Confessions of a Game-Mistress

Dragon*Con 2007 was my third Dragon*Con. In many ways, Dragon*Con is an impressive convention.

“Dragon*Con is America’s largest annual convention for fans of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, Comics and Art, Games and Computers, Animation, Science, Music, Television and Films. It is also one of the 10 largest annual conventions in metropolitan Atlanta.” (press release)

With over 600 hours of panels and workshops alone, there’s no way you can come close to enjoying all Dragon*Con has to offer.

The downside is that with 30K+ in attendees, you can’t GET close to much of what Dragon*Con has to offer…

The Masquerade line alone started forming 4+ hours in advance (according to the people near the front I asked). The lines for panels with the popular media guests were similar. Heaven help the one-day attendee!

There were 428 confirmed guests and bands at the last website update. These range in notoriety and field from webcam ladies, up to some of the biggest names in several fields such as stars from Buffy, Star Trek, Firefly, and other TV shows, renowned SF, fantasy, and horror authors, goth and period bands such as the Cruxshadows, Belle Morte, and the Lost Boys, and comic book artists, Mythbusters, martial artists, and hackers. If a geek likes it, it’s probably here.

Dragon*Con this year has its share of difficulties. The host hotels were undergoing construction, and many events had to be moved around. Be prepared for a Dragon*Con to be a workout - with things spread over three hotels, you’ll do more than your fair share of hiking if you want to see much of the con.

That being said, if you’re focused, everything you need is well-situated. Dragon*Con organizes its events in tracks, and those tracks are usually kept to a single area, so if you’re just there for the science panels, you’re in mostly the same spot, etc.

All in all, Dragon*Con was an enjoyable experience. There just isn’t enough time to take in everything it has to offer, and it’s a darned shame you have to take up so much of that limited time with standing in line.

When you’re planning your events, and your dinners, and your cab rides (if you’re lazy like I occasionally am), be sure to plan the TIME. Dragon*Con was an excellent example of a convention with a ton of great events and not nearly enough time for them all.

While you’re at it, make sure you leave enough time for the inevitable standing in line for the big events.

Con Season is mostly over for us this year, but that doesn’t preclude the possibility you have a new convention coming up. Accordingly, here are my pointers for getting the most out of any convention (not just gaming ones).

First - get the program. Yes, the program. Cons have one. They usually shove it into your bag when you register, if you don’t get it before then. Get it as quick as possible. Actually read the silly thing. Pay attention to it. Reading the program means you won’t be as surprised by things at the con. There’s all kinds of useful stuff in them - from hotel maps to guest schedules. Convention rules are in there, so you don’t lug your sword to the doors and have to go back to the room with it.

Second - Decide what you want to do at the convention. Every convention is different, but there’s always a schedule of some kind - even if it’s only ‘room parties are on Friday, the masquerade is Saturday, and Sunday is for hangovers.’ If you go through the schedule, PLAN your activities, and then act accordingly, you’ll have a lot more fun. By planning, I don’t mean go all Rimmer on it - don’t book yourself to the ten-minute block. But know when the events are you want to participate in, plan your wardrobe and stuff to match, and enjoy. This will make sure you get to the autograph table in time, and have your dice when you reach the gaming table. (I know, that’s a trick statement - no TRUE gamer is EVER without their dice. I have indeed been carried into the ambulance once after a car accident, with nothing but wallet and dice. Yes, I suck that badly.)

Three - Comfortable Shoes. I don’t care if they’re not period for the costume. Deal. Your feet are your most important accessory. If they’re falling off, you’re not gonna enjoy the costume anyway.

Four - Pack light, both to the convention, and day-to-day. You don’t have to carry all your belongings on your back, unless you’re a Con Nomad with no room sleeping in the Anime Lounge. Plan accordingly. Pack two empty bags, one for your dirty laundry, one for the con swag.

