Steve - and others - do you stick around for the Sunday evening or head off home on Sunday? Just wondering about saving on a night at the hotel or not. What goes on on Sunday at Gencon?
Steve - and others - do you stick around for the Sunday evening or head off home on Sunday? Just wondering about saving on a night at the hotel or not. What goes on on Sunday at Gencon?
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We go back on Monday. Sunday night is Pelgrane dinner night but there's also still quite a lot of gaming going on at places like the Embassy Suites (if you like your indie Indy gaming).
The Armitage Files, now with added Ennie Award.
OK, room booked.
Now, flights. Lots of choice. Have to do a transfer somewhere, such as detroit or chicago, etc. The booking sites only allow 1.20 minutes in some cases - that doesn't sound long enough to clear through immigration to me - what do others reckon?
I don't want to miss my connection then find that subsequent flights are full of gamers and have to wait hours and hours.
Any experienced travellers with advice to offer?
Hi Paul
You are dead right about immigration, expect up to four hours at Chicago depending on when you fly (both day and time). I would recommend checking your travel insurance (an absolute categorical must in the USA because of the potential for medical bills should any thing go awry) as some will bump you up a flight class on the next available flight if there are no seats at your grade available. Go early at an obscure time if possible and even consider getting a train to Indianapolis from Chicago. I've not done that particular journey by train, but AMTRAK is excellent compared to our absolutely cr*p rail network. Also Detroit would not be my choice out of the two airports you mentioned; it has 'Stansted syndrome' (and anyone who flies regularly and likes Stansted airport is a masochist for sure). Can you go via New York (JFK)?
cheers
corpse-eater
Event catalog is open! Start wishlisting!
Ah - I'm a bit late to the party I know, I'm going to look at the event catalog today. Does anyone know the chances of getting games in at this stage?
Thanks for the notice!!!! WOOT!!! There are a bunch of Cthulhu events running. This is going to be awesome.Originally Posted by gladius
I of course come to this as a U.S. citizen, so Customs and Immigration has to let me back into the country, despite the misgivings of the customs agent. Nevertheless, I don't think I have ever spent 4 hours in Chicago, nor have any of my friends from overseas who have visited me. I agree with the general point that American customs processing could be better, though.
Amtrak is a viable option, but the trains for Indianapolis from Chicago leave in the early afternoon, it seems, as does the little Amtrak bus. If one takes this option one has to connect from O'Hare, out in the NW part of Chicago, to Union Station downtown. There should be some sort of shuttle to the Chicago Loop which would serve, as well as the El Train. Were I advising a friend contemplating this route, I would suggest arriving a day ahead of when you want to be in Indianapolis, so that you can clear customs with ample time, get an inexpensive hotel room near the airport, and spend the next morning and early afternoon seeing Chicago--the Art Institute and the Oriental Institute both have things of interest generally, and in particular for Call of Cthulhu gamers. You will then have plenty of time to arrive at the train station and get on the train for Indianapolis.
The train would be highly price competitive with a Chicago to Indianapolis flight, I think.
New York JFK is a viable alternative--though one has to be attentive. The usual way of moving domestic flights into or out of New York was traditionally La Guardia, followed by a transfer to JFK, and while there are more and more flights to JFK from domestic points, they sometimes have screwy connections to entertain the traveling public. There do seem to be direct flights from JFK to Indianapolis, at least with Delta, but whether there is a direct flight the other direction is not clear.
If you had the time to invest, and were making a trip to the U.S. a big adventure, you could also take Amtrak from New York to Indianapolis, game for several days, and then go out via Chicago. There would be a change of trains somewhere on the New York to Indianapolis run. That would be a spectacular trip.
I'm quite amazed at the number of cthulhu events: CoC, CthulhuTech, Cthulhu Live, etc. Besides Lammomedes, is anyone else here running games that I should sign up for?
The events are listed but one can't register for events yet. I think that is in a few weeks.
According to the Gen Con site, "You will be able to register for events beginning on Sunday, May 20 at noon eastern time, provided you have purchased your 2012 Gen Con Badge."
- Their hand is at your throat -
Word on the street is that most CoC events get full almost immediately. What you do is put the events in your wishlist and then as soon as registration opens on the 20th you submit them, and if you're lucky, you get into them.
This is my experience. At Origins, I generally get into most of the CoC events I want (though I've no idea how the date change will affect this, as at least one good Keeper can't go because of it). At GenCon? Ha! It was luck and a fluke that I got into one game last year. (Adam Scott Glancy accidentally submitted the event as one which would only accept generics, and hence couldn't fill in advance, and I lucked into arriving in time to get the last spot.)
Any advice on how to set up the wishlist? I'm trying to figure out how to set my wishlist up so that if one event on my wishlist is filled up how to get into a backup event that is running at the same time. I'm worried about actually getting two events at the time, the one I want and the backup - which I could not attend.
Should I set up my wishlist with the backup events at a low priority or submit what the events I want, see what events I got (if any) and then submit a new wishlist with backup events?
Sorry to ask theses noobie questions, but this is my first GENCON and I'm so EXCITED!!!
So what are my chances of getting in on a Cthulhu game do you think?
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