Kosovodad Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 Hey everyone! I've made a hotel reservation and am about to pull the trigger on a badge for my first ever Reaper Con. Trying to figure out how to navigate the forums, event schedule, etc. I'm mostly interested in the classes for painting and terrain, but not above getting into some sort of game. What are your best tips for a first timer? ... could be what hotel, what restaurant, do most people fly out on Monday, or sometime on Sunday, what to bring not\bring, what classes go fast, what part of town to stay out of, best ways to get to\from the airport\hotel (I'm in Florida and haven't spent much time in Texas. Anything you can think of; I'm happy to learn from those that have gone before! Thanks for your time. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnwulf Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 Welcome! Looking forward to meeting you! I'm a local, so my fist time I made the decision to drive the hour back and forth each day - big mistake! I felt like I missed out on a lot not staying til late in the evening each day. As for which hotel, if you're able to get into one of the room blocks reaper manages to get set aside for us that's excellent, especially if you're actually at the Embassy suites, as you can just stagger upstairs for a few hours unconscious. Speaking of, it's important to remember the 3-2-1 rule of Convention Self Care. 3 hours of Sleep, 2 meals, and 1 shower per day are ABSOLUTE minimums. It's easy to get distracted and involed in all the fun things going on, and since you're inside and there aren't really windows it can get really easy to loose track of time. Take care of your self a little and you'll enjoy the con a lot more. Now, on to travel - a LOT of people leave on Sunday, for a variety of reasons. Not the least of which is that, with monday being a holiday, you get that as a recharge day before you have to go back to work (as long as you're not in a job that requires working on holidays, that is). Most of the time you'll see the population dropping off even first thing in the morning on Sunday, though a lot will stick around for the ReaperBucks auction, which is around noon or so, and then there will be a sharp decline after. Though the auction isn't showing on the schedule right now so it's uncertain if it will happen this year or not.... As for to and from the airport, as it gets closer to time be on the lookout for a rideshare thread, people arriving at the airport can arrange to travel together to the convetnion center or back to the airport to share the cost. Do bring your paint brushes at least if you're taking any painting classes. Sometimes you can borrow some from soneone else and you can always buy some in the vendor hall, but most instructors will not have a 'classroom set' of brushes. They DO have a classroom set of paints, so you don't have to bring those, and the mini for the class is also provided. Though a ton of people like to sit and paint in the main ballroom too, so if you've a small kit you can bring, do it. A portable light,and/or any magnifier you tend to use will also come in handy, the lights in the classrooms are not ideal. Events to not miss - Wednesday night meet and greet. Starts about 6 or so and runs for a few hours. There's an additional ticket for this, but it does include the 100mm Sophie model, so it's well worth it. Friday night at 6pm is the costume contest. This is realtively new, but it's lots of fun. Even to watch if you're not in costume. Saturday night at 8pm is the MSP Awards ceremony. This is where everyone who entered in the painting exibihition finds out how they were scored. Be sure to enter something, this is a single evaluation type of painting show, you're not being compared to other artists to find a 'best' For more information see this thread here Hobby Hijinx - runs all weekend, the schedule will be posted. These are fun painting chalenges, such as a 1 hour speed paint, Paint by Number, Sophie Says, etc. I can try to explain, but it's more fun to just show up and participate. Brushes, paints, and minis are all provided for this. Do not expect anyone to knock out Instagram worthy paint jobs here, this is the sort of event you do for the experience and fun of it. Take a Tour - You'll need your own transportation to get to the factory (hopefully someone might organize a ride share thread for this too?) The reaper factory is a great experience and it the folks who run it are loads of fun. Classes - there are SOOO many good ones. Some of my favorite instructors who I see have classes this year (in no particular order and most likely overlooking a few people) are Brice Cocanour, Aaron Lovejoy, Michael Proctor, Yeji Kim, Tish Wolter, and Michelle Farnsworth. There are many more great ones too, many that I haven't had the opportunity to take classes from yet. Scroll through the list of classes and see what speaks to you. I've found it's good to choose to limit yourself to only 4-5 classes over the course of the weekend. There are people who disagree with me on this and it depends on your learning style, but myself if I'm taking more than one class a day I have trouble actually retaining and putting in to use the things I've learned. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Urlik Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 (edited) Tons of great advice above! Last year was our first Reaper Con, and we loved it so much we’re going back! Here’s my three: 1. don’t schedule more than two classes a day, you’ll want time to go over what you learned, and you’ll miss out on the copious unscheduled learning events (plus games!) 2. hobby hijinx is super fun, you’ll learn a surprising amount by being pushed (especially in Sophie Says) and you’ll earn reaper bucks just for hanging out and painting. No advance signup is needed, so you basically always have this activity in reserve! 3. bring minis you’re happy and unhappy with, take them to artists row and just ask someone for advice. You’ll hear different things from different artists, and they all seem to be super giving of their time and expertise I’m looking forward to meeting you! Maybe I should go get those ribbons ordered… Edited June 7 by Count Urlik 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inarah Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 Lots of good advice already. Here's some more: https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/70822-reapercon-survival-kits/#comment-1436585 https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/87978-tips-for-entering-reaper-painting-competitions/#comment-1865673 https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/87582-some-general-advice-for-contest-entries/#comment-1855516 https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/70129-reapercon-first-timer-what-do-i-need-to-know/ https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/79939-first-time-to-reaper-con/ Some of these are a little dated, and things may have changed but the general advice is still good. