Okay, Gonna make things a bit simple.
Austin Texas. I believe we have a few folks there. We're gonna have a gathering there sometime this year.
Things remaining to hash out which folks can ring in below on:
1)When? What time and for how long would be best for people?
2)Where should we have it?
3)What events would folks like to have as part of the get-together?
4)Who's coming?
:)
Anyhow, I figure over the next month we can figure these out.
----
When Will it be:
September 22nd to 28th, basically a full week there monday to friday, with arriving and meeting up sunday and departure on saturday.
Current Attendee list:
Dracos - 786-338-1439
Brian
Halbarad - 512-567-6366
Merc
Iddy
Yuthirin - 847-219-7283
Hotel Information:
La Quinta Inn & Suites
Austin/Cedar Park/Lakeline
10701 Lakeline Mall Dr
Austin, TX 78717
Phone: 1-512-568-3538
Parking is free, wifi is free, free crummy breakfast if we want it, and should be near Hal's place.
To help organize: http://www.soulriders.net/forum/index.php/topic,102836.0.html (http://www.soulriders.net/forum/index.php/topic,102836.0.html)
Travel to/from Airport
To Help Organize: http://www.soulriders.net/forum/index.php/topic,102836.0.html (http://www.soulriders.net/forum/index.php/topic,102836.0.html)
You can hail a cab. It's a 30 minute drive, so groups would be wise cuz it's gonna be about a 63 dollar fee each way. Ouch.
Added by Hal: Cheaper option is to use Super Shuttle (http://www.supershuttle.com/Locations/AUSAirportShuttleAustin.aspx), which is how I get to the airport when I'm flying out rather than park down there. From my place (which is very close to the hotel), it's about $35-40 depending on your tip. If folks can book a shuttle trip together, I believe the overall rate will be lower, but that'll depend on arrival times. </end Hal addition>
If we can arrange a group, Hal might be able to do a trip up to get some of us. Equally so, splitting that kind of taxi several ways won't be that bad.
Guesstimate Budget Information:
With AAA this should run folks about 630 per room. If folks split rooms, that's 315, so with airfare and food puts a reasonable about 800ish trip budget: room, food, events, travel. Or at least that's my guess right now. Please let me know if we should look for a cheaper outing, since I prefer us all being in the same spot. Makes hangouts way easier.
We are going to grab a van and hopefully split it between those there. Reason being is I am hearing we have enough folks that it'd be uncomfortable to fit them all in one vehicle.
Temperature consideration:
Weather sites say it is generally in the mid-upper 80s during the day, with dipping just a bit below that at night. Should generally pack for warm weather.
Vehicle Rental Information:
We will likely get 1 van to promote easy group travel to locations. Unless people very much want to split up. :)
This will be handled day one, once everyone is at the hotel. I'll coordinate with Yuth on this one.
Events:
Sunday:
Goal for everyone is to arrive safely at the hotel. If you need help with this, make sure to arrange it beforehand.
Acquire a vehicle if we need it. THis will depend on whether enough space is already there. If not, I'll rent a van and we'll split it up.
Monday:
Travel down to Downtown Austin.
Grab breakfast down in Austin Downtown.
Take a light hike - http://www.austintexas.org/listings/Lady-Bird-Lake-Hike-and-Bike-Trail/4369/
Once we're done there, we'll likely grab a light lunch and keep going with one of these, based on votes at the time. Do bring swimwear this day just in case.
Hal: This puts us in the Zilker area for the day. Other stuff to do in the area:
- Barton Springs Pool (http://austintexas.gov/department/barton-springs-pool)
- Canoe rentals on Lady Bird Lake
- Peter Pan Mini Golf (http://peterpanminigolf.com/) - it's nothing hugely fancy, but it's something of an Austin landmark
- Several other parks and trails in the Zilker area, including the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and the Zilker Botanical Gardens
-Possibly a trip to pinballz for an hour or two (looks about 10-15 dollars an hour) - 8940 Research Blvd., Suite 100 Austin, TX 78758
Grab Dinner in the downtown. We'll go by Yelp/Hal recommendations.
Return and watch anime, And/Or Cards against Humanity. Everyone Hates Humanity~ :)
Tuesday:
Grab breakfast near/at the hotel and head out for Cave Journey? http://www.myinnerspacecavern.com/home.php
Head south to new braunfels and grab lunch.
Spend some of the afternoon on Tube Haus ( http://tubehaus.com/ ) bring some swimwear, suntan lotion, hats. It's near the end of the season, so hopefully won't be too crowded/hot.
Tuesday Night will be some Poker. :) No pay in, but it's a silly tradition.
