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[East] Amazing experiences with awesome people
GhostDan
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
We've got a lot of reviews and even a "People that were acting not-cool" thread, I thought I'd post a thread that went the other way.
This was my first Pax East experience, and I went solo. I've been to a lot of other cons/expos but had never been to a PAX event. While the games, panels, concerts, etc were amazing, one of the things that really amazed me were the people.
So in this thread I'd love it if people shared some awesome experiences they had with people. I'll start off with a couple:
- People in line were so nice. The major negative of going solo to me is sitting in line by yourself. More than once people starting conversations with me, asked me to play games, etc. This was awesome. I was even able to get people to hold my spot when I had to make a bathroom run during long lines.
- Enforcers were interactive
I had read in posts and what not that you shouldn't be concerned if a Enforcer calls you over, it could just be that they are being a real person and want to chat, but I still wasn't ready for the first time one beckoned me. Turned out he really liked the shirt I was wearing, and wanted to know where I got it so he could pick one up.
- More than once I saw strangers pick things up that had been dropped and run after people, or help a cosplay player out when they had to move in line by offering to hold things.
- Concerts were probably the best behaved I've ever been to. People were friendly. Being short I had tall people in front of me asking me if I could see ok, people making sure everyone had plenty of space, even that beautiful young lady on Saturday going around fanning people since it was quite warm.
Next year I'll be bringing a couple friends along, and I've been telling them all about my experience, and how the #1 thing I got out of it was a sense of camaraderie and belonging. Yea there were a few rotten apples, but considering there were 70k people there I don't think they made up a fraction of a percentage. That's pretty darn good.
This was my first Pax East experience, and I went solo. I've been to a lot of other cons/expos but had never been to a PAX event. While the games, panels, concerts, etc were amazing, one of the things that really amazed me were the people.
So in this thread I'd love it if people shared some awesome experiences they had with people. I'll start off with a couple:
- People in line were so nice. The major negative of going solo to me is sitting in line by yourself. More than once people starting conversations with me, asked me to play games, etc. This was awesome. I was even able to get people to hold my spot when I had to make a bathroom run during long lines.
- Enforcers were interactive
I had read in posts and what not that you shouldn't be concerned if a Enforcer calls you over, it could just be that they are being a real person and want to chat, but I still wasn't ready for the first time one beckoned me. Turned out he really liked the shirt I was wearing, and wanted to know where I got it so he could pick one up.- More than once I saw strangers pick things up that had been dropped and run after people, or help a cosplay player out when they had to move in line by offering to hold things.
- Concerts were probably the best behaved I've ever been to. People were friendly. Being short I had tall people in front of me asking me if I could see ok, people making sure everyone had plenty of space, even that beautiful young lady on Saturday going around fanning people since it was quite warm.
Next year I'll be bringing a couple friends along, and I've been telling them all about my experience, and how the #1 thing I got out of it was a sense of camaraderie and belonging. Yea there were a few rotten apples, but considering there were 70k people there I don't think they made up a fraction of a percentage. That's pretty darn good.
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It was amazing to talk to so many people who had the same interests. The most enjoyable experience I had was something I had never planned for. On my way to the concerts on Saturday there were people who looked like they were miming in the hallway. I asked what was going on and they explained they were playing Ninja! They told me the rules and encoraged me to give it a try.
Suffice it to say 2 and a half hours later I was still playing ninja when I had to tear myself away and make it to the MC Frontalot concert. What a fun night!
I'm sorry I missed that, sounds like fun
Boothwise - Sega's reps were super helpful in getting my son up and in the aliens display. They had risers and helped him get up there safely and were just super nice people. The Nintendo booth was also staffed with really nice reps, but you just expect it from Nintendo so it's not surprising - but still kudos to them for just being great overall.
Cosplay - Finn and Fiona from Adventure Time posed with my son and he thought they were just amazing.
The biggie for me was a vendor I'll have to find the name of - hopefully I can find it on one of the games. This vendor was very generous. They had a few damaged box games marked for $5 each. My wife asked if they had any other $5 games around their booth she missed, explaining she teaches k-12grade kids while they are temporarily confined to a mental hospital. The booth rep found 2 more games that were slow sellers, discounted them to $5 so my wife's students have 4 more games to play this Friday for $20 out of pocket. Being on a limited budget was a good/bad thing I think - she would have bought half the vendor area if we had the money.
