Having spent the past week traveling to, attending and then returning home from GenCon, I thought perhaps I would attempt to share my experience. I do this for multiple reasons. First, as a way to illuminate to my curious friends exactly what I’ve been up to. Or perhaps I can remove some of the glistening gilding and romance and give a more realistic overview for those who are considering attending. However, these are peripheral goals. The truth is, I want to have something to help my remember some of the more poignant lessons that I personally learned while attending.
Let me start by explaining that attending GenCon has been a dream of mine for many years. A glittering jewel poised atop a pedestal that I could never quite reach. Every year something else would come up that took priority, and while I regret none of the things that prevented me from going, it always left a nagging sadness in the back of my heart. Especially when I would see various friends from across the Internet go. I knew that someday I had to get there.
In January 2017 I made the decision. I was going, come Hell or highwater I would be in Indianapolis for the 50th anniversary of GenCon. So I began my campaign. I convinced my wife that we should make it a priority to let me attend. I convinced my brother to attend with me. I worked on convincing others, though admittedly that didn’t work out. When all was said and done though, it was decided and when badges went up for purchase I bought mine. GenCon was really going to happen.
The easy part was handled, next came the logistics. We worked out math on flying versus driving. We tried to get a vague idea of how much hotels were going to cost, since at this point the Housing Portal wasn’t open. We plotted out stops between here and Indy just in case we decided to drive. We made several spreadsheets and awaited the day that we could jump into the housing lottery.
I’d like to start out with how much I dislike the housing lottery. Don’t get me wrong here, I know that it helps to keep costs lower. I know that it ensures that housing is available for as many people as possible downtown. I understand all of that. It doesn’t mean that I have to like it. I was committed clear back in January, I knew I was going. I would loved to have been able to buy a hotel at that time. I’d have loved to be able to ensure that I was able to stay downtown, within walking distance of the convention. I couldn’t however, and as a result I didn’t get to stay downtown.
This brings us to my first knock on my trip. I was camped out at my computer on housing portal day. I watched the countdown and I followed the instructions. My closest option was a suite of some sort at one of the connected hotels. It was a suite though, and as such was a lot more expensive. Not an option for my brother and me. So here I was, one minute after housing had gone live and my options were this and a couple of options that were about 15 miles away.
I groaned, I knew this was a possibility but I wasn’t thrilled that it had occurred. I knew I was going to have to now rely on shuttles, Ubers, cabs, or drive myself (and park) to get to the Convention Center. Some quick googling revealed a hotel that was outside of the block that I could get for cheaper than what the portal was showing me, at roughly the same distance. So we booked it. We’ll talk a little bit more about that later.
Knowing where we were staying now made things clearer in terms of what we were doing in terms of getting to GenCon. We could either fly, and then rent a car in Indianapolis. Or we could just rent a car in Salt Lake and drive the thirty hours to get there. After some more spreadsheet generation, we decided it made more sense to drive from Salt Lake. I regret this decision entirely. I’m not actually convinced that it came out cheaper. I think we underestimated gas prices, and we forgot to factor in food for the trip. I wouldn’t repeat the drive to GenCon experience, even if when I sit down to work it out and discover that it did in fact cost less money to drive over fly. The pure convenience, coupled with the reduction in vacation days make, plain and simple, a better option.
Let’s fast forward, to the actual convention itself. For me things began on Wednesday evening. During the years of interaction with various long time GenCon attendees, I have come to understand the importance of Wednesday evening. As a first timer, it was less about meeting old friends, or about snagging that specific restaurant before things got too packed. For me it was about orienting myself at the con. Having never been to Indianapolis before, the opportunity to walk the streets without the “gotta get to this event!” pressure. I took the chance to figure out where the hotels were, to find my parking garage, and to find the places I had made reservations to eat.
Eating at the con is one of the thing that appears to have quite a divide among con goers. I’m an individual who finds it difficult to function if I’m not getting a reasonable amount of food in a day. Sure, there are GenConnites who eat one meal a day, and perhaps snack off and on. There are others who sit down at a fancier restaurant for every single meal (they are on vacation after all). I was somewhere in the middle. With this in mind, the first thing I noticed is that the faire inside the convention center was insanely overpriced, and more important than that, was incredibly unhealthy. In an arena where I’m going to be running full throttle, and getting less overall rest than I would normally be getting, made me consider other options. My biggest recommendation was the use of OpenTable for when I wanted a nicer meal, packing in lunches for when I was willing to eat something more “low key.”
The reason I focused on packing in, rather than one of the many fast food restaurants near the convention center was time. The lines at these places were insanely long. During the second day of the convention I actually heard someone explain how they’d missed their seminar because they’d spent an hour in a line at Subway. Now, for some that may be acceptable. However, for me it just wasn’t.
You see, as someone who was at the convention for his first time, I was unsure if I’d even enjoy it. (Much less if I’d ever be able to come again). As a result I packed my schedule full. Now, when I say full I don’t mean “bail on events early so I could reach the next one” level full. I had time to get from one place to another. I didn’t, however, have time to wait in a line for an hour for a basic Subway sandwich.Packing a lunch, or having reservations at somewhere nicer (for example, we ate at the Yard House for lunch on one of the days… well worth the time, effort, money and reservation!) I found that packing in lunch also had other benefits beyond saving me time. I saved a fair amount of money on the days I packed things in, I felt better due to the healthier fare I was consuming, and I found it stayed more hydrated. By not trekking all over downtown Indianapolis looking for the shortest line or by standing in one that was stretched clear outside, I stayed out of the heat.
