ArcaniCon 2015

Why am I not willing to drive to Minneapolis for Arcanicon 2015?

First, the drive time from Chicago to Columbus, with pretty minimal stops is about 7 hours. Chicago to Minneapolis is more like 8. Assuming traffic is equivalent, on a pleasant summer day. That extra hour may not seem like much, but I have to draw the line somewhere.

Second, weather. Chicago is cold. Minneapolis is even colder, and generally snowier. So I figure we’re more likely to get stuck there because of a winter storm, or worse yet, stuck on the road, or forced to drive at a snail’s pace because the snow is coming down so hard. Been there, done that, don’t want to do that again. Yeah, I’m a wimp. Somehow, driving North in the winter makes no sense to me. So that factors in.

Third, unlike Origins, which a bunch of my friends attend, I expect I’ll be driving to Arcanicon alone next year. An 8-hour drive by myself is a lot longer than a 7-hour drive with good company.

Right now, I can’t think of any argument that’d twist my arm enough to get me to drive to Minneapolis. Maybe I’ll be surprised

In any case, I’m only one person. I really think that the organizers need to collect the poll data (after a reasonable period of time has passed) and base their decisions on that. How many of the player base will attend Arcanicon in different cities should be the driving factor. It doesn’t matter how cheap it is to get somewhere, or how nice the hotel rooms are, or the traffic, or whatever. What matters is: what cities will draw the greatest attendance?

Second, weather. Chicago is cold. Minneapolis is even colder, and generally snowier. So I figure we’re more likely to get stuck there because of a winter storm, or worse yet, stuck on the road, or forced to drive at a snail’s pace because the snow is coming down so hard. Been there, done that, don’t want to do that again. Yeah, I’m a wimp. Somehow, driving North in the winter makes no sense to me. So that factors in.

I can’t speak for the roads getting here but winter in Minneapolis has very few major weather issues. We rarely get ice storms or blizzards. The airport sometimes gets delays but very rarely gets closed down. It can certainly be cold (January is usually the worst) and last year was particularly bad (like lots of places).

I’d love to see ArcaniCon in Minneapolis but I’m not really expecting it as it. On the other hand, if it was here, I know at least a half dozen players that are not on these forums that would very likely show up (and there may be a lot more). There are or have been 4 groups playing Arcanis in the area that I’m aware of with almost no overlap between 3 of them.

I think either Detroit (Romulus) or Chicago were the top choices. . .

This is the first I’m seeing / hearing about a poll for the location. Was anything sent out via email, as suggested earlier in the thread? I know there are a *lot* of people that don’t read the forums. I’ve been fairly absent for a while, so I missed the poll.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1459

Link to the poll thread

There are strong odds favouring Chicago at the moment, given current offers by hotels. A decision will be made and posted by the November 28th.

Sorry, but the word is spelled ‘eh?’ (And yes, the question mark is required)