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After years of discussion and indecision, my husband and I decided 1998 was the year we would go to GenCon. We picked up the early bird registration and had confirmations before the end of 1997. We’d let everyone know that we were going and tried to get a good-sized group together to travel with us. In the end we were a total of five: ourselves, my brother Michael and two friends, Dina and Bob.
Not ones to waste time, we discussed transportation. We decided flying to Chicago and driving to Milwaukee was the least expensive way to travel, as none of us had a car big enough for five people to travel comfortably and the difference in airfare between Chicago Midway and Milwaukee’s airport more than covered the car rental. I called around and found the best deal through my AAA Travel agency.
In February, I met with my AAA agent and purchased five tickets on America West for the 7:10 A.M. flight, with a return flight at 5:20 P.M. on Sunday. We were unable to get assigned seats on the flight out, but she was able to give me my choice of seats on the way back. I told her I wanted the seats with the most leg and foot room. I also made arrangements for a car. Originally, I discussed getting a Ford Taurus but decided that the five of us would need something bigger. Before I left the AAA office, I verified that she had a reservation for a Lincoln Towncar or equivalent.
In the mean time, Dina was making the reservations for the hotel. It was a new experience for us to have to go through Andon to make reservations, however it wasn’t long before we had the confirmation on the room.
For a while, everything slowed down as we waited for the pre-registration books to be issued. Our efforts now turned to our Origins plans.
Finally, we received our event registration books at about the same time as it was put on the Andon/GenCon website. I was a little disappointed as I expected to receive them before the general populous could register, but immediately began selecting games. Within the week, my husband, Michael and I had our registrations faxed to Andon. We anxiously began watching the Post Office Box for the confirmations, since Andon had published a 2-day turnaround. Living within 30 miles of Andon’s home base in Columbus, we expected to see a response in 3-4 days.
Two weeks later (and one week prior to Origins), we had still not received confirmations. I called Andon and was told that 1) they had too many people in the same situation, so they would not be able to check to see if it had been received, and 2) they were running about a week behind. After waiting another few days with no response (now June 30), I entered all three of our event registrations onto the GenCon on-line registration.
Three days after Origins, my husband and Michael received their confirmations, dated July 1. Two or three days later, I called to see why I had not received mine. I received a verbal confirmation that I was indeed in the computer and a duplicate confirmation would be mailed out. Two days later I received my confirmation.
By this time, I had already decided to participate in a different set of games. I had so much fun at Origins playing Iron Crown Enterprises Run Out the Guns! adventure pack that I had decided to play in several of the ROtG! events at GenCon. This was also compounded by the fact that one of our ROtG! crew (Dan) we met at Origins had decided to attend and would be staying at the hotel with us.
E-mails flew fast and furious making plans for meeting and dinner on Wednesday. Our plans were to fly into Midway Airport at 7:15 A.M., pick up our car, and make it to Milwaukee well before everyone we were meeting, meet our Origins ROtG! gamemaster Steve, his wife Sandy and Dan, go to dinner at Pieces of Eight (just for the pirate-like atmosphere) and then to the Safe House for drinks. Everything was set.
Tuesday afternoon was a flurry of activity. I went to AAA to get a coupon for a free upgrade on our luxury car to a minivan so we could take one car to dinner. We had made arrangements for someone to drive us to the airport and pick us up on our return on Sunday. Everything was coming together nicely.
Or so we thought. I called to confirm our reservations with America
West, and they not only couldn’t find us, but no longer had a flight at
7:10 A.M.. I called AAA and spoke with the travel agent that had sold me
the tickets. She informed me that our tickets had been changed to a 10:30
A.M. flight. No one had bothered to call to tell us of this change. A positive
thing, with the change in time, we could have pre-assigned seats. Armed
with a new confirmation number, I called America West and verified the
information with them. Unfortunately, the change in time (both in departure
and arrival on Sunday) clashed with the plans our drivers had and I now
had to drive 5 people (3 of them over 6’2" tall) to the airport in my Plymouth
Sundance. At least we could sleep in.
We arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare. I park my car in the Thrifty parking lot because we had a AAA discount coupon and we take the shuttle to the terminal. As we wait for our flight to arrive, Bob studies his ticket and decides to request a change to a window seat instead of the center seat. Since the flight is not full, he is able to do so. The attendant at the counter issues another boarding pass and tears up his original one (and the ticket attached to it).
The flight arrives and disembarks. I (being a clock watcher in these situations) realize that it is past boarding time just about the same time that the attendant announces a 20 minute delay. The maintenance crew has discovered a leak but need to find the source to stop it. Twenty minutes later, the attendant announces that it will be at least another 20-30 minutes. Many passengers with carry-on luggage race across the isle to get on the O’Hare bound United flight that is leaving in 5 minutes. Ten minutes later, the attendant announces we have all been transferred to the Southwest flight to Midway, but we have to get our own baggage and re-check it at the Southwest counter.
Here is where the already crumbling day all falls apart. Dina, Michael and myself get in line to get tickets transferred. Bob and my husband go to get the luggage. They arrive just as we are being processed. Then the woman at the ticket counter said Bob would not be allowed to board without his ticket - the boarding pass was not enough. He runs over to the America West counter as the rest of us run for the flight.
The four of us now have boarding passes and my husband goes back to look for Bob (keeping in mind that each time the pockets have to be emptied, cell phones have to be checked, etc.). Dina, Michael and I board while Bob and my husband are standing at the gate check in talking to the attendant. We are able to get five seats facing each other in the emergency exit and wait patiently for the other two.
Finally, I see my husband, but Bob is not with him. As he makes his way down the aisle, he mouths "We lost Bob." Bob had to go back to the America West counter and bring someone back with him. By the time he did, the plane was already full. We take off, not knowing when or where Bob will arrive.
The flight to Midway was uneventful. Upon arrival, Michael and my husband go to pick up the bags while Dina and I head toward the America West counter to see what happened to Bob. Halfway between the ticket counter and the metal detectors, we hear a page for my husband to come to the Southwest ticket counter. When I go to check on it, no one there knows who paged him and instead think that I want him to be re-paged. Frustrated, we go on to the America West counter and explain everything that has happened. The two attendants were very helpful, providing us with lunch coupons and Bob’s new flight information. He will be arriving on Northwest Airlines at 3:25 P.M. via Detroit.
This information in hand, we meet up with the guys. They have our luggage, but are unable to get Bob’s because he has the claim ticket. The baggage attendant reassures us that no one would touch the bag until midnight. We take our luggage and go to the cafe to have lunch and page Bob. He calls back on my cell phone and we confirm what we were told and that we had his itinerary. America West was also buying him lunch. With all that has happened so far, Dina calls the hotel to leave a message for Dan. She gives her last name and they confirm her reservation and take the message for Dan.
With two and a half hours still left to wait for Bob, we decide to try and get the car early and load our baggage into the back. I check in and give Hertz my confirmation number. She confirms that I have a Ford Taurus and not the Lincoln Towncar. In addition, they have no Lincoln Towncars on the lot and my coupon for a free upgrade is not valid for that upgrade, contrary to what I was told by AAA. We finally settle on a Jeep Cherokee for $20 more a day and I am able to use the AAA coupon for a flat $10 off the rental fee. Since the lot is 1/4 mile away from the terminal, we decide to wait to load everything until Bob arrives.
Bob’s flight arrives on time and by 4:10 we are on our way to I55 in early rush hour traffic.About this time, my cell phone rings. Dan has arrived at the hotel and they won’t let him park because his name isn’t on the room yet. He is now parked in a lot half a block away and waiting for us at the hotel, which did not relay the message from Dina. Since our dinner reservations are pretty much a lost cause, he contacts Steve and his wife to let them know what’s happening.
