This is my first year at GenCon. Which events sell out fast? I figured the 7th Seas games will sell out quickly, but what about the Brewery Tour? Any Board Game events expected to sell out?
Paranoia Call of Cthulhu (some game groups faster than others) D&D All Access (even at $160 it's going to be gone in the first 15 minutes if not sooner)
True Dungeon (not a huge fan myself...but it will sell out quick). Yeah the Novus Ordo and MU stuff will sell out quick. Paranoia will too.
Any niche game that doesn't have a lot of exposure will sell out fast.
The key is "nursing" the system. If you don't get what you want...you keep coming back...day after day...hour after hour....you'd be surprised what people drop and what people add. Some year's you'll get everything you want, in others, almost nothing. You'll still find things to do tho...even on the unlucky years.
People play stuff other than True Dungeon? Seriously what is wrong with you folks. I mean that only half in jest (not really).
Build your wishlist and hope for the best. There is so much going on at con its way too easy to get overwhelmed (for the non TD crowd). Plan some things but always leave slack for where will and impulse takes you. I tend to keep a few places/backup events in mind for when primary event i really really wanted falls through. Keep that in mind and I severely doubt you'll ever be disappointed/unsatisfied at con.
Our Novus Ordo Seclorum events usually sell out the first day. We've greatly added to our schedule including some premium events and some pure tabletop Call of Cthulhu rounds courtesy of shuggoth.net who joins our ranks this year.
Even though many sell out, we often have people who no show and/or turn their tickets back in at the show.
So if you see something you like and can't buy it, please show up at our gaming rooms and you may still be able to play! Just make sure you have the correct number of generic tickets to pay for the event. We (and indeed no GM) can take cash nor sell generic tickets.
There is also a pinned post over on the Event Organizer and GM forum (which is public) where Derek posted the games which have a lot of demand but relatively few events. Definitely prioritize those in your wish list.
Awesome! Thanks for the help! :)
The Brewery Tour does sellout early. In past years I've had to do the daily event check to snag extra tickets for friends who decided after early reg they wanted to join us. Depending on how many people you have interested in the tour, I'd advise putting tour tickets on your wishlist. You might be able to snag single tickets later, but multiples will be much harder to come by.
Savage Worlds... FATE... Burning Wheel. of course, there aren't as many of these games....only ONE burning wheel game this year...
Another tip: if you really want a specific event....try for an early (8AM) slot if it's offered. Many many many ppl skip these events even if they buy tickets (for whatever reason) so these are the events that even if they do sell out, there will likely be open slots that can be purchased with generics. I know with the CoC sessions there is almost always a wait list...so show up early.
Oh and welcome to Gen Con!!! Home to more geeks and nerds per capita than any state in the union!!! Happy to have you aboard!!!
Two other events tend to sell out very fast:
Demos for pre-release games from "name" companies - Steve Jackson Games had a pre-release demo last year that pretty much filled as soon as event signups opened.
"Niche" events - for example, "mega" Settlers of Catan (the version with the giant tiles that is actually played on the floor).
A lot of the more niche games sell out quickly due to small numbers. Particularly old school stuff like Paranoia, Top Secret, Gamma World, Jorune, etc.
Another thing that sells out fairly quick are the bigger, longer board games. That also have small numbers. Stuff like Twilight Imperium is always hard to get into.
Some of the LARPs sell pretty quickly as well. I know about half of the BYOV events sell out in the first week or so. Others that happen to hit the pop culture buttons do as well. Things like Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, etc. All depends on what is currently "hot".
What about the seminars? There isnt many of the game events Im interested in but on the spreadsheet calender I set up for planning I have a pretty full line up of nothing but seminars with just a couple games sprinkled in.
The AEG Big Game Night sells out very fast. I had it as number one on my wish list last year and didn't get a ticket. Checked everyday up to the day of the event and no tickets came open. I actually didn't get a single game from my wish list last year.
Firefly board game has sold out the last couple years (being new/having new expansions).
The last 2 years I don't believe True Dungeon has sold out ahead of time; last year's program book was still promoting it.
We've always had trouble getting into Savage Worlds games. Call of Cthulhu can be hard to snag as well, but it was easier last year when they had more events going than in the past.
Definitely try for early morning games, and if you're around on Sunday, those games tend to be a lot more open as well since a lot of con-goers (who aren't there for the Family Fun Day) head home that day. And if you really want to get into a specific game and nothing else in that time slot interests you, keep that slot open. You can always show up with generic tickets and see if there's an open space at the table.
Thanks for the tips. Definitely trying out for early morning games. I tried to look for Sunday games, but only one game I want to play has Sunday times slots.
Well, I organized the list and am hoping for the best.