So it's the weekend before the 15th Annual North Texas RPG Con, and this would be my 6th year attending. This convention is literally the only vacation I schedule for myself each year.....don't get me wrong I do go on other trips/vacations, but I only keep one weekend blocked out on my calendar in advance.
Anyway, like any good trip, NTRPG requires a little prep so I can max out my enjoyment. Usually the most important thing is to make sure I have enough money since I tend to over-indulge on my collecting (frugality only goes so far), and there is a lot of goodies to be had. Dealers, convention exclusives, the silent auction, ......the midnight auction, ......and the actual auction.... lots of goodies.
This year I was smart enough, well one of my dealers (
and I am implying the drug usage analogy) was smart enough to ask me if there were any items I was looking for in particular. Of course he just so happens to have a little something something that is on my want list...and I'm likely to have to dig deep in one of the auctions if I want it.
Clearly I can't just go in throwing cash around, as much as my pushers dealers would like me to. I have to do my homework and go through my current stuff and see where my holes are. More than once I've bought something I didn't need because I already owned one (looking at you Hacklopedia of Beasts Vol II!) or because I ...I....face it, sometimes I have poor impulse control, especially when it comes to gaming stuff. No, I have to spend a hot minute going through my collection list and making sure I have an offline copy that has been updated.
My initial focus is clearly of the opportunity to pick up more stuff, but I think that's mostly because I finally picked up some specific acquisitions today...stuff I bought months ago that was awaiting pickup, and a HUGE item that needed a lot of manpower to load up. That'll probably be part of a future post, but not today.
My next focus has to be on the games/events I'm in. Have to make sure the dice, drinks, and game books are packed away. I'm looking at a couple of AD&D PHBs right now I only have because I forgot to bring one and had to visit the dealer hall to get another.....(see above). Rulebooks, pencils, dice.....especially the dice (I'm a bit of a dice snob, so I do better with my "good" dice), listed, packed, and checked....ideally.
This time around I have to pack for not only the convention, but a work trip as well. This means like three checklists, one for each trip and then a third showing what goes on both trips.....
I'm also hosting an event and while the packing list for that isn't a lot, there is a lot of other prep work for that event. I think that'll be Thursday night and more than likely it'll be streamed to The Tavern's YouTube channel. No spoilers here......
Hopefully I'll be seeing some other Tavern Patrons at the con....
