Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The Cost of Attending GTs and a Few on the Horizon


     A few weeks back, I saw a blog post talking about the costs of attending a GT. After a few paragraphs outlining the hundreds of dollars you have to spend, I stopped reading. It may be that the Northeast is a GT rich environment, but I was able to attend 3 GTs last year for under $200/event.

     The reason I bring it up is because GTs are a hell of a time. Everyone should consider going to one, and it's not that much of a drain on the pocket if you can plan accordingly. Let's take last year's Colonial GT as an example. The key is to get a group together to split the costs:


Cost of Travel - $35 We pitched in for gas, and took Corey's Battlewagon (Kia minivan). With 5 people traveling, the ~$120 gas bill wasn't that steep. Additionally, the driver shouldn't have to pay for gas.
Cost of Hotel - $50 With a group rate around $100/night (a little more with taxes), split 5 ways.
Cost of GT - $65 This will vary depending on the GT, but $65 is fairly average.
Cost of Food - $50+ This one can vary wildly depending on what you and your group wants to do. After a hard day of gaming, do you want to hang out and catch up with the other guys you only see at GTs? Do you grab a pizza and hang out at the gaming hall or hotel? Depending on what you want to do, you can do it fairly inexpensively.

Total $200.

     I'm trying to say, if you've been turned off of GTs due to the expense, please reconsider. I love going to these events because it's a hell of a time. I've befriended many of my opponents and I always look forward to seeing them at events around the Northeast. You don't need to fly out, and don't try to get a hotel room by yourself. See if anyone else in your area is interested, and hit the event as a team.



    Anyway, here's a few GTs  I’m interested in attending.
Onslaught GT @ Templecon 2013. Feb1-3  Warwick RI
http://www.thelostlegion.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=597
     Short notice, I know, but it’s worth the mention as I’ve always heard good things about it. This weekend is the Onslaught GT at Templecon. They’re featuring both 40K and Fantasy, along with all the other stuff the convention has. My fantasy group was thinking about going, but many of us were busy and we didn’t get our act together. Worth a mention though.

 
DaBoyz GT - Spring Edition. Sometime in March,  Rochester, NY
http://www.daboyzgt.com/
     The dates are yet to be determined, and I think it’s only going to be 40K if it’s going to be put on at all. They did announce that they were doing it at the main November GT, but there hasn’t been much follow-up on the internets. I hope it happens. 


Crossroads Challenge GT - March 23rd & 24th, Horseheads NY
http://www.crossroads-gt.com/
     With the Colonial Fantasy GT relocating to a Fall timeslot, this spring was was looking pretty sparse in terms of events. Corey Reynolds, the organizer of the Crossroads GT, decided to run another event in the spring. Depending if I can get my Orcs and Goblins up to fighting strength and fully painted, I may play in this one. More than likely, I'll be helping Corey run it. Only 70 spots, so if you're interested reserve your spot now! For the regular Crossroads GT in September, we sell out the 110 person event in 2 weeks.


Unplugged GT  Hartford CT
http://www.unpluggedgamers.com/the-unplugged-gt/
May 25-26
     This is another Fantasy Only event. It's their first year running it, but it looks to be shaping up as a pretty good event. I've known a number of the Unplugged Gamer crew, and they're all a bunch of good people. Check out their club's podcast: Painting Tabled

I'll be posting more about these events as they come closer, and I hope to see a few of you there. Again, let me know what you think, and if you're interested in going to a GT but need a group of people to make it more feasible, let me know.

-Chris P



















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