As some may recall, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth by some registrees last year after they were unable to register for some or all of the VIP events they wanted. I eventually got fed up with the whining and asserted you can have a great time without getting into VIP events. The catalog is full of fantastic games run by non-famous GMs. Plus, there are almost always openings at lots and lots of the events at game time, so most people should be able to get into something enjoyable just by showing up. To put my money where my mouth was, I pledged not to register for any events in advance at Gary Con VIII. For those who somehow care for some reason, I am sticking to my pledge. I will not be registering for any events in advance. To be fair, I must admit I am running 16 hours of events. This will probably represent 30-50% of my gaming depending on how my days go and the positioning of the Spotted Cow keg. In coming weeks I have no doubt there will be some issues with event registration and the VIP events will certainly fill up in a ridiculously short amount of time. I posted tips last year on how to maximize your chances of getting into as many of the events you want as possible. I'd be happy to do so again, although I'm not sure the tips will (all) apply once the new registration system kicks in. That said, I really hope people will not feel crushed if they can't get into specific events they would like. Gary Con is all around awesome. I've played with many of the VIP GMs and can attest that most of those game sessions were very good or great (some weren't). But I've played in just as many non-VIP events that were at least as good. It's easy for me to say getting into VIP events isn't important given how many I've gotten into over the last 3 years, but I think that also means I'm qualified to say, "Don't panic!" If you want to have a good time at Gary Con without getting into all of the events you want, I suggest the following: 1. Keep track of the events you couldn't get into and show up at game time. With any luck, there will be a no-show creating an opening you can exploit. Many GMs will also add one or more players to the table at game time. There is always hope for that one special event you lust after. 2. Make an effort to socialize. Chat with the other players during your early events. That will give you someone to talk to during dead time later in the convention. Half of the fun of Gary Con is meeting up with the friends you made during previous Gary Cons. Those people might also tip you off to a great GM that is flying under the radar. Those people might be running events of their own that they could get you into. Always be socializing, coffee is for socializers, etc. Putting yourself out there socially makes a massive difference to your Gary Con experience, especially if you keep coming back. 3. Be open to trying a variety of game systems. If you go into the con only willing to play 4E events that are geared to 6th level PCs in Dragonlance, you are just setting yourself up for pain. There really isn't all that much difference between 0E, 1E, 2E, and B/X. If you enjoy any of those variations on D&D, you can enjoy a con game using one of the others. The GM has a lot more to do with the quality of the game experience than the rules set. Take a chance with a game you have never played before. The worst thing that happens is you confirm there was a reason you never played it before. At least, you will meet some more gamers who can connect you to more fun. At best, you will find out you like another game and have a great gaming experience. 3.5 Focus on finding good/great GMs rather than a specific rules set. 4. Run something yourself. It's probably too late to make it into the event catalog now (event submission was supposed to close on January 8th, although Luke said event submission was open through January 10th), but you can certainly run something in open gaming. Attracting players for open gaming will probably be harder than getting players for an official event. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try! How should you do it? I suggest advertising on the Gary Con forums, putting up a notice at the con (there will probably be a place to advertise open gaming events), tell people you meet at the con you are going to run something later they might be interested in, and be sure to create an event with a good hook. Give people a reason to want to come play with you. There will probably be a lot of people wandering around on Saturday who just purchased a day pass. Notice those people and invite them to play. Some may actually say yes! Don't get discouraged or upset if no one wants to play in your open gaming event. That just means your event wasn't attractive enough. Try harder next year. For now, go find something else to play and have a great time. 5. Overall, show up with a good attitude and look for ways to have a great time. You will find them. Gary Con is freaking amazing!
Also, search out events that might explicitly list seats for walk ups. There is no explicit field for this in the event details, but if a GM does this it will be in the description. I left 1 seat at each of my events for walk ups and put that in the event description. I should make that a recommendation as a tweak for next year. To have a field for seats for walk up players. Hmmm, maybe I can extend my scraping to look for mention of walk ups...