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosovodad Posted June 7 Author Share Posted June 7 Oh, this is great stuff ... thank you very much! Any thoughts on what kind of portable kit for painting? Plastic tackle box, pringle's can, whatever? I've never travelled with paints or equipment, so I've never had whittle it down to a travelling kit. Also, is there like an open gaming area where I can just bring a game and set it up? I'm thinking about bringing Gaslands, which is a car game where you model Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars and shoot each other while running over zombies. 21 minutes ago, Inarah said: Lots of good advice already. Here's some more: https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/70822-reapercon-survival-kits/#comment-1436585 https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/87978-tips-for-entering-reaper-painting-competitions/#comment-1865673 https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/87582-some-general-advice-for-contest-entries/#comment-1855516 https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/70129-reapercon-first-timer-what-do-i-need-to-know/ https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/79939-first-time-to-reaper-con/ Some of these are a little dated, and things may have changed but the general advice is still good. OMG thank you! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosovodad Posted June 7 Author Share Posted June 7 30 minutes ago, Inarah said: Lots of good advice already. Here's some more: https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/70822-reapercon-survival-kits/#comment-1436585 https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/87978-tips-for-entering-reaper-painting-competitions/#comment-1865673 https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/87582-some-general-advice-for-contest-entries/#comment-1855516 https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/70129-reapercon-first-timer-what-do-i-need-to-know/ https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/79939-first-time-to-reaper-con/ Some of these are a little dated, and things may have changed but the general advice is still good. Wow ... this is actually great. If I'm travelling, do I need one a pallette, and if so, what kind is best? I've never made one before. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inarah Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 1 hour ago, Kosovodad said: Oh, this is great stuff ... thank you very much! Any thoughts on what kind of portable kit for painting? Plastic tackle box, pringle's can, whatever? I've never travelled with paints or equipment, so I've never had whittle it down to a travelling kit. Also, is there like an open gaming area where I can just bring a game and set it up? I'm thinking about bringing Gaslands, which is a car game where you model Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars and shoot each other while running over zombies. OMG thank you! I'm not 100% sure of the table availability, but it is limited. Some tables may be open at times in the painting hall, but mostly those are for painting. If you are sure about the game, go ahead and register for a time slot on the con site. People use all kinds of portable kits from tackle boxes to rolling tool chests. Take into consideration your needs (and the fact that almost anything will be available for sale there, or can be borrowed from someone), your ability to transport it, including whether or not you want to carry it around the con with you, and the consideration of other guests who you will share tables with, and who need to move among the tables in the paint area. 1 hour ago, Kosovodad said: If I'm travelling, do I need one a pallette, and if so, what kind is best? I've never made one before. Bring whatever you normally paint with. There are different palettes to suit different methods. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranky Dog Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 1 hour ago, Cygnwulf said: Do bring your paint brushes at least if you're taking any painting classes. Sometimes you can borrow some from someone else and you can always buy some in the vendor hall, but most instructors will not have a 'classroom set' of brushes. They DO have a classroom set of paints, so you don't have to bring those, and the mini for the class is also provided. Though a ton of people like to sit and paint in the main ballroom too, so if you've a small kit you can bring, do it. A portable light,and/or any magnifier you tend to use will also come in handy, the lights in the classrooms are not ideal. Something I learned the hard way when my luggage got delayed by a day, meaning all of my gear was delayed. (I think I offended the gods of air travel in a past life.) Ditto on the overbooking classes mistake. You miss out on tons of other activities that clash with every other class schedule. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenPiggy Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 Last year was my first year, and my biggest regret is that I got there Thursday evening and missed a whole day. It could not be helped due to work, but this year I will be there Wednesday night. It might be late Wednesday, but I will be there the whole day Thursday at least. A lot of people will warn you against booking too many classes. I ended up doing seven last year, if I remember correctly. I have two thoughts on this. First, in terms of remembering what I learned, it really wasn't a problem; two a day is manageable, and the classes ranged from good to fantastic. I have no regrets about any of them. On the other hand, it did give me a more rigid schedule which made it a little harder to participate in the miscellaneous little events. I especially enjoyed speedpainting, and only managed to do it once. And I did not have time to fit in a Reaper factory tour. So this year I will probably register for maybe five or six, which, coupled with an extra full day, will give me quite a bit more time. Also, this year I am going to make a point of talking with more people. I mostly kept to myself last year. The people I did talk to were universally friendly. