Chicago Gameday XVIII Planning Thread: Nov 10th is our date

[Reidzilla]

I think this adds a layer of complication to sign-up that I just don't want to deal with.

Cool.

There's four problems I see with this.

I can see your points. I just thought it was worth mentioning.

Another option might be returning to four Gamedays a year. I.e., lessen demand by increasing frequency.

I think this is a fine idea. Considering the overall turn-out and the minimal cost for participants, it don't see where any kester chompage would occur. Obviously Curt would have final say.

So maybe:
February
May
August
November

 

[buzz]

I can see your points. I just thought it was worth mentioning.

And it was! I just don't think it fits our needs as well as the current setup.

 

[FCWesel]

Okay, Curt and I just spent about an hour or so brainstorming the idea...

First, Curt said that the 10:30 end time is not a problem, and that he likes the three slot idea...

However] he brought a likely scenario issue, a problem with that set-up, and I think he's right. The middle slot will be flooded and, in the end will likley drive folks away from the games. Here's why. Folks will like to play 2-3 of the slots. If they play 2 slots, they will come in the Morning and Afternoon, or the Afternoon and Evening. Meaning the Afternoon slot would get double-teamed. So folks are going to "fight" to get into afternoon slots and if some folks can and some cannot... In all, I think Curt's right. Three slots would be cool, but I think we'd end up losing players. (Also, the evening slot would likely not be that populated...evening games as they stand now are often lacking in bodies at the table.)

Curt also brought up another thing to consider. If it is an issue of sound level/attendance numbers, we might as well as fill every table in the place (9+Private room) because no matter what, those tables are going to get filled whether it is by us or by a bunch of "walk in" mini-guys or card players, or whatever.

So, my suggestion would be to go with 4-6 players at a table, filling the tables. There are plenty of "event days" that take up the back room, why not Game Day?


FCWesel

(I think flooding into the showroom would be a bad idea.)
(4 Game Days a year might be pushing it, I don't know. Trying it for a year might be the only way to find out, really.)

 

[FCWesel]

Buzz, I know folks will probably want to throw dice at me for saying this, but I wouldn't mind dropping the "swag thing" entirely.

It has long since become little more than a closet-cleaning contest of a sorts and the 30 minutes (at least) of time watching people walk up and pick something off of a table when we could be playing just seems a waste.

It would be different if we were talking about true prize support, and in times when somethig was available as "a true prize" a simple ticket-drawing-auction thing could easily be done in a few moments. Or in the case if there was a prize for a specific game, it should be awarded to those players who attended the events.

For me, Game Day is about meeting folks and seeing friends and PLAYING games...not the swag, so I wouldn't mind it fading off.

IF we did do away with the Swag Thing, we could run the morning slot at 9:30 to 2:30; break for lunch from 2:30 to 3:30; and run the afternoon even from 3:30 to 8:30. Same amount of time for games, nice 5-hour sessions. Plus the last game ending a bit earlier lets folks who rely on the train to get home.

Just a few thoughts.


(I know a few Game Days ago Mark (iirc) went on a crusade about how folks should not be bringing a bunch of snacks to share because it hurt Games Plus' sales. Is the "swag thing" any different then that?)

.

 

[Pbartender]

(I know a few Game Days ago Mark (iirc) went on a crusade about how folks should not be bringing a bunch of snacks to share because it hurt Games Plus' sales. Is the "swag thing" any different then that

Not exactly... I've run across older stuff on the swag table (stuff like an Isle of Dread module, an original Fiend Folio or a BD&D red book) that'd I'd been looking for for a long time, and had a hard time finding. At least for me, the swag table's never had any bearing on how much I spend in the store. For example, the $40 I would have spent on the Firefly RPG meant that I could buy $40 worth of something else from the store.

That said, it has become more of a "swap meet" than a "swag table". I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but if that's what's become, then maybe that's what we should treat it like. If people want to bring old stuff and trade around, I don't see why they can't. The sign up thread (especially after sign-ups slow down), would be a fine place to advertise what you're bringing to swap or calling dibs on what others are bringing. The actual swapping can take place between the games or during lunch on the swapper's own time. I don't think there's any good reason to set aside a specific time for that sort of thing.

 

[Nev the Deranged]

K, I don't remember if I said it before, but dibs on the table by the whiteboard for my game. I recently had to discard my portable whiteboard due to using off-brand markers that did not wipe clean (d'oh!)

Game details:

It Was a Mutual Decision

Whose fault was it? Anyone's? Who's the bad guy (or gal)? Either? Both?

Is my lover really an inhuman, pest-ridden, murderous, shape-changing monster?

Don't pretend you never asked those questions.

Breaking up isn't hard to do— but staying alive and sane might be a problem.

6 Players, ONE OF WHOM IS ME, so 5 actual sign up slots.
FURTHER: At least 2 players must be female. More is fine, but 2 is the minimum.

Players need bring nothing but themselves and maybe a little willingness to push their boundaries.

 

[Mark]

(I know a few Game Days ago Mark (iirc) went on a crusade (. . .)

Nope. I was asked to address the issue. From now on Curt and Buzz need to communicate on issues like snack, pop, prizes and whatnot. I won't be in the middle of that anymore. I don't care for the negative feedback I seem to be attracting.