Wednesday:
This is going to be mostly a free afternoon. Some will be going to the Gun Range. Some will be hanging out with other local area friends or family. Mainly this is the spot to do that in.
This is going to also be a board game night.
Thursday:
Theme: Return to Downtown
Breakfast and Arcade UFO in the morning
Check out the downtown, check out the bat colony: 100 S Congress Ave
Hal: If we're doing downtown, notable stuff to hit would be:
- The Texas State Capitol - just like the Capitol in DC, except bigger (of course). And pink.
- Bob Bullock State History Museum (http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/)
- The Blanton Museum of Art (http://www.blantonmuseum.org/) at UT Austin
We'll probably wrap up with the bat colony since that's a better evening thing.
This'll probably be a video game night. Certainly we can have some mushroom kingdom murder simulator or something else. Not sure where we'll set this up, whether its a hangout at hal's place for a bit (Needs approval) or whether we can do it in the hotel (sometimes not an option :( ).
Friday:
Trip out to San Antonio for a day.
See the Alamo.
Other options:
Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum
The River Walk
San Antonio Missions National Historic Park
Ripley's Haunted Adventure, Guinness World Records Museum, and Tomb Rider 3D
Spend the day in San Antonio. Head back in the evening.
Board game night. :) Merc will share another fun game with the crew. :)
Saturday:
Departure. Make sure to have a way back to your home planned out by here. We may have a meal together or two before headout, but nothing is planned for here.
What people are bringing:
Dracos: I'll definitely bring laptop, 3ds, and the traditional poker set. I'll bring 2 ps3 controllers. I can bring controls/games if we've got some system to do 4+player craziness on.
Merc: Bringing some board games.
Brian: Bringing Cards against Humanity.
Hal: The gaming rig. PS3 with 2 controllers, Wii with 4 controllers. If a 360 is wanted I can hook one up, but I don't have one myself. If anyone has specific Wii or PS3 games they want to play, bring 'em.
Iddy: Some guns, Cards against Humanity.
How will we get around?:
Dracos will rent a minivan/6 person vehicle for the trip. This is intended to be a split cost but if you can't budget it in we'll see what we can do.
What you should also pack
Hats
Comfortable Walking shoes (We will probably be doing a bunch)
Travel bags/backpacks (Something to carry anything you want to pick up)
Swimwear and towels.
Sunscreen
Clothes
Providing a spontaneous disaster doesn't occur, I will be there :)
Eh ... I have less vacation than I thought.
But I still would like to go.
Well, if it's in Austin, I'm kind of automatically there. >_> I can offer my place as a hub for gaming/hanging out (so long as we're not making tons of noise late into the night), and given that we managed to squeeze 20+ people in for DLcon a couple of years ago without getting too cramped, I think it'll be manageable.
That said, my capacity to house or shuttle people will be limited.
We'll probably rent a vehicle or two. Hopefully we have someone comfortable with driving a large van. I'm not, but historically it's been a 'bad choice' every time we've split up with multiple vehicles.
Usually these gatherings are <10 people, cuz we're a smaller hangout group than DL. So it won't be a big deal hopefully for house size. That said, we'll definitely be using a hotel as a main base because it is not cool imposing for some long period of days.
I'd show up, barring abnormal life stuff happening.
If needed, I can bring my car to help ferry people around. If we're doing a mass rental, though, and it's during good weather, I'll be on my bike most likely.
Quote from: Dracos on January 08, 2013, 07:35:37 PM
Hopefully we have someone comfortable with driving a large van. I'm not, but historically it's been a 'bad choice' every time we've split up with multiple vehicles.
I can drive large vehicles if needed. Van < Armored Vehicles.
That'd be great, Iddy. :) It's usually best when we can go as one group, since that keeps people from being excluded from the hangout.
I'll be going, and I can offer some transportation for up to three people that might want to make a stop at the Houston airport instead of Austin's as well. I can take some games with me as well for stuff to do.
Besides that, not really sure what a good time would be to head over to Austin.
If we want to use my place as a hub for stuff going on, I did run a RPGDL gathering out of my current place a couple of years back, so I can recommend hotels that are nearby, etc.
A couple of recommendations:
If we do this during the summer, earlier is better. The heat here starts up around mid-May and intensifies all the way through the end of August before it starts to taper off slowly. DL folks were able to cope with late June weather without too much trouble, but I wouldn't even suggest doing it anywhere between the middle of July and the middle/end of September.
Austin is a great place for stuff to do if you like live music or clubs, but not so much for other things. If you do, I'd recommend checking out someplace like Pollstar (http://www.pollstar.com) to see who'll be playing during the gathering and where.
