GenCon and LG questions. [Archive] - Wizards Community

GenCon and LG questions. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Rerednaw
06-14-07, 02:06 PM I have never gone to GenCon and am considering it. If I do go I'd like to get some LG time. I'd be up for running a few games as well, although the slot 0 section was quite confusing.

I noticed if you volunteer you can receive various benefits, including a free badge.

I checked out the sign up sheet and right below where it asks for your RPGA#, it asks for your Gencon#. Which you don't get unless you buy a badge first.

How does this work?
Banor
06-14-07, 02:10 PM To be honest, i might be completly retarded but i was never able to understand GenCon sign ups (that or my english skills arent on par with my french skills :P). Don't worry you arent alone :P
Samwise
06-14-07, 02:49 PM That baffled me as well when I tried to sign up last week. The information on the RPGA Gen Con page is not what I'd consider very clear, and the links didn't work when I tried them. What I finally managed was:

1. Go to the Gen Con website and create an account. This will give you your Gen Con ID #. You won't actually have to buy a badge, just create an account.
2. Go to the Warhorn website and check what slots are still available that you want to use to run events.
3. Go to the RPGA Gen Con Volunteer page and sign up to run events.
4. Go back to the Warhorn website and sign up in the slots you want.
5. Get invited to the Gen Con Judges Yahoo group, join, and check out the various documents in the files.
kenobi65
06-14-07, 03:13 PM I'd note that, unfortunately, you're getting into the game late here, when it comes to *playing* LG at GenCon.

According to what I just saw on the GenCon system, every LG event (as well as the Undermountain events) is sold out. Most of them sold out almost immediately after event registration began last month.

I'm sure that they are still looking for judges, and you may be able to get into Slot Zeroes for some of the things you judge, but playing LG at the con, if you aren't already registered, is going to be dicey. (You'd need to show up with generic tickets, and have a fair amount of luck.)

OTOH, I'd note that the Midnight Madness Open Fiesta doesn't, technically, "sell out"....but, you likely can't just show up and expect to get into a game; you'd be advised to work on setting up a game ahead of time. And, Dave C. doesn't let his judges both play Midnight Madness and DM the morning slots.
Rawveggie
06-14-07, 05:55 PM Howdy folks,

As a current (4-slot) and previous (7-slot) Indy judge I have a little bit of insight into this situation. Here's my advice, take it for what it's worth.

If you have the time to go to GenCon, don't mind devoting most of your time there to judging LG, and don't mind free stuff than I'd say go and judge. If you judge 7 slots you get a serious amount of free stuff, plus a full convention badge, plus a room at the hotel (if there are some still available, last I heard there was). The "serious amount" of free stuff is no joke, the amount of stuff I got last time I judged 7 slots was easily over $100; that combined with the badge and the room are likely more than you'll pay for the plane ticket.

Also, if you're not concerned about the monetary factor than there is always the fact that you will be helping to make LG happen for a lot of fans at a huge convention. Really, GenCon is an awesome experience.

On a final note the chances of getting into a slot 0 _before_ the con aren't bad at all. I'm on the Yahoo! group (judges only) where people are forming groups and there are few parts of the country that aren't being discussed. A lot of judges get into slot 0 games and the chances are good that you will too.

Thanks,
Raw
Britt
06-14-07, 05:59 PM As of earlier today, Dave said there were only a couple of rooms left, priority going to people that signup to judge Friday and Saturday night.
Rerednaw
06-15-07, 12:29 PM Hey everyone thanks for all the info. I joined LG because I was burned out on running all the time. With LG I get to play at least once in a while.

I'm not sure about spending my first Gencon doing nothing but running. :)

On the other hand if all the slots for playing are full anyway, at least I get to see some of the show in between running slots.

Besides Gencon is on my top 100 list of things to do in life, no more putting it off.

Cheers.
Rerednaw
06-15-07, 12:41 PM Hmm, volunteered for 7 slots and this site directed me to consuport.com. Which is down. Can anyone else get it in? It may be my firewall at my end.

I'll keep trying. Maybe it's overloaded.

Aha, the link was bad...it's consupPort.com. Sneaky little bastages, trying to keep me from getting free stuff. LOL.

Cheers.
pedr
06-15-07, 01:33 PM Well, it might be a little late if you've signed up for all that judging, but speaking as a one-time GenCon attendee, I do suggest spending time doing things other than the RPGA.

There are so so so many highlights of the convention - the Dealer's room is great, particularly if you like hunting for swag; Tracy Hickman's Killer Breakfast is a GenCon icon, if you can still get tickets (the guy I roomed with in 05 does a great job of finding new and crazy ways to avoid being bumped off by Mr Hickman's Killer DMing which is always fun to watch); True Dungeon is unlike anything else you'll ever get the chance to do (tho' expensive and tough to get tickets for), and if you like the wackier side of D&D I can't recommend NASCRAG enough... where humour, funny accents and puzzle solving ability counts just as much, if not more, than how well you can flank or target a fireball! And I am sure that I hardly even scratched the surface.

