The Good The Bad and the Ugly for 2016
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Posted by bith cosplaydeviants

cosplaydeviants wrote:
To those who are offended /  upset by the Cosplay Deviants booth at Gen Con I would love to bring a few things to light and possibly put some of your worries to rest. 
The objection is not that you were or are doing something illegal.  I don't think anyone has accused you of doing so. 

It's very much the same objection that many people have to a strip club opening up in their neighborhood.  Sure, there is nothing illegal about it, and they aren't going to let minors in, but it's "not the sort of thing" they want around. 

Whether that is a *valid* complaint or not, is up to GenCon to decide, but it is what it is. Defining the bounds of what is allowed and what is proper at their con is up to them.  Personally I'm not a fan (no offense) but I'm not exactly going to advocate that it be removed.  And I very much agree some of the art (both in and out of artists alley) pushes the boundary far more than you do, and I do (and have) advocated that the art be removed.  There's a substantial difference between selling product behind (metaphorical) closed doors and putting a tiny orange sticker over nipples/crotch and saying "see, safe for kids!".

Posted by generichick

Wanted to mention two more: 

Good:  Louie's Wine Dive on Mass Ave.  We discovered it by accident, and it was the best meal we had at Gen Con.

Bad to Ugly:  There was a booth selling porn openly near the back of the dealer's hall.  I don't mind Cosplay Deviants, but c'mon?  Do we need someone selling porn out there where any kid or three can stop by and see it? (I don't know if it was the same booth as the Cosplay Deviants, I was hurrying buy and saw it, stopped, backed up, confirmed what I saw, and then just sighed and walked away.)

Posted by thejoltess divachelle

divachelle wrote:
aldctjoc wrote:
brotherbock wrote:
divachelle wrote: 

  • Vendor Hall, part 2 - Why are there gaming/demos IN the Vendor Hall? This area should be for purchases only. Demos should be relocated to the play halls. This would cut down on confusion and the hordes stopping to observe.

 
Completely disagree. One, if I'm doing a hall crawl and see a cool looking game, you're going to ask me to leave the dealer hall and make my way to somewhere else in the ICC to get a five or ten minute taste of a game I may not like? And then return to the dealer hall to hit the next booth? Or make a huge list of games to demo for later on when I leave the hall? Not going to happen for 90% of them. So the dealer has lost my sale there. Seeing people playing the game right in front of me is huge when I'm deciding whether I want to buy a game or not. 
Two, if I find a game in the demo area that I sort of like, the odds of my going to buy it when I have to leave where I am and go to the dealer hall go way down, as opposed to having it for sale right there. So that's lost sales. 
Three, you're asking the vendors to bring along half again the number of people for staff. And pay and house them. Because for most booths, they don't have separate booth and demo people, they are the same people. 
Honestly, the crowds, to a certain extent, are part of the greatness of the dealer hall. Obviously it can get bad. But I don't want massively wide and empty feeling aisles. And I definitely don't want demos secluded somewhere away from sales. 

Add to that the fact that, if it's only a shopping and display area, it all of a sudden stops feeling like a convention and more like a huge store. To me, the demos are a huge part of the Exhibit Hall's awesomeness.Now, in fairness, I'm sympathetic to divachelle's complaint about crowding. It can get frustrating at times. But I think I'd hate for the demos removal to be the answer; to me, that'd take away too much. Maybe even wider lanes... although there's not a whole lot of unused space there, I fully admit. Plus, part of the charm is the absolutely dynamic feeling of the crowd seeing things, and I fear a lot of that would be diluted if the crowd were dispersed more.
I guess I didn't think through the logistics of what I was saying pre-post. My bad.There just seems to be no space for onlookers, and then you add in the fricking garbage cans in the intersections and strollers and big backpacks and and and...it's an obstacle course. Perhaps a staging area of some sort to allow people to step off the aisles to observe and/or queue up for the next demo?
If the demos could be demos and not full games that would really help. I've waited in lines where the demos never seem to end, and it's a few clicks past ridiculous at this point. 

I have to agree with Demos should actually be demos and not full game play. There were a couple booths that I questioned whether they were actually showing the game and giving demos or if they were playing a full game - these should have been in the play halls/separate room. The only exception would be for small games that take 10-15 minutes.