Aside from live music, there are a couple of museums locally for people who want to do the 'culture' thing (the Texas State History Museum and the Harry Ransom Art Museum at UT), along with the Texas state capitol. Not terribly exciting, but it's there.
For gaming, one of the few remaining arcades in the US is here - Arcade UFO (http://www.arcadeufo.com). They're closed for renovation at the moment, but by the time any gathering would happen, they should be back in operation. It's a pretty awesome place (the DL loved it, and I've heard that people have come from as far away as Missouri to check it out), so it's a definite recommendation.
For longer trips, there are a few amusement parks in day trip range. First off is Schlitterbahn (http://www.schlitterbahn.com), which is a rather awesome waterpark a bit over an hour away from my place. If we've got a summer gathering going, it would not be a bad call to head there if folks are interested, although we'll want to avoid it on the weekends.
A bit further south in San Antonio is Sea World and Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Sea World is what you'd expect, and Fiesta Texas is a pretty standard amusement park. San Antonio's also got a lot more of the tourist-trap type of stuff to do if there's a day trip down that direction, but it's just there as a possibility.
Aside from that, there is the ubiquitous hanging out and gaming, which I can support pretty handily at my place.
Good stuff. Sounds like we should hit that arcade for some amusement :)
Sounds like we'd want either late april/early may, or late september/early october.
Just narrowing things down for folks to comment on.
If we're looking at stuff some distance away from Austin area, and people want to, there are Houston events as well that could interest people.
I know around the May/June time there are going to be theater plays for a Sherlock Holmes mystery and Monty Python's Spamalot amongst other stuff, and there's usually some sort of video game themed concert around that time of the year or the september/october time.
We could also do the Guadalupe if we want to do out-doorsy stuff. Basically get a bunch of floats and cruise down the river for a while.
There's also Fredricksburg and New Braunfels. They're German towns. I hear lots of good things about them. I think New Braunfels is closer to Austin? Might be wrong on that.
New Braunfels is slightly closer, but if you want a better experience I'd hit Fredericksburg. Does the whole old-timey Texas German enclave better. Plus if people want to do the outdoorsy thing, you could do a trip out to Enchanted Rock for some hiking and hit Fredericksburg with the folks that don't care to climb a giant rock. Or do both, if everyone's up for it.
I don't have a grasp yet on distances, but we've totally done 1.5ish hour drives to places in past gatherings. :) Certainly available on the map.
Houston is probably out then, as it's a good 3-3.5 hour drive from Austin at a minimum. I -have- done day trips to Houston before (usually for things like airport pickups), but it's a pretty grueling day of driving for the person stuck doing it.
Yeah, I don't think that'd be a good use of time, because unless we set up hotel room there too (complicated), that means everyone is stuck in the car for 6 hours of one day. Not fun for all involved methinks.
Quote from: Dracos on January 08, 2013, 08:07:19 PM
Sounds like we'd want either late april/early may, or late september/early october.
For time-frame, I think it's going to come down to what's most feasible for everyone. Who has issues with April/May? Issues with Sept/Oct?
I'm up for either.
Sept/Oct will likely work better for me, as I'm eyeballing a rotation at work that'll probably run from May until sometime in August or September (and it'll be much easier to get time off late during the rotation rather than early).
The one caveat during October is the Austin City Limits music festival, which will be running Oct. 4-6 and again Oct. 11-13. Live music fans would probably love it, everyone else will despise it since it'll make finding hotel space a complete bitch.
I know, typical Iddy stuff, but is anyone interested in going shooting at this thing? If anyone wants to go for like an hour or two, or however long, I can bring some of mine and teach whoever's interested.
As I mentioned in PM, I don't have that much interest, but if it's an activity we end up having at the gathering, I'd give it a shot probably.
I'd be interested, definitely. Been thinking about getting a gun soon anyway.
Actually, me too....
Not that I'd try traveling with it. :x
Well, that's two/three, so I guess it's a go. I don't think a range trip will take more than a couple hours, so it's not a heavy time commitment for anyone who doesn't want to go. You two hit me up in PM in IRC so I can figure out what to bring a bit better.
Okay. It can be an event :)
The magic of event planning. Doubling as test posting. Okay, so we've got one late year call. *nods*
Small updates. :) I'll probably be fleshing this out further over the next few months since it seems a later half of the year thing.
If it's in the September/October time frame I might be able to pull it off this year (my vacation in March is likely to wipe me out financially).
Someone please poke at me once a more definitive date range is settled on. :-)
It's pretty much a given it will be in that time frame right now. It's definitely not going to be febuary/march/april.