For the record, the registration problems and resulting complaints went well beyond some special snowflake not getting a bunch of VIP events, but that's water under the bridge. I think most people, including me, would easily agree with the rest... I wholeheartedly concur - there are absolutely fantastic games run by non-famous people. In fact, all of my favorite convention games from four Gary Cons and four NTRPG Cons were run by regular guys. Definitely check for no shows if you're still free. Sometimes real life creates a last minute conflict and people don't even attend the convention or they change their minds on game day for whatever reason. You shouldn't count on it, but I have seen it happen more than once. Agree. I have met some really great folks over the years. As a result, I probably enjoy catching up over a few beers as much as gaming. Right. It's a rare opportunity to have someone well-versed in a game you might not play show you how much fun it can be. Plenty of good pick-up games out there, no question. My favorite game last year was a pick-up game in the bar run by someone who'd never attended Gary Con before. He was superb (Handy Haversack!) and introduced me to some other great folks. So, be on the lookout and also be ready to run one yourself. Yeah, no one wants to hang with a sourpuss on what may be their only vacation or "me time" of the year. A good attitude goes a long way.
As near as I can grep, these have "walk up" or "walk-up" in the event description: http://garycon.com/game/the-pit-one-adventure-three-systems-3/ http://garycon.com/game/the-pit-one-adventure-three-systems-2/ http://garycon.com/game/the-pit-one-adventure-three-systems/ And of course, my events http://garycon.com/game/qualifier-aegyptus/ http://garycon.com/game/qualifier-gallia/ http://garycon.com/game/qualifier-hispania/ http://garycon.com/game/wreckus-maximus/ http://garycon.com/game/moebius-maximus/
I'm famous in my own mind! I usually have a few extra PCs for my games (especially Paranoia). Whether I allow walk-ups depends on my mood that day and how tired I am, though, so I can't make guarantees.
You're right that registration was a mess and there were complaints beyond the snowflake kind. That, I totally appreciate and understand. What drove me nuts were the people saying there was no point in even coming to Gary Con since they didn't get the one event they wanted.
Yes, scrapping the whole trip for that reason would be foolish, in my opinion, but people were upset and speaking in the heat of the moment. I wonder if anyone actually cancelled? We'll never know I guess.
Getting to know other folks and develop a "tribe" helps at conventions. There is a "safety net" there so you can get in on pick up games they might have and generally don't need to worry about making that "one event". Gary Con is as much playing on grid events as hanging with the people I know and meeting new folks. While I don't mind drinking alone, it's much better to get deep in your cups with friends, new or old.
This will be my fifth GaryCon, and I have been both very lucky and very unlucky in past years during event registration. Four years ago, I was away from internet during event registration, signed up for games late, and ended up in a lot of games I never planned to play. Three years ago, registration was working okay for everyone else, but a local snowstorm shut down my satellite internet and pretty much every game on my wishlist was snapped up by the time I could get online again. Two years ago, when people were having really serious problems with event registration, mine went just fine and I got into all the games I wanted. Last year, a mixed bag. Got some games, did not get other games. About what you'd expect. So I have a lot of experience with playing in games at GaryCon that weren't on my #1 wishlist. And it has never mattered. I got to try new games, met great GMs, and had a lot of fun in these games of last resort. I have run pick-up games in slots where I couldn't sign up for anything and had fun, and I have joined games that had their green "Players Wanted" signs up and had fun. Last year, we had a GM no-show for a D&D 5th game I was signed up for, so I offered to run a game by the seat of my pants for the table. And had fun. As much as it pains me to say it, Buttmonkey is right. Be flexible, have a positive attitude, keep your eyes open for underfilled tables, be ready to run something, and be willing to try new games and you can have a full weekend of fantastic gaming without being pre-registered for anything.
So...here's the deal from one of the few [it has to be less than 120, (first year's attendance)...I'm betting less than 60....outside shot it's less than 30] who has been to every public GaryCon.... I've had years where I've been over-booked. I've had years where I didn't register for a single game. I spent just as much time (if not more) playing in the years I went commando, as in the year I was over-booked. If you can't have a good time at GaryCon without registering for any games whatsoever? ....you're doing GaryCon wrong. Now get the hell off my lawn and turn down that music.
I was caught in the "fix" 2 years ago...lost everything I'd signed up for, plus both gamed I had planned to run. I admit...I consideref skipping it.
I think I will take this pledge. My kids will get games, but I don't think I'll register. Maybe its time for one last Commando Raid to show how its done. Particularly if there are, as I seemed to have heard, some decent open gaming space....man, we can just sit there and run/play whatever we want! We shall see...