Posted by garhkal fizler

indigopet wrote:
Orc Stomp is a 5k at White River State Park at 6:30 Fri AM.  It was the 8th year. 

Interesting..  IS it just the walk, or is there stuff you also do during it??
lanefan wrote:The Ugly:
Tilted Kilt - pricey I can live with; pricey with poor service I can live without
People who insist on wearing huge backpacks on their backs in tight quarters such as the dealers' hall or while boarding an airplane (hint: if you reverse it and wear it on your front you can see who or what you're clobbering with it)

I was surprised i didn't see anywhere NEAR as many rolly cases this year as last or the year before.  BUT i like that suggestion of wearing the backpack on frontwards..
fizler wrote:
People are complaining about the Deviants?  I don't care for them but if you want to eliminate something really offensive lets talk about censoring T-shirts.  That is something that is really pretty out of hand.
As a "semi-professional" shirt collector I pay more attention to shirts than most and I saw dozens of shirts with "F-bombs" on them everywhere in the convention and many MUCH more offensive then just the wording.  Some were really over the line.
I can keep my kids away from the deviants booth but I cannot stop people from wearing vulgar t-shirts and sitting down at a game with my kids.
I like a good shirt more than most but COME ON people.  Get a clue.  

The only shirt i saw like that, was not even IN the con center..  It was over at the mall neck of the woods.. 
willfoy wrote:- Lugging purchases around. I have no idea where GC would put it, but it would be nice to have a Game "coat check" concept somewhere, with a time limitation, and/or lockers around the hall where people could drop gear for a limited time. IE, have an event over in one of the hotels, and don't want to lug 30 pounds of games somewhere in the heat? Drop with a game-check agent for the price of $x, with a 4 hour clock (or something) to pick it back up. Again, no idea where it could be, real estate is not readily available in the ICC, but, maybe a hallway space between ICC and Lucas Oil? Give a ticket, pick up stuff, but otherwise, can't pick up without? And of course, can be stowed in backpacks/luggage, but it's an idea. and GC could charge a reasonable fee for such a service, and I'd happily pay.

Security issues prevent that..  Best you can do is hope you are hotelling close by so you can go drop them off in your room..
kiyote wrote:
Softcore porn may be what they are, but that is most definitely not what is on display in the booth.  Unless you go digging, you're seeing nothing in that booth that isn't available in dozens of others.  I would point out that the artists alley contained significantly more flesh on display. 

I have seen far more shown in sports mags than i saw on some of those artists work...
daveculp wrote:You just reminded me of another "bad".I agree in part, the number of demo games is growing out of control.  I dont mind the demos so much but there do seem to be a lot more of them and there appeared to be companies that had little to sell and were only doing demos. 

While i can see some wanting the demos moved, for some of the game makers, that is HOW they showcase their wares to sell..
aldctjoc wrote:Add to that the fact that, if it's only a shopping and display area, it all of a sudden stops feeling like a convention and more like a huge store. To me, the demos are a huge part of the Exhibit Hall's awesomeness.Now, in fairness, I'm sympathetic to divachelle's complaint about crowding. It can get frustrating at times. But I think I'd hate for the demos removal to be the answer; to me, that'd take away too much. Maybe even wider lanes... although there's not a whole lot of unused space there, I fully admit. Plus, part of the charm is the absolutely dynamic feeling of the crowd seeing things, and I fear a lot of that would be diluted if the crowd were dispersed more.

As i suggested earlier..  The Exhibitors hall SEEMS tall enough to put in a 2nd level (not sure on the logistics of doing so though).. So perhaps they could make one layer for sellers/artists etc, and one for those doing those demos..

 