Similarly - the Skallops guy (E&M labs) said to get in touch once they ramp up production and he'll sell her a set or two for her classroom at wholesale/cost. Of course, that didn't stop us from ordering a set for home anyways - they were really, really fun and I can't wait for them to be delivered!
Also that awesome guy I met at both the getting into the game industry panels. You were awesome and I wish I caught your name. Thanks for making waiting in line pretty fun!
A very special shout out to the Peach who helped me on Friday with my fake eyelashes. You were so helpful and thank you so much. I hope your con went well. It was a shame we didn't run into each other again.
Three instances I want to point out that were particularly great this year:
At the Pokecrawl, there were many arguments over who was going to pay for what drinks. This was because everyone wanted to pay for everyone else's drinks and nobody wanted to not pay. This was awesome, and usually ended up in "person X pays for drinks for X and Y, and Y gives the same amount to Child's Play".
@Beetarded and his wife basically gave away almost all the swag they collected (and trust me if you know them, you know they won a lot of prizes and got a lot of swag) over the course of the PAX. They didn't hoard raffle items or prizes that they won that they didn't end up needing to sell on ebay, they spent time and energy finding people that could use the stuff and making sure it got into their hands (sometimes by force...).
Last but most assuredly not least... I don't remember your forum handle... I think your name is Tim? you were in the Westin lobby Wednesday night at the table where Jerry stopped to talk for an hour or so. This was my wife's first PAX, and you helped her to feel immediately accepted with your random introduction and hug right off the bat. She was worried she wouldn't fit in, and you were a great first step for her having an awesome first PAX.
As for specific folks? Arsonbro, you're a champion. "I doubt you" became my line of pax whenever she did something awesome.
TV and John? Amazing People, The claptraps were killer, I was proud to be a part of it, and I look forward to seeing your entire crew again! Christine is super excited to help make the mini megaman costume.
The dude from the Ghostbusters Ipad game that we met on the pub crawl? You sir, are amazing, we had to come back and see you a few times at pax, as soon as we get something that can run the game We'll be screaming "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!"
And lastly, to whomever that couple was next to us in the handheld lounge sunday, thank you for entertaining Christine while I went to the dragonquest 9 meetup.
I can safely say that she is now one of us.
A gentleman randomly gave my son a Zelda pin, saying you have to have a boomerang if you are Link.
When my son fell asleep during the concerts Saturday night, people were being very careful around him, going so far as to tip toe past him and not wake him up.
We were a little apprehensive bringing him but they everyone acted let us know we made the right choice. Oh, and the expo hall people loved him, he scored more swag than I have seen.
I unfortunately did not even think at the time to ask what group they were from. I'd really like to know if anyone knew who they were so I can pass some good karma over to them!
All of the enforcers I met were amazing, and a big thanks to all of you for giving of your own time to make this possible. I may have to see if I can join you all next time around.
Also, I want to give another shout to the cookie brigade and anyone who made/sold/bought cookies. Having an entirely community run event raise that much for charity in the span of only a few days is truly epic, so props to you all.
These guys were at PAX and are probably who you are thinking of.
Also, a special shout-out to all the Canadians that stopped me while I was wearing a Canadian flag. I guess I made you guys feel at home, and you all did the same.
That is definitely the item I was given, but I'm not sure if it was given by the E&M folks or just some other generous group of exhibitors.
I had a good time chatting with some folks before the Mark Kart 7 tourney. I also had a blast playing in the tourney even though I came in like 7th, 7th, 6th, 5th or something like that. Losing in Mario Kart is almost as fun as winning.
Saturday night, after hanging with some friends at the Westin mezzanine, I stuck around and apparently started playing some card game with three strangers. Thanks to everyone for finishing my booze and snacks so I didn't have to drag them home.
I think one of my highlights was finding Erika in the merch booth. Asked for an autograph and picture, but we needed someone to take it. She called over Levin, who I then told to get in the picture too. Apparently Erika's dad was there. I gave him my iPhone and he promptly took a picture of himself by accident. It was pretty hilarious. I tweeted the photo to Levin and Erika and Levin tweeted back, cracking up.
