Quote from: flyingmiceEvery hotel in Erie PA was full. There were at least seven WITHIN EYE SIGHT!
Me: There's no rooms, Anywhere?
Clerk: No sir, everything is full up.
Me: Can we sleep in your stables? My son is pregnant...

Quote from: The Good AssyrianThe more I think about it, the more I suspect that the two may be connected.  Dancy obviously knew that this was coming down the pipe, and the fact that one of the cornerstones of his rant was about differentiating the RPG hobby from the MMORPG hobby, I am beginning to suspect that Wizards may be moving in that very direction.  

QuoteDUNGEONS & DRAGONS® FLASHES 4-WARD AT GEN CON
Highly Anticipated 4th Edition Coming in Spring 2008

August 16, 2007 (Renton, WA) – Whether you storm a mad wizard's tower every
week or haven't delved into a dungeon since you had a mullet and a mean
pair of parachute pants, one thing is certain, millions of D&D® players
worldwide have anticipated the coming of 4th Edition for many years. Today
Wizards of the Coast confirms that the new edition will launch in May 2008
with the release of the D&D Player's Handbook®. A pop culture icon,
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is the #1 tabletop roleplaying game in the world and is
revered by legions of gamers of all ages.

The 4th Edition DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game includes elements familiar to
current D&D players, including illustrated rulebooks and pre-painted
plastic miniatures. Also releasing next year will be new Web-based tools
and online community forums through the brand new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
Insider (D&D Insider™) digital offering. D&D Insider lowers the barriers of
entry for new players while simultaneously offering the depth of play that
appeals to veteran players.

The 4th Edition rules emphasize faster game play, offer exciting new
character options, and reduce the amount of "prep time" needed to run the
game. D&D Insider includes a character creator that lets players design and
equip their D&D characters, dungeon- and adventure-building tools for
Dungeon Masters, online magazine content, and a digital game table that
lets you play 24/7 on the Internet — the perfect option for anyone who
can't find time to get together.

"We've been gathering player feedback for eight years," said Bill
Slavicsek, R&D Director of Roleplaying and Miniatures Games at Wizards of
the Coast.  "Fourth Edition streamlines parts of the D&D game that are too
complex while enhancing the overall play experience. At its heart, it's
still a tabletop game experience. However, D&D Insider makes it easier for
players to create characters, run their games, and interact with the rest
of the D&D community."

Wizards of the Coast will release two 4th Edition preview books in December
and January—Wizards Presents: Classes and Races™ and Wizards Presents:
Worlds and Monsters™. The first live demos of 4th Edition will happen at
the D&D EXPERIENCE™ gaming convention in Washington D.C. in February 2008.
The full scope of 4th Edition books, miniatures, and adventures will be
available in the spring and summer of 2008.

Since its first release in 1974, the fantasy roleplaying game DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS has taken millions of players on imaginary adventures of epic
scale.  Today, D&D is universally regarded as the original game that
created the roleplaying game category, and the inspiration for generations
of game designers.  D&D is enjoyed by millions of players worldwide, while
countless more remember it with fond nostalgia.

Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS), is a
worldwide leader in the trading card game and tabletop roleplaying game
categories, and a leading developer and publisher of game-based
entertainment products. Wizards is also a publisher of fantasy series
fiction with numerous New York Times bestsellers.

Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Player's Handbook, Dungeons & Dragons Insider, D&D
Insider, Wizards Presents: Classes and Races, Wizards Presents: Worlds and
Monsters, and D&D Experience are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the
U.S.A. and other countries.
© 2007 Wizards
# # #

Quote from: estarDamn maybe I can turn the apartment that is attached to my house (Meadville PA) into a refuge waystation for Indy bound gamers.

Yeah Erie is trying to diversify and has ramped up the tourism stuff by promoting Presque Isle and drawing conventions into town. So every so often there is a perfect storm where there is no hotel rooms available.

In the future you could cut down I-79, Edinboro and Meadville have a handful of hotels right off of I-79. Edinboro is 15 minutes away and Meadville is 30 minutes away.

The stretch between Erie and Ashtabula is a long one without many places with hotels.