Grinspork posted:Wow, harsh Quarex, it was I. I was that goon who popped up after figuring out how GroupMe worked. And it was DOTA2, jeez. This year, my new conversation topics will go from Monster Hunter 4 right back to DOTA2 to Temporum. This year you will have no conversation topics because I will sever your vocal cords. See, THAT was harsh. No we should definitely talk about Monster Hunter 4, so I can fulfill my yearly quota of having absolutely no idea what is going on while someone talks about a game. Mudcrab Merchant posted:So yes, I got all the rooms I 'need' in the hotel I wanted (the JW) but I don't have enough beds. Doubles were not even available to us. We're uhh.. still trying to sort that one out. Edit: Oh and the cat is not in front of the closet anymore, the Gen-Con deluxe messenger bag is 12" tall by 17" wide by 6" deep, that is the bag itself--the flap certainly accommodates another few vertical inches easily, the bag expands side-to-side a bit (I have indeed put my 17" laptop inside successfully). There is a pouch on one side with a snap that can fit uhh Stuff(tm) (I have my dice bag with a couple dozen dice in it, and it fits despite half the dice being the largest size ever used for non-comedy dice). Most importantly, there is a divider inside for ease of keeping your gohan (rice) from touching your other things. Dr. Quarex fucked around with this message at 02:16 on Feb 26, 2015 |
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2015 01:46
|
|
|
Nemesis Of Moles posted:But realtalk, get a hotel 20 minutes away and rent a car, it'll be pretty cheap and the parking, while not great, isn't the worst in the world in my experience. You can uber or cab in/out for $30-$40 a day which is likely cheaper, especially if you are pooling with friends. Mudcrab Merchant posted:I.. my event's make me a lot of money, and they ARE the late night events. What events are you running that make a lot of money? My buddy ran an RPG last year and it basically paid for his (1-off, not rules/etc) materials, although granted his game includes soda / candy for standins for B3 and happiness officer pills (he runs Paranoia).
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2015 02:13
|
|
|
Sigma-X posted:What events are you running that make a lot of money? My buddy ran an RPG last year and it basically paid for his (1-off, not rules/etc) materials, although granted his game includes soda / candy for standins for B3 and happiness officer pills (he runs Paranoia). 
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2015 02:15
|
|
|
Mudcrab Merchant posted:So yes, I got all the rooms I 'need' in the hotel I wanted (the JW) but I don't have enough beds. Doubles were not even available to us. We're uhh.. still trying to sort that one out. We were at the Crowne last year and they gave us an extra rollaway bed on request. Coupled with one of us bringing an air mattress we all had our own place to sleep, albeit a tiny bit short on floor space
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2015 03:19
|
|
|
Huh? I thought Gencon was pretty family friendly.
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2015 03:44
|
|
|
There's plenty of non family friendly stuff there, especially later in the evenings.
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2015 03:57
|
|
|
Oh right, after hour events, duh. I should've realized that!
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2015 04:07
|
|
|
It is, though, pretty family-friendly. And this actually plays into why it is the best convention, as much as it always surprises me to be celebrating this particular aspect. The kind of shitlords (I only swear online when it is fully deserved) who make concepts like "cosplay is not consent" necessary are on some level discouraged from attending because they know this is not The Debauchery Convention (that is Dragon Con, apparently), and from an anecdotal perspective, those that do attend and try to get creepy are seemingly fairly likely to get shut down, as I have never seen anyone get out of line without being immediately told off (and I have only seen maybe two incidents in all the years I have been attending), and none of the cosplayer horror stories I have read online have ever been at Our Beloved Gen-Con. And of course this aligns with Mudcrab Merchant's post earlier about how this is everyone's favorite convention because the ladies do not need to be escorted around to ensure their safety.
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2015 04:36
|
|
|
I'm glad to hear that Gencon is a friendly con. I was always afraid the cosplay deviants were setting themselves up for a weekend of hell. Nerds can be pretty creepy and entitled and I just imagine a lot of them go "I can buy sexy pictures of you? That gives me right to be ultra creepy." Good to hear I can have faith in Gencon.