PAX gets better each and every time I go.
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They were obviously having a ton of fun with it, and are just everything a PAX vendor should be. They had a sense of humor, an awesome product, and the booth was well designed. The woman at the booth with both the kid ahead of us and my son was just great - she took the time to have each of them try on various mustache designs, look in the mirror and made recommendations on the proper mustache for each while putting on the appropriate phony accent.
My son then ate his entire lunch with a British accent and and air of sophistication.
Edit: Speaking of lunch - the woman that made my lunch in the food court was really awesome and I don't think we generally have many nice things to say about the official BCEC staff so I should call her out too. We were paying for our lunches and she threw a full size bag of M&Ms on the tray for my son for free and told him to have a happy Easter. We talked a bit about how she wanted to be home with her grandkids that day but a job is a job - I shared that we had to wake up around 6am for the Easter bunny to hit in time to still get down there. She was very nice and I think that sometimes we get so stuck on the prices that that area of the convention is likely a very thankless job.
I also want to give out a shout to the Cookie Brigadiers. You guys don't get nearly enough credit for how hard you work.
The bakers spend hundreds of dollars and hours baking all those treats; some of those cool cookies are really time consuming and complicated! If you didn't see them already, think about how much effort and time went in to making these cookies just to be given away at PAX:
The distributors give up almost their entire convention to support Child's Play. At the end of the day, you're tired, sore and hoarse from working the crowds all day. They patiently explain what the brigade is hundreds of times each day, sometimes get really negative/suspicious responses, and are still positive and ready to go out and spend their time and money for the Brigade.
And the CB leadership & liasions. Everyone prepped for months, organizing the brigade website, the brigadiers, the games, the cookies, the super secret storage, everything. It's hard work putting this all together and it went off beautifully.
You guys are so incredibly awesome that I just don't have the words.
And a shout out to LexiconGrrl who organized the Freedom trail tour which was pretty awesome. As someone who doesn't like big groups and can be shy around new people it made getting prepped for the large groups and new people of the con much easier to ease into it
As a side note anyone coming Thursday of next year should try the tour, very informative.
I think my favorite moment was when I had ran out of beta codes to give away and had to send away a mom and daughter who were bumming about it. I turned around and found two stuck behind a monitor, ran after them and gave them to the pair. I got an awesome hug. A hug! For a piece of paper! Good trade.
I saw you a few times around the convention. My group was calling you "Captain Canada", and we were highly amused by the costume. Hope to see Captain Canada next year!
In particular, I was glad that the other people in the Dominion tabletop tournament were so cool! None of my other friends entered, so I was on my own, but everyone was very friendly and chatty. I had been pretty nervous going in, since I don't play super-competitively or anything like that, but I had a total blast during every one of my games. (And congrats to the dude who won; I am so bad at remembering names!)
On a similar note, two guys played a few games of Dominion with my boyfriend and I in the Seaport hotel lobby on Friday... er, technically Saturday morning, as it was around 3am. It was great that it felt so natural to just sit around and play stuff with new people! The open attitude and welcoming nature of the whole event was just really spectacular. I loved always knowing that there would be someone around to chat with or play a game with, even if you hadn't known them prior.
Also, I was super impressed by the Enforcers, and the lengths they went to in ensuring that people in lines were entertained.
So, overall, really, I just have to echo the sentiment of others who said that they loved the sense of camaraderie. Even as a first-time-PAXer, I immediately felt like I was a part of something super awesome.
Anyway, thank you to everyone I met for helping make this an extremely pleasant experience. Everyone I met was super nice. I can't apologize enough to anyone who I might have accidentally nudged or offended in any way. I'm pretty confident that I didn't do anything wrong, but there were a lot of people and there were times where I was moving pretty fast and was easily distracted while carry one or more bags.
