Conventions, Gamedays, Etc
MrFilthyIke
First Post
As a player I enjoy them. Never GM'ed one though.
dinoboy
First Post
Conventions can be a great time (but this is really has as much to do with how you go into it as what is there)
Been to a few gamedays (as a player) at a local store and really enjoyed them. Maybe not so much for the gaming as for the company. With large groups of players all new to each other (well, many new anyway) things usually get off to a slow start and can get bogged down waiting for 10 people to throw their dice (certainly this depends on attendance). But I made some new friends and got some new ideas for both DMing and playing. That sort of thing alone makes it worth it.
Overall, I prefered the gameday
Been to a few gamedays (as a player) at a local store and really enjoyed them. Maybe not so much for the gaming as for the company. With large groups of players all new to each other (well, many new anyway) things usually get off to a slow start and can get bogged down waiting for 10 people to throw their dice (certainly this depends on attendance). But I made some new friends and got some new ideas for both DMing and playing. That sort of thing alone makes it worth it.
Overall, I prefered the gameday
Last edited:
Rodrigo Istalindir
Explorer
Overwhelmingly positive. I've been involved in several ENWorld gamedays, and they've all been a ton of fun. We've got another one coming up in October. The ENWorld get-togethers at GenCon are also great -- it's like going home again (in a good way). Even the official games I've been in were pretty good, and considering it'st just a random bunch of strangers thrown together, you can't ask for much more.
From an organizational standpoint, location is usually the hardest thing to nail down. At the first one we had out at UMd there were probably 50+ ENWorld-affiliated people, plus a bunch of UMd students. Hard to find a place to accomodate that many and not have it cost you an arm and a leg. Our next one will be in my apartment's rec room. I really hope it works well, as it is reasonably priced and generally accessible, and should accomodate 30-40 people with no trouble.
The first one or two I just played. I DM more often than not when I have a regular group
so I really really liked getting to just play. Since then I've usually DM'd one session, though, as I felt some obligation to return the favor and let others play. There's definitely a different feel to DMing and playing in gameday games. Both parties need to just relax a little. The players need to trust the DM not to screw them over or make things needlessly hard. The DM needs to be reasonable in his expectations, and be able to accomodate different playstyles and personalities and skill levels.
From an organizational standpoint, location is usually the hardest thing to nail down. At the first one we had out at UMd there were probably 50+ ENWorld-affiliated people, plus a bunch of UMd students. Hard to find a place to accomodate that many and not have it cost you an arm and a leg. Our next one will be in my apartment's rec room. I really hope it works well, as it is reasonably priced and generally accessible, and should accomodate 30-40 people with no trouble.
The first one or two I just played. I DM more often than not when I have a regular group
so I really really liked getting to just play. Since then I've usually DM'd one session, though, as I felt some obligation to return the favor and let others play. There's definitely a different feel to DMing and playing in gameday games. Both parties need to just relax a little. The players need to trust the DM not to screw them over or make things needlessly hard. The DM needs to be reasonable in his expectations, and be able to accomodate different playstyles and personalities and skill levels.
Last edited:
GlassJaw
Hero
Very positive as well. I've been to 5-6 game days and GenCon 2 years ago (this year will be my second GC). I've mostly played but have run a couple of times at gamedays.
From a gaming perspective, everything has been great. Some games are better than others of course but overall very good. The only time I played a game that wasn't very good had nothing to do with the fact that it was at a gameday/con - the GM just wasn't good, plain and simple.
The only negative experience I've had is when the location of the gathering wasn't big enough to handle the amount of people adequately and, to put it gently, the location really wasn't "prepared" for guests. I'll just leave it at that.
I was really surprised with my gaming experience at GenCon. I went 2 years ago for the first time and I played a LOT (my first day I never even went in the vendor hall - I gamed from 8AM - 8PM
), mostly registered events too. Only one experience was so-so and that's because we waited for one of the players who we shouldn't have waited for. The game ended up being pretty good though.
This year I'm going to try to fraternize more with EN Worlders but I registered for some events as well.
From a gaming perspective, everything has been great. Some games are better than others of course but overall very good. The only time I played a game that wasn't very good had nothing to do with the fact that it was at a gameday/con - the GM just wasn't good, plain and simple.
The only negative experience I've had is when the location of the gathering wasn't big enough to handle the amount of people adequately and, to put it gently, the location really wasn't "prepared" for guests. I'll just leave it at that.
I was really surprised with my gaming experience at GenCon. I went 2 years ago for the first time and I played a LOT (my first day I never even went in the vendor hall - I gamed from 8AM - 8PM
), mostly registered events too. Only one experience was so-so and that's because we waited for one of the players who we shouldn't have waited for. The game ended up being pretty good though.This year I'm going to try to fraternize more with EN Worlders but I registered for some events as well.
Varianor Abroad
Explorer
I love 'em. I mainly DM, but have occasionally played. I have never organized one. Essentially, I wish that I didn't have the many drags on my time that I do (or rather I wish that I could go despite them) so that I could go to one every month!
The best thing about it? Putting names to screen names. Uh, faces to names. Board faces to...you get the picture. That and having a great time running a game that you probably wouldn't get a chance to do with your regular group.
The drawbacks? Travel. Coordinating can take time. Scheduling, particularly when people cancel at the last minute. (I ran a tourney and a couple DMs just...disappeared. Fortunately, we had a plan in place already for that.)
The rewards? Gaming with great people and having a great time.
The best thing about it? Putting names to screen names. Uh, faces to names. Board faces to...you get the picture. That and having a great time running a game that you probably wouldn't get a chance to do with your regular group.
The drawbacks? Travel. Coordinating can take time. Scheduling, particularly when people cancel at the last minute. (I ran a tourney and a couple DMs just...disappeared. Fortunately, we had a plan in place already for that.)
The rewards? Gaming with great people and having a great time.
Zaruthustran
The tingling means it’s working!
The Penny Arcade Expo is a tremendous amount of work, but I love running it. Mainly because everyone has such a good time. Googling "PAX" and reading blog posts and comments, watching youtubes, and so on always puts a smile on my face.
The_Universe
First Post
You may have posted this elsewhere, but how are you affiliated with PAX? We've got friends that make the pilgrimmage every year, and they say only good things!
Zaruthustran
The tingling means it’s working!
The_Universe said:You may have posted this elsewhere, but how are you affiliated with PAX? We've got friends that make the pilgrimmage every year, and they say only good things!
Yes I am! I'm one of the two business guys at PA; I help plan and run the show. Thanks for the kind words--we try our best to throw a good party.
Are your buddies part of one of the cross-country Supertrips? The West Coast Train Trip sounds like a really good time.
Henry
Autoexreginated
Another "Overwhelmingly Positive" here, with very few negatives. Most gamedays start out being an attempt by each participant to have fun, and it tends to minimize them "harshing the fun" on any of the other participants, usually. These days, I've made so many acquaintences and friends at gamedays and online that gamedays and conventions are like small family reunions instead of conventions full of strangers.
Similar Threads
