Tallarn's GenConUK Report! (now with photo link)
- Thread starter Mathew_Freeman
- Start date
darrell I
First Post
What went wrong? Just how long have you got?
OK, from the top (as I see it), the event was over Easter, as everybody has commented. Peter Adkisin insists than when he announed this last year, only one person pointed out what a bad idea it was, so he wasnt too bothered. Now he accepts it was a bad idea, and a mistake he doesn't want to make again (available venue space allowing). This meant that as well as being players down, we were down DMs too, and the scenarios for that matter.
Gen Con LLC were running their first event, and as such were bedding in their systems and staff. Most of those running arround in Event Team T-shirts were brought in from the 'States (us up on the 3rd floor being the exceptions) and many of them had not been on the organisational side of a Con' before. This is what caused such problems as people only looking at the first table of a multi-table event, and if that was full saying that the whole game was full if that table was.
The booking systems were based on those used at US Gen Cons over the last couple of years, where the players are used to them, and know that ticket booking is miles away from the games themselves. This doesn't work with UK gamers, who have been used to a different system for too long to change.
Due to the restrictions of space and time on the trade floor, the majority games that companies wanted to run had to be played on the 3rd floor. But, the tickets had to be purchased on the ground floor (LLC's syetems), and we on the 3rd floor knew nothing about the game except that it was happening.
All the statioery that was ordered for the 3rd floor failed to turn up on Thursday. The company in question promised that they would have it there bright and early on Tuesday! Consequently there was a panicked drive to Staples on good Friday. Beyond that we ran out of copier toner on Sunday morning, and despite promises from the Olympia staff, their copier contractor failed to bring any more.
There was more, but I was a little tired at the time...
OK, from the top (as I see it), the event was over Easter, as everybody has commented. Peter Adkisin insists than when he announed this last year, only one person pointed out what a bad idea it was, so he wasnt too bothered. Now he accepts it was a bad idea, and a mistake he doesn't want to make again (available venue space allowing). This meant that as well as being players down, we were down DMs too, and the scenarios for that matter.
Gen Con LLC were running their first event, and as such were bedding in their systems and staff. Most of those running arround in Event Team T-shirts were brought in from the 'States (us up on the 3rd floor being the exceptions) and many of them had not been on the organisational side of a Con' before. This is what caused such problems as people only looking at the first table of a multi-table event, and if that was full saying that the whole game was full if that table was.
The booking systems were based on those used at US Gen Cons over the last couple of years, where the players are used to them, and know that ticket booking is miles away from the games themselves. This doesn't work with UK gamers, who have been used to a different system for too long to change.
Due to the restrictions of space and time on the trade floor, the majority games that companies wanted to run had to be played on the 3rd floor. But, the tickets had to be purchased on the ground floor (LLC's syetems), and we on the 3rd floor knew nothing about the game except that it was happening.
All the statioery that was ordered for the 3rd floor failed to turn up on Thursday. The company in question promised that they would have it there bright and early on Tuesday! Consequently there was a panicked drive to Staples on good Friday. Beyond that we ran out of copier toner on Sunday morning, and despite promises from the Olympia staff, their copier contractor failed to bring any more.
There was more, but I was a little tired at the time...
Mathew_Freeman
Adventurer
Yup. That pretty much sums up how it appeared. 
Another fun point was that they'd clearly employed random people to man the ticket selling desk, who had no idea what was going on. Eg, the girl who sold us our tickets sold us tickets for "Call of Cuth...K-thoo...is this the one you want?"
Bah to bad organisation, hurrah for everyone who coped, boo and indeed hiss to the man in charge for being a moron.
Another fun point was that they'd clearly employed random people to man the ticket selling desk, who had no idea what was going on. Eg, the girl who sold us our tickets sold us tickets for "Call of Cuth...K-thoo...is this the one you want?"
Bah to bad organisation, hurrah for everyone who coped, boo and indeed hiss to the man in charge for being a moron.
Upper_Krust
Legend
Hey Bagpuss mate! 
He smirks a lot when he rolls that black d20 I have noticed...generally followed by an evil cackle.
I think it takes one to know one...on both accounts.
I think S'mon said it best:
"Australian!? I thought she was American!"
Sorry Morb mate.
Bagpuss said:
He smirks a lot when he rolls that black d20 I have noticed...generally followed by an evil cackle.
Bagpuss said:
I think it takes one to know one...on both accounts.
Bagpuss said:
I think S'mon said it best:
"Australian!? I thought she was American!"
Sorry Morb mate.
Upper_Krust
Legend
Hey Tallarn mate!
Absolutely...if only I had known you were playing in the Paranoia game.
If I have the fundage I will be there next year.
It would also be nice to attend Gencon in the US next year, unfortunately thats not a viable financial option this summer.
I would also add that S'mon and I both really enjoyed the showing of "The Gamers" although it was fairly brief at about 40 minutes (or thereabouts).
Tallarn said:
Absolutely...if only I had known you were playing in the Paranoia game.
If I have the fundage I will be there next year.
It would also be nice to attend Gencon in the US next year, unfortunately thats not a viable financial option this summer.
I would also add that S'mon and I both really enjoyed the showing of "The Gamers" although it was fairly brief at about 40 minutes (or thereabouts).
Mathew_Freeman
Adventurer
Bagpuss, Morbidity, Maldur and I were all well settled in at the pub by then...too much effort to move.
PLUS! Some GenCon photos for your perusal...the ones marked Zombie Konga and so forth are from the wonderful game of Zombies I had on Sunday, take a look:
http://members.lycos.co.uk/andreasbeck/rpg/gc03/index.htm
PLUS! Some GenCon photos for your perusal...the ones marked Zombie Konga and so forth are from the wonderful game of Zombies I had on Sunday, take a look:
http://members.lycos.co.uk/andreasbeck/rpg/gc03/index.htm
Morbidity
First Post
Upper_Krust said:
I think S'mon said it best:
"Australian!? I thought she was American!"
Sorry Morb mate.
Sob, sob ... everyone in the UK thinks I'm American. Let that be a lesson to all you young'uns spend 2 days in Disneyland when you're 9 and suddenly the world thinks you're American. Right, that's it! All conversations will now start with 'Maaaaaaate, how's it goin?' If I can work 'Struth' and references to crocodile wrestling into the conversation no one will ever doubt my heritage again! .... Or perhaps I just need to play a half-orc with a big hefty sword, so whenever someone pulls out a weapon I can say 'That's not a knife .....'
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