Countdown to GenCon 2015

Want to know where Heroes of Altamira is playing next or want to beg someone to bring HoA to your own local con? Look no further.

Re: Countdown to GenCon 2015

Postby Black Jack Rackham » Fri Jul 31, 2015 10:06 pm

6 games down 51 players having the time of their lives!
smafdi wrote:STOP BEING SO DARN POPULAR GUYZ SRSLY I NEEDZ MEH GAMEZ TIHS YAER!!!

kenderleech wrote:If the cows were not meant to be ridden, why would they be so close to the chase scenes?
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Re: Countdown to GenCon 2015

Postby salamanca » Sat Aug 01, 2015 9:16 am

Wait, you killed Nacio? What am I gonna do for a sidekick?

You need to update me on this after the con on the special section.
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Re: Countdown to GenCon 2015

Postby kenderleech » Sun Aug 02, 2015 5:40 pm

Overheard while leaving the con. "Remember, There are no strangers, Just douchebags you haven't gamed with yet"
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Re: Countdown to GenCon 2015

Postby Lady Grace » Sun Aug 02, 2015 6:03 pm

That could be applied to SO many different situations...
"You're still mad at me about that whole 'gun-pointing' thing, aren't you?" -- Fortunato Valeri

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Re: Countdown to GenCon 2015

Postby Don Lorenzo » Mon Aug 03, 2015 1:09 pm

A joy to have met so many new friends and reunited with old ones! Here's to next time!

-Lorenzo/Tim/Travis
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Re: Countdown to GenCon 2015

Postby ArchBishop » Mon Aug 03, 2015 2:28 pm

Just wanted to thank you for all of the awesome games and the privilege to have been able to spend 3 wonderful days in sunny Altamira! To all the new friends that I made this weekend... I will miss you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCbLAv1NMs0

Thanks again
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Re: Countdown to GenCon 2015

Postby Jungen » Wed Aug 05, 2015 8:21 am

It was an honor to once again witness the heroics of Don Gallo.

-Jungen "Jack" von Richtoffen
-Jungen "Jack" von Richtoffen
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Re: Countdown to GenCon 2015

Postby Black Jack Rackham » Tue Aug 11, 2015 2:49 pm

Ok, It has been a busy, busy last two weeks. Sunday had a 16 hour drive home which I was JUST able to recover from before heading out to BronyCon on Thurs night. Left late Sunday, and have taken the last couple of days to recover from that.

So, now I guess it's time for me to give my overview of how GC went. First off, busy, WAY busy. 61k people busy. We were supposed to run a total of 14 tables (really 13 but DOMINGO GIGANTE! had 14 tickets available) and instead we ran 20 tables (4 on Thur, 5 on Fri, 9 on Sat, and 2 on Sun). So as has been said elsewhere, we need to do something different if our numbers are going to keep on like this.

My thinking right now is (and Ken and I talked about it), we go back to sticking with only running the event scheduled but putting in an official extra DOMINGO GIGANTE! in each evening slot (so Thus next year will be 7 in the AM, 9 in the Afternoon, and 11 and DOMINGO GIGANTE! in the evening). BUT we plan to call it something else because we'll just be running the odd numbered retired events there. Then Fri, we'd do the same but with the even numbered. Then, Sat we'd still do the overflow GM but restrict PA to just experienced players (I don't know how, exactly, we are going to work around having players who want to PA, but we'll come up with something). Sun would remain unchanged. That gives us 18 slots pre-set, and we can make or not make room for extra tables based on whether or not we have an available overflow GM.

As for the rest, I guess we're at the point now where we'll have to start turning folks away sometimes.

So now the good, bad, and ugly of the Con (and HoA)!

GOOD
Has to be said first, our numbers, WOW! Hit the magic number by Sat afternoon, then set new records in both the Evening and Sunday slot! Thanks everyone who both played and ran games! You're all spectacular and I am humbled.

Second, our room for this year. I was a bit worried given it was at the end of a dead-end hallway, but that didn't slow us down even a little bit. In fact it helped since it kept the hallway noise down to a minimum.

Third, GenCon Event Registration folks have apparently been looking at our numbers so instead of scheduling us just one table per slot, we got two, for EACH SLOT. Made taking care of overflow a snap. (though it still would have been nice to not have to move our stuff for the hour between games so we could focus on getting something to eat, but I'm quibbling.)

Fourth, they put Plaid Chameleon in with us for a short time. So we got to see how the other half lives. They were pretty booked up (moreso than us, but then they were only running one session of Swashbuckling 101). Dana didn't remember my name but then he never does and we traded some fun jabs!

