As you all know, I'm trying to attend Geek Retreat in Birmingham on the last Sunday of each month. I'm offering to run RPGs to try and get more people into our hobby.
So it I turned up today at noon - when the cafe opens - intending to stay until about 5pm. I was out with my wonderful wife in the evening.
Though I was ready, as always, to offer a range of introductory adventures, basically the simple demo steampunk game went so well that we all agreed to keep playing. The wonderful players - spanning from a guy nearly as old as me who'd played Golden Heroes in the 1980s to a young lady new to the hobby - ditched the pregenerated characters and made their own and we played a stonking steampunk adventure until I had to leave at around teatime.
Thanks guys!
I hope they turn up with their characters at a future event at some point. I'd love to continue the adventure. (There's something weird atop that mountain, and you've got a captured Zeppelin......)
ATM I'm not sure if I'll be there at the end of April. I may have a clashing convention. Watch this space. However, I have pointed them all at the Indie RPG session (9th April) and Pathfinder (16th April). I'm sure they'll find either of these fun if they turn up.
Sunday, 26 March 2017
Convergence Convention 17th-19th March
As I mentioned previously, there were two conventions with a significant RPG element running in the same weekend - Concrete Cow and Convergence.
Concrete Cow is devoted to RPGs, has been running for a couple of years and is a one day event in Milton Keynes.
Convergence is a more general tabletop gaming convention, with RPGs bring one,of many elements. This was the first time it has taken place. It's a three day event in Stockport. I think it's a a bit bigger than Concrete Cow.
My friend, Paul Baldowski, attended with his wife, Fil, running their exemplary "All Rolled Up" stall. (If you don't own at least one ARU, yet, then you should.)
Paul's kindly allowed me to cross-post his report:
"ConVergenceUK - Day #2...
Yes, Day #2. Work and commitments to celebrating St Patrick's Day with friends meant that All Rolled Up didn't make an appearance on Day #1. However, we read good reports from Dirk the Dice (Chris of Grognard Files fame).
I can't possibly stretch to the detail of a report like Mr Burley - if only because I'm typing this on Day #3 while nursing a coffee and listening to Fil preparing to leave for Day #3.
The venue is on a business estates off the side of the A6 south of Stockport. It's within walking distance of the centre - and the train/bus station - and close to numerous eateries. They have a potholed parking area around the back of the building, but there’s also free parking nearby and ready access to the road if you want to take a quick hop on a bus.
ConVergence sits in the midst of the massive open play area at Element Games. In a building that looks like it might turn feral at any moment, up a steep stair, lies the amply stocked game store with a double door tucked away at the back. Beyond the door lies a large hall with a bar on the right, just inside the door and three columns of tables, two of them seven deep and four across. The plain wood tables offer enough room for your average game of X-Wing or Age of Sigmar.
When we arrived, various games had already kicked off. A small X-Wing competition, with a dozen players, a Dicemaster competition with about a dozen players. A couple of tables set aside for demos by Warlord Games and Third Law fronted an area further back set aside fro roleplaying. The back wall held a display of scenery and battlemats available for ad hoc wargamers. Great set up.
We had four tables at the front and set ourselves up with all the usual fare - game rolls, dice trays, counters, wipe cards, pens, and a smattering of Cthulhu Hack. As Element Games sell dice, that’s the only thing we didn’t bring along.
Three or four sessions of roleplaying ran in roughly four slots from 9am through to very late in the evening. Wargames and X-Wing ran from around 10am through to early evening. There were enough spare tables on the Saturday that you could have set yourself down at a spot to play a boardgame or spot of Warhammer. Element Games run it like a rental during normal business hours, outside of a con like this - you pay for a spot and give a small deposit if you use the mats or scenery. Again, nice set up.
As traders, we had a fair day. About what we’d expect from a small event, with a slow start that picked up as the day went on. A few games of Pathfinder ran. Richard August ran a game of Achtung Cthulhu!, but using The Cthulhu Hack rule set. Dirk the Dice ran a Runequest powered game of Luther Arkwright. The ambient sound level was fair - I’ve tried to run a roleplaying game in far noisier environments. It might be different tomorrow when they have a massive X-Wing tournament running (that’s now, actually… and the noise level remains manageable).
The bar sells snacks, drinks (soft drinks, hot beverages) and if you get yourself organised you can get a slice of a Subway platter. The location meant we managed to grab a breakfast wrap from a local cafe in the morning (and on Sunday we grabbed something from McDonalds, just across from the railway station). If you travelled from further afield, you could certainly find some accommodation - whether the Holiday Inn Express across from the station, through to one of many local B&Bs.
