A Brit at GenCon

[Doswelk]

The unthinkable happened... I've had potential permission from the "Boss" to consider going to GenCon this year...

So my question is what do I need to know/want to do/etc.

Any GenCon experts out there who would like to help a GenCon newbie!

[drahkar]

There is generally a lot to do at GenCon. My recommendation is to make sure you get the magazine with all the maps and activities listed on it. Also you'll want to register through the website so that you have the ability to register for events, games and activities early. Many of them require registration and their slots fill up fast.

On top of all of that there is the commerce floor. That is always worth scheduling a day to walk around and look things over.

[Kalan]

The unthinkable happened... I've had potential permission from the "Boss" to consider going to GenCon this year...

So my question is what do I need to know/want to do/etc.

Any GenCon experts out there who would like to help a GenCon newbie!

You lucky beggar! If we weren't going to Canada the month before, i may just well have sucked up to plan our overseas trip in August instead this year

[Stuart]

The unthinkable happened... I've had potential permission from the "Boss" to consider going to GenCon this year...

So my question is what do I need to know/want to do/etc.

Any GenCon experts out there who would like to help a GenCon newbie!

Pre-Registering saves money on your ticket if you can do so. Get a hotel room booked - these can go really fast.

[tdewitt274]

The main hall is huge, and a day isn't an exageration. I wandered through it at a liesurely pace and still had 4 rows to go when they said "15 minutes remaining".

Try something new. Schedule plenty of games that you find interesting that you haven't tried. Some are good, some are bad.

[Rienen]

Being this will be my 22nd consecutive GenCon, my point of view has changed over the years. However, some things have held true.
1 - Get Generic tickets. You never know when you'll see a game you want to try, and there's almost ALWAYS no-shows.
2 - Wear comfortable shoes. You will be doing a LOT of walking. Period.
3 - Get your hotel situation resolved ASAP. It's never too early to make your hotel plans. (Note, hotel reservations have already started. If you can share a room, it REALLY saves on cash.)
Feel free to PM me if you have questions.

[Foen]

I have received permission from the boss to go to my first GenCon, after two or three decades of watching the convention from British soil and never making the journey.

I'm expecting to be there (Indy) very late on Thursday, and to spend all of Friday at the Con, before departing early Saturday morning. Being a Brit Abroad, and a noob, it would be great to meet up with other folks!

Stuart

[Stuart]

Cold beer - you'll die! Have fun Stuart ... I need to put up shelves, dig the allotment and generally earn more brownies.

Maybe, just maybe ....

[Doswelk]

It would seem I missed out on a VIG, there were two left and then there was not!

Did I really miss out by not getting this?

So now I am booked into a Hotel (8 miles away) and have a badge, now I wait until April for the events?

Foen we will have to work out a meeting point/time (hmm might have to buy a mobile phone that works in the USA now!)

[Phystus]

It would seem I missed out on a VIG, there were two left and then there was not!

Did I really miss out by not getting this?

So now I am booked into a Hotel (8 miles away) and have a badge, now I wait until April for the events?

Foen we will have to work out a meeting point/time (hmm might have to buy a mobile phone that works in the USA now!)

Opinions on the VIG seem to vary, the big benefit is your choice on the hotel rooms, apparently. I'm local, and commute daily to the con, so I haven't bothered.

Some events sell out very quickly once the event registration starts, so if you're keen to try some game while you're there it pays to register early. Call of Cthulhu seems to sell out really fast, for example.

Be sure to leave a lot of time for the dealer hall, art show, socializing with folks you meet, and absorbing the general atmosphere. I usually plan two half-days just in the dealer hall, myself. And be sure to spend some time at the auction. There will be way more to do than you'll have time for, guaranteed.

And yeah, comfy shoes, a backpack with some snacks, dice, pencils, paper and water, and as few books as you can get away with.

The Gencon community forum has a lot more good advice.

A get-together of FG forumites would be fun! Let's do it!

~P