Getting the Most from your experience at GaryCon

How to get the most from your GaryCon 12 experience  Updated September 9, 2022

PLEASE NOTE:   NO permission is given to share this ANYWHERE

I.E. - All my tips, tricks and quirks and First Timers Guide to places

PART 0 - Guide to Lake Geneva - My Favorites

I do recommend arriving early on Wednesday, especially if it your first time, you can check out the area, complete whatever items you need for the con, Check in, and most importantly, NETWORK AND MEET UP WITH PEOPLE 

While in Lake Geneva, you can stop by and see the various RPG historical places.. 

1 - The Brick at the Riveria

2- TSR Hobby Shop Dungeon Museum

LINK -  Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum | Facebook

3 - 330 Center Street, the location where D&D was created

4 - Horticutural Hall - Site of the first GenCons

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Notable places in Lake Geneva that I really Enjoy

Bittners Donuts   Lorelei Bittner's Bakery | Facebook

Directly across from Next Door Pub

I highly recommend the Bacon Maple one

Next Door Pub - excellent pizza and cheese curds

Joni's Diner       111 S Wells St, Lake Geneva, WI 53147

I try to eat my Wednesday morning meal/snack there. Good Coffee, nice place to relax

Right next to Joni's are lots of Fast Food places in the area if you have never eaten at a Culvers, give it a try, Butter Burgers and Cheese Curds

On you way into Lake Geneva, stop at a Walmart or Target for supplies. Kenosha Walmart is currently open till Midnight (was 24 hours) Also, the IHOP in Kenosha is 24 hours

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Now, if you want to bring home some meats, you have a couple of good choices

Lake Geneva Meats on RT 50 (Excellent Meat Sticks and cold cuts)

Lester's Bison Farm   Lester's Bison Farm in Salem, Wisconsin 53168 (lestersbisonfarm.com)

Lester's sells Bison, Venison, Elk, Lamb, Pork and Poultry - High quality meats

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KENOSHA Stuff 

If you are passing through Kenosha during the Day, you should stop at Mars Cheese Castle

It is a Tourist attraction with some really good stuff

For an amazing Beakfest - I highly recommend 

The Coffee Pot in Kenosha

Home (kenoshacoffeepot.com)

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If you like hiking and the condition are OK, 

Hiking the Seven Bridges Trail in South Milwaukee (wisconsin-explorer.blogspot.com)

BRING ITEMS TO GET SIGNED by the VIPs

I recommend the Art and Arcana book

Purchase on Amazon - $27.49

I have had posters, Prints, Modules, books, and many other things signed at the Con.

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PART 1 - Get a room

Ok, the key here is not to panic when the Grand Geneva sells out in 3 hours. You will have lots of opportunities to get a room or find a room mate. 

• After badges go on sale, there is always a group of people who realize that they cannot go
• After Event registration closes, there are always people who decide not to go
• Then there is when badge refund closes... 
• Finally, there is the week before when people find that their friend cannot get the time off from work and neglected to tell them

For GaryCon 11, we did not secure a room until a week before, we cancelled the room we had because we got one on site

Grand Geneva is screwing people over, if someone with the GaryCon rate cancels they now charge the full room rate of 

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Part 1A - STAYING OFF SITE

Ok, no room at the Grand Geneva, No Problem you just have to plan a bit.

As a Player, you can take the shuttle, may have a little wait, but you won't have to worry about Parking, just make sure you get over to the con about 40 minutes before your event in case of a wait on the shuttle. 

As a Game Master, I recommend you do not unpack your gaming stuff if you drove in, leave it in the Trunk or the back of the SUV. Organize what you need by day and game. That way it will be quick, I used 2 containers, one for books and one for your adventures. This allows you to get to your car and change out games / Dice / storage during the day

Drive over before 8:00 AM in order to get any Parking in the best lot. 

If you are playing in any games that end after Midnight, you will not be able to get a shuttle. 


PART 2 - Get a Badge

Once badges go on sale, you have to figure which one you want. In the past I have always gone with Gold and last year was the exception as I registered late. I went as a Silver. 