Chatted with the organisers. Everything seemed to run seamlessly. A nice first event, with plenty of interest - and they had a lot of enthusiasm. I think this could turn into something rather good. Another event for the underserved north of England."
Thanks, Paul!
The organisers have told me me that if I had attended, I would have found players for my RPGs during the middle sessions, when things were busier. So it seems like a good convention to attend. They're going to try to avoid double-booking with other conventions next year. (Good luck to them! The convention scene seems to be getting busier all the time.)
Concrete Cow is devoted to RPGs, has been running for a couple of years and is a one day event in Milton Keynes.
Convergence is a more general tabletop gaming convention, with RPGs bring one,of many elements. This was the first time it has taken place. It's a three day event in Stockport. I think it's a a bit bigger than Concrete Cow.
My friend, Paul Baldowski, attended with his wife, Fil, running their exemplary "All Rolled Up" stall. (If you don't own at least one ARU, yet, then you should.)
Paul's kindly allowed me to cross-post his report:
"ConVergenceUK - Day #2...
Yes, Day #2. Work and commitments to celebrating St Patrick's Day with friends meant that All Rolled Up didn't make an appearance on Day #1. However, we read good reports from Dirk the Dice (Chris of Grognard Files fame).
I can't possibly stretch to the detail of a report like Mr Burley - if only because I'm typing this on Day #3 while nursing a coffee and listening to Fil preparing to leave for Day #3.
The venue is on a business estates off the side of the A6 south of Stockport. It's within walking distance of the centre - and the train/bus station - and close to numerous eateries. They have a potholed parking area around the back of the building, but there’s also free parking nearby and ready access to the road if you want to take a quick hop on a bus.
ConVergence sits in the midst of the massive open play area at Element Games. In a building that looks like it might turn feral at any moment, up a steep stair, lies the amply stocked game store with a double door tucked away at the back. Beyond the door lies a large hall with a bar on the right, just inside the door and three columns of tables, two of them seven deep and four across. The plain wood tables offer enough room for your average game of X-Wing or Age of Sigmar.
When we arrived, various games had already kicked off. A small X-Wing competition, with a dozen players, a Dicemaster competition with about a dozen players. A couple of tables set aside for demos by Warlord Games and Third Law fronted an area further back set aside fro roleplaying. The back wall held a display of scenery and battlemats available for ad hoc wargamers. Great set up.
We had four tables at the front and set ourselves up with all the usual fare - game rolls, dice trays, counters, wipe cards, pens, and a smattering of Cthulhu Hack. As Element Games sell dice, that’s the only thing we didn’t bring along.
Three or four sessions of roleplaying ran in roughly four slots from 9am through to very late in the evening. Wargames and X-Wing ran from around 10am through to early evening. There were enough spare tables on the Saturday that you could have set yourself down at a spot to play a boardgame or spot of Warhammer. Element Games run it like a rental during normal business hours, outside of a con like this - you pay for a spot and give a small deposit if you use the mats or scenery. Again, nice set up.
As traders, we had a fair day. About what we’d expect from a small event, with a slow start that picked up as the day went on. A few games of Pathfinder ran. Richard August ran a game of Achtung Cthulhu!, but using The Cthulhu Hack rule set. Dirk the Dice ran a Runequest powered game of Luther Arkwright. The ambient sound level was fair - I’ve tried to run a roleplaying game in far noisier environments. It might be different tomorrow when they have a massive X-Wing tournament running (that’s now, actually… and the noise level remains manageable).
The bar sells snacks, drinks (soft drinks, hot beverages) and if you get yourself organised you can get a slice of a Subway platter. The location meant we managed to grab a breakfast wrap from a local cafe in the morning (and on Sunday we grabbed something from McDonalds, just across from the railway station). If you travelled from further afield, you could certainly find some accommodation - whether the Holiday Inn Express across from the station, through to one of many local B&Bs.
Chatted with the organisers. Everything seemed to run seamlessly. A nice first event, with plenty of interest - and they had a lot of enthusiasm. I think this could turn into something rather good. Another event for the underserved north of England."
Thanks, Paul!
The organisers have told me me that if I had attended, I would have found players for my RPGs during the middle sessions, when things were busier. So it seems like a good convention to attend. They're going to try to avoid double-booking with other conventions next year. (Good luck to them! The convention scene seems to be getting busier all the time.)
