Gaelcon's new home.

Nevyn

Gaelcon has a new home just outside Dublin city center. This year we will be in the conference center of the D4hotels Ballsbridge Inn on Pembroke Road.
This is an excellent choice as we will have the conference center to ourselves for the weekend including over night for the running late, late night games and events and for those who will be staying up the on site pizza palour will be open until 2am.
So how do you get there and back again?

By bus:
The Dublin bus routes 10, 18, 4/A, 5 and 7/A all run down Pembroke road and catching them from the city center will generally have you arriving right outside in 10 minutes.
The 4/A and the 7/A share the same bus stop and can be got on O'Connell street or right beside T.C.D. How many gamers will you be able to spot on the bus ?
The air coach from Dublin Airport also stops at the back of the hotel for those flying in.

By train:
The nearest Dart station to Gaelcon is Lansdowne Road DART Station a mere 5 minute walk to the Hotel.

By foot:
It is a 20 minute walk from the Stephens Green shopping center to Gaelcon.
Please check out the web site www.Gaelcon.com for more information and for any queries please contact info@Gaelcon.com.
Looking forward to seeing you all in Gaelcon's new home October bank holiday weekend 2009.

http://www.d4hotels.com/ballsbridge_inn.html
http://www.dublinbus.ie/
http://www.iarnrodeireann.ie/dart/your_journey/maps_and_zones.asp

AL][EN

Hey Thaed
Just to let you know the link for the first site is broken: http://www.d4hotels.com/ballsbridge_inn.html I just get a 404 error.


Correct URL is:
http://www.d4hotels.ie/pages/ballsbridge-inn.php

Cheers

Nevyn

I twas correct when the announcement went out, but thank you

Nevyn

Don't we live in a marvellous age?
It was in years gone by that those of us who were lucky enough to be able to adventure to our local games emporiums could try and pick up a copy of the leaflet for that years gaelcon. Some times alas such quests would fail or we would find the last one and be loathe to take it with us wanting others to read about what wonders and attractions would wait us come October.

These day we can deliver it to you right, here right now, in pdf.
http://www.gaelcon.com/Files/gaelcon_A3_09.pdf

Yes I know it's not the same as one you have picked up in store, folded and put in your back pocket to be warmed to your body temp and take on that certain curve, but you can always print one up, put it with your gaming books for a while and then stick it in your back pocket for a few hours if you really feel the need to.

Raphael

On the subject of Gaelcons new home, I'd heard rumours that the con would be negotiating some kind of discounts with the hotel for people who wanted to stay on site - anything come of those, or were they just fictional.

Nevyn

I have asked as soon as I hear back I will post up the details.

I do how ever have the price of the tickets info.

How much for a weekend of glorious gaming at Gaelcon?
As we are only 6 weeks away from the doors opening for Gaelcon 2009, we are all making plans for that long weekend of gaming.
Part of those plans is budgeting for the weekend and sure to start that process you need to know what the cost of the tickets are.

So how much for a weekend of glorious gaming at Gaelcon?

14 euro for a 1 day adult ticket and 28 euro for an adult weekend ticket for the 3 days.
7 euro for a 1 day child ticket and 14 euro for a child weekend ticket for the 3 days.

Child tickets are for those who are under the age of 17 and under and there are free Parental/Guardian Tickets
for parents and guardians who are not participating in the gaming festivities.

For any further information check our website http://www.gaelcon.com/gaelcon or email info@gaelcon.com.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Nevyn

Raphael wrote: »

On the subject of Gaelcons new home, I'd heard rumours that the con would be negotiating some kind of discounts with the hotel for people who wanted to stay on site - anything come of those, or were they just fictional.

I have had confirmation on the discount for those attending Gaelcon who wish to stay in the Ballsbridge Inn of the D4hotels group.

The "Gaelcon" price for the Saturday night is 79 euro per room and the "Gaelcon" price for the Sunday night is 59 euro per room.
To avail of the price for those attending the convention mention Gaelcon when making your booking.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Nevyn

A timetable for fun and games...

It's the 1st of October, we all know what that means, the count down to Gaelcon has begun 23 more days to go.
So what will you be taking part in over the 3 day weekend of gaming, we have done our best to have fun for gamers of all sorts and ages.
The Timetable is up on the Gaelcon website what on it tickles your fancy?

Nevyn

There is a wonderfully varied array of rpgs running this year at Galecon.
This year sees the return of Paranoia with not one but two games running,
several types of Gurps games including GURPS Horror and Discworld.
There is a World of Darkness game running as well as Werewolf the Forsaken and Vampire: the Masquerade
Also Deadlands, Spirit of the Century, L5R Adventure and the newest oldie 4th Ed. D&D

For information on what else is running and the blurbs on the games above check out the rpg section of Gaelcon's website.

Sean_Alpha

79 a night can more than 1 person stay in a single room

Nevyn

Depends on what room you have booked for that price.

http://www.avvio.com/hotels/Ballsbridge_Inn/bookings/client.php?formname=searchspecials&mode=group&group=Special+Offers

Sale 4
Dates:from: 23-Apr-2010 until: 31-Oct-2010
Description:An unbelievable Spring/Summer rate of €49.10 for the Ballsbridge Inn Hotel. As part of our ongoing marketing drive to bring you Dublin's cheapest rates, we are now offering a fantastic new offer.
Specific Terms: This offer is applicable until October 31st and is only available on identified special offer dates.
Full charges are applicable for any cancellations and dates are not transferable with this offer.
Rate is a room only rate and inclusive VAT & Tax.
€4.50 Booking Fee Applies
No. of Nights:1

Accommodation Options total per Room Occupancy
Classic Double Room 49.10 EUR min: 1 Adult - max: 2 Adults
Classic Corporate Single 49.10 EUR min: 1 Adult - max: 1 Adult

Nevyn

I have the say the timetable for this year looks good, there are several games I can't wait to play.

