So, Dragoncon...

My friend and I have decided to go next year. We've been looking up a lot of information regarding it, and have decided we will spend my birthday in Atlanta at Dragoncon.

So, I wanted to swing back by and ask you all what I should prepare for? I have the flight already planned and found a decent hotel location three blocks from the three hotels that Dragoncon occurs at.

I've also prepared for my Dragoncon membership. We plan on leaving the day before it starts and the day after it ends. And I actually worked out a pretty good deal, I think.

So, I wanted to ask some of you Veterans what I should look out for? Are there any danger spot in Atlanta I should avoid? What events would particularly interest a couple of Mandalorians like us?

What is there to do other than walk around and get drunk and hit on women? My dream is actually meet Aaron Allston or Karenn Travis, but I understand that that's something everyone probably tries to do.

Can someone give me some inside information that I'm not seeing on all these sights and videos?
 
let's see...

from what i've seen, meeting the authors is pretty easy. the rush is always around the actors. most of the authors have seemed pretty accessible.

i never really leave the hotels, so i don't know much about parts of atlanta to avoid. i've always stayed at the marriott, and with the exception of the parade haven't strayed more than a couple of blocks from there.

it's REALLY crowded. really. seriously. think of the worst crowd you've ever been in, then give 1/4 of them huge awkward costumes that block any hope of getting by ;)

the program goes up a week or two before the con. you can map out what you want to do in advance, but be prepared to miss a bunch of stuff.

assuming there is a TDH dinner again, make the time for that. it's a great way to meet people.
 
There is one major place to avoid, it should be easy, because they never let you in. If you do get in, they chase you out. If they don't chase you out, they yell at you the whole time your in there, and then you want to leave.. it's called the Hyatt.

The Hyatt used to be the cool place to hang out, they had a bar, and a pretty big lobby for pictures. In the last few years, they have become so anti Dragon con, I don't know why anyone even stays there. They practly chase you away, they don't want you taking pictures.. and the Marriott is getting remodeled with a couple of bars, and I have NEVER had a problem there.
 
If you can get into the Hilton or Marriott, do it. I wouldn't dream of staying at a non-D*C hotel.

Make sure you prepare yourself physically for very little sleep and exposure to 30,000+ people who might have some kind of contagion. Many come down with confunk after D*C.

Bring plenty of money for food. It's not very cheap to eat there. Or bring some of your own munchies.

Prepare to be overwhelmed. :cheers
 
Things not to do at DragonCon:

1. Stay at the Hyatt
2. Have claustrophobia
3. Sleep
4. Stay at the Hyatt
5. Look for the body paint chicks. (trust me on this one.)
6. Run out of money or pretend to be on a budget.
7. Turn down any offered drinks.


Things to do at DragonCon:

1. Stay up all night
2. Have a cooler with plenty of food.
3. Bring plenty of cash/credit.
4. Stay in the Marriott or Hilton.
5. If your packing a kit, bring emergency supplies to fix the problems that WILL happen.
6. Stay away from the Hyatt.


I'm sure I can list more stuff =)
 
I went to my first dragoncon this year. I had a ball, yeah stay away from the Hyatt...too many problems in that hotel. Oh, preregister...believe me it will save you hours of being in line. A con spread between 3 hotels is great! There are plenty of costumes...plenty of women wearing hardly any costume :lol: You will have a blast, just stay away from the Hyatt...and you will be fine!!!!

Things not to do at DragonCon:

1. Stay at the Hyatt
2. Have claustrophobia
3. Sleep
4. Stay at the Hyatt
5. Look for the body paint chicks. (trust me on this one.)
6. Run out of money or pretend to be on a budget.
7. Turn down any offered drinks.

1. Agree
2. Didn't have that problem
3. What is sleep?
4. Agree
5. You must have been looking at different ones that I did...
6. Lol
7. Not necessarily...Mr Chewbacca himself had great stuff!
 
Well, yes, you look at what goes down at the Hyatt other than registration, a handful of other things happen there, like the costume contest I think. And I remember there was a rock band there saturday night. All you hear about is Firemarshalls not letting people in, even if they had a room there. Lol, I think I'll stay at the Hilton! That is where the dealers rooms are.
 
Okay, Okay.

Well, I have a few other questions as well.

How much to the room at the Mariotte or Hyatt because from what I'm seeing Reserving a room is like $450 a night. And As much as I'd like to, I think I'm a little more comfortable with the $120 a night hotel right across the way.

