[GENCON] Booth Monkeys sign-in: What Can You Run?

[Keith Senkowski]

Oh yeah and...

Can Run
Sorcerer
Elfs
Trollbabe
My Life with master
kill puppies for satan
Dogs in the Vineyard
The Mountain Witch
Under the Bed
Primetime Adventures
Conspiracy of Shadows
Dust Devils
Nine Worlds
PALADIN
The Shadow of Yesterday (Unless it is revised then move it to the other list)
DONJON (can even do it with gothic horror vibes...)
Burnign Wheel
Universalis

Need Prep
Capes
Polaris
With Great Power
Kayfabe
The Imp Game
Final Twilight
a|state

Keith

[Andy Kitkowski]

I know Andy really asked for what booth monkeys can run, not what every booth participant can run, but since everyone else is doing it:

Hey man, yeah I couldn't go back and change that title.  But yeah, I'm looking for every person manning the booth: No-selling Monkeys, Game-selling designers, Primo Booth Pass folks, etc to chime in here.  It'll help us all get organized as a team, and find our strengths and weaknesses before we show up. 

Better to find out now than getting there and realizing that only Designer A has the skills to pimp Game B...

Thanks!

[Thor Olavsrud]

Can do now:
Burning Wheel
Dogs in the Vineyard
Sorcerer

Will be able to by the con:
With Great Power...

Could do with prep from author: (and demo prep materials from the author would be good for the ones I already know too)
Universalis
Nine Worlds
The Shadow of Yesterday (could run old edition now, but not new)
Capes

Really don't know:
Elfs
Trollbabe
My Life with master
kill puppies for satan
Breaking the Ice
May Contain Monkeys
The Mountain Witch
Under the Bed
Primetime Adventures
SNAP
With Great Power
Polaris
Final Twilight
The Imp Game
Kayfabe
a|state
Conspiracy of Shadows
Dust Devils
PALADIN
DONJON

[timfire]

1) What can you run RIGHT NOW with NO HESITATION?
Dogs in the Vineyard
The Mountain Witch
Primetime Adventures
The Shadow of Yesterday
DONJON

2) What can you ABSOLUTELY prepare yourself to run by the con?
Universalis
My Life with master

3) What could you ABSOLUTELY prepare yourself to run by the con, if you received enough prep materials from the author?
Conspiracy of Shadows

4) Finally, what can you NOT run?
(These are the games I am unfamiliar with. I could probably still run any of them if given the proper prep material.)

Sorcerer
Elfs
Trollbabe
kill puppies for satan
Capes
Breaking the Ice
May Contain Monkeys
Under the Bed
SNAP
With Great Power
Polaris
Final Twilight
The Imp Game
MMORPG
Kayfabe
a|state
Dust Devils
Nine Worlds
PALADIN

[Nev the Deranged]

Whew, do I feel like a slacker.

1) What can you run RIGHT NOW with NO HESITATION?
Universalis (assuming the revisions haven't taken effect yet..?)

2) What can you ABSOLUTELY prepare yourself to run by the con?
*wincing*... er...

3) What could you ABSOLUTELY prepare yourself to run by the con, if you received enough prep materials from the author?
*eyeing that big "absolutely" with trepidation, then backing away in shame*

4) Finally, what can you NOT run? (due to time constraints, not having the game, not being comfortable enough with the game to run it, etc: don't be ashamed, not knowing/running a game is totally fine).

Okay, I might be getting a group together to practice on. If I can do that, I will be practicing one or more of the following on them:

PTA
MLwM
Sorcerer

I will do my best, with or without a play group, to familiarize myself with these games (they are the ones I own) before Con time, but as for running demos, I really do not feel confident enough in my GM skills to run them at the drop of a hat without having at least participated in a demo or two myself.

On the same note, anything I can sit in on a demo or two of at the con I can probably learn well enough to demo myself. I'm not a total lameass, just extremely rusty to the point that I no longer am certain I can run a game just from reading the rules. Maybe after running a few demos and shaking the dust off I will be back in form, I don't know. But I don't want to lay claim to any of that ABSOLUTELY up there and then fall short.

Any help or advice or anything from any authors would of course be appreciated.

Many apologies for having such weak forge-fu.

But I'm really good at carrying boxes and furniture ^_^ So there's always that to fall back on.

[TonyLB]

I am seeing people say they want preparation for a Capes demo (for instance) and I'm immediately wondering "How much can I give them, and what, to be most useful?"  Is that, perhaps, something meriting its own thread?


1) What can you run RIGHT NOW with NO HESITATION?

Capes
Dogs in the Vineyard
Polaris

2) What can you ABSOLUTELY prepare yourself to run by the con?

My Life with Master

3) What could you ABSOLUTELY prepare yourself to run by the con, if you received enough prep materials from the author?

Sorcerer
Breaking the Ice
Primetime Adventures
PALADIN
The Mountain Witch
With Great Power
kill puppies for satan

4) Finally, what can you NOT run?

