Cheerfully withdrawn then. I could swear on a stack of 1st edition DMs Guides that the consignment store was open during the charity auction in years past... good to know!

Thanks!

Oh you are correct; the store has been open later in the past. Recent years, things have changed and we have to follow very strict rules now in regards to charity/money.

Had an awesome time at my very first GenCon!  The crowds weren't nearly as intimidating as I'd thought, nor was the background noise particularly distracting - both were my big worries going in.

My very favorite games were the Dungeon Crawl Classic ones through Goodman Games.  Wow.  First time playing those (though I of course have fond memories of 1st edition D&D so knew something about the game itself) and wound up with great tables and GMs for both.  The first one (Caverns of Thracia) I had tickets for, and after having so much fun I tried to pick up another one the next day with generics and got into what was hands-down the best gaming experience of my entire trip.  Judge Jeff, you rock!!

The D&D Experience was a lot of fun as well, and Call of Cthulhu - The Necropolis gave me my first experience with that ruleset and was a blast as well (especially when we all survived to take down the bad guy!)

Not sure if I'd exactly call it 'The Bad', but True Dungeon was a let down for me.  If the group had been smaller (say 5 or 6 instead of 10) I think I'd have had more fun.  As it was, things felt too chaotic and rushed.  One of the puzzles made no sense at all to me, and the 'big' combat at the end was ranged only, so my paladin didn't get to do much - nor did the other melee fighters.  I though that was a bit strange, but again without any experience in TD maybe it's just the norm. 

As far the Ugly, nothing at all occurs to me.  Folks were great, downtown Indy was wonderful and I didn't feel at all overwhelmed during the convention by crowds or anything else - not even in the Exhibit Hall.  Awesome experience, and I'm already looking forward to next year!

I have no clue how you'd clear our the non-charity items; I;m just the idea guy here....:) Maybe use a different color tag?

THE GOOD:

1.  Low stress arrival. Gate Ten parking & JW made it very easy to get settled.

2.  Harry & Izzy's. Traditional pre-Gen Con dinner for Evil Fleet. Thank you, Mark!

3. JW breakfast Buffett. Not cheap but very yummy.

4.Running Paranoia Trek. Had one very good session and two excellent ones. Players were funny and enthusiastic.

5. Spaghetti Factory. Not only had a good meal at a very reasonable price, but noticed a woman next to us had dropped her badge under her table. She was very appreciative. 

6. They Might Be Giants. I'm not a hardcore fanatic so I only knew about 60-65 percent of the songs they did, but it was very enjoyable and we got great G.A. Seats by showing up early.

7. Assisting in Cthulhu and Shadowrun events. I got to play NPCs in both: Mike Brady in CoC and Deus in Shadowrun. Especially enjoyed drinking the contents of two stoma bags as Mike Brady.

8. Lucas Oil Stadium tour. Very interesting to see the behind the scenes areas: press room, Broadcast area, locker rooms, etc.

9. Gen Con Museum. More nostalgia than a Stranger Things episode.

10. Can of Whupass. Always a fun time, and we had some great new players. The new characters got a good response, particularly the Martian Mansplainer.

11. Nada. Very good Mexican restaurant.

12. Time with my wife. Thank you for making this such an amazing vacation! 

THE BAD

1. No-shows at most of our events. We had one cancelled event and only two ran at full capacity. (See my no-shows thread in this forum.)

THE UGLY

1. Vendor hall. More of a "meh" than an ugly. I spend a few hours in here each year and rarely spend much money. Glad that others enjoy it, though. 

THE GOOD

1. Spending the convention with the rest of the Evil Fleet gang.  Some of them I talk to more than others at home and little things like a quiet discussion in the hotel lobby with Mark or catching up a bit with the lives of my roommates was wonderful.

2. Kilroy's - Other than Saturday night when it was too crowded, and a poor waitperson on Thursday night, the service and drinks we got here were top notch.  The crispy tater tots were a hit too.