Posted by aaronmlopez cosplaydeviants

cosplaydeviants wrote:
To those who are offended /  upset by the Cosplay Deviants booth at Gen Con I would love to bring a few things to light and possibly put some of your worries to rest. 
Cosplay Deviants has had the pleasure of exhibiting and hosting events at Gen Con since 2010. While some of our events are 18-21+ our booth at this show and every other show we exhibit at is family friendly. ALL of our displayed content is either in costume or printed censored, meaning it is physically impossible for anyone to see any nude content at our booth without having made a purchase. 
We ID EVERYONE for adult content merchandise! This actually annoys some of our customers but more often than not I would rather be safe than sorry. Our Cosplayers are given strict rules not to engage minors, or sell to anyone beneath a certain age.
We only hire actual geeks, meaning many of the games you're interested in, they are too. We're not just some porn site putting girls in costumes and trying to make a quick buck. These are people just as passionate about geek culture as you are.
We hosted more than 750 players at our events this year, and look to expand our event schedule in 2017. We are interested in bringing more content to Gen Con, not just selling our wares. 
I often tell people that out of all the conventions we attend that Gen Con is my favorite for how well it's run, and the people that attend it. I know we cannot please everyone, and some people will be unhappy about our content but if you have any uncertainties, please feel free to come to me here, or anyone at our booth and we can do our best to put them to rest. 
Thank you for your honesty. I look forward to seeing you all in 2017!

For one, I am not offended/upset at Cosplay Deviants being at Gen Con, just where they were in the Dealer Hall and the fact that there is no "Adults Only" area designated at Gen Con to give those who do not wish to be exposed to it an opportunity to avoid it. Though your services do not appeal to me, it is not my intention to condemn you or anything for being who you are. If I go to an R-Rated movie, for example, the theater has signs and posters showing the rating and I have a choice at that point whether or not I wish to take my children to the movie. But the way the booths are set up in the dealer hall, I was just walking booth to booth and was handed a card. I didn't know what they were, and truthfully saw the word "cosplay" on it and just put it in my bag and didn't read any more until I got home. When I got home I read the card and went to the website and that's when I noticed what you were. So it is not that your booth workers were rude, or even remotely anything less than well behaved and professional and courteous. I just wish that there was a better location/area notated on the Dealer Hall map of where adult only displays may be so those that wish to avoid them could reroute their wandering path rather than have a discussion with a young child before you are ready to do so. 

Posted by bcpierce

The Good:

Not having to spend my Saturday morning in Urgent Care thanks to my toe kersploding and then the rest of the con in the hotel room like I did last year. That was a massive, massive bonus.

Getting to meet people and chat (although I am sorry, austicke, if I was very quiet when we met at the stink - my husband can confirm I tend to get that way a lot! But it really was lovely to get a chance to meet you. along with everyone else I had a chance to talk to over the weekend.)

The Charity Auction - I always love going there because you never know what might happen, and this year was no exception. A special shout out to not only Jim (who we put through so much) but all the auction volunteers, because they put in a lot of time and effort to keep things running smoothly

Gamers Live - also another thing I will do every year because it is amazing. Plus it too is much better without kersploding toes, but that can be said for many things.

The dealers room - while as usual I know I missed things, it really was much easier to get around this year, and I appreciated being able to get to space along the walls so I could make necessary adjustments without having to fight through a sea of people to do it.

All the games I got to play - while I didn't get as many structured games as I might have liked, I did get plenty of free form RP/improv-type things in and I had a blast with everything. And I loved Firefly Shiny Dice so much I went out and bought it even though I hadn't planned on that at all. Whoops?

The bad:

Trying to get to an event in Wabash HQ which started just before the start of the costume parade. I realize that people had to be staged somewhere but it was really frustrating getting lost and going to down to try and get in to a door at the ballroom so I could ask for directions only to be told I had to backtrack and go find another door to go in because of it. It was one of the two times during the con that I was genuinely irritated by something and the other time was for something that was off-site and not related to the con at all.

The meh:

Sleep debt - I was expecting some, simply because we were at an airport hotel and everyone except me had early morning things to do. But it was worse than I'd anticipated due to some things being out of my control at the hotel, so I was dragging by the end of the con. Still! Way better than kersplodey toes, so it really wasn't as bad as it could've been.

Not getting to the Sun King tent - that was more a conscious decision on my part, simply because the lack of sleep meant that drinking something that would make me even more sleepy was a bad idea.

The food trucks - I got to have some old favorites and try some new things this year, but I missed a few of the trucks I've enjoyed in the past and wasn't really up to trying some of the spicier alternatives, so my choices felt a bit more limited than they have before.

The arcade games in the hallway leading to Lucas Oil - I thought it was pretty cool they were there, but the light coming in the window made it difficult to see the screens in a few cases, and I had the worlds shortest game of Road Blasters as a result. I was tickled by the fact it was there, though.

All in all, there was way more good than bad, and even though I am still working on getting past the sleep debt, it was a good weekend.