Friday, 24 March 2017
Choose Your Adventure at Geek Retreat, Sunday 26th March
Just a reminder. Tomorrow afternoon - Sunday 26th March - I'm at Geek Retreat in Birmingham. I'll have my "Choose your Adventure" set up where I aim to pounce on passing Geeks and introduce them to the wonderful, wonderful worlds of Role Playing Games.
But if anyone else is in the area and fancies a game - or just a chat - pop in.
As well as Swords and Sorcery, Superheroes and Steampunk, my SciFi offerings have now swelled. Alongside "Classic" Pulp/Space Opera, Dr Who and Firefly, I've now got Blakes Seven and my own version of Star Wars.
But if anyone else is in the area and fancies a game - or just a chat - pop in.
As well as Swords and Sorcery, Superheroes and Steampunk, my SciFi offerings have now swelled. Alongside "Classic" Pulp/Space Opera, Dr Who and Firefly, I've now got Blakes Seven and my own version of Star Wars.
Saturday, 18 March 2017
Concrete Cow
I had a REAL dilemma about Concrete Cow this year. Y'see there was a new game convention called Convergence at Stockport this year - and it was a whole weekend convention running Friday to Sunday. And on the very same weekend as Concrete Cow.
I'm very familiar with the journey to Stockport - travelling there twice per year to go to StabCon - and the potential of a whole weekend's gaming was very tempting. But in the end loyalty won out. (Well, if I'm honest, it was more a case of a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I know what I'm getting with The Cow. Convergence would have been a punt in the dark.)
And yes, everything ran exactly as normal. I even bumped into Pookie on my way down. This make at least four times on the trot I've met him on the train from Birmingham to Wolverton - the suburb outside Milton Keynes where Concrete Cow takes place. And our last journey together was where Spaghetti ConJunction - our own convention - was gestated. As always, we had a great chat on the way down.
The convention is a short walk from the station. It takes place in a community centre next to a big Tesco's and opposite a row of convenience and food outlets. It's really a great setting for a convention. As usual it was a case of getting in, paying a fiver for entry, paying an extra fiver for five raffle tickets (optional), grabbing a lottery ticket, writing your name on a sticker and sticking it on your shirt, so everyone knows who you are. It was cheering to see that the convention appears to have an entirely distaff organisation now. As a referee I had a Golden Ticket forced on me, giving priority a priority signup if I wanted it. However, as I was offering a game in both the slots I was staying for, there was no way I could make use of it.
I dropped the signup sheet for my morning game on the table. There was already a hand-written signup sheet for it there. This is an innovation. Concrete Cow has never prepared signup sheets for you before. It's a nice touch but I think a bit of an act of faith. Someone might offer a game and then not be able to turn up to run it at the last minute. I don't think we'll be adopting this change for Spaghetti ConJunction. I also saw a booklet with all the pre-advertised games in it. I don't know if this was an official convention product or just something someone had printed from the website for their own reference. I'm not sure how useful it was because there seemed to be more games on offer than were advertised - so I guess that, as usual, some were offered at the last minute.
(My favourite was the one that simply said - Game: Monsters of the Week, System: Monster of the week.)
Sign-ups were the usual smooth, fair, patented Concrete Cow system. Golden tickets and newbies sign up first. Then numbers from 1 to 10 were generated randomly and people with lottery tickets ending in those numbers came up in turn. The list was retained to be reversed for afternoon signups. If you're first in the morning, you're last in the afternoon.
At the end of the signups, some games had no players. My game and the game of another Referee only had two signups apiece. We were asked if we were happy to run with two players. The other Referee deferred but, following advice from the UK Roleplayers forum, I said I was happy to run for two players. The other referee kindly signed up for my game - giving me three players.
This was my "Kong Island Raiders" game using my Anime rules. (Currently on Kickstarter. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/886565487/the-code-of-shojo-and-shonen.) Two of the three players wanted to roll randomly for characters. We ended up with a Wiry mercenary with the ability to shrug off pain who was signed on as bodyguard for a modest doctor with a cybernetic arm (on an anthropological expedition) and a fading pop star (whose voice could shatter glass and be used to attack as well as charm) who was heading to the island to film a promo video. Can you tell which one WASN'T randomly rolled?
