Yeah, plus it's cheaper to do so..I don't mind sharing with people. I have shared hotels room for another convention before.
Still lots of time to figure that out.
I'll make my plans down the road. I'll probably be going solo this year, which leaves it to me to book whatever hotel I want for whatever days I want. I'll probably share a room to save costs.
Yeah, plus it's cheaper to do so..I don't mind sharing with people. I have shared hotels room for another convention before.
Still lots of time to figure that out.
I'll make my plans down the road. I'll probably be going solo this year, which leaves it to me to book whatever hotel I want for whatever days I want. I'll probably share a room to save costs.
LOL yeah I know, but I'm gonna save a good amount of money for it XD
Yeah, plus it's cheaper to do so..I don't mind sharing with people. I have shared hotels room for another convention before.
Still lots of time to figure that out.
I'll make my plans down the road. I'll probably be going solo this year, which leaves it to me to book whatever hotel I want for whatever days I want. I'll probably share a room to save costs.
LOL yeah I know, but I'm gonna save a good amount of money for it XD
And this is when I point and laugh at you all. Point and laugh, because I go to school in Boston. No packing, to traveling, no "oh shit I forgot my hiegenic supplies", no problem. I will be gloating about this in the future, just you wait.
Yeah, plus it's cheaper to do so..I don't mind sharing with people. I have shared hotels room for another convention before.
Still lots of time to figure that out.
I'll make my plans down the road. I'll probably be going solo this year, which leaves it to me to book whatever hotel I want for whatever days I want. I'll probably share a room to save costs.
LOL yeah I know, but I'm gonna save a good amount of money for it XD
And this is when I point and laugh at you all. Point and laugh, because I go to school in Boston. No packing, to traveling, no "oh shit I forgot my hiegenic supplies", no problem. I will be gloating about this in the future, just you wait.
I don't live far from boston. ! *sobs* But you're lucky you live close.
All I know is that I'm going to do my damn best to get the closest hotel possible. I've ranted multiple times about my experience last year (actually this year) when I tried my hand at staying a bit further out. I won't be doing that again unless I have too.
Also, I think there is much to be said about being at the hotel where all the other PAXers are.
All I know is that I'm going to do my damn best to get the closest hotel possible. I've ranted multiple times about my experience last year (actually this year) when I tried my hand at staying a bit further out. I won't be doing that again unless I have too.
Also, I think there is much to be said about being at the hotel where all the other PAXers are.
I was looking at hotels online last year. I don't quite remember where, but I could have sworn there was one right near paxeast.
All I know is that I'm going to do my damn best to get the closest hotel possible. I've ranted multiple times about my experience last year (actually this year) when I tried my hand at staying a bit further out. I won't be doing that again unless I have too.
Also, I think there is much to be said about being at the hotel where all the other PAXers are.
I was looking at hotels online last year. I don't quite remember where, but I could have sworn there was one right near paxeast.
There is one that's pretty much right near it. Two others (if I remember correctly) are 10 minutes or less walking distance if I recall.
All I know is that I'm going to do my damn best to get the closest hotel possible. I've ranted multiple times about my experience last year (actually this year) when I tried my hand at staying a bit further out. I won't be doing that again unless I have too.
Also, I think there is much to be said about being at the hotel where all the other PAXers are.
I was looking at hotels online last year. I don't quite remember where, but I could have sworn there was one right near paxeast.
There is one that's pretty much right near it. Two others (if I remember correctly) are 10 minutes or less walking distance if I recall.
The Weston Boston Waterfront is the hotel attached to the BCEC which is where PAX is held. The ones within close walking distance are the Renaissance Boston Waterfront and the Seaport Boston Hotel.
If you don't mind walking a little farther, you can cross the bridges over into downtown Boston and right there are the Intercontental Boston, and the Boston Harbor Hotel.
Also, I believe my lady will be attending PAX with me. Which I am unbelievably psyched about. I think it'll help her "break out of her shell."
