PAX Unplugged announced

Dreamwriter

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/01/pax-unplugged-just-boards-cards-minis-and-dice-coming-in-november/

It's all tabletop, all the time! "The brand-new show will debut on November 17 and will operate for three days at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia."

Also... http://unplugged.paxsite.com

ArcSyn

That's so exciting! Really hoping to go if I can get tickets!

It may be odd but my favorite part of the Philly comic con is the board game vendors.

nevermore13

Thus sounds awesome and i am very excited. I am also surprised because it seemed they were making south the tabletop Pax.

ishtra

I'm totally stoked. Can any locals note where you actually Enter the convention center. Trying to figure out a local hotel, but can't sort out which is the Front.

gnarly717

If I were you, based upon what prices I saw on the OnPeak site so far (not an all inclusive list of hotels in the area by far), I'd consider the Home2 which is next door. OnPeak shows Marriott so far as closest with conf rate. I just booked the home2 suite with kitchen and separate bedroom and paid quite a bit less. And the Home2 is closer!

ishtra

haha thanks @gnarly717 A buddy of mine just recommended them. Looks great!

ishtra

@zerzhul how do we set up an Unplugged category ? Would love to get a section dedicated to that outside of posting things in the general discussions

zerzhul

that will be done once everyone is home from pax South

gonexall

This is incredibly exciting news for me. PAX East is responsible for making me a table top gamer. I got the bug so bad that I hardly every play video games, though I still love them.

Since my focus turned to table top, I stopped going to PAX in favor of the Origins Games Festival. It has been a lot of fun, but I miss that special sauce that PAX has. I miss the enforcers. I miss the "don't be dick" ethos. I miss the celebratory attitude of all things geek. "Welcome Home" always struck me as an appropriate tag line because that's what it feels like.

I know it sounds like I should have kept going to PAX, but I could not justify the expense when, the last PAX East I attended, I never set foot in the main hall.

This is almost a dream come true. This feels like a homecoming (not the awkward high school or college kind, but the cool returning to family kind)...and I live in Philadelphia!

I just hope that tickets will not sell out too fast for me to get mine!

ishtra

@gonexall right there with you. I also had less interest in the videogame side of PAX East as I either had to wait in a long line for a demo or get mashed by crowds watching live games. East didn't seem to have That much TT space anyway. We've thought about Origins, but Unplugged is going to be So much closer for us ::crossing fingers:: Hoping there are enough people who Aren't all that interested in TT that tickets aren't totally insane.

wallywest

YAY! I live about 45 minutes from the convention center. And while I would enjoy the full PAX experience I love tabletop games a lot.

This seems like the natural place for a AqInc episode? Please? I'll sacrifice my firstborn if it helps.

gonexall

@ishtra Origins is a whole lot of fun, but has a different tone. This might sound weird, but Origins is less a celebration of geek culture and more focused on playing boardgames. People just don't nerd out in the same way. I like both crowds very much. So for me, since I live in Philly, I I will do both every year as long as I can get tickets. Speaking of tickets, BGG con is the same weekend, so that might take some pressure off.

@wallywest I am also hoping for Acquisitions Inc. In the article they said they were going to try to make it happen.

I wonder how much of PAX will be brought over for Unplugged. In addition to playing board games and RPGs, I'd like to see musical guests, storytime, make-a-strip, and panels focused on table top. And as I mentioned above, Acquisitions Incorporated would be amazing. I also wonder if there will be unplugged Omegathon--that would be awesome.

Schmulki

Man, I'm SO excited to hear this. I've been far more into tabletop gaming than video gaming in recent years and live a short train ride away (and a short walk) from the convention center.

I wonder what "kind" of con this will be. Is it going to be mostly focused on open gaming like a bigger version of BGGCon? Is it going to be more like a Gencon with a bunch of vendors and people showing off their games with some side areas for open gaming? Either way, I'm there

gonexall

@Schmulki I'm guessing it will be more like PAX without the video games--at least that is what I hope. Since you're local too, maybe we could plan a pre-pax game night. Do you go to Philly Board Game meet-ups? Maybe we've met.

HazelHalfBlood

We booked our hotel!! I'm so excited for this new PAX. Tabletop games are such a large part of or time our time outside of Pax East! We are staying in Home2. Has anyone been there before? Did you like it?

Schmulki

gonexall wrote: »

@Schmulki I'm guessing it will be more like PAX without the video games--at least that is what I hope. Since you're local too, maybe we could plan a pre-pax game night. Do you go to Philly Board Game meet-ups? Maybe we've met.

Well, I wonder if there's going to be quite as many panels, concerts, and as large of a percentage of the con devoted to a show floor when it's more focused on tabletop gaming. I'm excited either way

There's a good chance we've met! I go to Tuesday nights at Redcap's (when my work schedule allows it) and when other things don't get in the way, I try to go to the 2nd Saturday Nights at Circle of Hope.

As for a night before thing, it would be great if we can figure something out. One of my fav things about PAX East is the night before and night after the con ends with the big open gaming that goes on. I'm not sure about space (if the hotels around the convention center would be as cool with open gaming as the ones up in Boston), but as we get closer, I hope we can organize something.

