U-Con Day 3: Ping-Pong Balls, Sunday Services, And "These Are Not Toys!"

Howdy folks, and welcome to my overview of Day 3 of U-Con, the final day of the event. The summary below was written throughout the day, but this intro is being written after returning home. Winter has finally arrived in Ohio. We have a winter weather advisory for the area, and I have a fire going in the fireplace and a mug of cocoa so let's review the final day of my final convention of 2014:

• Dammit, I made the classic game convention blunder. I brought my smallest suitcase to carry a minimal of clothes as well as my laptop bag and that's it. This morning, I got everything in my room packed away -- when I realized I now had all of this new swag, t-shirts, games, and souvenirs and no way to carry it all out to the car. I need to remember to always pack an extra bag or use my biggest suitcase. Instead, I made four trips. (Argh.)
• When I entered the convention center, I was a bit surprised by the church service in progress. Apparently, the auditorium is used each Sunday by a local church. It was interesting to watch gamers wearing Lamentations of the Flame Princess shirts filing by the Sunday morning church folks gussied up in their Sunday best.
• In the vendor's hall, the Float a Goat folks broke out a new game to entice folks with: Zombies - The Game on a Glass. Folks were trying it out by hurling ping pong balls across the room and into a pint glass. It was addicting, as EVERYONE was giving it a try. (I missed 10/10 attempts. Double argh.)
• Just got a text from my wife. My part of Ohio is getting 2-4 inches of snow tonight and 1-3 inches overnight, so heading out before nightfall is a must if I hope to avoid the start of winter while on the road. So the late afternoon games I was contemplating will have to wait until next year. (Triple argh.)
• Some kids have been making some noise in one vendor's booth. They're playing around with items he has for sale like dice and miniatures and card games and other fun stuffs. He marched over to them, and without a trace of irony said, "Hey, these are NOT toys!" 
• It's five minutes until the vendor's hall closes for the convention. Been eyeing a game at another vendor's booth all weekend. After closing, I was planning to pick it up. Annnnnnd...I just watched someone else pick it up and purchase it. (Quadruple mega-ultra-dammit-argh.)
• After the hall closed, I wandered over and mentioned I had missed out on that game I wanted to the vendor. And he proceeded to bring out SECOND copy he just happened to have. Plus, he gave me a 20% discount on it! And Sniderman ends his time at U-Con on a high note!

All in all, I had a great time at U-Con, and I'd like to thank the organizers, the players, the vendors, and Ryan Thompson who put together an awesome OSR track. And I'm already making plans for those conventions I'll be at next year. So, if you're in Iowa City; Hudson, Ohio; Milwaukee; or -- yes -- Ypsilanti, look me up and I'll reserve a spot at my gaming table for you.

And now, onto the final photos for U-Con:

 Just yesterday, this area was home to pick-up games of Gamma World, M:TG, and D&D 5e.

Who knew Jesus was a griefer? (IM IN YUR BASE CONVERTIN YUR FOLLOWERS. AHAHA NOOB)

Zombies: the Game on a Glass. Beer and flying ping-pong balls...a perfect combination!

A ping pong ball in flight during a try at Zombies.

And we wrap up with my purchases, trades, and swag.