First time attending!
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Posted by alittleparrott neonrhino

neonrhino wrote:
I hope you have the best first con ever! I've been going a few years now, and this is what I passed on to some friends that are going this year for the first time as well!
 
Vender Hall: I definitely recommend taking at least a day in order to check out the dealer hall. Thursday is the least crowded, and you have the best chance at getting that must-have game from the con :) The hall is simply enormous, and as you are wandering there is a fair chance that something will catch your eye; a demo, some amazing art, a celebrity. Just be prepared to be on your feet for a solid afternoon at least if you want to see everything, and prepare your back (and your wallet!) for all the games that you'll have to haul back to your room or your car if you plan on doing any shopping. If you want to save your wallet some grief, you can occasionally get some great deals from the vendors on Sunday, but its a gamble as to what’s going to be left over.
 
Food and Water: I generally just pack a small (small! really!) bag with enough to last through the day and try to find a restaurant for a larger meal either around 3:30-4:00 or from 9:00-midnight. I find that 3:00-4:00 generally works out the best. Remember that anything you pack you have to haul around all day long and you need to remember to keep an eye on things. For water, I would bring a small water bottle along and refill as needed. There are many, many fountains about and water this way is free. If you buy a bottle of water (GenCon rates may make you cringe!) hang onto it for refills :)
 
Speaking of a small pack to bring: aside from some light snacks and water it can also be useful to pack a mild painkiller for anyone that gets a head or back ache (Aspirin, Tylenol and the like) as well as HAND SANITIZER. There are going to be just a ton of people everywhere in various states of health and it helps tremendously to have some hand sanitizer to use before you sit down and after you get up. After my wife made this suggestion I've been con-plague free. Others will be grateful to see that you’re using it as well. I would also recommend a little bar of deodorant, breath freshener, and a fresh t-shirt and socks in your pack to round things out. Something I don't recommend bringing is a cell phone charger that needs to plug into the wall. Instead one of those battery-pack refill things are great for the con. Plugs are hard to come by and root you to a single spot for an hour. The refill packs hopefully will keep you topped off enough that you can keep on con'ing and will free up outlets for others. 
 
Must do's: So, there are two different schools of thought on GenCon must do's. For the ‘completionist', I would recommend you visit any panels put on by any names you recognize (this can change from person to person, for me its Shut Up and Sit Down). If you see a name you like having a panel, jump on in! The other 'big' events that stand out to me are the True Dungeon, AEG Big Board Game Night (you get to go home with a free box of games that more than make up for the cost of the event), The Killer Breakfast (Not sure if they'll be doing this in 2017), Drunk gaming at the RAM (best part about this is getting food and a table at the RAM, which is nearly impossible to do at GenCon otherwise), and NASCRAG. Others I'm sure will fill out the blanks.
 
But here's the thing...
 
In my personal experience, the best thing to do at Gencon is to book one, maybe two things that you want to do a day and then to make new friends and find new events to go into. To get into most of the 'big' stuff you'll need to be at home on event registration weekend (and this year that’s Memorial Day, May 28th) and mashing the 'refresh' button on your browser and hoping that you get low enough in the que that you'll be able to successfully get into these events. It can be stressful and there are no guarantees that you'll come in fast enough to get registered for everything. So I usually just say go with the flow.
 
I hope you have the best Con ever and remember it for years. The only other thing I'd like to add is that GenCon tends to attract a hugely positive, welcoming group of people compared to other Cons. If you ever want advice on the next thing to do, ask an excited looking stranger and see where they're going! I've found so many amazing events I'd have never known about using this method, and I have been repeatedly grabbed by the arm and told "You've gotta see this!" and whisked away. Welcome to the community!
 
if you remember, how much was the big board game night event you mentioned? Tried tto find it in last yearyear's page but couldn't ffind it.

Posted by cosmicpower

I too, will be a first timer. Me and my husband. Traveling all the way from PA. I have been reading this forum and other posts to help me out. I still feel completely overwhelmed with everything that goes on. I have been to only New York Comic Con, which is huge. But I've never been to a gaming con.  When does event schedules go up and I have heard housing is a b**** to get into. 

Posted by austicke cosmicpower

cosmicpower wrote:When does event schedules go up and I have heard housing is a b**** to get into. 

Event registration begins May 28. The schedule typically comes out a week or so beforehand.

Getting housing is easy. Getting downtown housing is difficult.

Posted by braewe

I am a voice offering a different viewpoint. I LIKE having most of my day filled with events. Yes, I schedule some 'downtime' for wandering, and yes, it can be fun hanging out, but gen con is once a year, and dangit, I want to DO THINGS.

