Okay, I've heard about GaryCon and it seems really interesting to me, I've heard about it both on here and the OD&D '74 ProBoards site and I really want to go in 2018 if I can (I'll do my best to save up the money, but getting transportation will be the hardest part).

What all goes on there? I know RPG's and Wargaming will be there, but what else? Are there panels? What's the crowd like over there? How are the people there?

And if I do manage to go to GaryCon in 2018 or 2019, rest assured I will not be as crazy as I am online. I want to make a good impression and ensure that everyone else has as good of a gaming and convention experience as I do.

I really want to go to GaryCon and I really want to meet the people there. Who all here goes to GaryCon? I assume Gronan would (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on that, Gronan) and I've heard others mention the convention on this forum before.

GaryCon is about 1800 people right now.

It's still small enough to fit in a single convention place.  There are a few panels, but not many.

The crowd is all over the place.  There are a lot of old grognards, of course, but a lot of women, boys, and girls who are there to play games in their own right.

I spend most of my time in the historical miniatures room.

You will find just about every game, from D&D 5th Edition to H.G. Wells' "Little Wars."  Last year I watched 2 12-year-old girls playing "Little Wars" and shredding each others' forces with unholy glee.

http://garycon.com/

Feel free to ask further questions as they occur.

Also, here is the GaryCon IX event schedule.  I think it's open to public viewing.

It's not very attractively done, but it will give you some notion of what went on.

Also also, the dealers' room is small enough to be comprehensible.  Plus there are still some one-person outfits making neat stuff just for fun.

Thanks for the info! I will do my best to make it to GaryCon in either 2018 or more likely 2019. I'll see you there, hopefully!

I've gone to GC for most of the past few years, missing this year.

It's a gaming focused con.  There is pathfinder and 5th ed there, but most years I've gone down to see what's going on there, those games are lightly attended (in comparison to the rest of the con).  But those two games are well-repped there, so if someone likes them then they'll be well-served.

The TSR games dominate in the events offered.  But there is wide variety; DCC is also well-repped, and some other nu-OSR as well.

It's a pretty chill con.  Since it's also Wisconsin in March that has a double meaning.

Quote from: EOTB;976999I've gone to GC for most of the past few years, missing this year.

It's a gaming focused con.  There is pathfinder and 5th ed there, but most years I've gone down to see what's going on there, those games are lightly attended (in comparison to the rest of the con).  But those two games are well-repped there, so if someone likes them then they'll be well-served.

The TSR games dominate in the events offered.  But there is wide variety; DCC is also well-repped, and some other nu-OSR as well.

It's a pretty chill con.  Since it's also Wisconsin in March that has a double meaning.

I hope I can make it there. I'd love to try out some old-school TSR gaming more often.

I've been attending since 2010...

Quote from: Doc Sammy;976933What all goes on there? I know RPG's and Wargaming will be there, but what else? Are there panels?

As for gaming, it's mostly table-top RPGs, some wargames and a few panels. Although Gary Con has a much higher proportion of old school D&D (and retro-clones) than you see at larger conventions (one of the two main things that appeals to me), the organizers have embraced 5E/PF in the past few years, so those systems have larger showings these days, particuarly their organized play efforts like Adventurers League and Pathfinder Society. The organizers try to group most major game "types" in dedicated areas - old school D&D (and retro-clones), Adventurers League, Pathfinder Society, wargames, etc. The presence of collectible card games and cosplay is small but seems to be growing incrementally each year. If one of those is your main focus, you'll probably be disappointed at this point.

There's also buying things at the vendor hall, where, unsurprsingly, the offerings tend to reflect the same mix of games as the event schedule. Most things you can buy can also be found online if you know where to look, but having it all in one spot makes for fun browsing (and you don't have to pay shipping). I've never had much interest in the auction, but some people really like it.

Away from gaming, vending and the auction, what goes on is a lot of drinking and socializing. The hotel's a great backdrop for grabbing a beer and catching up with friends, which is the main reason I keep attending. If I wanted to run games for strangers, I could do that without flying to Milwaukee, renting a car and driving another hour to Lake Geneva. The hotel food's fine, not great and not horrible. They deliver to the table as well, which is nice depending on how tightly you have booked your schedule. Usually I head to town for breakfast (Egg Harbor's good) and at least two dinners (Next Door Pub and Popeyes are pretty standard). It's nice to get away from the hotel for a little while each day.

Quote from: Doc Sammy;976933What's the crowd like over there? How are the people there?

Back in 2010, there were only a few hundred, but I think they're expecting 1800-2000 this year. I would say that the atmosphere is very friendly, but everyone has different standards. I know dozens and dozens of people now, so it's almost impossible to walk from one spot to another without bumping into a friend. I love that about Gary Con. Although it's grown quite a bit since the early days, it's still small enough to feel like a small convention. I think the convention's location at the Grand Geneva hotel rather than a formal convention center helps keep it feeling small despite the growth.

Quote from: Doc Sammy;976933And if I do manage to go to GaryCon in 2018 or 2019, rest assured I will not be as crazy as I am online. I want to make a good impression and ensure that everyone else has as good of a gaming and convention experience as I do.

Bathe, use deodorant, smile, be polite, avoid politics/religion and try some new games. You will have a great time!

Quote from: Doc Sammy;976933I really want to go to GaryCon and I really want to meet the people there. Who all here goes to GaryCon? I assume Gronan would (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on that, Gronan) and I've heard others mention the convention on this forum before.

Almost all of the old guard from TSR attend, so if meeting them is your goal, you'll be happy. As for who goes from the forums, it really depends on what forums you frequent. Lots and lots of people from Knights & Knaves Alehouse, ODD74, Hyperborea, Dragonsfoot and Goodman Games forums, which should not surprise given Gary Con's original roots as a very tightly focused old school D&D (and clones) convention. Like I said though, as it has grown, the offerings have broadened as well. Lots of 5E Adventurers League and Pathfinder Society stuff there now.

