NC Game Day - Important new info!
- Thread starter Rel
- Start date
Quasqueton
First Post
I don't know if I'll be able to make the game day this time. I'll try, but I probably shouldn't sign up for a game.
Just wanted to chime in on the subject (especially since Rel specifically pointed me here
Quasqueton
Just wanted to chime in on the subject (especially since Rel specifically pointed me here
Quasqueton
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Quasqueton said:I don't know if I'll be able to make the game day this time. I'll try, but I probably shouldn't sign up for a game.
Just wanted to chime in on the subject (especially since Rel specifically pointed me here
Quasqueton
Well we'll miss you if you can't make it. Hope you can find a way to join us but don't worry if you can't. NCGDIV will be just around the corner.
LGodamus said:Henry, I thought I was the only goof that did that...Oh well.
Bump also
Me also. Screwy, ain't it?
Anyway, for those in my Feng Shui game, know that Henry has decided to play an Everyman Hero and Hopping Vampire will most likely be portraying an Old Master. (<-- attempt to include actual contect relating to G-Day in post)
Lord Ravinous
First Post
Rel said:
I think I'll go with the "Big-game hunter", if it isn't already claimed that is.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
OK, gang. I need your attention and opinions once again, cause I'm a' fixin' to do a good bit of talkin'...
I had lunch today with Neal Haggard of Trinoc*coN. First off, he's a very nice guy and someone who I think would feel at home at any gaming table I've ever sat at. We discussed the possibilities for some sort of joint venture between the ENWorld NC Game Day and the folks at Trinoc*coN. What he proposed was this:
They have been able to secure space at Talley for the 31st of January in the Green Room and Brown Room (where NCGDII was held). As many of you will recall, this is directly adjacent to the Walnut Room that we'll be occupying. Neal indicated that they will likely try and set things up such that one of those rooms is dedicated to playing various board games and the other will be host to LAN computer games.
The LAN gaming room will be set up as a Bring Your Own Box venue where folks bring their computers from home and can use the table space and (I'm assuming) the network provided by the Trinoc*coN folks to play various games over this network. My understanding is that there will be no fee for this.
The board gaming room will feature the library of board games that they've been building up and you may check games out of this library for free by leaving your driver's license (if folks younger than 16 are present, I'm sure other arrangements can be made). Most of the games in this room will be multi-player along the lines of Settlers, Risk or Axis and Allies. They may also host some "Clix" games and it is possible that there may be a wargame or two in the mix as well.
Any and all ENWorld people who are there for the Game Day would get access to these games under the terms described above. What Neal would ask in return is if we would host some of their folks for roleplaying in the Walnut Room. It seems that Trinoc*coN has a fair following of RPGA people and the idea would be to allow for 2-3 tables that would host those sorts of games. If any of their members would like to participate in the games we've got running, they would need to sign up for them via this thread. If any of you would like to sign up for their games then we'll figure out a way to do that (I'm not very clear on the proceedures involving the RPGA. Neal indicated that there is no fee to join but beyond that I don't know what hoops you'd need to jump through.).
Neal has also been conversing with a group known as GAMER that (If I am understanding things correctly) are an NC State based gaming organization. What, if anything, additional to what I've outlined above, that they would bring to the event is unknown.
So, that's what's on the table.
Now, I've read some comments from folks here who have said things along the lines of "Let's leave things the way they are." or "I don't want the ENWorld gathering to be 'swallowed up' by a larger group." I am sensitive to those concerns and I promise that I'm not going to agree to anything that is not supported by at least the majority of the folks here. I sort of fell backwards into the job of organizing the ENWorld NC Game Days; you didn't elect me. So I'm not going to act unilaterally on this proposal.
First off, let me address what I think are the answers to the concerns above:
The kind of event being proposed by Trinoc*coN will not be happening every NC Game Day (even if we wanted it to). They are limited in when they can hold such events by their own schedule as well as other Cons scheduled within our general geographic area. Of the three events each year that we've proposed to hold, only the January date works out with them. So, even if everybody loves the idea, we're only looking at doing this once a year anyway. Therefore, in my opinion, I don't think the ENWorld NC Game Days are going to be in danger of losing their identity.
