I need honest feedback for my research.

I would like to plan a Gencon 2015 trip. My first time going to Gencon. If I go, I would like to look into playing X-Wing while there.

Yes I know its a tournament, but aside from the Regionals getting a ticket, I think anyone can enter the tournament... my question is as follows:

For Gencon is the X-Wing games historically played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday?

I know the schedule is not out yet, but I would like to look into reserving hotel rooms, etc.

Also, how was peoples experience there? other than playing did you have fun?

For those that flew into Indianapolis, what day did you arrive and when did you leave?

Thanks in advance....

Here's what happened last year.

Gencon Nationals were held over two 128 person flights. You could prepurchase a ticket for Thursday's Flight 1. Friday was first come first serve. Top 32 qualified to advance to the 64 player finals on Saturday. If you qualified on Thursday, you were ineligible for Friday. If you did not qualify for Thursday, you were eligible to play on Friday only after all non-Thursday players registered.

As for speculation, I expect they're going to keep the same 2 flight layout, but I wouldn't be surprised if they presold both days this year. I would expect them to stick with Thurs/Friday + Saturday as there doesn't seem to be any reason to change that. I would expect Saturday would incorporate the Worlds changes where it will be top 64 single elimination instead of top 64, cut to top 8 after 6 rounds of swiss. Most people dropped after 2 losses anyways because it was impossible to get to top 8 at that point, but the amount of games to get to the championship table are ridiculous, and the competition will be tough regardless of whether there's a top 8 cut or single elimination.

Last year was my first time going to Gencon, but apparently I did it "wrong." I went to play X wing, qualified Thursday, and spent Friday wandering around, not really into anything. I didn't go with a group of folks or stay with a bunch of friends, so I didn't get the "full experience." I'm likely to return next year to play X wing, but I would love to preregister Friday, and not bother coming down for Thursday.

I drove to Gencon, so I drove down Wednesday night, picked up my badge, and then went to my campsite. I would recommend paying the 10 bucks to get your badge sent to you - it's not worth wasting your time to pick it up. Plus I ended up paying $6 for parking, and additional $$ for gas, so it would have been cheaper in the long run to get it shipped. I then headed out Saturday after the 5th round and my second loss and got home around midnight. I did have a campsite reserved for Saturday night just in case I went further though, but next year I'm probably not going to bother reserving one for Saturday night, and if I need to stay, I wouldn't expect it to be a problem to find a site to put up a tent. Note, that's not the case if you're getting a hotel.

No advice for tournament play. However, I'm planning to go to GenCon for the first time this year as well, and I'll haul my X-Wing stuff along for casual games if it looks like I'll have a chance to play.

Khyros pretty much summed up the X-Wing tournament side of it.

You should arrive Wednesday, even if it's late at night Wednesday. Then you can settle into your hotel room, get some sleep and wake up early to head over to the convention center Thursday morning.

You'll probably play the preliminary X-Wing round on either Thursday or Friday (unless you don't qualify Thursday and are crazy enough to play Friday, too). The day you play X-Wing will be entirely spent playing X-Wing, although there may be an hour in which the dealer hall is open before the tournament starts, during which you could squeeze in an initial purchase of a limited-stock item. Also, have some cash on you so you can run outside to the food carts and buy something to eat quickly and easily during the dinner break.

So whichever day you don't play X-Wing you can spend walking around the dealer hall, which is absolutely massive. You can spend every day all four days of GenCon walking around in there, there's so much to see and do. While you're in there, play demos of as many new games as you can. It's a fun perk of GenCon: Getting to try out games that no one else can play yet. It exposes you to what's out there, too.

You also could spend your non-tournament day getting into pick-up tournaments of whatever games interest you. A lot of games have small tournaments running round the clock each day. There's even a video game room with a bunch of tournaments going on, and consoles set up that you can just sit down and play a bit for free just for the heck of it.

If you make top 32 on the day you played X-Wing, you'll be playing X-Wing again on Saturday, which may or may not use up your entire Saturday. Chances are that you'll have some time to kill on Saturday, though, so you can spend that doing the dealer hall again or whatever. Maybe get an autograph from one of the famous actors or authors who sit at the long table at the back of the hall. There's also this thing called True Dungeon, which is like doing a short D&D campaign but in real life ... it's a bit pricey, though...

Each night that you're not stuck in an X-Wing tournament, make sure you try out a different restaurant for dinner. Indianapolis has a great selection of places to eat. It costs some decent money, but hey, you're on vacation.

