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A chronicle of my preparations for Gen Con 2011. I hope to include a lot of useful information for any GenCon attendee about the area as well.
Monday, February 21, 2011
More Gen Con Attendance News
My prospects are continuing look better for actually making it to Gen Con this year. One thing that will work in my favor is making it as inexpensive as possible. To that end when I booked my room at the Westin, I paused before hitting the "single king size bed" option, and got a two double bed room instead. It occurred to me that a roommate would significantly cut down on cost, and someone who found out they could attend at the last second could have a place to stay. Since I booked the room, I could decide if I was comfortable with the person, our not. That's an all-win situation. As you can probably guess, that scenario seems to have played out, and I have a probable roommate for my room. Nothing is concrete yet, but I'm really happy to be in a situation where I'm probably going to save some cash, and a person who really should be going to Gen Con is going to have a good room to lodge in. Things are really looking up, and it's all coming together for me not only being able to attend, but also stacking the odds in my favor for having a great, stress-free time.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Pictures: The New Areas of the Convention Center and the J. W. Marriott
It's been a big few weeks for Indianapolis in the facilities arena. Both the expansion to the convention center and the new J. W. Marriott hotel have been completed, and are open. I stopped by and took some pictures of what I could. Without further ado...
This is shot just inside the new, main conference center entrance. There's a lot of glass and light in this area. It's nice and bright.
There's a nice little eating area right by the entrance. It's the same places as the similar area by the overpass to the Marriott, but with much more seating room.
Here's the corridor that runs north-south. It ends in an escalator that goes below the street and ends up in Lucas Oil Stadium. This means possible easier access to surface parking. I think there's also access to the Crowne Plaza hotel down this direction, but I haven't checked it out yet.
Looking the other direction (east-west), we have this corridor. It runs parallel to the main corridor in the old section of the convention center. There's lots of new space on both sides of this.
Under the escalator you can see in the distance in the last picture is this nice, cozy little area. Not sure what's going behind the bar, but hopefully something good. Not a bad place for a quick game of something between events.
This is taken on the far west end of the hall, looking east towards the main entrance on the second floor. the space is very light and well done (depending on your opinion of that industrial carpeting, lol).
This was a hard shot, but it's looking from the new area, back north to the old portion of the conference center.
Stats..you want stats? Here you go. New addition doubles the size of the conference center. 254,000 sq. ft. of new exhibit hall and 63,000 sq. ft. of new meeting rooms for a total of roughly 930,000 sq. ft. of space for Gen Con now :).
Here at the west end of the old center is the set of overpasses that takes you to the new J. W. Marriott and the assorted Marriott suite hotels. This thing looks like a booze flask. All it needs is a big silver water tank up top to complete the image. Seriously though, it's very nice inside.
This is the main entrance to the new J. W. Marriott. Very swanky for those staying here. I think they even have a parking garage, so you can put that car you pulled up in someplace (parking has traditionally been an issue downtown).
The J.W. is designed with a very modern feel. The lobby is well laid out, and currently bursting with helpful staff. What you can't see in this picture is the very nice sports bar you will run into if you continue in the direction the camera is pointing.
Turning around from the last picture, there's this cozy area. Lot's of areas to lounge in. If we don't have gamers at least playing Zombie Dice back in here, we've all failed as con goers :).
The conference center area of the hotel has a lot of these little sitting areas. Each is done differently, with a different style. Again...we need to put these to good use I think.
Finally, from the conference center portion of the J.W., you have a great view of Victory Field. If there are any games going on during Gen Con, you'll be able to see them from here, should you care to. All you can see now though, is the remnants of the ice storm we just got hit with.
I hope you all enjoyed this little photo tour of the new facilities. I'm no "member of the press", so I didn't get inside any of the halls, or get to see the rooms (or even the biggest ballroom in the midwest, located at the J. W. Marriott). Still, this should whet your appetite for some awesome gaming coming in August.
