I originally posted this as a response in Judd’s LJ and then immediately realized that was the wrong place for it. If you want the read the original thread, it’s here. The short version is that a number of people have suggested that the answer to many of the issues facing the IGE at Dreamation is to add an open gaming / Games On Demand area. I don’t think that’s the answer, and here’s why:
I kinda think that GoD would be a poor fit for Dreamation, but not at all for the reasons Avie states. As Joshua said, GoD has worked well at GenCon and filling tables with play would not be an issue.
GoD was created intentionally to draw enthusiasm AWAY from the Exhibit Hall at GenCon, so that folks who had already bought what they wanted could actually PLAY their games and not contribute to the traffic jam at the booth. At Dreamation, it would be a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. The only thing for GoD to draw enthusiasm away from is the scheduled games! And that would be disasterous.
Look at the incentives it sets up for both the publishers and the indie-enthusiast attendees: For the publisher, the incentive becomes “I want to see that hot new game that attendee X is bringing to the GoD area, and talk with friends old and new. To maximize my enjoyment, I should run as few scheduled games as possible so I can spend as much time as possible at GoD.” For the indie-enthusiast attendee, the incentive becomes “I want to play in a game run by publisher Z, and Z has said online that he’ll be spending most of his time in the GoD area. To maximize my enjoyment, I should register for as few games as possible, to have a better chance of gaming/hanging out with Z.”
I foresee tons of people crowding into the GoD area, begging you to play Shock: and you’ve got to come up with those supplementary GMs on the spot rather than a few weeks before the con.
GoD was our way to make a tiny corner of GenCon more like Dreamation. If you try to make Dreamation more like GoD, the risks are high.
I’m certainly not totally convinced of anything, and would like to hear others’ thoughts on the matter.
Hmmm.
My commentary on why GoD didn’t strike me as something that would work had NOTHING to do with a GENCON sort of setting. Forgive me for having been entirely DE centric – my advice/input/perspective was based solely on what I’ve seen happen at our conventions over the years.
Trade shows and more sci-fi based cons, with their panels and their completely different pulse would obviously have a different reaction to GoD. So, plug in “what I’ve seen at DREAMATION, DEXCON and Southern Exposure” to every one of my thoughts on GoD.
Right. I was trying to explain to Joshua & others who said “GoD worked so well at GenCon, let’s do it at Dreamation” why I don’t think the two things are a good fit.
That’s one of the troubles with the gosh-darn internet. It makes information-exchange so much easier, but communication so much more thorny.
Hmmm.
My commentary on why GoD didn’t strike me as something that would work had NOTHING to do with a GENCON sort of setting. Forgive me for having been entirely DE centric – my advice/input/perspective was based solely on what I’ve seen happen at our conventions over the years.
Trade shows and more sci-fi based cons, with their panels and their completely different pulse would obviously have a different reaction to GoD. So, plug in “what I’ve seen at DREAMATION, DEXCON and Southern Exposure” to every one of my thoughts on GoD.
Right. I was trying to explain to Joshua & others who said “GoD worked so well at GenCon, let’s do it at Dreamation” why I don’t think the two things are a good fit.
That’s one of the troubles with the gosh-darn internet. It makes information-exchange so much easier, but communication so much more thorny.
Don’t forget: we’re talking about a special purpose playtest thing in the GoD form. We’ll still be GMing games that you can get to play by signing up, and that *really* increases the chances of getting to play with someone.
On the other hand, if, say, Vincent says, “I’m playtesting this new game where you smear poop in your eyes at Dreamation,” people *will* bail on other things to be in that playtest, and damn their eyes.
Honestly, though, that’s not going to happen that often. There will be the occasional rockstar, but mostly it’ll be people with their first game, trying to get something to work unfunly.
GenCon IGE/GoD?
Hi,
Do you know if anyone is organizing this for GenCon this year? I’ve been looking for info for a while now and no luck. Mainly I want to get my events tagged with the right group name etc. Specifics can of course wait.
Tx,
Scott
Don’t forget: we’re talking about a special purpose playtest thing in the GoD form. We’ll still be GMing games that you can get to play by signing up, and that *really* increases the chances of getting to play with someone.
On the other hand, if, say, Vincent says, “I’m playtesting this new game where you smear poop in your eyes at Dreamation,” people *will* bail on other things to be in that playtest, and damn their eyes.
Honestly, though, that’s not going to happen that often. There will be the occasional rockstar, but mostly it’ll be people with their first game, trying to get something to work unfunly.
GenCon IGE/GoD?
Hi,
Do you know if anyone is organizing this for GenCon this year? I’ve been looking for info for a while now and no luck. Mainly I want to get my events tagged with the right group name etc. Specifics can of course wait.
Tx,
Scott