Best products from r/PAX

Well, as far as silly card games go, I'm partial to We Didn't Playtest This At All and Fluxx which support 2-15 and 2-6 players respectively. Both games can be really quick or take a while, but I've always found them to be great fun, and they both have a bunch of expansions, if you find that you like them.

Of course, if you want to delve into the world of board games, I'm a big fan of co-op games like Castle Panic and Pandemic. In Castle Panic, you work together to defend a castle from oncoming hordes of monsters and in Pandemic you need to cooperate to keep viral epidemics under control while finding a cure. Castle Panic is great fun, a simple game, and easy to get into, but I've never found it an easy game to win which keeps it fresh. Pandemic is a bit more complicated, requiring a lot of strategy and cooperation, and it can be brutally difficult at times, but that just makes winning all the more satisfying.

If you and your friends like a little friendly competition, I'd suggest something like 7 Wonders or Bang!, which was the game that got me started down this path. In 7 Wonders, you draft cards to build a civilization and compete for victory points. It may seem a little complicated at first, but once you play a game or two, it really starts to shine. In Bang!, you enter the wild west where one of you is the sheriff, and the rest of the players are deputies, outlaws, or renegades, each with their own win condition. The thing with this one is that everyone's role except the sheriff's is hidden. You can play Bang! with as little as 3 players, but it really only gets good if you have 5 or more.

If you want to do some research on your own, check out /r/boardgames or http://boardgamegeek.com/ which has a pretty comprehensive database of all the board games out there with ratings and reviews.

Bring snacks and probably a bag lunch. There are places to eat but lines are long.

On the subject of lines, you might consider a pack stool or something similar, lines for almost everything are going to be pretty significant.

Once you have the schedule, it's a good idea to make a list of priorities as the lines make it difficult to see and do everything.

Get to panels, especially popular panels, 2-4 hours in advance.

PAX is less about retail than other conventions, but several vendors will be on site. I personally only budget ~$20 for non-food shopping, but if you want official PAX merch or some nerdy graphic tees you might want to bump that up a bit.

There will be a lot of free SWAG given away, it's a good idea to bring an empty backpack/bag.

If you play MTG at all you should pop over there. I only play once a year (at PAX) and i love jumping in one of the draft or mini-masters tournys. They start every time they have enough people to start, usually several times an hour.

If you get overwhelmed it might help to head over to the PC free-play area. The line is usually quick and you get to use a computer for ~1 hour to do whatever. It's helped me in the past when I just needed to get away from people for a while.

Not sure if you’re still going to be at pax but FYI the Link one is not a official Pinny Arcade pin so i doubt you’ll be able to trade it in future.

That being said, if you like the pin designs like I do, it’s not a bad idea to get them because you like them. Over the 4 year I’ve been to pax I’ve only bought less than 20 pins, and traded one yesterday for a Kemper one I really like. I think it’s important that I like the pins, rather than collecting them for some other arbitrary value.

If and when you get into enamel pins (in or out of PAX), I suggest you use these pin locking backs as they are more secure than stock pin backs. I bought some at PAX but they are so pricey. Needed to replace some pin backs though so I got them.

GL; HF!

I personally use this bag.

It is light as a draw string and the wide straps won't hurt the shoulders at the end of the day. There are a few pockets inside for the smaller items like your phone, DS, small water bottle, or trinkets you buy when on the floor. This bag does not have lined dividers for items like posters/prints, books/comics, toys, games, etc. So keep in mind how to organize your swag to survive the day.

I learned that using a diploma cover will save you a lot of frustration for paper items that must remain flat. Get yourself a PVC pipe for posters and photos. Oh, if you don't mind carrying a little extra weigh, get yourself one of these you can easily expect to wait over 4 for the popular boots. That a lot of time standing like cattle. So do your best to stay comfortable. And wear deodorant.

From my personal experience at PAX;

Don't bring anything that doesn't have a secure or zippered pocket of some kind. This is more of a personal preference but I want to know that my chargers and few electronics are safe and not easily accessed by others.

Don't bring anything with small or thin straps, by the end of day four even with cushioned straps my shoulders are pretty damn sore. Adding extra cushioning before hand might be a worthwhile investment.

Don't bring anything too bulky or that has too many accessories on it, by which I mean anything that might hook or catch on other people passing by. It's very cramped in there and last year I watched a womans bag, that had a few chains on it, snag and break.

I personally like having several pockets to help me stay organized and so that I don't have to stop and pull everything out just to find one thing, especially with how busy and chaotic some of the spaces can get.
A small pocket for electronics, a second for quick snacks or med access (beef jerky, pepto and tylenol are good basics to keep with you just in case), and another section or two for swag and anything I buy.

I personally use a tactical backpack. Simple and no fuss, but plenty of room. Some are made with very breathable materials which can help keep your back from getting too sweaty if it's hot or muggy.

Something simple like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KJMXLOK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_05-tDbQTNRAW9

Quick little games you can play with your linefriends are also fun.

Stuff like zombie dice are win.

