The First Day of PAX East

Yes, it's morning. Yes, I had far too little sleep on a pillow that disappeared into nothingness when pressure was applied. Yes, I'll be a little rough around the edges, but nowhere near as bad as the Steve Jackson booth crew who suffered through multiple fire alarms at 4AM. Best of luck to them today.

Yesterday I drove in and parked at the convention center. I overpacked a bit, but it worked out after dumping stuff at the hotel. I hung out during the day and played Cards Against Humanity, which is Apples To Apples with cards that are just wrong.

PAX East is bigger than last year. They changed the layout from last year. The expo hall expanded by 50%, giving much more roomy aisles. The tabletop area is wider than last year, and apparently Wizards of the Coast got double the tables they got last year. The free play area got split across 3 sections, and one of the sides closed off for some reason so the traffic pattern is a little screwy - the west side of the hall felt sort of like a backwater eddy pool, but that actually worked well to make the free play area a little quieter and easier to deal with than last year.

We had the panel at 7. We set our bar very low - we were thrilled when we had more audience members than panelists. We had about 40 people, and the schedule let us go long so we answered every question. Great questions, and we had a great time. We spent time chatting with folk afterward, and the Gamer Assembly business cards flew off the table. I'm already thinking about panels to pitch for next year.

We played a celebratory game of OD&D, where our second party looted the remains of the first party and we could retire at first level with the treasure we recovered. Awesome.

I had to move the car before retiring to the hotel since they tow at 2AM. I found a freebie spot and walked back to the hotel. We stayed up until 2 talking while the endless Dominion game ran over at the table.

And now to shower and score bagels and hard boiled eggs. I'll be in my Gamer Assembly shirt today, and I'll be schmoozing. Ben, Becky, and Rob, you're on my list to see, plus the Campaign Doctor panel. Then I'll be driving home sometime this evening. So far, so good. Let's see what awesomeness will happen today.