The two costumes I plan on bringing is my Scout Mando who is still under construction and my Voort "Piggy" costume who still some works like...a head.

Like I said, I hope to meet Aaron Allston because other than the Republic Commando books, Wraith Squadron has been my favorite team so far in SW.

Now, how is the male/female ratio. That's not my main reason for going, but meeting members of the opposite sex is always a good thing and would be a plus on this trip. I'm being told that it's pretty even, but in past events the men have outnumbered the women by like 20 to 1. I just don't want to go there and see nothing but a few gals surrounded by like 50 guys each.

Is it even possible to meet women at Dragoncon? I never really thought it would be, but others have told otherwise.

Is there a place to eat while there? Are there places to eat around there?

How much "Mad Money" should I prepare to go with? What exactly is there to buy there? What kinds of events are there? Do they have shows? Exibits? I saw a few on youtube, but nothing extravagant.

How are the people there? Is everyone generally nice? Are there like a Bad group of Stormtroopers we should look out for something? :lol:

I assume pets aren't allowed either, which sucks because my Dog is actually a major part of my character's story. But, that's cool hauling a 130 lb dog across the states isn't a smart thing anyways.

Let's see what else can I think of?

Oh, what sorts of rules are there as far as costumes are concerned, because I have a compound bow that will part of my Scout Mando. I didn't intend on bringing any real arrows. But will the bow be allowed? It doesn't seem like there's too many rules as to what you can wear and what you can't wear.

What's the atmosphere like? I mean, does it ever get out of hand or anything? I mean, do people start partying so hard the hotel has to slap them around to get them in-line?

If my friends and I want to actually put on a little performance, how does that work?

I guess this is a lot of questions, but I want to make sure I have my bases covered before we dedicate ourselves to this.
 
.......

confused.gif
 
Let me answer what I can for ya...

Male/Female Ratio is surprisingly not too bad I don't know if I would go as far as saying even, but it is definately not too bad. There are a lot of people, pleny of women. As far as meeting, you can meet pleny, for how long, um...I can't answer that...lol!

Food wise, there is a food court pretty much connected, plus a few resturants nearby.

Money wise beside the hotel...bring a few hundred $, because you will want to buy a lot of stuff. Other than that, I don't remember spending money beyond food and drink.

People there for the most part are pretty decent, fans of all sorts.

Pets, no...not that I am aware of.

As far as what to wear and weapons...a lot of weapons get peacebound...mainly guns. So, you can probably bring a bow without any arrows..don't know what will happen as far as peacebinding. What your allowed to wear...well..from what I saw, what aren't you allowed to wear? From the nearly naked women to...just about anything.

Atmosphere isn't too bad, I think there was only one incident at this years involving mace.

Performances...if there is room.
 
Just go! DragonCon is not something that is easy to describe. You have to experience it. Over the years I have been, it has grown significantly, but it has always been a blast! Who knows who you'll meet? My best friend ended up meeting "Darth Maul" at DC and marrying him! :D Ya never know what'll happen! :lol:
 
As far as money goes, the in-hotel cafes and such are way overpriced. You'd be better off going to the food court in the little mini-mall connected to the Mariott. There's a LOT of cool stuff in the vendor area, but again, a lot of it is overpriced (Ex: One vendor wanted $60 for an Utapau Shadow Trooper figure.) There are some decent actors that show up every year, like Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Full Metal Jacket), and Ray Park, but a lot of their autographs are overpriced ($20-ish per auto). That never stopped me from getting a few every time I went, but it did severely limit my options.

The very best part of Dragoncon, however, is absolutely free - visiting with fellow fans, seeing and getting pictures of absolutely awesome costumes and props. I had more fun walking around in my armor and taking pictures with the kids, and getting my picture taken with other awesome costumes than I did in any of the seminars, celebrity rooms, or vendor rooms.

To be honest, I never even thought to ask this, but are there any TDH-ers in this pic with me from Dcon '06?
jastermandals.jpg
 
Of the 2 Bobas, the one on the left is TK-7602, and I'm pretty sure WebChief is on the right (I can't be 100% sure since the photo is cropped.)

Yup, you're right Scott. Brian is the Boba on the left and I'm the Boba on the right that's cropped out.

As for the con... you're putting waaaaaaaaaaaay too much thought into it...hahahaha... just go man! I've never met anyone who didn't have the time of their costuming life there!:lol:
 
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