GenCon 2010! - Who's with me?

[Zeb The Troll]

It's official! Alarra and I have just booked our room at the Westin for GenCon this year (Aug 5th - 8th)! We got in to the housing system as soon as it opened today to make sure we got the hotel we wanted.

We're a little bummed it's happening so early in the month this year, though. Since it will be both my son's and my daughter's first time at GenCon, and both of their birthdays fall in the middle of the month, when GenCon usually happens, it would have been much cooler, in my eyes, if both of their first appearances had happened closer to their birthdays.

But, nonsense aside, who else is going to make it this year? Any good plans? Is it too early to start talking about this? I suggest "no" since the real planning starts today, what with the housing thing officially opening up and all.

I humbly suggest that we do the Playgrounder meetup thing like it was done last year (so sad I missed that) where it's done nightly at the same place so that everyone has multiple opportunities to make it to at least one.

GitP Get Together - 5PM Nightly in the Serpentine Lobby. We'll Try To Have A Sign.

[Gamerlord]

I won't be going to GenCon, but I WILL be going to new york Comic con later this year.

[wxdruid]

I also have plans to attend GenCon and the site died on me so I didn't get my first choice in hotel or room size, but I did get a fairly good hotel in terms of closeness to the convention center.

I am registered and got everything in, so I'm good. Now, hopefully work won't spring anything on me in the intervening year.

[SMEE]

Plans for now are staying at the Hilton from the 5th to the 9th, where I booked a room for 5 people. As usual, I expect to have Phoe, Reina and Lykan with me, and probably Amber as well.

Luckily, it seems things won't fail badly this year like they did in 2009 so I will be there.

[Alarra]

I guess a lot of people had trouble with the passkey system, and according to the gencon forums, the westin was sold out by 12:15 (housing opened at noon)...I'm feeling pretty lucky here.

[wxdruid]

Yes, it died in the critical moment causing me frustration.

I have a room at the Canterbury Hotel next to the mall with a walkway to the convention center. Only managed to get a single room.

[smellie_hippie]

I've been threatened by a Llama that I need to attend.
I haven't even started doing anything about this yet, so we'll have to see.

[Alarra]

It's hard to get a hotel room if you don't do it really early (like...right now). Although closer to the con, you can sometimes find them on the gencon forums from people that suddenly can't go. If you have to book a hotel outside of the gencon block it's crazy expensive. For example, the Westin is $169 a night, gencon rate....$354 if I tried to book it through the hotel. *crosses fingers that the Hippie's can come*

(I'd offer to let you all room with us, but since we have a 3 year old and 1 year old coming, and there's 4 Hippies (this is assuming you're all coming) that would be a very crowded room. And unfortunately, we have a small one rather than the suite we had 3 years ago that we had 10 people in)

[AmberVael]

...and probably Amber as well.

That may not actually happen. I don't know if I'll be able to afford it. =/

[Lykan]

That may not actually happen. I don't know if I'll be able to afford it. =/

I'm paying for you to come, then. >.>

Also, I should be coming. Hopefully.

[Jacklu]

Jacklu hopes to attend as well. But alas, it depends greatly on my funds come next august. That, and whether I can get housing again.

[Penguinsushi]

I've been threatened by a Llama that I need to attend.
I haven't even started doing anything about this yet, so we'll have to see.

I really want to go too, but we haven't talked about it much... ...and a lot of it might depend on finances and how many other trips we'll need to take this year...



~PS

[Krade]

CURSE YOU ZEB!!!

I was thinking about starting this thread this year...

*ahem*

I am so going again. This will be my 5th Gencon and it will be awesome. The best part is that this year I have 3 whole days of paid vacation so I won't come out of it completely broke like I did last time. I also should have some actual savings by then.

Ah, the joys of living in this wonderful city...

Also, if anyone needs help paying for thier room, I could use a place to crash a night or two during the con. I don't live close enough for me to get there and home and there again over and over for 4 days.

[Mando Knight]

I wanna... but I don't have any cash to pay for that weekend...