This is shot just inside the new, main conference center entrance. There's a lot of glass and light in this area. It's nice and bright.
There's a nice little eating area right by the entrance. It's the same places as the similar area by the overpass to the Marriott, but with much more seating room.
Here's the corridor that runs north-south. It ends in an escalator that goes below the street and ends up in Lucas Oil Stadium. This means possible easier access to surface parking. I think there's also access to the Crowne Plaza hotel down this direction, but I haven't checked it out yet.
Looking the other direction (east-west), we have this corridor. It runs parallel to the main corridor in the old section of the convention center. There's lots of new space on both sides of this.
Under the escalator you can see in the distance in the last picture is this nice, cozy little area. Not sure what's going behind the bar, but hopefully something good. Not a bad place for a quick game of something between events.
This is taken on the far west end of the hall, looking east towards the main entrance on the second floor. the space is very light and well done (depending on your opinion of that industrial carpeting, lol).
This was a hard shot, but it's looking from the new area, back north to the old portion of the conference center.
Stats..you want stats? Here you go. New addition doubles the size of the conference center. 254,000 sq. ft. of new exhibit hall and 63,000 sq. ft. of new meeting rooms for a total of roughly 930,000 sq. ft. of space for Gen Con now :).
Here at the west end of the old center is the set of overpasses that takes you to the new J. W. Marriott and the assorted Marriott suite hotels. This thing looks like a booze flask. All it needs is a big silver water tank up top to complete the image. Seriously though, it's very nice inside.
This is the main entrance to the new J. W. Marriott. Very swanky for those staying here. I think they even have a parking garage, so you can put that car you pulled up in someplace (parking has traditionally been an issue downtown).
The J.W. is designed with a very modern feel. The lobby is well laid out, and currently bursting with helpful staff. What you can't see in this picture is the very nice sports bar you will run into if you continue in the direction the camera is pointing.
Turning around from the last picture, there's this cozy area. Lot's of areas to lounge in. If we don't have gamers at least playing Zombie Dice back in here, we've all failed as con goers :).
The conference center area of the hotel has a lot of these little sitting areas. Each is done differently, with a different style. Again...we need to put these to good use I think.
Finally, from the conference center portion of the J.W., you have a great view of Victory Field. If there are any games going on during Gen Con, you'll be able to see them from here, should you care to. All you can see now though, is the remnants of the ice storm we just got hit with.
I hope you all enjoyed this little photo tour of the new facilities. I'm no "member of the press", so I didn't get inside any of the halls, or get to see the rooms (or even the biggest ballroom in the midwest, located at the J. W. Marriott). Still, this should whet your appetite for some awesome gaming coming in August.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
It's January, time to think about Gen Con again.
The winter feels longer than it really is; the weather is bad and it's not a lot of fun to be outside. I've neglected this blog for a while, because reporting no news does not make for a very exciting read. Now, however, we've reached January and that's Gen Con badge pre-order and housing time.
Yes...I have a 4 day badge for Gen Con 2011 and I have a room at the Westin downtown. I really wanted to book the new J. W. Marriott, but it was a little more expensive and I can use the extra $40 or so to have more fun. Ideally I'll just be in my room when it's time to sleep and clean up. Overall cost for Gen Con should be about $1100. I think I can swing that. It'll be even cheaper for me if I can find a roommate, but I'm picky there.
D&D Encounters is almost at the end of the season. I've been playing fairly regularly, and with one week to go in this season, I think I've had enough of the format for now. It's served its purpose of getting me used to 4E while having a good time, but now I'm ready for full games with more than one encounter per session and more roleplaying opportunities between combat encounters. Last week though, encounters did something for me that I didn't really expect...it gave my anti-D&D roommate a chance to see what the game was all about.