Quote from: Dracos on January 08, 2013, 07:35:37 PM
We'll probably rent a vehicle or two. Hopefully we have someone comfortable with driving a large van. I'm not, but historically it's been a 'bad choice' every time we've split up with multiple vehicles.
Usually these gatherings are <10 people, cuz we're a smaller hangout group than DL. So it won't be a big deal hopefully for house size. That said, we'll definitely be using a hotel as a main base because it is not cool imposing for some long period of days.
I'd like to go, and I have experience renting large vans and I get a discount through Enterprise!
Cool. That is welcome, Yuth. When we get closer, I'll coordinate with you on making that happen :) Once we get an idea on how many are coming.
I think this would be the first time I've seen you in person, Yuth :)
I haven't forgotten this.
Now that it's march I'm going to start settling out hotels and things like that soon.
Update with dates and things in the first post.
Tasking:
1)If you're bringing stuff, start saying it.
2)I'll start adding in event ideas soon to try and flesh out the days.
3)Yuth, can you take a look at your possible schedule. Maybe we can get a van early and handle commute from airport to hotel and back through that for people.
4)If you have issues with the proposed trip hotel target, let me know now so we can plot on it.
I'll bring board games (I don't have much of a collection so far, but I will presumably build one by the time of that based on games I try out at that board game meetup I've been going to lately).
As mentioned at some previous point, if people find that it's cheaper for them to land in Houston than Austin, I'm willing to host 2-3 people for a bit, and then we can have a road trip over to Austin.
I will bring some games as well. I have Sour Apples (I think) and Cards Against Humanity.
On the board games note, I have Betrayal at House on the Hill and Arkham Horror with the Dunwich/Kingsport/Innsmouth expansions, as well as Gloom (which isn't really a board game, but.)
I was counting card-based games and just games in general, in my mention of board games as well.
Games I might be bringing:
- 20th Century
- 7 Wonders
- Descent: Journeys in the Dark (with Lair of the Wyrm)
- Eclipse (with Rise of the Ancients)
- Galaxy Trucker
- Gloria Mundi
- Legendary: Marvel deckbuilding
- Munchkin
- Star Fluxx
- Small World (with all three expansions)
- Takenoko
- Tokaido
- Trajan
There's another card one I'm thinking about getting called Resistance. Basically, needs a minimum of 5 players and a certain number of people are designated as spies who try to sabotage the group's missions. Interested?
I dunno about others, but I definitely sound preference toward either cooperative or games where everybody is in the whole time. Last Betrayal game I played had a lot of the crew sitting out for a portion of it.
There's a lot of board/card games getting listed. I'll try and get them all listed up. :)
Betrayal is interesting, but I've also had a poor track record with it via luck-of-the-draw. I have always lost, personally, so it's difficult to regard it warmly. I guess I could give it one more playthrough, at least. I already know the rules, after all.
I watched a playthrough of Betrayal. Based on how the traitor is triggered? I think if we play that, I'm not exploring anywhere near Iddy because he's going to go nuts and try to kill us all. You know he's going to roll all blank dice on one of those omens. >_>
Anyway, some thoughts on other events since right now we only have tabletop games (I've been updating list of games I might bring btw), gunslingin' like cowboys, and possibly hiking:
1) Circuit of the Americas opened up just last year right outside Austin. If people want to go see some car racing, the WEC is currently scheduled for September 22, first day of the Gathering according to Drac's first post.
2) We're in Texas! If we're already planning on some gunslinging, why are we doing hiking? Let's go horse riding! I can't link to anything off the top of my head, but there should be plenty of trail rides around Austin. (There's still nice places to go hiking too though, and we can do both!)
3) There's the cathedral of junk (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/7816). Nothing exciting, but it's something touristy to do.
4) Fredericksburg was mentioned by Hal early on. Put it on the itinerary, Drac!
I've been silently looking at this on and off for like a month or two.
Still on the fence as to whether or not I want to meet a bunch of strange men from the Internet. :p (As well if they want to meet some stranger that might have talked to them once in a while almost a decade ago. I always had that feeling that it was the kind of thing that better worked for the people who actually stuck around/were more of the "core" users.)
If you live in Texas, you totally should come.
If you don't live here already, well, I'm sure you'll still have fun hanging out with us, but it might be more debatable whether it's worth it for you.
I didn't really know half the people that went to the San Francisco gathering back in '08, and I still had fun, for what it's worth. =p
Quote from: Kt3 on April 15, 2013, 12:28:42 AM
I've been silently looking at this on and off for like a month or two.