Quote from: Chainsaw;977114I've been attending since 2010...


As for gaming, it's mostly table-top RPGs, some wargames and a few panels. Although Gary Con has a much higher proportion of old school D&D (and retro-clones) than you see at larger conventions (one of the two main things that appeals to me), the organizers have embraced 5E/PF in the past few years, so those systems have larger showings these days, particuarly their organized play efforts like Adventurers League and Pathfinder Society. The organizers try to group most major game "types" in dedicated areas - old school D&D (and retro-clones), Adventurers League, Pathfinder Society, wargames, etc. The presence of collectible card games and cosplay is small but seems to be growing incrementally each year. If one of those is your main focus, you'll probably be disappointed at this point.

There's also buying things at the vendor hall, where, unsurprsingly, the offerings tend to reflect the same mix of games as the event schedule. Most things you can buy can also be found online if you know where to look, but having it all in one spot makes for fun browsing (and you don't have to pay shipping). I've never had much interest in the auction, but some people really like it.

Away from gaming, vending and the auction, what goes on is a lot of drinking and socializing. The hotel's a great backdrop for grabbing a beer and catching up with friends, which is the main reason I keep attending. If I wanted to run games for strangers, I could do that without flying to Milwaukee, renting a car and driving another hour to Lake Geneva. The hotel food's fine, not great and not horrible. They deliver to the table as well, which is nice depending on how tightly you have booked your schedule. Usually I head to town for breakfast (Egg Harbor's good) and at least two dinners (Next Door Pub and Popeyes are pretty standard). It's nice to get away from the hotel for a little while each day.


Back in 2010, there were only a few hundred, but I think they're expecting 1800-2000 this year. I would say that the atmosphere is very friendly, but everyone has different standards. I know dozens and dozens of people now, so it's almost impossible to walk from one spot to another without bumping into a friend. I love that about Gary Con. Although it's grown quite a bit since the early days, it's still small enough to feel like a small convention. I think the convention's location at the Grand Geneva hotel rather than a formal convention center helps keep it feeling small despite the growth.


Bathe, use deodorant, smile, be polite, avoid politics/religion and try some new games. You will have a great time!


Almost all of the old guard from TSR attend, so if meeting them is your goal, you'll be happy. As for who goes from the forums, it really depends on what forums you frequent. Lots and lots of people from Knights & Knaves Alehouse, ODD74, Hyperborea, Dragonsfoot and Goodman Games forums, which should not surprise given Gary Con's original roots as a very tightly focused old school D&D (and clones) convention. Like I said though, as it has grown, the offerings have broadened as well. Lots of 5E Adventurers League and Pathfinder Society stuff there now.

That all sounds awesome! I mainly want to go to game, meet people from the different forums I frequent (such as ODD74 and this site), and see the old guard from TSR in person. I may cosplay, I may not, don't know yet. I'll definitely bathe frequently and use deodorant (I do it every day anyway) and I'll definitely avoid hot-button topics like religion and politics and be sure to be polite.

If I can make it in 2018, I definitely will. Though more likely, I'll be there in 2019. It really all depends.

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;976986Feel free to ask further questions as they occur.

How is the representation for science fiction games like Traveller, Cepheus Engine, d6 Star Wars, and Mekton Zeta?

Never really looked, though I expect there are some.  If the link to last years' schedule works you can check yourself.

There's some Traveller, Star Wars, and Metamorphosis Alpha, but it's light compared to FRPGs.  That's still probably enough for someone to play a SFRPG every day of the con, though, if they cared to.

I'd love to do some fantasy gaming at GaryCon if I can make it there. I would also like to try out some historical wargaming for the first time if possible.

Top thirty game systems run last year, ranked by number of events. Any systems with fewer than six events are not listed. Note, 5E is 99% WotC-sponsored Adventurers League offerings (62% of seats empty at the end of pre-registration) and Pathfinder is 99% Pathfinder-sponsored Pathfinder Society (40% empty of seats empty at the end of pre-reg). Most of the other table-top RPG stuff basically sold out by the end of pre-registration.

rank: gamesystem: # of events
=====================================
001: D&D (5th Ed)                : 460
002: D&D (1st Ed)                : 69
003: Pathfinder                  : 60
004: Artemis (computer game)     : 44
005: Dungeon Crawl Classic (DCC) : 42
006: <no defined system>         : 35
007: Dragonwars of Trayth        : 30
008: Pathfinder Adv. Card Game   : 28
009: AS&SH                       : 23
010: D6xD6                       : 19
011: Call of Cthulhu (7th Ed)    : 16
012: Savage Worlds               : 15
013: Codename: ACRID HERALD      : 14
014: Chainmail                   : 13
015: D&D (Original)              : 13
016: Castles & Crusades          : 12
017: D&D (Basic)                 : 11
018: Swords & Wizardry           : 11
019: Mutant Crawl Classics       : 10
020: Call of Cthulhu             : 7
021: Unpublished / Home Grown    : 7
022: AD&D (2nd Ed)               : 6
023: Call of Cthulhu (6th Ed)    : 6
024: Circus Maximus              : 6
025: DCC: Crawling Under a Brok  : 6
026: Dawn Patrol (7th Ed)        : 6
027: Escape Room                 : 6
028: Marvel Super Heroes         : 6
029: Other (Please include in C  : 6
030: WEGS Old Skool Fantasy      : 6


Just talked with my dad. I probably won't be able to attend 2018, but I will definitely be at GaryCon in 2019!