Author Topic: GenCon, August 14-17, 2014  (Read 15305 times)

Offline mllNY

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Re: GenCon, August 14-17, 2014
« Reply #75 on: August 18, 2014, 08:08:27 PM »
if you had only posted here during the show I could have gotten you plenty
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Offline Transmute Jun

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Re: GenCon, August 14-17, 2014
« Reply #76 on: August 19, 2014, 08:51:13 AM »
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Pick away.

Okay!

(You may be sorry....  >:D )

I'll ask here in case others are interested in attending GenCon as well.

First, how difficult is it to get tickets? Are there multiple steps, or is it as simple as 'tickets go on sale at this time and you can buy them at your leisure'? I know there are VIP (VIG, I guess they're called) passes that sell out instantly and are 'grandfathered in' (are those worth it?) but for GA badges, is it a problem to get tickets if you are on the ball and buy early?

Next, what is the hotel situation? I gather that GenCon runs out of hotel spaces, as do many cons. How quickly do the hotels go? For the official hotel block, how easy is it to get the rooms you want? Also, I see many hotels listed as having a location of 'Skyway'. What does that mean? Are there any hotels you would recommend?

When do people usually arrive? If the con starts on Thursday, do most people get in sometime Wednesday, or on Thursday morning?

What are the biggest (most difficult to get into) events at GenCon each year? I gather there is some kind of lottery system where you can request access to these panels and know in advance that you are getting in (or not) so there are no massive lineups overnight. Can you explain how this works? In your opinion, which of these big 'lottery' panels are worth the effort and why?

Please give a description of True Dungeon. I think I know what it is, but I'd love to hear your take on it. Also, do a lot of people go through it in costume?

Okay, I think that's it for now. More to come, I'm sure... ;)

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Re: GenCon, August 14-17, 2014
« Reply #77 on: Today at 01:27:24 AM »

Offline mllNY

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Re: GenCon, August 14-17, 2014
« Reply #77 on: August 19, 2014, 09:47:36 AM »
I can chime in a little

I do not believe regular 4 day passes sell out, however the passes really only get you into the show floor, to do activities (games, seminars, true dungeon, AEG Big Game Night) a ticket. That is the second step as it were. The first step is get tickets then about a month before the show they announce every activity (this year it was close to 9000 events between everything) and that is when you have the mad dash to get the tickets you need, which is closer to the SDCC ticket buying experience and you need to be there early. That said they have multiple times for the games so you want to have that in mind to have different times when you can play, also they can add events, add seats to seminars and events, and people can give up passes giving you opportunities to get something you missed out on, however the more popular the even the less likely a ticket will be released by someone that took it, obviously.

however if you miss the specific event ticket you want you can buy what are called generic tickets which cost $2 each. So say you wanted to do an $8 event, if you initially got the event ticket you would have paid $8, if you miss out you can buy 4 generic tickets and wait on line at the event and hope someone does not show up and use your generics to get into the event. Obviously people with the actual event ticket are given priority over generic ticket holders.

As to hotels i hear it got worse the last two years and I heard downtown hotels sold out within 15 minutes so treat it like a SDCC and you should do fine and there is a shuttle route. That said the show is not the same as a SDCC so if you had to stay at a non downtown hotel I don't think it would be the absolute worst scenario, it is just a different kind of show. Skywalk is just a connected hotel that allows you to not walk outside to get intot he convention center. I stayed at the fairfield in which is not connected but was not more than a 8 minute walk and no trains to stop you for 5 minutes or wall of people blocking you.

People do arrive Wednesday but I think they are mostly meeting friends and playing games, I got in on Friday, though I did hear the exhibit hall opening on Thursday was something to behold. But unlike SDCC there is no official line just people crowding around the three main entrances to the exhibit hall, which is about 1/3 the size of the SDCC hall if not even a bit smaller.

Most events are ticketed so there is not a lot of lining up unless you missed the event and want to use a generic, or at least I did not see it. There are a lot of popular events I think the D&D all access is the most popular, AEG Big Game Night, which I did and heavily recommend, was very popular also, and they give you a swag box worth more than the ticket to the event which had some awesome stuff this year. True Dungeon may sell out but they run it continuously during the show but costs about $50. But I do not know much more about TD to really comment on it.

