GenCon 50 Planning

[gamedave]

We are 60 days and counting to GenCon 50. We need to get serious about planning. Let's get this right, people.

Itinerary Proposals

Tuesday

We depart for GenCon.

• Option 1: Meet up at the Turks' around noon, have lunch, hit the road.
• Option 2: Meet up at the Turks' mid-morning, hit the road.
• Option 3: Meet up at the Turks' mid-afternoon.
• Option 4: ?

We have a leisurely drive, and stop at a hotel Tuesday night somewhere en route.

Wednesday

Leisurely drive to Indianapolis, aiming to arrive at the hotel early/mid-afternoon. Check in and relax. Possible sight-seeing Wednesday evening?

Thursday

GenCon!!!

Time TBD: Leave the hotel, drive to the Gate 10 parking lot, walk two blocks to the ICC.

• Rob is scheduled for an event at 10 am (LOC UNK). The rest of us have our first scheduled event at noon (ICC 242). The Exhibitors' Hall doesn't open until 10 am. There will be a short opening ceremony in the ICC atrium outside the main entrance to the Exhibitors' Hall, and a huge crowd. If we want to get into the hall in the first crush, we should get to the ICC early and stake out a spot near the doors. If we want to avoid the opening crush, there's really no reason to get to the ICC much before 10.

12-4 pm: Night's Black Agents RPG/"Van Helsing", ICC 242: 1-2.

• This is on the second floor of the convention center. If we want to hit the opening of the Exhibitors Hall, we will have time to walk around for a while before we head upstairs, but that doesn't leave much time for lunch. If we're taking part in the opening rush, we could leave the hall around 11:30, grab food from an ICC vendor, and take it to the game session.

5-8 pm: The One Ring RPG, ICC 242: 3-4.

• Right next door to our previous session, with an hour break. We could take an early dinner in this break. Otherwise, we don't have a meal break until after the concert (see below).

8-10 pm: They Might Be Giants Concert, Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

• Note that the concert start time is the same as the end time of our previous session. It's a two-block walk to the fieldhouse. Also, no bags/purses/backpacks are allowed in the concert hall. The Gate 10 parking lot is two blocks in another direction. We're really pressed for time here. Proposal: in the 4-5pm break, we walk to the car and drop off our bags. Depending on time, we take an early dinner, or grab food on the go to take to the One Ring session. We attend "gamer naked" (no bags, books, dice, etc). The One Ring uses specialized dice, and we'll be using pre-gen characters, so we shouldn't really need anything. We go straight from there to the concert.

c. 10 pm: Walk back to the car, drive back to the hotel.

Friday

Time TBD: Drive to the Gate 10 parking lot, walk to the ICC.

• We have a very light schedule Friday. The first scheduled event any of us have is for me at 1 pm. No one else has an event until 4 pm. We could sleep in a bit, have a nice breakfast, and aim to be at the ICC shortly before 10 am for the opening of the Exhibitor's Hall. Or we could leave earlier, if Rob and Jeremy, and maybe Cheryl, want to head over to the MtG area enter an open tournament.

c. 11 am: Take out steak lunch from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

• I've pre-ordered the lunches. The place is about two blocks from the ICC. It's take-out only, so we'd walk over and grab the food, then head back to the ICC, or maybe the Gate 10 lounge, to eat. We can do this anytime between 11 am and 1 pm, but I've got an event at 1 pm, so I'd prefer earlier.

c. 12-8 pm: Free Swim.

• Rob and Cheryl have events at 4-6 pm and 6-7:30 pm; I've got an event 1-3 pm; Jeremy has nothing. I think this part we can play by ear.

8-11 pm: Shadows of Brimstone, LOC UNK.

• Our last event of the day, as of this time the location hasn't been posted.

c. 11 pm: Walk back to the car, drive back to the hotel.

Saturday

8 am-12 pm: 13th Age RPG/"Omenquest", ICC 241:12.

• Early morning, we'll need to be at the ICC by 8 am. We're going to get very familiar with the ICC 240s block. Rob's got a noon event backing up on this; the rest of us may be able to grab lunch after this.

1-7pm: Varied.

• We've all got various activities scheduled during this block. We'll have to make separate plans. I think Rob and Cheryl will be mostly together, as will Jeremy and I.

7-8 pm: Endgame of Thrones, Westin: Capital II.

• We all reunite for this event, in the Westin Holtel, adjacent to the ICC.

9-10:30 pm: Haunted Walking Tour, ICC 209.

• Last event of the day, we will meet up with the tour group in ICC 209.

c. 10:30 pm: Walk back to the car, return to the hotel.

Sunday

Oh-Dark:Thirty: Check out of the hotel, drive to Gate 10 parking lot, walk to the ICC.

• We all have an 8 am event, and we'll need to check out before we leave for the day, so we'll need to be up 'n' at 'em early.

8 am: Cypher System RPG/"Infinity Shift", ICC 240: 3.

• Back to the ICC 240 block. We'll only have an hour between this event and the next event. We can grab lunch during the break, but this will also be the last chance we have to peruse the Exhibitor's Hall, as they tear down, and many vendors will be liquidating stocks. Technically, we'll have some time after the next event, but by then, most of the exhibitors will probably already be out.

12-3 pm: Maximum Apocalypse.

• Last event of the con!

3-4 pm: Exhibitors Hall?

• The Exhibitors' Hall officially closes at 4 pm, but by 3 pm most of the exhibitors will probably be closed and gone. Might still be worth one last walk-through.

c. 4 pm: We leave GenCon.

• We hit the road, stop for dinner along the way, and find a hotel to stay Sunday night.

Monday

Leisurely drive back to Wilmington. Depending on time, we may have dinner on the road?

GenCon!