GenCon 2015 and the 6th Annual RPPR Fan Meet-up: The Edition Wars Edition

[Tadanori Oyama]

GenCon 2015 is much earlier than normal.

Convention days run July 30th through August 2nd so you'll need to update your time accordingly.

Why am I posting about GenCon 2015 when it's still over two hundred days away? Because it's only six weeks until badge registration opens, followed extremely quickly by hotel registration. Anyone who remembers hotel registration last year can tell you that being on point is paramount.

True madmen like myself have actually already begun. Hotels in the area are currently open for non-GenCon block reservations and if you are willing to pay the price you can have a safety net coming into late Janurary. Booking outside of the GenCon block is way more expensive but it gets you in ahead of virtually everyone else.

As usual this thread will serve as an anchor for the lead up to the big event filled with information, alerts, tips, and events. Anyone is free to post about things they plan to do or events they want to arrange. Given the extreme success of social netowrking in organizing RPPR fans last year I plan to leverage that again for an even better result this time around.

Set the Crash Clock!

UPDATE

RPPR Panels at Gen Con:

http://gencon.highprogrammer.com/gencon-indy-2015.cgi/event/SEM1569717
http://gencon.highprogrammer.com/gencon-indy-2015.cgi/event/SEM1569751
http://gencon.highprogrammer.com/gencon-indy-2015.cgi/event/SEM1569743
http://gencon.highprogrammer.com/gencon-indy-2015.cgi/event/SEM1569694
http://gencon.highprogrammer.com/gencon-indy-2015.cgi/event/SEM1569750
http://gencon.highprogrammer.com/gencon-indy-2015.cgi/event/SEM1569673

Ross is also doing this: http://gencon.highprogrammer.com/gencon-indy-2015.cgi/event/SEM1571666

Caleb is also doing this: http://gencon.highprogrammer.com/gencon-indy-2015.cgi/event/SEM1570061

[Kamen]

I was actually thinking about making this thread the other day. I'm counting the days til Gen Con, it's like a holy pilgrimage at this point.

[Tadanori Oyama]

I was going to wait until Janurary and make it on "200 days until GenCon" but I just did the hotel reservation today so I figured I'd get on it early.

So, about that:

If you can, consider reserving a hotel room now. It is much more expensive but many hotels have no cancelation fees if the reservation is far enough out. So you can make a high priced reservation now and then try to get something from the GenCon block during normal registration.

Get something cheaper? Then cancel the high priced one. Get nothing? Then you have a back up. Housing is likely to be limited, much like last year, so consider buddying up with other gamers and visit the GenCon Community forums to look for potential roommates.

[Thorn]

I'm hoping to make this my first year.  Then again, I just learned I have a child due June 6th.  I'm a bit unsure if I'm going to be able to pull it off.  Might be flying solo if I go.  Might also be grounds for divorce if I go.

[Tadanori Oyama]

I'm hoping to make this my first year.  Then again, I just learned I have a child due June 6th.  I'm a bit unsure if I'm going to be able to pull it off.  Might be flying solo if I go.  Might also be grounds for divorce if I go.

You could be slick about it: "I'm just gotta step out to get more diapers. I'll be back in about four days."

[Tim]

I'm hoping to make this my first year.  Then again, I just learned I have a child due June 6th.  I'm a bit unsure if I'm going to be able to pull it off.  Might be flying solo if I go.  Might also be grounds for divorce if I go.

You could be slick about it: "I'm just gotta step out to get more diapers. I'll be back in about four days."

My own life changing bundle of joy arrived lats October so I am unsure if I will be able to swing it myself for this year for both time and money constraints (babies be expensive yo). I think I am going to buy a ticket and see about getting a room with the understanding I might thrown them back.

The new child will certainly train you for lack of sleep. If your experience is at all like mine two months would be a rough time unless you have family that can help. I think my own wife would have skipped the divorce and went right to homicide if I had left her when our son was eating every 2 hours but we did not have any support other than her or I (both families live on the other side of the country) so she would have to solo the boss fight while I had fun and that would have been a problem.

[Tadanori Oyama]

Three weeks until badge pre-registration which will be quickly followed by hotel registration. Everyone who wants to get a room through the housing block should make sure to purchase their badge and be ready on the morning of the 27th for registration. Now, that date isn't official, that's the usual timing. If it changes I'll let everyone know right away.

Hotel registration normally goes online at 9am Pacific, 12 noon Eastern. If you want a downtown hotel than I suggest taking the day off of work to be ready.

[Kamen]

So the dates for Gen Con are as follows:

 Event Submission: Open NOW! If you want to run a game(s) go submit ASAP!

 Badge Pre-Registration: Friday, January 23 at noon (Eastern).

 Hotel Registration: Sunday, January 25 at noon (Eastern).

 Event Registration: Sunday, May 17. Most likely opens at noon (Eastern) if going by previous years counts for anything. Also, the event catalog will probably open up May 10, so you get a week to pick your events and set up your schedule. Finally, make sure you are sitting at your computer mashing the F5 key on May 17 to get into the events you want because they will sell out immediately!

[Tadanori Oyama]

The new registration rules went live yesterday. For those not on the newletter here's a quick summary:

• You must have a badge to reserve a room in the housing block.
• Each badge will be randomly placed in a line for housing registration when the doors open on Sunday the 25th. The process is no longer first come first serve, you will be allowed in at your appointed time. A new entry code is generated for every two badges purchased by an account.
• There is a housing minimum, requiring a certain number of consecutive days to prevent holes popping up in hotel schedules.

[TMayesing78]

I will be there.  In fact I'll be there for my honeymoon.  Hotel is booked, vacation from work approved.

[Tadanori Oyama]

Additional GenCon notes:

For those that did not hear, badge prices have risen this year. A four day badge will now cost around $90.00. That's base cost before any taxes or shipping if you have it delievered. You must purchase a badge this Friday or Saturday (the 23rd or 24th) to get into the hotel draft on Sunday (the 25th).

[Graywalker]

Also, has anyone else notice the raise in event pricing?

I'm sure they mentioned it in the update notice but when I was filling out information for my events I noticed that the base price for a 4 hour event was $6 oppose to the $4 I recall the last time I submitted an event.

[Tim]

GenCon has got to get paid son!

Sadly I myself will be unable to attend this year. I hope that the RPPR banner proudly roams the halls in August and destroys no lighting fixtures.

Hopefully I can attend again in 2016.

Tim

[Review Cultist]

Looks like I finally get to go to Gencon! Woot!

[Tadanori Oyama]

Happy to have you! I'm always up for having more people come to the meet-up. And now that we've got social media: people who can be part of flash games.