In the meantime, it has started to pour and traffic on 294 and 94 (both under construction) creeps along between 35 and 50 most of the way to Milwaukee. This storm is only interrupted by the toll booths. Knowing that most of our drive in Illinois would be on the toll road, Michael and I had brought a lot of quarters. The first toll was 15 cents and fortunately I had a dime and a nickel. The remainder of the tolls were 40 cents. Rather than wait in the "get change" line, we stayed in the exact change line and paid 50 cents.
We finally arrive in Milwaukee and get to the hotel at 6:30 p.m. After checking in at the desk and adding Dan to the room list, we find that he still will not be allowed to park in the hotel lot as they are limiting it to one car per room. We unload the Jeep and call the Safe House for reservations at 9:15 p.m.. We then call Steve’s room to let them know of our plans, help Dan get his stuff from his car, and go to registration to pick up our badges and tickets. A few of us, myself included, went to change out some tickets. The lines were short and there were no hassles about trading in tickets we didn’t want for new tickets (although the computer system only allows 5 changes at a time).
Following the directions to the Safe House, we have some trouble finding a parking space until we tracked down an attendant. As we walked to the door, we all agreed that we needed a drink after the day we had. The food was good, the atmosphere was amazing (and no, I won’t say more), and the drinks definitely relaxing. The six of us (Steve and his wife were unable to join us) spent about $150 for dinner and drinks.
After dinner and a drink or two, we all went back to the hotel to crash. Half of us had 8:00 A.M. games. Bob had run into a friend of his that offered him a bed (he was sleeping on the floor in our room), so they decided to meet sometime Thursday to put the details together.
Bob, Dan, Michael and I were all scheduled for Run Out the Guns! most of the weekend. We rarely saw my husband and Dina, as they were in the new convention center and we were in the arena. This was made even more difficult because the Mecca (the old convention center) was between the two and was being demolished. The new convention center has an area called Polka Time where you can push a button and polka music played. I don’t think it ever shut off all weekend. Coming from a Germanic community with polkas, all sorts of fests and lots of beer - I was unimpressed.
Some doors to get into the halls were not unlocked (usually the ones the shortest distance between where we needed to be and our hotel). Those that were had guards checking badges and turning away anyone who had outside food. In the late evening, the guards were locking doors and requiring people to wait until someone else came out or walk entirely around the block to an open door. This was a big change for us since we were used to Origins with a food court and a bit more of an open door policy. Most of us did not eat much all weekend because of the prices and the difficulty in finding somewhere other than a hotel restaurant to eat.
At one point, I asked the arena food vendor if I could get plastic cups for water for the 6 people at our table. The man I asked was about to give them to me when a woman behind the counter said I could only have one. I said I would tell everyone that they had to come get their own and she then told me that none of us would get a cup. When Michael went to get one a few minutes later, he was also refused.
The nearest non-hotel/non-convention food was at a mall about a block away from the main hall, a Dunkin Donuts a block in the other direction, or a McDonalds four blocks from the arena.
Run Out the Guns! was also a new experience for us. We had played at Origins in July, but ICE had made arrangements to become part of the RPGA Living Campaign setting. This was in fact the reason Dan and I had decided to devote most of GenCon to ROtG! Our first experience with the RPGA was a shock. We spent 15 minutes doing paperwork at the beginning of the game (which we continued to play through). The most noticable was the RPGA representatives that came around to all the tables 40 minutes before the scheduled end of the game to tap on their watch and remind the gamemasters that paperwork had to be finished and turned in within the next 10 minutes. This was especially annoying when the representative would shout "Game Over" as they walked back and forth. My question is how do you vote for best player when the game still has 40 minutes to go. In addition, the signs posted by the RPGA indicated that paperwork had to be turned in no later than 15 minutes before the next session, which is not what they were verbilizing nor requiring.