The lovely Mrs. Trion has also suggested that she may join me for PAX this year. I'm not sure if that will actually happen - cons aren't exactly her thing. But, fingers crossed.
The Weston Boston Waterfront is the hotel attached to the BCEC which is where PAX is held. The ones within close walking distance are the Renaissance Boston Waterfront and the Seaport Boston Hotel.
If you don't mind walking a little farther, you can cross the bridges over into downtown Boston and right there are the Intercontental Boston, and the Boston Harbor Hotel.
The Seaport was fantastic, and was right down the street from the center. If you can't get Westin, Seaport is right there.
The Weston Boston Waterfront is the hotel attached to the BCEC which is where PAX is held. The ones within close walking distance are the Renaissance Boston Waterfront and the Seaport Boston Hotel.
If you don't mind walking a little farther, you can cross the bridges over into downtown Boston and right there are the Intercontental Boston, and the Boston Harbor Hotel.
That's pretty much what I did, and as I said, I ended up ranting about it.
For the sake of argument, I was irked because my plan looked good on paper but ended up a bit more flawed in practice. That being said, as bad as I will make things sound, I would do it again should I not be able to book something very close (or if I found a similarly interesting rate). The important thing is that I will know precisely what I am getting into and will be able to plan around for it.
In my case I stayed at the Nine Zero*, a very nice trendy hotel which I got for a pittance compared to the usual rate. It was a 25 minute walk to the event and I walk more than that just to get to work so I'm used to it. Besides, it was a nice opportunity to walk around Boston (and it truly was).
I did not expect the BCEC to be THAT big compared to the Hynes, and so I had not expected to walk so much once within the event. I also did not expect to be over encumbered so quickly from all the shopping and swag. Finally you had to factor in general fatigue (10 am to 2 am of activities will tire anyone), and the result was a cumulative +5 minutes to each walk to or from the event.
I fully expected to get some cab rides, but we sometimes found ourselves obligated to take more than we had planned for and ended up eating a fair bit of the savings I made with low hotel rates. On that front I should have expected that it would also take forever to get one around 2 am when the event closes. We were too tired to wait the approximate hour on Saturday so we decided to walk back. It took us almost 50 minutes because we were exhausted.
There are many things I would do differently if I were in the same situation, such as expecting the long taxi lines at closing times and planning ahead to limit the number of trips to and from. I would also look into doing a shopping/swag run and take the time to dump everything back at the hotel or car so I would not be encumbered for the rest of the day.
* BTW, if you are curious to know what it looks like, boot up Netflix and check out the beginning of Charlie Murphy's Stand up comedy movie/show called I will not apologize. That's the hotel they leave and and jump into a limo before they go and start the show.
And this is when I point and laugh at you all. Point and laugh, because I go to school in Boston. No packing, to traveling, no "oh shit I forgot my hiegenic supplies", no problem. I will be gloating about this in the future, just you wait.
Y'know, PAX East is the easy one for me to get to, because it only takes 12-14 hours travelling (8 of them in the air) to get there?
And now it looks like we won't even get a PAX UK to make it up to us *sniffles*
And this is when I point and laugh at you all. Point and laugh, because I go to school in Boston. No packing, to traveling, no "oh shit I forgot my hiegenic supplies", no problem. I will be gloating about this in the future, just you wait.
Same here. Even though i live just outside the city im still planning on getting a hotel room.
But only because Rainbow so graciously offered to treat me to dinner & a movie.
I'm so jelly
Screw them, I'll treat you to dinner and a movie, Rdr! Just a couple of things though -- the dinner is half a cold croissant from that morning and the movie isn't so much a movie as it is watching people through the window of the nearest 7-11.
But only because Rainbow so graciously offered to treat me to dinner & a movie.
I'm so jelly
Screw them, I'll treat you to dinner and a movie, Rdr! Just a couple of things though -- the dinner is half a cold croissant from that morning and the movie isn't so much a movie as it is watching people through the window of the nearest 7-11.