If you want to get a GOLD badge, you have be online on the date and at the exact time they go on sale, they will sell out within 2 hours

There are only 250 Gold badges and 2000+ Silver
The Gold is $215 
The Silver is $100

For Perks, see:
https://garycon.com/registration/

In Years past, you were able to choose additional Featured events and unlimited non featured events with the early gold registration. Now percentages of seats are held for each level

Lets, take the Celebrity game with 8 slots as an example...In the past, no slots would open for any GOLD or SILVER badges

Now....
Premier - 4 seats
Platinum - 1 seat
Gold - 1 Seat
Silver - 2 seats

This is based on Luke Gygax post
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Premier (Diamond Badges) 50%
Platinum (Diamond and Platinum Badges) 65%
Gold (Diamond, Platinum and Gold) 80%
Standard (All) 100%
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So, if you are a gold and missed out on a game due to the limit, you just go back on the day that the silver register and try again to get into the game.. Now you have a 2nd chance to take the seat in the game if you do it quick enough

GaryCon 8 swagbag

Note on the gold: You get a Shirt ($25), Cup ($18) and a Swagbag, I was less than impressed with the Swagbag in GC10 and this Book was also included in the bag for GC11

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PART 3 - Registering for games

Again, if you want to get into the most exclusive games you have to be live and ready to go as soon it is time to register.  I would pick your top 2 games, add them to the cart and submit as soon as possible. You can go back and add others later. 

Figure out which ones you want most and put them in order... you can use multiple browsers tabs to set games and then go one by one and place the order... 

Golds: This year if you cannot get into a game and there are open slots, just wait for the date and time for Silvers to register and try again to get into that game... Good Luck

PART 4 - NETWORKING

Find an experienced gamer to introduce you around . 

The GaryCon facebook page is a good place to get to know people. Some people blog about their experiences (like me) and some just chat... 

GaryCon facebook Group

I never mind people asking me questions, but reading the same questions over and over can be annoying

Most ANSWERS can be found on the GaryCon Website, take the time to look before posting a question... The Forums there are not always helpful

https://garycon.com/

Either before the Con, or during the Con, network with other gamers. They can provide valuable tips and introductions to people you want to meet and connect you with great people. 

I consider myself very lucky, that someone introduced me to lots of people, then I played it forward at the same Con and became instant legend.  If you are in my game, I will treat you like a old friend and walk you around, take you to a party where you will meet vendors and artists... need something signed, I will help you. 

I like to think that everyone does this. 

Sandy, Lynn, Colten, Litta, Greg, Tracey - The Greg Barry Drunken Dungeon Master Invitational

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After the game, we were talking and I said to Lynn "Wanna go meet and hang out with Larry Elmore ? ".. I know where he is, we can just go over... She said "Are you sure?" 

I never kid about stuff, I always try to pay it forward and off we went

Found Larry at (Secret Location) and I walked up.  "Larry, this is my friend Lynn" 

I have to say I enjoy the look on people faces when they meet the legends... Larry is great and takes time to sign everything for everyone.  We ended up talking for awhile

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PART 5 - Preplan and Manage Expectations

What I mean is, plan who you want to meet, what you want to have signed, and go in managing your expectations. 

My First GaryCon (8) was amazing, up until Saturday, That day really fell apart for me and only one game worked out. I was dreadfully in a subpar mood Saturday night.

My Next GC (10) was amazing, I went in with managed expectations, got into every game I wanted to and it exceeded what I had hoped for.  I was the Luckiest guy at GC10

Now I go with a list of things I want to get done and everything else is bonus

My List from GaryCon 11

1        Margaret Weis signature on latest book
2        Steve Jackson to sign my book and vinyl poster
3        Get a Signature for my Foster daughter From Joe Manganiello
4        Elmore print  - or Chromatic Kingdom poster print
5        See as many friends as possible

Lets just say, I completed 1, 2, 3, 4 and lots of 5 by midday Thursday. 

PART 6 - Bring Items to have signed

 From my first time to this past year, I always bring a few items to have signed... Luckily, I have a diverse collection and if I want something to bring with me, I can pick something up... Everyone is willing to sign stuff for everyone. 

And keep your eyes out on deals for books, I picked up Art & Arcana for about 20 Dollars on Amazon before I went to GaryCon

PART  7 - Arrive on Wednesday

Seriously, There is the Welcoming party at the Hotel Wednesday night and a movie. They had Pizza and Beer 

You can sit and relax for the day and catch up with friends. or sleep if you drove overnight

There are also Super Secret gatherings that take place. 

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I hope this serves you well, along with my Advice for attending Conventions... 

My Convention Advice

Nothing is going to go right all the time, But this will help turn an OK time into a ...

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING SPECTACULAR TIME !   

