It seems to me you never have enough time at conventions to do all the gaming you want to do. Or, more accurately, you schedule more gaming than you can enjoy. This is what happened at NTRPG Con for my wife and I - the days we had two games on the schedule were literally overwhelming and exhausting. In my mid 40's I no longer have the stamina I had in my mid 20's.
Oh, and don't forget needed to leave time for pick-up games.
I figure in the future we'll limit ourselves to one scheduled game each day.
So, how much gaming do you try to squeeze in at conventions?
For big cons like Gen Con I try to schedule at least one game a day knowing I will be running games for my kids that night. My wife likes the pick up games so I try to leave time for those too.
ReplyDeleteI'm a two-games-per-convention-day guy. I run one game, and I play one game. At 4 hours apiece, I've found that 8 hours of role-playing is about all I can comfortable handle. Plus that leaves the rest of my day open for drinking, shopping, and socializing. If I stumble across something low-key like a pick-up board or card game, I'll toss in.
ReplyDeleteLet's get an extra game in there at U-con. Pre-con game Thursday night. You, Jim Wampler, Adam Muszkiewicz and possibly a couple people from my regular game. Unless someone else runs it, I'll rock out some White Box for a pre-game.
DeleteFor all the reasons you mentioned, I'm running only one game at the next Con of the North. Hoping to play, at least, one additional planned game per day with room for plenty of pick ups.
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DeleteI should note that "pick ups" are typically board or other non-RPG games.
DeleteI fill my calendar. In November I have 28 hours of gaming over the course of three days at Gamehole Con.
ReplyDeleteDo tell how that goes. Was thinking of going to Gamehole but the schedule looks tight for me.
DeleteI get as much in as possible.
ReplyDeleteOne to two events per day, no more. I like pickup games OR the option to grab a good meal or a drink with new friends.
ReplyDeleteWell, the only convention I go to is GenCon and I go as a GM for AEG, so my answer is entirely atypical. I GM 7 games and that pretty much such up any chance to do anything else scheduled (though in '13 I did manage to hit up games on demand twice, which was quite fun).
ReplyDeleteI almost never do pick-up games at NTRPG Con. I try to run my scheduled one or two events and play in at least one event per day.
ReplyDeleteI pretty much fill my calendar to the max extent possible, leaving only a few key times for eating, browsing, carousing, etc. No time to waste!
ReplyDeleteI used to manage 2 *4 hour games a day or a big freeform and a tabletop RPG. Recently I have found amazing reserves and have been doing 3 *4 for 3 days and loving it. Most be all the weight I lost!
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