Don't be jelly, Rdr - I decided that it couldn't cut into PAX time, so he offered to come for an extra visit in the fall.
Dan - please tell me I can join you with the 7-11 watching. I'd be totally down for that.
But only because Rainbow so graciously offered to treat me to dinner & a movie.
I'm so jelly
Screw them, I'll treat you to dinner and a movie, Rdr! Just a couple of things though -- the dinner is half a cold croissant from that morning and the movie isn't so much a movie as it is watching people through the window of the nearest 7-11.
watching people through the window of the nearest 7-11.
This reminds me of PAX 2010. My friends and I finally get to Boston...get checked into the hotel and finally decide we're going to grab some food. There's so many amazing places around and they all decide it has to be McDonald's, Subway or 7-11. We're in Chinatown and there's 100+ amazing places to eat and these are my options.
Well, I picked Subway which was across the street from 7-11 and we sat at the window and watched people for about an hour or so. It was better than some movies I've seen lately.
Wow this thread is making me even more pumped for PAX East 2012! My first PAX was also the first PAX East and I vowed to never miss it. I'm very interested in the PPD now as well.
Yeah I will most likely be attending, probably grabbing a few BYOC spots. PAX was definitely worth the trip to Boston, unfortunately I will have to leave Saturday night due to Easter being on Sunday. well at least I get to save a night on the hotel room
You 'mericans are going to have to help a Canuck out here: What's with the interest in watching people going into a 7-11? There are only two up here that I know of and they're not that particularly interesting....
The first one is back in my hometown and that one was only used as kids when we get mad cravings for slushes. Unfortunately it was rather far away so it was always a journey to get there. Dammit though, those slushes on a hot day were certainly worth it.
Second one is where I'm at now in downtown Toronto. The only reason I know of it is because it's the *only* place open for coffee when I need to wake up at ungodly hours.
Yes some Timmies are open 24/7 but man their coffee sucks (I do understand this is considered blasphemy).
Bringing it back to more PAX relatedness:
Frugus, I understand your pains. My whole ordeal of getting to Boston was an experience for me. If it helps about the hotel situation, I made reservations for the Westin connected to the BCEC a day or so after they first became available. Moving on ahead, the day before I leave for PAX they tell me the hotel has been overbooked and we get moved to the other Westin in the 'fancy' part of Beantown 45 minutes away. Sucked having to walk/shuttle it, but we did get one night/parking for free. Always look on the bright side of life, eh?
OH! Bringing this back to boardgames (kinda) I picked up a copy of Zombie Dice after hearing everyone talk about how rad it is. Gotta admit, quite glad I got myself a copy. Can't wait to put it to use in Seattle. :ar!
Gameshark, I can't speak for 7-11, but people watching can be fun anywhere people are. A favorite hobby of mine is to spot first dates when I'm at a pub or similar, and rate how they're going by the body language I observe. I will do this even if I'm on a first date. So, in short, we're all voyeurs.
Regarding hotels: Staying close is expensive and convenient. Staying further away can be cheaper, but adds travel time and parking hassels. I haven't decided this year. I doubt I'll get a lot of my friends to go on Easter Weekend. I might try to find someone to share a room with.
Frugus brought up a good point about the wear and tear of caring a pack all day, and adding the walk to and from the venue, and the weight of items bought. Driving there pretty much rules that out, but again, parking and driving becomes a factor. Also, I refer to RainbowTunnel on this one, being in the attached hotel would probably be very helpful if you're doing a rather involved form of cosplay.
On the subject of board games - last year I had a variety of games in the trunk of my car, and a few in my bag for lines and the like. Zombie Dice was sold out everywhere I was looking for it. I've picked up some since then, along with We Didn't Playtest This At All. Both great line games.
In my opinion, if people can swing it, the boston waterfront by Westin is not only an excellent room, but very convenient to those who are attending. Though it is best to get some roomates because the cost can add up.
