Well folks, we're less than five months out from the big DragonCon Extravaganza! Now strikes me as an excellent time to start discussing any information that D*C n00bs might need, as well as reminiscing about the awesome old stories of D*Cs past to try and convince more to join us in our revelry!
1 - What the bloodly hell is DragonCon?
D*C is a sci-fi convention held anually in Atlanta, Georgia. It happens in late August-Early September (this year it will be September 3-6) at a couple of hotels downtown. Recent years have had upwards of 20,000 attendees over the weekend. The events involved vary every year, but you can expect to see everything from classic Sci-fi (Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5) to fantasy (Lord of the Rings, Dragonriders of Pern), to horror (there are wannabe goths EVERYWHERE) to pretty much anything else even remotely related. There are discussion panels, costume contests, gaming events (lots of gaming... whole lot of gaming), live music here and there, and the list goes on. www.dragoncon.org is the official site, though it's down at the moment.
2 - Why would I want to go?
Are you kidding? It's a nerd paradise. Ever wanted to wear Spock Ears or Jedi Robes to school? You'd get laughed at, wouldn't you? That won't happen here, because everyone feels the same way. In addition to that, there are dozens of kickass chances to meet your favorite stars (Aaron Allston wrote some WC and Star Wars stuff, we've met him a couple of times, he's a great guy), and attend panels that they discuss genres on. Plus there are collectibles that you can't find elsewhere... though those get pricey.
On top of all of that, we do tend to have a great time amongst our tiny WC crew. The parade was a helluva lot of fun, for example. It is also incredibly cool to be recognized by other attendees. The first year a few of us wandered about wearing flightsuits, and a small party of Klingons joined us on the elevator and chatted about how great WC was.
3 - But aren't all these people freaks?
Yeah. You are too. Don't deny it. Give in.
4 - Ok, so what if I want to go. What now?
First you'll need to secure yourself a ticket from the Dragoncon website. They get kinda pricey, but are pretty well worth it.
Second, you'll need to make travel and hotel arrangements. Chris and the other guys tend to do a better job of that (I live in Atlanta, so I don't have to deal with this), and can advise you there. Plane tickets vary widely, and unless I'm sorely mistaken, hotel costs for sharing a room is something like $150-$200... please correct me if I'm wrong, which I'm certain I am.
Third, just show up. We have plenty of ways of meeting up, and planning from there.
5 - This is sounding expensive. It's expensive, isn't it.
Well, it can be, yeah. In the past I've recommended that those that want to come along have close to $1000 to blow on this, all told. Unless you're coming in internationally (talk to Hades about that), that should cover all of it from the plane to the hotel to your food, and leave you plenty left over for souvenirs, and believe me, you'll want to pick up something. Not an impossible sum to attain, but it does mean you'll have to get to work on a job now if you have nothing saved up yet.
6 - What if you people hate me?
We might, I won't deny it. If it helps any, most of the people that are complete pricks online end up being at the very least tolerable in person, though I'd imagine that part of that relates to the fact that, in person, we can beat you. We do try to keep beatings to the minimum, but we will accept no responsibility if you piss Hades off and he gets all Crazy British on you. Don't laugh, it's happened.
7 - What about food?
There are restaurants nearby, including two in the hotel. One of those is the infamous Champions Sports Bar, which we hit every single time because it's there and the food tends to not suck. It's tradition to get Chicken Fingers there at least once, FYI, in memory of good old Weasel who probably won't get to come this time. The bastard. There is also fast food for lunches and room service if you're terrified of leaving your room.
8 - What do all us WC people do?
We've come to a bit of a fork in the road, there. In past years we would often band together and mosey from one spot to another, but the group has just gotten too big. This year we will probably split and everybody do their own thing, possibly pairing neophytes with veterans if the n00bs are truly terrified, aside from a few group activities. These group deals will probably include: The Champions dinner; the Parade; possibly a large multiplayer WCP Advance session; hanging out in one of the rooms to watch the big costume party; hanging out during the Saturday night costume fest over in the Hyatt, possibly in costume (jury is still out on that). Oh, and the effigy. The effigy is the BEST.
9 - I've heard scary stories about this Danger Woman person. What if we run into her or others like her?
We're all scared, son. Hell, I still carry a knife just in case of her. But nobody is gonna hurt you except for us. If you haven't heard that story yet, I'll tell you later. It's a good one, and it's stories like that that keep us coming back. Well, that and the comeraderie, and the food at Champions. And the scantily clad women that are 'in costume.'