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PART  37.5 - Tips For GMS

For those running games and playing games, this section is for you. 

ALL others  - STOP READING

Most of the Guests of Honor run games during the 12:00(Noon) To 6:00 PM time slots. I try never to schedule what I run during those times.  I try to leave a slot open to wander around the Con. 

Networking with Other GMs is a great way to get into games

Keep in mind that Mid day Saturday is the Award and Hawaiian Picture in the LOBBY

I actually made it to this event last year

So, here is the secrets I go by when submitting games

1. Try never to schedule between Noon and 6:00 PM
2. Talk to GM's and find out what time they are running games
3. Leave 2 back to back hours Open per day, Try for twice a day
4. End your day at 10 every day, you will feel better and can relax before going to sleep.
5. If you run 16+ hours, you get a code for a silver badge
6. If you Run 18+ hours, you get a shirt and a Cup (good for all privileges) 
7. Unfortunately, the Greg Barry GM bonus level (28+ hours) was never approved and will not be running that many hours again

Lastly 

If you get the 20% (Now only 10% with a cap of 40 dollars off) Gary Con XI merchandise coupon, PRINT it out immediately, I think the email last year was sent with an expiration. I went to look for it before I left for the con and it was no where in my Email, or recover email... I am meticulous about my computer and saving emails, marking them with flags... It was just gone.

  

If you have any Questions, please ask...   Thank you

                  Margaret Weis, myself and some stripper movie guy in the background

PLEASE NOTE:   NO permission is given to share this ANYWHERE

Heading To PhoenixCon 2022 !!

UPDATED June 14, 2022

Pen by Savage Creations

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The image below is from Last August in Wisconsin and signifies what I will miss most going forward when I go to Wisconsin... My Friend Colter will be missing at all the Conventions I attend in Wisconsin

 

Greg and Colter

My Next convention I am going to is 

PHOENIXCON in APPLETON WISCONSIN

I opted out of GaryCon.  

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April 2022

I will be back in July for PhoenixCon. That will be strange to attend without "Greg's Friend".

As much as I am looking forward to going, I am dreading going, but BADGE #1 will be there  

I will be attending with another from our Tuesday Dragonscales game and it will be his first convention

 

SO, at the Next PhoenixCon I intend to run a few games during the con

(Not listed in order or any Timeslot)

The Colter Mathby Memorial Drunken Dungeon Master Challenge

A super secret game that will be amazing. Armed with one page of notes and a POORLY drawn map, I'll improvise on the spot. System - Dragonscales RPG. novices welcome Email gmbarry@msn.com for the character creation Bring a full deck of cards with Jokers

Note: This may not be the greatest game, but it will be the most entertaining...

(Drunken Dungeon Master is a title and may or may not be true based on the previous game, also I reserve the right to have no more than 2 pages of notes, typed big enough to read while consuming Spotted Cow)

 

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DragonScales RPG:  

The Demon Chronicles 1 and 2 

A series of games where the player will encounter beings from another place who threaten the entire world. these are not your stereotypical Demons, but the Lore has provided no other names for them. 

Part 1: You have by Hired once again by Murkie to find an item, he pays well and has always had some work for you. This time, you have to travel to find the item. Characters will be provided. No experience needed Bring a deck of cards with Jokers

Part 2: At the Great Library in Concord, several clues were found, the Team decides which one to follow for Part 2 Characters will be provided. No experience needed Bring a deck of cards with Jokers

ConGames: Maidens of the Desert - AD&D 1st Edition

Explore the Suel Empire that crumbled 3 centuries ago with a map that recently resurfaced with its location in the Sea of Dust

 

8 Characters of Level 15-18, Using standard classes (PH and UA). Poorly done pregens will be provided so please bring your own

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AD&D - So you think you have an Attitude!

AD&D 1st Edition

Only Dwarves need apply... 13th-15th level... bring your own or be issued a generic.... The followers of the God of Attitude and Drink are sent on a quest for the Ultimate Ale.
Beginners welcome.
Age 13+ please.
Pregenerated characters provided are lame

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PIZZATOON

The Players at the convention ordered buncha Pizza.. be the first to deliver them and get the prize...   Pregen x Provided or bring your own

All my games have twists and turns. I strive to put on a great game that moves along

I look forward to the Con with dread and a Hyper anticipation from building on such a great time last year.  From finding an appropriate way to honor my friend to making new connections. 