Five - If you’re sharing a room, all of Four goes double, and add these points. LABEL YOUR STUFF. Keep all your stuff in your bags when not in use. Expect everything not in bags to be fair game. Bring stuff to make fair game, it’s always appreciated, and label it for public use. If there’s ganna be a room party, bring bag locks and USE THEM. Nothing will ruin your con faster than having someone barf in your luggage. (Happened to me once.)

The Sunday at any convention takes on a weird air of dizzy desperation, as half-zombied people try to squeeze in a few more memories before they must return to Mundania.

GenCon was no exception. Frantic last-minute shopping, checking out of the hotel, and saying goodbyes to people I don’t see often enough.

This morning was a slow start - last night’s migraine left me a bit too drained to make it an early morning. I didn’t have any plans for the day, and that was a novelty. I wound up volunteering for an hour at the WotC booth just to make sure the volunteers there got a lunch.

Folks, remember that the staffers in most booths are volunteers (WotC even labels volunteers, just so folks know). They’re likely tired if the booth is busy. We know you’re in a hurry, but being nasty won’t help either of our days, and there are those staffers who will retaliate by teaching you the game you want to learn entirely *wrong*.

After that I turned my attention back to the puzzlefest and lunch. The Puzzle of Gencon has always been something I wanted to spend time on. The freedom to do so was exhilirating. Lunch was good too - Champions at the Marriott has improved tremendously in the last few years. Delicious - I recommend the Flat Iron Steak, and the Oriental Chicken Salad.

Post that, it was back to the dealer’s room briefly and more puzzles. Picking up loot at the RPGA booth for my work earlier was cool, but after that I was basically beat. I wimped out, and fled to dinner. I had intended to come back after for a game I saw in the listings called “Zombies Invade Toontown”, but my friend’s table of Xen’drik ran long, so I crashed early. Still sleeping off the migraine, I guess. More tomorrow.

First thing this morning was a round of Xen’drik Expeditions - not the one I’d prepared, but I’m used to that game. Wecome to judging for the RPGA. It was a good module, for what it’s worth - ‘Shargon’s Rage’. It’s combat heavy, and I was eating the module without ever having played it. A mental workout at 8AM.

After that, I was finished with my RPGA commitments. A strange feeling - I usually judge most of the convention. Still, I recovered quickly.

A quick trip to the dealers’ room didn’t actually separate me from my money. Strange, but shopping at the con is losing some of its charm for me. The internet makes much of the rarity factor obsolete. That makes it just impulse shopping.

I was trying to get into a round of the D&D Open, but I couldn’t find the group who’d talked to me about it, so I wound up not playing. In retrospect, it was probably for the best. I retreated to the hotel room with an upset stomach and a migraine. So not fair to pull down a migraine at GenCon, but those are the breaks.

All right, I was too tired last night to blog about the con itself.

GenCon this year seems to be a bit better organized. The line for admission was still long, but the wait was down to an hour and a half, from the three last year. I’m judging for the RPGA, so I didn’t have to wait in it.

Yesterday’s module was supposed to be the Star Wars Delve, but WotC had shipping problems, and the pallet with the minis didn’t arrive on schedule. So I was switched over to run the D&D Delve. If you’re not familiar with how the Delve works, it’s twenty minute slots focused exclusively on combat. (Not my strong suit, but I can handle it.) There’s a series of three fights, and each fight earns you tokens. You can redeem tokens for a variety of things, and people play several rounds to collect tokens. There are 32 different fights that can be run, so there are a variety of experiences.

It made for an interesting day running it cold. The last slot, I was tapped to run the Star Wars module, Prelude to Defiance Preview, also cold. It was a great mod, though, and the players had a grand time. It looks like I may be able to catch that D&D Open slot after all, they were looking for players. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Minis Paint and Take is free this year, no tickets required. The dealer’s room is huge as always, and I’ve seen it for about 5 minutes - long enough to grab dice.

I’ll say more about the con when I have time to see the rest of it!

One of my friends, who shall remain nameless, was chatting with me about the upcoming convention. She was eager to get to the convention because she expected it to be a building full of easy targets.