Sunday is the shortest day. On Sunday, you take your last swing through the dealer hall and pick up whatever merchandise you've been mulling all weekend. Then grab some lunch at one of the cool restaurants in Indy and head back home. You're probably exhausted at this point anyway, with aching feet (and aching shoulders if you've had a backpack on).

I went to GenCon my first time last year specifically for X-wing, and I had a blast! I only ended up playing Thursday, but I got to play some pickup games of Epic play with a couple that I met there. It was awesome! I also got to meet some of the great guys here like Khyros and Sable Gryphon, which was a real highlight for me. It makes the community come to life for me. I hope I can make it down to GenCon again this year!

I went to GenCon my first time last year specifically for X-wing, and I had a blast! I only ended up playing Thursday, but I got to play some pickup games of Epic play with a couple that I met there. It was awesome! I also got to meet some of the great guys here like Khyros and Sable Gryphon, which was a real highlight for me. It makes the community come to life for me. I hope I can make it down to GenCon again this year!

I second that notion that meeting some of the guys behind the name was awesome. Especially Sable with his steampunk attire!

I go every year, arriving mid-afternoon Tuesday and leaving Monday morning. Be aware this year that downtown hotels are going to require a three-day minimum, including Saturday, if you book through the system to get the convention rate. Hotels further out won't. The housing registration process is always a nightmare of biblical proportions.

I went to GenCon my first time last year specifically for X-wing, and I had a blast! I only ended up playing Thursday, but I got to play some pickup games of Epic play with a couple that I met there. It was awesome! I also got to meet some of the great guys here like Khyros and Sable Gryphon, which was a real highlight for me. It makes the community come to life for me. I hope I can make it down to GenCon again this year!

I second that notion that meeting some of the guys behind the name was awesome. Especially Sable with his steampunk attire!

See how much fun those name tags turned out to be . Unfortunately I cannot attend GenCon 2015 as the move in dats has collided with a family vacation I take the same week every year I do hope it moves back to mid August for 2016.

Good thread. I'm planning to go to this year's Gen Con, and it'll be my first time going as well. After reading this, I may decide to just play a silly squad that has no chance of winning, so I get eliminated on purpose - so I can enjoy the rest of Gen Con!

I went to GenCon my first time last year specifically for X-wing, and I had a blast! I only ended up playing Thursday, but I got to play some pickup games of Epic play with a couple that I met there. It was awesome! I also got to meet some of the great guys here like Khyros and Sable Gryphon, which was a real highlight for me. It makes the community come to life for me. I hope I can make it down to GenCon again this year!

I second that notion that meeting some of the guys behind the name was awesome. Especially Sable with his steampunk attire!

See how much fun those name tags turned out to be . Unfortunately I cannot attend GenCon 2015 as the move in dats has collided with a family vacation I take the same week every year I do hope it moves back to mid August for 2016.

I was going to like your post until I saw the part about not being able to go to GenCon this year =\

I heard they moved it up because college students and professors complained that GenCon often interfered with the beginning of fall semester.

Out of curiousity what's the camping situation like?

Out of curiousity what's the camping situation like?

I camped at a KOA campsite like 20minutes outside of town for $25/night, and it wasn't even half full. Being in August, the weather is plenty warm for it, and seeing as I spent my entire day at Gencon, all I needed from the campsite/hotel was a place to sleep. Totally beats paying $100/night to share a room with someone else.

Thanks for the tags, Osoroshii. Not only did you come with a great idea, but also with the tools to implement it. I may have to continue your tradition this year.

This might be OT, but if you could only go to either Nationals or Worlds, which would it be?

This might be OT, but if you could only go to either Nationals or Worlds, which would it be?

I've never been to Worlds, but I think I'd rather go to Nationals because it's at GenCon. Worlds does not have GenCon.

OK, so they have a BIG X-wing tournament each year at GENCON; do they have any other organized XWM events? Epic events? Team play events? Scenario based games?

As a long-time convention goer/GM, I'd have to say that you are really "doing it wrong" if you are only going to GENCON (or ORIGINS... or any other convention, for that matter) to only play in an X-wing tournament. Unless you are one of the lucky and/or highly skilled individuals who get to proceed to the later rounds, you are really wasting a lot of time/money. There are hundreds of games being offered. Try something new!

My personal advice on how to make the most out of a major gaming convention, is to roughly divide your time in thirds.

1. 1/3 of my time I spend playing games I know and really enjoy.