Gameshark, I can't speak for 7-11, but people watching can be fun anywhere people are. A favorite hobby of mine is to spot first dates when I'm at a pub or similar, and rate how they're going by the body language I observe. I will do this even if I'm on a first date. So, in short, we're all voyeurs.
Frugus brought up a good point about the wear and tear of caring a pack all day, and adding the walk to and from the venue, and the weight of items bought. Driving there pretty much rules that out, but again, parking and driving becomes a factor. Also, I refer to RainbowTunnel on this one, being in the attached hotel would probably be very helpful if you're doing a rather involved form of cosplay.
People watching is the best. I haven't tried doing the first-date-watching - I think I'll have to do that sometime.
As for hotels and involved cosplays, I'm sure they're convenient and utterly helpful. I wouldn't know because I didn't use one. I live 45 minutes away from Boston and commuted each day. I used two bags, one for clothing/cosplay stuff and one for swag and my wallet and such. The first bag I put in the bag-check so I didn't have to carry around my real clothes everywhere, and the second I honestly left lying around the handheld lounge most of the time, usually with friends watching over it when they were there. I put on all my witch stuff in the bathroom, and usually got some unsuspecting passerby to help with the duct tape for my claws. Not that you guys are terribly interested in how I did it, but just saying I didn't actually use a hotel room.
I'll be reading this as soon as I have a few moments. Always interested in hearing about travel experiences from other PAXers.
I feel like I need to justify my "over enthusiasm" in this department.
I think there is a lot of geekness in the air when it comes to planning PAX altogether. Just look at the community Google maps, the Hithchicker's guide to PAX, the Train Alliances and the Magical Mystery Tours. My trip planning for PAX has always been drastically different from any other trip I've undertaken, and it's why I like to invest so much time talking about it myself. It's not just me who is planning a trip, it's a whole bunch of us who are doing it together, sharing tips, tricks, discoveries and the insanity. Anything that is contributed by one person gets shared by everyone else, usually for the better. It does not matter where you are from, people will generally help you out.
Even the smallest details can get tweeked by the community. Like that time when I mentionned on IRC that I was looking forward to getting myself an American Cheezeburger. The end result was a flew of suggestions and some help plotting an optimal course towards Boston all the while crossing a "5 guys" franchise around lunch time. Screw you OnStar,
So just like any other Geek, I like to get the best out anything I'm getting into, and everyone else who goes tends to be of the same mindset.
Best community ever guys. Can't wait to see in you in April!
PS: I carry Zombie Dice in my con bag all the time. Signed by the great man himself We did not play test this game is also a must have.
Oh, good. That's a level of complexity I can handle.
FYI there is a free iPhone app for Zombie Dice, however it's limited.
Whatever the case is, it's much more fun to play with actual people. This game is worthless if you can't feel everyone's nerves as they push their luck.
Another great line game would be Cards Against Humanity...we've been playing it constantly at the monthly Boston-PAXers game night.
Cards Against Humanity is a great name for a game. I had to look it up. Looks like Apples to Apples with more innuendo. Admittedly, I wasn't that impressed by Apples to Apples when I played it. Maybe the people I was playing with just weren't all that fun.
Frugus, I'm jealous of your signed copy. A friend of mine got her badge signed by Steve Jackson. I got my copy of Burning Wheel signed by Luke Crane.
While I'm thinking of it, RainbowTunnel, any chance you could enlighten us on cosplayer picture etiquette? I actually have a picture of you from last year with a friend of mine. I made rules for myself not to let picture taking block traffic, never interrupt someone when they seem busy, and don't ambush them with a camera. But still, I'm sure lots of people wanted to get shots of you. What's right and what's wrong?
While I'm thinking of it, RainbowTunnel, any chance you could enlighten us on cosplayer picture etiquette? I actually have a picture of you from last year with a friend of mine. I made rules for myself not to let picture taking block traffic, never interrupt someone when they seem busy, and don't ambush them with a camera. But still, I'm sure lots of people wanted to get shots of you. What's right and what's wrong?
