For Dice Tower West, at least. As far as Natasha and I are concerned. True, it was only our second time at the convention, but it was our favorite time. Despite not having quite the same excitement as last year, I think we managed our experience better, which, ultimately, made this year a little better than last year.
One thing we did better this year was waking up and getting down to the convention space early. This was our plan last year, but we didn’t manage it well. A big part of why was because we stayed up too late. This year we did a better job of calling it a night and getting to bed at a reasonable hour. Not only did this leave us feeling more rested throughout the con; but, by getting up and to the convention early, it also allowed us to grab some games from the library we wouldn’t otherwise have had an opportunity to get, including the Natasha’s top game from the con. We managed to grab this when the library opened on our first day, play it, love it, and never see it again. We kept an eye out for it every time we visited the library, but it never reappeared. Had we not been up early, we’d have certainly missed out on one of our new favorite games.
Another advantage to getting down to the convention space early was being able to interact with the Dice Tower crew more than last year. Tom always says your best chance to play a game with him is to be in the gaming room early, even before anything else is open. We didn’t get down that early, but we were down early enough to catch most members of the DT team unoccupied. Having an opportunity to talk to them, or play a game with them, was a fun new experience that boosted the experience for us this year. Early to bed and early to rise, makes a boardgamer…
As I already mentioned, part of waking up earlier was getting to sleep earlier. I won’t belabor the point, but I do want to emphasize how much better we felt as a result. Last year we often felt pretty tired, especially toward the end of the night, and especially on the last day of the convention, but we wanted to maximize our gaming time. However, because we were tired, the kinds of games we played in the final hour or two skewed lighter or were things we already knew. There’s nothing wrong with that; in fact, it was a good opportunity to check out games we might take to a family game night or just play something we know and like, such as Dice Throne. When all was said and done, though, we played just as many games this year as we did last year. And the games we played this year were heavier games that we are more inclined to purchase for ourselves. Overall, I think we were happier with the selection of games we played this year because we were rested and alert enough to play what we wanted. One possible, odd side-effect of being more rested was that the convention this year felt shorter. This could also be influenced by having more of a plan and being more familiar with what to expect, but I suspect not being exhausted and dragging ourselves through games is largely responsible for this one negative aspect of the experience this year. Get a good night’s sleep, kids.
Another factor in our better selection of games this year was going to the convention with a plan. This year we had a list of games we were hoping to play: Aquatica, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Heat: Pedal to the Metal, etc., many of which we did play. We still browsed the shelves and picked things on the fly – things on our list weren’t always available – such as Clank!, Parks, and Trekking Through History. I enjoy that sense of whimsy a bit more than Natasha does, who loves checking things off a list, but it worked out well for both of us. It certainly streamlined our purchasing decisions coming out of the convention and limited time spent browsing the many shelves of games in the library. Last year, because of her more limited knowledge of the hobby, Natasha would wait while I browsed for titles she might enjoy. This year, she could look for games on our list alongside me or while I browsed the shelves. The most quality of time, I’d say.
Last, but not least, one of the best changes we made this year was eating outside of the hotel. Last year, we ate most of our meals either at the cafeteria, setup as part of the con, or at the restaurants inside the hotel. This was incredibly expensive. So expensive, in fact, that we spent a great deal of time thinking about how to avoid doing so again in 2024. Our answer: eat across the street at Del Taco and Chick-fil-A. I’ve heard others say genius, but that’s not for me to say. What I can say is that by doing this we saved a TON of money. Del Taco was not only very tasty, but it was surprisingly inexpensive. We ate there for almost all of our meals, and for a fraction of what we had spent the prior year on food. In fact, food accounted for so much less of our budget this year that we were able to buy Frosthaven – at an incredible price – and the fully upgraded version of Life of the Amazonia – at not an incredible price – and still come in under budget for the trip. Again, not for me to say…
Also, I believe this decision contributed to feeling better during the con. No, not because of the vastly improved health quality of the food, though chicken soft tacos probably were an improvement, but because walking across the street twice a day got us outside into some fresh air and sunshine, and got us a little exercise. Not only are all of these things critical to one’s health and well-being, but a major advantage to holding the convention at the Rio, and a key component to having perfected our Dice Tower West routine.
Which is why next year Dice Tower West moves to The Westgate!
Nobody is saying it now…