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haldir Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 One thing to remember is the painters & sculptors on Artist's Row in the main room, want you to come say hi & talk shop with them. Always cool to see the face behind the name on figures you've gotten or seen online a painted figure. While it may be hard to talk to random people, just know everyone at the Con is there for one thing, miniatures. So you'll at least have that in common with a stranger. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klarg1 Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 On 6/7/2023 at 2:57 PM, Kosovodad said: Wow ... this is actually great. If I'm travelling, do I need one a pallette, and if so, what kind is best? I've never made one before. I would bring whatever kind of palette you are used to. A lot of classes will provide the materials to cobble together a very basic wet palette (plastic plate, paper towel and som parchment paper). These are normally temporary and disposable, but nothing says you can’t keep using them after class. You will also find that lots of people have a silly amount of supplies with them. If you forget something: DON’T PANIC. In the open paint area you are rarely, if ever, more than 10 feet away from someone who will share glue, paper towels, water, hobby blades, etc. you can even buy brushes on site if you don’t have them handy. (That was me last year) 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranky Dog Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 (edited) 4 hours ago, GoldenPiggy said: Also, this year I am going to make a point of talking with more people. I mostly kept to myself last year. The people I did talk to were universally friendly. 2 hours ago, haldir said: While it may be hard to talk to random people, just know everyone at the Con is there for one thing, miniatures. So you'll at least have that in common with a stranger. You'll quickly find that many forumites, Reaper Discord regulars, and other groups will "adopt" some tables and leave a lot their stuff there. And everyone is free to join! This is why many of us see ReaperCon as some sort of family gathering. You just sit down and chat; drink; snack: and paint with new found friends. Edited June 8 by Cranky Dog 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artists Wren Posted June 22 Artists Share Posted June 22 I wrote an article about packing hobby supplies to attend a convention. It includes suggestions for what you need most, methods for transporting things like brushes, guidelines for air travel restrictions, and several other related topics. If you prefer video information, you'll find a link to a video stream version in the first paragraph. I did the video first and then more research for the article, so the article does have a few more options/info in some areas and incorporates the tips I got in the comments during the stream. Tips for finding a table for unscheduled gaming. Most of the scheduled gaming occurs in the open hallway and lobby areas surrounding the main convention hall room. I believe these game tables have numbers on them. You want to avoid those tables, at least during the main hours of the con. Later in the evening these tables start emptying for the night. The schedule of gaming should be in the convention book you receive when you sign in at the registration desk, and additional copies and info are also at the registration desk. So I think it'd be possible to cross-reference and find a table that's done for the day, but you do need to make sure you check before taking over a table. Scheduled events have precedence and you will have to pack up your game and leave if it's on a table designated for a scheduled event. There are a few tables in the main convention hall that are set aside for specific use. One is the Hobby Hijinks area. Definitely join in the fun on that! Those tables are usually pretty easy to identify because they're covered in stuff. ;-> There is also a board game library area in the main hall. My husband runs this. These are boxed style games of a variety of genres (party, strategy, adventure, etc), not classic miniature skirmish games. People can check games out of the library to play with friends, either at a table there or wherever they'd like in the hotel. If my husband is available, he's happy to teach games, or if there are spots, invite people into whatever game he's playing at the time. The board game library generally only gets a few designated tables, but you can check with him to see if there is one available that you could use. He and the other keen board gamers have learned the hard way to be careful about starting long games in the evening in the main hall. It doesn't always lock up right at the scheduled closing time (opening and closing hours are printed on your badge I think), but sometime around there it closes for the cleaning crew and anyone playing games will have to pack them up and leave. So now they try to keep the time in mind and move out to a table in the hallway or the breakfast area to play their last game or two of the night. It's not uncommon to see several tables of people playing games at the breakfast tables in the evening. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicey Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 On 6/7/2023 at 12:29 PM, Count Urlik said: No advance signup is needed, so you basically always have this activity in reserve! This is not exactly true this year. They have 40 total seats for Hobby Hijinks. 30 are available to reserve in advance via Tabletop Events (for free) and only 10 are available for walkup. Some of the more popular events already don't have much/any room (Sophie Says After Dark). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Urlik Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 5 minutes ago, Dicey said: This is not exactly true this year. They have 40 total seats for Hobby Hijinks. 30 are available to reserve in advance via Tabletop Events (for free) and only 10 are available for walkup. Some of the more popular events already don't have much/any room (Sophie Says After Dark). Yes, good you brought that up! It’s a new approach for this year that came up after I made that post. We signed up for a few key slots in our schedule to make sure we’d have them. It’ll be interesting to see how last minute openings and late arrivals are dealt with. I hope no one gets too put off by it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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