I also understand and agree with the idea that, for many of us, this is primarily a social occasion. Most of us get the chance to play roleplaying games on a fairly regular basis with our own groups. We don't often get the chance to play with all the other folks of ENWorld. None of that will change with what is proposed above. Furthermore, we also have the "pre" and "post" Game Day gatherings at "restaurant to be decided" on Friday (more about that in a minute) and Rock-Ola on Saturday night to interact in an unstructured social environment. I don't think that if we were to have a couple of tables occupied by fellow gamers (if not ENWorlders) in the capacious Walnut Room along with us that it is going to cramp our social style.
As for the point raised about being trampled or consumed by the larger event, I think this is a valid concern but remember we are going to retain control over who is and isn't going to be in the space we've reserved. Right now, we are going to be taking up 4 tables in the morning slot and 5 in the afternoon slot, assuming that we have a table running boardgames simultaneous to the roleplaying games. I've got it on good authority that another ENWorlder GM is about to sign on to run at least one additional game, possibly one in both slots. That still puts us at a maximum of 6 tables for right now. I think the Walnut Room can hold at least 8 large tables comfortably and so we've got a bit of surplus. That said, I want to allow for a bit of vacancy so that if we have any late sign ups and walk-ins that we'll have some room for them to play.
Also with regards to the issue of letting in "strangers", I'll point out that this isn't precisely the case. At least a couple of the people who would be attending the RPGA games under the Trinoc*coN banner (Jenna3 and her husband Mayhawk) attended the first NC Game Day and got along great with the rest of us. Some of the people who came last time had posted little or none on the boards prior to attending the Game Day and this was the case with the first Game Day as well.
All of that said, I'm not trying to act as though I've refuted every possible objection to us joining forces with Trinoc*coN for a once-per-year event. There may be others that I haven't addressed and it may be that you feel that I have not argued away any objections you have raised previously. If there's anything I didn't cover or you still don't like the idea, please let me know in the next few days.
Now for the benefits I perceive us deriving from such an event (I'm quite sure I'll leave some out here):
Right off the bat I can see that we're currently pretty full in term of space in the games already scheduled. Even if another game or two opens up, that's likely to still be the case. If people had the option of playing more board games, LAN gaming or getting in on one of the RPGA games, it might ease our crowding a bit. Another possibility is to move our board gaming table into their board gaming room and leave the Walnut Room as exclusively RPG territory.
We here at ENWorld are all so darn likeable that any of the Trinoc*coN people who are exposed to us will almost certainly want to join our site . That means more traffic and possible donations for Morrus and more local gamers affiliated with ENWorld. And there's likely to be some crossover in the other direction too. Maybe you're interested in finding out more about the RPGA or want to play some Clix games with a new group or have been dying to totally own somebody at Quake over the LAN. Those would be good connections to make.
And that brings me to the biggest potential plus: Just meeting new gamers. I'm not kidding when I say that Neal was a very nice guy. It took us a bit to get down to dicussing the Game Day particulars because we were having a great conversation about gaming in general. I've met some fantastic people through ENWorld and the Game Days but I'm under no illusions that ENWorld is the only source of great folks who also happen to be gamers of one stripe or another.
So there you have it. I'm clearly in favor of us trying out a joint Game Day with the Trinoc*coN folks under the plan outlined above. If we try it and it turns out to not be as much fun then we won't do it again next year. With us retaining control over what happens in the Walnut Room and occupying the majority of that space, it seems like very little risk for a great deal of potential gain. But if you feel differently I'm happy to hear and respect your opinion as well.
One final and relatively unimportant matter that needs your comment:
I've spoken to the owner of a local restaurant called Errico's. It's an Italian place in Cary and it has several things going for it that I think serve our needs for the "Pre-Game Day Get Together". The food there is excellent and reasonably priced. You can order an individual meal like a pasta dish or go in together with some friends and get a pizza. The menu selection should be varied enough to satisfy the vegetarians and the meat lovers. Most of their customers are local families and therefore the place clears out quite a bit by around 8:00, leaving plenty of space to the likes of us. Moreover, they have a "back room" that's fairly private and I can arrange to have us sat there.
If we want the private room exclusively for our group then we need 25 people. I'm doubting that we'll get that many to sign up. But the owner assured me that if we indicate that our group wants to sit there together that he will put us there and won't book another group to use the private room for that night. That means that at most we'd have a handful of other patrons joining us in the same room.
