Essen SPIEL '18 Live Blog - Thursday
What Do You Do At Conventions?
Oct 25 2018 @ 17:17
13 Comments
I thought this would be an excellent time to ask what YOU do when it comes to conventions.
Do you go out of your way to see as many games as possible or do you focus in on just a few?
Do you sit down to play demo games that you’re interested in, or do you prefer to do some shopping and make sure those shelves groan when you get back home?
Everyone approaches conventions differently and some people even come along JUST to take part in tournaments and events of a competitive nature.
What do you do?
The only ones I can really speak of are Salute and UKGE.. the main thing for me at Salute is walking around just seeing the amazing miniatures, painting and shiny things I want. I do several laps of the place and see something new each time… then I buy everything on the last loop around. UKGE is more about playing games with my kids, trying as many as we can first just the fun and joy of playing but then to also see which ones we think have the longevity to play again and again. Something I want to do… Read more »
Before I go I make a shopping list of out of print games that I may try and pick up second hand.
Also make a list of new releases to look out for.
At the con I check the bargain stalls as I find them, then do a quick visit everywhere looking for anything that catches my eye.
Then it’s time to compare prices of the stuff I saw in previous loops and get on with the buying.
Not forgetting to eat junk food and drink beer.
Look for shiny stuff and try to resist buying more (and failing to resist).
As such I’m kind of glad that the two conventions I visit each year aren’t as big as Spiel.
Heck, they probably would fit inside a single hall 😉
I’d probably need to get a mortgage and organize a baggage train on my return trip if I were to visit this one.
I dont really go to any anymore but when I did I always tried to go to different stalls and manufactures each time to see what was new and interesting rather than visiting the same stalls and manufacturers at each show time after time after time after time to the point where it would have become truly boring
I don’t do cons that much – too crowded for my liking. The couple I’ve been to I’ve wandered round looking at what’s for sale but have never really got round to joining in a demo game.
Only really dipped my toe into the convention world this year with salute. I spent a good deal of time sussing out what I wanted to see, checking out specific traders on line etc. I even planned out a route! In reality that lasted about 2 seconds after walking through the entrance. It was great just to wander through the hubbub, get involved with some of the demos, chat with people on the stalls. Generally soak up new aspects of the hobby. That and leave with shiny stuff I had no idea existed 5 hours earlier!
Great place to meet folks. Like minded people that have the same interests. Always a good time.
The best part of the conventions is sitting down to play games with others. Last year at Unplugged my brother hardly did any browsing as we got stuck into play a few games with people we met and then we all went out to have beers when the hall closed.
Walk around EVERYTHING, but have a short list of games I want to demo. re Shopping, always worth checking prices at different booths, esp for the expensive stuff, can save a fortune if you’re prepared to re-trace your steps.
I usually only go for a day so I end up charging around just trying to see everything. One day I really want to do a full multi day show so I can dive deeper into new games and also I’d really like to work a stand one day – maybe demoing some games.
While I’d like to shop and browse, reality (and a budget) means I have to browse and shop,
it’s always cool to see stuff that didn’t jump out on screen in person as you can find they’re actually something you want
i play load of demo’s and try to talk to the people at the booth
I tend to focus on the ones I like. I will wander the halls up and down trying to identify games that look interesting and learn as much as I can about them. I hate 30 minute demos and prefer 5-10 minute demos for the most part because I want to see as many games as possible.