I would suggest signing up at the GenCon forums (community.gencon.com and, if you're not committed to spending all Wednesday doing Verbobonc events, see if you can get a place at 'The Stink', the free mixer party for GenCon forumites - more swag, a chance to hang out with some interesting people, and a free game of Nordic Giant Distance Dice (and who can resist the opportunity to throw a 4' cube plush d6 as far as possible down a corridor?)

Oh, and visit the RAM. Even if you've not old enough to drink, it's a restaurant with a good atmosphere and a GenCon themed menu. Get there on Wednesday or Thursday for associated gamer swag, too.

Oh, and edited to add: Gary Gygax is going to be attending, to take part in the 40th anniversary of GenCon celebrations, so you might want to see if you can find something classic for him to autograph!
delewobmesid
06-15-07, 03:03 PM Hmm, volunteered for 7 slots and this site directed me to consuport.com. Which is down. Can anyone else get it in? It may be my firewall at my end.

I'll keep trying. Maybe it's overloaded.

Aha, the link was bad...it's consupPort.com. Sneaky little bastages, trying to keep me from getting free stuff. LOL.

Cheers.

bad link on the page; try www.consupport.com
UMiskatonic
06-16-07, 09:39 AM Remember that there's a Verbobonc Convention immediately before GenCon. Details are being worked on now, but it should be the full day before, and in the past, it's been the two days before.

Cheers,
Rudy
kenobi65
06-17-07, 09:31 PM Hey everyone thanks for all the info. I joined LG because I was burned out on running all the time. With LG I get to play at least once in a while.

I'm not sure about spending my first Gencon doing nothing but running. :)

On the other hand if all the slots for playing are full anyway, at least I get to see some of the show in between running slots.

Besides Gencon is on my top 100 list of things to do in life, no more putting it off.

Well, since you've already signed up to judge, this advice may be a little late, but...

If you view GenCon as a "things to do before I die" event, then spending most of the convention DMing Living Greyhawk is probably *not* going to be the ideal way to spend it (unless you *really* love DMing LG). I'm a big RPGA fan, but there's a *lot* to do at GenCon beyond the RPGA hall.