A couple of personal highlights for me: Thanks to the folks who played D&D with me and my fiance. She's attempted to play like 3 times previously and completely hated it, but for some reason, she actually loved playing while at PAX. She's actually really psyched to play again now. Also thanks to anyone whose shoulder we peeked over while they were playing a game, especially during the Street Fighter tourney. I didn't play a lot of games myself, to be honest, but I really loved seeing other people go at it. Also, thanks to the guy I played SFIV with at or near, I believe, the Newegg booth. We played one really close match just randomly and it was surprising that it stuck in my mind so much that I downloaded the game as soon as I got home. Sorry I didn't say "good game" or fist bump or something, but he wandered off before it occurred to me to say anything.
I think that's all I'll say for now. Thanks again to everyone. If it's within my power to do so, I'll definitely be back next year.
Most enforcers were cool as hell too, some goofed around and made a lot of people welcomed. I was waiting in line during for VGO and one of the enforcers had a fake deep old English accent going telling people to, "FILL THE SPACE WITH YOUR BODIES, THE LINE DRAWS NEAR FRIENDS" something like that, it was funny.
This was my second PAX, and I looked forward to the same awesome community as last year, and you guys did not disappoint. From the highly fun, incredibly helpful, and all-around wonderful enforcers (a particular shout-out to /dance there, it made my Saturday night), to the people in lines who are willing to just talk about anything at all, and even all the people at the booths and panels were great people. All-around, you guys make going to PAX solo (because my friends are boring) more than a worthwhile experience. So, if you went, pat yourself on the back for being a really cool person.
I took a picture of your Link outside of MJ O'Conners at the Westin Hotel. He was so incredibly cute! He reminded me of my own son who is 5 and after experiencing PAX for the first time, I wished I had brought him along. But maybe next year! I'm glad you had an awesome experience bringing your boy along.
first off, what are the odds my bf and i happened to sit with my secret santa at the pre-pax dinner? so glad i got to meet you exodus! and to acumen, are there thanks enough for organizing that event? it was really fantastic, a perfect way to start an amazing pax!
ZHH and verandia, obviously, you guys are the best. it was really great to get to hang with you guys, and verandia was so sweet to our young companion morrigan! she's so excited to cosplay again next year, and she absolutely LOVED that tiara!
everyone and anyone who was involved in the late saturday night slashdance, that was totally a highlight of our pax. we didn't game as much as we planned to that evening, but damn if we didn't dance.
all the cosplayers, especially those who took photos with the 9 yr old we were with. you guys made it like disney world for her, it was just awesome.
anyone in line for the gearbox panel when our claptrap troop showed up and was met with a thundering cheer. i will remember/hear about that moment for years, you guys. just beyond amazing. those guys were just a bunch of fans and you made them feel like rock stars. THANK YOU.
also, shout out to LexiconGrrl for organizing that mezzanine situation at the westin. i really hope this is a regular fixture for future paxes, it was so awesome! a great extra gaming space and even a good space to just meet or eat lunch when our room had more people than it could comfortably seat!
and, as always, the unbelievable incredible enforcers, who make this whole damn thing happen. we all know what you do isn't easy, but you somehow manage to do it with enthusiasm, and for that we all thank you.
1 goes out to the older blonde lady at the Westin Lobby bar, who was always awesome when we were there. After being onsite since Tuesday before PAX she knew me and a couple others by name. By the time PAX rolled around it was always "Hey Red, the usual?"
I gave her some cigars Sunday evening for being awesome.
Thanks for everyone (most of which were from BYOC) who bought me drinks Sunday evening in the westin lobby. You helped me drown my sorrows away :P
Props for the older guy who hung out with me for a bit in the bar too... I forgot your handle/name but it was cool to smoke, talk, and rant with you for a while. Come out to prime sometime!
Thanks everyone for kind words throughout the event. You helped me power through one of the more difficult PAXes for me.
I guess first, punzie and fathervenom, for playing where's waldo at south station trying to find me and for bringing me to game night at jj foley's... it was so nice to have someone show me where to go and to feel like I already knew someone when I got there! to trotsky, toast, jared, and FV who let me teach railway rivals (one of my favorite games) at said game night, and who kicked my butt at it! to all the people who crawled around the floor of jj foleys looking for my fitbit? I can't say how much I appreciate it, even though it never turned up.
to all the awesome people I met and hung with on the MMT...dom & mike (you lovely brits!), gigawell, decius, mooeth, pinder, juju, adam et al.
