[PRIME] Attending PAX alone

moomin83

Last year was my first year to PAX and I made the horrible mistake of 1. Going by myself and 2. Not meeting people. I made a vow to myself I would do it proper this year and try again...this included increase activity on forums and just meet some new people. I had a fantastic time last year..even if it was by myself. This year though I plan on going to Bumbershoot as well periodically because I about shot myself when I found out I missed Feist and Beck.

So...My name is Mandy. I play WoW. I like gnomes. I'm actually looking for a guild in WoW too. I also am an avid KidRobot fan and collector. I also kinda dig Hello Kitty and like shooting things in FPS games though I am completely terrible. I think that's about it. Oh wait...I live in Texas..almost right down the street from George Bush o_O

BigRed

moomin83 wrote: »

Oh wait...I live in Texas..almost right down the street from George Bush o_O

Well I was considering it until I saw this :P

jk

Best way to meet people is to join the IRC channel.

mentok1982

I can has fwiends?

Yes.

You can has.

Come to the Pre-PAX dinner. I will be there. We will have fun times.

emorimiku

BigRed wrote: »

Best way to meet people is to join the IRC channel.

The red speaks the truth here

and if button trading is half as successful as it was last year that's a really good way to meet people at the expo

JonnyNero

Welcome fellow Texas PAXer!

There's a lot more of us then I realized.

moomin83

Pre-Pax dinner...I'm there! I actually come in on Thursday and staying through Tuesday at the Sheraton. Yeah, unfortunately...it kinda sucks he moved into the neighborhood.

SergeantAuberie

JonnyNero wrote: »

Welcome fellow Texas PAXer!

There's a lot more of us then I realized.

Me too! Me too!

Welcome to the forums! You'll have plenty of friends come PAX-time.

ukiyo e

PAX is all about the people. I definitely recommend that you attend the community events, they are a blast!
In the meantime, the PAX IRC channel is a fantastic way to meet people:

IRC details:
Server: moo.slashnet.org
Channel: #paforums_pax

Also, there is a huge group of extremely friendly PAX people on Twitter.

moomin83

Oh yeah...and I love to make cookies well...make anything really that requires desserts. I make the best Oreo Cookie Truffles. Not really a cookie...more a chocolate truffle. I'd totally be willing to make some to help the cookie people out though if they wanted homemade chocolate truffles.

IRC it is. I haven't actually been on IRC in forever.

Atlus Parker

The pre-PAX dinner rolls into the bar crawl so make sure you attend both...unless you're morally opposed to drinking with 200 people.

ukiyo e

Atlus Parker wrote: »

The pre-PAX dinner rolls into the bar crawl so make sure you attend both...unless you're morally opposed to drinking with 200 people.

.... wearing various wizard attire.

ElectricTurtle

You'll find that many of the Pre-PAX events don't post official information until mid/late spring or early summer, so keep a close eye on the forums.

Moe Fwacky

Welcome to the forum. This thread is at risk of setting a precedent for a wave of L4G and traveling alone threads, so I'm going to change the title and encourage other people who are or have traveled to PAX by their lonesome to post here. Also, I may merge any threads that pop up that fit the same topic as this one, should any appear in the future.

moomin83

Thanks!

SovietMudkipz

Wasn't there a looking for group room last year? How does that work? Do you hold up a sign showing what you want to do with people or something?

Moe Fwacky

Uh, there will be a room-share thread after the hotels go up, just be patient and don't stand in the lobby with a sign.

Coldbrew

Moe Fwacky wrote: »

Uh, there will be a room-share thread after the hotels go up, just be patient and don't stand in the lobby with a sign.

Unless it's something along these lines:

And of course, if the sign said "please share a room" instead. :P

And yes this was taken during PAX08.

Moe Fwacky

The other side of his sign said "Kick me in the ass for $3

moomin83

SovietMudkipz wrote: »

Wasn't there a looking for group room last year? How does that work? Do you hold up a sign showing what you want to do with people or something?

My imagination went kinda wild on this one...just imagine all the signs you could have!

Oh hey I got his picture too! Did anyone actually kick him?

Coldbrew

umm when I saw the other side of his sign it said "FUCK YOU, PAY ME!"

Got a picture of that too, let me find it.

EDIT:

Moe Fwacky

Then he must have had a different sign.

Asiina

I ended up not going last year because I thought I'd didn't know anybody, but I regret not going.

I'm going this year and I still don't really "know" anybody but I am trying to make some e-friends and get involved with as many projects as possible (I need to make my button!).

I hope I'll make some friends and have some laughs and get drunk off my ass during the pub crawl. These are my goals.

moomin83

I'll be your friend! We can be friendless together :winky:

faits

I've had friends in town for the last two years, though with the economy being in the dumper I don't know if anyone will actually make it out this year.

I'm confident I won't FEEL completely alone though, with the twitter (even if I technically am)

Randomfool

Last year I went alone too, and despite my best efforts I didn't get a chance to attend any of the pre-PAX activities. I found a roommate in the room-share thread who was a cool guy but we were interested in different things (CCGs, miniatures and video games; vs. video games and more video games).

This year I'm going alone again but I plan on showing up earlier so I can do the pre-PAX stuff. I'm also planning on getting a my own hotel room and trying to find a few roommates.

SovietMudkipz

Moe Fwacky wrote: »

Uh, there will be a room-share thread after the hotels go up, just be patient and don't stand in the lobby with a sign.

