For those planning to attend this year be aware that based on the scaled back convention from last year, you can expect limited hours that the convention hall will be open. You can expect an exhibitors hall that is smaller than normal and will have many empty booths. You can expect to pay full price for downtown hotels however they won't even clean your room each day while you are there. You can expect a much smaller selection of games to choose from.
My entire point is that your reasons for being down on Gen Con are not reasons that matter to everyone and, given how popular Gen Con is, I suspect that 10,000 - 15,000 gamers who feel the way YOU do can easily be replaced by 10,000 - 15,000 gamers who feel the way *I* do. And, frankly, I'd be surprised if 10-15,000 gamers opt out of Gen Con for the reasons you've given - especially with how successful Gen Con was last year. My suspicion is that there will be MORE gamers present this year and that the con will look a lot more like it did in 2019 than it did in 2021 - even with masks and vaccinations. We're also further along in the pandemic which means overall risk of infection is going down (not a reason to NOT mask up IMO) which means that there is likely to be more people this year willing to go than last year. Regardless, it will still be a blast.
In the end, everyone has to make the decision that is right for them. For *ME*, Gen Con is not just about playing games - it is about the entire experience of being surrounded by Gamers for 4 days, without any other distractions or cares, and being able to just immerse in geek culture. It's about the time I have with my wife and friends, regardless of the activities in which we engage. The boardgames and RPGs are just the catalyst for the experience; they are not the point of the experience.
Whatever you choose, timjs21, good luck and game on man! I hope you're able to have fun gaming with friends whether it is at Gen Con or elsewhere.
if the vending hall was as small and lack of big companys like last year it's going to suck.
Paizo said they're going to be back in the hall and in the Sagamore. I wouldn't mind if they cut a row off their booth to leave space for some of the new guys from 2021.
Yeah experiencing what it was like without the companies that take up four aisles' worth of width and make it hard to be positive you actually saw everything makes me wish for more restrictions on how much booths can block other booths. Those huge walls that cut off line-of-sight and extend for multiple aisles are the biggest culprits, I think.
Paizo for sure is going to be there in person (it was on their blog), so that's good.
Off topic here. There is a topic more appropriate for this.
Dealer Hall Layout-the Big Guys?