The Fun Zone: The Fun

I've never done this before.

After several years of hearing about the joys of gaming conventions, yet not finding the time to actually attend one, I am currently making plans to visit not one, but two cons between now and the end of June. Overkill, perhaps, but my face-to-face gaming opportunities have been a bit sparse of late, so when the options presented themselves, I didn't want to hesitate. Pre-registration, here I come!

ConnCon - March 20-22 - Stamford, CT (Attending 2/21)

Stef is headed to New Hampshire for a stamping event that weekend, and The Kid is scheduled to spend some quality time with his grandparents. I have rehearsal on Friday and Sunday, but Saturday is completely open. I thought, "Hey, why don't I invite a bunch of gaming buddies over to play some games?" I sent out an invite, and even got a few affirmative replies, when my friend Mark, who is running the boardgame division of ConnCon, piped up to say that the con was that weekend. All of my RSVPs retracted immediately. I didn't even have the con on my radar, thinking that I wouldn't be able to go, but now that the day is free, I might as well check it out.

Heck, I might as well jump in with both feet. I'm signed up for two scheduled sessions on Saturday: one to learn Martin Wallace's Brass, and a second in the evening to play Starcraft for the first time. I haven't been able to discern much else from the website, but I imagine there will be some open gaming, and probably some sort of retail section. The con's focus has been heavily RPG-related, but the efforts of Mark and many others have seen the boardgame presence increase significantly in the past few years. I'm sure there will be plenty of opponents ready for a game.

I've also signed up for my first "math trade." This is a sort of multi-person round-robin trade exercise, in which I post a game (or games) I'm willing to trade, and then once I see all of the available games, I pick a number of games that I'd be willing to trade for. Then some sort of computer program matches things up, I give my game(s) to a specific person, and I get a game (or games) from somebody else, not necessarily the person who got my game. For the record, I'm putting Gheos, Kontor, and the Settlers Historical Scenarios up for trade. We'll see what happens. Here's a link to the trade itself.

Origins Game Fair - June 24-28 - Columbus, OH

Ever since I started listening to The Dice Tower, I've been hearing about Origins. It may not be the biggest convention in the US, but it is the only place where I can finally meet Mr. Vasel for the first time. Okay, it's not just Tom. Lots of members from the Dice Tower team, as well as other podcasters and gaming luminaries, will be in attendance. There's all sorts of stuff going on, including film fests, game demos, auctions, and open gaming. One of the extras I could purchase when registering is a ribbon to the "board room." It's a dedicated room for open games, complete with an extensive game library provided by CABS, the Columbus Area Boardgame Society. From what I hear, it's the big hangout for boardgamers during the con.

While I'm only visiting ConnCon for a day, I figured that if I was going to travel all the way to Ohio, I might as well take in as much as I can. I fly into town at about 10am on Wednesday, and I don't leave until late in the afternoon on Sunday. I have a room in one of the hotels connected to the convention center (anybody want to be my roommate?), so I can spend a minimum of time traveling back and forth. I'm ready for a crazy die-hard chunk of gaming and making friends. I might eat and sleep a bit if I can find the time.

I'm all sorts of psyched. Is it June yet?

No, wait. Is it March 21 yet?

Keep in mind I really have no idea what to expect at either of these events. It's all anticipation at this point. If you're more informed than I, feel free to correct or add to what I've said. Then I know I can track you down at the event itself.