Instead, I have found that the “bag within a bag” strategy works for me.

Ready to pack for Gencon

First, find a soft-sided bag to go inside of your normal suitcase.  I have reduced what I bring with me to one suitcase that I check-in and a carry-on bag.  This may require you to put aside that last rule book you threw into your bag just in case, but trust me, you probably don’t need it, and if you do, someone else will have it.  Once you are safely at your hotel in Indy – Ta Da! – You have a bag just for Gencon swag!

Granted, the poor airlines that are living hand-to-mouth will charge you for that extra bag on your way home, but in my opinion, it is worth it to not worry about running out of bag space to get that last must-have item home.

Full of swag!

3. The Ram – From Gencon’s first year in Indy the Ram done an amazing job catering to the conference, from the geeked up menu to running classic moves in the bar area. Even though the place is often packed you can usually at least find a place to sit and have a drink (or a wing or two). One year a couple of us found ourselves there after a long day of gaming watching “Ice Pirates” of all movies and if you have seen it you then know to watch out for space herpes! Then along standard restaurant measures the food and beer are good and the staff is friendly. The Ram for me is my Wednesday afternoon place to comb through the swag bag and a little RTFM (if you never worked in support look it up).

Honorable mention goes to Claddagh Irish Pub (they are on twitter). A couple friends “found” them two years ago and I visited them last year and will be back this year. They have Guinness which would be enough for me but also some great food (somewhere on this blog you can find a picture of the sandwich I had there last year). It sounds like they will have a lot going on for the con so check them out.

5. Anime / Movie Rooms – Yes I like anime, another one of the many things that makes me hopelessly nerdy and I remind my wife she walked in knowing these when she married me. Anyway, the anime rooms for me have always been a late night event and usually a slightly buzzed one as well. At least one night a year my feet seem to lead me there for a nice sleepy movie. Last year in was not anime but Conan that a friend and I both dozed on and off through Conan. Luckily I have seen it enough times to know what was going on even after several times where the movie seemed to have jumped forward 10 minutes when I was sure I had only shut my eyes for a second. Being that I find these rooms so cozy makes me wonder why I go through all the trouble of getting a hotel room.

Hoped you enjoyed part two. Next chapter is about the big one I have missed, the gaming, because as they say it is “The Best Four Days In Gaming!”

1. The first double-take by an Indy native – While I think Indy has adjusted to Gencon, it is inevitable to spot someone doing a double-take of a storm trooper, cloaked person with pointy ears or the person walking along with a dragon on their shoulder. I have never been a big “dress up” guy, until recently, as it is my daughter’s favorite game, and that involves me being either a princess or a rock star, but I digress… My point is that despite these occasional double-takes people feel safe to show their gamer pride and that is not trivial!

2. The constant flow of nerd comments and observations – I think it was my first Gencon in Milwaukee and I was stuffed into the hotel elevator on Thursday morning with everyone’s impossibly heavy suitcases of rule books, figures, cards, dice, Mountain Dew, and various accoutrement, when I first experienced this behavior. The doors slide shut and someone say, “Shields up!” In nearly every other elevator in the world this would have been met with uncomfortable silence, but at Gencon this elicited a chuckle from everyone in the elevator. That is when as a gamer or nerd, you know you are with “your” people. Plus trust me nearly every other person you meet is just looking for that excuse to tell you about their character or game.  “Did you just order a a not fat mocha?  That reminds me of my 3.5 elven ranger….”

3. The auction – Of all the years I have attended, I have never actually bought something in the auction but I go there every year. It is fun to see some of the old stuff that is up for sale and the auctioneers are a riot. Between the bids you can learn all kinds of interesting gaming history tidbits. It is a great way to spend 15 minutes between games or when you need to rest your feet from the exhibit hall.  The auction store is not bad either and is a great way to give your shoulder a rest as they check your bag but if your like me you will leave with some old book, figure, or some treasure you can’t believe was only a dollar.

Well that is the end of part 1.  I actually don’t have a part 2 planned but there is much more I look forward to Gencon and since there are still three weeks left and my wife will, if not already, be tired of me talking about it I might as well just send it out to the internet.

SEP: Adventurer’s Vault, Forgotten Realms Players Guide
OCT: Martial Power
NOV: Draconomicon
Dec: Manual of the Planes
JAN: Open Grave
MAR: Player’s Handbook 2
APR: Arcane Power
MAY: Monster Manual 2
JUN: Eberron Campaign Guild
JUL: Eberron Players Guide, Divine Power
AUG: Adventurer’s Vault 2