The game went well. Being hypercritical it was good but it wasn't magic. The players were extremely sensible and tried to retreat with their honour intact several times, requiring me to turn them back towards the island each time. The reasons were logical, but it became a bit like The Prisoner trying to escape from the village. Also they went through all the tropes of the various genres I was mashing up in turn and I think it was bit predictable. I could have introduced something from left field to mix things up. And I will next time I run it. But the spiralling complications of the combats as the characters developed through their Superheroic forms, to their mechs up to the final merged mech worked well. I'm happy with the system. It starts off with combat totals in the 20's and, by the end, we were working in totals of several hundred. I think we even hit a score of a thousand at one point. Possibly because there were only three players, but probably because of their unlucky die rolls, they had to cheat to win (it's allowed in the rules but has consequences). But, hey, causing a volcanic eruption and sinking the whole bloody island is a pretty good climax to this sort of adventure, eh?
The morning session was interrupted by an errant fire bell. I was struck by how swiftly and correctly the entire assemblage responded. I guess most of us are used to actually running fire drills in our day jobs. The on-site caretaker was also very quick off the mark and we'd barely vacated the premises when we were all allowed back in. No probs. But not a nice experience for the new management of the convention and my "this didn't happen under Neil" joke - whilst apposite - may have been a bit misjudged, sorry!
I dropped my signup sheet for my afternoon game (Blakes Seven) on the table and, for lunch, I popped next door to the Costa Coffee in Tesco for a cheese and ham toastie. When I got back, I checked out the raffle prizes - the usual great crop but nothing leapt out at me personally.
Afternoon signups duly occurred. My game got no signups, but there was one space left in Phil Master's DiscWorld game. A scenario I hadn't played before. So it was a no-brainer. As usual, you get exactly what you expect with a Phil Master's DiscWorld game. Thoroughly well prepared pregens, a scenario which could have been in one of the novels, players who know the canon, every one desperate to emulate it, and quirky humour throughout that, somehow, never gets gonzo. Watching closely, I think it's about how Phil applies subtle brakes whenever things seem to be getting slightly out of control.
I can't talk much about the scenario but let's just say that Vampires and Dwarves have very different opinions about how to modernise the dungeon business. Lots of RPG in-jokes. If you have the opportunity to play this scenario, I recommend it. And you might. Phil, like myself, is a referee who believes in re-offering his good convention scenarios several times to give lots of people a chance to play them.
The game was played in a room downstairs, the first time I'd been down there in all my years of attending Concrete Cow. Nothing much to say except, like the rest of the venue, it was perfect for Roleplaying.
I'd already decided not to stay for the evening session this time. I needed to be back in Birmingham on Sunday. I again bumped into Pookie and he said there was a train leaving in a couple of minutes, so we threw our raffle tickets at Neil and rushed to the station. As it happened, we just missed the train. But we ran into James Mullen. Fate had thrown the Spaghetti ConJunction organising committee together. They chose to wait for a direct train, but I opted to to change at Milton Keynes to get into Birmingham a bit quicker.
Concrete Cow delivered as it always does. A very pleasant day of gaming. There are too many games offered for the number of players so some great games don't run. (And I'm not just taking about my games here.) The venue could cope with another couple of dozen players. I keep telling everyone that the two Concrete Cows are essential dates on the convention calendar and I can't understand why it isn't heaving. My best guess is that some people can't be bothered to travel for a one day convention. This is a crying shame. Concrete Cow always delivers.
I'm very familiar with the journey to Stockport - travelling there twice per year to go to StabCon - and the potential of a whole weekend's gaming was very tempting. But in the end loyalty won out. (Well, if I'm honest, it was more a case of a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I know what I'm getting with The Cow. Convergence would have been a punt in the dark.)
And yes, everything ran exactly as normal. I even bumped into Pookie on my way down. This make at least four times on the trot I've met him on the train from Birmingham to Wolverton - the suburb outside Milton Keynes where Concrete Cow takes place. And our last journey together was where Spaghetti ConJunction - our own convention - was gestated. As always, we had a great chat on the way down.
The convention is a short walk from the station. It takes place in a community centre next to a big Tesco's and opposite a row of convenience and food outlets. It's really a great setting for a convention. As usual it was a case of getting in, paying a fiver for entry, paying an extra fiver for five raffle tickets (optional), grabbing a lottery ticket, writing your name on a sticker and sticking it on your shirt, so everyone knows who you are. It was cheering to see that the convention appears to have an entirely distaff organisation now. As a referee I had a Golden Ticket forced on me, giving priority a priority signup if I wanted it. However, as I was offering a game in both the slots I was staying for, there was no way I could make use of it.
I dropped the signup sheet for my morning game on the table. There was already a hand-written signup sheet for it there. This is an innovation. Concrete Cow has never prepared signup sheets for you before. It's a nice touch but I think a bit of an act of faith. Someone might offer a game and then not be able to turn up to run it at the last minute. I don't think we'll be adopting this change for Spaghetti ConJunction. I also saw a booklet with all the pre-advertised games in it. I don't know if this was an official convention product or just something someone had printed from the website for their own reference. I'm not sure how useful it was because there seemed to be more games on offer than were advertised - so I guess that, as usual, some were offered at the last minute.
