Preparing for Prime
Hello to everybody!
I am (hopefully) going to be a first time attendee to PAX Prime this year and was wondering if I could get some advice from people who've been to the Expo more than a couple of times.
I am a tabletop gamer as well as an avid videogamer, but where video games require only minimal prep time, tabletop can sometimes take a long time. Besides the obvious like dice, pen, pencil, paper, what else should I bring to PAX to get the most out of my time?
Please extend this beyond just Tabletop gaming and to basic necessities that I should bring too. I haven't been to a convention out of my hometown in a very long time.
I am (hopefully) going to be a first time attendee to PAX Prime this year and was wondering if I could get some advice from people who've been to the Expo more than a couple of times.
I am a tabletop gamer as well as an avid videogamer, but where video games require only minimal prep time, tabletop can sometimes take a long time. Besides the obvious like dice, pen, pencil, paper, what else should I bring to PAX to get the most out of my time?
Please extend this beyond just Tabletop gaming and to basic necessities that I should bring too. I haven't been to a convention out of my hometown in a very long time.
Hopeful First Time Attendee of PAX Prime 2014.
[ X ] Badge
[ X ] Hotel
[ X ] Plane
Wish me luck!
[ X ] Badge
[ X ] Hotel
[ X ] Plane
Wish me luck!
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Aside from that, I don't really know much about tabletop so I can't really make any suggestions, but I do know that a LOT of people bring a LOT of games, and if you don't have the right stuff with you, more likely than not another person has it all ready to go or has what you're missing and will most likely let you join them. PAX is a very friendly, awesome place.
[x]In awe that my 30 minute badge window prediction was pretty close to accurate.
[x]Badge (HOLYCRAPIGOTA4DAY!)
[x]Hotel
[ ]Airfare
[ ]Buttoneering Buttons
[ ]Challenge Coin
The night before PAX, there will be a board gaming event where anything goes.
With hotel lobbies and waiting areas around the convention center, you can find plenty of spots to game at before and after convention hours.
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Another popular small & light item to bring to help pass time is one of the Nintendo DS models if you have one. If you don't have a DS then you may try to borrow one from a friend or family member. My kids will definitely be tapping into that fun resource when we're not directly involved in MTG, D&D, Pathfinder, panels or other games.
I think in general you'll find Pax attendees to be very friendly and sharing... Talk to fellow gamers there and you may find yourself involved in unexpected fun and new friends too. Enforcers are awesome too.
Before you head to Pax you should familiarize yourself with the schedule for any specific panels, tourneys or sessions that are important to you.
Bring cash to get more stuff! If you forget something I'm sure you can get another one, and likely a better one at that.
Keep researching and reading the forums and you'll learn a lot...
Aside from tabletop stuff, last year was my first year. I did the queue room the first day, some people love it, I......will probably never do it again. If heat, sweat, masses of humanity and watching people get smashed in the face with beach balls is your thing, go for it. It IS one of those things you should probably do once though, and I did...once.
The food in the area can be amazing, if you have the cash flow, I definitely suggest eating at some of the nicer restaurants. Seriously I had some of the most amazing seafood last year, some of the Dungeness crab was probably crawling around the sound that morning.. so fresh.
I realized after the first day, trying to run around and hit everything was more than I was prepared for. Day 2 on we just took our time, if there was a game we REALLY had to play we made peace with the line time and just did it (looking at you Titanfall..). Otherwise if there was an open controller, we just grabbed it and played it, you never know what gem you'll find. Also took a break during the day, hit the arcade play some pinball or something, some people can stay in the expo all day, I found I needed to decompress from time to time.
Talk to people in line, seriously I don't care where you are, that person next to you has the same interests as you.
Pax is a blast, no matter what you'll most likely have a good time. Good luck with tickets!
PAX Prime / PAX Dev 2014
PAX Prime 2013
PAX Prime 2009
Agreed! I just wish my kids were little older for CAH though!
As for tabletop, I'm surprised no one mentioned minis. You can bring a small box for one or even a couple of them. I'd also suggest a very durable and easy to carry "kit" with a couple polysets, mini pencils/pens, and mini notebook. If you have character sheets ready, you should have a folder for easy access, and don't forget their experience sheets! You can also bring the books of whichever game you prefer, or do the digital option with your smartphone/ipad/laptop. The digital ones are more convenient, but remember that there's only so much battery power, and the power sockets are prioritized to dms/gms, though you may have luck in getting one. That, and most of the larger tabletop areas will only have so many tables near them. You can also try printing the relevant pages, but remember the Pathfinder requirements. They have pdfs at paizo if need be.
Bring a good beverage holder. I can't stress this enough! You need to stay hydrated! Don't bring the flimsy disposable plastic water bottles you can get at the store. They won't last through a con. Invest in a good one, preferably one that actually keeps the water from leaking out if tipped over. There's some good Rubbermaid ones that have a close that surrounds the opening effectively. DON'T get the ones with the sliding opening! They ALWAYS LEAK!!
