This is a not-official (since I am not either Edward nor Amanda ;) ) mini-guide to HeavyCon. If you have any questions that need to be addressed in some official capacity (such as about registration or things like that), you'll definitely want to contact Edward & Amanda (hereafter referred to as E&A) for a clear answer.
- stay at the con hotel so you can game more and to help E&A with keeping the con going
- make sure someone is bringing specific games you want to play
- schedule some games, but don't over-plan or over-commit
- be nice while at the con (and preferably even when you're not)
HeavyCon is an invite-only convention, which means that attendance is limited only to those directly extended an invite by the prestigious duo of E&A. This is great for you as an attendee, as it means that the people in attendance are more-or-less known to be nice, able to play well with others, and unlikely to be big jerks.
This means that you cannot invite friends or significant others to come along without first getting permission from E&A. Make sure you reach out as early as possible if you want to do that.
HeavyCon is an event that E&A endeavor to put on for the community so they can meet and game together more than it is a commercial undertaking. Please treat it as such and try to make sure that everyone involved can have a wonderful time.
The obvious answer is "play lots of games," but I'll try to be a bit more specific.
HeavyCon is almost entirely "open gaming," which means you do not need to register ahead of time for games (but you can schedule games ahead of time, which will be covered below). There have been a few scheduled events in the past, such as an Exit escape room game series race, but these are limited in number.
Games of all weights are played at HeavyCon - there is no "heaviness police" that will shut down anything - but as you might expect, many of the games played are the longer and heavier ones that might be a little more challenging to get to the table at our respective homes. There are plenty of games in the 1-2 hour range in addition to the 4+ hour longer ones, and you'll likely spot a few all-or-most-of-the-day sort of games like 1822 and such.
They're wonderful hosts, and you might get to game with them, but simply in terms of time it's not possible for them to get in a game with everyone. They have to run the convention first and foremost, and are only able to game part of the time. You will definitely be able to meet them and say thank you for the great content they put out though!
Asher was in attendance last year and I personally hope he can make it again, but this will of course depend on how he's feeling. If he is, he's a very friendly dog, but please don't disturb him while he's sleeping, as this can be jarring for him (and he sometimes sleeps with his eyes open, so look for signs that he's awake, such as him actively looking around or following you with his eyes, or something like that).
I like to show up on Wednesday morning or afternoon. If you want to join the Wednesday morning hike (which is a gentle hike), obviously you'll want to arrive on Tuesday.
The Wednesday-evening brewery meetup was a good time last year, and there was gaming there, but the tables at the brewery are limited in size. I wouldn't recommend a game longer than 3 hours for that, but I did greatly enjoy going along.
Note that HeavyCon is fully active on Sunday (unlike many conventions), so leaving late on Sunday or early on Monday is perfectly valid. There are fewer people on Sunday but there's plenty of gaming still.
First, you will tire more quickly than you expect. Don't over-exert yourself until you acclimate to the altitude, and if you feel light-headed, rest right away.
You will dehydrate more quickly than you expect, and you likely will not notice until you are quite short on fluids. Be sure to drink lots of water, and do so proactively (so even when you're not thirsty make sure you keep up with the hyrdration).
I volunteered for a 7000-plus attendee convention and the number one problem by far among attendees from out of state was dehydration. Don't let it get in the way of your gaming. Drink water.
Sort of - but it's more of a "public use allowed" grouping of people's personal game collections. E&A provide a large amount of the games but some are provided by attendees. This means that if you want to check out a game from there, you can, but if you have your heart set on playing something specific, you should bring it yourself, or arrange for someone else to bring it.
Please take utmost care of the games you check out, as they belong to someone else, and that person will be bringing them home when the convention is over.
Yes, and there will be a geeklist for this purpose posted on boardgamegeek.com soon. You can sign up for anything you want, but the only person managing your time is you, so take care not to schedule overlapping games, and don't overcommit.
If you want to play a game and the geeklist entry for it is full, you can either add a second entry to the list and arrange a game session yourself, or talk with the original poster to add a second game to the original posting. I personally prefer a new entry, because then you can manage it yourself, but you'll probably see both.
First, you do not have to schedule games in advance if you don't want to. There are plenty of pick-up games at the convention. If you want to play anything specific that is somewhat lengthy though, I would recommend scheduling a game of it though.
I personally find scheduling games for the start of the day and the end of the day to be the best. Scheduling things in the middle of the day can be awkward as it makes a "time bubble" around the game where people either have dead time where they can't game or you get stuck waiting to start because someone else's game has run long.
If you schedule a game, make sure you or someone else is bringing the game. :)
Also make sure to leave time for lunch & dinner. Don't go without eating, you will regret it immensely.
No, but I would recommend you do if at all possible. You'll have a lot more time to game, and it helps E&A greatly by helping to fill up the "hotel quota." As part of the hosting arrangement, E&A are have told the hotel they can fill up a certain number of rooms, and if those are not taken, it's a big pain for them.
Likely not. The hotel has a shuttle to/from the airport, and you will be in the hotel gaming the majority of the time anyways. If you arrive early you might want transportation, but Uber and Lyft are both available in the area, and the hotel has a shuttle which can take you to things within a radius around the hotel.
Not in the "tables and booths" sense. There are people that work at several game companies present, but they're generally present in a personal capacity. So if you see someone from a company, tell them how much you love their products, but be understanding if they'd rather just game with friends rather than talk about the industry or upcoming titles.
Last year it was a taco bar, but it will be something different. Edward is still working on the details. Regardless, it's a scheduled meal (last year it was at the hotel, and it likely will be there again) where everyone gets to chat with each other over dinner.
I recommend using this chance to speak with people you haven't had a chance to meet previously, because having more friends is always a good thing.
There will be a "virtual flea market" geeklist where you can post items to sell to other attendees. This is a GREAT resource so definitely take a look at it to buy or sell. Keep in mind transporting the games though, which is a bit of a hassle if you aren't local or within driving distance of the con.
This is tricky, as postal fees are high and games don't fit super well in luggage, as my crushed copy of 1829 will attest. Most airlines will let you check a filled cardboard box as a piece of luggage (so $25-$50, depending on the airline). I would recommend padding the edge of the box with packing material as if you were mailing things though, as they can be very rough on the boxes.
Mailing via normal methods is possible too but pricey as usual. Contact the hotel for info on how to send things there ahead of time if you want to do that.
Last year Edward kindly let people send him packages to be brought to the hotel, but contact him before doing this to make sure he's okay with it and can actually get the box there.
Tips courtesy of Larry R.: if you're flying Southwest, don't forget about free checked bags. Also consider "nesting games inside of games" if the items you are transporting allow doing so safely.