Indie RPG Explosion at Dreamation 2005

[Helvetian]

Becca: Were you giving me seperate space or rolling me in with the Forge group?

Which would you prefer?  I'm more than happy to tailor for what works for each company.  I know there was some confusion that I was making the invitation both here and in individual emails.  Regardless, the space and memberships are free.  We do that for every company, Indie or no.

Becca

[Dregg]

Also we should talk about throwing a party during the con. One of the many cool things about DE events is the parites at night. We should do a forge party to meet some of the other company people and gamers at the convention. DE has help with a party for I-CON last year and it was great.

I think it should also be on our list of events.

[Michael S. Miller]

Okay. Newly revised schedule is at http://incarnadine.indie-rpgs.com/draft02.gif I didn't move any slots that were already approved.

Clinton If you have to leave early, we can switch around that Sunday afternoon slot

Dregg A party's a great idea. Since you know what it entails, I think you should be in charge of it. So, what are we gonna do?

JaredI didn't add you to the schedule yet because your post said "maybe" And you're doing the GenCon SoCal thing now.

BeccaWow. Thanks for all the space. I'm REALLY not used to convention people going the extra mile. I have years of experience dealing with convention people who promise to go the extra 20ft and then only don't even do that. THis is surprising and good.

However, because of some folks attending GenCon SoCal, I might not be able to confirm all events until middle of next week.

[Folks in general]Here are the events I still need descriptions for:
Tony's Capes
Vincent's DitV
Matt's PTA, Pagoda, Uni & InSpectres
Dregg's 3 Pulp games
Bill's Ganakagok
and all my games, too.

Thanks, everybody. This is coming together nicely.

[Bill_White]

The schedule works for me.  Here's my event description (cut as needed):

The Great Isle of Ice, Ganakagok, floats in the frigid Sea of Tears beneath a sky that blazes with starlight.  For countless generations, your People have lived their lives in the endless night of Ganakagok, whose mysterious origins are the stuff of your legends.  All during that time, the spirits of the Stars have been the patrons and protectors of the People...but now the stars have begun to fade from view, and in the east the sky grows lighter.  What does it portend?  You are the hunters and shamans who must unravel the mysteries of the change in order to lead your People through the perilous time that approaches.

[Dregg]

Dregg A party's a great idea. Since you know what it entails, I think you should be in charge of it. So, what are we gonna do?

Cool I will talk to Rebecca about what times will not step on other parties toes, and start from there. The rooms were given to us by DE for Sleep/Demos/ and Parites so we might as well use this to the fullest.
Note: Most parties at DE events are not very cake and Ice Cream, so we have to determine how far up the rated scale we wish to go. In the past DE has been know to seed the parties with chips and soda, but we do need to figure what else we would want, and if we want to have Juice for the over 21 crowd. Then its time to hit Sams club/Costco/etc.

Once we get an Idea of what we want then I can try and put it all together.

[TonyLB]

Thurdsay 8-12:  [Capes] "Superhero Old-School":  From their high tower the Sentinels of Liberty cast their gaze over Millennium City, ever ready to protect it from any threat, be it from space, another dimension, or the center of the earth.  This session will be as unapologetically old-school superheroics as we can manage.  One round, All materials provided, Beginners welcome, Fun, All Ages, Up to four players.

Thursday Midnight slot: [Capes] "Villainy Unleashed":  All weekend long you'll fight the good fight. Tonight, let your darker side frolic at a super-villain session. Compete with other villains to hold Millenium City for ransom. Prove the futility of resistance, and gloat about your superiority. You can always be the good guy tomorrow. One round, All materials provided, Beginners welcome, Fun, All Ages, Up to four players.

Saturday 8-12 slot: [Capes] "Framed!":  Corrupt villain-businessman Phillip West frames our heroes for the attack that hospitalized Senator Malloy, prominent super-rights advocate.  Is this mere spite, or part of a more nefarious plan?  Can you clear your name and save Millenium city? One round, All materials provided, Beginners welcome, Fun, All Ages, Up to four players.

[Helvetian]

On another note, can everyone who's coming (who hasn't already) email me with registration information so I can have the badges done and waiting?  Names, addresses, and phone numbers for everyone you're bringing (and we're really fine with as many people as you need, to help you demo your games - we do want you guys getting out from behind the tables and playing games too, after all).  If you have SOs or kids, feel free to bring them along.  I'll have badges waiting for them, too.

Becca
becca@dexposure.com

[Dregg]

Ok here are the descriptions for my Indie Games

Pulp Era: Cinematic Adventures in the Yesteryear - The Revenge of Orubu
The year is 1937. An ancient African curse haunts the small town of Gosnold, Massachusetts. A series of global murders all centered around the questionable activities of a Victorian era gentleman's club, seem to be a the focus point, but the members keep dropping like flies. Enter the Collective, an organization dedicated to fighting the world's evil and corruption. Can the world brightest and bravest heroes stop this evil before it can kill again?