I've tried to describe how D&D plays to her in the past, but she just didn't really get the picture. She kept wanting to pigeon hole the game in a boardgame shaped hole. Out of nowhere last week, she announced that she would like to come watch me play. After picking my jaw up off the floor, I gave her the address of the game store, and met her there. Remember, this is the girl who is opposed to D&D for religious reasons. I'd actually turned her to being open to at least checking the game out.
Naturally, it was the lamest session of the whole season. The poor DM tried to make it fun, but the players were me, a 10 year old, his 13 year old sister and their mother. None of them really wanted to be there that night, and play just suffered. We had a TPK, which I felt was actually a merciful end to a bad session. I thought that would probably end it for my roommate. Fortunately, she picked up on the fact that the particular session sucked. She got to see how the game plays from a mechanics point of view, and left with a much better understanding of the game. Turns out it was still a positive thing for her to watch. I think she accepts it a lot more now that she understands the game a little better, and this will make selling me spending money on Gen Con a lot easier.
Anyway, that's the news. Now that we are moving back into con season and people are thinking about Gen Con again, I'll be posting a lot more I hope. I've got a couple of local eatery reviews lined up, and hope that will be valuable for those attending.
Yes...I have a 4 day badge for Gen Con 2011 and I have a room at the Westin downtown. I really wanted to book the new J. W. Marriott, but it was a little more expensive and I can use the extra $40 or so to have more fun. Ideally I'll just be in my room when it's time to sleep and clean up. Overall cost for Gen Con should be about $1100. I think I can swing that. It'll be even cheaper for me if I can find a roommate, but I'm picky there.
D&D Encounters is almost at the end of the season. I've been playing fairly regularly, and with one week to go in this season, I think I've had enough of the format for now. It's served its purpose of getting me used to 4E while having a good time, but now I'm ready for full games with more than one encounter per session and more roleplaying opportunities between combat encounters. Last week though, encounters did something for me that I didn't really expect...it gave my anti-D&D roommate a chance to see what the game was all about.
I've tried to describe how D&D plays to her in the past, but she just didn't really get the picture. She kept wanting to pigeon hole the game in a boardgame shaped hole. Out of nowhere last week, she announced that she would like to come watch me play. After picking my jaw up off the floor, I gave her the address of the game store, and met her there. Remember, this is the girl who is opposed to D&D for religious reasons. I'd actually turned her to being open to at least checking the game out.
Naturally, it was the lamest session of the whole season. The poor DM tried to make it fun, but the players were me, a 10 year old, his 13 year old sister and their mother. None of them really wanted to be there that night, and play just suffered. We had a TPK, which I felt was actually a merciful end to a bad session. I thought that would probably end it for my roommate. Fortunately, she picked up on the fact that the particular session sucked. She got to see how the game plays from a mechanics point of view, and left with a much better understanding of the game. Turns out it was still a positive thing for her to watch. I think she accepts it a lot more now that she understands the game a little better, and this will make selling me spending money on Gen Con a lot easier.
Anyway, that's the news. Now that we are moving back into con season and people are thinking about Gen Con again, I'll be posting a lot more I hope. I've got a couple of local eatery reviews lined up, and hope that will be valuable for those attending.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
In it for the Long Haul: Some Observations on D&D Campaigns
It's very interesting to me how the game that is Dungeons & Dragons has changed and progressed over the years. Edition wars aside, techniques for doing things have changed with the times and evolved. I think this is most visible in what I'm seeing of campaign settings in current games.
When I played in high school, I always had to be the DM. No one else wanted to do it. I learned what I could from other DMs wherever I met them and from Dragon Magazine, but there was no internet and I didn't get to any cons. My experience among all the DMs I met, and all the articles I read was that a campaign was about a consistent world. You placed your adventures in that framework, and the story that evolved was mostly episodic in nature. You started at the base of designing the world and worked out from there. The map came first, and that allowed you to place adventures and cities in between them so you could link everything. Once you had the map, the rest took care of itself.
