Contingency 2019

Contingency  2019 report

TLDR: well organised longest residential convention in the UK finds the perfect venue. Absolute heaven. I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you want to GAME you really should come.

The story of Contingency is well known. When the beloved and late lamented Conception convention folded, many people bemoaned its demise. A tiny group of visionaries decided to do something about it and virtually willed a replacement into existence. The reason why Conception ceased was to do with changes in the venue and the difficulty of finding a replacement. The founders of Contingency scoured the country to find somewhere, anywhere, that could host a 5 day residential convention for hundreds of people in mid January. The venue they settled on was in the New Forest and difficult for some people to get to - myself included. So I was unable to attend the first two events.

This year they switched to a new venue, an out of season holiday camp in Hunstanton. This flexibility of thinking is a real strength of the organisers. They are willing to try anything, in any area of the country, to get a convention which works.

(Warning - I am going to be gushing in my praise throughout this report. I can't help it.)

The event officially runs from Wednesday to Sunday. However, as the lodges at the holiday camp are free all week, any bookings effectively cover Monday and Tuesday as well. Anyone booked in is free to attend from Monday if they wish. And, if they want, stay over Sunday night to check out Monday morning.

I, alas, cannot attend mid week. For Continuum I always rushed out of work on Friday evening  and boarded the first available train and, usually, made it just in time for the Friday evening game. Initially I thought the new venue was as inaccessible for me as the previous one again. (Missing the Friday night game makes the event unviable for me). But, with repeated number crunching, I managed to work out a route by which I could make it just in time -  8:00pm. A key element is that the convention organisers organise a car ferry from the nearest station - Kings Lynn - to the venue. They charge  £5 for a journey which would be over £20 in a taxi. Just on example of how the organisers bend over backwards for attendees. (Gush).

Though I was travelling alone, the organisers arranged a lodge share for me with a fellow referee I know. And booked me a gaming table for the weekend. (They are really keen to encourage Referees to attend.)

The cost of accommodation - which is self catering - is far cheaper than equivalent hotels.

Monday of the convention arrived. And people began posting pictures of people on Facebook arriving and gaming. I was frustrated and jealous. Wednesday arrived and the convention proper started and even more posts were put up showing a thriving convention where people were having a great time. I nearly exploded in envy.

It turned out that to clear the public gaming areas (bars) by midnight the evening session was timed to run from 7:30-11:30. And I couldn't get there before 8:00. So I sent in details of my Friday game and asked them to see if they could get players who were willing to wait for me.

Friday came and I ran for my train. There was a slight delay so I arrived at the venue well after 8:00pm. But signing in was a dream and I had three wonderful players who had been waiting patiently for me. I ran a great 13th Doctor scenario. (The conclusion featured a bit of dark satire on a recent real world tragedy. Not sure how I feel about that.) "My" table, like all the others in this main room, was the ubiquitous 6' circular job you get at many conventions. Not my favourite. Lighting slightly dark but livable. Lager £3.75 a pint.

As referee you collect in tickets and put them in an envelope. The envelope is individually labelled with each and every players name - transcribed from the sign up sheet. When you hand it in, you get a GMs voucher which you can spend at the bar or traders. It worth £3 at the bar but usually more at traders. (There were a handful of the usual traders present). The voucher is numbered, labelled with your name and recorded. The paperwork at this convention is meticulous.

I handed in my sign up sheets for my Saturday and Sunday games. Then I realised my mistake. Sign up sheets go up 24 hours in advance, so most people had already chosen their Saturday games. Mine were put up at the bottom of the relevant noticeboards, well below the eyeline, and didn't gather much interest. I should have submitted them before the event, possibly through WarHorn.

As an aside, the games on offer seem to be a happy blend of general TTRPGs, 5th Ed D&D (living world and stand-alone) and Pathfinder. There was a big "Era" presence which seemed very popular. Other events were also offered - LARPs, board games, an escape room etc.

At 11:00pm an organiser went around the tables quietly and politely reminding everyone that the games should be finished by 11:30. When my game ended, I found my way in the dark to my Lodge. The reception staff were incredibly helpful. The Lodge was in fact a caravan. Large, comfortable, well-appointed. I could have lived in it. The only thing it missed was a towels and tea towel so, for this convention, you had to bring your own. (There was a charity towel donation service where you can leave your towel at the end of the event).

The caravan was clearly empty so I explored it. Massive lounge and kitchen area. Two toilets, one with shower, three bedrooms - two twin and one double - with the last door I opened having an occupant I'd never met before! We said our hellos, agreed shower times for the morning and said goodnight.

For me, I overslept, waking at 8:00am with games starting at 9:00am. Games start with "muster" where the games and players are called out. As I'd expected, my game didn't have any players. However, I didn't discover this until the end. If it had been announced up front I could have jumped into a game with spaces. I wandered around trying to get into a couple of games I'd noted weren't full, but they had all been filled by the time I got to their tables.