WARNING: wall-o-text
You got a lot of really good points, like the traffic-blocking and interrupting someone while they're busy. Cosplayers usually want to have their picture taken, big surprise there, and have poses that match their characters for just that reason. So asking them for their photo is much better than taking a candid shot from across the room. You get a better picture and they're more satisfied with the result! This one isn't really a problem for PAXians, but I've seen this far too often at other cons: don't touch another person's costume without permission. It's a bit invasive and costumes are generally a lot more fragile than they look. For example - my claws? If I actually tried to stab anyone, even playful poking, they probably would have fallen apart. That's why, when a dude smacked me with one of those blow-up tubes from PAX '10 while I was witching, he broke one of my claws in half. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't mad and it was lots of fun to chase him, but I was a little annoyed because they took me awhile to make.
Also, most people are really good about this at PAX, but remember basic social etiquette - cosplayers are people, too. So if a girl is wearing a skimpy costume, it's okay to check her out or whatever from a distance (I mean, let's be honest, we're asking for it), but just keep in mind to look at their eyes when asking for a picture/conversing.
I'm sure there's more, but these are the basics that I can think of off the top of my head.
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Still lots of time to figure that out.
I'll make my plans down the road. I'll probably be going solo this year, which leaves it to me to book whatever hotel I want for whatever days I want. I'll probably share a room to save costs.
LOL yeah I know, but I'm gonna save a good amount of money for it XD
And this is when I point and laugh at you all. Point and laugh, because I go to school in Boston. No packing, to traveling, no "oh shit I forgot my hiegenic supplies", no problem. I will be gloating about this in the future, just you wait.
I don't live far from boston.
Also, I think there is much to be said about being at the hotel where all the other PAXers are.
I was looking at hotels online last year. I don't quite remember where, but I could have sworn there was one right near paxeast.
There is one that's pretty much right near it. Two others (if I remember correctly) are 10 minutes or less walking distance if I recall.
The Weston Boston Waterfront is the hotel attached to the BCEC which is where PAX is held. The ones within close walking distance are the Renaissance Boston Waterfront and the Seaport Boston Hotel.
If you don't mind walking a little farther, you can cross the bridges over into downtown Boston and right there are the Intercontental Boston, and the Boston Harbor Hotel.
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Also, I believe my lady will be attending PAX with me. Which I am unbelievably psyched about. I think it'll help her "break out of her shell."
The lovely Mrs. Trion has also suggested that she may join me for PAX this year. I'm not sure if that will actually happen - cons aren't exactly her thing. But, fingers crossed.
The Seaport was fantastic, and was right down the street from the center. If you can't get Westin, Seaport is right there.
That's pretty much what I did, and as I said, I ended up ranting about it.
For the sake of argument, I was irked because my plan looked good on paper but ended up a bit more flawed in practice. That being said, as bad as I will make things sound, I would do it again should I not be able to book something very close (or if I found a similarly interesting rate). The important thing is that I will know precisely what I am getting into and will be able to plan around for it.
In my case I stayed at the Nine Zero*, a very nice trendy hotel which I got for a pittance compared to the usual rate. It was a 25 minute walk to the event and I walk more than that just to get to work so I'm used to it. Besides, it was a nice opportunity to walk around Boston (and it truly was).
I did not expect the BCEC to be THAT big compared to the Hynes, and so I had not expected to walk so much once within the event. I also did not expect to be over encumbered so quickly from all the shopping and swag. Finally you had to factor in general fatigue (10 am to 2 am of activities will tire anyone), and the result was a cumulative +5 minutes to each walk to or from the event.
I fully expected to get some cab rides, but we sometimes found ourselves obligated to take more than we had planned for and ended up eating a fair bit of the savings I made with low hotel rates. On that front I should have expected that it would also take forever to get one around 2 am when the event closes. We were too tired to wait the approximate hour on Saturday so we decided to walk back. It took us almost 50 minutes because we were exhausted.