jujukoo - all the stuff you organized for PAX, I don't know how you do it, you are a marvel! in particular, the dumpling crawl was a highlight, and will hopefully become an annual affair. such a great way to meet twitter friends like loki, ukiyo_e, and durinthal (and later peasantdave and zezspecs), plus make new twitter friends like trinistand (you are awesome!), canadians tryfan2k2 and deliciouspi, and kathycancook.
and on that same note - the girls brunch??? so amazing. will never miss it again. the food, the place, the company? so great to meet themiscyra, cabsy, annie, magpie, and so many more ladies. and to shadowfae and the other person who drove me home (I apologize I forget who it was, I was deleriously feverish) thank you for rescuing me from a horrible, cold, long walk when I was already sick!! you didn't have to accept a stranger into your car, but you did, and for that I am so grateful.
to acumen for organizing the PPD - I'm sure this was a TON of work. but I am grateful because I met so many great people - creamsteak, aryooki, kellyshepherd, chaosisorder, blAAAm, tvethiopia, amysophie, gooseygoose (thanks for eating my salad!), frugus, mrarcys, LTAcosta, and I'm sure I'm forgetting many more people who were all so friendly, welcoming, and willing to play zombie dice at the dinner table ; )
the pokecrawl! to all of totodile - you guys kick ass. especially those of you who bought t-shirts, and even more so, those who donated more money then you had to to get it. you are my heroes. and to lucazzo for waiting all day for the UPS truck to show up with those shirts (and his friends who helped him carry them!). to bacon for convincing me to wear a medium, and hanging with me during the craziness of distribution. to blAAAM for getting me change. to exodus for giving me an adorable pokeball, and my amazing blue pokemon sweatbands which I will never get rid of! to my rock-paper-scissors partner from our third bar (I'm still sorry about throwing the 3rd round!) and his friend for letting me wear his hat. to swae for you know what! ; ) to officer jenny for protecting us all!
to toast and peetsnack for making sure that tototile t-shirt money got where it needed to go!
to tonycosens, for introducing yourself while I was in a haze of cakeball distribution Friday morning!
to echozero, for giving me a PAX coin and just generally being awesome. : )
to kingofmars for teaching me cthulu dice, bekah for being adorkable, and durinthal for helping me pick out dice.
to melesmeles for "caping" me when he saw me on the expo floor.
to zerzhul and jersey for introducing themselves at the education panel, and making me feel so much more a part of the community.
to all the people on twitter who offered to bring me shit and help out with cookie brigade when I couldn't get out of bed saturday morning.
to the brigadiers (whoever you were) who gave out the rest of my cakeballs on sunday when I was too sick.
to all the awesome trading card folks I met - testsubject, cloud_walker, reverendsnide, thedoctor1, I could go on forever!
to the huge group of hilarious people who let me join in their game of cards against humanity on sunday night...you guys were awesome. I wish I knew who the two ladies besides myself and girlgamer88 were, because you were both hysterical!!
I know this sounds like some ridiculous awards acceptance speech or something, but I can't thank just one person. Every person I met contributed in some small (or large) way to making my PAX better. And after all, that's what PAX is about, right? About the community, the family, the sense of place? Even though I spent half of this PAX poxed into oblivion, I would still say it may have been my best PAX yet. The sense of solidarity you get when surrounded by people who share your interests, your passion and enthusiasm, and to have it all while having freedom from being judged for that passion - it's just an amazing feeling. it's what makes PAX addictive, beyond just being fun. I am honored to be a part of it.
"The bass, the rock, the mic, the treble, I like my coffee black just like my metal." - MSI
Crap, totally forgot to do that. Don't worry, I'll get started right away.
i heard from a little bird you still had to ban some people from the plane though, so at least there's that
"The bass, the rock, the mic, the treble, I like my coffee black just like my metal." - MSI
I didn't even think of that - it would have been the perfect time to post repeatedly about my great deals on pharmaceuticals, low priced sneakers or my site where you can stream every episode of your favorite tv shows. I could have been rich!
and thanks to moe for not being TOO weirded out when i randomly announced "that's moe fwacky, he mods the forums" on a crowded elevator. it just had to be said.
After 10 PAXs, I'm sort of used to it by now.
