devilbat said:
I tried to improve the gaming situation at KeyCon a few years ago. I ran four games throughout the weekend, which made out roughly 50% of all RPG'ing at the Con. I hooked them up with another guy who agreed to run some games, I supplied prizes for them, as well as donating a crap load of adventures and supplies. All I received from it was headaches, ungratefullness and attitude. They even had the audacity to tell me I couldn't visit their after hours hospitality areas, because I was a lowly "Volunteer". I personally think they wanted us out because we were garnering to much attention from their women. Needless to say I will never be back.
There are lots of people involved in the running of Keycon in any given year who are ungrateful, power-tripping, insane, or some unholy combination of the three, no question. (The one good thing is that their identities change significantly every year, though a lot less than they try to make it sound like when they're addressing complaints and suggestions.) Staying in the hospitality areas is an especially sore spot, has been for years. It's been repeatedly complained about and it's always fallen on deaf ears because the people who are most obnoxious about it are usually the same people you have to complain to. And judging by how poorly I was treated the one year I
asked if I could volunteer (they
wouldn't let me, for no particular reason as far as I could tell, and they made it clear the perks of doing so were basically nonexistent anyway), I can only assume they treat their actual volunteers like utter crap compared to should-be-similar organizations I've done that sort of work for, no question there.
The SCA has decided not to participate this year, for similar reasons. Their demos are among the most popular events there; it costs them significant money to have the presence there that they normally do and they get next to nothing out of it (not even new members, usually - even the people most enthusiastic about the dance demo, for example, don't seem to make the connection that they can come out on a weekly basis and do exactly the same thing if they want). One prevailing opinion there, which I tend to think is probably right, is that Keycon needs the SCA more than the SCA needs Keycon. Another is that maybe pulling out for a year will make the Keycon people wake up and realize there are serious issues there. On this front, I think they are too optomistic. Most of the people involved are too thick-headed and egotistical to notice anything that isn't directly about them.
So yeah, I'm not surprised your experiences have sucked, and I don't blame you for having the attitude you do.
The world is run by those who show up. In the case of Winnipeg fandom, the sad truth is that most of the people who can be relied upon to be there to help organize the Con have little other than reliability going for them.
Now you've got me curious who you are. There's a pretty good chance you're someone I know, in fact I think I have a guess who. Would you mind PMing me your real name? (Or replying with it, if you're cool with that.) [EDIT: Never mind, apparently I can't receive PMs}
forget sleep 
