The other get-together I go to is the "Niagara Boardgaming Weekend" (NBW) in Niagara Falls, ON in early February. Had a great time this year, and am looking forward to 2009.
At WBC, I have 100+ friends who I see and game with each year. There are competitive tournaments and open gaming galore -- each year I cut back on the competitive stuff and do more friendly gaming. It's a fun time, and, coming in the middle of summer, it's easy for this teacher to make plans! Niagara is much more laid back, with perhaps 75 attendees. No tourneys, just a ton of open gaming. For the most part, different friends attend NBW, and between the two "cons," I see almost all my gaming buds and get in more than my fill of games. Remember, we have a very active group here in the Rochester area, so I'm never lacking for opponents.
So, why post about this? I guess because another get-together just ended, "Consimworld Expo" (CSW Expo) in Tempe, AZ. I have fun joking about this with the few friends of mine that go, as all the "rah-rah, we're the best" stuff is something I find very funny -- old men counting down days and all that... CSW Expo is one place I have no interest in going to, for several reasons.1. Very few of my friends attend -- I could count them all on both hands and have a few fingers left over.
2. The "con" is dedicated to monster-gaming (big games that teams play and that take days to complete) -- not the kind of games I enjoy.
3. The "con" now boasts people (and even a dedicated room!) playing shorter games -- like I need to fly to Arizona for what I can do at my house any night of the week? And with friends, not strangers in the Arizona desert, no less...
4. I'm an east coast guy for this kind of stuff -- spending money to fly across the country doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me (see: "I can do this from the comfort of my own home, with friends, not strangers").
5. The "con" is always at the end of May/beginning of June -- I'm a teacher, we don't get a week's vacation then!
So, I'm truly happy for the (few) friends I have that go to Tempe for this. Having a good time is what it's all about. But I don't need (nor even want) a fancy hotel, seminars to cut into my gaming time, or a bunch of strangers around to have fun. In fact, I go for the opposite, and am much happier for it. So, I really don't need to be persuaded what a great time this is -- I know it ain't for me. Your mileage may vary...
Until next year at this time.