Still on the fence as to whether or not I want to meet a bunch of strange men from the Internet. :p (As well if they want to meet some stranger that might have talked to them once in a while almost a decade ago. I always had that feeling that it was the kind of thing that better worked for the people who actually stuck around/were more of the "core" users.)
You can not come and never do more than talk to us once every decade or so, or...
Or you can come get fuckin' plastered with us (Yuth and me, really), who you have talked to before. An easy choice, really. Beer awaits! If nothing else, you'll get to be entertained by our drunken antics and then mock us for our hangovers! That's what Merc plans to do, so you'll even have someone to do it with!
All (semi)joking apart, if you have even the slightest interest, you should come. Meeting us could very well be the thing that boosts you/us from being 'one of those guys that I/we might have talked to once in a while almost a decade ago' into people who are friends, albeit long distance friends.
(This actually works! I have a buddy up near Seattle who I met via internet games. I went white water rafting with him last year! And one of my best friends met his wife via the internet. Though if that's your aim, I'm going to have to direct you back towards Merc. Those Venezuelans bend that way, I hear.)
Pretty much everyone who's said they're going is pretty sociable, so it'll be fun either way. We all have pretty similar interests, and already have shared conversation topics, so you're already like 2/3rds of the way to being a friend, anyway.
And if you're worried about strange men, I can have a rape whistle waiting for you! =D
Merc:
Awesome thoughts, I will incorporate them when I'm at home and fiddly :)
I do enjoy a good horseback ride, so I'm definitely down with that.
*slowly gets moving*
*Books all za tickets*
Quote from: Dracos on January 08, 2013, 07:27:47 PM
Travel to/from Airport
You can hail a cab. It's a 30 minute drive, so groups would be wise cuz it's gonna be about a 63 dollar fee each way. Ouch.
If we can arrange a group, Hal might be able to do a trip up to get some of us. Equally so, splitting that kind of taxi several ways won't be that bad.
I'll likely be bringing my car instead of my bike (sadface), so I can give rides also. I don't mind doing this and making a bunch of trips, but since it's an hour round-trip, I'd ask that people toss me some cash for gas money.
I'll look up arrival time for me and brian, but I'm definitely down with that. A tank of gas is cheaper than the taxi ride will be.
Time off request: Submitted.
I will VERY VERY likely be driving down (through Juarez! FEAR!) the day before, so I can probably do airport pickups. Provided I don't die.
Also: Are we all getting separate rooms or are we doubling up?
Up to folks. I certainly suggest doubling up. I've already split a room with brian, but the rest depends on you guys.
Also thanks. Airport pickups would help a lot of folks out :)
Any volunteers to room with a mostly neat guy who probably won't irritate you overmuch?
Also please add my number to the list: 847-219-7283 (feel free to text)
Okay peeps. The range. I need to know how much and what everyone wants to shoot, so I can try to find ammo for a good price.
I know that's kind of an obscure thing for most of you since most of you don't shoot regularly, so I would suggest about 50 to 100 rounds per caliber, depending on how many different calibers we're talking about.
So, post your interests so I can start pricing.
Do you need a permit to carry in TX?
Quote from: Yuthirin on July 08, 2013, 11:18:42 PM
Do you need a permit to carry in TX?
Texas has no open carry, and to conceal carry, you need a reciprocal license from another state. If you don't have a concealed carry license at all, then no, you can't carry.
Additionally, Texas will not allow you to carry a concealed firearm in your car unless you are a Texas resident. Otherwise, guns must be stored separately from ammo in cars (I.E. gun in the front, ammo in the trunk, while gun is in a case. Or vice-versa.)
I encourage you to research it a bit for out-of-state visitor stuff.
Hm. No open carry is unfortunate. And I won't be able to get my CCW in time for the event. Blast.
Yeah, would be good to get an idea of who's going to the range. Might be two groups, or might be a good time for folks to do side tourism.
Y'all should know how to shoot a gun and like it, gol durn it. Yer 'Muricans.
Quote from: Yuthirin on July 08, 2013, 11:26:04 PM
Hm. No open carry is unfortunate. And I won't be able to get my CCW in time for the event. Blast.
Don't worry, I'll protect you, princess.
Quote from: Iron Dragoon on July 08, 2013, 11:36:53 PM
Quote from: Yuthirin on July 08, 2013, 11:26:04 PM
Hm. No open carry is unfortunate. And I won't be able to get my CCW in time for the event. Blast.
Don't worry, I'll protect you, princess.
You're a snoogie-bear.
Well, after careful consideration, I've come to the conclusion that I will not be able to attend.
