GenCon '09: Anyone going?

[Ghambit]

I'm going to make a serious effort to go this year (for at least part of it).  Any Con vets have some good tips?

[schild]

I'm going to make a serious effort to go this year (for at least part of it).  Any Con vets have some good tips?

Gain 30 pounds, grow a neckbeard, wear a d20 pendant.

[Ghambit]

Are there any hawt emo goth chics to play with at least?

[Lantyssa]

Not if you follow Schild's advice.  Actually probably not a lot at a GenCon, either.  They'll be at the WoD LARP convention.

[Fabricated]

I live an hour from Indy and I've never been inclined to go. Is it even worth bothering?

[Evildrider]

I haven't gone to a Gen Con since it was in Milwaukee.  However I always had a blast when I went.  I never played games there or anything, but there's tons of neat shit there.  I always spent a little too much money on stuff there though hehe.

[Merusk]

I live an hour from Indy and I've never been inclined to go. Is it even worth bothering?

I think you answered your own question.

[Grimwell]

I've gone just about every year for the last decade.

I will be going again this year, Ghambit - feel welcome to find me. SOE throws a player party downtown during Gen Con and offers free drinks, appetizers, and loot to any of our gamers who happen in (as well as their friends). No tickets, no cost, just fun. Come drink back some of your subscription fees on Uncle SOE eh? 

Gen Con itself is pretty damn cool, no matter what the jaded folks will say. I spend a minimum of two days in the dealer room stopping at every table and demoing whatever they have to offer unless I've seen it or own it already. You typically get to meet some interesting folks, who often designed the game you are demoing with them. There are a ton of games that are pure fun to play, and I make a point of taking at least one home, and building a shopping list for the months that come. Plus there is free crap.

Saturday is costume day, and while it's not as insane as Comic Con or Dragon Con, the costumes are pretty darn good and there are plenty of them. Eye candy, in the form of goth chicks or chain mail bikini babes happens, even when it's not Saturday. Sometimes it inspires awesome, sometimes it inspires ACK. Welcome to life, some chicks aren't hot.

Oh, and yes, there are some fat and stinky types who make sure the gamer stereotype is alive and well; but there are also families and all kinds of normal people.

Plus you can play games, or jump into a tournament of Magic at just about any hour.

I think it's fun. YMMV

[Lantyssa]

Pics of goth chicks or it didn't happen. 

[Tannhauser]

Uncle SOE  touched me in a bad place. 

I've been once a few years ago and had a good time.  You can people watch, find that rare gaming item, learn what the hot games are now, demo PC games before they come out and play PC games. 

You should at least go once.  I had a chance to go this time, but it's with my married friend who hits on every skirt he sees.  Dude has NO game and it's really embarassing.

[Grimwell]

Pics of goth chicks or it didn't happen. 

I'm too busy to host this on my own, so I'll just put the link to an example image.

http://www.chris-crockett.com/blog/wpg2?g2_itemId=1925&g2_imageViewsIndex=2

[Ingmar]

So far I've planned to go like 4 years in a row and not actually been able to. This year Blizzcon is just too close date-wise. Next year I am totally going though! (I have said this before.)

[Grimwell]

http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_article.vm?id=51566

Booze related

[Falconeer]

Since I'll be in the US when Gen-con happens a friend is trying to pull me there, but sincerely I can't see the appeal of it. I mean, lots of -cons everywhere. Sure this is bigger, but what else to justify very long trips? Honest question.

Also, WTF?

[Sky]

OZZZIEEEEEEE!

[Salamok]

Uncle SOE  touched me in a bad place. 
 I had a chance to go this time, but it's with my married friend who hits on every skirt he sees.  Dude has NO game and it's really embarassing.

The few people I know who use this tactic get laid more than the rest of the people I know combined.

[Grimwell]

Since I'll be in the US when Gen-con happens a friend is trying to pull me there, but sincerely I can't see the appeal of it. I mean, lots of -cons everywhere. Sure this is bigger, but what else to justify very long trips? Honest question.

Why Gen Con? It's the granddaddy of all D&D related conventions. The largest US based Magic tournaments happen there. Etc. If you are into tabletop games or rpg's this is the show to attend. If not... well YMMV.

I do not forgive you for that picture.

[Fargull]

Won't be going this year, but went the previous two.  Probalby played in the best Call of Cthulhu game ever, The League of Extraodinary Scoundrels.  Everything Grim mentioned is spot on, though I did not know about the SOE party.  Will have to next year.

[Merusk]

Uncle SOE  touched me in a bad place. 
 I had a chance to go this time, but it's with my married friend who hits on every skirt he sees.  Dude has NO game and it's really embarassing.

The few people I know who use this tactic get laid more than the rest of the people I know combined.

