(Preemptive apology for any missing or misspelled or inaccurate usernames and real-life names; I also try to include BGG nicknames whenever possible but don't know them all. Corrective feedback encouraged! :-))

Continued from Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4...



Here's a summary of all the games I played at BGG.con:

Ghost Stories (twice)
No Thanks!
Battlestar Galactica (2/3, since I started playing partway through)
Prolix (proto by Gil Hova)
Zombies!!!
Loopin' Louie
Pandemic
Snow Tails
Piratenbillard (Pirate Billiards -- played this about 6-7 times)
Medina
Reef Encounter
Galaxy Trucker: The Big Expansion
Taluva
Werewolf
Caledea: The Epic Strategy Game
Crokinole (several games through the weekend)



One thing I learned at BGG.con was that it can be tricky trying to schedule a game with someone else in advance. Chris Bailey (ixnay66) had arranged to play a game together, for example. My first challenge was that I didn't really know what he looked like; I checked his user icon, but the graphic was pretty small.

So I made a sign (see photo above) and wandered through the gaming rooms and got a lot of "he was here a minute ago" "I think I saw him go thattaway" until someone knew exactly where he was. Success! Except oops, he was in the middle of a game. We kept running into each other the rest of the convention, but always when one of us was already busy. NEXT YEAR FOR SURE, CHRIS!



I found out how multi-talented some gamers are...like Mischa! (sp?) He had brought his travel-sized didgeri-do and played it for me. Wow, he's GOOD!

Speaking of music, I was delighted to run into another filker: Joseph (FaxPaladin). Joseph said he hadn't heard of the convention until I mentioned it in my blog.



I hadn't realized how many different activities would be at BGG.con. Like the Puzzle/Treasure Hunt (see above photo), for example. I was -so- tempted to participate, except I hadn't had lunch yet because of gaming and was starving. I did drop by to watch for a bit, and it looked like a ton of fun. I especially enjoyed watching Stephanie, who just successfully completed one of the puzzles in the photo above.

I saw Stephanie several times after this -- I love how much fun she always seems to be having, and how she throws herself into everything she does wholeheartedly. We finally got to meet near the end of the convention.



Someone else I particularly enjoyed meeting: Lance Bailey (Ebonwoulfe). Love his wicked sense of humour. Lance was kind enough to take us to Kincaid's, which had great hamburgers. I also ordered some fried okra just because I can't get that in Toronto, and a fried coconut pie. The coconut pie was kinda gross, but I loved the okra.



I took the photo above during the BGG.con poker tournament. Note Lance's creative poker chip sculpture. The poker tournament was way fun to watch, and I enjoyed chatting with Jeff:



Another highlight: breakfast with Adam Kunsemiller (rhitmojo) near the end of the weekend and comparing experiences.

Many thanks to Greg Schmittgens (GS in KS) for the "What Would Derk Do?" button. I noticed him passing out buttons that he had made himself; it's little things like this that really help make BGG.con such a community-oriented event. He wasn't asking for any money, but I sent him a geekgold anyway; I notice he doesn't have a user icon yet.



Although I do some freelance illustration, I mostly draw in a cartoon-y style and have no formal art training. Because I lack the funds/time to take art courses, I'm trying to gain experience by doing as much sketching from life as possible.

The sketch above is one I did while watching a game of Wasabi! (another game I've added to my "want to play" list, by the way).



As I've mentioned before, BGG.con reminded me a great deal of the filk conventions I attend every year...except instead of playing music, people play games.

I recently asked my filk pals if any of them had written songs about boardgaming/gaming. Here are a few:

I Play Magic Now by Scott Snyder (a song that my music group covers sometimes)

Cheering For Chess by Phil Mills

Diplomacy songs by Harold Groot

If any of you have written any, please let me know and I'll pass the URLs to my music friends.



There were far more women at BGG.con than I expected, and I enjoyed meeting many of them. Like June (Ludocrazy):



I envy her needlework skills.

Anyway, I could go on and on (and have gone on and on, I know) about all the cool people I met at the convention. I was pretty nervous going in, not really knowing anyone, and not knowing how easy it would be to get people to play games with me. By the end of the weekend, I was already agonizing over HOW LONG I'd have to wait until the next BGG.con!

I'm still far from expert, by here are some things I learned from my first BGG.con experience that might help other newbies...

TIPS FOR NEWBIES THINKING ABOUT GOING TO BGG.CON FOR THE FIRST TIME

By another newbie (but who is no longer a BGG.con virgin :-))

- Post in the forums. Get to know people there...it'll make it far easier when you get to the conventions.

- Do research ahead of time and figure out what games you'd like to play.

- Do play some of the dexterity games out in the lobby area! They're short, fun, and a great way to meet people. Many gamers tend to come out here in between games.

- Don't let it get to you when people say no if you ask to play a game. Some people prefer to play with the same group throughout the weekend, and others may not want to have to explain the rules to a newbie. It doesn't have anything to do with you personally.

- Bring a simple, quick game when lining up for registration in case the people around you are interested in playing.

- Try to play with different people each game. This can be tough for some, I know, but I found this REALLY enhanced my enjoyment of the weekend.

- Get enough sleep. Don't forget to eat. Keep a bottle of water with you so you don't get dehydrated. It's easy to forget when you're engrossed in gaming.

- Bring layers. There were times I found the gaming rooms pretty warm, and other times chilly.

- Consider getting involved in some of the scheduled events. The Puzzle/Treasure Hunt looked like fun, for instance -- if they have it again next year, I'm going to try scheduling my gaming so that I can attend. The Photo Safari also sounded as if it was a lot of fun. For newbies, this could be a great way to meet people as well as get hooked up for games later in the weekend.

- When getting involved in a game, make sure at least one person knows the game fairly well and is able to explain it.

- Have FUN.

Huge thanks to Aldie, Derk, Jeff and all the other people who were involved in helping making BGG.con as successful as it was. I saw volunteers helping out everywhere. Thanks to anyone who played a game with me and/or offered me advice.

And thanks most of all to my husband (jridpath) for getting me interested in going to the BoardGameGeek convention in the first place. :-)

I am SO coming back next year.

Debbie

My BGG photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/debbieohi/sets/7215760962764855...