Posted by braewe

Just a note about the Cosplay Deviants booth...The people objecting didn't even realize until LATER when they sought out the website. So it seems to me that the booth itself of theirs was not objectionable, just the card-handing to the site...which was handed to an adult, not a child.

I saw many many many MANY costumes where people were wearing much less than the CD's. 

Posted by austicke bcpierce

bcpierce wrote:Getting to meet people and chat (although I am sorry, austicke, if I was very quiet when we met at the stink - my husband can confirm I tend to get that way a lot! But it really was lovely to get a chance to meet you. along with everyone else I had a chance to talk to over the weekend.)

Aw, you're sweet. It was wonderful to meet so many online friends from these forums and the Gen Con Indy Facebook group, but it's sure hard to remember names and faces from profile photos. Sorry if I missed anyone!
 

Posted by cosplaydeviants aaronmlopez

aaronmlopez wrote:
cosplaydeviants wrote:
To those who are offended /  upset by the Cosplay Deviants booth at Gen Con I would love to bring a few things to light and possibly put some of your worries to rest. 
Cosplay Deviants has had the pleasure of exhibiting and hosting events at Gen Con since 2010. While some of our events are 18-21+ our booth at this show and every other show we exhibit at is family friendly. ALL of our displayed content is either in costume or printed censored, meaning it is physically impossible for anyone to see any nude content at our booth without having made a purchase. 
We ID EVERYONE for adult content merchandise! This actually annoys some of our customers but more often than not I would rather be safe than sorry. Our Cosplayers are given strict rules not to engage minors, or sell to anyone beneath a certain age.
We only hire actual geeks, meaning many of the games you're interested in, they are too. We're not just some porn site putting girls in costumes and trying to make a quick buck. These are people just as passionate about geek culture as you are.
We hosted more than 750 players at our events this year, and look to expand our event schedule in 2017. We are interested in bringing more content to Gen Con, not just selling our wares. 
I often tell people that out of all the conventions we attend that Gen Con is my favorite for how well it's run, and the people that attend it. I know we cannot please everyone, and some people will be unhappy about our content but if you have any uncertainties, please feel free to come to me here, or anyone at our booth and we can do our best to put them to rest. 
Thank you for your honesty. I look forward to seeing you all in 2017!

For one, I am not offended/upset at Cosplay Deviants being at Gen Con, just where they were in the Dealer Hall and the fact that there is no "Adults Only" area designated at Gen Con to give those who do not wish to be exposed to it an opportunity to avoid it. Though your services do not appeal to me, it is not my intention to condemn you or anything for being who you are. If I go to an R-Rated movie, for example, the theater has signs and posters showing the rating and I have a choice at that point whether or not I wish to take my children to the movie. But the way the booths are set up in the dealer hall, I was just walking booth to booth and was handed a card. I didn't know what they were, and truthfully saw the word "cosplay" on it and just put it in my bag and didn't read any more until I got home. When I got home I read the card and went to the website and that's when I noticed what you were. So it is not that your booth workers were rude, or even remotely anything less than well behaved and professional and courteous. I just wish that there was a better location/area notated on the Dealer Hall map of where adult only displays may be so those that wish to avoid them could reroute their wandering path rather than have a discussion with a young child before you are ready to do so. 

Understandable. Our Cosplayers know not to engage children, and when we request our booth every year we do so as far from the "Family Pavilion" as possible, but we cannot control where the Gen Con overlords place us. 

As for an adults-only area of the exhibit hall; we attend shows around the world and I've never seen this done at any gaming, comic, anime or sci-fi show. 

Our booth did have two  24" x 36" 18+ signs displayed all weekend, but I will take note about the business card and will consider adding a disclaimer on it. Thank you for your input.

Posted by thejoltess garhkal

garhkal wrote:
indigopet wrote:
Orc Stomp is a 5k at White River State Park at 6:30 Fri AM.  It was the 8th year. 

Interesting..  IS it just the walk, or is there stuff you also do during it??

The Orc Stomp 5K is a fun run. You can run, walk or run/walk it. The course takes place just behind the JW Marriott in the White River State Park, which is a beautiful area that everyone should check out if they have the time! You also travel behind the Indianapolis Zoo which has some lovely shaded areas (and funky smells). This year the course was different and went behind the Zoo, the White State Park Gardens and under a bridge, then looped back to the starting area. I actually did not like the course this year, mainly because the new area smelt like canned cat food which was off putting so early in the morning, and this course had a lot more hills in it, which my husband and I definitely did not train for, haha. But we made it so that's what matters.