Re: Comfy shoes, realize the BCEC is bloody huge (like half a mile fromom end to end), so make sure they're shoes you're comfy walking a lot in.

Also if you have an external battery charger, those are awesome, as you won't always be near an outlet. Something like this - http://www.amazon.com/PowerGen-12000mAh-External-Battery-Capacity/dp/B0085OB0IE/ref=sr_1_15?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1396985536&sr=1-15&keywords=external+battery+charger

I've done something similar in the past, although I just kind of handed them out to people instead of asking ahead of time, which seems like the much smarter idea.

Personally, I've found HP-4 to be the best weave for lanyards, since they lay flat. I've always used larger rings for them too (anywhere from 16g 5/16" to 14g 3/8"), and it goes a lot quicker. I can usually get one done in under two hours.

I seriously recommend shelling out a few buck for swivel lobster claps. They're way more reliable than bulldog claps, and its easier to put badges on.

If you happen to get overwhelmed with orders, let me know. I have some extra supplies and a little bit of free time. I can make a few of them if you need me to.

Here's a few that I put together a few years back (I was handing the blue and orange ones out at PAX Prime).

Steve Jackson games are cool. I'd also recommend trying games that don't have a ton of rules and pieces to keep track of since it can seem a bit overwhelming to grasp and then explain to your friends. The following games are ones that I've found to be super awesome:

Oh my god! There's an axe in my head!

Betrayal at House on the Hill (two editions, both out of print so if you find one, get it!)

Arkham Horror - This one is a little more involved but still pretty simple to learn

Dauntless was great until we accidentally crashed the build (sorry!).

Phoenix Covenant was an awesome tactics card game that felt like something you could just get absolutely enthralled with.

Has Been Heroes was a fun little game that I felt was betrayed a bit by the control scheme of the demo. I'll probably pick it up on Steam at some point in the near future.

Game of Thrones: Hand of the King was very easy to pick up and had a good amount of depth to its strategy. Of note: It was the only game I had my heart set on buying to the point that when no one on the show floor had it I went to Amazon.

Gingerdead was an interesting little tower defense game that was fun but random. Not quite Munchkin random, but random enough that it cooled me on it.

Sentinels of the Multiverse Ok I'm cheating on this one since Sentinels isn't exactly new or unheard of, but it was my first time playing and I had an absolute blast.

One of these chairs is super handy. Small, easy to carry, has a strap that you can wear like a backpack. Very useful when you're going to be in lines for a long time.

Shadow boxes are quite popular. You can get some from your local craft store, back it with some cork or cardboard (though the structural integrity of the cardboard will decline over time as you stick and restick pins on it), glue some felt over it, and boom: instant classy display case.

Another solution if you don't want to get crafty is cufflink display boxes. You can lie them flat on your desk or prop them vertically. Double-posted pins may present a problem if they don't align with the crevices where you'll be wedging the pinbacks.

There are also pin display banners you can find for purchase online, or make yourself if you know your way around a sewing machine. Those tend to be thick canvas or heavy cloth with wooden dowels and some string for hanging.

Your cheapest, fastest option is probably a cork bulletin board, as /u/CorayEel mentioned.

Happy pinning!

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: Arkham Horror


|Country|Link|Charity Links|
|:-----------|:------------|:------------|
|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|
|UK|www.amazon.co.uk|Macmillan|
|Spain|www.amazon.es||
|France|www.amazon.fr||
|Germany|www.amazon.de||
|Japan|www.amazon.co.jp||
|Canada|www.amazon.ca||
|Italy|www.amazon.it||
|India|www.amazon.in||
|China|www.amazon.cn||




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I generally carry backpacks because like you said both shoulders vs 1 but I found that the backpack made me sweat... a lot. Yes I use deodorant/antiperspirant but still...

Any links to bags you've got would be appreciated. I own a bag of holding and have considered getting 1 of these (I kind of like the style a little better) but they're too similar and it would probably not make sense to replace a backpack with that. But I need/want something that'd not drive me to sweat so much.

Yeah I actually ran across that one last night, has a promo code for an extra 10% off so that is cool.

I think this is probably the one that was being used in the PC Freeplay actually - https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Y27g-27-Inch-FHD-LED-Lit/dp/B01FXDVZ2K

Thank you for your help!

Thank you very much for this answer. I also notice that you can buy a $7.95 blacklight from Amazon with free prime shipping. Handy tool for taking with you to purchase passes. Linkazon: http://www.amazon.com/UV-Blacklight-Flashlight-Ultra-Light/dp/B004S6JFWQ

Their binder was poorly made. It was rubbing some of the paint off pins (mainly eyes). I like to carry a document case like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Transparent-Protector-Organizers-Collections-Container/dp/B06XWCXMYB/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=document+protector+case&qid=1566698779&s=gateway&sr=8-3
with the pins on a sheet of cardboard. You can show what you have for trade easily without having to open anything up.

Yup. I grabbed a black light flashlight off of Amazon for pretty cheap http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Light-UV-Blacklight-Flashlight/dp/B004S6JFWQ/ref=zg_bs_6476726011_1