(My favourite was the one that simply said - Game: Monsters of the Week, System: Monster of the week.)
Sign-ups were the usual smooth, fair, patented Concrete Cow system. Golden tickets and newbies sign up first. Then numbers from 1 to 10 were generated randomly and people with lottery tickets ending in those numbers came up in turn. The list was retained to be reversed for afternoon signups. If you're first in the morning, you're last in the afternoon.
At the end of the signups, some games had no players. My game and the game of another Referee only had two signups apiece. We were asked if we were happy to run with two players. The other Referee deferred but, following advice from the UK Roleplayers forum, I said I was happy to run for two players. The other referee kindly signed up for my game - giving me three players.
This was my "Kong Island Raiders" game using my Anime rules. (Currently on Kickstarter. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/886565487/the-code-of-shojo-and-shonen.) Two of the three players wanted to roll randomly for characters. We ended up with a Wiry mercenary with the ability to shrug off pain who was signed on as bodyguard for a modest doctor with a cybernetic arm (on an anthropological expedition) and a fading pop star (whose voice could shatter glass and be used to attack as well as charm) who was heading to the island to film a promo video. Can you tell which one WASN'T randomly rolled?
The game went well. Being hypercritical it was good but it wasn't magic. The players were extremely sensible and tried to retreat with their honour intact several times, requiring me to turn them back towards the island each time. The reasons were logical, but it became a bit like The Prisoner trying to escape from the village. Also they went through all the tropes of the various genres I was mashing up in turn and I think it was bit predictable. I could have introduced something from left field to mix things up. And I will next time I run it. But the spiralling complications of the combats as the characters developed through their Superheroic forms, to their mechs up to the final merged mech worked well. I'm happy with the system. It starts off with combat totals in the 20's and, by the end, we were working in totals of several hundred. I think we even hit a score of a thousand at one point. Possibly because there were only three players, but probably because of their unlucky die rolls, they had to cheat to win (it's allowed in the rules but has consequences). But, hey, causing a volcanic eruption and sinking the whole bloody island is a pretty good climax to this sort of adventure, eh?
The morning session was interrupted by an errant fire bell. I was struck by how swiftly and correctly the entire assemblage responded. I guess most of us are used to actually running fire drills in our day jobs. The on-site caretaker was also very quick off the mark and we'd barely vacated the premises when we were all allowed back in. No probs. But not a nice experience for the new management of the convention and my "this didn't happen under Neil" joke - whilst apposite - may have been a bit misjudged, sorry!
I dropped my signup sheet for my afternoon game (Blakes Seven) on the table and, for lunch, I popped next door to the Costa Coffee in Tesco for a cheese and ham toastie. When I got back, I checked out the raffle prizes - the usual great crop but nothing leapt out at me personally.
Afternoon signups duly occurred. My game got no signups, but there was one space left in Phil Master's DiscWorld game. A scenario I hadn't played before. So it was a no-brainer. As usual, you get exactly what you expect with a Phil Master's DiscWorld game. Thoroughly well prepared pregens, a scenario which could have been in one of the novels, players who know the canon, every one desperate to emulate it, and quirky humour throughout that, somehow, never gets gonzo. Watching closely, I think it's about how Phil applies subtle brakes whenever things seem to be getting slightly out of control.
I can't talk much about the scenario but let's just say that Vampires and Dwarves have very different opinions about how to modernise the dungeon business. Lots of RPG in-jokes. If you have the opportunity to play this scenario, I recommend it. And you might. Phil, like myself, is a referee who believes in re-offering his good convention scenarios several times to give lots of people a chance to play them.
The game was played in a room downstairs, the first time I'd been down there in all my years of attending Concrete Cow. Nothing much to say except, like the rest of the venue, it was perfect for Roleplaying.
I'd already decided not to stay for the evening session this time. I needed to be back in Birmingham on Sunday. I again bumped into Pookie and he said there was a train leaving in a couple of minutes, so we threw our raffle tickets at Neil and rushed to the station. As it happened, we just missed the train. But we ran into James Mullen. Fate had thrown the Spaghetti ConJunction organising committee together. They chose to wait for a direct train, but I opted to to change at Milton Keynes to get into Birmingham a bit quicker.
