"Marriage & Conventions" Topic

How much does being married limit your ability to attend wargaming shows and conventions?

None since my son was old enough to attend.

Not at all

I'm out along the Front Range, where attending conventions other than the local ones would require a day of driving, spending nights in a hotel, and eating out, all of which quickly add up. Since part of my income is spent on supporting my wife, I'm rarely able to attend these conventions. In that regard, being married limits my ability to attend wargaming shows and convention. On the other hand, when we do have a local convention, my wife gleefully shoves me out the door to attend.

Grelber

My wife's birthday is right around one of the main, & best, conventions in Northern California. So I rarely attend that. But that's more due my choice in spouse, not the institute of marriage.

If Mrs. Carp is physically up to it, we both come and both play--she at her games and I at mine. We hit the flea market and vendor hall together and go out for one meal during the weekend; otherwise, we brownbag it to keep the overhead costs to a minimum.

I wouldn't say marriage per se has any effect. Sometimes (quite often) real life gets in the way.

None, she gives me a lift to the local one most years.

More real life obligations than anything to do with Marriage to my beautiful wife.

It doesn't.

Linda has never told me no. She has actually gone to CincyCon and ORIGINS with me.

Being a Soccer Referee causes me to miss two local shows every year. As do occasional family commitments. But those are my choices, nothing pressured or forced.

it has impacted me a lot…but is was my choice….hard to find time to do much of any hobby stuff

It has also impacted me a lot too…. my choice of course… but now that this round of kids is into gaming, it helps to ensure that I can go.. as long as I am taking one or both of them!

None due to marriage. Once in a while due to job related issues or constraints. But hey, only 4 years till retirement.

Not much but 2018 was affected because of family obligations. Niece got married among others.
Two other issues have been greater factors. One is poor heath. In the past I have missed shows do to open heart surgery, heart attack and a broken arm.
The other is college football. In the Fall, sometimes it is hard to get a driver to go with me due to a big football game. If I can drive, I go on. LOL.

Being married has actually greatly enhanced my wargaming.

Not at all, although she encourages me to go more than I do

None. She came along once and really didn't enjoy it at all, but she's Never prevented me from going to a con. She even let me plan and then take a detour from family vacation once to attend Historicon while she hung out with the two of three kids who didn't wish to join me.

Marriage – None. Children was a drag till they got older.

Not at all.

I brought my future wife to Gencon in the early 80's. She would man a booth while I was GMing. I used to sell a large variety of older Army TMs/FMs, recognition poster along with my armor rules. When we had the boys, they came with and started with Fuzzy Heroes and other kid oriented games. They went up the gaming ladder doing CCG, Minis and then computer games. My wife got her start in minis with them. We would have the whole family together for some brutal battles of Silent Death.

When the "boys" were away in college and/or Afghanistan, my wife got more involved at the cons. We now go to about 7-8 conventions a year. I will GM half a dozen games and she will fill her schedule with events. Over the years she found her niche: individual contributor games. These include any air game; Wings/Sails of Glory, X Wing, Formula D, Circus Maximus, and the ilk. She is also a big Werewolf player.

She also spends a lot of time at paint and takes. (No luck getting her to help me with my painting though). For her, the biggest aspect is the social one. She gets to see old and new friends as well as other gamers that she has played with. At convention time she is as excited as I am, and she always packed before me.

i don't attend cons due to wife and kids priority for $$$.

I look forward to attending when i retire and get to spend a little on myself.

so, to answer your questions marriage and family, by my choice, have limited my ability to attend.

Increased.

SWMBO has pretty much encouraged me to attend cons when I was apathetic (read: a pathetic ).

Almost 0. We use it as a family get away.

Early in our relationship, before marriage, my now wife thought it would be nice to come along to Fall In. Visions of the fall foliage, staying at a cozy B&B, drives in the countryside, etc etc, filled her head. After about fifteen minutes of strolling around the All Star Center, she'd had enough and has never asked to go to another show again. However, since she knows I enjoy it, she's happy to see me out of the house for a weekend, two or three times a year.

My wife comes along and we have a great little getaway. I wargame, she shops, and sometimes rendezvous for dinner. We both have our time, and together, would say it's win win. She knows gaming is the priority for the convention weekend.

My wife was actually the one who encouraged me to go to my first gaming convention.

She comes to every one, helps me set up and break down any games that I GM, and in about 12 years of cons, has only played in two games. She had a bad experience at one of the smaller cons with a guy that didn't like losing to a woman (not kidding about that). He left partway through the game because his wife called him on the phone that never left his pocket.

We eat every meal together, based around my gaming schedule, and she actually visited the dealer hall at Fall In, because of the remodel, and bought me about $200 USD worth of things.

Kid's schedules and work impact my convention attendance. My wife enjoys hanging out with the dog and reading when I head out to conventions. She really likes planning the family vacations which works for me.

It doesn't at all. Only my budget and work affects it.

Ask a Dothraki and he would probably laugh at you.

If it does then perhaps you married the wrong woman .

I'm not married [never been] … so I can do what I want, when I want, etc. …

I'm very lucky. My wife's family lives back east and we plan trips back there around Historicon and ,most recently, Fall In.

She always ask when the con are. For that matter, she always make sure I have some side trip in any vacation.

None at all. In fact without my wife I wouldn't go to any as she does the driving due to my ill health. We tend to make a long weekend or a mini break of it and stay somewhere nice with a Spa. Both winners.

Www.carryingsonupthedale.com

Not that badly. I usually only do 3 or 4 cons per year,and a game club nearly every Saturday. I often tell her about how it all went down when I come home.

When Historicon moved to Fredericksberg my wife said it was only fair that I go and support it. Actually kids wear more of a problem.

Not at all.