This was from my perspective from going for the first time
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Offline Transmute Jun

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Re: GenCon, August 14-17, 2014
« Reply #78 on: August 19, 2014, 10:11:58 AM »
Thanks very much for the information, MllNY! I appreciate the perspective, especially as it was your first time attending this year.

So you're saying that the 4 day pass does not get you into panels, only onto the exhibit floor? Even the gaming sessions cost extra? I'm really surprised! I knew you had to sign up for the more popular gaming events, but I assumed they were included with admission. Are there 'drop-in' gaming areas included with admission, like there are with other cons?

Thanks for the hotel info. Now 'Skywalk' makes sense! I guess in the summer it's not important to be connected to the convention center, but I can see how in the winter this is a huge plus. I will definitely treat it like SDCC. One 'curse' of having been to SDCC is that everything with conventions now seems like a 'rush rush rush' situation, and I'm locked into that mentality.

What are the big things to see/do on the exhibit floor? Are there any super popular booths or places that tend to have lineups?


Offline DaveG

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Re: GenCon, August 14-17, 2014
« Reply #79 on: August 19, 2014, 11:46:27 AM »
I think mllNY gave you a lot of good info, so I'll just add my two cents.

Yes, your ticket or badge only gets you into the exhibit hall.  It'll let you also roam through some of the gaming areas, but to play in the games you'll need a separate event ticket.  As pointed out, generics are helpful to let you just "drop in" on games where someone doesn't show up (happens a lot) or they have open space.  But be aware that tickets are not really refundable.  They will let you return any ticket up to 30 minutes prior to the start of the event, but will only give you system credit.  The credit never expires, which means you could use it next year, but don't expect to get any cash back or a credit on your credit card statement.

Yeah, I don't recall badges ever selling out, but many popular events will.  True Dungeon will sell 80-90% of their tickets the first day and then take another few weeks before selling the rest.  Many people like to run it with friends and try to buy larger blocks, so if you are running with more than 2-3 people, you want to try and get tickets the first day.  Yes, they are expensive ($48 per person), but I've never heard anyone complain afterwards that it wasn't worth it. (most people worried about the cost just don't buy the tickets in the first place).

You'll definitely want to be all over hotels if you want to stay downtown, but commuting to the con each day is very doable (unlike SDCC).  There supposedly is a Gen Con shuttle, but I know very little about it.

I'm not sure if there's any one or two most popular booths at Gen Con.  It kind of depends what you are into.  It is very, very gaming oriented.  I would say the exhibit hall is a little over half the size of SDCC and it felt crowded every day I wandered through it.  The Gale Force 9 booth is popular for the Firefly board game, but I had no problem buying their latest expansion.  You can demo games for free in the exhibit hall, but there can be quite a wait for an open seat.

Outside of TD, most events are pretty cheap.  They are usually ticketed at $2 per person for a 2 hour block.  So if the people running the game estimate it will take 4 hours to play, then you'll pay $4 for entry.  True Dungeon is the exception.  They've also grown enough that convention hall space is limited and some gaming has expanded to nearby hotels.  The downtown area is generally prepared for the Con and many restaurants will stay open late and some will have back areas open for gamers to come in, buy food and play their games.

Sunday is considered kids day and I saw an awful lot of kids I had to avoid stepping on or running over (glad to say I was successful in that effort).  A lot of people really use the con as a place to get together with friends they only see once a year and play games they love to play.  Most active gaming communities will hold a competitive tournament at Gen Con to crown their world champions.  Some tournaments can get pretty intense with cash prizes being offered, but there aren't too many of those.  I guess that covers the basics.  It's a fun con, just totally different from SDCC in many aspects.

Offline Transmute Jun

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Re: GenCon, August 14-17, 2014
« Reply #80 on: August 19, 2014, 12:39:22 PM »
Yes, I saw the 'family fun' package they offered for Sunday. I'll definitely look into that, although it may be for kids younger than mine. As it is, my younger child will be 12.5 next summer, so verging on teenagerhood himself.

$2 per 2 hour block seems reasonable, but I'm glad I know about it. That means that this year's $80 badges were probably more like a $100-$120 cost, depending on how many events you did over the 4 days. That will be good to know for cost analysis.

I completely agree that the cost of True Dungeon will definitely be worth it! It's something we have wanted to do for awhile.