CON GAMES KICKSTARTER Update

Even though my Con Games Kickstarter was effectively KILLED by covid, I am not able to promote it at Cons as I have in the past. If I can build up my brand, I may pursue it down the road

How to Train your Dungeon Master 101

 So you want to make the LEAP from player to to Dungeon Master....

Here are some of the best tips you will ever find on becoming a Dungeon Master... Sure everyone has theories and think they know what they are doing, but most people are full of crap and useless BS

Am I going to make you the greatest DM ever.. No, but I will give you the tools needed to becoming one. 

What qualifies me to write this? I have trained several dozens of DMs and would trust anyone of them to run any game system for me. I am picky about who I allow to run games for me after several bad experiences in games at Conventions. 

It is an artform and anyone who tells you different is a moron.  

First: The biggest secret is... Not everyone is going to like your game or style. It is OK, we all have different tastes and don't get upset if someone is not happy with you.

(Highlight to Reveal)

I use the Approved Myagi approach to teaching, you may not understand why you are doing something, but then it hits you with the Wax On / Wax Off  moment of understanding. sometimes it takes a boot to the head, click below

NUMBER 1 (This assumes a new RPG system) 

Gather a friend or 2, and make characters.. does not matter what Class / race/ or anything else... The point is to learn how to make them

NUMBER 2  - Run some combat

Pick 1 dozen Monsters of low level, then run a dozen combats with the new characters. This will give you a good understanding of the mechanics and flow of combat. When you have finished with the dozen, you will have learned what works for you and what does not. try to be as descriptive as possible and detailed about where the hits landed and what they did

 NUMBER 3  - Go to the Tavern

Have them enter the tavern and try to find a piece of information on someone or something, or hire someone. This is a prime role playing exercise. Use different attitudes and accents and try to have everyone react differently toward the characters

NUMBER 4  - Run a small adventure

Have them travel to a cave with no more than 10 Rooms and 4 encounters. Give them just enough treasure and small item or 2 of magic. 

NUMBER 5  - Save all discussion until after the game

Do not allow players to argue any rulings during the game, if there is a point of contention, move on and discuss it after the game session and agree how to handle the same thing going forward.  It does not do anyone any good to hash out rulings during the game and every should be adult enough to to accept it and move on.  

(Rules Lawyering 101)

NUMBER 6  - Ditch the Script

Run an adventure with out a written script using only a few notes. This way you learn how to improvise when the player do things unexpectedly (And they will, every time, over and over again). I write for convention modules and when I want to publish or I need a specifically time adventure. but for most of my ongoing games, I just make notes and add them to the lore of the world for later references

NUMBER 7  - Tips

• You do not get better by watching
• 
  
• When you see something that is cool, make a note, use it later

• 
  
• You are the manager of Time and Pacing
• 
  
• Play with Experienced Dungeons Masters, ask questions after the game
• 
  
• Invite experienced Dungeon Masters to play in your games and give you feedback
• 
  
• Read, cannot stress this enough.. The more you read, the more you will get ideas to use
• 
  
• Watch Movies, pay attention to accents and try them
• 
  
• Go Outside on an adventure, get a sense of terrain.

 

The goal of a seasoned Game master is to keep the player guessing at what is coming, even if they know what they think is coming

DISCLAIMER: I do not subscribe to anyone telling anyone how to be a Great Dungeon Master

The best experience for Running any adventure is RUN an adventure. 

There is an ART to being a Dungeon Master. I urge you to discover your own voice and what works best for you. 

And Finally

From The Dungeon Master's Guide, 1st Edition

“It is the spirit of the game, not the letter of the rules, which is important. Never hold to the letter written, nor allow some barracks room lawyer to force quotations from the rule book upon you, if it goes against the obvious intent of the game.... You are creator and final arbiter. 

By ordering things as they should be, the game as a whole first, your campaign next, and your participants thereafter, you will be playing ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS as it was meant to be.”

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Additional information can be found at the following Blog post:

Expanding your DM/ GM Skillset

What elements does it take for someone to be a good DM/Game master?

Decide to revisit this today. 09/15/2021 

This is not advice for the NEW Dungeon or Game master. This assumes you are already running games and looking to get better that the Craft

I have been a Dungeon Master since I was 12 and have honed my skills over the years and have gone through the usual phases:

1: Beginner, clunky and the dungeons were all about fighting, no sense of placement, treasure was           haphazard and rolled on charts  ...