3. Harry & Izzy's  - Thanks Mark for a great meal

4. Running Brady Bunch Cthulhu - I ran this once before and was disappointed that I had 3 no shows. This year, I had 6 of the 7 players show up.  The two highlights were Dave W. doing a killer Mike Brady and the final battle.  Only 2 of the PCs were sane and things looked hopeless.  Then insane Greg Brady went into Johnny Bravo role and tried to rally his brothers and sisters by playing music. The player looked up number one hits at the time and decided Greg was playing Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting. I had him roll and he got an 01. I let all the insane people actually attack the bad guys as long as they were kung fu fighting.  For two rounds, things started to swing towards the Bradys. Then Jan rolled a 99 and not wearing her glass, accidentally hit Greg ending the song and sending everybody back to their insanity. Great game!

5. Really good tables of Too Many Batmen and All-Thrills Comics.

6. Community Paranoia was a blast. I was not at my best that morning for some reason and the PCs still made the game work.

7. Homewood Suites - We hadn't been there in about 6 years and any complaints we had in the past had been addressed. First class stay.

8. Catching up with Darren Watts on Saturday night.  This was unexpected, but he saw my friends and I walking down the street and invited us to join him. He really was gracious and it was so much fun to catch up.

The Bad

1. Spinal Stenosis sucks. Gen Con keeps getting bigger, while the amount I can partake in has shrunk.

2. Gamer funk - We smelt it as early as Tuesday.

3. Can of Whupass - Great game, but I didn't feel I added a whole lot this year.

4. No Shows - I run superhero combat games and having a smaller group isn't that bad, but when I am doing Cthulhu or Paranoia, a lot is lost when some of the PCs aren't there. I know stuff comes off, but I didn't run a single event where all the ticketed players showed up.

5. Primanti Brothers - I've had it in Pittsburgh and it was awesome. The one in Indianapolis was kind of lame and the sandwich was extremely bland.

The Ugly.

1. I missed a step as I was walking into our farewell lunch.  One of my friends saw me walking and then saw me go face first into the sidewalk.  You know how old you are by if your friends laugh at you when you fall or run to help.  Mine did both :-)

The Good

1. With one exception (see below) the RPG's I played were a lot of fun, with good players, and good GMs.

2. The Horticultural Hall was really cool.  Looking at all the games and saying "yep, played that, played that, played that, my roommate had that one" was quite the nostalgia trip.  And playing Joust was a hoot.

3. Unexpectedly uncrowded.  Given the sell-out, and the speculation about how many badges it took to sell out (most guesses were around 72,000 to 75,000) I expected the crowds to be crazy, even with the additional space.  In reality there wasn't a substantial increase in attendees, so the crowd ended up feeling smaller than last year since they weren't as densely packed.

4. Say a bunch of old friends, and made a few new ones.

5. Can of Whupass was fun as always. 

6. The Quantum Black events were a ton of fun, and our GM was great.

7. The folks manning the Customer Service booths were pleasant and helpful.

8. I didn't do Will Call this year, but when we went past it Wednesday evening the line was within the cattle pen, rather than stretched out past the Maryland Street food court, as it has been in years past.  Huzzah, Gencon staff!

The Bad

1. Our Cthulhu Hack game (Save Innsmouth) was a total railroad, ending in two characters being told "you die" with no dice rolled, no chance to take any action, and no chance to affect anything.

2. Those God-awful announcements in the dealer hall.  Seriously, the blaring announcements should be restricted to emergencies and announcements that the hall is closing soon.

3. The escalator between the mall and ICC was broken all weekend.  Seems like they should have been able to set it to act as stairs just like the one going the other way so there would at least be stairs each direction.

4. Lucas Oil stadium was a bit lacking in signage directing traffic to the stadium floor.  We got a bit lost and ended up climbing up to the level above before realizing our mistake.  No harm done, but room for improvement there.