What I'm seeing a lot of now is a very different approach to designing a campaign. A predetermined story or theme is the central element. The DMs out there are starting with ideas, and designing adventures around them to allow that players to discover the plot or wrestle with the theme. The map comes last, if it comes at all. It's all about ideas now. Personally, I think this is great.
I always wondered why I couldn't really get my campaigns to feel like a fantasy novel for more than a few adventures at a time, but now it's obvious. If you don't start with a story with villains and a predetermined plot progression, you don't get a fantasy novel experience out of your game. Being a few years older helps make this way more clear too :).
I'm glad I'm taking this perspective with me as I ramp up my gaming. I still want to stick with playing for a while, especially if I can find a group to play with on a regular basis, but I'm starting to lay the framework for a campaign I'd like to run. Yes, I have a story I'd like to tell, and I'm going to tell it at some point. Hopefully whoever plays it out will be as interested in it as I am.
For those making your own campaigns, I'd like to submit the following list of resources to really help you out. These individuals and the material they produce have had a profound impact on my thinking, and provided a wealth of ideas and materials. Agree or disagree with them, they'll get you thinking and that's always a good thing.
Twitter:
When I played in high school, I always had to be the DM. No one else wanted to do it. I learned what I could from other DMs wherever I met them and from Dragon Magazine, but there was no internet and I didn't get to any cons. My experience among all the DMs I met, and all the articles I read was that a campaign was about a consistent world. You placed your adventures in that framework, and the story that evolved was mostly episodic in nature. You started at the base of designing the world and worked out from there. The map came first, and that allowed you to place adventures and cities in between them so you could link everything. Once you had the map, the rest took care of itself.
What I'm seeing a lot of now is a very different approach to designing a campaign. A predetermined story or theme is the central element. The DMs out there are starting with ideas, and designing adventures around them to allow that players to discover the plot or wrestle with the theme. The map comes last, if it comes at all. It's all about ideas now. Personally, I think this is great.
I always wondered why I couldn't really get my campaigns to feel like a fantasy novel for more than a few adventures at a time, but now it's obvious. If you don't start with a story with villains and a predetermined plot progression, you don't get a fantasy novel experience out of your game. Being a few years older helps make this way more clear too :).
I'm glad I'm taking this perspective with me as I ramp up my gaming. I still want to stick with playing for a while, especially if I can find a group to play with on a regular basis, but I'm starting to lay the framework for a campaign I'd like to run. Yes, I have a story I'd like to tell, and I'm going to tell it at some point. Hopefully whoever plays it out will be as interested in it as I am.
For those making your own campaigns, I'd like to submit the following list of resources to really help you out. These individuals and the material they produce have had a profound impact on my thinking, and provided a wealth of ideas and materials. Agree or disagree with them, they'll get you thinking and that's always a good thing.
Twitter:
- @DreadGazeebo
- @SaveVersusDeath
- @ThadeousC
- @Jelmore
- @DeadOrcs
- @TheAngryDM
- @d20monkey
- @SlyFlourish
- @CriticalHits
- @MikeMearls
- @Christulach
- @aquelajames
- @BruceCordell
- @direflail
- @DMSamuel
- @chattydm
- @Gamefiend
- @LoganBonner
- @Matt_James_RPG
- @Trollitc
- @newbiedm
- @Davethegame
- @Bartoneous
- @SarahDarkmagic
- @Gregbilsland
- @ChrisSSims
Web Resources
- http://www.obsidianportal.com/ - Awesome campaign design site
Blogs....There are really too many to list. Many of those I've mentioned on twitter have their own blog. Read them (just do it! :) ).
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Getting in the Groove for D&D Encounters
Oh blog, how I've neglected thee...
Actually it's just been really busy around here. That's not a bad thing. I'm going to do a much longer post soon concerning some observations I've made about how far DMing has come since I last played seriously, but until I can finish that, I'm going to talk a little here about getting in the swing of playing D&D 4E.
