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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.

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.

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

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.

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 picked up a similar bag to this at a military surplus store years ago and have used it every year at pax with great success.

Also sold at https://www.amazon.com/Hestya-Polyhedral-Storage-Playing-Dungeons/dp/B07FL7R169/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?keywords=heavy+dice+white

But of course supporting a FLGS would be best!

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

In a semi related note, get this game as well and make friends wherever you go. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003IKMR0U/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1377105229&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165

If you can also bring vitamin C pills with you. Eat them every morning before you head to the convention center. I usually get these since they're easy to eat and don't require a beverage to swallow down. They sell them at my local grocery chain/WalMart.

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

We're taking somethign similiar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Quik-Chair-Folding-Carrying-Royal/dp/B005MAGUPM/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409074140&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=camping+chait

It's just a tad heavier but he back rest helps.

Get yourself a mailing tube or something similar, and pack it with your other stuff. This'll be handy if you plan on getting any posters (or sketches) while you're there too, since you can usually put multiple posters in 1 tube. :)

Saitek X-52 pro
:)

I bought this for my wife a year or so ago from amazon. Based on what you want, this could be what you want. If you are looking for something smaller/cheaper, this may work

Non-Parking pro-tip: bring one of these. It will save your back and feet some serious grief waiting in the queue, demo lines and panel lines. I've brought one for several years and always get many envious stares & compliments on the good idea. they are not expensive, small enough to put in or strap to a backpack when just walking around the convention without getting in your way or bothering others.

https://www.amazon.com/Quartet-Tiles-Board-Bulletin-102/dp/B0018DHBAK

These look similar from /u/iscribble https://www.amazon.com/Hestya-Polyhedral-Storage-Playing-Dungeons/dp/B07FL7R169/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?keywords=heavy+dice+white

I used this one for East: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RTLS6P8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_AbduDbVQHFVV9

It's lightweight, water-resistant, has a USB charging port (battery pack not included), very good capacity, and so many pockets. It did not disappoint.