I'll answer any other questions that anyone has, add some more of my own FAQ stuff later, and tomorrow night I'll post some of our previous tales.
1 - What the bloodly hell is DragonCon?
D*C is a sci-fi convention held anually in Atlanta, Georgia. It happens in late August-Early September (this year it will be September 3-6) at a couple of hotels downtown. Recent years have had upwards of 20,000 attendees over the weekend. The events involved vary every year, but you can expect to see everything from classic Sci-fi (Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5) to fantasy (Lord of the Rings, Dragonriders of Pern), to horror (there are wannabe goths EVERYWHERE) to pretty much anything else even remotely related. There are discussion panels, costume contests, gaming events (lots of gaming... whole lot of gaming), live music here and there, and the list goes on. www.dragoncon.org is the official site, though it's down at the moment.
2 - Why would I want to go?
Are you kidding? It's a nerd paradise. Ever wanted to wear Spock Ears or Jedi Robes to school? You'd get laughed at, wouldn't you? That won't happen here, because everyone feels the same way. In addition to that, there are dozens of kickass chances to meet your favorite stars (Aaron Allston wrote some WC and Star Wars stuff, we've met him a couple of times, he's a great guy), and attend panels that they discuss genres on. Plus there are collectibles that you can't find elsewhere... though those get pricey.
On top of all of that, we do tend to have a great time amongst our tiny WC crew. The parade was a helluva lot of fun, for example. It is also incredibly cool to be recognized by other attendees. The first year a few of us wandered about wearing flightsuits, and a small party of Klingons joined us on the elevator and chatted about how great WC was.
3 - But aren't all these people freaks?
Yeah. You are too. Don't deny it. Give in.
4 - Ok, so what if I want to go. What now?
First you'll need to secure yourself a ticket from the Dragoncon website. They get kinda pricey, but are pretty well worth it.
Second, you'll need to make travel and hotel arrangements. Chris and the other guys tend to do a better job of that (I live in Atlanta, so I don't have to deal with this), and can advise you there. Plane tickets vary widely, and unless I'm sorely mistaken, hotel costs for sharing a room is something like $150-$200... please correct me if I'm wrong, which I'm certain I am.
Third, just show up. We have plenty of ways of meeting up, and planning from there.
5 - This is sounding expensive. It's expensive, isn't it.
Well, it can be, yeah. In the past I've recommended that those that want to come along have close to $1000 to blow on this, all told. Unless you're coming in internationally (talk to Hades about that), that should cover all of it from the plane to the hotel to your food, and leave you plenty left over for souvenirs, and believe me, you'll want to pick up something. Not an impossible sum to attain, but it does mean you'll have to get to work on a job now if you have nothing saved up yet.
6 - What if you people hate me?
We might, I won't deny it. If it helps any, most of the people that are complete pricks online end up being at the very least tolerable in person, though I'd imagine that part of that relates to the fact that, in person, we can beat you. We do try to keep beatings to the minimum, but we will accept no responsibility if you piss Hades off and he gets all Crazy British on you. Don't laugh, it's happened.
7 - What about food?
There are restaurants nearby, including two in the hotel. One of those is the infamous Champions Sports Bar, which we hit every single time because it's there and the food tends to not suck. It's tradition to get Chicken Fingers there at least once, FYI, in memory of good old Weasel who probably won't get to come this time. The bastard. There is also fast food for lunches and room service if you're terrified of leaving your room.
8 - What do all us WC people do?
We've come to a bit of a fork in the road, there. In past years we would often band together and mosey from one spot to another, but the group has just gotten too big. This year we will probably split and everybody do their own thing, possibly pairing neophytes with veterans if the n00bs are truly terrified, aside from a few group activities. These group deals will probably include: The Champions dinner; the Parade; possibly a large multiplayer WCP Advance session; hanging out in one of the rooms to watch the big costume party; hanging out during the Saturday night costume fest over in the Hyatt, possibly in costume (jury is still out on that). Oh, and the effigy. The effigy is the BEST.
9 - I've heard scary stories about this Danger Woman person. What if we run into her or others like her?
We're all scared, son. Hell, I still carry a knife just in case of her. But nobody is gonna hurt you except for us. If you haven't heard that story yet, I'll tell you later. It's a good one, and it's stories like that that keep us coming back. Well, that and the comeraderie, and the food at Champions. And the scantily clad women that are 'in costume.'
I'll answer any other questions that anyone has, add some more of my own FAQ stuff later, and tomorrow night I'll post some of our previous tales.
