Gary Con Day 1: Bustin' Ghosts And Donation Frustration

Whew, it's been a loooong day of gaming goodness, so I'm dropping by my room with updates as I have them. Here we go:

• Went to bed last night at 9 p.m. Yes, I crashed early at a 24-hour game con. But I rolled out of bed at 6 a.m., bright-eyed and ready for the day (and still crazy-early enough to take care of everything I wanted to get out of the way before my games started at 2 p.m.)
• Discovered my Timemaster pre-gens had a bunch of data and info inappropriate to the game I was going to run. Spent the better part of the morning retyping them by hand (stupidly forgot to save the originals), then raced to the business center to print them off for tomorrow.
• The business center is right next to the now-up-and-running registration table, so I stepped over and asked how to donate items for the benefit auction on Saturday. I was told they weren't accepting donations just yet as they just opened and were trying to get the paperwork and mechanics of the table organized. No problem, and I noticed the boxes of Gary Con souvenirs being placed out for purchase. I asked about about my pre-ordered (and pre-paid) items, and was told those pre-purchased items would be available for pick-up that afternoon. So I agreed to return later.
• Ran into Luke Gygax and reintroduced myself. I reminded him that we played in the same Tower of Gygax game at Gen Con last year, causing the GM to do a spit take. "Yeah, Sniderman! I totally remember that!"
• Walked through the gaming rooms and snapped pix of games in progress. There are a LOT of folks playing this year, and I'll bet attendance records are shattered.
• Didn't really sit down to play anything today as I didn't have enough free time in a row...an hour here and there, but no good "gaming stretches."
• Returned around 1 p.m. to pick up my pre-ordered swag and was told that they'd be available around 3 p.m. Since I was running a game from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., I figured I'd swing by afterwards. Picked up a dice bag that I hadn't ordered. Very keen! (Pic to come...)
• Ran my Ghostbusters game at 2 p.m. Much fun was had, with lots of failed Ghost Die rolls popping up to drive the players insane. At the end of the day, they saved the world and got free ales and wines for life. (They also caused Lake Erie to turn into vodka, but that's another tale.)
• One nice service for the GMs that Gary Con offers. After your game starts, a rep walks up with a rolling cooler. GMs are free to help themselves to a pop or some candy to fuel them through their game. very cool of the organizers to do that for the GMs!
• Whipped by the registration booth at 6 p.m. to find them packing everything away, closing up for the evening. I was able to pick up most of my swag (shirt, glass stein, two cups), but the 2011 cap I ordered wasn't delivered to the convention hall and wouldn't be there until possibly Saturday. I offered to buy the new 2012 cap, paying the difference, but they were already put away and would be available in the morning. Also wanted to pick up raffle tickets and a swag bag (particularly for the nifty Gary Con d4 dromo die), but -- again -- too late and was told to stop by tomorrow morning. I didn't even bother to ask about when, where, and how to make my auction donation again.
• Ran my second Ghostbusters game from 8 p.m. to midnight. Didn't have anyone sign up, but Mark and Robbi -- who both played in my earlier game -- showed up to play a new adventure. Great fun as the 'Busters fought a Lovecraftian Great Old One. They met both "Dagum" -- Dagon's redneck brother and "Jimmy" -- the slow Deep One. (Excuse me, "Shallow One.")
• There's a game of Are You A Werewolf? going on in the lobby now (midnight), but I'm beat. I'd love to play, but I have a game at 10 a.m., and I want to visit Dan Proctor at the Goblinoid Games booth when the Dealer Room opens at 9 a.m. Maybe I'll play tomorrow night instead.

Overall, I'm having a great time, but I'm still irritated at stopping multiple times throughout the day to pick up some items I purchased (months) in advance. (And I still don't have it all yet.) as well as still having auction donations I need to drop off. But this is all bush-league bitchin' so don't mind me. I'm, just tired and all will be straightened out in the morning.

Enjoy these random shots of this, that, and the other thing:

This Gary Con banner featuring the KODT cast hangs above the stairway leading down into Gary Con Central.

Got my Dead Games Society Gamemaster Power Ring of Gaming on! Wonder Twins powers, activate!

Gary's Table of Honor right in the thick of all of the gaming. I think it's a great yearly tribute to him. And speaking of gaming...

This is a jousting tourney simulation. The players at either end were "clopping" coconuts together with each pass of the jousters. Very cool set-up!

Me and two players in my first Ghostbusters game as we waited for the rest of the PCs to show up. Great game, great fun! Brew-ha! (And Robbi and Mark played in my SECOND game a few hours later!)

This is ONE of the five rooms running games on Thursday around noon. Every table was packed and running. And through a nearby set of doors...

Another room filled with games and gamers taken just moments apart. This place is HOPPIN'. (You can see the Kenzer and Co. booth in the rear. The Dealer Hall opens tomorrow.)