The Orc Stomp 5 K is also a charity run; all proceeds after initial costs of hosting the run go to a local charity (The Ronald McDonald House of Indy I think for the last few years). You get a nifty shirt, some of the sponsors donate prizes that get raffled off (I won a game from Stronghold the first year I ran in 2013) or offer discounts at their booths during the con and for the last two years, Exile Press (Hollow Earth Expedition RPG) has had a ribbon contest in which you race the raptors (three of them in super hot dino costumes!). We barely beat them last year haha. You get a badge ribbon and bragging rights, plus a cool story to tell other people at the con where you got the Raptor Racer ribbon. This year I bought their RPG because I love that the sponsor Orc Stomp and I think their race the raptors idea was really good (and I am super interested in learning more about their RPG!).
 

Posted by galahadkoa cosplaydeviants

cosplaydeviants wrote:
To those who are offended /  upset by the Cosplay Deviants booth at Gen Con I would love to bring a few things to light and possibly put some of your worries to rest. 
Cosplay Deviants has had the pleasure of exhibiting and hosting events at Gen Con since 2010. While some of our events are 18-21+ our booth at this show and every other show we exhibit at is family friendly. ALL of our displayed content is either in costume or printed censored, meaning it is physically impossible for anyone to see any nude content at our booth without having made a purchase. 
We ID EVERYONE for adult content merchandise! This actually annoys some of our customers but more often than not I would rather be safe than sorry. Our Cosplayers are given strict rules not to engage minors, or sell to anyone beneath a certain age.
We only hire actual geeks, meaning many of the games you're interested in, they are too. We're not just some porn site putting girls in costumes and trying to make a quick buck. These are people just as passionate about geek culture as you are.
We hosted more than 750 players at our events this year, and look to expand our event schedule in 2017. We are interested in bringing more content to Gen Con, not just selling our wares. 
I often tell people that out of all the conventions we attend that Gen Con is my favorite for how well it's run, and the people that attend it. I know we cannot please everyone, and some people will be unhappy about our content but if you have any uncertainties, please feel free to come to me here, or anyone at our booth and we can do our best to put them to rest. 
Thank you for your honesty. I look forward to seeing you all in 2017!

*Waves to Amy Fantasy!*

Posted by bpunkert

This was my very first GenCon. I may come back. Some of the most challenging things over the week had little to do with the convention at all, so I will restrict myself to con related things.

The Good:

Dresden Files RPG: This was about 40% of my reason for coming to Gencon and it was as awesome as I hoped it would be,. Courtney was an amazing GM and everyone was super friendly and nice to the n00b. The lengthy backstory and detailed character sheets were really helpful in terms of getting a feel for my character and everyone was really great about playing along. When I read the character sheet in more depth at home, I realize I shouldn't have been able to use the rifle point blank, but whatever; it didn't keep me from nearly getting kilt anyway. :)

XMen LARP: I kind of added this at the last minute on a whim. Kat and Oz are amazing. They worked with me for two weeks before the con to build my character and did a video Google hangout to explain mechanics (which meant I knew at least one other player - hi Randall). Thank you so much for being welcoming and helping me decrypt my character sheets and figure out what I could DO. And to my group for being such good sports when the best thing I could come up with was dive bombing the Green Goblin with 400 pigeons in Times Square and getting them to poop on him until he fell off the glider. *lol* One of my cats has been adopted by a long running character in the local game, which is kind of awesome.

True Dungeon (Group Two): These consisted of 50% of my reason for attending. We only got about half the rooms, but everyone was super welcoming and made sure we could all chime in on the puzzles and stuff and we didn't feel left out or extraneous

True Dungeon (Group One): The drow lady leading us around who saw my ACL brace and offered to let me step out of the first challenge when she saw I was struggling. I managed it, but we had this great conversation about knee problems for about half the dungeon. *laughing*

Scalemail Dicebag: I ran out of time because I did the first row the wrong way and had to start over, but I have about half of a dicebag. I have tried to do chainmail in the past but have really struggled with it because I keep losing my place. Working with the scales actually made it a lot easier and less frustrating for me.

