$$$ and Sense

For those who care and are calculating how much money I'm spending... Attending MACE cost me around $500 (travel/hotel/car/food). I sold some books, but that doesn't even begin to defray the cost of publishing. At this level, it's not about profit. It's about doing what I love to do. I had a complete blast running the games at MACE for folks who never even heard of this game system before (and, besides, a trip to Vegas would have been 4x the expense....). The point is I'm doing what I love to do - and promoting my game system. It has nothing to do with $$$ and sense. Period.

If, for example, I opted to "do Vegas" and just soak in the sun and gamble at night. I would be down about $2000. Sure, I would get my "fix". The difference is... The BIG difference is that I interacted with other people who have an interactive interest in my hobby. I have done something real. When you go to a craps table, you don't get to know folks. Not really. You all just have a one-night stand around a game table. RPG-ing is different.

You meet people.

It's that simple.