How To Play The Great Con Game

This Memorial Day weekend I attended a game convention (the imaginatively titled GameCon 2000) in Oakland, California. Now if I’m not the stereotypical gamer, I’m especially not the stereotypical Convention gamer.

(although, truth be told, I’m probably the stereotypical Vampire: the Masquerade LARPer)

Anyway, while at the Con I thought of some valuable tips and tricks to help even the most ardent anti-gamer (like me) survive what could be a weekend in Geek Hell. So, in no particular order:

1: Run a game

This is the most important tip, hence it being the first. Running a game has many benefits--the obvious one being free admission (usually to the whole convention - a nice way to save some cash). The more altruistic reason is to provide yet another game for people to choose from. And if you’re like me, your game is the sole reason why anyone would want to attend one of these things in the first place, right?

A somewhat odd sidenote is that being a half-decent GM will get you an inordinate amount of hero-worship from your players. Sure, they’re socially inept geeks&but dammit, you’re their king.

2: Do not trust the Convention staff

A bit nasty, but every one of the Cons I’ve been to (as a GM) has had some kind of organizational screw-ups. My game’s been pushed two hours back without my knowledge. My game’s write-up (being a demo) was pushed to the back of the schedule (for some reason, demo games were placed at the end of the schedule apart from normal RPG’s), my scheduled room was given to another GM, et cetera, et cetera&

Lots of little screw-ups that transformed my already negative mood into a downright surly one. So be prepared to register early, advertise your game in the local stores, show up early to pimp your game with flyers and guard your room like a mother wolf protecting her cubs.

3: Avoid the elevators

If the Con is taking place in a hotel or some other multi-story venue, try and take the stairs whenever possible. It’s good exercise, you won't be trapped with some guy who wants to tell you about his 17th level female drow paladin and&well, to put it delicately, elevators tend to retain odors for quite awhile.

4: Pack a lunch or bring some healthy snacking material

Your average Con fare is pretty limited so pack some food in a cooler (as well as some plastic zip-lock bags to fill with ice). Water is good too. I prefer Pelegrino, but I’m quasi-yuppie scum. Do what thou wilt&

5: Drop some cash and get a room

If you’re going to be there for more than one night, reserve a room. It comes in handy for impromptu parties or for just catching some shut-eye in between games. Most hotels offer some kind of Convention rate so be sure you tell them you’re an attendee.

6: Umm&bathe?

Yeah, yeah&gamer stereotype, I know. But man, some of those boys need a shower! Set an example for good hygiene.

7: Although it’s fun to be the anti-gamer, don’t be afraid to have fun

Despite everything, I had fun at the Con. The game I ran (Pumpkin Town) was really successful and I even got a chance to play TORG and some guy’s home-brew superhero game (which wasn’t half-bad!). With any luck, you’ll avoid the munchkins, play some new games and maybe make some friends. Hell, if I can make friends at a Con, anyone can.