PAX East 2012 Catch All & GWJ Meetup

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UPDATES!

The official GWJ Goings on at PAX EAST are as follows:

NOON, Friday
Gamers With Jobs Presents: Gaming For Grownups

We're super excited to be hosting podcast regulars Jeff Green and Ken Levine to talk about how we all deal with the increased responsibility of jobs, houses, kids and general grownup annoyances while still nurturing our inner 12-year-old. The panel starts at noon on Friday, and if history is any guide, there will probably be a line (sorry). I don't think we have any T-Shirt Cannons or anything, but Cory might dance, so you've got that going for you. Both S(ea)(haw)ns will be in attendance, plus Me and Cory (Demiurge) Banks.

5:30PM, Saturday
GWJ Slap & Tickle!

We plan on meeting at the bar at the Seaport Hotel at 5:30 to begin a night which will end at concerts for some, boardgames for others, and drunken bathtub sleeping for Michael Zenke. Why 5:30? Our experience last year was this let us OWN the place for as long as we wanted. Why the Seaport Hotel? It's right across the bridge from the convention center, has tasty food. It's slightly pricey, but the draft beers weren't out of control, and it has lots of spillover lobby/couch space. I couldn't give easier directions than "over the bridge, in the hotel." The bar is called "Tamo", if I recall.

If you read through this thread, you'll see a LOT of folks talking about generally hanging out in Tabletop gaming, which I know I do a lot. The other quite frequent hangout is the Arcade.

A plug for a few other goodjer-related panels:

11:30AM, Sunday
If I hear "gamification" one more time ...

Friend of the show and one-time guest, Bill Sabram of MeYouHealth is on this panel, and it's a topic I'm super interested in.

NOON, Saturday
Irrational Games: Making a Monster

I'm biased, 'cause I'm moderating, but I think this one's gonna be pretty swell. Listen to Ken Levine and his crew dig into what makes a good enemy in a video game. We'll be touching in depth on the "Heavy Hitters" that are being featured this month at the Irrational website. Much A/V.

4:30PM, Sunday
Strategy Games: What's Changing, What Needs To.

Rob Zacny hosts a stealth Three Moves Ahead podcast with Rob Daviau (Risk Legacy designer, Hasbro), Jon Shafer (Civ V designer, now at Stardock) and Chris King (Paradox). It's late in the weekend, but it's also right before the Omeganaut final, so it gives you something to do while cooling your jets for that.

See you all there!

Cool. Good to know.

Definitely planning on going to this one. I was just recently talking to a friend who tried to register hotel rooms ahead of time and ran into the above problem. Explains a lot.

So now it is in Early April? Good to know. Even though I live near Worcester, the convenience of walking to bed after a long day of gaming is way too nice to pass up. Any notions on when the hotel blocks become free? I am all for supporting the Seaport, given how great they were about our mass invasion, but I don't want to have to get a second mortgage just to sleep in Boston for a few nights.

Atras wrote:

So now it is in Early April? Good to know. Even though I live near Worcester, the convenience of walking to bed after a long day of gaming is way too nice to pass up. Any notions on when the hotel blocks become free? I am all for supporting the Seaport, given how great they were about our mass invasion, but I don't want to have to get a second mortgage just to sleep in Boston for a few nights.

No clue, my guess is maybe December? But you can always book it and then not take it up to a day ahead.

I'll be there, too.

I don't know which hotel I'll be in, though. Last year I was in the one connected to the Center and that worked pretty good for me.

This year I hope I'm better prepared for the sheer scale of the place. It is ridiculously huge, and they're going to make it even larger.

Good call, Julian! The bar at the Seaport was great last year.

There are a couple smaller function rooms upstairs from the bar that could potentially be rented out for the night to set up some gaming tables. I don't know about cost, but I do have a contact over there, so I can give a call and see what I can find out if you like.

So get this: I put in a room reservation, planning on housing my oldest son and I. The cost was $224.10 a night with a AAA discount, and there was a section on the reservation form for "Other notes". I put in there that this was for PAX East, and "remember to look for better rates closer to the event"; thinking that this would be emailed to me as part of my reservation. It turns out that it is sent to one of the customer service people at the hotel, and I got an email from them 20 minutes later saying "to call once we get closer to the dates if you want to call us to get the number to see what they group rate will be". I was very impressed with such a quick response to what is really a non-issue so far.

I am going. I've never met another Goodjer before. I'll be the one in the assless chaps.

Atras wrote:

So get this: I put in a room reservation, planning on housing my oldest son and I. The cost was $224.10 a night with a AAA discount, and there was a section on the reservation form for "Other notes". I put in there that this was for PAX East, and "remember to look for better rates closer to the event"; thinking that this would be emailed to me as part of my reservation. It turns out that it is sent to one of the customer service people at the hotel, and I got an email from them 20 minutes later saying "to call once we get closer to the dates if you want to call us to get the number to see what they group rate will be". I was very impressed with such a quick response to what is really a non-issue so far.