If that sounds like you think it would work, please let me know. I need to call back to make our reservation as soon as I can to save us a slot in the private room.
I had lunch today with Neal Haggard of Trinoc*coN. First off, he's a very nice guy and someone who I think would feel at home at any gaming table I've ever sat at. We discussed the possibilities for some sort of joint venture between the ENWorld NC Game Day and the folks at Trinoc*coN. What he proposed was this:
They have been able to secure space at Talley for the 31st of January in the Green Room and Brown Room (where NCGDII was held). As many of you will recall, this is directly adjacent to the Walnut Room that we'll be occupying. Neal indicated that they will likely try and set things up such that one of those rooms is dedicated to playing various board games and the other will be host to LAN computer games.
The LAN gaming room will be set up as a Bring Your Own Box venue where folks bring their computers from home and can use the table space and (I'm assuming) the network provided by the Trinoc*coN folks to play various games over this network. My understanding is that there will be no fee for this.
The board gaming room will feature the library of board games that they've been building up and you may check games out of this library for free by leaving your driver's license (if folks younger than 16 are present, I'm sure other arrangements can be made). Most of the games in this room will be multi-player along the lines of Settlers, Risk or Axis and Allies. They may also host some "Clix" games and it is possible that there may be a wargame or two in the mix as well.
Any and all ENWorld people who are there for the Game Day would get access to these games under the terms described above. What Neal would ask in return is if we would host some of their folks for roleplaying in the Walnut Room. It seems that Trinoc*coN has a fair following of RPGA people and the idea would be to allow for 2-3 tables that would host those sorts of games. If any of their members would like to participate in the games we've got running, they would need to sign up for them via this thread. If any of you would like to sign up for their games then we'll figure out a way to do that (I'm not very clear on the proceedures involving the RPGA. Neal indicated that there is no fee to join but beyond that I don't know what hoops you'd need to jump through.).
Neal has also been conversing with a group known as GAMER that (If I am understanding things correctly) are an NC State based gaming organization. What, if anything, additional to what I've outlined above, that they would bring to the event is unknown.
So, that's what's on the table.
Now, I've read some comments from folks here who have said things along the lines of "Let's leave things the way they are." or "I don't want the ENWorld gathering to be 'swallowed up' by a larger group." I am sensitive to those concerns and I promise that I'm not going to agree to anything that is not supported by at least the majority of the folks here. I sort of fell backwards into the job of organizing the ENWorld NC Game Days; you didn't elect me. So I'm not going to act unilaterally on this proposal.
First off, let me address what I think are the answers to the concerns above:
The kind of event being proposed by Trinoc*coN will not be happening every NC Game Day (even if we wanted it to). They are limited in when they can hold such events by their own schedule as well as other Cons scheduled within our general geographic area. Of the three events each year that we've proposed to hold, only the January date works out with them. So, even if everybody loves the idea, we're only looking at doing this once a year anyway. Therefore, in my opinion, I don't think the ENWorld NC Game Days are going to be in danger of losing their identity.
I also understand and agree with the idea that, for many of us, this is primarily a social occasion. Most of us get the chance to play roleplaying games on a fairly regular basis with our own groups. We don't often get the chance to play with all the other folks of ENWorld. None of that will change with what is proposed above. Furthermore, we also have the "pre" and "post" Game Day gatherings at "restaurant to be decided" on Friday (more about that in a minute) and Rock-Ola on Saturday night to interact in an unstructured social environment. I don't think that if we were to have a couple of tables occupied by fellow gamers (if not ENWorlders) in the capacious Walnut Room along with us that it is going to cramp our social style.
As for the point raised about being trampled or consumed by the larger event, I think this is a valid concern but remember we are going to retain control over who is and isn't going to be in the space we've reserved. Right now, we are going to be taking up 4 tables in the morning slot and 5 in the afternoon slot, assuming that we have a table running boardgames simultaneous to the roleplaying games. I've got it on good authority that another ENWorlder GM is about to sign on to run at least one additional game, possibly one in both slots. That still puts us at a maximum of 6 tables for right now. I think the Walnut Room can hold at least 8 large tables comfortably and so we've got a bit of surplus. That said, I want to allow for a bit of vacancy so that if we have any late sign ups and walk-ins that we'll have some room for them to play.