Previously, I mentioned that my schedule was fairly packed. This was quite intentional, and was done for multiple reasons. First, I wanted to reduce my time in the dealer hall. My understanding is that for some people the dealer hall is the highlight of the con. They’re going because they’re there to see new games and spend money. I did my best to avoid the hall so as to reduce my expenditure. As a first time attendee, I knew that I would be overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of merchandise there was to be had. I also knew that I’m a creature of impulse, and that the chances for me to suddenly find myself walking out with hundreds of dollars of stuff that I never would have bought should I not have been intoxicated with the overwhelming spectacle that the dealer hall was described as. I can tell you this, no description does it justice. While I didn’t spend a ton of time there, I did spend some (though I’m proud to say I bought exactly what I came for and left). The dealer hall is awesome in the very classical sense of the word.
Each person attends GenCon for different reasons. Some are there to acquire the latest and greatest in games. Some are there to meet celebrities from the industry, and they are certainly there in droves. I personally shook Brandon Sanderson’s hand, got a hug from Satine Phoenix and saw and said hello to Ed Greenwood, Margaret Weiss and Clint Black (the game designer, not the singer). Then there are those who were more like me, they are there to game and to learn. My docket was filled with games and with seminars. I tried to focus on games I’d not had the opportunity to play before, as well as focus on seminars that would give me insight into things I was already doing.
I can honestly say that in terms of quality, it was a mixed bag. There were some activities that knocked it out of the park. The GM Improv Session with Matt Mercer and friends, getting to play WEAVE with the creator of the game as my GM, and a 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons game where I made a crop of new friends all stand out. For the most part, I didn’t have any duds in terms of games. I had some that were definitely lower quality and less enjoyable, but nothing I regretted having signed up for. Seminars and workshops though… that’s where my duds came in.
When it comes to seminars, I strongly urge you to take a close look at who is putting on the seminar. Look for reputable names, people you can plug into your favorite search engine and learn a bit about. I didn’t do this, and I paid for it. Day one of the convention found me sitting in a seminar for improving my gamemastering. I was expecting an industry veteran, or perhaps a panel of them. What I got was a long time hobbyist game master who wanted to impart his knowledge. Most of this consisted of things that can be read in just about any handbook for any rpg under the sun. The rest seemed to be a lot of personal anecdotes about how cool he was and how much people liked his game. My brother and I left just after the Q&A started as did, I noted, most of the rest of the audience.
My workshop experience wasn’t much better. I decided to try my hand at a craft, specifically making a scale mail dice bag. Now, there was nothing wrong with the class. However, it was my timing that was poor. I chose to take a 10pm class, and learned upon my arrival that this group of talented ladies had been running classes since 7am that morning. They were tired, as was I. My patience was thin, and the work was tedious and punished mistakes heavily. Due to the combination of factors I didn’t enjoy that workshop at all, and left quite early due to mounting frustration. While I don’t feel that I was getting the instruction or assistance I would have expected for my 30 dollar ticket, I couldn’t particularly blame them. That’s a long day, and we were all exhausted. I chalked it up to bad combination of circumstances and decided to not try again should I ever return.
I entered GenCon trepidatiously. It was the sacred destination for a culture that I espouse, yet I knew that the crowds would be off putting for me. As an individual who suffers from noise sensitivity and anxiety caused by large groups of people I was afraid that I would be crippled by it all. I was very much concerned that I wouldn’t have fun, and actually was heavily wishing I could abandon the whole thing mere days before going. However, nothing could have been further from my reality. I loved GenCon. Even attending with just one other person (none of my close friends from the internets were able to make the Con, and I’m not possessed of a gaming group back home) I still had an amazing time. Sure there were ups and downs, but the highlights far outshone the darker moments. I certainly have regrets as I mentioned. My lodging and transportation being top among the list of things I’d do differently. However, that’s all something that I just needed to learn through experience.
I attended GenCon with the idea that it would be a one time thing in my life. A bucket list item that felt almost like a rite of passage that I’d never undertaken. Instead I discovered something else. I discovered that I strongly desire to return. To experiment with new games, meet new friends and most of all just absorb all the of energy that my “tribe” has to offer. I felt incredibly at home at GenCon, surrounded by thousands of other individuals who shared my same interests. I didn’t feel judged for what I enjoyed. I felt welcomed, and in many cases embraced. GenCon, for me, wa a wonderful experience. It left me feeling renewed and invigorated to pursue my hobby with greater passion. It left me with ideas of how to be a better game master, how to be a better player, and how to be a better friend in a gaming group. It inspired my to renew my love of reading and writing, and perhaps most interestingly it once more got my interested in my health. In my 10 days on the road and at the con, I managed to lose 22 pounds. I ate healthier (which is incredible given what was around me) and I exercised more than I do at home. I felt good, physically, and that’s a feeling I want to continue.
If you’re an individual who is on the fence about GenCon I urge you to go. Make the plan, save the money, set aside the time and take the dive. You may find your mileage varies from mine, but then again you may not. You may discover the feeling of euphoria that comes from being surrounded by your tribe. You may make friends, like I did. You may make industry contacts, meet your favorite author, or simply get the opportunity to sit on the opposite side of the GM screen for once. GenCon is an experience that should be sampled at least once, and who knows… once it’s in your bloodstream, you may never get it out again.
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