"Does your spouse come with you to conventions?" Topic

A question that popped into my head while driving back from Little Wars.

I know that the answer is pretty much going to be an overwhelming "no", but I'm wondering for those that say "yes"
I am wondering if they are also active participants or do they do something else (such as a weekend vacay at the hotel, etc?).
(For sake of this question, we shall use "spouse" to indicate, "wife/girlfriend/fiancé/significant other, etc." and to keep the question simple, but it can mean "whoever that person is".

So. The questions is:

"Does your spouse come with you to conventions, and if so, does she participate?"

A: Yes she attends regularly with me to conventions and participates.

B: Yes she attends occasionally with me and participates.

C: Yes she attends with me, but doesn't participate, (hangs in the hotel, etc.)

D: Yes she attends with me, but does her own thing outside of the convention.

E: No she doesn't attend with me at all and has no interest whatsoever.

F: She doesn't like it when I go to conventions, even though I invite her.

G: I don't have a spouse.

H: This is ridiculous.

I: Not my cup of tea.

J: No opinion.

The answers are going to be different out here in the west. I get the impression back east you all have lots of small miniatures conventions, we have big and small all-gaming conventions. I don't know of any wargaming only conventions out here, outside of one run by a particular war game company. So the minis games are at the convention that has RPGs, board games, etc. So lots for wives to do other than historical minis. Conventions are different in different places, so that will skew the results.

Of course, that may not bear on the essence of the poll.

Also, I think you need a choice for "I don't go to conventions."

And for the lowest possible response in the polling:

"K: I hope to meet the woman who will become my wife at a wargaming convention."

A

E and F. And I get guilt daggers thrown at me when I do go

A. We will play games together, but she will usually play a different game if I am running one.

The one time I stayed over night at a convention the wife went with me. It was a toy soldier convention, not wargaming. She purchased me an Ideal Atomic Cannon, after all my money was spent and the show had closed, she went to the "bathroom" tracked down the seller and purchased it about 30 seconds before another guy was going to buy it.
She's a keeper.

Bunkermeister

My wife went with me for the last two Little Wars in Chicago. Primarily she went to see her cousin who lives only 10 minutes from the convention sight, so it was a chance to catch up with him.

If none of my regular gaming buddies can make a convention, she has gone with me, but works on her hobby on her computer while I'm doing games.

Kim

G

B

Andrew, that's the one I missed.

K: I don't go to conventions.

E
She did come with me once and we went out together and spent the night, then she went back the next day.

One year, I was sick and puny for the local convention, and she drove me up there, and gave me a chance to visit the dealers' room. Again, something of a keeper.

Grelber

E Hah to any other choice!

Way back in the 1990s, she came to a few while she was not having chemo. The first was a circuit that I did for Lou Zocchi of Game Science. We drove from Biloxi Ms to Seattle Washington for Enfilade park then went to San Francisco for Pacificon. We did do Historicon, Nashcon, and Augusta Siege as well as Bayou Wars when it was in Metairie La.
Sadly she is no longer with us.

G.

E

A, sometimes the same game, usually not

L. Yes she attends occasionally with me but does not participate.

A. Maybe A-, because she may only spend one day instead of all 4 (it's worth noting that that one day is likely be Saturday 8 am to 2 am).

B. My wife is one of the pioneers of female adventure gaming; playing wargames and D&D since the later 70s and worked at TSR Hobbies when I did as well as involved in our playtesting in the off hours. Here she is at the Dungeon Hobby Shop, Lake Geneva, WI, 1981.

Hell NO!

My wife has come with me to a few conventions where I have a flea market table. She knits or reads & makes sure I don't buy anything but sell stuff!

A. Cheers!

C, for the first time last year. She loved being able to relax in the hotel with no obligations or expectations aside from meeting me for lunch and dinner. And she helped me cart stuff in for the games I ran.

D. Surprised no one else does.

Well, I'm divorced. So this was never an issue. 😄

I have had significant others make a token appearance at a convention. No gaming and didn't stay long.

Before we had kids, my wife sometimes came by and had a look at conventions I attended (it helps the main one I attend takes place in our home city), but she never really participated.

E

Solid A. Although it took about 10 years. Prior to that she would usually help man (woman) our booth. She did start playing with my kids when they were younger. Fuzzy heroes, Silent Death, Battletech and the such.

After the kids got older she gravitated towards more of the "Individual Contributor" style of games. She loved airwar games, and racing games. She won Circus Maximus Tournaments at Garycon, and has over a dozen Formula De trophies. I would often have to drag her back to the room after 4 hours of Werewolf. (It started at midnight)

When she was not playing at Little Wars, she would help staff the Events desk. In her spare time she would be at the Paint-n-Take tables.

Before she passed 5 years ago, she would know as I many people as I did. Walking down a hallway would take forever as we would both greet people we knew.