Schmulki

HazelHalfBlood wrote: »

We are staying in Home2. Has anyone been there before? Did you like it?

Stayed there for work about a year ago. Everything was newly redone and looked really nice. Staff was helpful. I can't comment on much else because it was such a stressful and busy work thing that I didn't really have time to enjoy the hotel very much.

ishtra

HazelHalfBlood wrote: »

We are staying in Home2.

we are booked there too. Looks super-close, awesome amenities too. I feel like the Hilton hotels are generally reliable, and I like the idea of staying in a suite.

HazelHalfBlood

ishtra wrote: »

HazelHalfBlood wrote: »

We are staying in Home2.

we are booked there too. Looks super-close, awesome amenities too. I feel like the Hilton hotels are generally reliable, and I like the idea of staying in a suite.

Having a kitchen area is going to be amazing in terms of saving on food. Also, it looks like they have a free breakfast? Which would be incredible!

ishtra

Yeah we love doing our own meals for PAX. Stocking lunch etc to grab from the room. Breakfast!! Hope they have a nice gaming space for after hours too.

macbitt

ishtra wrote: »

Can any locals note where you actually Enter the convention center

Not a local, but there is an interactive map available online. I looked at street level and the safe bet would be to plan to enter from Arch Street, as that has entrances for the three street level halls. That being said we won't know which entrance(s) PAX Unplugged will make use of until we get the maps in the Guidebook app, which will be well after when you need to book a hotel.

ishtra

yeah, that is my thought as well as I can't confirm which they might use, regarding hotel preferences. Picked a hotel already anyway, soooo decided I'll just wing it.

Schmulki

Local here: there's a ton of entrances along Arch St. I can say for larger cons, a lot of the time, they lock up most of them and funnel everyone through one entrance, usually 12th and Arch. For you guys staying at Home2, that's like a half a block from where you walk out of the hotel (going off of memory, but I believe that hotel exits onto 12th st).

Teh_Gambit

I am all giddy for this Pax, Way more local. I wonder if there will be opportunity to volunteer?

macbitt

I researched hotels for PAX Unplugged and found a lot of options. For example, if you’re willing to take a high speed train into the city each day there are a lot of nice, sub-$100/night hotels available. I wrote up the details with a number of maps for anyone looking at various options.
http://paxguides.com/blog/pax-unplugged-hotels/

gonexall

@Schmulki I've been to Redcap's on some Tuesdays. It's harder for me to make it there these days because I have a regular RPG game on Roll20.net that interferes. I sometimes also go to Penn Gamers--but often run into a bunch of conflicts for that too.

@macbitt True, and some of these options are better than others. SEPTA, our regional rail system here, suffers from what they call "slippery rail" in the fall. This may or may not be an issue depending on the weather, but PAX Unplugged is definitely during slippery rail season. It delays the trains, often not by much, but occasionally it's a real mess. I live on the train line, so that will be how I commute to the convention, so I'm hoping for dry weather. Also, depending on how far away you are, the tickets are from $6-$8 each way ($12-$18 round trip), but a day pass, good for the whole day on all trains, buses, and trolleys, is just $12.

Schmulki

@Gonexall I hear ya. I probably make it there 1-2 times a month at this point.

@Macbitt Nice writeup. One thing to mention, you may or may not be accurate about the "underground walk" if you take PATCO. The underground walk goes through what used to be The Gallery which is currently being completely gutted and redone, so it's closed down right now. Supposedly, it's going to be opening back up by the spring, but I wouldn't hold my breath. These things tend to drag out. Either way, it's a pretty short walk, but if that doesn't open in time, it won't be as climate controlled as you might hope.

gonexall

@macbitt I agree great guide! I missed the link when I responded above. Slippery Rail does not usually impact the blue line because much of it is underground. If you stay on the blue line, note that neighborhoods get dicey too far west and north. The regional rail can be just as fast, even though it is farther, and provides more options. The only ones I know of with nearby hotels are the airport (25 minute train ride), and Chestnut Hill (35 minutes).

Kaladin

I can offer first hand experience with the Microtel by the airport. Stayed there last summer for a night. For the price, decent hotel. Obviously not the Ritz, the property needs some TLC, but the rooms were clean and are more than adequate for crashing after a day at the convention.

macbitt

@Schmulki and @gonexall Thanks for the feedback. I've added your notes to my post.

dfc123

For the non Philly locals: the city is very walkable. There's also the indiego bike rental available in many parts of the city. Septa' Market-Frankford (blue) line and the Broad Street (orange) lines are the main underground train lines. The Philadelphia Convention Center has a big entrance on Broad street but most enter on the South side of the buildings. The Marriott Downtown on 12th street has a connector bridge to the center. You do not want to stay at most hotels north of Temple University. The numbered streets are one way with the odd going north and the even going south until you cross Broad street (consider it 14th st, but don't call it that) then the odds go south and the evens north. Parking in Center City (what we call the downtown area) is very expensive and street parking is almost impossible to get and usually has a 2 or 3 hour limit.
I was born in Philadelphia, went to college in Philadelphia, and work in Philadelphia. I know a bunch of stuff about the city and the area I'd be glad to answer questions