@Zerzhul Great to hang out a bit with you and your wife. You both helped make me feel welcome.
@Atlus Parker Thanks for starting and running these bar crawls.
@Acumen101 Thanks for organizing the pre-pax dinner.
@tvethiopia Thanks for the super awesome Christmas at PAX. The hat has served a fantastic purpose.
@Sausage Thanks for watching my hat, long discussions about how awesome PAX is, and randomly ending up in the same places.
@browncoatbeth I should have brought martian dice as well.
@Punzie For being the first and foremost person to remember my username.
There were also a bajillion enforcers of awesomeness that I didn't take down names for and a ton of people that helped out in various other capacities.
This was my third PAX. Getting progressively more involved in various different PAX related communities and sharing the experience with you all has definitely taken things to another level. I love to proselytize the PAX spirit and get motivated about the culture and the community. What I've enjoyed the most this year was bringing others into the fold, standing up against people that were doing things that would hurt our collective reputation, and trying to help other people enjoy PAX more.
Now that Punzie has convinced me to be more involved with the community my PAX experience leading up to the show felt like playing catch up and sometimes even a chore (zomg so many cookies) but it all totally paid off!
Let me start with the two most important things. Friday: I lost my wallet. I went crazy trying to find it. The last place I knew I had it was at the D&D dungeon delve tables, who sent me to the closer Table Top info desk, who sent me to the TT main desk, who sent me to main info booth where 2 super sweet enforcers rifled through a box of wallets & when they didn't find mine took my information so they could contact me if it turned up. Within the hour I got a phone call that it had turned up. Not only did I get it, but Saturday the WotC exhibitor who was in charge of the delves came up to me and mentioned that he had found my wallet and asked if I had gotten it back yet. That little extra is really what makes PAX so great.
Saturday: My shoelace got caught in the top of an escalator and was sucking me back in. Before I even realized the situation I had a giant PAXer wrap his arms around me to stop me from losing more ground while his buddy went over and hit the emergency brake. Punzie came over to unload my arms while the guy who hit the brake extricated my shoe. I was so dazed by the experience I only said a quick thank you. I wish I could have expressed myself better. I don't think my life was in jeopardy or anything but certainly my health was. I'm so grateful to my two rescuers.
I was interviewed by an Emerson student for his journalism class in my second trip through the Friday morning expo hall line (woops) & he asked me what I was looking forward to the most. I told him it was going to be the dungeon delve I set up for that day. Last year I didn't know anybody except my own friends who were all busy working the Battleground Games booth so I spent most of my free time playing D&D delves. I did 8 and lost every single one of them. So this year I set out to build an all star team prior to PAX. I got Punzie who isn't big into D&D but is the coolest girlfriend ever, then one of my DMs NathanielBlumberg and his wife Aryooki who is a fellow player in his game. We were short 2 in the approaching week but I knew slamonella was local and a very good player according to the twitter D&D scene so I asked her to participate and maybe find our 6th. She asked SarahDarkmagic (a really big name in D&D) who I had been following on twitter. I started geeking out from the moment I saw slamonella's tweet & I wasn't disappointed. It was a blast & we won with 30 seconds to spare!
I got almost a complete set of signatures across 2 badges of the Penny Arcade staff.
So many people I met that I want to shout out to: MagnusCarter, Kevralin (sp?), chaosisorder, emod, cabsy, nakki, cloudwalker, Frugus, browncoatbeth, the Irregular Random Chatter Podcast guys who I already know but finally got to meet, direwolf, durinthal, kingofmars, metanomad, Heleor, Propriety, Nando, the rest of the Pax Pokemon League, Lexicongrrl, macrogeek & his wife (who have the coolest kid ever!), zerzhul & jersey who I hope had as much fun being a new +1 as I did, Smalllady, Luneowl, clickpictony, VThornheart, facelesscog, slamonella, SarahDarkmagic
And last but definitely not least all the enforcers. You guys are the lifeblood of PAX and it's great that everyone knows it, but you guys deserve our thanks and praise.
TL;DR PAX is awesome!
Likewise, I'm incredibly grateful to have met so many awesome people at PAX this year! I did a few of the PrePAX events this year and met a whole bunch of incredible people. You all rock!