If you want to play a game that has extra/special items, bring them. Munchkin dice, coins, bookmarks, a t-shirt with some sort of bonus. Plan accordingly.
You should bring a bag and plan what goes in it. Try to establish a maximum weight you'd be willing to carry through a con. If you don't know what that might be, try carrying the bag with whatever you're taking for a day. If it gets too heavy, pull out things, adjust, then resume carrying it, till you find that happy medium that works for you. If you can't carry a bag comfortably, I would suggest cargo pants. Just make sure any pens/pencils are smaller, so if you bend your legs, it's less likely you'll hurt yourself.
Well, that's all I can think of for now. Hope that helps and good luck!
Things I need to learn: To properly knit, speak Klingon, and speak/read Japanese so I can play Final Fantasy games in their original language.
"S.o.o.n." : "'Severe Obligation to Observe' Neurosis". This Neurosis impels the subject to constantly observe an object, waiting for a change they are certain must come "Soon".
Hotel [x] Pax Badgers Fri [x] Sat [ ] Sun [x] Mon [x] Just need 2 Saturdays, and then our sets will be complete! And then...waiting for Pax.....F5F5F5F5F5F5F5....
As for battery power, give groupon a check, they usually have a decent 10000mAh portable battery charger for around $30, the 10k mAh kept my phone, 3ds, and ipad charged all day for the whole weekend, only had to charge the battery charger overnight and then you don't have to worry about scoring an outlet.
The wolfenstein party at PAX East informed me to get that game, the theming, swag, and atmosphere had so much care put into it, that you couldn't help but figure out that they genuinely loved making it.
Plus I got to demo wolfenstein with a 5 minute line, while holding a free beer, as opposed to a 2 hour wait at the expo hall
They do, and it is free. At least the last 2 Primes, you could get a mini from them and paint on it whenever during Prime.
Generally, I would recommend a small bottle of hand sanitizer and your own bottle of water. If you can afford it, one of those portable power packs can be SUPER useful.
Oh, as someone who's just started painting minis (and doesn't RP) that sounds awesome. Definitely will be looking for them.
These days, I have what I like to call PAX Zen. I go in with no expectations, no plans, and let the cards fall as they may. I always have a wonderful time.
Anyway, paper and pencil is good. I've never needed any, but I can see why they might be useful. Most of the tabletop I do, such items are provided if needed. I always bring a set of dice, but I also always buy a new set of dice when I get there. I've also received free dice sets at various times at various PAXes. Chessex always has a booth, and there's always tons of other vendors selling dice and dice bags and every other manner of tabletop accessory.
My advice is this. Take a look at the schedule and list of vendors, and pick three things you absolutely have to go see or do. Expect to do one of them. But fear not! For every item on your want-to-see list, you will encounter many more surprises that are even more excellent. PAX has a way of shifting priorities once you get there and start wandering around or talking to people. There is so much going on, you cannot possibly do everything, so don't even try. The good news is you can come back and do some things you didn't get a chance to do previously.
Definitely stay hydrated. Have water on you at all times, and drink frequently. Seattle will be hot, the convention center will be hot. Some of the queue rooms for panels will be scorching.
Go out and see the town. Seattle is a wonderful city, with lots to see and do, and many good restaurants. As excited as you may be for PAX, I highly recommend scheduling time to be a tourist and eat real food. The convention center has some fast food, but honestly if you try living off of that all weekend you'll be missing out on the good stuff, plus the lines are usually atrocious. There are restaurants close to the convention center, or just a few blocks away, where you can get a nice table easily and enjoy a relaxed, excellent meal. Be sure to tip your waiters generously, and be courteous to the locals. We want Seattle to like us gamers, and see PAX as a great asset to the city. Think of your behavior as reflecting on all of PAX and all gamers everywhere, because it does.
Get some sleep. I know there are people who try to stay up all night gaming and people who spend a lot of time partying every night. My advice is don't do that every night, and really get as much sleep as you can, when you can. PAX is exhausting both physically and mentally. Over all the PAXes I've done, I've had more or less sleep, and I can tell you the PAXes where I got more sleep were the ones I enjoyed more, simply because I had more energy to devote to PAX while I was there in the venues. If you want to stay up all night partying or gaming, I suggest doing it after the last day of PAX. PAX doesn't end until everyone goes home, so there's always lots going on at hotels after the expo hall closes for the last time.
On the same note, get rest throughout the day, too. Find the handheld lounge, sit on a beanbag chair, and unwind. Or go find a quiet corner with an outlet and recharge your devices while you quietly look through your swag bag or the expo program. PAX is... overstimulating. There's a lot of people, noise, and bright shiny things. I personally try to limit my expo floor time to short bursts scattered throughout the weekend. You don't need to see every booth on the first day. I suggest hitting up different sections on different days, after getting a quick overview of where everything is on the first day. You can also get some rest by attending some of the smaller panels. They're usually low key, there's seats to sit in, and if it's not one that's mobbed you can really stretch out. There's plenty of interesting panels on all kinds of subjects, and you should respectfully listen to whoever is talking, but you can also multitask a bit with your expo program or smartphone, or just daydream.
