TOPIC: how are you getting to True Dungeon this year?

Harlax wrote:

Deaterrae wrote:

bpsymington wrote: Man, I wish I could get my wife to go!

Speaking as an "other half" who actually has some interest in gaming, I highly recommend if you convince her to come that you schedule time together and help her have a full schedule of things she wants to do. There is nothing worse than finding yourself completely alone surrounded by thousands of people you do not know and with nothing to do. As it turns out, if you're not obsessed with gaming, the dealers' hall gets boring pretty quick.

If there's another less-gaming-inclined person to go with, the zoo and conservatory are within walking distance and absolutely worth it.

In all honesty, I started volunteering with TD for exactly these reasons. These are huge blocks of time when my guy can go and game whatever system and with whomever he pleases without my feeling left out. It makes a difference to have something that you enjoy to do. A big difference.

For the non gaming spouse there are many options:
The Zoo is a good choice
Shopping at Circle Center.
Museums - The Eiteljorg, The Childrens Museum, Indianapolis Museum of Art.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway (and its Museum)
The Indians might be playing
The Colts - who I really hope do not have an exhibition game during GenCon
Oddly enough, Crown Hill Cemetary. Some interesting monuments and famous people buried there. Famous if you grew up in Central Indiana at least.
The Symphony might be playing at Clowes Hall.
If you are up for some driving, the outlet mall at Edinburgh or the Architectural tour of Columbus
You are only about two hours from Kings Island north of Cincinnati.
And if they are up for the drive to Cincinnati, the Museum Center there is excellent as is the Zoo.

Great list, yet all things that are significantly more interesting if you're not all by yourself. See if you can find another better-half with whom your better-half gets along well so that they can entertain one another. And, remember to schedule some time with your favorite person, lest they start to believe that gaming is more important to you than them.

I know Gen Con used to have a track designed specifically for significant others who weren't into gaming. Is that still around?

Druegar wrote: I know Gen Con used to have a track designed specifically for significant others who weren't into gaming. Is that still around?

Yes. And yet. . .

These activities tend to be craft-oriented and pricy. $25+ for a 2 hour workshop to make a silly piece of jewelry. Some of the other non-gamer events were very disappointing, such as a "haunted tour" of downtown Indy that had some okay stories, but we never entered any of the buildings and the guide had something else going on and had to leave in the middle leaving the clipboard with some other guy who had no experience and was incapable of reading a script out loud. Not a great use of the $20 ticket, in all honesty.

Maybe someone could start a forum track for significant others to find one another and plan activities that interest them. *shrug* I still use TD volunteering to keep myself busy. Always a good option.

I've done a few spouse activities with my spouse and your mileage really veries in terms of value. The masons tour is totally worth the price of additional, they have an amazing building. The "catacombs" tour was a super let down (protip its not a catacomb so much as the basement of the market). A lot of the other ones seem really pricy for what they are.

Deaterrae wrote:

Harlax wrote:

Deaterrae wrote:

bpsymington wrote: Man, I wish I could get my wife to go!

Speaking as an "other half" who actually has some interest in gaming, I highly recommend if you convince her to come that you schedule time together and help her have a full schedule of things she wants to do. There is nothing worse than finding yourself completely alone surrounded by thousands of people you do not know and with nothing to do. As it turns out, if you're not obsessed with gaming, the dealers' hall gets boring pretty quick.

If there's another less-gaming-inclined person to go with, the zoo and conservatory are within walking distance and absolutely worth it.

In all honesty, I started volunteering with TD for exactly these reasons. These are huge blocks of time when my guy can go and game whatever system and with whomever he pleases without my feeling left out. It makes a difference to have something that you enjoy to do. A big difference.

For the non gaming spouse there are many options:
The Zoo is a good choice
Shopping at Circle Center.
Museums - The Eiteljorg, The Childrens Museum, Indianapolis Museum of Art.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway (and its Museum)
The Indians might be playing
The Colts - who I really hope do not have an exhibition game during GenCon
Oddly enough, Crown Hill Cemetary. Some interesting monuments and famous people buried there. Famous if you grew up in Central Indiana at least.
The Symphony might be playing at Clowes Hall.
If you are up for some driving, the outlet mall at Edinburgh or the Architectural tour of Columbus
You are only about two hours from Kings Island north of Cincinnati.
And if they are up for the drive to Cincinnati, the Museum Center there is excellent as is the Zoo.

Great list, yet all things that are significantly more interesting if you're not all by yourself. See if you can find another better-half with whom your better-half gets along well so that they can entertain one another. And, remember to schedule some time with your favorite person, lest they start to believe that gaming is more important to you than them.

The list also works if you are bringing not just your spouse but kids.

The way I explain this whole GenCon phenomena to my wife, who is a huge Disney fan with over 20 visits to Disney World under her belt, is that its the Disney World of Gaming.

MegaBus from Cincy to Indy. For me driving is pointless, since I arrive Wednesday and my wife drives up Friday. So I have a ride back with my loot. The MegaBus ticket was $7. It cost more in gas to go to work. Having a car in Indy seems pointless, since everything is so easily walkable.

A couple years ago I took Amtrak to Indy. That was cool, but it only runs Mon, Thr and Sat to Indy, so that was before I volunteered.

Prius from Cleveland. We stay just out of downtown so having our car is a necessity.