Getting Ready
Posted by motownchic82 andrewj.rager

andrewj.rager wrote:
- Start taking Airborne from now through the con.
- Plan places to eat lunch and dinner everyday.
- Catch up on lots of board game news about games, so I know what to buy.
I didn't think about the Airborne. Thanks so much. I have to go to the store today for supplies and will get some for myself and the rest of my family that is going.

Posted by jwibbenmeyer

I have been implementing a gradual money savings plan to have some extra spending money. When I started about 8 weeks ago, i planned to save 1 dollar a day, then every week increase the dollar amount by $1. On Wednesdays, I deposit the money into a savings account. The planned total amount isn't immense, but it should equal out to a little over $500 to ensure that I can buy some items and eat comfortably for the trip.
 

Posted by kellishaver

Done:


  • Hotel reservations, badges, tickets, and parking passes all reserved, with badges/tickets and receipts for everything else on-hand and filed away to take with us.
  • I've booked time off work - with a few days padding on either side. 
  • I've gotten the dog's booking made at the kennel and took him to the vet to get him up to date on his bordetella vaccine
  • Got new front tires and an oil change for the van
  • Everyone in the family has a sufficient new supply of nerdy shirts
  • Pre-ordered a couple games I really wanted that could be pre-ordered via BGG
  • Picked up a side project and made enough to cover game purchases at the con - woo!

I'm basically as ready as I can be at this point. I'll need to pack, buy/make some snacks, charge up all of the power banks for our phones, and get the van cleaned inside & out, but those are all kind of last-minute things. 

What's uncommon items do you pack that most people wouldn't think of but that you find super useful? I always bring earplugs tp to ensure a peaceful night's sleep in the hotel room (my watch has a vibrating alarm) and a small baggie containing emergency TP because the restrooms at the ICC do run out sometimes. It's saved my butt before (literally).

Posted by fethbone

I don’t stress much about packing besides making sure I have my badge and tickets; just get my things together the day before departure...if I forget something like toiletries/charger/basic clothing items, etc., we’re in the middle of a city! With lots of stores! The only things left are to get the house-sitter booked and get my ish together for the auction. 

Even though my spouse is coming as well, I do agree about cleaning the house before leaving. It really sucks to come home from vacation to a dirty house. 

 

Posted by whisper721 kellishaver

kellishaver wrote:
Done:

  • Hotel reservations, badges, tickets, and parking passes all reserved, with badges/tickets and receipts for everything else on-hand and filed away to take with us.
  • I've booked time off work - with a few days padding on either side. 
  • I've gotten the dog's booking made at the kennel and took him to the vet to get him up to date on his bordetella vaccine
  • Got new front tires and an oil change for the van
  • Everyone in the family has a sufficient new supply of nerdy shirts
  • Pre-ordered a couple games I really wanted that could be pre-ordered via BGG
  • Picked up a side project and made enough to cover game purchases at the con - woo!

I'm basically as ready as I can be at this point. I'll need to pack, buy/make some snacks, charge up all of the power banks for our phones, and get the van cleaned inside & out, but those are all kind of last-minute things. What's uncommon items do you pack that most people wouldn't think of but that you find super useful? I always bring earplugs tp to ensure a peaceful night's sleep in the hotel room (my watch has a vibrating alarm) and a small baggie containing emergency TP because the restrooms at the ICC do run out sometimes. It's saved my butt before (literally).

I carry spare TP too.... as well as a small first aid kit and a muti-tool. Also I carry Narcan.  Not for me but I am certified to carry it and you never know.  I have had to use it on folks a time or two.

Posted by kellishaver

A small first-aid kit's a good idea. At the very least, band-aids for blisters. I use my multi-tool all the time, but I leave it at home because of the "no weapons" rule.... not sure if the pocket knife-sized blade on it would be an issue or not. I'm guessing not, but figure it's not worth risking. 

Posted by whisper721 kellishaver

kellishaver wrote:
A small first-aid kit's a good idea. At the very least, band-aids for blisters. I use my multi-tool all the time, but I leave it at home because of the "no weapons" rule.... not sure if the pocket knife-sized blade on it would be an issue or not. I'm guessing not, but figure it's not worth risking. 
I agree.. I leave the tool in the hotel room lol

Posted by brooks

Even with a well-broken in pair of boots I always pack a roll of moleskin, just in case. 

Posted by jpederso komoridarkclaw

komoridarkclaw wrote:
I have been forcing myself to not get ready yet :P
Lists. Lists are my friends. Lists make sure I don't do something stupid like not pack the badges. I have promised myself that I will not start making lists until the start of July, so I am ready for Monday :D Also, by making lists early, if I randomly think of something I should add, like start taking Vitamin C tablets a few days before, I can just run and add it to the appropriate list.
I have several lists.
One is "Stuff to do this month" and includes things like get a haircut and break in my new shoes as my old ones are getting too worn out.
Another is "Stuff to do the week before" and has things like start packing the tickets and clothes, and stopping by the bank to get cash for the vendor hall.
Next is "Stuff to do the day/night before" and is things like pack whatever I won't need in the morning, get clothes ready for the morning, charge my battery pack and laptop, double check that the tickets are packed, order a Lyft to take me to the airport, etc.
Finally, there is a "Stuff to do in the morning before going to the airport", which is triple check that the tickets are packed, use and pack up the toiletries like toothbrush, feed the cats, and general panic. 
There is also just a list of things to pack, which includes things like my phone charge cable and the sleeping mask I'll want at the hotel, things that aren't immediately obvious like clothes.
Having done this 3 times, I have not forgotten anything important so far and it soothes the obsessive planner side of me :)
~Komori
 
I'm like you.  Nothing packed yet - just a list that I will add to as I think of things.   One thing that I do is to have copies - either paper or a picture on my phone - of the reservation receipts and registration info - hotel, parking, con ticket purchases, and orc stomp registration.  Always like to have proof that I made the purchase in case there's confusion when I get there.  