BAD
Derek and his Cancer. For those who don't know Derek Guider is the dude in charge of event scheduling and GM badge allocation. He managed to get all our events set up before going into chemo, but relied on others to take care of the badges. So I need to say SCREW YOU CANCER! you messed up both Ken's and my badges! (Along with a ton of other GMs so we all hate you)

Second, had another off game. Partly it was because most of the folks who sat down for Ep 7 were first timers so they just didn't get all the references, but also because we had only one person who should have been focused on the gizmos (and thanks to a misunderstanding had no ability to do so). BUT mostly it was me. I should have taken the action to where the players were, but I didn't.

Third, screwing with the regulars. Lets face facts, I was under-prepared for the onslaught of new folks this year. In any other year we'd have been fine, and in retrospect what I should have done was turn folks away. But I didn't. So by the time we had backup, I just needed a break and didn't think about what that might cost others. I WILL be better prepared next year (when, obviously, it will make no difference whatsoever)

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT! What a pain. GenCon is in full swing (on it's busiest day), combined with the season opener for some sports-like team, AND a teeny-bopper boy band concert. ALL THREE GOING ON DOWNTOWN! Probably wouldn't even have noticed had my favorite out of the way restaurant been swamped with customers forcing Ken and I to seek sustenance at GASP Champs (the local sports bar attached to the hotel).

The dealer's hall is a nightmare as usual, but in my hurry to get through it all in a limited time I totally missed out in getting the Takenoko expansion! Oh the Pandamanity!

UGLY
Really nothing new here. Con is getting too big, none of us have enough time to go enjoy ourselves (doing more than just running games), hotel registration is a nightmare and I'm even considering getting my room early (out of the housing block) just to have a place.
smafdi wrote:STOP BEING SO DARN POPULAR GUYZ SRSLY I NEEDZ MEH GAMEZ TIHS YAER!!!

kenderleech wrote:If the cows were not meant to be ridden, why would they be so close to the chase scenes?
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Re: Countdown to GenCon 2015

Postby daundelyon » Tue Aug 11, 2015 3:13 pm

Maybe we could offer the new people who come to PA a session of character building and a rundown of the setting, maybe include a short introductory adventure to bring them in?
~Alexandra
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Re: Countdown to GenCon 2015

Postby kenderleech » Tue Aug 11, 2015 11:54 pm

the concert and game were friday night. and it took almost 90 minutes to get out of the parking garage and then traverse 7 city blocks to get to the highway. And if housing keeps getting worse, perhaps we could build a mead hall in my back yard and everyone carpools in every day.
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Re: Countdown to GenCon 2015

Postby Lady Grace » Wed Aug 12, 2015 11:49 am

I support more mead halls (especially since I was less than enamored with Brothers Drake Meadery in Columbus).
"You're still mad at me about that whole 'gun-pointing' thing, aren't you?" -- Fortunato Valeri

And here's where I try to be a writer...
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Re: Countdown to GenCon 2015

Postby Black Jack Rackham » Wed Aug 12, 2015 1:48 pm

daundelyon wrote:Maybe we could offer the new people who come to PA a session of character building and a rundown of the setting, maybe include a short introductory adventure to bring them in?
~Alexandra

Why is it I keep MEANING to reply to this and then just forget about it?!?

Alexandra, did you mean something like starting with Ep. 1 for the new folks? Or were you meaning some completely new adventure (perhaps even unrelated to the larger campaign)?

Cause, if so, I think my first LARP idea might work out really well for that...
smafdi wrote:STOP BEING SO DARN POPULAR GUYZ SRSLY I NEEDZ MEH GAMEZ TIHS YAER!!!

kenderleech wrote:If the cows were not meant to be ridden, why would they be so close to the chase scenes?
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Re: Countdown to GenCon 2015

Postby daundelyon » Wed Aug 12, 2015 5:02 pm

Black Jack Rackham wrote:
daundelyon wrote:Maybe we could offer the new people who come to PA a session of character building and a rundown of the setting, maybe include a short introductory adventure to bring them in?
~Alexandra

Why is it I keep MEANING to reply to this and then just forget about it?!?

Alexandra, did you mean something like starting with Ep. 1 for the new folks? Or were you meaning some completely new adventure (perhaps even unrelated to the larger campaign)?

Cause, if so, I think my first LARP idea might work out really well for that...


I was thinking something along the lines of Episode 0.5, or Where Are We and Why Are We in This Stagecoach? In other words, how did they get to the point of getting on the stagecoach? Do short scenarios/PAs to provide a hook to bring individuals in, then find a reason to throw them together for the trip in Episode 1. What that hook is would depend on what they select during character creation. Granted, this would require some on the spot thinking, but general outlines for some of the more popular backgrounds could be written up ahead of time. (example, nemesis, you did x, ticked of y, had to flee.) The time could still be split like during a PA, but with the ratio of time adjusted in favor of character creation. If a player wants to jump in with a pregen, they can still use the time to explore the rules and ask questions, maybe come up with a bit of a background.
Hmmm, yes, that LARP idea could work...
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