2. 1/3 of my time spend playing in games I am less or completely unfamiliar with. Sometimes these are rather disappointing. Sometimes they are awesome and I come home with a new "favorite game" or just have a really good time.

3. 1/3 of my time I spend running games, helping out with the convention and taking in the dealers' area, checking out the art shows, etc...

Like only playing tournaments or only one faction, I find it silly to impose such limits on my fun and gaming experience.

For those going for their first time bring snacks and a water bottle for sure!

This might be OT, but if you could only go to either Nationals or Worlds, which would it be?

However, if Xwing is more of casual affair, Worlds might bore you if you don't want to live and breathe Xwing/FFG games for 4-5 straight days (or can't easily drive home once you've had enough). I also found the World's crowd more hyper-competitive. I went in 2013 and it wasn't bad per se but noticeably more aggressive than GenCon (though GenCon 2014 trended more towards this competitive mindset as well so it might just be the trend of the community). GenCon is more expensive (rooming with 3 guys still cost me double overall than rooming alone at Worlds) and can be a logistical nightmare (someone already alluded to the convention room process. You might buy a back up monitor as you will likely want to headbutt the current monitor into oblivion dealing with GC's convention room browser sign in). In addition to trying to secure hotel rooms that aren't 30 minutes away from the convention hall, the event signup typically frustrates most people. Xwing tournaments seem to be ahead of the curve in interest so if you try to get a ticket within the first hour or two of the event registration opening, you should be ok. Other events can be really hard to get into though so be prepared to be let down if you hope to get all your "must-have" events. You can try to wing it at the event by trying to use generics but if you're spending all that money to get there and you really really want to do Xwing, you might as well sign up early to guarantee a spot.

The benefits of GenCon, however far outweigh Worlds if you are looking for an experience beyond just xwing. It is a great place and very fun once you get past some of the logistics headaches.

I am going to be "that guy" when i say this but:

If you are going to play in a big tournament at Gencon, it's worth it since it's the main reason to go and the only place to play in that event.

If you are going to take in the "Gencon Experience" I personally don't recommend it. You can have more fun at smaller cons where the experiences are more friendly.

I hate to be that guy, but my "Gencon Experiences" can be summed up in these points:

1.If you are going for specific events, have fun. Its crazy expensive, but it's the only place where so many special events are held, and being a part of them is AWESOME.

2. Gamers suck. By and large, games stink, they are obnoxious, need to take showers, and they are irritating in large

numbers. I know thats probably the most judgmental thing you have ever heard one game say about another, but it's the truth. Every time I go, Thursday isn't bad, Friday is ok until Friday night, Saturday the place stinks so badly i often have to put cologne under my nose to prevent from throwing up. On top of that, gamers are obnoxious. Sure, i get it, people are excited, but there is only so many times i can stand people busting out into loud screams or yells while "cosplaying" in the hallways. Thankfully, i normally have specific events in mind, so I normally don't have to deal with the teeming hordes too much.

3. Expense. get an estimate of how much you money you need to bring, and make it a point to being 500.00 more than you think. Everything is crazy expensive, including 4.00 drinks and 11.00 cheese burgers. Additionally, taking the sky walk to the mall nearby doesn't save on cost either, it's amazing how a quarter pounder with cheese value meal from McDonald's is like 6.99 in my home town, but in Indy, its like 12.00 bucks. Additionally, if your out of town, you will find yourself eating out 3 to 4 times a day, and that meal ticket alone gets expensive really quickly. If your like me, you will probably eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and then a snack between breakfast and lunch, and push lunch and dinner back a little bit. Also, if your like me, you wont want to eat at fast food restaurants for every meal either, so anticipate a few more expensive dinners. Also, that extra 500.00 will go towards parking, or cab fair, or tips, or just about everything else. Its expensive to go to, and thats just everything outside of the Con. While at the con, you also have to pay to enter just about everything save for the dealers room in the form of tickets, so if you don't make Saturday for X-Wing (and may the force be with you BTW) you will want to do other things, and that will cost a lot of money too. My wife and I do okay for ourselves, so it isn't a big problem, but I know a lot of my friends often have trouble scraping up the 700-900 at a minimum to go, and that includes their share of hotel room, cab fair/airline ticket/gas and food plus a few events have some small amount of cash to have some fun on.

4. Theft is a problem. Leave nothing out or unattended, even for a minute. Unintentional theft is even a problem. Bring only what you want to play with and leave everything else out. I actually don't even recommend bringing it with you. Last year some friends had their hotel room broken into and all their stuff stolen, the year before that some friends of my cousins had the same experience. Bring the list you want to fly in a box, and keep it with you only when you need it, and leave it all in your room when you don't. Its safest.