Pulp Era: Cinematic Adventures in the Yesteryear - Gods Amongst Men
Asleep for thousands of year, the entities that once ruled humanity with an iron fist slumbered in their tombs of exile and banishment. The magic that once ran wild through the ley lines of our great earth had faded and mankind learned to survive on their own and without aid.... Until today. In 1929 an ancient and powerful cult tried to awaken the black earth mother Kali, with sacrifice they were to open the floodgate to the land of the gods and return the old order to mankind. They succeeded, but Kali's sacrifice was stolen and now she's mad. Magic has returned to the world and as a result the old Gods are awakening and drawing factions within their followers. Join Doc Atlas and the Atlas Trading Company as they fight back the powers of the ancient ones and return order to a world bathed in chaos.


Pulp Era: Cinematic Adventures in the Yesteryear - Warlords of the Aether
1887: The Isle of Great Brittan was invaded by the evil alien race, the Hythari-Hun. Although the people of the Empire were able to push back and win victory over their cunning foe, the isle was in ruin and the threat of their return lay heavy in the hearts of the English and the world. With the help of the American "Boston Gun Club" and the kit bashing of the Hun technology, her majesty was presented with a space worthy craft to send after the dangerous forces. Fly through the Aether with Major Isaiah Kane and this crew to the planet Mars where the alien forces await the final conflict. Rule Britannia!

[Michael S. Miller]

Thanks for the event descriptions, guys. All I need is Vincent's. Vincent, can you get me a description of your Dogs event and the Understanding Role-Playing seminar?

Will everyone please respond to Becca's request above by e-mail either to her or to me. We don't want personal info out in public.

As soon as I get in touch with Jared, we can finalize the schedule. Then I'll get all the info to Tony, he can put together the website. Then we can brainstorm about table space, parties, and most of all, options of promotion.

edited for typo

[Michael S. Miller]

Also, here's the description I was going to use for the Independent Publishing seminar. Critique, questions, clarifications, expansions and total rewrites are most welcome.

Independent PublishingWhat is an independent role-playing game? How do indie games differ from the products of commercial publishers? Where can you find indie games? How can you, too, become an independent publisher? All this and more will be discussed in this seminar. Part of the Indie RPG Explosion.

[TonyLB]

I'd quibble slightly with the word "commercial" as the opposite of Indie.  I mean, I'm in this for the love of the game but I'm in it for money too.

Pinning down the difference, though, that's trickier.  Some of it is the way that the design and inspiration for a game is created mainly by a small group or single person.  Perhaps replace "commericial" with "more heavily staffed"?

[Michael S. Miller]

Hey, Tony, I chose "commercial" because I've seen it used in a number of threads simply to mean "nonIndie" but you're right about it seeming biased. I don't like "more heavily staffed" because I think there's more difference than just staffing, and it gets a bit too detailed for a description in the program book.

How about "traditional?" It highlights the innovativeness of the indie movement. But it could also be seen as a critique. Perhaps I should just say "other publishers."

[lumpley]

"Conventional" instead, maybe? That's my favorite.

My descriptions:

Dogs in the Vineyard
It's a hard winter and God's Faithful are suffering. Demons prey on the weak, the hurt, the lost; in the isolated frontier settlements, even small resentments boil into hate and murder.  You'll be God's Watchdogs, charged to put things right and hold the Faith together, riding into demon-ridden New Chapel Town.

Here's a deal with the Dogs games, though - they won't be any good for more than four players each. Is a max of four players going to be okay?

Understanding Roleplaying
Lets open roleplaying up and muck around in its guts. I'll lay out a state-of-the-art description of what really happens when you roleplay, and we'll go from there. Time willing, we can dig into the nitty gritty of RPG design, playing and GMing, dealing with dysfunction, choosing and adapting rules, or even take on the biggie: creative agenda and social dynamics. Whatever way we go, we'll always fall back on the gold standard of RPG theory: actual play.

Guaranteed to kick conventional wisdom down and take its lunch money.

-Vincent

[Michael S. Miller]

"Conventional" instead, maybe? That's my favorite.

I'm a bit concerned that con-goers might think we're comparing ourselves to companies that run conventions--like Double Exposure.

Here's a deal with the Dogs games, though - they won't be any good for more than four players each. Is a max of four players going to be okay?

I don't reckon it will be a problem. My With Great Power... events are four players also.

[Eero Tuovinen]

Hey, Tony, I chose "commercial" because I've seen it used in a number of threads simply to mean "nonIndie" but you're right about it seeming biased. I don't like "more heavily staffed" because I think there's more difference than just staffing, and it gets a bit too detailed for a description in the program book.

Hey, I've always just used "mainstream". Unambiguous and honest, although we'd sure like to think that the rpg mainstream is really periphery (if you remember that particular discussion). Regardless, that's the current field, and everybody will understand the distinction.

Another option, if you want to go with Ron's definition of indie, is to call the opposite "work-for-hire", in which case such a publisher is a "IP management" company, as opposed to "one that both creates and manages IP", which is indie.

"How do indie games differ from the products of the more usual IP management companies?" A nice sound, although perhaps not very clear.