[Spiel 2006] Booth Monkey Thread

[Frank T]

Hi,

Check out the discussion on Spiel 2006 here. If you are thinking about contributing money to the endeavor, you are probably interested in how well your game can be represented (Ralph mentioned as much to me in a PM). So let’s gather what we booth monkeys can do. Let’s make a list of:

- How many days we can be there.
- Which languages we speak fluently.
- Which games we know well enough to demo.
- Which games we can learn well enough to demo until October, if need be.
- Which games we know at least well enough to talk about them and answer peoples questions.

I go first:

Presence: Most probably all 4 days, at least 2.

Languages: German, English.

Games I can demo right now:

Primetime Adventures
Dogs in the Vineyard
Polaris
The Shadow of Yesterday

Games I can learn to demo:

Sorcerer
Breaking the Ice
The Shab-al-Hiri Roach

Games I can talk about:

The Riddle of Steel
Universalis
Capes
My Life with Master
The Mountain Witch

- Frank

[Eero Tuovinen]

I'm next. I'm talking for myself and my brother Markku here; you get us in one unit. Our skills are mostly overlapping, so I'll just list us both at once.

Presence: The full four days, and Stuttgart isn't impossible, either.

Languages: Finnish, English.

Games we can demo right now:

Primetime Adventures
Dogs in the Vineyard
Polaris
The Shadow of Yesterday
Dust Devils
My Life with Master
Bacchanal
Capes
Fastlane
kill puppies for satan
Multiverser
No Press Anthology (Pagoda/Pretender combo)
octaNe
The Questing Beast
Nine Worlds
The Mountain Witch
Breaking the Ice
Dogs in the Vineyard
Elfs
... and probably something I'm forgetting.

Games we can learn to demo:

Literally any quality game. I'm rather serious in my gaming investment, and I already know your games by sight or reading or play; chances are, anything not on the above list is not there either because I forgot it, I've not played it for a year and am rusty, I've not got it yet, or I've not considered it suitable for short demos. Any of these are correctable, if the will represents itself.

The most obvious lack in the list is Sorcerer, which is intentional; I can craft a demo for it, but have never done so, and would have to consult with Ron to get it right. Another one is With Great Power, which I've not had an opportunity to play yet at all, as superheroes are not that popular in Finland.

Games we can talk about:

Everything; considering that we'll have several months to bone up, I'm glad to learn every game we end up with. Can't be anything too horrible.

Frank: shouldn't we talk smack about how great roleplayers we are and our scareful powers of salesmanship, to increase the faith of our investors and to get more people to sign in on the monetary side?

[Gerd H.]

I´d be very interested to help establishing the Forge on the Spiel´06. So, let´s see what I can do:

Presence: At least 2 days will be possible, probably the full four days.

Languages: German, English

Games I can demo right now:

Dogs in the Vineyard
Primetime Adventures
The Shab-Al-Hiri Roach

Games I can (will) learn to demo:

Polaris
Nine Worlds

Games I can talk about:

Well, I´ll see what I can do!

[Georgios Panagiotidis]

I can demo, explain and talk about games.

Presence: No idea. Depends entirely on where I could stay. Haven't looked into this yet.

Languages: German, English, Greek

Can demo right now:
Primetime Adventures
With Great Power...
InSpectres

Can probably demo by October:
Sorcerer
Dogs in the Vineyard
The Shadow of Yesterday
Spione

Talk about:
Anything I can get my hands on until October.

[oliof]

Presence: One or two days on the weekend
Languages: german, english

demo now: dogs, shab al hiri roach, sorcerer, pta

demo in october: polaris, mountain witch, shadow of yesterday, spione

talk about: the mountain witch, octane, why indie games are a good idea

[Martin Higham]

Presence:  Late Wednesday afternoon through to Saturday night

Languages: English (American at a push)

Can demo right now:
Dogs
Dust Devils

Can probably demo by October:
Inspectres
Roach
Trollbabe
Breaking the Ice
Lacuna

Talk about:
TMW
TSOY
Bacchanalia
What ever I'm asked to with prior notice


Happy to devote half my time at Essen to indie rpg

[Matt Machell]

I really enjoyed myself last year, so I'm sold on being part of a larger Forge presence. Not sure I can afford contributing to a booth and travel (we'll see how sales of Covenant go between launch and GenCon), but I can certainly help out and demo.