When I was a bouncer, one of the other guy's friends made a habit of coming in and asking "Hey, wanna fuck?" of every woman he saw alone.  He never, ever went home alone.

You can debate quantity vs quality, sure. But he had lots and lots on the quantity side.

[squirrel]

Uncle SOE  touched me in a bad place. 
 I had a chance to go this time, but it's with my married friend who hits on every skirt he sees.  Dude has NO game and it's really embarassing.

The few people I know who use this tactic get laid more than the rest of the people I know combined.

When I was a bouncer, one of the other guy's friends made a habit of coming in and asking "Hey, wanna fuck?" of every woman he saw alone.  He never, ever went home alone.

You can debate quantity vs quality, sure. But he had lots and lots on the quantity side.

I have a friend who does essentially this. It's failsafe.

King of the Hill had an episode about this - it's how Boomhauer picks up chicks.

As the Russians say - Quantity has a quality of it's own.

[lamaros]

Quantity has a quality of it's own.

STDs might have qualities, but I don't think you can describe them as 'quality'.

[Salamok]

I think of it as the Tourette's approach to picking up chicks.

[Grimwell]

I've been doing Gen Con wrong for quite some time according to this tangent.

[Sky]

Quantity has a quality of it's own.

STDs might have qualities, but I don't think you can describe them as 'quality'.

Quantity != STDs

 

[Jain Zar]

The only con I go to every year is Connecticon.  Its only an hour away, and its a general nerd convention which means its got a bigger variety of stuff to do. 
Not as dedicated as Gen Con, but that can be a good thing.

Oh yeah and FUCK tabletop gaming companies who all seem to act like Gen Con is the time to release every new and important game.  Its as if they think Gen Con speaks for all gamers when I have met maybe 2 people in my 20+ decades of gaming in many states who actually went to it.

Gen Con seems to be for gaming what Christmas season is for videogames.  Which just means everything gets frontloaded into a tiny little window and the really cool stuff usually falls through the cracks.

[Merusk]

I've been doing Gen Con wrong for quite some time according to this tangent.

Indeed you have, since geek girls are hornier than your average woman.  Too bad you're old and married now, just pass it along to your son.

[lamaros]

Quantity has a quality of it's own.

STDs might have qualities, but I don't think you can describe them as 'quality'.

Quantity != STDs

 

Now now. No need to misinterpret quotes so you can pretend to be offended.

[Lantyssa]

He's not saying he's offended so much as saying he's disproven the theory.

[lamaros]

He's not saying he's offended so much as saying he's disproven the theory.

Of course quantity = STDs isn't a correct theory, but in the context of guys who go up to every female form in sight and sleep with whichever is willing it's probably a lot closer to being right then wrong.

Now you can sleep with a lot of people without being that guy, but we're talking about that guy. So, context and stuff...

Or were you that guy Sky? I always thought you liked to portray yourself as being more discerning than that?

[Sheepherder]

Condoms fix the STD problem.  I'm sure Sky could tell you this with much more authority than I.

[Sky]

Or were you that guy Sky? I always thought you liked to portray yourself as being more discerning than that?

Oh, I was very discerning.

But if, in my discernment, it appeared my bed was going to be empty, I could be much more open-minded.

Always tough discussing this subject, because I don't want to get into TMI territory.

[Grimwell]

Oh yeah and FUCK tabletop gaming companies who all seem to act like Gen Con is the time to release every new and important game.  Its as if they think Gen Con speaks for all gamers when I have met maybe 2 people in my 20+ decades of gaming in many states who actually went to it.

Gen Con seems to be for gaming what Christmas season is for videogames.  Which just means everything gets frontloaded into a tiny little window and the really cool stuff usually falls through the cracks.

I'd counter that I'm glad they have a big release season that isn't called "Christmas." My budget is more open to me buying myself random gaming tidbits of fun in the summer; as it's buying my kids random tidbits of fun as winter approaches. They have to releases them at some point, and Gen Con draws a lot of coverage and eyes from a distance; it's good timing.

[Grimwell]

So, um. It start tomorrow and all that. I will be doing a little work via Twitter and giving random loot out - please don't kill me for it. I'm a vendor not a mob.

Just in case anyone is actually going :)

[Ghambit]

I decided not to go due to:
a) I couldnt get anyone to go with me
b) Sleeping on the floor of some stranger's hotel room isnt appealing to me
c) I'm buying a damned HDTV   

I'd say I probably would've spent around $600-$800 to go to GenCon...  aint in the cards.  I'm gonna really try for DragonCon this year though, which is a whole 'nuther ball o' wax.

[Pezzle]

I will be at GenCon.  There are large numbers of well known and obscure games that get played.  You can make connections, get free booze and have a good time.  Sometimes you can get in on betas or win prizes as well!