There are many things I would do differently if I were in the same situation, such as expecting the long taxi lines at closing times and planning ahead to limit the number of trips to and from. I would also look into doing a shopping/swag run and take the time to dump everything back at the hotel or car so I would not be encumbered for the rest of the day.
* BTW, if you are curious to know what it looks like, boot up Netflix and check out the beginning of Charlie Murphy's Stand up comedy movie/show called I will not apologize. That's the hotel they leave and and jump into a limo before they go and start the show.
Y'know, PAX East is the easy one for me to get to, because it only takes 12-14 hours travelling (8 of them in the air) to get there?
And now it looks like we won't even get a PAX UK to make it up to us *sniffles*
Same here. Even though i live just outside the city im still planning on getting a hotel room.
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I'm so jelly
Screw them, I'll treat you to dinner and a movie, Rdr! Just a couple of things though -- the dinner is half a cold croissant from that morning and the movie isn't so much a movie as it is watching people through the window of the nearest 7-11.
Don't be jelly, Rdr - I decided that it couldn't cut into PAX time, so he offered to come for an extra visit in the fall.
Dan - please tell me I can join you with the 7-11 watching. I'd be totally down for that.
You had me at screw.
^:)^
This reminds me of PAX 2010. My friends and I finally get to Boston...get checked into the hotel and finally decide we're going to grab some food. There's so many amazing places around and they all decide it has to be McDonald's, Subway or 7-11. We're in Chinatown and there's 100+ amazing places to eat and these are my options.
Well, I picked Subway which was across the street from 7-11 and we sat at the window and watched people for about an hour or so. It was better than some movies I've seen lately.
:'D
The first one is back in my hometown and that one was only used as kids when we get mad cravings for slushes. Unfortunately it was rather far away so it was always a journey to get there. Dammit though, those slushes on a hot day were certainly worth it.
Second one is where I'm at now in downtown Toronto. The only reason I know of it is because it's the *only* place open for coffee when I need to wake up at ungodly hours.
Bringing it back to more PAX relatedness:
Frugus, I understand your pains. My whole ordeal of getting to Boston was an experience for me. If it helps about the hotel situation, I made reservations for the Westin connected to the BCEC a day or so after they first became available. Moving on ahead, the day before I leave for PAX they tell me the hotel has been overbooked and we get moved to the other Westin in the 'fancy' part of Beantown 45 minutes away. Sucked having to walk/shuttle it, but we did get one night/parking for free. Always look on the bright side of life, eh?
OH! Bringing this back to boardgames (kinda) I picked up a copy of Zombie Dice after hearing everyone talk about how rad it is. Gotta admit, quite glad I got myself a copy. Can't wait to put it to use in Seattle. :ar!
Regarding hotels: Staying close is expensive and convenient. Staying further away can be cheaper, but adds travel time and parking hassels. I haven't decided this year. I doubt I'll get a lot of my friends to go on Easter Weekend. I might try to find someone to share a room with.
Frugus brought up a good point about the wear and tear of caring a pack all day, and adding the walk to and from the venue, and the weight of items bought. Driving there pretty much rules that out, but again, parking and driving becomes a factor. Also, I refer to RainbowTunnel on this one, being in the attached hotel would probably be very helpful if you're doing a rather involved form of cosplay.
On the subject of board games - last year I had a variety of games in the trunk of my car, and a few in my bag for lines and the like. Zombie Dice was sold out everywhere I was looking for it. I've picked up some since then, along with We Didn't Playtest This At All. Both great line games.
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People watching is the best. I haven't tried doing the first-date-watching - I think I'll have to do that sometime.
As for hotels and involved cosplays, I'm sure they're convenient and utterly helpful. I wouldn't know because I didn't use one. I live 45 minutes away from Boston and commuted each day. I used two bags, one for clothing/cosplay stuff and one for swag and my wallet and such. The first bag I put in the bag-check so I didn't have to carry around my real clothes everywhere, and the second I honestly left lying around the handheld lounge most of the time, usually with friends watching over it when they were there. I put on all my witch stuff in the bathroom, and usually got some unsuspecting passerby to help with the duct tape for my claws. Not that you guys are terribly interested in how I did it, but just saying I didn't actually use a hotel room.