Have easily portable games you can play in lines, but make sure they're multiplayer! Don't be the guy glued to his singleplayer DS game not talking to anyone. PAX people are excellent people, and you will be able to easily strike up a conversation with basically anyone you happen to find yourself standing next to. Ask them what they've seen that's cool. Ask them where they've been eating around town. Tell gaming stories, and share your enthusiasm for this wonderful shared experience. Introduce yourself to strangers and offer to teach them a new game they've never played before. If you're an introvert or have social anxiety, you may find this sort of thing difficult (believe me, I empathize), but PAX people are the easiest people you will ever find to talk to on the entire planet.
Speaking of lines, don't waste your whole PAX waiting in them. Some of the booth lines can seriously stretch for many hours. Is it really worth it to play a demo for a game that probably has gameplay footage online somewhere (or will soon)? Now, I've waited in lines for some truly excellent swag, or the chance to win truly excellent swag, and I've waited in plenty of lines for panels over the years too. Sometimes it really is worth it. Just make sure you're making good, rational decisions about that line before you get in it. Lines have a cost in fun you could be having elsewhere. Maybe make just one day be line day, so you can spend the rest of the days doing stuff other than lines.
Talk to booth people. I know, what a shock, right? But seriously, don't be a passive consumer of whatever booths there are on the expo hall or vendor areas. This is your chance to talk to actual developers of games you care about, or knowledgable salespeople who share your hobby and might have inside information. I have gleaned valuable information about all sorts of things as a result of talking to vendors, and some of my most memorable PAX experiences were long conversations with developers. Don't just talk to people about the games they're affiliated with, either. Ask them if they've had a chance to look around the expo hall or tabletop areas, and seen any really cool games. If you attend any panels, go up and talk to the panelists afterwards if you can, if you have any questions, or just to thank them for their talk. Always thank everyone for their time talking with you, and always be polite. You never know what you might end up with if you approach with a friendly demeanor, both in swag and inside information. If you meet anyone early on in the show, and see them again later, greet them again and remind them that you talked and you had a nice conversation.
Freeplay. Free play that freeplay. Go play something new with random people you don't know. You might just make new friends or find a great new game!
Check twitter for #PAX. That hashtag is the PAX rumor mill, basically. See what people are talking about. There could be something neat going on that you can get in on. If you missed a panel but wanted the headlines, you can usually get those too.
(You just say the letters)
https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-007-cubee-10000mah-power-bank
Edit: Today only for the code, 5/26/2014
I am a bad man...
Things I need to learn: To properly knit, speak Klingon, and speak/read Japanese so I can play Final Fantasy games in their original language.
"S.o.o.n." : "'Severe Obligation to Observe' Neurosis". This Neurosis impels the subject to constantly observe an object, waiting for a change they are certain must come "Soon".
Hotel [x] Pax Badgers Fri [x] Sat [ ] Sun [x] Mon [x] Just need 2 Saturdays, and then our sets will be complete! And then...waiting for Pax.....F5F5F5F5F5F5F5....
I bought a book from the PA merch booth for the Mike and Jerry signing. It cut down on the amount of stuff I had to carry during the event. I also bought pins to trade with the PA staff. It's not the same as an autograph but it means as much to me to look at my pins and know exactly when and how I got them. Be careful with that pin life though. It's rough on the wallet.
Pin life is rough on time as well, darting back and forth between booths...some of them are getting insanely hard to snag, like trying to find Leeroy Jenkins on the show floor at East 2014.
Watch out with those parties though. The Yaiba Ninja Gaiden guys gave me a bunch of free booze in an underground movie theater while playing crappy martial arts films, then a sick poster, shirt, and a bunch of other swag; then I got to shoot the shit with the VP of Team Ninja NA while we were both hammered. I felt obligated to buy the game then, and that game sucked.
That said the Dishonored party the year before was awesome, and the party was themed after a mission in the game, that you got to play at the party, with free drinks! Also the game turned out to be pretty good too.
Go to parties.
In a couple weeks here I will start a thread again and will combine a list of all the parties. My usual go to's are twitter, facebook and blogs.
If you host a party, you'll be the first to find out about it.
color=green][b]✓[/b][/color Tickets
[ ] Find a room
color=green][b]✓[/b][/color Crying to go already
[ ] Bar Party
Can I get some of this BBQ when I come to Pittsburgh for Anthrocon?
That when you fall... You will fall from a height most men will never reach.
Sounds good, thank you!
Nusquam Findi Factionis
My Digital Pin Lanyard
Blank CAH cards, that's brilliant! And adding that to my packing list now.
Wash your hands more frequently than you normally do and you will be fine. Remember that when you demo stuff you are touching something that many people before you have so keep your hands away from your food and your face until you have washed them again.
I don't feel great about the headphones either, usually I'll just go without audio for a demo unless I think it'll be an important part of the experience (and then try to wash my ears ASAP afterwards).
Aww, bummer.
PAX would be just about the only opportunity to try something like the Oculus, but I probably will not risk it if that's the case.