My experience at the Seaport last year was PHENOMENAL. And Kincher, sure, would love a lead in there. I'm trying to price out renting a ridiculous suite to split with some folks, but they haven't called me back yet.

Slumberland wrote:

I'll be the one in the assless chaps.

The one?

The Seaport is indeed quite a nice place to stay at, especially for PAX East -- close enough to walk easily, but far enough to get away from the vast majority of people at the BCEC.

And thank you, Julian, for taking the initiative this year to get the ball rolling. For what it's worth, the managers at the bar I had lined up earlier this year never did give me a satisfactory answer for what happened to my reservation... and in return, I've been encouraging my colleagues nearby to join me in boycotting them.

I'd really, really like to attend this one! I'd be down to split hotel costs with folks, but I need to do some research and get some idea of how much this would cost overall. Keeping an eye on this thread for sure.

Rabbit: I've got a call in with the Seaport's convention booking team about reserving a small banquet room. Will keep you posted.

Woot! I'll be here again this year, dragging some friends along too.

You may also want to look into Salvatore's (bar/grill version of Sal's Pizza) as a place for a meetup. It's a block away from the hotel. It's where I went after the meetup to get food at a price that wasn't crazy hotel expensive.

It appears the registration page will open someday soon, the PAX facebook page posted yesterday it will open up soon.

Mrs. Mono and I are excited to go again, but the world is now a little different given the arival of Little Mono earlier this month. We are still planning to go and are eigerly awaiting the openning of registration. Last year was a blast with us in the boardgame zone and we also walked away with some nice swag (everyone needs 3 gaming keyboards right?) We will also be planning on trying to get into one of the closer hotels so we can easily get back and forth from the floor as needed to do diaper resuplies etc.

I got my room locked down at the Seaport as well. I also made the comment about the PAX East rate and got a reply saying all PAX rates will only be available through PA and their referral link. She suggested that I keep this reservation until I secured the other one later and confirmed that as long as I let them know the day before there would no charge to my credit card.

Knowing my luck I am hoping too much my son who will be 7 months old then will be able to go and I will end up being the guy offering to sell my passes in this thread in a few months but I am going to try! We are looking forward to seeing the old faces and getting to know some new ones.

The Official PAX twitter just posted that the PAX East hotel site is now live.

Thanks dude... I made a reservation at the Seaport.

I'm trying to get the family quartermaster (i.e. my wife) to approve our arriving on Thursday and staying until Monday. Last year we left Sunday around noon and it felt very rushed that day.

Maybe this year we can get our Grand Poobah and his bearded friend to attend? I heard a rumor to that affect.

I will be trying to book at the Westin again. The fact that it is attached to the Convention Center is the deal clincher for me.

Does anyone have any ideas to make finding people a little easier this year? Last year, knowing no one by sight yet, I spent an embarrassingly long time walking the board gaming area looking for goodjers. I was thinking either a large table tent/sandwich board with just Stan on it, or a t-shirt with Stan. The badges are good but only work when you're right on top of the person.

I would say we should create something everyone can either buy or make that they can wear or attach that makes it clear. Ideas I have are hats that say gwj, t-shirts, flags on a poles, etc.

It might also be good to start a g+ huddle (or whatever they are called by then that we use our faces on so we know what we are looking for.

I also vote for a yell that if a goodjer yells then any goodjer that hears it should echo it. Something like "WIENER-BOMB!" it would be like playing marko-polo...

AND RESERVATIONS MADE!!!

Sorry, I won't be with the cool kids at the Seaport but, I'm lazy and the Westin worked great for me last year.

Can anyone find what the parking plans are for the Westin? Their site is indecipherable.

Very interested in attending a proper convention for the first time. Where's a good place for a new participant/PAX-goer to find out the need-to-know, and great tips? Price is pretty much the only inhibitor for me, so besides travel, what kind of cost would I be looking at here?

Kittylexy and I will be there with bells on. We're considering doing a suite with my sister and her boyfriend, so I have to see which hotels will accommodate that. The Westin was great last year, and I'd be happy to stay there again if it'll work out.

Tanglebones wrote:

Kittylexy and I will be there with bells on. We're considering doing a suite with my sister and her boyfriend, so I have to see which hotels will accommodate that. The Westin was great last year, and I'd be happy to stay there again if it'll work out.

Is it too early to start poking fun at her for that one quote?

Tigerbill wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:

Kittylexy and I will be there with bells on. We're considering doing a suite with my sister and her boyfriend, so I have to see which hotels will accommodate that. The Westin was great last year, and I'd be happy to stay there again if it'll work out.

Is it too early to start poking fun at her for that one quote?

Never too early

What's the chance that we can get some Battletech going this year? I'm looking at you Tigerbill

As long as Ian from DGR isn't there I'm all in.

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