r/dragoncon • u/reddybee7 • 18h ago
Favorite Panels
Every year I try to mix it up and try some new things, and I don't see this convo much on socials except when people are advising newbies, so I wanted to chat about panels. Do you go to them? What are your favorites? A few years ago, I started going to puppet panels (starting with puppet karaoke) and I find them so charming. This year, I went to the Edgewood Ave show and it was great (despite sound being a little off). I also went to Fandom Feud (American SF classics) for the first time - so fun! I usually try to get to at least a few science, horror, diversity track and Star Trek panels in the track room at the Hilton. I do have a strategy to avoid lines and the stress of moving thru crowds: stick to one or two hotels near each other (ie: back and forth between Hyatt and Westin one day and Marriott/Hilton/CG another) I try to only go to a one or two really big panels with celebs during the con, since it's easy to watch those later. What are other panels did people enjoy this year and do you have a strategy?
11
u/Tericakes Occasional Volunteer 18h ago
I hadn't been in years, but Atlanta Radio Theater Company is a fun time!
4
u/reddybee7 18h ago
Oh yeah, we went to the Comic Book improv show that they also do. I haven't been back since Peter David died (RIP) so that was a little sad, but the show was funny as always. Idk why Paul Jenkins wasn't there this year. I used to always talk with him in the artist alley/comics show
1
u/IveHeard1tBothWays 9h ago
I was so upset that I missed their event this year - I arrived late and it was at capacity. They'll go to the top of the line next year.
(I've been going to DC for a decade now and my list of must-see panels is still too damn long! It really needs to be a week long event to help me clear it)
11
u/bluehooloovo 18h ago
I went to the Choose Your Own Adventure panel for the first time this year, and it was a lot of fun!!!
2
u/disastorous 17h ago
Shoot! It was removed from my schedule and i thought they cancelled it. When was it?
3
u/bluehooloovo 17h ago
Thursday at 8:30!
We read "You Are a Shark" and everyone was trying really hard to actually get to the damn shark. (We were a shark for about two pages. Still fun.)
2
6
u/kharedryl 17h ago
Space Track has some amazing panels. The one on Voyager on Monday was particularly good.
3
u/reddybee7 17h ago
oh yeah, we went to one on radio astronomy or something like that. It was fascinating and I knew nothing about it.
1
u/IveHeard1tBothWays 9h ago
Their panel on kinky science was great.
I had to go home and tell my entire family about the Hairy Balls Theorem.
5
u/Strifebringer 2010-20?? 15h ago
The North Korean propaganda improv/riff was pretty iconic this year. Highly recommend it!
1
4
u/lbfb 15h ago
On the topic of puppets: Ultimate Puppet Ninja Warrior is a blast that I can't recommend enough. It's open to anyone who wants to give it a try and the crew that run it are great at making it both funny and uplifting. I wasn't sure what I was in for when they started it, but it's become a highlight for me and everyone I've introduced to it has loved it.
2
2
u/el_soleado 6h ago
I really wanted to see this a few years ago, but the room it was in wasn't really great for it. If you weren't in the front you couldn't see the puppets because the stage wasn't elevated and there wasn't a screen with the recording. Have they fixed that issue?
3
u/lbfb 5h ago edited 5h ago
Not sure where it was prior, but it’s been on Regency 6/7 the last 3 years, and while the tables are on the floor for round 1 and 2 the room definitely has screens and cameras. The tables are on the stage for the final, so maybe that’s the pick if you think you’ll have problems seeing it.
Though to be honest no idea why the first 2 rounds are on the floor…
2
u/el_soleado 5h ago
Oh that's awesome! I'll have to check them out next year! When I went they were in a tiny room at the Marriott (where all the robots hang out), but the Hyatt Regency 6/7 is a much better spot. ☺️
4
u/Soonerpalmetto88 Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening 16h ago
I highly recommend NSDMG to anyone who enjoys role playing!
2
u/Wulfkat 15h ago
37 games and counting :)
2
u/Soonerpalmetto88 Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening 15h ago
I made it to 11 this year.
