My dear internet,
Karen Steele is planning her first Gen Con.
I've never been; many of you have. My understanding is gen con is sooo huge you can straight up get lost.
She loves board games; please help her figure out what to try out!
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She needs to hit the Exhibitor hall straight away, and walk around and try the demos being offered by the various vendors. She can try out a lot of stuff in one day that way. Beyond that, just look for demos and open gaming areas. If she comes by the FASA booth and tells me or my wife that she's at her firs GenCon, we'll give her some swag - a medal, a couple of posters, that type of thing. We're a tabletop roleplaying and miniatures company, so not maybe her speed, but it would give her a connection at the convention.
ReplyDeleteConsider the following:
ReplyDelete1) If you like to try new stuff, wander the exhibition hall (despite it size and it being choked with people) and wiggle your way into some demos. All the big companies will have their new wares out for you to try before you buy - it's a great way to discover all the newest, shiniest stuff.
2) Want to play something specific? Register for an event. This allows you to find exactly what you want to play or try, find a time slot that's convenient, and register online for roughly $2-6 (for most board game events - some are also free!). It's a cool way to meet new people and play the game you love.
3) Bring the game with you! If you have room in your luggage, bring your game with you, find an empty table, make a make-shift sign 'Looking for Players for X Game', and see what happens! I've actually had a decent time doing this a few times - lots of people just like you are looking for fun, too.
4) Purchase tickets to the GenCon Board Game Library. They have an area of the convention that GenCon stocks with loads of games for you to play with your friends. You snag a ticket and then go check out a game, just like a normal library. Play the game, put it back on the shelf, wash, rinse, repeat!
5) Related to #2: Get some generic tickets ($2 each) and wander the board game hall. See something that looks cool? Ask the event organizer at the table if they have free space and accept generic tickets. Lots of them do! Exchange your generic tickets for a good time!
Games on Demand and Double Expo both have pretty good set ups for dropping by without plans and finding something to do.
ReplyDeleteIf there are any board games She knows she loves, then It might be worth it to scour the events to see if there are any she can buy tickets for.
Wander the Exhibit Hall Thursday or Friday. Play games Saturday and Sunday. Staying clear of the Exhibit Hall on Saturday as best as possible.
ReplyDeleteIf you're not a fan of crowds, avoid the exhibit hall entirely.
ReplyDeleteGames on Demand is the safest space, you can roleplay there.
If you know folks going, plan to meet and game with them and their friends.
Take pictures of the map in the book so that you can reference them on your phone. Have a pushy friend come with you when you walk the hall. Most exhibitors are friendly and nice, but sometimes you have to be super pushy to get their attention. Also, if you are able, visit the exhibit hall on Thursday and Friday rather than waiting until the weekend (it is way more crowded then).
ReplyDeleteLots of people will be doing demos of board games. These can range from "fast and fun" to "oh my god how long are you planning to keep me here." Ask before sitting down how long they expect the demo to take and just say no if you don't have time / need to get lunch / don't like the idea of their game anyway. (Telling them you don't have the time is an easy way to escape relatively unscathed if their game looks horrid.)
Take a group of friends to the game library and try whatever interests you. There is a huge library of games you can borrow (exactly what they have will depend on what other people have already taken out). It costs a small fee, but we're talking a couple of dollars, not much when you're already paying for $5 hotdogs from the convention center. If you have a long list of older games you want to try, this is the easiest and cheapest way to do that.
Karen Steele is this helpful! Do you have other questions?
ReplyDelete