Concrete Cow delivered as it always does. A very pleasant day of gaming. There are too many games offered for the number of players so some great games don't run. (And I'm not just taking about my games here.) The venue could cope with another couple of dozen players. I keep telling everyone that the two Concrete Cows are essential dates on the convention calendar and I can't understand why it isn't heaving. My best guess is that some people can't be bothered to travel for a one day convention. This is a crying shame. Concrete Cow always delivers.
Sunday, 12 March 2017
AireCon 4 Day 3
I arrived an hour before opening time and opened up the RPG tent. I worked out a way to open the entrance flaps much wider than they'd been set on Saturday. It wasn't rocket science. That made the tent much lighter inside.
When everyone else turned up, I joked that I'd slept in the tent overnight. (This wasn't actually too far from the truth. I'd booked into the Holiday Inn/Crown Plaza which was part of the site. In theory, I could have walked directly from the hotel to the convention without going outside. I'll definitely use that hotel in my future visits to the convention.)
Sunday was quieter than Saturday. By the time I left we'd run:
Tunnels and Trolls 1
Pathfinder 2
The Code of Steam and Steel 1
Dead of Night 2
Star Trek 1
Still far more successful than last time. And it was pleasing how many new players we had to the hobby and how many players returned from Saturday to get their second taste of the games.
In between the games, though, it was a superb day for Networking. Many issues surrounding RPGs were put to rights. One major debate was how to get existing RPGers to come to the next AireCon, rather than relying upon catching newbies. The general opinion was to offer a programme of games similar to (though smaller than, obviously) UK Games Expo.
Talking about Expo, I picked up some great news. All the plans sound great and they're preparing to expand - again. But part of the plan is to keep a hall open for general gaming in the evenings to stop everyone having to decamp back to the Hilton. So it looks like we shouldn't get people coming into the RPG rooms looking for a space to play this year.
Not having a game on, and having a distance to travel back to Birmingham, I left at about 3pm. There were still two games going as I left (included in the list above). I don't know if any ran after I left or if I missed any.
As I mentioned yesterday, AireCon 4 was a quantum leap over AireCon 3. This was in all areas, but particularly in the RPG bit that I was involved in. I was particularly impressed by the attention to detail in the on-the-day organisation. I'll definitely be doing my damnedest to get back for AirCon 5.
I arrived an hour before opening time and opened up the RPG tent. I worked out a way to open the entrance flaps much wider than they'd been set on Saturday. It wasn't rocket science. That made the tent much lighter inside.
When everyone else turned up, I joked that I'd slept in the tent overnight. (This wasn't actually too far from the truth. I'd booked into the Holiday Inn/Crown Plaza which was part of the site. In theory, I could have walked directly from the hotel to the convention without going outside. I'll definitely use that hotel in my future visits to the convention.)
Sunday was quieter than Saturday. By the time I left we'd run:
Tunnels and Trolls 1
Pathfinder 2
The Code of Steam and Steel 1
Dead of Night 2
Star Trek 1
Still far more successful than last time. And it was pleasing how many new players we had to the hobby and how many players returned from Saturday to get their second taste of the games.
In between the games, though, it was a superb day for Networking. Many issues surrounding RPGs were put to rights. One major debate was how to get existing RPGers to come to the next AireCon, rather than relying upon catching newbies. The general opinion was to offer a programme of games similar to (though smaller than, obviously) UK Games Expo.
Talking about Expo, I picked up some great news. All the plans sound great and they're preparing to expand - again. But part of the plan is to keep a hall open for general gaming in the evenings to stop everyone having to decamp back to the Hilton. So it looks like we shouldn't get people coming into the RPG rooms looking for a space to play this year.
Not having a game on, and having a distance to travel back to Birmingham, I left at about 3pm. There were still two games going as I left (included in the list above). I don't know if any ran after I left or if I missed any.
As I mentioned yesterday, AireCon 4 was a quantum leap over AireCon 3. This was in all areas, but particularly in the RPG bit that I was involved in. I was particularly impressed by the attention to detail in the on-the-day organisation. I'll definitely be doing my damnedest to get back for AirCon 5.
Saturday, 11 March 2017
AireCon 4
Airecon4, Day 2 - What a difference 5 months makes!
AireCon is "an analogue gaming convention" in Harrogate. I LIKE that description. It's a nice way of saying "everything except computer games". Maybe more conventions should steal the byline.