Torrid: We need this in Canada. Toronto isn't Canada, I mean the rest of us. :) Thank you Kaitlyn.

The one man who actually asked me to take a picture even though I am not obviously covered in goggles or gears, a TV character, a movie character, a comic book person, an anime character, or a game entity. I wore a yellow 1820s walking suit and for the most part was not sure why I bothered because it wasn't loud enough or obvious enough for anyone to care. So thank you random stranger.

The Question Mark People: Thank you. I got so fricking lost the first couple of days it wasn't funny. You were very helpful and gentle about getting me turned around in the right general direction.

The Staff in 123West at the Crowne Plaza: They let us take our coffee to go and even grabbed us little takeout containers so we could bring fruit or danishes with us. Luiz in particular was really wonderful. You go girl!
The Crowne Plaza Hotel Room Cards: Agricola themed Caravan hotel room cards were a nice touch

Cosplay Fence: The corraled area for cosplay photography was really neat and it seemed to keep people from stopping up the hallways too badly snapping photos.

The Lady At the ICC Coffee Shop: She was convinced we don't have change in Canada at all. It resulted in a pretty epic and somewhat confusing conversation when I explained we don't have dollar bills or pennies but we still have all the OTHER change.

Tim the GM: Both for being awesome at dinner and for hearing me out in Starbucks when I was utterly frustrated after the failed Strange game (see below).

The Meh:

True Dungeon (Group One): The folks who showed up super early with briefcases of pogs and were only interested in the loot and doing it as hardcore as possible. I wasn't interested in doing it hardcore, and I wasn't the only one, but I got the feeling there was a lot of annoyance at the newbies. I was having a panic attack in the muster room and trying not to cry because they were so obviously mad at us for wanting to play normal. Also, there is a difference between being decisive and making others feel unwelcome. It got precariously close to that line at times.

The Ram: Having absolutely NO SEATING in the wait line and then only going and getting a chair for the obviously not able bodied person after someone basically went and smacked the maitre'd in the nose with a rolled up newspaper was uncool. Look, I understand that you don't want people loitering with those wait times but a little compassion and the offer of a chair would have been gracious.

The Fat Rooster: Wasn't worth it and the "loaded potato salad" came with a side dose of sick the next day.

Steak and Shake: Having an app that gives me a free drink but won't let me register a non-American card to get it. Also, the shake was fantastic and they were good about seating us right away, but the burger was kind of meh.

The Bad:

The elevator in the ICC to the Crowne Plaza dying at some point on Friday. ACL Brace and eighteen foot ceilings and stairs are a badness when you are tired. Ehmagerd. It made for a lot of suck and unnecessary aggravation

The Strange: The kids spent MONTHS telling me how awesome the game was. MONTHS. We got to our table ten minutes early, it was not a Monte Cook room. We then got bounced around from room to room for ten minutes because someone had poached the table we would have been at. Our GM was late. He hadn't read the mod. He didn't explain anything about the world or the situation or why we were there, or why it was a different kind of game, or any of the mechanics, or what our character types did, or ANYTHING until someone reminded him (I had said it already) very pointedly that I was new and I had no idea what the blazes was happening. I was going to buy the book. I even looked at it. But after that mod I no longer wanted it or cared about the game. I get that you were dragooning people at the last minute, but that was the lowlight of my weekend.

Exhibit Hall: Two things, first off, put similar kinds of dealers together. Having to wander for miles to find the half dozen dice sellers stank hard. Also, put the really big booths at the ends, not straddling aisles where you have to go around them and get lost because you forgot where you were. Oh and one last thing. Demoing awesome games I can't buy sucks. If you are a kickstarter thingie, say so. Really obviously. So I don't waste my time.

It's Raining In My Bathroom: I got home from the XMen Larp to find water dripping out of the ceiling. The service guy (hi Rich) was really nice and explained it was probably condensation, but when he moved that tile, over a gallon of water poured out onto him. The hotel could have offered us SOME kind of discount for it. I'm just glad I went home early and found out as the maintenance staff leave before midnight.

The Ugly:

Distances: Oh my god. 70k steps, 27 miles... everything is SO FAR APART. And I *gained* five pounds. Screw you, Universe.

Heat: I've been to Florida in July. This might have been worse.