5. Book you room and hold onto your ass. Rooms near and around Gencon are CRAZY expensive. I stay in hotels that are normally in walking distance and expect 4 days/3 nights (Thurs, Fri, Sat) to run around 900 to a "K". If you drive, expect to pay a pretty penny in parking too.

6. Its fun, if its organized and you have a plan. The dealers room is cool to look around in, but the prices rarely are lower than retail and often much higher, so there isn't much of a motivation to purchase, unless it's an exclusive you want wait 3 weeks to get on the open market.

I hate to be that guy, but trust me, it isn't everything its cracked up to be. I go to Gencon for specific targets, and hit them, and plan according if things don't work out. It can be an amazing amount of fun, with friends and doing events that you wouldn't be able to at home, however, when people speak about it like it's the most amazing thing in the world, i think people are forgetting all the people that haven't showered in three days, sleeping on the benches in the main hall, and the hordes of people pushing their way through you and around you in the dealers hall.

Oh, last piece of advice, make sure to keep your wallet in your front pocket.

I went to GenCon my first time last year specifically for X-wing, and I had a blast! I only ended up playing Thursday, but I got to play some pickup games of Epic play with a couple that I met there. It was awesome! I also got to meet some of the great guys here like Khyros and Sable Gryphon, which was a real highlight for me. It makes the community come to life for me. I hope I can make it down to GenCon again this year!

I second that notion that meeting some of the guys behind the name was awesome. Especially Sable with his steampunk attire!

I'm in steampunk attire one day every year and openly admit to being a Sable fanboy...I must find him this year!

I guess over the years I have been to between 25 and 30 GenCons. Started going when it was in Milwaukee. I have been both a GM and player in many. first and foremost go to have a good time. I generally go to play a specific game or two. I went last year to see what the x-wing tourney looked like. Did not play anything in particular. I will probably go this year to play x-wing. The real part of going is not always the games you play, but seeing people that you may only see once a year and renewing the friendships you make. Generally I stay out of town a ways. Parking is not that expensive if you park in one of the lots 3 or 4 blocks away. sat. parking can be good if you go early. The government lot right across the street is open for public parking on Sat. and it was only 5.00 dollars cost me 5 dollars this year about 4 blocks away. Anything downtown is expensive.

So, yeah, if you have social anxiety and are very uncomfortable with being in a crowd of wall-to-wall people, GenCon isn't the place for you. No safe amount of Xanax could get you through a day in the dealer hall. The tournament halls are less dense and most people there are sitting or standing at tables playing games, so those areas are easier to deal with for a person with social anxiety. But in general, if large crowds stress you out, you might want to stay away from GenCon (or Disney World, or zoos on mild summer days).

I don't recall the entire convention center smelling bad on Saturday or any other day. And it definitely wouldn't if everyone followed the 3-2-1 Con Rule! Every day: three hours of sleep, two meals and one shower.

You can make it through GenCon on a $250 food budget. Spend $10 each day on lunch and $50 each night on dinner at one of the awesome (but expensive) restaurants. Although you can trim that back by spending just $15 on your dinners at a fast-food restaurant or on frozen food back at your hotel — you could probably stay within spitting distance of $100 for the whole weekend if you don't get extravagant. I have no idea how someone spends $500 on food Wednesday to Sunday unless you're feeding other people besides yourself, or you're buying multiple steaks three times a day from Weber Grill.

I think most gamers at GenCon (and most places) are pretty nice. Sometimes people are in a hurry or having a bad day — you just gotta roll with it. You have to be a bit assertive with gently pushing your way through crowds sometimes in the dealer hall rather than getting angry about people cutting in front of you. That's life, not just GenCon.

Hotel rooms are very expensive in downtown Indy, but that's why you room with other people. It generally costs $300 or $400 per night for a hotel near the convention center, so rooming with two or three other people should bring the cost down to $100 per night per person. It's pricey but doable if you save up. Also, many hotels offer free parking for their guests, so parking shouldn't be a problem. If you're driving from outside downtown, it's possible to find lots for $10 per day as long as you get there early (before 10 a.m.) before they fill up.

I agree that you need to keep your stuff with you at all times and keep your wallet somewhere other than your back pocket. That goes for any event in which a large number of people will be there — football games, amusement parks, and yes, GenCon. That's common sense, though.