Started by a couple of enthusiastic guys a couple of years ago at one of their houses, AireCons 2 and 3 took place in 2016 at "The Jubilee Centre" in Harrogate. This venue was basically like a Church Hall on steroids. My first AireCon was number 3 - in October - where I turned up with a clutch of other RPG referees to try and entice all the board gamers into tabletop RPGs. With little success. Maybe three RPGs were run across the weekend, one of those being one of my one hour demos and the other having as many of us referees playing it as general gamers.
So I approached AireCon 4 with some trepidation. Like almost all non-RPG conventions, their web-site etc. says they're offering RPGs, but doesn't push or promote RPGs as much as they do other events. This isn't through laziness or not wanting to support them. It's just that organisers of these general conventions don't actually know what tabletop RPGs are and don't know how to promote them. I've encountered this at Anime conventions and the like. RPGs seem to be an afterthought at the events. Given the lack of interest at AireCon 3 and the general lack of promotion, when I found out that there were 7 or 8 good RPG referees going, I seriously considered giving it a miss, especially given the journey time from Birmingham. But I decided to give it one last chance.
However, I did decide that it wasn't worth pushing the board out and bringing up a heavy bag with my complete "Choose Your Adventure" stuff in it. I travelled light with only what I could fit in my wonderful "Furnace X" bag.
AireCon runs Friday to Sunday. I work Friday and it would have been difficult to travel up in time to do anything Friday evening. Certainly not enough to justify an extra night's accommodation costs. So I decided to travel up at stupid o'clock Saturday morning.
The journey was fine. I arrived in good time and breezed into the venue. This time, the convention was being held at the Harrogate International Centre. This is a proper convention centre but is right in the middle of town, just a short walk from the train station. The convention was only in one medium sized hall - and some associated rooms - but it was still a massive upgrade from the October venue. Not quite the NEC but getting there. The organisers have pumped a lot of effort and money into the event and there was excellent signage, loads of traders and lots of unique features. But what struck me was that at least a third, if not half, the venue was a sea of tables and chairs for open gaming.
The RPGs were supposed to take place in the "Paizo RPG Marquee", a tent in the middle of the hall. Remembering the great fun I'd had running RPGs in a marquee at the World SciFi con a couple of years ago, I was quite looking forward to it. Unfortunately, the "marquee" turned out to be a bit underwhelming. A family on a camping holiday would consider it luxurious but that's about it. It was black, had no internal lighting and contained four small tables.
But the organisers rustled up some small lights and we were directly adjacent to the open gaming area. We moved the signage around to make things clearer and I snaffled the table near the tent entrance, covering it with my "Choose Your Adventure" pregens, rulebooks and documentation. I rationalised that this would give passersby something to look at. Other Referees dropped rulebooks or similar from games they were able to offer.
And it worked! I'm not sure how things went on Friday (day one). I know at least one RPG was run in the dark tent and over 600 people attended the convention. But today the convention was busy - but not packed - and we ran:
Pathfinder 4 games
Star Trek (Modipheous playtest rules) 2 games
The Black Hack 2 games
Star Wars (the one with the funny dice) 2 games
The Code of Steam and Steel 1 game
The Comics Code 1 game
Dead of Night 2 games (one set in the Traveller universe)
Mindjammer 1 game
Code of Spacelanes (Firefly setting) 1 game.
And I may have missed some.
Okay, some of these were my one hour demos and went as low as two players, but most of the games run by other referees had full tables and ran for a couple of hours apiece - particularly the Pathfinder ones.
I chose to run my games in the general gaming area. This really filled up but there was always enough space to fit another game in - completely vindicating the organisers' decision to devote so much floor space to it. One of the four tables in the tent was turned over permanently to our game display, but two of the other tables were in use for pretty much all of the day running various games.
So a massive improvement over AireCon 3 and it really justified my coming. I took it upon myself to be front of house catching passersby and promoting the RPGs and was really pleased with my performance. I've still got some way to go, but I'm getting more confident at it. I was also pleased by the number of people who said they'd heard about RPGs and always wanted to give them a try. The word's really beginning to get out there.
Gaming at the venue goes on until 11pm on Saturday, but the RPG area seemed to wind up quicker. My Firefly game was the last running and I closed the tent at about 8pm and retired to my hotel, which was just next door.
Convention food and drink prices seemed a bit high to me, but there are loads of eating places within easy walk of the venue, so nipping out for cheaper comestibles was really really easy.
It's only to first day, for me, but I've been really impressed by AireCon 4. I've had a brilliant day. Roll on tomorrow.
AireCon is "an analogue gaming convention" in Harrogate. I LIKE that description. It's a nice way of saying "everything except computer games". Maybe more conventions should steal the byline.