Elfs
Trollbabe
Under the Bed
SNAP
Final Twilight
The Imp Game
Kayfabe
a|state
Conspiracy of Shadows
Dust Devils
Nine Worlds
The Shadow of Yesterday
DONJON
Universalis

[Michael S. Miller]

Can run right now:
Sorcerer
Trollbabe
My Life with master
Dogs in the Vineyard
With Great Power
Universalis
PALADIN

Can't run at all:
Dust Devils
DONJON
Capes
kill puppies for satan
Elfs
Breaking the Ice
May Contain Monkeys
The Mountain Witch
Under the Bed
Primetime Adventures
SNAP
Polaris
Final Twilight
The Imp Game
Kayfabe
a|state
Conspiracy of Shadows
Nine Worlds
The Shadow of Yesterday

I won't be able to bone up on anything before the con. Finishing WGP takes priority.

[Malcolm Craig]

Just a short addendum to my last post on what I can/cannot run.

Still absolutely, totally and utterly able to run a|state. However, I'll have to downgrade the others I suggested to 'can run if given prep materials', due to pressures of time (work, writing, other commitments) before the con meaning that I don't really have the time to prepare demos for other games. If provided with materials in advance, though, I'm more than happy to run stuff.

Cheers
Malcolm

[Matt Snyder]

1) What can you run RIGHT NOW with NO HESITATION?

Dust Devils
Nine Worlds

2) What can you ABSOLUTELY prepare yourself to run by the con?

The Shadow of Yesterday

3) What could you ABSOLUTELY prepare yourself to run by the con, if you received enough prep materials from the author?

My Life With Master
Primetime Adventures
Sorcerer
Trollbabe

4) Finally, what can you NOT run? (due to time constraints, not having the game, not being comfortable enough with the game to run it, etc: don't be ashamed, not knowing/running a game is totally fine).

Elfs
Trollbabe
kill puppies for satan
Dogs in the Vineyard
Capes
Breaking the Ice
May Contain Monkeys
The Mountain Witch
Under the Bed
SNAP
With Great Power
Polaris
Final Twilight
The Imp Game
MMORPG
Kayfabe
a|state
Conspiracy of Shadows
PALADIN
DONJON
Universalis
a-state

[Nev the Deranged]

Question: Is the No-Press Anthology going to be sold again this year? I would like that, since it's one of the easy sells (especially since I consider it the best money I spent last year- easier to hype stuff you own/play yourself, of course).

If so, would I be correct in assuming no demos will be expected for NPA games?

D.

[Lisa Padol]

Hm. I'm still not utterly confident in my ability to run any of the above. I'll be coming off the plane after hitting WorldCon and MythCon/Tolkien 2005 in the UK, so I doubt I'll be able to prep. Do you have any use for a shill, someone you can grab for random demos to fill them out, and, maybe a day or two into the con say, "Okay, you run this one, and I'll sit in to see you're on track," and if that goes well, we'll know I can run whatever it is? I'd say the ones I'm likely to need the least coaching on (but will need rules/prep sheets in front of me) are PTA and DitV.

-Lisa (who has, um, I think 11 days before Josh and I fly out to the UK, presuming no last minute crises from parental health issues to bombs to random subway baggage searches turning up something someone thinks is a sign that I'm secretly a terrorist)(And still to book a couple days of lodging somewhere in London on each side of  MythCon.) (And a manuscript I promised I'd read and comment on.) (I'm insane, aren't I? Why am I doing this again?)

[Ron Edwards]

Hello,

Folks, lose the idea of a "shill." If people are playing in the demo who also know and like the game, they are not shills and there is no need to hide their status. They are just playing the demo and having fun - and helping sell the game. A shill is a deception. We don't need deceptions. Fellow players are fellow players, a good and honest thing.

To be absolutely clear: booth person A gets a couple people for a demo, but a third would be extra good. Booth person B hops in. This is not shilling. It is demoing, participation, and honest sales.

Best,
Ron

[Ron Edwards]

Whoops, missed your post, Nev. As for NPA, well, that's a damn good question. I was sort of expecting it'd be sold at the booth. Is it?

And if so, then demos for its contents are certainly welcome.

Best,
Ron

[Lisa Padol]

To be absolutely clear: booth person A gets a couple people for a demo, but a third would be extra good. Booth person B hops in. This is not shilling. It is demoing, participation, and honest sales.

My apologies, Ron. That was what I meant. I just could not figure out the word for it.

-Lisa

[apeiron]

You may also wish to consider having people who can PLAY these games in a demo.  If one or two people want to try a game, it would help to have someone familiar with the game to act as a player.  Most RPGs are not played one on one.  Such players should have characters ready to play and be very familiar with the product itself.

If such players could be the RPG equivalent of a "booth babe", all the better to lure the fanboys.  Low... perhaps.  Effective... almost certainly.