The point of the dealer hall isn't to get good deals, generally. That's what Amazon and Black Friday are for. The dealer hall is fun because of all the free demos being run for games that aren't out yet (or recently came out), and because of the wide selection of stuff that you probably haven't seen before (or at least don't see in stores often). Everything from Japanese scrolls to stuffed toys to out-of-print board games to more obscure DVDs and Blu-rays than 10 F.Y.E.s combined. It's fun to window shop and maybe allow yourself an impulse buy or two.

And one more piece of advice I didn't mention on the previous page: Bring a towel. You never know.

I don't have any X-Wing advice to give, as I just got into the game and big, BIG, convention tourneys aren't really my scene (not since I got burned out on Warmachine from it, years ago). That said, this will be my ninth or tenth GenCon, so I can try to offer some general advice.

I have never ever had an issue getting my badge and game tickets mailed to me. I've got buddies that stand in line to pick theirs up every year, I've got buddies that swear the mail lost their stuff, etc, etc...but, for what it's worth, anecdotally, I've never had a need to do so. Whether you get it mailed or do the "will call" line, either way, don't forget to get your badge early, and to buy your tickets as soon as you possibly can log in on the day they go live (I'm not kidding, lots of stuff sells out inside the first ten minutes). Plan ahead!

You want to get in Wednesday, afternoon or evening. That gives you time to stretch your legs, get settled in at whatever hotel you're staying at, grab a bite to eat, maybe scout out the convention center a little and get oriented in downtown, stuff like that. If you arrive Thursday morning, you're missing out on the con already. Some games start really early, and you don't want to be stuck at the airport and messing around with your hotel stuff if you can help it, once it's game time.

Leave yourself time to chillax. Wander. Roam. Give yourself at least one day to take in the dealer/vendor hall (there's so much there, it's nuts). If you can, remember that you're on vacation, and treat it as such -- don't just eat the cheapest fastest food you can every day, take a break and go to a good steak joint or something. Indy's got some fantastic restaurants right there downtown, all in easy walking distance. Soak it in.

This last advice is a little controversial, but it's worked for me the last few years -- don't get a hotel close to the convention center. Last year I was a $10 cab ride away, but I was paying, honestly, like $300 a night less for my room. This year I'm gonna be a $20 cab ride away, but I've got a room at an Extended Stay America (with a full kitchen, etc, etc) for about $100 a night. That is a tiny fraction of what it will cost to be in the close places, and I'll be able to grab groceries to save a little breakfast money, while I'm at it. Because we're all geeks, everyone fights over the close places and all the close places jack up their prices. I'm dodging all that, and after doing so successfully for a few years, I'm never looking back. Most hotels have shuttles that will mean you're not even a $20 cab ride away, too, so you can really save a lot this way.

If you're desperate for a place to stay, ask a geek. Not, like, at GenCon -- though I wouldn't be surprised if someone's tried it and lived -- but check with forums you're active at, and see if anyone's got some space. You can get a roll-away bed for free at most hotels, and lots of folks are willing to let someone crash with 'em in exchange for another split of the room price.

EDIT: I just had to check, and OMG this is my fourteenth GenCon, not my ninth or tenth. I'm older than I thought.

a lot of good wisdom already on this thread, so this is really a repeat, but ...

- wear comfy shoes: you are going to be standing a lot

- bring healthy snacks: there isn't a lot of time between rounds and the food there is fatty/icky

- I try to build x-wing around my gencon experience, not gencon around my x-wing experience. there is just so much awesome gaming goodness happening at gencon; if you spent the entire time x-winging, you are going to miss out on it.

- have a group of friends to pal around with. its easy to get lost in the crowd ; you need an adventuring party!

- finally ... if you really want a pure x-wing experience, and have to pick between worlds and gencon ... pick worlds instead.

So, yeah, if you have social anxiety and are very uncomfortable with being in a crowd of wall-to-wall people, GenCon isn't the place for you. No safe amount of Xanax could get you through a day in the dealer hall. The tournament halls are less dense and most people there are sitting or standing at tables playing games, so those areas are easier to deal with for a person with social anxiety. But in general, if large crowds stress you out, you might want to stay away from GenCon (or Disney World, or zoos on mild summer days).

I don't recall the entire convention center smelling bad on Saturday or any other day. And it definitely wouldn't if everyone followed the 3-2-1 Con Rule! Every day: three hours of sleep, two meals and one shower.

