PAX East 2019 Look Back and My Budget Plan
April 12, 2019 · 8 min read
Adventurers, I can’t believe it, PAX East 2019 is over! The four days passed by so quickly it doesn’t feel real. I’ve decided to start doing a post analysis of any quest or adventure I go on, with the hope of reflecting on what happened and whether I stayed true to my core.
Now that PAX East is over and the dust has settled, I’ve gathered my thoughts, spent some time thinking about it, and I am ready to share my experience with you all.
Leading Up To PAX East 2019
You know what they say, you should practice what you preach, and Adventurers, I’m happy to say I did just that. Leading up to PAX, I had done a series of articles on surviving PAX and budget planning for conventions.
In preparing my budget plan beforehand, there were really only two categories on the list: food and pins. For food, our plan was to only eat lunch at the convention, allowing for $20 per day for the two of us. As for pins, I created a list of all the pins I wanted, which of them were ‘free’, and which of them I would need to buy. I have not included the free pins on the list, since they are not part of the budget.
Sticking to the Budget?!?
Above is a post-PAX picture of my wallet-size budget plan, with what was planned for and then what actually happened. Food was on track until the last day, when we went out for drinks with friends, as well as having a few more at the post-PAX party. That is not to mention the cost of the Ubers to and from the bars. In total, the unplanned cost of drinks and Ubers came out to $90.54. Wow! I was not expecting that to add up so quickly.
Next is the list of pins for purchase and what I had allocated to spend on them. Originally there were 5 pins I wanted to purchase, 3 of which were for a good cause/charity and two for fun. There were no new pins for Cookie Brigade and Unstable Unicorns; however, the Planeswalker Pin really upset me, but let's finish the budget plan first.
From the budget plan image, you’ll see that I did find other pins to purchase in exchange for the ones I didn't get. The Toronto Gaymers and Role Initiative pins are pretty awesome, and I am really pleased with them. On the other hand, the Root pin is cool, but the quality of the pin doesn’t really justify the $10 cost. I probably could have skipped that one, but I am not completely immune to getting caught up in the convention excitement myself!
For a Good Cause
The one other item I did purchase that was unplanned was the Box of Hope from Wyrmwood in partnership with Take This. This little mystery box is an awesome idea by Take This and Wyrmwood, as a way to raise money for Take This. Each box is sealed with a secret little wooden Take This shield made of a Wyrmwood wood. My box had a Padauk shield, and maybe I’ll get another next year since they are so cool and for a good cause, but the budget comes first.
How Did I Do?
It’s time to face the music, Adventurers: sticking to a budget at a convention is hard! Sure, I stayed on target for the first three days. Saturday is blank because Karina got lunch that day and it was under $20, but I’m not including it because it is part of her plan.
The last two days are where it all went upside down. Drinks are not cheap and neither are Ubers. Sure, it’s nice to have a night out every once in a while, but consider that between the two bar nights, we had 5 drinks between the two of us, and it cost over $50. Just plain old wow.
Now look, I am definitely not discrediting the time spent with friends and the fun we had; that is a very important part to consider, and I do think it was time well spent. What is getting me is that such a small, unplanned event can really throw a budget out the window. It was a good lesson that this is something to be aware of not only during a convention, but in everyday life as well.
Without getting lost in the overspending, it is always important to consider what the total value add is, and whether your time and money were well spent. As I’ve already said, for us it was, and I’m glad we were able to spend that extra time with friends, since many of them come from all over and we only get to see them once a year.
My PAX Experience
So how was PAX, you may ask? Just like you may expect… A crazy fun-filled madhouse. I swear over the four days of PAX East there must be over a hundred thousand people in and out of the convention doors. And yet it doesn't feel overly stuffy and unpleasant.
I strongly believe that since everyone there is brought together by common interests and bonds, there is this harmonious vibe that happens, where everyone is just happy to be there and to have an awesome time.
Since Karina and I are both part of the Merch Enforcing team, we see attendees stand in lines for up to an hour and still be happy to be there. Let us be honest, when have you ever seen that happen in a retail place? Never, I tell you!
The Game Plan
As for our experience, having a plan of what you want to see and do was a great idea. On Thursday, the first thing we did was go to the Team17 booth to play Overcooked 2 and The Escapists 2, which we still had to stand in an hour-long line for. However, we love their games; Overcooked is an awesome party game, they made Worms, and they had an awesome Onion King pin.
Our next stop was the Indie MegaBooth to check out what was new and upcoming. We’ve found indie games more enjoyable as of late, but there was nothing really to report.
The last stop, before going on shift, was the Unstable Unicorns booth. This card game is amazing, and we love to play it with our friends. Last year at East 2018, Ramy Badie, one of its creators, was there, and we hoped that he would be there this year, but sadly not. Either way, if you’re looking for a fun, easy game, give Unstable Unicorns a try.
Honestly, Adventurers, other than Karina going to a panel and me watching Root being played, we spent most of our time just walking around looking at everything. Since we enforce in the afternoons, we really only have three hours to wander the main expo hall.
For that reason, this year we took a new approach to PAX. Our goal was not to try to do every little thing, but rather just enjoy being in the moment.
I feel that this year we came away from PAX having really gotten the most out of it. We brought home minimal swag, spent almost what was planned, and just enjoyed the experience. So much so that we’re adding PAX Australia to our trip in October. YAY!
The Planeswalker Pin
Okay, before wrapping up, I need to have a little rant! So, Adventurers, as you may know, official pins of Penny Arcade are a big part of PAX. I would go as far as to call them the unofficial currency of PAX. Some you can buy, and some you need to do a challenge or demo a game to get. Therefore, the pins for purchase are of less value than the pins with a challenge.
This is because challenge pins are typically harder to get or have limited runs. For example, the Onion King pin took us about an hour and a half to get, accounting for the line and gameplay. Its retail value on eBay was about $60 on day one. And our hour-long line wait was short compared to others. But without getting too far into the detail, which is something we can do another time, here is my issue.
My Issue
So, here is where I have an issue with the Planeswalker Pin. In order to get the pin, you could do one of the three things below:
- Purchase the pin for $20 at the Gamermats/Pastimes booth
- Win the pin off the Magic: The Gathering Prize Wall for 6 tickets
- Complete the Planeswalker Path!
- Learn about MTG at the front desk of the Magic Learn to Play area
- Enter the Magic: The Gathering Planeswalker Deck League
- Enter a scheduled MTG event
- Take a photo and share it on Twitter
Seems simple enough, but why have a pin challenge for a pin that is also for sale? Additionally, the two challenges aren’t even free. You would end up spending more than the $20 on entrance fees, plus the time needed to complete the challenges. Which honestly makes no sense to me.
At the time of writing, the pin does have a value of around $30 on eBay, and that makes sense given that it is from MTG. But personally, this pin feels like a money grab by Pastimes. There should have been at least one method of obtaining that pin that was completely free. Alternatively, they could have had a chase pin for the challenges that was limited and not available for purchase.
Either way, I was originally really excited to get the Planeswalker Pin. However, after finding out I would spend more money on the challenge than just buying it, it really didn’t have that much appeal anymore.
Closing Out PAX East 2019
Rant over; let’s close this out on a high note. PAX is wonderful and most definitely a must at least once. That being said, don’t do it if it’s not in the budget. There are always other ways to go, such as Enforcing, volunteering, or working for an exhibitor.
My suggestion is to find what works for you, and I’m not just referring to PAX. Any convention or event you want to attend will likely have alternative ways of attending. And who knows, you may not want to attend a convention any other way after.
Did you attend PAX East 2019, or any of the others? What has your experience been like?