While that’s an extreme attitude, conventions well deserve their reputation as a hookup place. The potent combination of people who share your interests, being a distance from home, and the alcohol most consume makes the situation ripe for intimate contacts. If you’re lucky a game will even hook you up — another friend wound up winning an award for her LARPing skill, and an evening with the player designated as her in-game partner in a White Wolf LARP at GenCon a few years ago.

Being that GenCon starts in two days, some discussion of con-sex is in order.

Looking to get picked up? Male or female, gay or straight, it can happen. The social skills of a lizard will not prevent you from getting lucky if you do what you can to make yourself appealing.

First, and any lecture on cons should say this, but for the love of the gods, BATHE! You’d really be amazed how many people seem to think that a shower is an optional thing, and skip it for DAYS. Trust me. You stink. You need the shower. Between standing in long lines, unaccustomed physical exertion, excitement, perhaps costumes, you will develop con-funk. No one finds con-funk appealing, not if they require breathing. (If they don’t, you have bigger problems.)

Second, pay attention to the way you look. Dress in CLEAN clothes (a corollary to above but it needed to be said), avoid costumes with heavy makeup, and make sure your appearance is neat. Don’t weigh yourself down with twelve tons of stuff if you want someone to invite you back to their room. Make sure your hair is combed and cut. For the ladies, a touch of makeup to show that you’re paying attention to appearance.

Third, if you’re taking someone back to your hotel room, make sure you haven’t trashed it.

Fourth, people with your interests are easier to talk to. Sure, the booth babe is hot, but she’s just hired to be there, and odds are you’re the eightieth person to tell her she’s hot. It’s her job to be hot. The fellow gamer at your table, on the other hand, may have escaped roving attentions.

Fifth, try to be a nice person, be friendly. Here’s where social skills come into play. Think about what you would like if someone else did it. Bring candy for sharing to the gaming table. Or something more substantial — I saw a guy quite handily get the attentions of a female RPGA GM last year by bringing pizza and sodas to her mid-slot table when she was tired and hungry with no time to get out for four more hours. Offer to help in any way you can - be prepared with extra dice and pencils, etc. Sounds lame but oddly people are attracted to people who are kind and thoughtful. Open doors for people. In my experience there is a much higher percentage of old-fashioned gentlemen with manners in tabletop RPGs and in classic wargaming than in videogames and CCGs. If you’re in those areas, be on your best manners and you can shine.

Sixth, be prepared and think ahead. If you’re planning to hook up, bring condoms. If you have a roommate, arrange a signal. Pay the extra for the hotel that connects to the con. Be prepared to walk away from your morning event the next day. If you do hook up, tell someone you trust and give them the name and if available badge number of your hookup. Just in case - the world’s full of psychos, and if you don’t show for tomorrow’s slots and you’re expected someone would have a clue where to start looking. Make sure your cellphone’s on for the same reason.
Those bits of advice are a good foundation for a safe, fun con experience. I don’t claim to be a pickup expert, so I’m not going more elaborate in details. If you feel like sharing tips with your fellow gamer geeks, please comment below!

A friend is running RPGA modules at GenCon, and I wish I was getting to play them. He’s spending time and effort into building props. I love props in games.

Specifically, he’s running an Eberron module that involves a pair of skyships. He went out and picked up a pair of Pirates of the Caribbean ship toys on clearance, and is turning them into skyships. They already look very cool, and they’re not finished yet.

Props make a game memorable in a way few other things can. Your PCs may not remember the sequence of events in a campaign, but the handbuilt ship, they’ll remember. If you hand out notes, they’ll keep them. Last time we got our old group together, we started discussing a campaign I ran ten years ago. One of my gamers reached into his bag and produced the note of summoning that started the game all those years ago! I was astonished.

Hi, All!

Yes, we’re packing for GenCon. I’ll be running the Star Wars Delve all day Thursday for the RPGA, a Covenant of Light Xen’drik Expeditions module on Friday morning, and if all goes well, playing the D&D Open thereafter. I have to rustle up some warm bodies to fill empty slots in my party, but all in all it should be cool.