....Every game starts in a tavern

2: Me against the players - Player kills was valued and you threw random monsters at players

 ..Every game starts in a tavern

3: Monty Haul -  You now gave out tons of treasure and regularly fought gods  

..Every game starts in a tavern

4: Adventure over random dungeons - You begin to put thought into the adventure as a whole 

    ..Every game starts in a tavern

5: Building a world - you have a great handle on the rules, you now try to challenge the players rather than kill them. Death happens but it is random

..Every game starts in a tavern 

6: It is not about the combat.. you go to great lengths to drop clues and puzzles into the game. Role playing playing and interactions become just as valuable as slaying monsters

..Every game starts differently

7: Design Junkie - You have all the tools to write adventures for any level and genre. You now are comfortable running games for any group of players. People start to invite you to run games for their group 

..Every game starts Differently

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SO, now for the skills needed to excel at running Dungeons and Dragons and any other Game systems

I am going to break this down into 3 areas..  Skills, Practicals, and Game Time Tips
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1 - SKILLS

First, you have to love to read. This is the foundation above all else. If reading is not your thing, do not try to run any games



Second, the ability to soak in material, I am referring to Memory and recall... Reading is good, but if you have to go back to look up anything or read a passage a few times during the game, you bog down the game.

I have been blessed with a wicked Memory.. I can tell you details about where and how we met.. plus facts on any range of subjects. I retain about 90% of what I read or see

Watch lots of movies, does not matter what genre and time the movie was made. This especially helps in timing and suspense during the game. Knowing when and where to use these is crucial

Improvisational skills:  You will need to react and redirect as needed and plans always shift

Creativity... players want something they have not seen before... it needs to be different or appear different

Balance... being able to use rules and set what is occurring, having a logical interpretation of the rules as needed

A Firm hand when needed, not allowing someone to be a rules lawyer if they are disrupting the flow of the game and at the same time allow creativity

From The Dungeon Master's Guide, 1st Edition

“It is the spirit of the game, not the letter of the rules, which is important. Never hold to the letter written, nor allow some barracks room lawyer to force quotations from the rule book upon you, if it goes against the obvious intent of the game.... You are creator and final arbiter. 

By ordering things as they should be, the game as a whole first, your campaign next, and your participants thereafter, you will be playing ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS as it was meant to be.”

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2 - Practicals

• Be organized
• Bring Extra Pencils
• Bring Extra Dice
• Bring note pads
• have all you notes and handouts ready and accessible
• Separate table for Roleplaying and for miniatures if possible

I find that if the players are on your side from the beginning, they will accept anything you throw at them or do to them. If I am running a Role Playing intense game, then I usually reserve killing for a bone headed move... 

I have no qualms about killing players, I prefer providing a tough challenge where they may be killed...Players stupidity is the leading cause of death in my games

During the Game

• Know the Material !!!
• Be Organized
• Be Energized
• Dig deep, be unique
• Don't be afraid to try it
• Don't Dream It, BE IT !!!!!

The more you bring the game to life, the better your players will respond. I use lots of different vocals and hand gestures... many people can attest to my horrible Jamaican accent and my equally well done other accents... 

Game flow is important, anything that stops the action or pauses for too long is not helping the players to enjoy the game

3 - GAME TIME !!!

Know your setting:
Have an idea what you are trying to do with each session. Don't be afraid to end at a logical point or where a major clue was give so they can ponder it.

Understand the dice rolls for the game you are playing, or other systems such as playing cards
Many systems use different dice or only a few dice or only one kind of dice like D10s or D6s

Information for one or 2 or a group of players should not be given at the table, if the party splits up do not feel like everyone has to overhear every conversation...  let the players decide what they want to share. Sounds contradictory from other advice I have given, but players can use the time to use the bathroom, get drinks and relax.

Always throw a surprise in there,

• I like to make players make a random saving throw for no reason.. 

• Say "Wow, they actually triggered that" and then roll a hefty handful of the same sided dice, preferably D8s

• Point at a player and say, remember this number, give them a random number and never mention it again

• mumble and roll dice, then count off the players at the table, stopping at the one you rolled. Ask them for their character sheet, do not explain anything, just make a check next a to a random item or write it down. 

• Pick up a handful of dice, roll them, then ask everyone for a saving throw, then say "nevermind, it was another corridor"

The goal of a seasoned Game master is to keep the player guessing at what is coming, even if they know what they think is coming

I have gotten so much better at my craft since 1992