5. The perennial problems of gamer funk, rolling luggage and ginormous bludgeoning backpacks haven't gotten any better.

6. No-shows for RPG's.  One of our games was saved by having a buddy of the GM play, and one game ran with half the scheduled players.  Both were sellouts during preregistration.  Given how hard it is to get tickets for some of these events, it's strange that when it comes time to play so many people blow them off.

7. Rolling Asian Delight (the food truck).  My wife and I had the General Tso's Chicken, and the meat was like eating jerky it was so tough.  Blech!

The Ugly

1. Super-loud gaming rooms.  We had a couple RPG's in the ICC, and the rooms were stupidly loud.  Putting 12 tables in a room with no sound deadening is hell for someone with hearing problems. Our GMs were quite accommodating, but even sitting right next to him it was still difficult to hear. 

The Good
 
Band, Lez Zepplin, on Wednesday night was great.  Too bad they didn’t play the entire full time, and too bad that area didn’t have more bands the rest of the night.  Maybe this is a city ordinance?
 
The will call line on all days was lightning fast.  That’s amazing.
 
In past years the restrooms were sometimes quarantine-able.  This year, comparatively, they were quite lovely.
 
Price of SunKings GenCon Beer is always $5 a can, but they’re usually 16oz and great quality.  Well worth it and fair pricing.  Not so for the food trucks, who’s pricing was very high, but that’s economics.
 
Gamers.  Usually I get frustrated at the crowds and dealer hall people just because of the close confines and congestion.  This year it seemed like everyone was cool, calm, and collected, very humble and nice.
 
I always just played Pathfinder, but this year I’ve gotten more into board games and with the plethora of demos going on and my change of stance on Pathfinder Specials (below), I plan on doing more board gaming and other events I’d usually miss due to those specials, which take up a huge chunk of time.
 
Consignment store had more room than previous years, and the line to get in was worth the wait for maneuverability.
 
Paizo’s Starfinder Demos available in both the dealer hall AND the Sagamore ballroom provided ample opportunity to play it.  It was fun and I’d probably play again.  Got some cheap Star Wars minis for it.
 
Lucas Oil Expansion.  Great to have additional room.  We walked over and checked out the “museum.”  Cool stuff.
The Meh
 
The crowds.  I expected, after weeks of GenCon propaganda about selling out, the crowd situation to be abysmal.  Large crowds means one of two things:  hassle due to not being able to get around and doing the zombie-shuffle all day, or light crowds meaning the Con isn’t attended well.  In the long run, I’d take the huge crowds, because it means the Con is doing well, and my shuffle ability should have no impact on how well I want the Con to go.  Therefore, I was a bit disappointed in the purported “crowd.”  It wasn’t any different than previous Cons in my experience.  I got around fine like a normally did, even in the dealer hall.  I would hazard to guess the distance between booths had been enlarged, which would lend to less congestion in the dealer hall.
 
Only 4 days of gaming.  It should really be called 3 ½ days of gaming, because the games end around 4, as well as the dealer hall.  However, Sunday I’m exhausted, so I’m not sure I could handle another day.  Although taking out the evening slot (more below) which usually goes until 100am, and getting to bed at 300am due to driving home, an entire 4th day or additional 5th day could be doable!
 
 
The Ugly
 
To be game-specific- I’m just not doing the Pathfinder specials anymore.  At $10 a ticket, I often find myself wishing for the evening game to just be over already.  It’s simply a combat-oriented, rushed encounter with poor GMs.  Regular scenarios are still a blast, and I plan on changing my GenCon schedule next year to zero Pathfinder specials but maybe include two or three morning games.  GMs this year were meh, but some of the orange-shirted staff were downright rude, including a large fellow with a beard handing out token boons on Sunday.  Should I see him again, we’ll have words due him treating children in a manner unbecoming of a man.
 
