This was my first Gary Con and I'm looking forward to the next one already. The feeling of not just being a single face in a crowd of thousands was refreshing. The players were engaged, the games well run, and the company of friends new and old was just what I needed to recharge my passion for gaming. Thank you all for the best 4 days of the year. Not sure where to submit feedback so I'll drop it here. Pros: Cost - 4 nights, onsite dining, drinks, gaming purchases, and driving for less than half of what I was out of pocket for Gen Con 50 for just the downtown hotel room (out of block pricing). Games- If you like RPGs, this is where you can get to play (or find players willing to invest the time to play). I ran three 4 hour slots and played in five others over the con (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday). By Sunday my voice was shot but it didn't wipe the silly grin off my face Site- The Grand Geneva was clean, well kept, and big enough so that I never felt "cramped" the way I get at Gen Con. Staff- Every interaction I had with the people working there was pleasant. This is a bonus if you've never been to a property or get anxious around strangers. Breakfast bar- I got plenty to eat for less by hitting up the breakfast bar by the dealer room ($11 for a coffee, large yogurt parfait, and a breakfast sandwich (beware the burrito - it was enormous, lol). Cons: Trash cans- I had a hell of a time finding trash cans. Weird IMO that you have to really "look" or ask someone where the nearest is. I hate just leaving an empty bottle (cup, wrapper, etc.) just sitting somewhere and I understand the "need" to be aesthetically pleasing but pick your poison, litter or a trash can. Breakfast buffet- decent variety and I understand that they're there to make a profit but $21 was a bit steep. Table service- at varying points during the convention tables had to hunt down someone to place an order. This did not seem like a peak time issue but more like someone took a lunch and they were not relieved/covered.
@ SoulCatcher78 beat me to it... It was also my first Gary Con (sorry about that) and I too am looking forward to the next one!! I spent Thursday through Saturday afternoon gaming and still cannot wipe the smile off my face. I agree 100% with "The feeling of not just being a single face in a crowd of thousands was refreshing. The players were engaged, the games well run, and the company of friends new and old was just what I needed to recharge my passion for gaming." Here are my Pros / Cons Pros: Site- The Grand Geneva was clean, well kept, and big enough so that I never felt "cramped". Staff- Every interaction I had with the people working there was pleasant. Everyone was friendly, willing to lend assistance and was knowledgeable about the event, the Grand Geneva, etc. GM's: HUGE thanks to all of the GM's that ran the games. Each added a different 'flavor' to the game which made the entire event very satisfying and fresh. They were well prepared and some of them stepped up to the call on Friday night to assist in the Adventures League Epic. With their assistance, they were able to allow an additional 3-4 tables to play that evening. A HUGE thank you again to those that stepped up. Food: Although I mainly stuck to the bar/service food there wasn't anything that I had that was bad. Good consistent food for what I was shooting for. Experience: Fantastic. I made some new friends and my experience was very welcoming. The players were a blast to interact with and all of the games were extremely fun. I also learned a lot about what to do, how to schedule and I am already strategizing about next year. Cons: Day 1 Tableside food service: On Thursday the food system was overloaded and broke. With that, they shifted to a manual process and they were just overrun with orders. I was also in the Forum which is a HUGE treck to get there. Thus, it was near impossible to get any type of food. This was not their problem and wasn't a huge inconvenience to me. And, this really being the only 'con' to the Con I'll take it. I know that this is a huge undertaking and can't thank all of those that plan this event for us enough. Whether it was running the check-in/ticketing, to the game scheduling, to running the games, to ensuring that we could be accommodated if we didn't register for something..... I can't thank everyone enough. With all that in mind....Is it GaryCon XI yet?