Also with regards to the issue of letting in "strangers", I'll point out that this isn't precisely the case. At least a couple of the people who would be attending the RPGA games under the Trinoc*coN banner (Jenna3 and her husband Mayhawk) attended the first NC Game Day and got along great with the rest of us. Some of the people who came last time had posted little or none on the boards prior to attending the Game Day and this was the case with the first Game Day as well.
All of that said, I'm not trying to act as though I've refuted every possible objection to us joining forces with Trinoc*coN for a once-per-year event. There may be others that I haven't addressed and it may be that you feel that I have not argued away any objections you have raised previously. If there's anything I didn't cover or you still don't like the idea, please let me know in the next few days.
Now for the benefits I perceive us deriving from such an event (I'm quite sure I'll leave some out here):
Right off the bat I can see that we're currently pretty full in term of space in the games already scheduled. Even if another game or two opens up, that's likely to still be the case. If people had the option of playing more board games, LAN gaming or getting in on one of the RPGA games, it might ease our crowding a bit. Another possibility is to move our board gaming table into their board gaming room and leave the Walnut Room as exclusively RPG territory.
We here at ENWorld are all so darn likeable that any of the Trinoc*coN people who are exposed to us will almost certainly want to join our site
. That means more traffic and possible donations for Morrus and more local gamers affiliated with ENWorld. And there's likely to be some crossover in the other direction too. Maybe you're interested in finding out more about the RPGA or want to play some Clix games with a new group or have been dying to totally own somebody at Quake over the LAN. Those would be good connections to make.And that brings me to the biggest potential plus: Just meeting new gamers. I'm not kidding when I say that Neal was a very nice guy. It took us a bit to get down to dicussing the Game Day particulars because we were having a great conversation about gaming in general. I've met some fantastic people through ENWorld and the Game Days but I'm under no illusions that ENWorld is the only source of great folks who also happen to be gamers of one stripe or another.
So there you have it. I'm clearly in favor of us trying out a joint Game Day with the Trinoc*coN folks under the plan outlined above. If we try it and it turns out to not be as much fun then we won't do it again next year. With us retaining control over what happens in the Walnut Room and occupying the majority of that space, it seems like very little risk for a great deal of potential gain. But if you feel differently I'm happy to hear and respect your opinion as well.
One final and relatively unimportant matter that needs your comment:
I've spoken to the owner of a local restaurant called Errico's. It's an Italian place in Cary and it has several things going for it that I think serve our needs for the "Pre-Game Day Get Together". The food there is excellent and reasonably priced. You can order an individual meal like a pasta dish or go in together with some friends and get a pizza. The menu selection should be varied enough to satisfy the vegetarians and the meat lovers. Most of their customers are local families and therefore the place clears out quite a bit by around 8:00, leaving plenty of space to the likes of us. Moreover, they have a "back room" that's fairly private and I can arrange to have us sat there.
If we want the private room exclusively for our group then we need 25 people. I'm doubting that we'll get that many to sign up. But the owner assured me that if we indicate that our group wants to sit there together that he will put us there and won't book another group to use the private room for that night. That means that at most we'd have a handful of other patrons joining us in the same room.
If that sounds like you think it would work, please let me know. I need to call back to make our reservation as soon as I can to save us a slot in the private room.
Jon Potter
First Post
I don't have a stamp, but I'm okay with this as well.
As someone who doesn't get to sit down and play roleplaying games on a regular basis, I'm somewhat hesitant to endorse drawing the focus away to board and computer games. That being said, just because neither of those two activities interest me, that doesn't mean that others won't get jazzed about them AND roleplaying games.
Anyhoo, Rel, for someone who "fell backwards into the job" you're doing great from where I sit.
Despite Cary's "Bermuda Triangle" effect that seems to strike dead my ability to navigate within the city limits, you can count me in for the Friday evening dinner.
As someone who doesn't get to sit down and play roleplaying games on a regular basis, I'm somewhat hesitant to endorse drawing the focus away to board and computer games. That being said, just because neither of those two activities interest me, that doesn't mean that others won't get jazzed about them AND roleplaying games.
Anyhoo, Rel, for someone who "fell backwards into the job" you're doing great from where I sit.
Despite Cary's "Bermuda Triangle" effect that seems to strike dead my ability to navigate within the city limits, you can count me in for the Friday evening dinner.
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