GenCon 2016

[Ronster]

GenCon is on my bucket list.

[Mike]

[DMDarcs]

All the parking is in people's backyards, and only in small sections of time. I couldn't find a spot with reservations where we could just park in one spot and then leave at night - most days would've involved changing parking lots 2 or 3 times each day, as the times were very specific. There is a 24-hour parking lot near the convention center, but they don't take reservations. Push come to shove, I just drop you all off at the convention center, drive the car back to the hotel, and then hoof it. I wonder if there are shuttle buses?

[Mrs.Darcs]

OK fellow parents, parking issues aside, I am freaking out about leaving the children. My mom is watching them and is worried Desmond (age 2 and some change) isn't going to react well, and will be too upset to sleep and now I'm a wreck. Has anyone else left their small children (our daughter is 6) for 4 days? Am I screwing up? Help! (I HATE Anxiety)

Darcs is probably right and I'm being insane

[Elle]

Yes - I assume it's normal to be freaked out by leaving them, but also normal to have short trips away. When Buffy was not even one I had to be in the hospital for a week, with only short visits from her, and she was quite resilient about the whole thing although I'm sure she missed me. I was completely freaked out by it, and again later when I had to go on a few work trips, but eventually it became ok. Parents are often better when they have had a fun break by themselves. Two and six are ages when they're developing relationships with people like grandparents anyway - think of it as a great chance for them to really bond and have fun together. Plus, there is Skype! You can chat periodically and they'll probably be like, sorry lady, Grandma has cookies over here, catch ya later! Seriously, the disinterest displayed during my occasional departures was edifying. Once they know you're out there and ok, they're totally off having fun. They also listen to grandparents better/ sleep better at their house. What's up with that? I do not know, but it's a real thing.

[Tahlvin]

You're over-reacting. He's 2; any (normal) "trauma" he experiences will be temporary, and he'll forget it shortly after it's over. Unless you think your mother is completely incompetent at handling small children, there's almost no chance that lasting damage will occur. Might there be sleepless nights for the kids and your parents? Sure! But that's part of babysitting small children. It's happened to plenty of people throughout history, and yet the human race is still here.

I remember when we weaned our son from breastfeeding. I shipped my wife to South Carolina with some family for a few days. The first night she was away, he was up almost the entire night crying because he wanted to nurse, and I was completely exhausted. The next night, he cried a little bit and then fell asleep. By the third night, he was going to bed without complaint. I cannot prove that any of his current behavioral issues are in any way at all related to that long weekend.

Looking back, as a parent whose children are older (12-19 y/o), I would recommend you not let your anxiety keep you from going and enjoying the experience. As long as you are taking reasonable measures and are leaving them with someone who is reasonably competent in child rearing (and who better to know than you whether your parents are capable!), then I say go and have fun!

[Mike]

You just took them to Disney! That should be more than enough to assuage your guilt.

But Elle and Tahlvin are dead on about this. They will be fine. And you will talk to them every night. You might even Skype or Facetime or whatever so that you can actually talk to them face to face. They'll get updates from you every day to hear how much fun you're having and that everything's okay, and they can tell you how awesome Grandma and Grandpa are (hopefully), and it'll all be over way too fast.

Don't burden yourself with extra angst over this. You're a good mom.

[Mrs.Darcs]

Thanks guys, you are seriously the best! I feel better.

[Mike]

For anyone going to Concert Against Humanity this year, ! Hot damn!

[Mike]

Okay... and games to bring...

I'm bringing the following (many of them because they fit neatly in my little game case):
Battle Sheep
Cthulhu Dice
Fluxx
Guillotine
Kobolds
Munchkin
Munchkin Legends
Thems Fightin Words
Zombie Cinema
Zombie Dice

Games that I own that I COULD bring if anyone was interested:
Carcasonne
Castle Panic
Dominion
Fastrack
Munchkin Adventure Time
Munchkin Pathfinder
Munchkin Zombies
Pandemic
Poo
Resistor
Settlers of Catan
Smallworld
Ticket to Ride
Zombie Fluxx

What are you bringing?

[Eliahad]

Bring Settlers! I haven't played it in ages!

I'll bring Dominion and some expansions
Great Dalmuti
I can bring Smallworld, too.
Pandemic

I'm thinking this year I'm going to stash some things in my bag so if we find an open table we can just play

[Mike]

Agreed. My wife just bought me an awesome little card case, so Munchkin, Thems Fightin Words, Fluxx, and a couple others all fit neatly in one compact case. I'm taking that everywhere.

[DMDarcs]

I will definitely be bringing:

Betrayal at the House on the Hill
Chrononauts
Chez Geek
Arkham Horror
Legendary
Illuminati
some Magic the Gathering: Commander decks

I might bring:
Aggravation
Castle Panic
Nightmare
Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot

[Mike]

I'm putting Love Letter in my bag cuz it's tiny, and Resistor so that I can have Tony and Nicole sign it if/when we see them again. I'll bring Catan for sure then.

[Cazmonster]

Breath mints or gum, an extra travel deodorant, flushable wipes, anti-chafe powder, at least two extra pairs of socks.

You want to feel fresh as often as you can, to keep your energy up.

[DMDarcs]

Also bringing Superfight (I don't how I forgot this one), and maybe Arena of the Planeswalkers.

[Mrs.Darcs]

I was going to say that we just always need Super Fight in a pocket. I love me some Super Fight. Does someone have a VCR for Nightmare? Or is it on YouTube? I feel like there was something else we said we should bring. I want Mike to learn Magic (so I can play with someone who is new and therefore maybe as bad as I am!)! And finally some people who will let me play Chez Geek!

[Mike]

I'm really looking forward to Chez Geek. I've heard great things about Super Fight. Magic intimidates me.

[Cazmonster]

Chez Geek has one of my all time favorite cards "Harrold the Hoopty Car".

My jealousy may soon reach self-sustaining levels as everybody settles into the show.

[Elle]

Oh seriously. At least I may get a brief visit, but I totally want to go to the whole thing! I would be happy if it was three straight days of Canasta, though, let's be frank.