The reason I asked about the exhibit hall is that I always see videos of hundreds (thousands?) of people waiting outside the doors and then flooding in and running through the exhibit hall once the doors open. I was just curious as to the most popular destinations. But it sounds as if everyone has their own destinations and the crowd pretty much spreads out?

With kids, I like to stay close to the con, if possible. Especially with my son, who will sometimes conk out after half a day, if we're close he can go back to the hotel room and veg while the rest of us continue on. If anyone wants to stay late and game, having a hotel close by will also be helpful. So yes, I will be all over hotels!

Thank you guys, for the information! It's very helpful in making our decision if we want to commit to this or not. And you know me: once I commit, I COMMIT. So I want to know now if we're going next year or not. ;)

Offline alyssa

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Re: GenCon, August 14-17, 2014
« Reply #81 on: August 19, 2014, 03:38:28 PM »
ok, silly questions here;
it's all about board games?  not video gaming right?

are folks friendly abt the playing the games &/or showing new folks how to play?
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Offline Transmute Jun

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Re: GenCon, August 14-17, 2014
« Reply #82 on: August 19, 2014, 04:04:47 PM »
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ok, silly questions here;
it's all about board games?  not video gaming right?

are folks friendly abt the playing the games &/or showing new folks how to play?

My understanding is that the majority of games are roleplaying-based, but that there are also many board and card games represented. While I haven't been to GenCon before, many of the other conventions I have been to have gaming, and part of the setup is to introduce people to new games and get them to play. So I would presume (DaveG and MllNY please correct me if I'm wrong) that as long as you sign up for a beginner's session, they should be just fine with helping you out.

I'm not certain how much of a presence there is for video games. I know there is some, but it may be small.

Offline DaveG

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Re: GenCon, August 14-17, 2014
« Reply #83 on: August 19, 2014, 04:06:27 PM »
Somewhat repititious to Transmute's post, but here's my response.

It's about all games.  There are some video games there to play, but it is in the minority.  Board games, card games and role playing games are probably the big three, but many other games are represented.

Yes, like most cons the vast majority of people are friendly and willing to help new players learn.  The only exceptions I've run into are those hard core players that  are out to win some sort of championship.  I'd probably stay away from the $10,000 Legendary Tournament.

Several LARP group plan outings at Gen Con and they run some events that are very similar to the zombie escape they have at Petco Park in SDCC.  It's about running around trying to avoid players dressed as zombies while shooting at them with various types of nerf weapons, or some variation of that.  As has been said earlier, they have over 9000 events, so there's something for just about everyone.

Offline mllNY

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Re: GenCon, August 14-17, 2014
« Reply #84 on: August 19, 2014, 04:57:28 PM »
Most people are frinedly and low key and if you have problems learning a game most booths have demo areas that the staff will teach you how to play. Especially as they want to sell you the game. The big exhibitors are Mayfair, Fantasy Flight Games, Asmodee, Iello, AEG, Cyptozic, Legendary and a few others but as Dave G says people are all over the place since they want different things. But there are pick up games everywhere.

Also like Dave G says don't enter the tournaments and you will be fine. There are a ton of non gaming events too, like making your larp cosplay, writing seminars, to some even adult variety sessions.

As to people waiting outside that is the worst on Thursday adn Firday cause even like SDCC there are show exclusives, but a lot of the stuff sold is also sold in stores so it really is just a few booths that get this way or at least from waht I saw Friday AM. My flight landed at *:30, I was in the hotel by 9:15 and on the exhibit floor by 9:50 and still got the premium doomtown reloaded on Friday which I heard did sell out that day, but that is compared to having to sleep overnight for Hasbro tickets

I spent about $130 total on badge and tickets but I did a lot of free seminars and really only spent money on AEG Big Game Night ($32) and Hickman's Killer Breakfast ($10) which I cannot recommend either enough
« Last Edit: August 19, 2014, 05:09:58 PM by mllNY »
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Offline DaveG

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Re: GenCon, August 14-17, 2014
« Reply #85 on: August 28, 2014, 08:00:27 AM »
If you want to best understand True Dungeon, I'd recommend watching the riddle reveal videos, which have just been released for this year's dungeons.  They take you on a room by room walkthrough of each adventure.

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Offline Transmute Jun

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Re: GenCon, August 14-17, 2014
« Reply #86 on: August 28, 2014, 05:03:50 PM »
That really gives a good idea of what to expect. Thanks for sharing them, Dave!