What do you want from an roleplaying travel experience?

[Tav_Behemoth]

At Behemoth3's hard-to-find booth at Gen Con, we were giving away candy to folks who filled out a survey to help us offer the kinds of roleplaying travel experiences that gamers want most. This poll is based on that survey; I can't promise you candy for answering it, but it will help guide us in selecting future excursions!

Here are the poll choices, with a little description for each one and an example of how this factor is present in our initial roster of excursions. For the poll, choose the one that appeals to you most; posting with comments, questions, etc. is also appreciated.

Famous Creator
"Let your favorite author or designer take you on a guided tour of their world"
Examples: Stefan Pokorny of Dwarven Forge leads an excursion to his long-running campaign setting, previously glimpsed only in the maps in True Dungeon's cartography room & in the documentary "The Dungeons and Dragons Experience".

Real-World Experience
"You’ve had a great time even before you sit down to play"
Ex: Join John Tynes in exploring the ruins of a World War I era military base, then spend the night in an elegant Victorian era hotel that's supposed to be haunted

Extended Play
"At the point where most game sessions end, this one is just getting started"
Ex: Stefan's excursion spans three days of old-school roleplaying, running late into the night; time enough for characters to level up more than once

Exciting Location
"You’d want to have a vacation here even if there wasn’t a game involved"
Ex: Kenneth Hite leads a walking tour of the occult architecture of Chicago, which he is prepared to argue is the greatest city in America

Cool Stuff
"If you were there, it makes you remember; if you weren’t, it makes you jealous"
Ex: Players in Stefan's excursion get limited-edition Master Maze pieces, plus character folios and maps designed & signed by Stefan

Singular Adventure
"A kind of excursion that you’re just not going to find anywhere else"
Ex: John Tynes' and Kenneth Hite's Call of Cthulu games exploring the eldrich secrets behind real-life locations

Intimate Session
"Get to know a small group of comrades; together, you’ll conquer all odds"
Ex: Each of the three initial excurions are designed for 6-8 players

Hassle-Free Gaming
"We’ll take care of all the details; all you have to do is have fun"
Ex: John Tynes' excursion includes oceanview accomodations and meals at a three-star restaurant; no need to break out of game to decide what you want on the pizza

More info about each of the current three excursions is available at www.behemoth3.com/otherworld, and we expect to be announcing more soon (which will hopefully deliver more of the factor y'all think is coolest!)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Gary Gygax DMing me through Castle Gr ... Yggsburgh, baby, followed closely by David Cronenberg making me crap my pants in a MtA game where the mask of reality is peeled away to reveal its hideous true face.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

Lately I've seen so many people say that they start off looking for one of the things in your poll above, but they return due for a) a really good DM and b) really good people - specific people - to game with.

 

[Tav_Behemoth]

David Cronenberg making me crap my pants in a MtA game

We'd thought about offering a tour where, for $100,000,000,000, Peter Jackson would re-create the Lord of the Rings trilogy with you as the star. (For the same price, another outfit is offering a trip to the far side of the moon in a Russian rocket; a great setting for a Traveller game...)

a) a really good DM and b) really good people - specific people - to game with.

I agree that a) is crucial -- the idea of the "famous creator" is not so much just that you can game with a celebrity, but that their name & reputation ensures a high level of DMing expertise. Once Otherworld has built a track record of putting together great play sessions, we'll be in a better position to say "Here's a DM you might never have heard of, but you can be sure they're really good."

Re b), one of the rationales for creating Otherworld is that it's gotten increasingly hard for any of my gaming group to find time at all, much less to get everyone together at the same time. If that isn't a problem for you & your friends, we offer group discounts on tours; also, some of the tours we ought to be announcing soon will feature specific (famous) players as well as DMs.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback!

 

[d20Dwarf]

Hey Tav,

Sorry I missed you at the show, by the time my dealer's hall excursion came around I was sick as a dog! This is a neat idea!