I carefully format an excel spreadsheet, block out times for food and sleep and a dinner with friends, but essentially, everything else has SOMETHING going on, with the exception of saturday morning, where I allow myself time to sleep in. I'm too old now to go 24-7. 

But I've been to a lot of gen cons, and I prefer the ones filled with stuff. I especially wish I had done this my first year, because I didn't HAVE gen con friends yet. I spent too much time just wandering.

What I do not recommend is filling the day without breaks for food and sleep.Therein lies the danger of burnout and missing events. Fill your schedule, just don't forget essentials. And since you WILL make gen con friends, make sure, either with a phone or something, to jot down details. Jim from the cool rpg. Kate from the Mini paint. Etc. With contact info. So NEXT year you WILL have folks! 
 

Posted by cosmicpower austicke

austicke wrote:
cosmicpower wrote:When does event schedules go up and I have heard housing is a b**** to get into. 

Event registration begins May 28. The schedule typically comes out a week or so beforehand.Getting housing is easy. Getting downtown housing is difficult.
I pre booked a hotel already because I didn't know if I would be able to get downtown.  Have you ever taken uber or lyft to the con?  Wondering if it'll be better to try to get downtown or keep what I booked. FYI it's 5.6 miles away from the con

Posted by neonrhino alittleparrott

alittleparrott wrote:if you remember, how much was the big board game night event you mentioned? Tried to find it in last year's page but couldn't find it.

I do! It was $32.

The last AEG Board game night I got into was in 2015, and I'll list out what was in that box below. There have been grumblings recently that the quality of what you get in the giveaway box declining year after year. I've found this thread on bgg that has a video with what was in the box last year. Hopefully, this is enough to help you make a decision :)

Help me brainstorm other 'big ticket' events guys!

AEG Big Game Night Box 2015 Contents


  • A few boards for Trains
  • Munchkin 'Loot Letter'
  • Seventh Hero
  • Junta

AEG Big Game Night Box 2014 Contents (that I can remember anyway...)

  • Doomtown Reloaded
  • Sail to India
  • Smash Up: Monster Smash Expansion

Posted by austicke braewe

braewe wrote:I am a voice offering a different viewpoint. I LIKE having most of my day filled with events.

It's certainly personal preference; but, for a new attendee, I'd recommend going very light on pre-scheduled activities. There is so much to see and do; I think it's worthwhile leaving lots of time to wander and discover so you can figure out what works best. But to each, their own! :)

Posted by rhone1

Uber is a fantastic way to get the Con from hotels not downtown.  I know many a gamer that have used Uber and they reported no problems at all.

Posted by cosmicpower rhone1

rhone1 wrote:
Uber is a fantastic way to get the Con from hotels not downtown.  I know many a gamer that have used Uber and they reported no problems at all.
do you know off hand the prices for uber/lyft? I know it changes during certain hours. I'm just looking fo rough estimates.

Posted by boc_mage braewe

braewe wrote:
I am a voice offering a different viewpoint. I LIKE having most of my day filled with events. Yes, I schedule some 'downtime' for wandering, and yes, it can be fun hanging out, but gen con is once a year, and dangit, I want to DO THINGS.
I carefully format an excel spreadsheet, block out times for food and sleep and a dinner with friends, but essentially, everything else has SOMETHING going on, with the exception of saturday morning, where I allow myself time to sleep in. I'm too old now to go 24-7. 
But I've been to a lot of gen cons, and I prefer the ones filled with stuff. I especially wish I had done this my first year, because I didn't HAVE gen con friends yet. I spent too much time just wandering.
What I do not recommend is filling the day without breaks for food and sleep.Therein lies the danger of burnout and missing events. Fill your schedule, just don't forget essentials. And since you WILL make gen con friends, make sure, either with a phone or something, to jot down details. Jim from the cool rpg. Kate from the Mini paint. Etc. With contact info. So NEXT year you WILL have folks! 
 

2nd! For a certain mindset taking the time to plan out con can be very helpful in avoiding sensory overload or analysis paralysis. Meaning where there is so much going on and you end up circling the convention center 8 times an never actually do anything.

One often overlooked part of con is to find a company or game you like and volunteer for said company or run it! Great to meet other attendees and fill some time while giving back a little to the con. My sweet spot is always part time, i get badge reimbursed (goodies depend on company) and gives me something to focus my con around. One thing i notice about gencon is how many events and the con itself is run off volunteers from the demo monkeys to game GM's to admin staff (red shirts) of gencon itself. If you want something new and to experience con differently i recommend it heavily. 

Posted by nascragman

If you like Pathfinder then I'll echo what some of the previous folks said and recommend Nascrag.  We've been putting on games at GenCon since 1980 - this will be our 38th year.  We go rules-light and roleplaying heavy with an emphasis on fun.