I can either spend half a grand (which I really... don't feel like doing) to get down there in a reasonable amount of time, or I can drive for 12 hours by myself and spend maybe $250 in gas.
Yuck, either way.
Yeah, it's pretty much how it is with gatherings. No matter where we hold them, for most it's at least a thousand dollars to attend. It's why I try and have it moved around so it's not 'same people always have to pay a lot'.
Quote from: Kt3 on July 09, 2013, 11:29:37 PM
Well, after careful consideration, I've come to the conclusion that I will not be able to attend.
I can either spend half a grand (which I really... don't feel like doing) to get down there in a reasonable amount of time, or I can drive for 12 hours by myself and spend maybe $250 in gas.
Yuck, either way.
We could carpool, depending on where you're coming from!
Going to try and get some more detailed planning down this weekend, I may be tapping various folks for details when I do that. If anyone else is coming please ring in now so I know.
Who's bringing vehicles? Please let me know so we can plan out whether a van of some kind makes sense.
UPdated planning post. Thing are starting to get solidified so if you have remaining comments, get them in now.
It seems half the folks don't feel that comfortable with publicly listing their phone numbers.
I would rather that everyone going have everyone else's phone number, just in case of emergencies. Perhaps send them to me and I'll make a contact sheet and send to each person who's actually coming.
To All Who Want to Go Shooting:
How are you getting your guns and and ammo?
If you're depending on on Iddy bringing it, he needs to know details (What you want to try shooting) so he can make arrangements and figure out transit of them.
Deadline is Friday. If there are not a minimum of 3 answers by then, then shooting is going to fall off the schedule because Iddy will have been the only one indicating that he has equipment for doing so.
Quote from: Dracos on August 05, 2013, 11:59:33 AM
To All Who Want to Go Shooting:
How are you getting your guns and and ammo?
If you're depending on on Iddy bringing it, he needs to know details (What you want to try shooting) so he can make arrangements and figure out transit of them.
Deadline is Friday. If there are not a minimum of 3 answers by then, then shooting is going to fall off the schedule because Iddy will have been the only one indicating that he has equipment for doing so.
Reason this is important is because equipment has *weight.* Ammo isn't light, nor is it exactly cheap. I need lead time to figure things out and get an idea of what I need to bring so I can decide if I'm bringing my car or my bike.
Quote from: Dracos on August 05, 2013, 11:59:33 AM
To All Who Want to Go Shooting:
How are you getting your guns and and ammo?
A great many shooting ranges will rent you a weapon or series thereof for use on the range. They will also gleefully sell you ammunition. If you have never been to a range or done target shooting before, this is a great opportunity to give it a shot(haha) and learn.
I have discussed it with Yuth. As he will be arriving the day before me and assures me his car is big enough for the transportation of Brian and Drac, I shall be bringing my motorcycle.
Brian and Dracos: Can you please tell me how big your luggage is?
Actually, I should get a bigger bag than I have. The current one is just carry-on sized. o_o;
I'll probably have a large suitcase and mid-sized backpack. Don't have measurements handy, but I know it'd normally would fit fine in a standard 4 door car's trunk and have room for 2ish other people's luggage.
That should work fine then. I have a Monte Carlo. Trunk space for days.
Quote from: Dracos on January 08, 2013, 07:27:47 PMTuesday: Still unplanned. Might be waterpark or museum trips. May be something else. :)
Quick comment on the waterpark activity: During the time that we're gathering, Schlitterbahn is closed. The only open park is the one in Galveston (3 hr trip), and that one's only open during weekend, which is when people are doing their traveling.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas is in the same closed boat.
Hmm.. How about the river, then? Is it still open to floating?
Well, that's unfortunate. Then perhaps those will have to fall off on result of not being available at any sane time :(
So did the gun range fall through? Nobody really posted afterwards, and Drac's 'deadline' has long since passed.
Right now, Tuesday is empty due to waterpark off-season hijinks, and Wednesday was the gun range thing. So we may have two days for just general hanging out or something else?
I'm trying to figure out what board games to bring, and if I should just put a list/quick explanation of games and see what people are interested in or what. Some of these games aren't short either...for example, I only played three games today at an 11 hour board game meetup. Mind you, one of those games -was- 6.5 hours, the others were only 1 hour and 2.5 hours respectively, an an hour for food.
I'd also be interested in seeing if I should bring just 6 player games (since nobody else has posted about coming besides the six confirmed), or if there'd be interested in a few 4-5 player games too.
I'm still down for the range.
I heard 2 for the range. Somehow I still expect there was half of the group, but I dunno. As it was, I'm currently assuming it is falling off the plan and something else will go there since people aren't letting Iddy know that he needs to bring ammo or not.