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2015 14:40
|
|
|
Len posted:I'm glad to hear that Gencon is a friendly con. I was always afraid the cosplay deviants were setting themselves up for a weekend of hell. Nerds can be pretty creepy and entitled and I just imagine a lot of them go "I can buy sexy pictures of you? That gives me right to be ultra creepy." Good to hear I can have faith in Gencon. If anything it can be a little too puritanical since someone railed at me when I got a little drunk, like barely buzzing at a late night event, I think it was about 1 AM and we were getting some lovely burgers from Steak N Shake and all I was doing was chatting with folks, then this lady called me rude and how I was somehow a bad person because I consumed some alcoholic beverages. I never even talked to her jeez. Rude. But yeah the crowd is pretty good, I've been to a number of different cons and this one has always been about the best - although I wish they stressed the "Stop and take a shower" thing every now and then. E: I actually almost wished she'd yelled I'M STRAIGHTEDGE at me Sloober fucked around with this message at 16:36 on Feb 26, 2015 |
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2015 15:12
|
|
|
This isn't about Gen Con specifically, but things like this certainly aren't going to make attendance issues at these cons any better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9fADIP_6eM edit: Apparently the Gary Con webserver almost melted from all the hits they got after that episode aired last night. nesbit37 fucked around with this message at 16:45 on Feb 27, 2015 |
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2015 16:43
|
|
|
Well, I lucked out - one of my friends who is going works at Expedia and through him we were able to get some rooms at the Alexander, which is near the con center. Had to pay up front but whatev. Anyone stay there before?
|
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2015 19:59
|
|
|
Len posted:I'm glad to hear that Gencon is a friendly con. I was always afraid the cosplay deviants were setting themselves up for a weekend of hell. Nerds can be pretty creepy and entitled and I just imagine a lot of them go "I can buy sexy pictures of you? That gives me right to be ultra creepy." Good to hear I can have faith in Gencon. Sorry you got drunkshamed, Sloober. Though you may have seemed like the drunkest person ever to a Latter Day Saintgamer. nesbit37 posted:This isn't about Gen Con specifically, but things like this certainly aren't going to make attendance issues at these cons any better: Still kind of amazing that we reached a point in pop culture where a Gary Gygax tribute convention can get a serious mention on something that popular. Now we wait for the hilarious nerd fallout, whichever direction it goes.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2015 00:39
|
|
|
For anyone going Megabus the tickets for Gencon are bookable now.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2015 16:25
|
|
|
Quarex posted:I was shocked, too, when I found out that Gen-Con was their favorite. But delighted nonetheless. It makes sense; something has to be the sterling example! I think the good behavior is pretty much chalked up to the sheer number of ladies and gents at Gen Con who could be your grandma and grandpa. Nobody wants to creep on someone and then get told off by grandma. Wrecks your whole week.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2015 17:17
|
|
|
Quarex posted:I was shocked, too, when I found out that Gen-Con was their favorite. But delighted nonetheless. It makes sense; something has to be the sterling example! I didn't think that type of person was anything more than an internet construct but I was proven wrong that night. Also sadly my spare room will be being used this year, and i'm using it to cordon off the heavy snorers I had to deal with last year.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2015 17:22
|
|
|
Are there any prereleases worth looking into happening this year? Also any goons running events?
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2015 13:39
|
|
|
GenCon released a letter today threatening to not renew its contract with Indianapolis when it expires in 2020 because of an about to be signed bill on the Governor's desk that would legalize religious discrimination against LGBT people: http://www.indystar.com/story/news/...-bill/70393474/
|
|
#
?
Mar 24, 2015 23:37
|
|
|
SirFozzie posted:GenCon released a letter today threatening to not renew its contract with Indianapolis when it expires in 2020 because of an about to be signed bill on the Governor's desk that would legalize religious discrimination against LGBT people: Further proof that GenCon is the best.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2015 00:05
|
|
|
SirFozzie posted:GenCon released a letter today threatening to not renew its contract with Indianapolis when it expires in 2020 because of an about to be signed bill on the Governor's desk that would legalize religious discrimination against LGBT people: This is awesome and I love that it's getting covered by a lot of places.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2015 00:07
|
|
|
Yeah, it was weird to see GenCon in the list of trends on Facebook earlier. Seems good though! I'd be alright with GC moving somewhere else though... 
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2015 00:28
|
|
|
I'm just waiting to see everyone go "Lav Vegas!" for the where Ge Con should move discussion. Because that will happen and isn't a bad idea.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2015 00:31
|
|
|
8one6 posted:I'm just waiting to see everyone go "Lav Vegas!" for the where Ge Con should move discussion. Because that will happen and isn't a bad idea. That's so much farther away though ): Chicago? That's a nice city right?
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2015 00:40
|
|
|
8one6 posted:I'm just waiting to see everyone go "Lav Vegas!" for the where Ge Con should move discussion. Because that will happen and isn't a bad idea. I wouldn't have thought I'd ever speak out against a reason to go to Vegas, but I think I wouldn't want GC there, just so I wouldn't feel inclined to forego actual GenCon stuff in favor of Vegas stuff. My will is weak and I enjoy craps way too much.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2015 00:43
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 29, 2024 08:21 |
|
|
Len posted:That's so much farther away though ): Chicago? That's a nice city right? It'll never be in Las Vegas for a number of reasons, the big one being that the shot-callers at GenCon LLC won't move the con out of east coast driving distance.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2015 00:44
|
|