Garbage Cans = Traffic Jams: The trash cans in the middle of the aisles in Exhibitor's Hall were an ongoing source of annoyance

Exhibit Hall = Sauna, everywhere else = Walk-In Freezer

Costume Contest Seating: I understand that contestants need to be near the front, but the camera people need to do a better job of zooming in if the first seats are 20 rows back. I couldn't see a thing for most of the contest, which was a sad, since I couldn't REALLY see anything on the screens either. Also, winners, don't run away right after. If I couldn't SEE you, I'd like to ask you questions about your getup and maybe get a good shot.

Recycling: Seriously, no recycling in our hotel, no apparent recycling in the convention spaces except for one event I was at. What the heck? You have a gajillion people with plastic bottles.

The Obsession with Uber: I. Am. From. Canada. If I ask you to call me a cab, don't proselytize about Uber, just call me a bleeping cab like I asked you to. I don't want Uber. I am not signing up for Uber. I don't have an American credit card to use Uber with.

Posted by brotherbock divachelle

divachelle wrote:If the demos could be demos and not full games that would really help. I've waited in lines where the demos never seem to end, and it's a few clicks past ridiculous at this point. 

Agree on this point. Short games, you can demo the whole thing. Five, ten minutes. Maybe fifteen. But they need to realize that they are driving away sales by demoing name entire 30-40 min game while other potential buyers just stand and watch. If you don't buy the game after fifteen minutes, you won't buy it after thirty. 

Posted by brotherbock thejoltess

thejoltess wrote:
garhkal wrote:
indigopet wrote:
Orc Stomp is a 5k at White River State Park at 6:30 Fri AM.  It was the 8th year. 

Interesting..  IS it just the walk, or is there stuff you also do during it??

The Orc Stomp 5K is a fun run. You can run, walk or run/walk it. The course takes place just behind the JW Marriott in the White River State Park, which is a beautiful area that everyone should check out if they have the time! You also travel behind the Indianapolis Zoo which has some lovely shaded areas (and funky smells). This year the course was different and went behind the Zoo, the White State Park Gardens and under a bridge, then looped back to the starting area. I actually did not like the course this year, mainly because the new area smelt like canned cat food which was off putting so early in the morning, and this course had a lot more hills in it, which my husband and I definitely did not train for, haha. But we made it so that's what matters.The Orc Stomp 5 K is also a charity run; all proceeds after initial costs of hosting the run go to a local charity (The Ronald McDonald House of Indy I think for the last few years). You get a nifty shirt, some of the sponsors donate prizes that get raffled off (I won a game from Stronghold the first year I ran in 2013) or offer discounts at their booths during the con and for the last two years, Exile Press (Hollow Earth Expedition RPG) has had a ribbon contest in which you race the raptors (three of them in super hot dino costumes!). We barely beat them last year haha. You get a badge ribbon and bragging rights, plus a cool story to tell other people at the con where you got the Raptor Racer ribbon. This year I bought their RPG because I love that the sponsor Orc Stomp and I think their race the raptors idea was really good (and I am super interested in learning more about their RPG!).

Plus it's a nice feeling walking into the ICC at 9am knowing you already did more than most people are going to do all day :) 

I love the Stomp. Getting to see so many people for whom it's their first, or one of their first, races, people setting PRs. So much encouragement. Great time. 

Edit: but no, it's just a race. Theres nothing else to do other than run, cheer other people on, volunteer, eat a banana or some crackers, get a finishers medal. No die rolling :) 

Posted by watchdog brotherbock

brotherbock wrote:
I was the guy pulling bib numbers at the end of the chute, I think I remember you edging out the raptor :) Way to go, and to your friend as well. I love the Orc Stomp, hopefully we can get a few more volunteers next year so us runner volunteers can do the combo run and volunteer thing. Was a hot morning, but a really great group of runners. :) 
Thanks - and thank you for volunteering!

Posted by ironsphinx braewe

braewe wrote:
Just a note about the Cosplay Deviants booth...The people objecting didn't even realize until LATER when they sought out the website. So it seems to me that the booth itself of theirs was not objectionable, just the card-handing to the site...which was handed to an adult, not a child.
I saw many many many MANY costumes where people were wearing much less than the CD's. 