All of this is especially disappointing to someone like myself who has hardly ever played AD&D (3 times) or been involved in RPGA, as I am used to a 4 hour game slot with the last 5 minutes spent deciding who really deserved the best player. I don’t play for competition, I play to have fun; if I can carry a character from convention to convention it is a perk but not a necessity. I have to say that the people at Iron Crown made this new transitional period as smooth as they possibly could, however.
The Dealer Room was impressive. Having not seen the TSR castle or White Wolf’s set up except in photos, it made quite an impression. I was most impressed with the Robotech Mecha. I was surprised at the number of dealers that did not have new product for release. I picked up the two new releases from ICE, a new set of 10-sided dice (really cool, watch for them), and some items from Kenzer and Company (including KODT #22 - hysterically funny as usual). Bob picked up the new ST Next Generation RPG. Michael purchased the new Psychosis from Chameleon Eclectic and paid for the re-release of a Millenium’s End book which was not back from the printers. I had many dealers tell me that they had planned to release, but did not receive their product from the printers in time.
The people in the board game area were making buttons for all the players that said "I found the Board Games at GenCon ‘98". I never did find them, but my husband did. I also never found the message board, which was a shame since I was supposed to meet someone there based on a message left on it.
By Friday at noon, all of the GenCon T-shirts (a really cool design) were sold out. Many people suggested that they take orders for reprints from the attendees that did not get one, but I never heard if this was going to happen.
At times, lines for both registration and events registration were extremely long, but most of that was based on the time of day you tried. If you went at the right times, there were hardly any people waiting. All of the lines appeared to be moving quickly at all times. I never had any difficulty getting tickets because I would go over to the ticket area between 8-8:30 A.M. One advantage with the RPGA was that tickets were available in the arena for events. If Andon could get enough people, it would be nice to have a ticket booth outside most of the main areas instead of running back two blocks to get a ticket. I’m not sure how logistically possible this would be though.
Finally, the day came to leave GenCon and trek home. I had checked with the hotel on Saturday to see when check out needed to be and whether we could leave the car. Check out was at noon, and our ROtG! final would run until we had to leave at 1:00 P.M. to catch our flight. The hotel clerk told me we could leave the car in the garage until we left later in the day. This was actually not true, but because he had told me we could, they let us keep it parked there. This was fortunate since there were no obvious places to park nearby.
We loaded the car before our 9:00 final. Dina and my husband went to the dealer room and took pictures around the con while Michael, Bob, Dan and I joined the other crews. Knowing that we would have to leave before the end of the final was disappointing, but not bad. We kept away from the other ships and completed our mission within 5 minutes of 1 P.M. We then raced back to the dealer room to find Dina and my husband, made a last minute purchase or two and were on the road before two.
I had made an effort to identify the roads we needed to get to, but Milwaukee and Chicago seem to have a knack for placing signs after you needed to see them. We followed Dan out of the downtown. We almost went in a complete circle until we saw the ramp onto the highway. There were no markings on the road indicating that this was the turn, but we could see the signs on the highway itself. We were still able to catch it, but Dan had to turn around and come back.
Milwaukee has some of the most unique drivers. Most of those in big cars drive down two lanes of traffic. About every third car would race by us and cut close in front, even when there was no other car for a quarter of a mile in front. There is more traffic in Columbus (at least half again as much depending on the time of day), but Milwaukee drivers are more reckless. In Milwaukee I saw more accidents and near accidents in five days than I have in three weeks in Columbus.
We arrived at Midway and turned in the rental car with about 40 minutes to spare before our flight (which had also been changed to one leaving 15 minutes earlier). We checked in with no problem and got on board to find that we were in the front row of seats right behind the first class cabin. There was more leg room, but no foot room. We were too tired to care, though. The flight was uneventful. We rode out to Thrifty to pick up my car. With the 20% AAA discount, it was still more expensive (by about $15) than parking in the Airport's Blue lot.
All in all, I think we all had a good time despite all of the unexpected expenses and other issues. Even so, I believe Bob said it best when we disembarked in Columbus: "I'm ready to go home."
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