Posted by donaldbain kellishaver

kellishaver wrote:
A small first-aid kit's a good idea. At the very least, band-aids for blisters.
I have an Altoids tin with two tylenol packs, two aleve packs, half a dozen pepto pills, a couple imodium pills and half a dozen band aids that has served me well. 

Posted by mbeauparland crusader77

crusader77 wrote:
Whats on everyones Gen Con playlists? Alestorm and Van Canto are on mine
Audible and the complete fiction of HP Lovecraft....

Posted by mbeauparland

I won't pack until the night before, with the exception of my badge and tickets, already tucked safely in my suitcase.

Posted by aaronmlopez

My Gen Con playlist (okay... it's my everyday playlist!):

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/26XSnEhaNbfeOlJPWuG6Lv

 

Posted by qwaserity

Let's see:

Math trade - Talking to a company about sponsoring a raffle. Still posting games and wants. Answering questions about it. Need to make signs and my trade list because the list is finalized on the 23rd.
Playtest hall - Have my games ordered but need to make sure they were printed properly. Schedule finalized. Practicing teaching my game and my "elevator speech" to try to showcase the game to some companies.
Companies - Need to make my list of who I need to talk to at the con. Business cards ready.
Auction - Still packing stuff to sell.
Car - Bought new car (perfect timing; I won't need to clean it out.) Still need to store some phone rechargers in the car just in case.
Tickets - Planned travel time to get tickets Wednesday night (GM badges, can't be shipped).
Maps - All marked and sent to phone for GPS travel.
Cosplay - Need to test our costume at local anime con.

Between today and the con I have this holiday weekend, a library game day, running the game room at our local anime con, a long game day, 7 game nights and 3 D&D sessions. So busy that if it wasn't for the math trade I wouldn't be feeling the effects of GenCon yet.

Posted by inis

So I have clients in Indy so I usually make a business trip out of the experience.  As such I'm usually gone for two weeks.  I just pack three bag.  Bag one work stuff suites, work polos, etc... The second bag is workout clothes/nerd attire.  Finally, the third bag is where I store the precious precious games.  I usually send bag one to be dry cleaned while I'm down in Indy so it's nice and ready for the following week when I head out again. 

Posted by quarex

At any point after the previous year's convention, the first thing I do is play around with my Google Map of Indianapolis, graying out the things I did this year and adding any new things I have heard about (all for the Monday/Tuesday/sometimes Wednesday of Gen-Con week, obviously I am not driving aimlessly around Indianapolis during the convention proper).

In January, when I notice that badge registration is coming up and start putting aside any cash I get in preparation; yes, this means I spend about 2/3 of the year putting aside cash for Gen-Con.  Well hey, I take the 3% discount you get paying in cash at the Auction/Auction Store and a few random exhibitors every year very seriously!

Sometime in late Spring or early Summer I suddenly tune in to granola bar/jerky/other non-perishable snack sales and end up buying enough snacks to last a family of four for a week, so I then usually end up eating about half of my supply by Gen-Con but still have enough left over to accomplish my primary eating goal: save hours every day by living out of my bag and skipping a formal lunch.

I think my last bit of preparation is when I make the challenging call as I do my final packing on which of my ever-slightly-growing pile of nerdy t-shirts to wear to the event.  I know some people wear multiple shirts every day for hygiene, but I tend to bring about 1.5 to wear per day just because there are times you want to wear a Dune reference and times you want to wear a different con shirt; you just never know.

Posted by qwaserity quarex


 just because there are times you want to wear a Dune reference and times you want to wear a different con shirt; you just never know.
I wear a My Little Pony shirt on Saturday. If you are going to play in a MLP RPG and you're 50 years old, you better show you're a brony so the parents of the little girls you are playing with don't freak out...

Posted by crusader77

Got my badge in the badge holder along with my event tickets. Got all my nerdy shirts ready to go. A few games for the night before the con. I usually pack my clothes and stuff the night before. Thought my truck was ready to go, but just had the power steering go on me, so having that fixed, tires rotated, and AC charged, because you don't want to drive 7 hours to the Mid-West without any AC... which happens to be my Uncommon thing that I do that others might not think of.

Posted by monkeydragon

Biggest thing right now is working on costumes for the LARPs I'm playing in.  (french hood almost complet!) and preparing for the LARP I'm running.  Many props to sort.  

I've started picking up the odds and ends for toiletries and whatnot.  And I've decided which nerd shirts to bring, a very important thing.  Planning for snacks.  So many snacks.

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