Started by a couple of enthusiastic guys a couple of years ago at one of their houses, AireCons 2 and 3 took place in 2016 at "The Jubilee Centre" in Harrogate. This venue was basically like a Church Hall on steroids. My first AireCon was number 3 - in October - where I turned up with a clutch of other RPG referees to try and entice all the board gamers into tabletop RPGs. With little success. Maybe three RPGs were run across the weekend, one of those being one of my one hour demos and the other having as many of us referees playing it as general gamers.
So I approached AireCon 4 with some trepidation. Like almost all non-RPG conventions, their web-site etc. says they're offering RPGs, but doesn't push or promote RPGs as much as they do other events. This isn't through laziness or not wanting to support them. It's just that organisers of these general conventions don't actually know what tabletop RPGs are and don't know how to promote them. I've encountered this at Anime conventions and the like. RPGs seem to be an afterthought at the events. Given the lack of interest at AireCon 3 and the general lack of promotion, when I found out that there were 7 or 8 good RPG referees going, I seriously considered giving it a miss, especially given the journey time from Birmingham. But I decided to give it one last chance.
However, I did decide that it wasn't worth pushing the board out and bringing up a heavy bag with my complete "Choose Your Adventure" stuff in it. I travelled light with only what I could fit in my wonderful "Furnace X" bag.
AireCon runs Friday to Sunday. I work Friday and it would have been difficult to travel up in time to do anything Friday evening. Certainly not enough to justify an extra night's accommodation costs. So I decided to travel up at stupid o'clock Saturday morning.
The journey was fine. I arrived in good time and breezed into the venue. This time, the convention was being held at the Harrogate International Centre. This is a proper convention centre but is right in the middle of town, just a short walk from the train station. The convention was only in one medium sized hall - and some associated rooms - but it was still a massive upgrade from the October venue. Not quite the NEC but getting there. The organisers have pumped a lot of effort and money into the event and there was excellent signage, loads of traders and lots of unique features. But what struck me was that at least a third, if not half, the venue was a sea of tables and chairs for open gaming.
The RPGs were supposed to take place in the "Paizo RPG Marquee", a tent in the middle of the hall. Remembering the great fun I'd had running RPGs in a marquee at the World SciFi con a couple of years ago, I was quite looking forward to it. Unfortunately, the "marquee" turned out to be a bit underwhelming. A family on a camping holiday would consider it luxurious but that's about it. It was black, had no internal lighting and contained four small tables.
But the organisers rustled up some small lights and we were directly adjacent to the open gaming area. We moved the signage around to make things clearer and I snaffled the table near the tent entrance, covering it with my "Choose Your Adventure" pregens, rulebooks and documentation. I rationalised that this would give passersby something to look at. Other Referees dropped rulebooks or similar from games they were able to offer.
And it worked! I'm not sure how things went on Friday (day one). I know at least one RPG was run in the dark tent and over 600 people attended the convention. But today the convention was busy - but not packed - and we ran:
Pathfinder 4 games
Star Trek (Modipheous playtest rules) 2 games
The Black Hack 2 games
Star Wars (the one with the funny dice) 2 games
The Code of Steam and Steel 1 game
The Comics Code 1 game
Dead of Night 2 games (one set in the Traveller universe)
Mindjammer 1 game
Code of Spacelanes (Firefly setting) 1 game.
And I may have missed some.
Okay, some of these were my one hour demos and went as low as two players, but most of the games run by other referees had full tables and ran for a couple of hours apiece - particularly the Pathfinder ones.
I chose to run my games in the general gaming area. This really filled up but there was always enough space to fit another game in - completely vindicating the organisers' decision to devote so much floor space to it. One of the four tables in the tent was turned over permanently to our game display, but two of the other tables were in use for pretty much all of the day running various games.
So a massive improvement over AireCon 3 and it really justified my coming. I took it upon myself to be front of house catching passersby and promoting the RPGs and was really pleased with my performance. I've still got some way to go, but I'm getting more confident at it. I was also pleased by the number of people who said they'd heard about RPGs and always wanted to give them a try. The word's really beginning to get out there.
Gaming at the venue goes on until 11pm on Saturday, but the RPG area seemed to wind up quicker. My Firefly game was the last running and I closed the tent at about 8pm and retired to my hotel, which was just next door.
Convention food and drink prices seemed a bit high to me, but there are loads of eating places within easy walk of the venue, so nipping out for cheaper comestibles was really really easy.
It's only to first day, for me, but I've been really impressed by AireCon 4. I've had a brilliant day. Roll on tomorrow.
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