GenCon Shenanigans
Day 3 of 4 at GenCon.
Where to start?
Well first off, the whole VIG (Very Important Gamer) thing is a total scam. My friend pat paid 500 clams for his badge and 100 each for me and my friends (for a total of 800). This special rate was supposed to grant us access to events, get us a special place to chill, free drinks, swag and a number of other hinted at perks.
The Real deal:
All (I mean ALL) special events require tickets that you HAD TO PURCHASE IN ADVANCE. That's right boys and girls, even if you pay 500 bucks for a badge you have to shell out 24 bucks a head to go to the VIG Mixer, 30 bucks a pop for True Dungeon, and 50 something for the Tracy Hickman breakfast. VIG passes get you EARLY ENTRY to all events, but you still have to buy tickets. Which means if you did not (Like we did in several cases) then Joe Shmoe with a regular badge who pre-ordered his tickets gets in and you're just a chump who paid too much.
The VIG room is a joke. It's basically folding chairs, a pot of coffee and a bin of free soda. Oh, and a couple of tables for gaming. Just like the ones you can use in the free room...
You get into the dealer's room early, but there were no discounts or preferential treatment for VIGs. The douche at the WOTC booth refused to open a second case of the new minis for me s I could get my Balor, and when I came back later they were sold out (I eventually got it, but it took me three days of trying and some charismatic tomfoolry by Pat to pull it off).
We tried to go to a true dungeon event with Mike and Sus. They had tickets to separate events (by accident) that were not transferable, and even though we were VIG, Pat and I had to sign up on the wait list like everyone else, and got edged out of passes by a dude with a one-day pass. So much for preferential treatment.
So yeah.
The Good Stuff:
I have had a chance to play several cool new board games. I am planning to try and buy copies of both Dominion (a card game were you build your deck as you play), and Kingsburg (a RTSish board game where you curry favor and construct building to win the King's patronage) if I can get them for a good price on the last day of con.
I found my Icons Red Dragon! Woo hoo! The lady selling it didn't want to take it back with her and I got it for only 40 dollars. That's right, a limited edition COLOSSAL red dragon that is very rare and out of print. Retailed for 100, sells on the secondary market for 200+. It's still in its (slightly damaged) box in mint condition. I think that find alone used up all my good karma for the year. Now I just have to figure out how to get it on the plane...
We also played a new fantasy RPG called Fantasy Craft. It's made by the same company that makes Spy Craft, and it's a lot of fun. It reminds me of old-school D&D without the tedious bookeeping. Quirky and enjoyable.
We played the RPGA special event. We won, barely. The judge was a jerk (we actually had to contest a ruling from him when he tried to make my chaos bolt bounce onto my own party members), but all in all we had a good time and got some neat swag for our characters out of it.
We saw District 9. It was...wierd. But in a good way. It was also very, very violent. If you are squeamish, this is not a movie for you. Fair warning.
So in summary, GenCon has been fun, but mainly because we're together and making our own fun. I feel like it was sort of overhyped, and we could have gone to PAX or even PolyCon in SLO and had just as good a time. Lesson learned. Next year we're keeping it West Coast.
See you all in a few days!
Where to start?
Well first off, the whole VIG (Very Important Gamer) thing is a total scam. My friend pat paid 500 clams for his badge and 100 each for me and my friends (for a total of 800). This special rate was supposed to grant us access to events, get us a special place to chill, free drinks, swag and a number of other hinted at perks.
The Real deal:
All (I mean ALL) special events require tickets that you HAD TO PURCHASE IN ADVANCE. That's right boys and girls, even if you pay 500 bucks for a badge you have to shell out 24 bucks a head to go to the VIG Mixer, 30 bucks a pop for True Dungeon, and 50 something for the Tracy Hickman breakfast. VIG passes get you EARLY ENTRY to all events, but you still have to buy tickets. Which means if you did not (Like we did in several cases) then Joe Shmoe with a regular badge who pre-ordered his tickets gets in and you're just a chump who paid too much.
The VIG room is a joke. It's basically folding chairs, a pot of coffee and a bin of free soda. Oh, and a couple of tables for gaming. Just like the ones you can use in the free room...
You get into the dealer's room early, but there were no discounts or preferential treatment for VIGs. The douche at the WOTC booth refused to open a second case of the new minis for me s I could get my Balor, and when I came back later they were sold out (I eventually got it, but it took me three days of trying and some charismatic tomfoolry by Pat to pull it off).
We tried to go to a true dungeon event with Mike and Sus. They had tickets to separate events (by accident) that were not transferable, and even though we were VIG, Pat and I had to sign up on the wait list like everyone else, and got edged out of passes by a dude with a one-day pass. So much for preferential treatment.
So yeah.
The Good Stuff:
I have had a chance to play several cool new board games. I am planning to try and buy copies of both Dominion (a card game were you build your deck as you play), and Kingsburg (a RTSish board game where you curry favor and construct building to win the King's patronage) if I can get them for a good price on the last day of con.
I found my Icons Red Dragon! Woo hoo! The lady selling it didn't want to take it back with her and I got it for only 40 dollars. That's right, a limited edition COLOSSAL red dragon that is very rare and out of print. Retailed for 100, sells on the secondary market for 200+. It's still in its (slightly damaged) box in mint condition. I think that find alone used up all my good karma for the year. Now I just have to figure out how to get it on the plane...
We also played a new fantasy RPG called Fantasy Craft. It's made by the same company that makes Spy Craft, and it's a lot of fun. It reminds me of old-school D&D without the tedious bookeeping. Quirky and enjoyable.
We played the RPGA special event. We won, barely. The judge was a jerk (we actually had to contest a ruling from him when he tried to make my chaos bolt bounce onto my own party members), but all in all we had a good time and got some neat swag for our characters out of it.
We saw District 9. It was...wierd. But in a good way. It was also very, very violent. If you are squeamish, this is not a movie for you. Fair warning.
So in summary, GenCon has been fun, but mainly because we're together and making our own fun. I feel like it was sort of overhyped, and we could have gone to PAX or even PolyCon in SLO and had just as good a time. Lesson learned. Next year we're keeping it West Coast.
See you all in a few days!