However, part of these wanderings took me into the other gaming room - a brightly lit bar next to the restaurant. The buffet breakfast was still open and I succumbed to its charms. I spent the rest of the session stuffing my face and then networking with various people I knew. Amongst other things I found out that the pre convention two days, Monday and Tuesday, hadn't been as action packed as I'd inferred. Apparently you needed to prearrange to game with friends  - it's unlikely you'll pick up many casual games.

I did try posting on Facebook to see if anyone fancied  a short TTRPG but got no takers. I also checked with the main desk when the afternoon sign up sheets were taken down for transcribing onto envelopes. I checked the sheet for my afternoon game just before that time. As it was still empty, I pulled it down and transferred into Paul Baldowksi's "The Cthulhu Hack" game. I've been running it for a while. I thought I might as well find out how it's done properly.

I noticed I had one sign up for my evening game.

Stuffed from breakfast, lunch was chicken soup and a bread roll. Very nice soup, actually, let down by being served in a paper cup.

On my way to afternoon muster, I noted my evening game had five sign ups, a group of four having signed up together.

I found out that the game I'd signed up to wasn't actually The Cthulhu Hack but a new Sci Fi variant Paul was developing. We were droids waking up on a Moonbase with no memory of the last 24 hours. With our charging points destroyed and our power failing we had to find out what was going on, what had happened to the humans on the base and decide what to do about it. The central conceit - and ancillary extrapolations - were really neat and I don't want to give anything away. If he publishes this scenario I'd recommend you buy it.

I checked my signup sheet for the evening and had six players.

Tea was a chicken breast in a bun with cheese on and chips. The standard fare offered at the holiday camp was perfect for gamers. Though most of the facilities at the camp were closed there was also a takeaway booth outside selling pizzas etc. Of course if you're staying a long time, the most economic option would be to cook in your lodge.

Shortly before the sign up sheets were taken down, the group of four players crossed their names off leaving me with just two. (In fact there seemed to be quite a bit of "churning" with lots of people changing their minds between games.)

Despite my begging at muster, I failed to garner any more players but they both agreed to play anyway. As it was a small group, we decamped from the big round table in the darker room to a smaller rectangular one in the brightly lit bar. This game was a horror game - in fact the free scenario from the DragonMeet 2018 programme. (Thanks guys!) Darks deeds in 1930's London. (Filmed in Black and White, of course.) A gentleman adventurer, "Fleeting Glance" (not John Hannay, at all) and his young streetwise associate "Mikey". Two experienced players who were eating up the scenery. The best two player game I've ever refereed for.

At one point we pooled GM vouchers and bought a round of drinks for virtually nothing.

An hour before the end, a younger player walked past and asked if he could watch. Of course we let him join in. This introduced a femme fatale into the game which, with the young guy's enthusiasm, changed the energy at the table. Not in a bad way, just different.

At 11:00pm an organiser went around the tables quietly and politely reminding everyone that the games should be finished by 11:30. The young guy owned up - without prompting - to not having bought a ticket for the game but knew the organiser and promised to buy one ASAP.

Sunday morning I got up a bit earlier. The site advertises breakfast from 8:30 on its website but for the convention was offering it from 7:00am.  So I was able to stuff myself and set up for my morning game in good order.

This was a Blakes Seven scenario. Avon, Vila, Cally, Soolin, Dayna foiling a dastardly plot on Mars. Cally was played the best I've ever seen but everyone was into the game (despite a couple of players showing signs of tiredness after the week's gaming). Very in keeping with the mood of the series. I think I need to write and run more B7 adventures.

Lunch was a really really good value Sunday carvery and a great end to the convention for me. Then there was the charity raffle. I'm not a fan of these, as you know, and there were lots and lots and lots of great prizes. It went on for a bit. (One of the prizes was the "Alan Turing" edition of Monopoly! Go figure.)

By this time the convention had already banked £5,000 for charity. And more was expected. The return to this venue next year was announced, to much applause. The venue and the incredibly personable and helpful staff had been an absolute winner with everyone.

Whilst waiting for my lift to the station I tried to start this blog, but there was always an old friend to chat to in the bar.

My lift to the station was shared with two younger D&D players who'd been running "official" games for years at Conception and Contingency who I've never met before. We had a great chat.

It's not the fault of the the convention that - as usual - my Sunday journey home was long and arduous, featuring an extended section on a bus replacement service.

In summary.......

I don't rate conventions against each other. However, if I did, by some measures Contingency would clearly come out as the best convention in the country. If you want GAME for several days it's the place to be. The organisers bend over backwards to make your experience brilliant and the venue - especially the staff - is perfect.

IMHO the organisers work a bit TOO hard to ensure everyone has fun and don't always get the credit they deserve. I expect the convention to grow, and there is capacity for expansion at the site. But I hope they don't officially extend the whole thing to the full week. They work hard enough in the five main days as it is. Let the two day casual "precon" be its own thing.

I cannot recommend this convention highly enough. I will be back next year - for the weekend (grrrr). For several minutes I seriously considered giving up a week's salary to come here for the whole event. It's that good.

If you get to Contingency 2020, you should.