Gen Con is one of the greatest conventions in the Multiverse. Like any mind-blowing event (i.e., your first ride on a cotton candy unicorn, Rascal jousting at Walmart, or winning over your future father-in-law with interpretive dance) a little preparation will greatly improve your experience.
Your future self will be so very very happy--I'm talking rolling-around-on-the-ground, farting rainbows HAPPY!
First, make a prioritized list of your "must do" items. Like:
1. Bring your favorite artist (Steve Argyle) a Mt. Dew. (For extra XP, make it a Diet Mt. Dew.)
2. Get my Magic cards, L5R cards, D&D books, etc signed by Steve Argyle
3. Gain mighty heaps of XP by heroically unsheathing your coinpurse, and buying awesome stuff from Steve Argyle.
4. Level up by getting a card altered by Steve Argyle.
5. Level bonuses by getting a sketch from Steve Argyle.
6. Unlock achievement: "Collect all of Steve's daily "Binder Candy."
6. We already did number 6. Here, have some free XP.
7. Be responsible: Ignore your bank account.
8. Leave Steve Argyle's booth blissfully happy, with the knowledge that you've already conquered the highlight of the convention.
9. Blog about how great 1-8 were. (More XP for you!)
10. There is no spoon.
Then, to ensure no time is wasted, find the most optimized routes on the map (rocket boots a plus):
To streamline your experience getting your signatures and artwork, refer to my Convention Commandments: http://www.steveargyle.com/#!convention-commandments/j5njm
!!SPOILER ALERT!! Your future self will thank you.
Magic the Gathering playmats finally available!
And, a late arrival hot off the presses and available for the first time ever, Glistener Elf mats will be arriving sometime during the show!
All this in addition to many, many other playmat designs, including playmats of a brand new piece to be unveiled at the show! So come see us at booth 469, seriously! Pamper your eyes, bathe them in a jetted tub of colors!
Getting signatures?
We'll have a Gen Con exclusive stamp to go along with it, and a leveling up collector token. Both free! Both awesome. Both things you NEED to be happy.
Also, "shadowed signatures" are available upon request. (but they cost a buck extra.)
Free swag!
We'll have new and different Binder Candy for each day, so be sure to visit us repeatedly and with great fervor!
PRINTS, PLAYMATS, TOKENS, ORIGINALS, PRE-MADE ALTERS, AND MORE!
There is a ton of stuff to come see at boot 469!
Want custom artwork?
BE SURE TO COME SIGN UP IF YOU WANT ARTWORK DONE!
(We're not allowed to have lines form around our booth. So you don't need to stand around and wait, and we won't let you anyway. Sign-ups start fresh each morning.)
!!DO NOT RELY UPON MY PSYCHIC ABILITIES!! If you want a card alteration, bring reference material! The whole process is sped up thuslysuch. (I just made up that word, and I'm trademarking it. MINE!) and, once again, your future self will rejoice!
I'll probably ask you a series of questions about your request as well, so be thinking on them while you're brainstorming. Stuff like:
Single $30, or double $60? (Also known as Platinum or Diamondillium. Because silver and gold is soooooo pedestrian).
Platinum (Single) alterations are basically one major change or addition. Main character transformed into someone/something else, or adding something, or changing the background. Diamondillium (Double) alterations are the same as above, but swap out "or" to "and."
I'll ask you if you have a theme in mind. Games, movies, TV, comics, occupations, holidays, robots, dragons, marshmallow demons, cocktail elementals, well-meaning tentacle monsters, the existential crisis of being, or mustaches. These are the only options. Other requests will be met with bog-eyed deathstares. Okay, not really. Your theme can be whatever you want. Or you can leave it up to me, if you're shy about decisions.
If you have a theme, are you looking for canonical, accurate, and faithful to the reference? Or do you prefer reinvented, mashed-up, or new take on a classic concept? (This answer is worth 140% of your grade.)
Along those lines, do you want a serious piece of art, or a fun something to make people laugh? If the latter, you may want to invest in soda-spew-proof sleeves.
Speaking of showing it off to friends and potentially enemies as well, it helps to decide just how naughty vs. nice you'd prefer your vandalism to end up.
And lastly, ask yourself if this card is going in a deck, or a collection, or even in a frame on the wall. Keeping cards playable is important for some, others want as much arting as possible. I'm happy to do either.
Sketches and other miscellaneous artwork still fall into the "single or double" categories. It kinda has to, since we schedule out time. Simpler stuff is a single, more detail, or some shading/color, will make it a double. And most of the above questions apply to sketches and such as well.
For getting your stuff signed, there's a comprehensive list here:
http://gatheringsteveargylesmagic.tumblr.com/post/148122086832/gatheringsteveargylesmagic-the-steve-argyle
And L5R here:
http://gatheringsteveargylesmagic.tumblr.com/tagged/collecting-guide
http://imperialassembly.com/oracle/
Also at island 469, come see Drew Baker and Angelarium!
http://drewbaker.com/
http://www.angelarium.net/
And don't forget to watch for wandering Sprankles!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
-Steve and the rest of the miscreant crew of Troublemaker Island.