Never played Zombie Dice, but I'm dying to.
I had Zombie Dice with me last year and will bring them again...you will be taught! Super easy and really addictive.
I'll be reading this as soon as I have a few moments. Always interested in hearing about travel experiences from other PAXers.
I feel like I need to justify my "over enthusiasm" in this department.
I think there is a lot of geekness in the air when it comes to planning PAX altogether. Just look at the community Google maps, the Hithchicker's guide to PAX, the Train Alliances and the Magical Mystery Tours. My trip planning for PAX has always been drastically different from any other trip I've undertaken, and it's why I like to invest so much time talking about it myself. It's not just me who is planning a trip, it's a whole bunch of us who are doing it together, sharing tips, tricks, discoveries and the insanity. Anything that is contributed by one person gets shared by everyone else, usually for the better. It does not matter where you are from, people will generally help you out.
Even the smallest details can get tweeked by the community. Like that time when I mentionned on IRC that I was looking forward to getting myself an American Cheezeburger. The end result was a flew of suggestions and some help plotting an optimal course towards Boston all the while crossing a "5 guys" franchise around lunch time. Screw you OnStar,
So just like any other Geek, I like to get the best out anything I'm getting into, and everyone else who goes tends to be of the same mindset.
Best community ever guys. Can't wait to see in you in April!
PS: I carry Zombie Dice in my con bag all the time. Signed by the great man himself
Will do, Trion. Takes 30 seconds to explain and 1 roll and you got it down. I played it countless times throughout PAX
FYI there is a free iPhone app for Zombie Dice, however it's limited.
Whatever the case is, it's much more fun to play with actual people. This game is worthless if you can't feel everyone's nerves as they push their luck.
Cards Against Humanity is a great name for a game. I had to look it up. Looks like Apples to Apples with more innuendo. Admittedly, I wasn't that impressed by Apples to Apples when I played it. Maybe the people I was playing with just weren't all that fun.
Frugus, I'm jealous of your signed copy. A friend of mine got her badge signed by Steve Jackson. I got my copy of Burning Wheel signed by Luke Crane.
While I'm thinking of it, RainbowTunnel, any chance you could enlighten us on cosplayer picture etiquette? I actually have a picture of you from last year with a friend of mine. I made rules for myself not to let picture taking block traffic, never interrupt someone when they seem busy, and don't ambush them with a camera. But still, I'm sure lots of people wanted to get shots of you. What's right and what's wrong?
We Did Not Play Test This is a fabulous game. Friends bought it at PAX '10, and we always whip it out at our game nights.
WARNING: wall-o-text
You got a lot of really good points, like the traffic-blocking and interrupting someone while they're busy. Cosplayers usually want to have their picture taken, big surprise there, and have poses that match their characters for just that reason. So asking them for their photo is much better than taking a candid shot from across the room. You get a better picture and they're more satisfied with the result! This one isn't really a problem for PAXians, but I've seen this far too often at other cons: don't touch another person's costume without permission. It's a bit invasive and costumes are generally a lot more fragile than they look. For example - my claws? If I actually tried to stab anyone, even playful poking, they probably would have fallen apart. That's why, when a dude smacked me with one of those blow-up tubes from PAX '10 while I was witching, he broke one of my claws in half. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't mad and it was lots of fun to chase him, but I was a little annoyed because they took me awhile to make.
Also, most people are really good about this at PAX, but remember basic social etiquette - cosplayers are people, too. So if a girl is wearing a skimpy costume, it's okay to check her out or whatever from a distance (I mean, let's be honest, we're asking for it), but just keep in mind to look at their eyes when asking for a picture/conversing.
I'm sure there's more, but these are the basics that I can think of off the top of my head.