.....no. I meant looking for a group to do things at PAX with. I remember there being mention of a room like that last year.

CuZZa

How can you not meet people at PAX? There are 50,000 other people there, just say HI! That is what I did. I came from Australia by myself, just started talking to people on here and eventually the IRC channel, went to the Magical Mystery Tour knowing NOBODY, came away knowing a bunch of cool people, then all of PAX was just me walking around talking to random people and making a bunch of really awesome friends. Seriously there is no possible way to not do that. PAX attendees are an awesomely welcoming and friendly lot who are great to just say hi to and hang out with, you never know where you'll end up!

Hopefully we'll run into eachother at some stage! Come to the pre-PAX community events and heck if it comes to the worst, stand in the Skybridge hall with a sign saying 'I LOVE MUDKIPS' and you'll have at least 20 people all come up and say hi and think you're awesome.

ElectricTurtle

I remember people with L4G signs in the lobby of the Pike St. Annex, but other than that it didn't seem like much of a phenomenon. Honestly if people are on the forums they shouldn't need that anyway. So many things are organized right here, not to mention you can PM people for their phone numbers or whatever. My phone is full of PAX people.

DMmagic

I'm heading up alone (though this is my first year) as well, arriving on Wednesday at the Sheraton and leaving on Monday. Between IRC, the forums, and the pre-PAX events, I'm fairly confident that I'll know enough people to make it go well. I think Twitter helps a lot as well and will definitely be checking it regularly throughout PAX.

Check out the Magical Mystery Tour as well :-) Good times will be had as well.

Nik Huze

Instead of making a new thread this seems like a good place to ask this question:

Will anyone be playing the PA ccg at pax? I have the cards but I've never played any kind of tabletop or ccg before. Is there anyone I can watch or would even be willing to teach me?

Oh and will Tycho and Gabe do any book signing or something? Should I bring Attack of the Bacon Robots?

ElectricTurtle

I too have the PA ccg cards and have never played. Never seen it played either, though I hear Tycho is overpowered, just as he is in life.

Jerry and Mike aka Tycho and Gabe usually do at least one scheduled signing. (At least I recall it being on the schedule in previous years.) That schedule usually doesn't come out until the last month before PAX.

Atlus Parker

Prepare to wait a long time to get something signed.

CaptainTapole

Atlus Parker wrote: »

Prepare to wait a long time to get something signed.

True that; but sometimes, it's worth the wait.

CuZZa

Alternatively if it is something small, carry it around and you are likely to run into them at random around the place. I caught Gabe at the Blizzard booth last year and Tycho after the second Q&A session, they were really nice and willing to say hi and sign, I even managed to score a photo of Gabe with two of the Blizzard guys which was kinda cool of them too.

Seriously, everyone is really damn nice at PAX, it's surprising most of the stuff we can do there. Nobody has their head up their ass like some gaming personalities who headline certain other gaming conventions.

Hortos

Hey if you're going to PAX solo hit us up on twitter, its a great way to get in on some laughs and make friends before PAX starts. Also you'll get the 411 on the parties we're throwing. Heres the twitter thread http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=83449 And I'm old man Brian aka @BrianCalhoun

ninjowned

CuZZa wrote: »

Alternatively if it is something small, carry it around and you are likely to run into them at random around the place. I caught Gabe at the Blizzard booth last year and Tycho after the second Q&A session, they were really nice and willing to say hi and sign, I even managed to score a photo of Gabe with two of the Blizzard guys which was kinda cool of them too.

Seriously, everyone is really damn nice at PAX, it's surprising most of the stuff we can do there. Nobody has their head up their ass like some gaming personalities who headline certain other gaming conventions.

This is so true. All the developers we met last year were really cool and Adam Sessler pretended to choke my buddy while we took a picture, ha ha. It was even pre-pax!

Qs23

moomin83 wrote: »

I also kinda dig Hello Kitty and like shooting things in FPS games though I am completely terrible. I think that's about it. Oh wait...I live in Texas..almost right down the street from George Bush o_O

Ok, I'm sorry, but reading that made me think of this:

iamconfidence

I went alone last year (via bad luck at the last minute)

But it turned out great! I met 2 people in line the first morning that I got along with famously. Met several others as well, but the point is... Cuzza is right about the crowd and I'm looking forward to doing that again this year along with the fact that the IRC room is fantastic.

This year is gonna Pwn n00bs... I'm pumped!

ElectricTurtle

Qs23 wrote: »

moomin83 wrote: »

I also kinda dig Hello Kitty and like shooting things in FPS games though I am completely terrible. I think that's about it. Oh wait...I live in Texas..almost right down the street from George Bush o_O

Ok, I'm sorry, but reading that made me think of this:

No doubt that was inspired by this fad.

Kyanilis

I went alone back in 06, but still had a blast. And you're posting in the right place, the only way to make some PAX friends is to start talking to us now. In fact, I'm fairly certain that now I couldn't go to PAX without running into someone I've met through IRC or here or whatever. Trust me, start now and you'll have too many people to hang out with.

parabola

I went "alone" ... As alone as you can be at PAX. Which is not alone at all really and I still had no problem meeting people and doing stuff. And not only that i'm a skinny kid in a wheelchair, so if I can do this, whats your excuse?

Its really easy to just walk up to a random person and get into a discussion.

Pre-PAX events help. The dinner is a MUST.

Buttons are a must.