I just want to GM. I'd like to simply run the two events I have planned, the first being a d20/OGL Mass Combat/Naval Rules variant that would play out as two scenarios, one naval, one mass combat, each taking about half of the current planned slot. The second scenario is a d20 Medieval Fantasy hybrid that anyone playing current d20 rules will have no trouble jumping in and playing, but the scenario for it is involved and immersive.


If you go to three slots, which I do not recommend, please extend my second game in the private room over the second and third slots. As I mentioned up thread, I chose the second slot for that game because it purports to be a longer than usual scenario, a bit longer than the five hour slots we current have, which has never been a problem when played in a second slot situation. Cutting it to four hours and shunting it to the middle slot won't work, so it would need to roll over two slots and likely end around eightish or eight-thirty. Thanks.

 

[FCWesel]

I don't think that the three-slot thing would work, for the reasons that Curt and I discussed earlier that I noted. The middle slot would be overtaxed, and then probably negatively impact the morning and afternoon slots. (I like the idea of three slots, but I think it just wouldn't work out.)

Mark, I certainly agree with you that good communication is always a must! As a generous host of free space, Curt and Games Plus should not feel bad making what ever requests they need to make. Curt is a friend to many of us, but he's also a buisnessman who needs to pay his own bills and employees.

As I said in the begining of this particular line of thought: I am more interested in devoting any and all time to playing games rather then "wasting" it on the swag thing. The after-thought equation of Swag to the Snacks "issue" was just to compare that if one hurt the store, why might not the other...to evoke discussion about it. I could be totally off base on it, Curt would probably be the guy who would know if it even does or does not.

Curt just needs to get a bigger location.

 

[Ninjacat]

Wow, the thread got all... ..thinky. Though I suppose that's better for a Planning thread than a Sign-up thread, eh? Anyway.

Floyd, I'm not gonna throw dice at you (though isn't that just a different way of gaining swag? huh? Huh? ), in fact, I rather agree. Swag and prizes are fun, sure, but playing games and shopping The World's Greatest Game Store and visiting with peeps I rarely-if-ever see otherwise is more fun. I like the swag-swap/prize-table, but I wouldn't really miss it if it were gone, either.

I second Pbar's suggestion, that if it's JUST a swap meet, people can do that amongst themselves during the meal/shopping break. Floyd's idea of shortening the break and starting the afternoon slot a half-hour earlier isn't bad, if games run long (*cough*Rob*cough*) people have that half-hour more buffer... ..on the other hand, I can say from personal experience that I wouldn't mind the break being just a touch longer. I always feel rushed while shopping, or chatting with folks and then the Prize Table starts up and I don't have time to shop, etc. etc. So if the Prize Table were more limited, say a fifteen-minute thing for people to do their semi-pre-arranged swapping, or just those who wanted to participated, whatever, that could be doable, too. The tall Prize Table itself still makes a good meeting place for that sort of activity, but it doesn't need to "interrupt" the other goings-on.

Another possibility -particularly if we go to four GameDays, which I would not mind at ALL- would be perhaps keeping the schedule as is and eliminating the Prize Table as already detailed... ..except one GameDay a year go ahead and do the Prize Table just like we've been doing, perhaps the November GD for pseudo-holiday relativity, or something. That way the swap meets are either done on their own time, or they wait for once a year, so that it ends up that much more of An Event and perhaps a higher perception of worth to the recycled items, rather than simply making jokes in the wrap-up thread about whoever ends up with the Synnibarr book THIS time. And of course, if there were True Prizes as well as recycled previously owned stuff Once A Year, it would make it that much more anticipated and/or appreciated.
[/$.02]

Oh, and Pbar? Yeah some people have issues with standing, but the greater worry is that if ALL your players are standing around the Dread table, sooner or later someone's going to forget and lean on it. Of course, that could be your clever plan...

 

[Ninjacat]

Buzz, my event description:


Supernatural (Unisystem/WitchCraft): "Best Laid Lines of Demons and Men"

Things are getting bad in the Midwest. Supernatural trouble has been increasing all across the board, with no distinct pattern anyone has been able to detect. It makes for good business at the Roadhouse, so many hunters passing through and in the area that Ellen has to make extra supply orders just to keep up, but the problem is that things seem to be getting worse, not better. When an old friend of the Winchesters calls from Kansas saying there's big trouble on the way, it's the only lead that's available...

Best Laid Lines of Demons and Men is a Unisystem adventure for up to six players in the setting of the CW's "Supernatural" television show. Thirteen pre-generated characters will be available to choose from, including some from the show (sorry, none of the Winchesters are player characters, nor is Ellen.) Unisystem is a simple system to learn and use, needing only 1d10 for all rolls other than damage. No familiarity with the Supernatural tv show is needed -though it might well prove useful. All you need to know is that ghosts, demons, hauntings, possession, etc. are real, and some people fight back against the supernatural. Saving people, hunting things...

Buzz, I'd like to make a post with the available characters and have it linked to my event description in the sign-up thread once it goes live active (probably BEFORE live sign-up, so people can peruse it, same idea as opening sign-ups at a specific time, right?), like we did last time. What's the best way to accomplish that, if the sign-ups aren't going to be active when the thread is started? Should I post that here and leave it to you to cut and paste, or how do we make that work?