Honestly, my advice would be to come again another year, but decide you're going to do it early enough in the process that you can sign up to play in some of the events you want to play (and get your own hotel room, rather than getting a share of a room for GMing, if you can afford it). That probably means getting your badge (and, thus, a hotel room) when that opens up in February, and signing up for events as soon as those open up (usually May).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Rerednaw 06-14-07, 02:06 PM	I have never gone to GenCon and am considering it. If I do go I'd like to get some LG time. I'd be up for running a few games as well, although the slot 0 section was quite confusing. I noticed if you volunteer you can receive various benefits, including a free badge. I checked out the sign up sheet and right below where it asks for your RPGA#, it asks for your Gencon#. Which you don't get unless you buy a badge first. How does this work?
Banor 06-14-07, 02:10 PM	To be honest, i might be completly retarded but i was never able to understand GenCon sign ups (that or my english skills arent on par with my french skills :P). Don't worry you arent alone :P
Samwise 06-14-07, 02:49 PM	That baffled me as well when I tried to sign up last week. The information on the RPGA Gen Con page is not what I'd consider very clear, and the links didn't work when I tried them. What I finally managed was: 1. Go to the Gen Con website and create an account. This will give you your Gen Con ID #. You won't actually have to buy a badge, just create an account. 2. Go to the Warhorn website and check what slots are still available that you want to use to run events. 3. Go to the RPGA Gen Con Volunteer page and sign up to run events. 4. Go back to the Warhorn website and sign up in the slots you want. 5. Get invited to the Gen Con Judges Yahoo group, join, and check out the various documents in the files.
kenobi65 06-14-07, 03:13 PM	I'd note that, unfortunately, you're getting into the game late here, when it comes to playing LG at GenCon. According to what I just saw on the GenCon system, every LG event (as well as the Undermountain events) is sold out. Most of them sold out almost immediately after event registration began last month. I'm sure that they are still looking for judges, and you may be able to get into Slot Zeroes for some of the things you judge, but playing LG at the con, if you aren't already registered, is going to be dicey. (You'd need to show up with generic tickets, and have a fair amount of luck.) OTOH, I'd note that the Midnight Madness Open Fiesta doesn't, technically, "sell out"....but, you likely can't just show up and expect to get into a game; you'd be advised to work on setting up a game ahead of time. And, Dave C. doesn't let his judges both play Midnight Madness and DM the morning slots.
Rawveggie 06-14-07, 05:55 PM	Howdy folks, As a current (4-slot) and previous (7-slot) Indy judge I have a little bit of insight into this situation. Here's my advice, take it for what it's worth. If you have the time to go to GenCon, don't mind devoting most of your time there to judging LG, and don't mind free stuff than I'd say go and judge. If you judge 7 slots you get a serious amount of free stuff, plus a full convention badge, plus a room at the hotel (if there are some still available, last I heard there was). The "serious amount" of free stuff is no joke, the amount of stuff I got last time I judged 7 slots was easily over $100; that combined with the badge and the room are likely more than you'll pay for the plane ticket. Also, if you're not concerned about the monetary factor than there is always the fact that you will be helping to make LG happen for a lot of fans at a huge convention. Really, GenCon is an awesome experience. On a final note the chances of getting into a slot 0 _before_ the con aren't bad at all. I'm on the Yahoo! group (judges only) where people are forming groups and there are few parts of the country that aren't being discussed. A lot of judges get into slot 0 games and the chances are good that you will too. Thanks, Raw
Britt 06-14-07, 05:59 PM	As of earlier today, Dave said there were only a couple of rooms left, priority going to people that signup to judge Friday and Saturday night.
Rerednaw 06-15-07, 12:29 PM	Hey everyone thanks for all the info. I joined LG because I was burned out on running all the time. With LG I get to play at least once in a while. I'm not sure about spending my first Gencon doing nothing but running. :) On the other hand if all the slots for playing are full anyway, at least I get to see some of the show in between running slots. Besides Gencon is on my top 100 list of things to do in life, no more putting it off. Cheers.
Rerednaw 06-15-07, 12:41 PM	Hmm, volunteered for 7 slots and this site directed me to consuport.com. Which is down. Can anyone else get it in? It may be my firewall at my end. I'll keep trying. Maybe it's overloaded. Aha, the link was bad...it's consupPort.com. Sneaky little bastages, trying to keep me from getting free stuff. LOL. Cheers.
pedr 06-15-07, 01:33 PM	Well, it might be a little late if you've signed up for all that judging, but speaking as a one-time GenCon attendee, I do suggest spending time doing things other than the RPGA. There are so so so many highlights of the convention - the Dealer's room is great, particularly if you like hunting for swag; Tracy Hickman's Killer Breakfast is a GenCon icon, if you can still get tickets (the guy I roomed with in 05 does a great job of finding new and crazy ways to avoid being bumped off by Mr Hickman's Killer DMing which is always fun to watch); True Dungeon is unlike anything else you'll ever get the chance to do (tho' expensive and tough to get tickets for), and if you like the wackier side of D&D I can't recommend NASCRAG enough... where humour, funny accents and puzzle solving ability counts just as much, if not more, than how well you can flank or target a fireball! And I am sure that I hardly even scratched the surface. I would suggest signing up at the GenCon forums (community.gencon.com and, if you're not committed to spending all Wednesday doing Verbobonc events, see if you can get a place at 'The Stink', the free mixer party for GenCon forumites - more swag, a chance to hang out with some interesting people, and a free game of Nordic Giant Distance Dice (and who can resist the opportunity to throw a 4' cube plush d6 as far as possible down a corridor?) Oh, and visit the RAM. Even if you've not old enough to drink, it's a restaurant with a good atmosphere and a GenCon themed menu. Get there on Wednesday or Thursday for associated gamer swag, too. Oh, and edited to add: Gary Gygax is going to be attending, to take part in the 40th anniversary of GenCon celebrations, so you might want to see if you can find something classic for him to autograph!
delewobmesid 06-15-07, 03:03 PM	Hmm, volunteered for 7 slots and this site directed me to consuport.com. Which is down. Can anyone else get it in? It may be my firewall at my end. I'll keep trying. Maybe it's overloaded. Aha, the link was bad...it's consupPort.com. Sneaky little bastages, trying to keep me from getting free stuff. LOL. Cheers. bad link on the page; try www.consupport.com
UMiskatonic 06-16-07, 09:39 AM	Remember that there's a Verbobonc Convention immediately before GenCon. Details are being worked on now, but it should be the full day before, and in the past, it's been the two days before. Cheers, Rudy
kenobi65 06-17-07, 09:31 PM	Hey everyone thanks for all the info. I joined LG because I was burned out on running all the time. With LG I get to play at least once in a while. I'm not sure about spending my first Gencon doing nothing but running. :) On the other hand if all the slots for playing are full anyway, at least I get to see some of the show in between running slots. Besides Gencon is on my top 100 list of things to do in life, no more putting it off. Well, since you've already signed up to judge, this advice may be a little late, but... If you view GenCon as a "things to do before I die" event, then spending most of the convention DMing Living Greyhawk is probably not going to be the ideal way to spend it (unless you really love DMing LG). I'm a big RPGA fan, but there's a lot to do at GenCon beyond the RPGA hall. Honestly, my advice would be to come again another year, but decide you're going to do it early enough in the process that you can sign up to play in some of the events you want to play (and get your own hotel room, rather than getting a share of a room for GMing, if you can afford it). That probably means getting your badge (and, thus, a hotel room) when that opens up in February, and signing up for events as soon as those open up (usually May).