:\
Going to try and flesh this more out this week in preparation. My planning...slooow.
Two weeks to go~
Going to be working on this this week to hopefully lock down a fun schedule. Keep an eye on the first post :)
Looking forward to hanging out with you all.
I began to write up description for board games I own, and found I couldn't really do them justice. So instead, just linking to my owned games collection (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/collection/user/kayeich?own=1) and if people want more info on some game, or are interested in me bringing a particular game, they can ask.
Otherwise, I'll just bring whatever I'm most likely going to feel like playing myself. Right now, the only games I'm definitely bringing are the western-themed Deadwood, and the two card games of Innovation and Star Fluxx.
Also, here are links for info on the games that Iddy/Hal volunteered:
- Cards Against Humanity (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/50381/cards-against-humanity)
- Betrayal At House On The Hill (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/10547/betrayal-at-house-on-the-hill)
- Gloom (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12692/gloom)
- Arkham Horror (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/15987/arkham-horror)
http://www.myinnerspacecavern.com/home.php anyone else up for cave hiking? I tend to be a fan of it. So seeing if that's of interest before I jot it down on one of the days.
I'm interested.
Okay, basic Itenerary is finished. Not spell checked O_O
Currently planning that Van is go so that we can all travel together, though we'll have a bunch of cars if we want to split up for some chunk from the hotel.
Take a look, make notes for additions and whatnot and I'll see what can be done.
I think I have everyone but merc's number (Merc can you PM that to me). Anyhow, hopefully it's a clear trip with some options for what folks prefer when we're there. Looking forward to seeing you all later this month :)
Quote from: Dracos on September 11, 2013, 01:26:42 PM
http://www.myinnerspacecavern.com/home.php anyone else up for cave hiking? I tend to be a fan of it. So seeing if that's of interest before I jot it down on one of the days.
I'm down for it.
Inner Space is pretty cool. Only been once, but it was a neat trip.
Quote from: Dracos on September 11, 2013, 01:26:42 PM
http://www.myinnerspacecavern.com/home.php anyone else up for cave hiking? I tend to be a fan of it. So seeing if that's of interest before I jot it down on one of the days.
I will bring my fancy dancy camera!
Caves? This can only lead to awesome stories later.
Quote from: Dracos on September 11, 2013, 01:48:02 PMI think I have everyone but merc's number (Merc can you PM that to me).
Man, do you delete phone numbers after each gathering? I still have yours from way back! =p
*PMs you phone number so you stop bitching* =p
Naw, I magically lose my phone though. Or teleport through time.
You should've called and bitched me out then :3
I've actually changed my cellphone since then. You had a chance to defend yourself...could have claimed that you dialed and it didn't work and YOU MISSED IT! ;p
Defend myself?
Is that something normal humans do?
How strange.
Okay. I have news. Due to recent events, all of my finances for this month AND next month and probably November too have just been accounted for. I suddenly have negative money. This eats into the money I've saved to make the trip for the Gathering. All of it.
Looooooooong story short, I can no longer afford to go. I'm sorry, guys. :(
Sadness :( Stay solvent Yuth :(
That sucks, turtle. =/
Day 0 has passed! Not much happened obviously. Iddy and Hal had already met up by the time I arrived, they picked me up and we went for dinner. Afterwards a bit of New Mario Bros (or as Hal calls it, The Mushroom Murder Simulator) and then some Betrayal on House on the Hill. Iddy had just triggered the Haunt after rolling in real life exactly like he does in IRC games, when we broke for the night so Hal could pick up Drac and Brian from the airport. Iddy and I just turned in for the night... or at least I did, to recover a bit from cat allergies. Didn't seem too bad at least, and we were at Hal's for about 4 hrs.
Onward, to Day 1!
.... As soon as everyone is awake anyway.
Dead.
Center.
Bullseye.
ARG
haha
Your avatar is even better after having seen your dogtags, Iddy.
Day 1:
We all properly meet. I'd met Hal before, and he had picked Drac and I up from the airport (all the way across town), but we got to meet Iddy and Merc. Missed breakfast, though.
After that, the group of us go for a walk in an Austin park, enjoying the brutal heat. Got one good picture of the skyline, which I will post later, if someone doesn't beat me to it. After that, lunch at a hawaiian-themed burger-place (not bad), where we started the trend of thinking of Yuth every time a turtle was seen or mentioned (we have pictures of that, too!). Followed by some shopping. At the gaming supply store, I run into a clerk who is from the exact same microtown I spent several years in during my childhood. A bit surreal. We then escape and retreat to the hotel, where we establish Fort Iddypendance, monopolizing on his free space to make an impromptu site for the primary activity of the trip:
Games!