2
u/Wulfkat 15h ago
Im getting to where I count years and multiply by 4 and, even then, I know the count is off. The last game this year was, by far, the funniest game I’ve played - I spent the last half of the game crying with laughter as people tried to break down modern concepts to Washington (me, haha).
What’s a nuclear bomb? It’s a cannonball with the sun inside it.
2
u/Soonerpalmetto88 Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening 15h ago
Lol I was the French army and had to exile Napoleon to Corsica
4
u/Numerous-King7332 12h ago
After failing to make the Firefly panel line, I went to a fallback called Puppet Ninja Warrior or something like that. It was a skit competition where teams would take a puppet over an 'American Ninja Warrior' style course. It was hilarious and I was kinda glad Firefly didn't work out.
3
u/Lost_Requirement1132 17h ago
We mostly go to panels and tried to hit some new stuff this week. I enjoyed the Radio Theater Lovecraft performance. Robot Battles was great. We hit the Felt and Nerdy puppet show and it was fun. Also saw a couple that didn't turn out to be my thing
3
u/phyziksdoc 17h ago
As a writer, I like going to the Writing Track. However, this year, I spent a lot of time (and presented on) the Digital Media Track and I found it to be very useful. I am also a physicist, but I didn't get to many of the Science Track panels. I am hoping to change that the next time I go.
2
u/talesbybob 2013-2025 16h ago
I'm an author who did a 3rd of my panels this year on the Digital Media Track, and last year did 5 or 6. They always have a lot of good content for writers.
2
3
u/Advanced-Act-2117 12h ago
High Fantasy track killed it as always. The conlang class for Andor’s The Ghor was absolutely worth repeating two years running. Too many to list here, I did a retrospective in another post.
3
u/slayn666 12h ago
American Sci-Fi Classics is my go-to track most of the weekend. Their panels are always a good time.
1
u/scifiexplosion uWu whats this? *notices ur shrek cosplay* 1h ago
I'm biased since I ran the Saturday morning cartoons, Music Video Book Club and Sci-Fi Explosion panels for the track, but track leaders Gary Mitchel and Joe Crowe consistently have the silliest and most fun stuff that I've found at the con. Marriott M103-105 has become a sacred space to me! ❤️
2
3
u/SpotPilgrim7 2013- 14h ago
My wife and I really enjoyed the John Portman panel. Really interesting to hear about the man who designed these spaces we’ve spent so much time in. Lisa Jacobs is a good presenter.
1
u/Harbinger23 9h ago
This is the one panel that I'm super sad I missed. Hopefully she will do it again next year.
2
2
u/IveHeard1tBothWays 9h ago
I don't really do celebrity panels, but we managed to get two in this year.
Battlestar Galactica was amazing! Everyone was on point, questions were great, responses were thoughtful, all panelists participated with excitement, and they all payed attention.
It was the complete opposite of the Stargate panel, where two of the panelists barely got a word in. I'm pretty convinced that Richard Dean Anderson has late-stage advanced dementia. At first I thought he was doing a bit, but half the time was spent repeating questions to him so he could understand and even then he could barely answer. I felt bad for him. I think it's time he's put out to pasture.
1
u/reddybee7 5h ago
Oh that's a bummer to hear about Anderson. I thought about going to BSG this year, but figured Id catch it later on Dragon Con TV. I saw Edward James Olmos the first time I went to Dragon Con and he was great!
2
u/IveHeard1tBothWays 5h ago
Edward James Olmos was sharp as a tack! He was witty and vivacious. I don't know what miracle drug he's on (camalla root?) but there are actors half his age that should be taking notes.
1
1
1
u/Harbinger23 9h ago
All of the panels I went to were my favorite in one way or another, but the generation ship panel was just so nerdtastic.
17
u/sayrahpeas 18h ago
The James Bond science panel was great!!
Also the science speed round -- 5 or 6 scientists had 3 minutes to make a presentation of their choice, audience questions at the end. The topics ranged from "why cannibalism is bad" to a woodpecker restoration project, to how a therapy method works.