Sarky

Thanks. We worked quite hard on getting as many top writers as we could this year.

Raphael

And yet you still got stuck with me. Shame that.

Lemming

Shame I can't make it this year. The first year since 1992 that I wont have either attended or staffed

And 'The Train' looks appealing too.


p00

Nevyn

You'll be missed *hugs*

http://dukestreet.org/archives/004812.html

How to Go to Gaelcon

I've been going to Gaelcon most years since I was a wee lad of 13. This year's convention is coming up at the end of the week, over the Irish bank holiday weekend, and I am looking forward massively to it. But I've now been to... let's say it's about 16, 17 Gaelcons, and I know what to expect.

There are undoubtedly some people who have never been to a convention before, or been to an sf or steampunk convention, but not a gaming one. Or, indeed, been to an American-style gaming convention, and not an Irish one. So here's a quick set of recommendations of what to do.

Dress comfortably

Gaelcon is in a hotel. It's a nice enough hotel, you can get outside when you need to, there's a supermarket right there, and it's not horribly crowded. But still, it's going to get overly warm in some rooms, or you're going to be beside a door which has been wedged open because it's overly warm one room in, and in any case, you're going to be spending three to four hours sitting in one place, possibly repeatedly. Wear comfortable clothes, layers, comfortable shoes, and make sure you've a few pockets.

Don't Bring All Your Games

I made this mistake over and over again for years; I'd bring a backpack with at least all the core books for the games I was playing or running, plus some supplements, plus something I wanted to try out, plus something I wanted to show someone or evangelise a bit about, plus my dice, plus my campaign notebook, plus a book to read on the bus... and ended up hauling around roughly my own body weight for the whole con. And even though I was a hell of a lot skinnier then, it was still a lot of stuff. Unless you can drop off stuff in a room in the hotel, or at a friendly trade stand, or park your car nearby, or the like, be very selective in what you bring.

Don't Forget To Eat

It is remarkably easy, if you're dashing from one event to the next via a trade stand, to forget to eat anything. Don't do it. If you're prone to such things, buy yourself some sandwiches or a roll early on in the day, and stick them in your bag. Forgetting to drink is a lot less likely at an Irish convention, but do try to keep reasonably hydrated. You don't want to fall over, and nobody else much wants to spend time picking you up - although, to be fair, they will.

Know How You're Getting Home

Work out how you're getting home (or to wherever you're staying) in the evening, if you're not staying at the convention hotel (and for many first-timers, that's way past the available budget). There is little worse, when you're tired and possibly a bit sloshed, than standing on the side of the road at 3am on a cold October night trying to flag down a taxi, because you didn't realise the last useful train was at nine in the evening.

Try Something New

Try to get in at least one game you've never played before. If you've played every RPG ever, try a card game. If you've never LARPed, give it a shot. If you've only ever played card games, sign up for a tabletop RPG. There are plenty of things to try - scheduled and otherwise - and people are very happy to show you how to play, and get you into a game. Indeed, I'll be running a dungeon crawl for 4th Ed D&D on the Sunday afternoon, theoretically for people already playing in my ongoing campaign, but in reality on a drop-in basis for anyone who wants. Come looking for me, I'm a fat bloke with a beard... actually, maybe you'd best ask around for Drew, if you don't know what I look like.

Some of my best experiences at conventions have been in playing games I didn't expect to like, and was just filling a few hours with.

People Are Nice

Pretty nearly everyone at Gaelcon is there to meet people and play games. You really can't go wrong if you just step up to someone playing a board or card game and say "That game you're playing looks like fun, can I join?". They may say "We're halfway through, hang around and we'll get you into the next one", but that's really the worst response you'll get. If they wanted to play privately, they'd stay home.

Obviously, it's harder to include someone in an RPG that's already under way, and you don't want to break into games where the mood and concentration are important, so stick to games where there's stuff on the table.

You Don't Have To Buy Stuff

There will be trade stands. The trade stands will be made of awesome. I speak here as someone who has run one, although I'm not doing so this year. They will have piles and piles of cool stuff. You do not have to buy things. Prioritise food, transport and playing games over acquiring stuff, and you'll enjoy the convention more. Do, though, if you can at all, bring some spare cash. Just in case.

Go To The Charity Auction

The Charity Auction is possibly the most entertaining bit of Gaelcon. A vast amount of money will be raised for charity, there will be cool things to bid on (and possibly even win the bidding on), and it's a lot of fun. Even if you can't afford any of the bids, there will be other opportunities to donate, and you can marvel at the lunatic two tables over spending thousands of euros on a hat.

Enjoy It, Come Back Next Year

Gaelcon, like many annual events, gets better every time you come back. So come back next year, and it will improve, you'll see people you know, and get to try games you didn't have time for last year.

Posted by Drew Shiel at October 20, 2010 10:08 AM

humanji

I forgot all about this. How was it?

Nevyn

Bloody awesome.
Got there Friday and with in 20 mins was laughing so hard my face was sore and getting hugs as people said hello. The geekist link quiz was on and there were larps and rpgs running. The con opened at 10am Saturday/Sunday/Monday morning and ran Saturday and Sunday until 2am and finished last night at 7pm.

I larped, rpged, drank, laughed so much at one stage I tought I ws going to throw up, played chtulu dice and zombie dice and apples to apples. It really was as someone put it Gamer Christmas, 3 days of maddess, merriment and dice rolling.

Sarky

I'm never letting you play Apples To Apples again.

Nevyn

But, but I wan't the one who decided that the Bates Motel was comfortable!
That was Fozzle!