I am the enemy in Betrayal at Haunted Hill, continuing my 100% being the losing team trend, until we play again, and it finally breaks. Hooray! Except, sorry, Merc! Nothing personal! We experiment with some other games briefly before calling it a night and planning the next day.
Merc got a ridiculous setup where he basically had the entire crew of his minions starting 2 movements away from where he had to get them to win.
We somehow went from "That takes 3 rounds." to "Minimum 2 rounds to have any chance." to "I know teleport. Magical instant victory in 2 actions." over like 7 hours of discussion where Merc got bored as hell waiting.
Then we redid the timeline so it was only 30 minutes.
This revealed that all of us were time travelers.
And so began Chrononauts. I lost track of how many times JFK was re- and de-sassinated.
Day 2: Soulriders Armageddon-proof-habitat-search:
After breakfast at MetaKnight Cafe-- Er, sorry, Kirby Lane-- Wait, what? No, I'm going with that typo. We all decided to search for a home that would withstand light bombing and other horrors of war. Or we were a bit too into our live action Minecraft re-enactments. I'm not sure exactly which one it was, but in either event, we went caving.
There are photos of this as well, which remain to be uploaded, as it's unclear how many actually turned out. Underground photography is kind of a thing. This was the Inner Space cave, if I recall. We saw some interesting bones, several fascinating cave formations, a small frog, and tons of petrified prehistoric bat guano. We were supposed to experience perfect darkness as well, but something very faintly glowed.
Oh, also, walking in the cave felt like exploring a damp armpit of the earth, at around 70 degrees F and 95ish percent humidity. Was pretty crazy. After that, we enjoyed the exotic delicacy that is Chic-fil-a hid behind comforting air conditioning at the hotel, accompanied by even more games. We played quite a few games, as it turned out.
Well, I at least bought the paper for that day.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/november-22-1963,10584/
Also, I'll try and be less lame and get photos from my phone to the forum thread soon :)
Day 3: Soulriders official 'free' day/Zombie Survival Training Pt. II, OR Iddy Teaches Us All To Hit The Bullseye
Drac wandered off after breakfast, leaving the rest of us interested in handguns to learn how to properly hold a pistol under Iddy's expert gaze. We bought a single box of ammo to use with a gun rented from the range. Merc and Hal went first, doing quite well; I was a bit slow to follow on account of being shaken by pissing off the range officer (Note: Do NOT approach the bench. Seriously).
Thanks again to Iddy's expert guidance, proper grip and handling instructions, we all managed to get the bullseye at least once, though only Hal got as close to the center as Iddy. We are slightly more prepared to handle the zombies at this point, except for Drac, who presumably will be relying on melee weaponry.
After that, we regathered, and Hal joined me in visiting my brother for the first time in a few years, which was nice.
Following that and a dinner break, we got to the meat of the meeting:
More board games!
I can teach anyone to shoot! =D
Honestly, though, most of it was you guys actually listening to me and taking action on what I said. Only ones responsible for your shots are you. You pulled the trigger, not me. That's all your accomplishment. =)
More importantly, we all had great fun!
Day 4: No offical day, really.
We learn that people in Texas have even weaker resistance to energy type: cold, than Drac. Considering that Drac has it at a 1.5* damage mod, that's pretty impressive. While Drac, Iddy, and Merc enjoy the pool (or try to, anyway), Hal and I retired to enjoy our cigars and fine liquor while discussing the most important matters known to man:
Fanfiction ideas. For Harry Potter.
We have our priorities quite straight, I assure you!
After that, we play board games until we're sick of it, and also Cards Against Humanity (which due to an error only arrived that day), and then break for dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse. Prepared and forewarned against the ability of my companions to devour meat, they engage in the underhanded tactic of doing their damndest to stuff us as quickly as possible, and pretty much pull it off.
Should have known the salad bar was just a distraction.
After that, we were restored, and continued to game further.
Your posts only enrage me further. I can't believe I missed this.
Your totem animal was with us in spirit!
You had a turtle!?
Every time we saw a turtle, or one was mentioned (say, in Cards Against Humanity), someone determined it was you, joining us in spirit.
Also, in regards to your CAH card:
OW.
Uhu? This particular Gathering was in 2013. I don't recall seeing a thread for a 2016 Gathering. Was there one set up?
There wasn't one this year. Many voiced that they needed some time at the last one.
Spammer purged.
If Yuth'saron wants to visit Texas though, he's certainly welcome to! :)
Merc, you're a doll. A plushie, if you will.