Prices.  I don’t expect prices for new items to be cheap, but items which have been out for a while or are not in high demand should be priced lower.  I didn’t buy a single board game because all of them could be found online for nearly 50% cheaper.  No wonder many of the board games were still on the rack come closing time Sunday.  The same goes for table top miniatures.  One would expect to also find cheaper deals in the consignment store, but everyone wanted full price or higher for even used, still-in-print games.  Makes no sense.
 
Walking around it wasn’t obvious it was GenCon 50 except for a few signs.  I say every year GenCon should do more to add to the atmosphere of the convention center, at least.
 
GenCon could make some bucks by renting out lockers.  I’d gladly pay $5 a day to store my stuff in them.  I imagine it would be an insurance mess, but couldn’t we sign a waiver or something?  Plus, it would free up walking space for everyone.
 
Consignment store needs to stay open later on Saturday, especially for those paying fees to sell things.
 

In this matter, I trust that they've looked into cost/benefit analysis.

So while they were a convenience, it wasn't enough of a convenience for enough people, and to add to that, there were mutters of security issues.

That said, they were nice the one year we managed to get one. 

The Good:

• The space! My oh my, it was so spacious, so much less crush in the halls and dealer floor. Super kudos to gencon for the new arrangements!
  
• The demo runners and GMs. The public faces of my good time. Thanks to everyone who worked to keep it positive and inclusive.
  
• Bee Coffee Roasters - bagel with butter and a hot coffee starts the day off right. Love that place.
  
• The bloodmobile was on point and kept it moving, always keeping it positive experience to donate.
  
• Less rolling luggage on the floor this year. Thank you, thank you.
  

The Bad:

• Embassy Suites - where the hell is your street level door? Had to sneak up through a food court and an unmarked elevator. There was construction inside, the stairs were closed, and the bathroom was filled with sewer gas, like there was an uncapped line in there. Something tells me they should not have been open for business.
  
• Took a cupcake decorating event that didnt really teach any technique, mostly just made materials available and said "alright, go ahead and make your design."  Not what I expected, but still a fun, low-stress block of time with the wife, so Im not crying too hard.
  

The Ugly:

• Accidentally booking a hotel in Carmel while there were downtown rools still available. Great hotel, no complaints, but a half hour drive at 1 AM every day really kills the mental battery.
  

The Good:
1) Loved the con - then again, I always do.  That's just a generality.
2) Very surprisingly made the Ticket to Ride quarter and semi-finals (then proceeded to beat MYSELF by getting too ambitious on ticket draws!).  
3) Nascrag!
4) People very kindly opening doors with me as I was coming through with my Rollator.  I sometimes had to call out' Hold the Door please' but every time I did, someone did so.  THANK YOU to all of you who helped me out, I really appreciate it.
5) Island Noodles and Hot Box pizza.  Yum.  Overate, did NOT stick to my diet.
6) Rio Grande Room (didn't spend enough time there!)

The Bad:
1) I overdid it with event tickets and missed out on spending more time demoing in the Exhibit hall and the Rio Grande Room.  Next year?  TWO event tickets pre-planned... the rest will be a joyous mix of dealer's room fun and generic ticket invasion (knowing what I know now about RPGs being under-played... I shall have to try to start trying to get in on more of those!)
2) I think I overdid the walking. I have a bad ankle and back - but what a way to go!
3) For the first year since we started staying there in Indy, I was disappointed by the Hampton Inn downtown.  They were not nearly as welcoming and accommodating as they had been in the past.  Rather sad.
4) The Walk to Lucas Oil - and the Location of Nascrag - I was ready to collapse when I finally made it there!

The Ugly:
Nope, don't have any, though I AM disappointed if people had stuff stolen from them.  That's just not necessary, anywhere.

My only issue this year was the fact that my GoPro was taken from my Hotel room at the Marriott while I was at the TMBG concert. I had left it in the room to charge the battery, and Friday morning When I went to grab it to take more pictures and video it was gone.

This is one reason one of the guys i rommied with, KEEPS a camera going, live streamed to his phone and recorded in the cloud..  TO KEEP watch on his hotel room, against unscrupulous staff.