Presence: Most likely all four days
Languages: English, German, but not enough to Demo with

Demo Now: Polaris, Mountain Witch, Inspectres, Covenant, Dogs in the Vineyard
Demo by October: Roach, Cold City, Nine Worlds, Conspiracy of Shadows
Talk about: Pretty much anything Indie

-Matt

[Frank T]

Eero, are you familiar with the Forge 15 minutes demo 3 copies sold technique and can coach us?

- Frank

[Daniela Nicklas]

Presence: Most probably all 4 days, at least 2.

Languages: German, English.

Games I can demo right now:

Primetime Adventures
Dogs in the Vineyard
Universalis
Inspectres

Games I can learn to demo:

Sorcerer

Games I can talk about:

My Life with Master
everything else (if I get some preparation)

[Dirk Ackermann]

Hi,

I can spend definitely 2 days.

Languages: German, English and some

Games I can demo right now: TRoS, BW, InSpectres, DonJon, TSoY, Universalis, HeroQuest, My Life with Master

Games I could demo at that time: Sorcerer, Roach, Polaris, TMW, Dogs

But I think BW and TRoS and HeroQuest would do the trick.

MfG

Dirk

[Eero Tuovinen]

Eero, are you familiar with the Forge 15 minutes demo 3 copies sold technique and can coach us?

Actually, I wonder about that myself. A little history: I've been running an indie outreach program here in Finland since summer 2004, mostly centered around retailing American games, translating them and writing and talking about theory and practice, and demoing games in conventions and on tour. I've modeled our activities on discussions at the Forge. I've demoed a 15 minute (or 30, which is more appropriate surprisingly often) sales demo routine for about 10-15 separate games at one point or another, dozens of times in about 30 different conventions or other appearances.

BUT, I have no actual idea if my technique is similar or comparable to the master method honed at Gencon, as I've never got an opportunity to compare. Might be that I'm slower, or faster; the only convention with a comparable pace here is Ropecon, at the other conventions the work is more intimate and often a tad slower; at least the 15 minute demo is often accompanied with another 15 of chatting. Might be that I'm more or less sales oriented, too, no idea.

So yeah, I'm pretty confident that we can do the demo thing, but I don't know if it'll be exactly the brand demo made legendary by the Gencon crew. Perhaps we'll get an opportunity to compare, if somebody from America decides to come? Anyway: of course I will help craft demos, and my materials and advice are available. We'll have time to hone our demos if the project happens here at the Forge, and at Essen as well.

[Nicolas Crost]

Ooooooh, I get to be a monkey... :)

Presence: 2-4 days (Depending on possibilities to stay. Hotel bills for 3 days get quite expensive)

Languages: German, English

Games I can demo right now:

Primetime Adventures
Dogs in the Vineyard
Universalis
With Great Power...
Capes
The Shab al'Hiri Roach
Inspectres
My Life with Master
Polaris
Trollbabe
Breaking the Ice

But I would definitely love to get some material about demoing those games by the authors or experienced demoers. Showing the core of a game and selling it in 15 minutes is rather difficult and I would appreciate any advice given.

Games I can talk about:
Almost everything else, given time to prepare

[Yvie]

Presence: Most probably all 4 days, at least 2. (as on earlier PrO exibitions)

Languages: German, English, French (out of practice) and  a little bit of Japanese

Games I can talk about:

Primetime Adventures
Dogs in the Vineyard
Universalis
Inspectres
everything else (if I get some preparation)

[btrc]

Much as I would like to, I'm not going to Essen. But I am interested in being "monkeyed" there. Is there anyone on the German side who has an interest in learning and demoing Infinite Armies (http://www.btrc.net/html/iarmies.html)? I talked to Daniela and she suggested I make a query here. The game cards can be printed in German for demo purposes (and by the end user for their own deck designs).

Greg Porter
BTRC

[Caynreth]

It's monkey-time!

Presence: saturday and sunday for sure, not sure about thursday and friday

Languages: German, English. Polish

Games I can demo right now:

PTA
Polaris
Breaking the Ice
Universalis

Games I can learn to demo:

Sorcerer
MLWM
Donjon
DitV
Capes
Nine Worlds
With Great Power

Games I can talk about:

Almost everything if I get some info on it.