[WalkingTarget]

As per usual, it's the annual gathering of a bunch of my college buddies and assorted other friends who've spread out over the years. As such, I'll probably be there, but may or may not have time to do much more than show up for a meet-and-greet/photo op for playgrounders. Always nice to be able to put faces to names, though.

[Anuan]

No idea about where I'll be staying, but I'll be there

[tyckspoon]

GenCon planning time already? Huh.. well, I do need to go figure out what combination of vacation+holiday+paid day will get me to all the events in that season.. it's a busy three months or so there. Time to go do science to a calendar.

[wxdruid]

There are still a few hotel rooms left, mostly the ones further away from the convention center.

[Zeb The Troll]

For those concerned about finances:

In arranging for my daughter and her son to be able to come (she's a waitress at a sports bar, and in a low'ish population area), we quickly determined that if you start saving right now, $25 per week, you should have roughly $600 banked by GenCon. Adjust as needed to be able to swing it. $68 for the weekend badge (if you get it early instead of at the gate). The rooms can be very expensive, but if you get a few people together, it's very doable. My first year we had a suite (two queen beds, one queen pull out couch in a separate "room" and lots of floor space) and were able to manage it by inviting a googol of our closest friends (and some people we'd never met) to share the room expense with us. Much fun was had by all. Be aware, however, that this sort of arrangement works best for people who won't need to sleep during those 4 days.

((Crosses fingers for Clan Hippie to be able to make it this year!*))

Krade - I apologize for stealing your thunder. I was just so excited about getting the room reserved and the badges ordered that I felt there was only one thing left to do to make it real, as it were. I promise, I'll defer thread starting to you next year.

*((Hey, does this mean it's time for a SET 2010 thread now too? ))

[Dallas-Dakota]

I'd love to come, but probably won't due to lack of planning ahead/finances.

[Krade]

Krade - I apologize for stealing your thunder. I was just so excited about getting the room reserved and the badges ordered that I felt there was only one thing left to do to make it real, as it were. I promise, I'll defer thread starting to you next year.

Nah, it's my own fault for putting it off. I thought about sarting it when I got the e-mail on Saturday but then thought that was probably too soon. Silly me.

*((Hey, does this mean it's time for a SET 2010 thread now too? ))

As if it could be too early for that. June 29, 2009 wouldn't have been too early.

[Felixaar]

I'll be there, possibly wearing bells, as will Anuan.

Whaddaya say, SMEE? There room in that five person for a pair of handsome aussie boys?

[SMEE]

If the other girls are fine with having two aussie boys around at an otherwise all girl room, then we're game.

[Anuan]

...That makes six, probably seven people if Amber makes it, in a five-bedroom room. Not really gonna work there, guys.

[SMEE]

Err... room I reserved is a suit with a connected room. >.>

[Alarra]

We booked, I think, the same room that Smee's talking about 3 years ago. We had 8 people...I think (me, zeb, angelsword, indurain, zuzuangel, renegade paladin, zombierockstar, and llama)...I may be forgetting someone. Anyway, it was crowded, but fun.

[Mando Knight]

For those concerned about finances:

In arranging for my daughter and her son to be able to come (she's a waitress at a sports bar, and in a low'ish population area), we quickly determined that if you start saving right now, $25 per week, you should have roughly $600 banked by GenCon. Adjust as needed to be able to swing it. $68 for the weekend badge (if you get it early instead of at the gate).

Thanks for the advice, but I can't save that $25 a week from out of thin air.

[JediSoth]

I"ll be there, running a Paranoia 2nd ed. game (Killer Robots from AFU Sector), a Pathfinder/Ptolus game (Spire of the Deep One), hosting the 6th Annual OYT Dinner (for members of the OK--Your Turn community), and doing ENnies stuff.

Oh, I'll probably play some games, too. :p

[Jacklu]

Well, Jacklu should be able to make it this year! Gencon was so much fun, as was meeting all those people from giant. That, and the giant games of munchkin!

[Renegade Paladin]

I shall come to fight the vampire menace.