PAX Unplugged: The Aftermath

The welcome banner coming from the Marriot, over the Queue Area.

We just finished our PAX Unplugged survey, so thought I'd finish my rundown here.

We went to PAX with few expectations.  Grabbing tickets was more of an excuse for a road trip than anything.  We had few distinct plans.  We had never been to Philadelphia and didn't know our way around the downtown. 

We set out Thursday after work, and drove until we didn't feel like driving.  I found a hotel on my phone an hour ahead of us and made a reservation.  We checked in, watched a bit of The Day After Tomorrow on cable, and then crashed out for several hours of shuteye.  I didn't set an alarm, and we slept in a bit.  Free breakfast and a horrible cup of lobby coffee later, we were on the road again.

We arrived at the Hampton Inn on Race Street, but our room wasn't ready (we were early), so we parked the car and grabbed our badges and attempted to enter PAX.  It was a little after 1pm, and based on Gencon and Blizzcon, I was expecting to navigate by following the crowds.  Turns out, there weren't any, so we walked most of the way around the convention center before we found the actual PAX entrance.

PAX itself was great. We spent most of our time in the Vendor Hall or just meandering around.  We met many people, had some really good conversations about random things, and spent time with some of our favorite vendors.  PAX got a lot of things right, and a few things could have been better, but it's the people that will bring us back next year. 

We bought more than we expected - a lot of paint from Reaper and the War Store, and a few Christmas presents for each other. 

We demo'd several games - both direct play and "over the shoulder demo" - though I came away most impressed with Root.  The art is great and the gameplay was fun, and I decided to support such things and backed the kickstarter.

If I was to complain about anything, it was the scheduling of events and activities.  I really prefer the Gencon method of pre-scheduling all events - this lets you plan your weekend a little more closely.  It wasn't always clear how to participate or even what was going on in each room.  You really had to be persistent and find an Enforcer for clarification, which is less than optimal.

We opted to drive home Sunday and avoid burning more vacation time.  This meant a very early start and most people in the hotel lobby were there for the Philadelphia Marathon.  We were aware of the potential for road closures, but really had no idea how extensive they would be or that they'd be active at 6am.  Leaving the hotel to navigate to the interstate in the dark, in the rain, with lots of cops and flashing lights, in an unfamiliar city was very stressful.

But after that, the drive was light on traffic and we made outstandingly good time.  We even got to see some very pretty snow in the mountains and moved through it before the roads were coated.

Random bullet points:

• Our stay at the Hampton Inn was great, but next year I'll try to get in the Marriott since it connects directly via the Skybridge.  We got caught in the rain (thankfully not a downpour) and the Hampton seemed to be on the wrong side of the venue and away from most food options.
• Random banter with random people really made the event, especially over beers in the hotel bar.
• Reading Terminal Market was an awesome find.  
• Parking was horrible, and expensive, but compared to the price of an airline ticket we of course did okay.
• Note above where I said 'next year' ... yes, already talking about a return trip in 2018.

PAX Unplugged Day 2

Far end of the gaming/tourney area. One opening to the main stage is at the left of this view. The vendor booths are at the veeeeeery end of this large hall. 

I take back everything I said about PAX unplugged and the ability to walk up to anything. :)  After a fairly quiet Friday, the crowds surged on Saturday, and the venue was far more crowded.  The far end of the vendor hall [nearest Wyrmwood] cleared out a bit after lunch, but at various choke points the show floor was almost full gridlock.

This is a good thing. It is a good show.  People we talked to were happy, and the mood was very positive. 

Although the show continues today, our part is done and we'll begin the haul back to reality in a few minutes.  I'll be back with a more thorough run down of my thoughts... but for now: goodbye PAX!

Edit: Clarity and formatting now that we're home and I have a real keyboard.

PAX Unplugged

We went to the RIGHT!

Hello from PAX Unplugged!

This is the inaugural show from the Penny Arcade gang devoted only to board games and tabletop held in downtown Philadelphia. Day 1 wrapped, and I'm up early on Day 2 so thought I would type a quick trip entry.

We signed up for the event not knowing exactly what it would include. We have not been to any of the other PAX events, and as the first year we weren't sure what they could pull off.  We also learned that this the same weekend as BGG con in Texas, so weren't sure how many of the big names would make the trip here.

Turns out the U.S. is big enough for two nerd conventions at the same time. Yay.

We started driving Thursday after work. With stops, we had a 12 hr trek but decided to split that up on the inbound leg.  We got up yesterday at a random hotel we found on my phone while driving, had breakfast, and then enjoyed a glorious fall morning of driving across Pennsylvania.

We got in yesterday perhaps a little later than I expected but were still heading to the show floor around 1pm. We walked the expo hall and gawked at some of the tournament play.  Dog Might Games was one of the main stops we wanted to make, and we had a nice visit with our favorite lumberjacks and got caught up on their kickstarter progress.  We then found the paint and take area sponsored by Ninja Division, and had a hour or so of quiet painting time.  This also got us some time to chat with John, the ND owner/boss, who we've met at past Gencons.

When we wrapped up there, we were starved so we got back to the hotel and got checked in.  We walked up to a place called the Prohibition Taproom, and had some amazing comfort food and local beer. It was busy on a Friday night, but was out of the way enough that it was all locals and few PAXers. I feel a little more hipster this morning after hanging out with that crowd.

So far, we have a favorable view of the event. Some of the attendees are the PAX devout. Some are like us and are here because we're board gamers. Everyone is friendly and dialog and banter is easy. The venue is perhaps 1/2 to 1/3 the size of Gencon (at least the main portion of Gencon in the convention center). There isn't the same flash and awe as Gencon - the big name booths like Fantasy Flight, CMON, Privateer Press are far smaller and less glitzy. There aren't any show exclusive figures to track down, and no new product announcements to be buzzing about.  That maybe sounds like criticism but isn't.

There's a good crowd. There is a lot to see and do. But the layout and size are such that there's not the crush of bodies and you can get in and see what you want to see. There is more room to demo. And there are some smaller names here that aren't at Gencon, so we're seeing new things and meeting new people.

For today, we'll be moving in a little while. Reaper has a good booth and I want to get some of their paint to take home. We'll visit Dog Might again, and maybe find a game or three to demo. If we can get in, Shut Up and Sit Down is the keynote speaker today on the main stage and I'd love to see them live.