You can make it through GenCon on a $250 food budget. Spend $10 each day on lunch and $50 each night on dinner at one of the awesome (but expensive) restaurants. Although you can trim that back by spending just $15 on your dinners at a fast-food restaurant or on frozen food back at your hotel — you could probably stay within spitting distance of $100 for the whole weekend if you don't get extravagant. I have no idea how someone spends $500 on food Wednesday to Sunday unless you're feeding other people besides yourself, or you're buying multiple steaks three times a day from Weber Grill.

I think most gamers at GenCon (and most places) are pretty nice. Sometimes people are in a hurry or having a bad day — you just gotta roll with it. You have to be a bit assertive with gently pushing your way through crowds sometimes in the dealer hall rather than getting angry about people cutting in front of you. That's life, not just GenCon.

Hotel rooms are very expensive in downtown Indy, but that's why you room with other people. It generally costs $300 or $400 per night for a hotel near the convention center, so rooming with two or three other people should bring the cost down to $100 per night per person. It's pricey but doable if you save up. Also, many hotels offer free parking for their guests, so parking shouldn't be a problem. If you're driving from outside downtown, it's possible to find lots for $10 per day as long as you get there early (before 10 a.m.) before they fill up.

I agree that you need to keep your stuff with you at all times and keep your wallet somewhere other than your back pocket. That goes for any event in which a large number of people will be there — football games, amusement parks, and yes, GenCon. That's common sense, though.

The point of the dealer hall isn't to get good deals, generally. That's what Amazon and Black Friday are for. The dealer hall is fun because of all the free demos being run for games that aren't out yet (or recently came out), and because of the wide selection of stuff that you probably haven't seen before (or at least don't see in stores often). Everything from Japanese scrolls to stuffed toys to out-of-print board games to more obscure DVDs and Blu-rays than 10 F.Y.E.s combined. It's fun to window shop and maybe allow yourself an impulse buy or two.

And one more piece of advice I didn't mention on the previous page: Bring a towel. You never know.

I certainly dont want to argue, but i feel like my meaning may have been misconstrued. If i offended, i apologize, but let me add some color to my experience. If your experience is different thats awesome for you, and Im glad your experiences have been much better than mine, hell, truth to be told, I'm actually a little jealous.

i cant say i suffer from any form of social anxiety, but i will say that gamers making an ass of themselves non stop does get tiresome. Keep in mind, that you can be very nice to someone and still be an overly loud, rambunctious 20-something that doesn't know how to use an indoor voice. I understand people get excited, and there should be people having fun, but it gets bothersome when you hear someone yell a quote from Dr. Horribles Sing a Long Blog for like the 80th time in a row, 5 or 6 years after its been out, and while this doesn't make them mean, it does make it annoying, especially when your trying to think or concentrate and its multiplied by like 1000. I sadly wish this was an isolated incident, however it is not, and it seems at Gencon, like Comicon, Templecon, Dragoncon, and any other major gaming event its almost like an excuse to go out of control and be an ass and it isn't. Drunkenness last year seemed also to be a particular problem, although that surprisingly didn't bother me, and that may have just been my perception.

My smelling might be acute, but man, I'm telling you i wish it wasn't. With that said, i went to play warmachine and M:TG for multiple years, so it might just be my impression of it. if it is, i wish i had your sense of smell, because I'm telling you man, when i was there, it got RIPE in even the tourney halls after about 36-40 hours of gaming.

In terms of cash, i offer the advice to take 500.00 more than what you think you will need because you don't know what you need until you don't have it, the same goes for money. My other point is that Gencon, as a whole, is more expensive than most people think it is. And it's not just the cost of the con. I also don't recommend skipping breakfast or some form of snack, although with the right hotel, you can probably hit a light breakfast there, and snacks can be purchased and hid in a back pack. The 500.00 overage advice was offered to allow for that food budget, plus parking, plus incidentals, like forgetting your toothbrush, or having to grab a taxi back and forth, the point is that it can add up quick, and if it's your first time going, it can kind of come at you from nowhere, and with money, a lot like many things, its best to be over-prepared than under.

Like i said, its a lot of fun, if its planned and organized, and you don't try to do a 4 day gaming binge without a shower. Go for the events and have fun, but in my experience, when i started going, people just kept telling me it is the mecca of all gaming and the best experience ever, and the first year i went, it was a surprise.

Not that there weren't amazing things, there were and is worth going to, as i have been several times myself and keep coming back, so if it was that bad, i would probably just stay away, but in many cases i wish i had someone tell me what to expect, and since everyone is covering all the awesome, i figured i would throw in the "grrrr" moments.