Role playing is old hat for me. I can RP as little, or as much as the group I'm in wants. Personally, I prefer a little at least, if just because it adds opportunities for fun and humor. Role playing hasn't changed much.
The game, however, really has. AD&D was always a mini game to a degree, but they were there to allow for better visualization and some minor positioning. Now, where you are on the grid is everything. That took some getting used to. I'm happy to say that I've gotten used to it.
I am playing a knight (fighter/defender). My character is all about keeping the enemy away from the more delicate characters that hit harder than I do, but can't take the damage. This last session, I finally got myself in a position where just about everything that tried to get around me got punished for the attempt. Of course having some good rolls helped too, but I wouldn't have gotten to even try to roll the dice if my position was wrong.
Yes, my discovery for the day is that in 4E combat position is a high percentage of the battle.
Actually it's just been really busy around here. That's not a bad thing. I'm going to do a much longer post soon concerning some observations I've made about how far DMing has come since I last played seriously, but until I can finish that, I'm going to talk a little here about getting in the swing of playing D&D 4E.
Role playing is old hat for me. I can RP as little, or as much as the group I'm in wants. Personally, I prefer a little at least, if just because it adds opportunities for fun and humor. Role playing hasn't changed much.
The game, however, really has. AD&D was always a mini game to a degree, but they were there to allow for better visualization and some minor positioning. Now, where you are on the grid is everything. That took some getting used to. I'm happy to say that I've gotten used to it.
I am playing a knight (fighter/defender). My character is all about keeping the enemy away from the more delicate characters that hit harder than I do, but can't take the damage. This last session, I finally got myself in a position where just about everything that tried to get around me got punished for the attempt. Of course having some good rolls helped too, but I wouldn't have gotten to even try to roll the dice if my position was wrong.
Yes, my discovery for the day is that in 4E combat position is a high percentage of the battle.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Construction Updates
This will be a short post. I've been meaning to get to it for a while, but it's amazing how these things slip through the cracks.
The Indianapolis Convention Center construction seems to be proceeding on schedule. It's been very hot in Indy these past few months, and some construction projects were delayed a bit due to the heat. It looks like they're fairly close to moving to completely indoor construction on the convention center though, so it's certainly on track for being complete for Gen Con next year.
The J. W. Marriott is moving along nicely as well. I can't wait to see what this hotel is like when it's done. They recently put the letters on the hotel, so it's no longer just a curved sheet of glass. Peeking through the windows it looks like construction on the interior is moving at a good clip too. I can't see much that could hold this hotel back from being completed on time.
This hotel will be a two gerbil tube hop from the convention center just like the Hyatt is, but on the opposite end. There's a whole "Marriott Compound" sitting behind it, and it looks like they'll all be joined.
The west side of this hotel looks down on White River State Park. This would be a great location to have w00tstock come during Gen Con. As we get closer, it would be great if everyone hopped over to the w00tstock page, and followed the links to "demand" an Indianapolis w00tstock. I think this link will get you there. Sure, the orchestral video game music concert was nice this past year, but w00tstock during Gen Con would be epic.
 |
| Construction continues on the convention center. |
The Indianapolis Convention Center construction seems to be proceeding on schedule. It's been very hot in Indy these past few months, and some construction projects were delayed a bit due to the heat. It looks like they're fairly close to moving to completely indoor construction on the convention center though, so it's certainly on track for being complete for Gen Con next year.
 |
| The new J. W. Marriott hotel |
This hotel will be a two gerbil tube hop from the convention center just like the Hyatt is, but on the opposite end. There's a whole "Marriott Compound" sitting behind it, and it looks like they'll all be joined.
