Staying Home for the Big Convention?

Things to do when everyone else is out of town.

I know Gen Con is coming up starting Thursday. Anyone involved in #ttrpg social media probably knows it’s coming. It’s one of the biggest if not THE biggest gaming convention of the year. It’s like a yearly pilgrimage to Mecca for roleplayers, cosplayers, wargamers, and sci-fi/fantasy fans.

Some of us, and guessing by the number of folx with family commitments, jobs, lack of jobs, and concerns about a certain plague; maybe some of us are staying home this year. (Gen Con is requiring Proof of Vaccination AND Masks.) Gen Con is four days of fun and frivolity all around. Most conventions for that matter. (*Gen Con is going on my vision board after this. I miss conventions.)

I know some of us don’t get to go.
Tis sorta sucky, but that’s reality for ya. However, there are a lot of awesome alternatives. First, you can watch a lot of events, panels, and speakers via Twitch or Gen Con Online. (That’s a lot of what I go to conventions for, anyway. Unless I’m running games nonstop.) Second, if you’re not planning to watch or participate online, there are several things you can possibly do at home that are still gaming related. Last, but not everything, there are plenty of non-gaming activities most of us can do at home.

For those staying home that still want to game.

I expect that might be more of us going than in some years prior, but who knows? This list is by no means all-inclusive, but here are some suggestions for gaming at home:

• Find other gamers staying home and run a game. Good time to learn to be a GM or try being a player if someone else is willing.
• Try out a card game like Magic: the Gathering.
• Find other players online or reconnect with other gamers you might have hung out with online during COVID lockdowns.
• Try out Solo Roleplaying. Lots of articles out there on this topic.
• Organize your books, dice, and/or PDFs.
• Work on character portraits if you draw.
• Catch up on Actual Play podcasts.
• Binge on Critical Role.
• Try out a MMORPG or RPG related video game.
• Find some friends and have a board game night.
• Hang out at your local FLGS and keep others gamers or staff company. (Without being a pest, of course.)
• Watch non-Gen Con Twitch streamers.
• Go to other gaming events in your area. (Yes, they do exist.)
• Teach your spouse, children, and/or pets how to play RPGs if they don’t already.
• Write down that adventure you’ve always wanted to run.
• Write down that campaign you’ve always wanted to run.
• Finally organize your DM notes for your home campaign. (*I’m not the only one, right?)
• GMs/DMs- go over your players’ backstories to see if there’s anything you can add to your campaign.
• Players- reorganize your character sheet onto a new, cleaner copy and organize your character notes, binder, etc.
• Generate mounds of new characters for the RPG of your choice.
• Read up on a new RPG or an old one that you want to try.
• Catch up on back issues of zines.
• Catch up or start reading RPG related Blogs.
• Lots of YouTube channels that offer everything from GM advice to Actual Play.
• Build terrain for wargaming or miniatures combat.
• Work on painting all of those minis that need finished.
• Ignore old painting projects and start a new one. (Some of y’all know.)
• Try out a facet of the hobby you haven’t tried. (RPGs if you’re a wargamer, board games if you’re a role player, etc.)
• LitRPGs.
• Sit in the corner and roll dice while talking to yourself and laughing maniacally for four straight days. (Mostly kidding. I mean, who’d do that? besides me…)

I’m sure there are dozens of things I probably forgot. It’s just a few suggestions. I recommend avoiding social media if it stings that you’re not going. Personally, I’m pretty indifferent, but I expect my social media to be blown up with convention news to the point where I’ll want to avoid it.

Last, here are some more mundane things you can do/catch up on while everyone’s out of town for the big convention:

• TV? Remember TV? Maybe there’s stuff on to watch?
• Binge on Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, or whatever streaming thing you prefer.
• Sports. Either participate or watch them. Not for everyone, but it’s possible.
• Clean your house, apartment, or other dwelling.
• Spend time looking at art or go to a museum.
• Volunteer for overtime at work. Yay money, I guess…
• Invite non-gamer friends over and throw a party. Try not to get arrested.
• Eat regularly, sleep, meditate, and do all that stuff you miss when you’re normally gaming.
• Talk to friends and relatives you haven’t connected with in a while.
• Go online and learn a new skill or brush up on an old one.
• Read a book.
• Spend time with non-gaming friends/significant others.
• Go to a movie in a theater.
• Go to a stage play.
• Go camping for the weekend. No books, no technology. Just nature.
• Paintball, Airsoft, Laser Tag, or some other shooting sport.
• Practice archery, ax throwing, or target shooting.
• Catch up on old YouTube podcasts and movies you may have missed.
• Take pets for a long walk.
• Get a house plant and nurture it.
• Take up a new non-gaming hobby.
• Put a fresh coat of paint on the garage, shed, or dog house.
• Catch up on home repairs.
• Sit on a park bench or at a bus stop and watch people go by.
• Surf the internet.
• Play new video games or maybe break out the old ones.
• Take a mental health break, maybe even a spa or lazy weekend.
• Attend a local farmer’s market.
• Join your local CE-5 or MUFON group.
• Pace back and forth in the yard mumbling incoherently to yourself. (I do this regardless. LOL!)

Again, this wasn’t close to being an all inclusive list. I don’t believe in being bored. There’s always something to do. Just please be safe and maybe follow the law as best as possible.

Please remember you’re never completely alone. We’re all in this together. Gen Con is cool and all, but it’s not the only thing going on.

Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate you being here. Please be safe regardless where you end up this week/this weekend. Have fun. See you tomorrow.