Not to prolong a (surprisingly civil) discussion that has probably run its course, but your statement is not true in every case. Having attended Gen Con multiple times since the CD started attending, I knew what they are and what they're selling on their website long before the pretty girl handed me a card in the dealer room. Regardless, I would posit that anyone looking at the card that they were handing out would come to the same assumption as to what CD is all about, whether they saw the website or not. The card has a photograph of two comely women clinching each other. Both are wearing panties and appear to be topless (though the girl with the elf ears could have some design painted on her chest). Based on the card, it's hard to misconstrue what is being advertised. Whether or not it's appropriate for a Gen Con that advertises itself as "family friendly" is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose (no pun intended). The fact that the CD are still in the dealer room, in my mind at least, suggests that Gen Con has already decided where the line is for them--which pretty much renders this whole discussion academic. But it's an interesting discussion nonetheless and I've enjoyed reading everyone's points of view.

Before I exit this detour from the 'Good, Bad & Ugly' and let the thread get back to its original intent, I do want to take a moment and say 'thank you' to everyone who kept this discussion civil and didn't resort to personal attacks. It speaks well of all of you that we can discuss our differing POV's like adults. Visit the 'swag bag' thread if you want to see how it can go really bad really fast. ;)

Posted by brotherbock watchdog

watchdog wrote:
brotherbock wrote:
I was the guy pulling bib numbers at the end of the chute, I think I remember you edging out the raptor :) Way to go, and to your friend as well. I love the Orc Stomp, hopefully we can get a few more volunteers next year so us runner volunteers can do the combo run and volunteer thing. Was a hot morning, but a really great group of runners. :) 
Thanks - and thank you for volunteering!

You're welcome, and thanks for running :) It's a good energy, and Tony is a friend, so even a 5am wakeup is okay. I'm just so happy to see the race drawing so many people. 229, I think. Wasn't long ago it was under 100. Fantastic. 

Posted by garhkal thejoltess

thejoltess wrote:The Orc Stomp 5K is a fun run. You can run, walk or run/walk it. The course takes place just behind the JW Marriott in the White River State Park, which is a beautiful area that everyone should check out if they have the time! You also travel behind the Indianapolis Zoo which has some lovely shaded areas (and funky smells). This year the course was different and went behind the Zoo, the White State Park Gardens and under a bridge, then looped back to the starting area. I actually did not like the course this year, mainly because the new area smelt like canned cat food which was off putting so early in the morning, and this course had a lot more hills in it, which my husband and I definitely did not train for, haha. But we made it so that's what matters.The Orc Stomp 5 K is also a charity run; all proceeds after initial costs of hosting the run go to a local charity (The Ronald McDonald House of Indy I think for the last few years). You get a nifty shirt, some of the sponsors donate prizes that get raffled off (I won a game from Stronghold the first year I ran in 2013) or offer discounts at their booths during the con and for the last two years, Exile Press (Hollow Earth Expedition RPG) has had a ribbon contest in which you race the raptors (three of them in super hot dino costumes!). We barely beat them last year haha. You get a badge ribbon and bragging rights, plus a cool story to tell other people at the con where you got the Raptor Racer ribbon. This year I bought their RPG because I love that the sponsor Orc Stomp and I think their race the raptors idea was really good (and I am super interested in learning more about their RPG!).
 

Thanks for the heads up..  If i don't back to back myself as normal for next year i might give it a whirl..

bcpierce/  What did you mean when you mentioned your toe kersploded last year??

Posted by galahadkoa bpunkert

bpunkert wrote
The Meh:
True Dungeon (Group One): The folks who showed up super early with briefcases of pogs and were only interested in the loot and doing it as hardcore as possible. I wasn't interested in doing it hardcore, and I wasn't the only one, but I got the feeling there was a lot of annoyance at the newbies. I was having a panic attack in the muster room and trying not to cry because they were so obviously mad at us for wanting to play normal. Also, there is a difference between being decisive and making others feel unwelcome. It got precariously close to that line at times.

I walked into my True dungeon room to prepare and was greeted by two TD experts that immediately had a disgusted look on their faces when they realized I was nowhere near as "geared" as they were. It made me a little uncomfortable. On the bright side they helped gear me out so we could run hardcore, and it turned out being a lot of fun, but I can only imagine some of the things newer players have to deal with just based on what I saw.

Posted by lanefan

Maybe the TD organizers could look at running some dungeons on a "no-gear" basis, so new and experienced players start out more equal?

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