Check us out on Wikipedia or at www.nascrag.org 

Posted by jeff321

My first year I didn't schedule enough.  So I definitely schedule almost every hour now.  Yes, some of those hours should be wander the dealer hall, visit the auction, visit publisher private rooms, meals, etc.  And about 10 hours in the hotel each night for sleep and relaxation.  But overall I really like knowing I'll play X game at Y time so the scheduled events are great.

I always bring a lot of bottled water, and Aleve PM really helps me sleep when my feet and legs are aching from all the walking.

The only must-do event is True Dungeon in my opinion.  It is awesome, definitely try it once or twice (there are 2 different dungeons).  If you are flexible on time and persistent it is not that hard to get tickets.  People drop tickets all the way up to the day of the event.

I have done AEG Game Night multiple years in a row now and the quality of freebies has definitely dropped.  I may not even try for a ticket this year.

Posted by armadilloal

Yeah, I actually dropped another event that was scheduled to end at 8 because I was worried about missing the start of Big Game Night.  By the end, I was pretty sure I dropped the wrong event of the two.

Posted by armadilloal

As for events, I find that three per day works best for me - one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening.  I usually have a healthy mix of board games, True Dungeon, and entertainment events/concerts/etc.  Gives me plenty of time the rest of the day to wander off and do whatever, but having something to look forward to definitely keeps me focused.

I'll try to fit in one 'longer' event during the week, usually a tournament, but that's not 100% required.

Posted by alans

"I carefully format an excel spreadsheet, block out times for food and sleep and a dinner with friends, but essentially, everything else has SOMETHING going on, with the exception of saturday morning, where I allow myself time to sleep in. I'm too old now to go 24-7. "

Yes, Excel is your friend!
It helps me NOT overbook, because I have way too many games I want to play / events I want to attend, and if I spreadsheet my days, I see that I may want to have 14 hours of events scheduled straight, but, oh, look, there's no time to eat in there, and I need to eat or I will not enjoy my Con.  Gen Con is also a vacation, so if I am going to have at least one night where we go sit down for dinner, I can block out extra time for that, and to go to church, etc.

Posted by canezar

Going to be my first time this year along with four other friends of mine - doing most of the legwork for the group and we'll be visiting from Canada. Our plan is to have a friend in the US ship the badges to us to avoid the lineup.

How does the ticket system work? Will the tickets ship with the badges? Do my friends need to have an account with the site to place their own ticket orders, or will it all have to be done through my account?

Posted by mhayward1978 canezar

canezar wrote:
Going to be my first time this year along with four other friends of mine - doing most of the legwork for the group and we'll be visiting from Canada. Our plan is to have a friend in the US ship the badges to us to avoid the lineup.
How does the ticket system work? Will the tickets ship with the badges? Do my friends need to have an account with the site to place their own ticket orders, or will it all have to be done through my account?

If you buy your tickets early enough in the preorder period (many popular events sell out within minutes of event reg going live, so you should plan to pre-fill your event wish list and be online when event registration goes live to submit your wishlist and see what you get) your tickets will be shipped with your badges.

You _can_ buy tickets for your friends by adding them to your friends and family list, however I'd recommend everyone get their own account as that way you get more entries into the housing lottery, and more chances to get the events you want come event reg.
 

Posted by canezar mhayward1978

mhayward1978 wrote:=inheritYou _can_ buy tickets for your friends by adding them to your friends and family list, however I'd recommend everyone get their own account as that way you get more entries into the housing lottery, and more chances to get the events you want come event reg. 

We're a group of 5 looking for 2-3 rooms in the lottery, wouldn't splitting the badges across our group put us in a situation where we might not be able to get 2 rooms in the same hotel?

Posted by austicke canezar

canezar wrote:
We're a group of 5 looking for 2-3 rooms in the lottery, wouldn't splitting the badges across our group put us in a situation where we might not be able to get 2 rooms in the same hotel?

Yes, but you should still each enter the lottery separately for the best chances. You probably won't have any problem getting multiple rooms in the same hotel if you stay further away, but some people aren't even able to get a single room in a downtown hotel. Depends on how lucky you are with the lottery.

Posted by alittleparrott

I am so overwhelmed by all of the responses I've gotten here. This is already such different con experience than I've had before; everyone is being so nice, helpful, and it really seems like everyone is dedicated to having a good con experience. 

I'm so excited to be attending!  Just purchased badges, and am starting to get a sense of the type of events we're going to attend. 

Any other advice / input is welcome. I'd like to learn as much as I can before we get there!

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