The west side of this hotel looks down on White River State Park. This would be a great location to have w00tstock come during Gen Con. As we get closer, it would be great if everyone hopped over to the w00tstock page, and followed the links to "demand" an Indianapolis w00tstock. I think this link will get you there. Sure, the orchestral video game music concert was nice this past year, but w00tstock during Gen Con would be epic.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Charlie and Barney's: A Great Place to Grab a Burger at Gen Con
Finally, as promised, I'm going to start posting some things that I hope will be useful for Gen Con attendees in 2011. The first here is a review of Charley & Barney's. This is a great, local, semi-fast food restaurant that happens to be conveniently located right in the lobby of the Hyatt.
The Hyatt is one of the more attractive downtown hotels once you get inside, with a large interior atrium. There are a significant number of Gen Con events held in their facilities. The hotel is also one of the few joined to the convention center by a crosswalk (OK...it actually joins to a parking garage, but it's just 2 gerbil tubes to the con center). There's a Starbucks here, a Subway, and Charley & Barney's.
The highlighted fare at this little sit-down or take-away restaurant is the chilli and the burgers. Both are very tasty. I stopped by last week to have lunch, and got the bacon burger and fries. The burger is good sized (not huge), and there's a toppings bar where you can add whatever you want. The toppings bar also has a lot of items for adding to the chilli so you can end up with chilli just the way you like it. From ordering time to being at my table ready to bite into the burger was about 4 minutes. That's faster than most of the fast food places around here. I honestly wouldn't expect that speed when it gets crowded, but I suspect you can still expect to be in and out of there fairly quickly during Gen Con.
I've been to other Charley & Barney's locations before, so I knew what to expect: A great tasting burger. I was not disappointed at all on this count. Way better than Steak & Shake in my opinion. I'm not a big Steak & Shake fan because I think their burgers are way to thin and usually end up like hockey pucks. The C & B burger was thicker and juicier, which is much more to my taste.
One of the disappointments at this location was the fries. C & B fries are normally one of the best things about the meal. Usually the fries are large, waffle-cut fries covered in a spicy salt. They're to die for if you're a fry lover. For some reason, at this location they were serving the regular style fries with minimal spicy goodness. I would highly recommend asking what kind of fries you will be getting with your burger, and asking for the waffle fries if they won't be giving those to you. Even if you have to pay extra, it will be totally worth the money.
Anyhow, if you need a quick place to stop for lunch while you're between games at Gen Con and you want fare that's a bit more than a fast food meal, I recommend checking Charley and Barney's out. My meal cost about $8 (bacon burger w/fries and a soda). That's just a little bit more than a fast food meal will run you, and it's so much tastier. Probably healthier too.
 |
| The Atrium of the Indianapolis Hyatt |
The highlighted fare at this little sit-down or take-away restaurant is the chilli and the burgers. Both are very tasty. I stopped by last week to have lunch, and got the bacon burger and fries. The burger is good sized (not huge), and there's a toppings bar where you can add whatever you want. The toppings bar also has a lot of items for adding to the chilli so you can end up with chilli just the way you like it. From ordering time to being at my table ready to bite into the burger was about 4 minutes. That's faster than most of the fast food places around here. I honestly wouldn't expect that speed when it gets crowded, but I suspect you can still expect to be in and out of there fairly quickly during Gen Con.
 |
| Charley & Barney's sits on the ground floor of the Hyatt on the East side of the atrium. |
One of the disappointments at this location was the fries. C & B fries are normally one of the best things about the meal. Usually the fries are large, waffle-cut fries covered in a spicy salt. They're to die for if you're a fry lover. For some reason, at this location they were serving the regular style fries with minimal spicy goodness. I would highly recommend asking what kind of fries you will be getting with your burger, and asking for the waffle fries if they won't be giving those to you. Even if you have to pay extra, it will be totally worth the money.
Anyhow, if you need a quick place to stop for lunch while you're between games at Gen Con and you want fare that's a bit more than a fast food meal, I recommend checking Charley and Barney's out. My meal cost about $8 (bacon burger w/fries and a soda). That's just a little bit more than a fast food meal will run you, and it's so much tastier. Probably healthier too.
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