Dexcon 2006

[Judd]

When I first showed up to Dreamation in 2005 I had played a few indie RPG's but hadn't met that many of you all and if I did, it was at a Gen Con and we barely had time to chat.  It has been at Dreamation and Dexcon when I got to sit and chat, talk shit over the totem at Jungle Speed and make friends.  I'd list names but there are really too many.

Too many names of people who if they were in Ithaca, I'd bust my ass to shift my schedule around so that I could invite them to my house to break bread with me, meet my girlfriend and all that.

I saw Jennifer's art at Dexcon last year and suggested that we work together over the Dictionary of Mu.  The dictionary has grown at this con from a little word doc to an edited manuscript to a proof laid out by Luke, illustrated by Jeniffer with a pre-order sheet for players to fill out.  People gave me money.  Wow.

Last year there was an RPG Design Seminar and this year people with games pitched and worked over at that seminar brought their games and they played to full tables.  Primitive, Cups, 1st Quest, The Great Art...none of these games are finished, some might be more ready than others but every damned one has benefited from this kind of in the field playtest.  I know Shawn was re-writing Cups between sessions at the con.

Dictionary of Mu had 3 sessions, two of which were Saturday and Sunday MORNING from 9am to 1pm...every damned seat was filled.  People were coming back to see if they could take another character and play again.  When I left to go to the bathroom, someone was always leafing through the proof that was left on the table.  Awesome.

1st Quest has the procedures but not the text.  This year will be me trying to write so that others can do what I've been doing with this game.  I'm aiming for Gen Con 2007 and I've got a Dreamation tucked in there.

Vinnie and the gang treat us like rock stars.  I have seen Vinnie walk around the RPG room handing out sandwhiches to GM's. 

I'd like the Chocolate Explosion to be the Fruit Explosion but other than that, no complaints to be found.  Oh, no...one more complaint.  The puzzle game on the i.d. badges sucked.  Misspelling people's names who pre-registered really honked me off.  I was Judd Karbman rather than Judd Karlman and my buddy, Robert was Fobert.  Fuck that.

And on the ride home the stimulation to my brain always brings good ideas to the surface on whatever project is in the pole position.  I had to stop in a rest stop to write down notes on 1st Quest rules so I didn't get into a car accident with a pencil and a scrap of paper in my hand.

The con's grown because we've all gone home, told our friends and brought them too.  It is viral.  What was just me and Rob in 2005 has grown to Rob, Jay, Bret, Bob and Jeff when he can make it.

Thank you, Dexcon staff.  This is what the small con experience should be like.

[Jared A. Sorensen]

I'd like the Chocolate Explosion to be the Fruit Explosion but other than that, no complaints to be found.  Oh, no...one more complaint.  The puzzle game on the i.d. badges sucked.  Misspelling people's names who pre-registered really honked me off.  I was Judd Karbman rather than Judd Karlman and my buddy, Robert was Fobert.  Fuck that.

For me, the con was a pile of suck. But I didn't care because my goals were completely divorced from the con. I didn't run or play games (other than Jungle Speed of course). I hung out with some people I liked that live far away from me. I went out to cool ethnically-diverse restaurants. I worked out. I went clubbing. I watched Unbreakble on the hotel room TV and read some comic books.

The "Empy Calories Explosion" was -- distubing/grotesque. Pasty, unhealthy-looking and morbidly overweight gamers standing in long lines to what? Stuff their faces with candy? It was the human freak show. I grabbed one of three lonely bananas on Sunday morning to stave of hungert until lunch and was greeted by five cases of soda against the wall. Really, it's time we stop condoning unhealthy lifestyle choices at conventions (and worse, re-affirming them with piles of junk food). I'll also add stinkiness and bizarre social behavior to that list. It's funny to tell the cat piss man story but it's another thing to experience it.

I'm embarrased and ashamed of the people in the hobby, not unlike a soccer fan that is lumped in with hooligans. I won't be going to small cons anymore, aside from ones run by friends of mine for small circles. I need the professional and geographical divide provided by a booth at GenCon.

[Judd]

Let me get this perfectly straight, Jared.

You didn't play anything.

You didn't run anything.

You didn't want to play or run anything at this gaming convention.

And you were saying it sucked?

What the fuck, man.

I love seeing ya and I love talking to ya but why even go?

[Jared A. Sorensen]

Don't get me wrong, I had a blast. But it had nothing to do with Dexcon's management, the selection of games, $36,000 in prize money or the Hall o' Sugar.

[Avie]

NewsFlash, Mr. Sunshine:

DEXCON is produced by real people who put a LOT of time and energy into running a great show.  While it might not be your cup of tea, we're more than happy to accept your money when you buy a badge, and we do our best to make sure you ahve a good time while you're there.   In return for the fact that we're more than willing to go out of our way to make it an enjoyable experience for everybody who walks through our doors, we generally expect NOT to get kicked in the balls by somebody who clearly Doesn't Get It. 

I don't know who piddled in your wheaties, but as far as I can tell, you didn't *attend* the con.  And somehow, it was a pile of suck?

Honestly, it's people like you who make for the the most horrifying cross-section of the hobby -- those people who will take a good thing that a lot of people enjoyed and find something nasty to say even without a single fact behind your "opinion". 

I'm praying my staff skips this post -- they don't deserve what you posted after having worked ahrd for 5 days to make everybody else who showed up as happy as possible.

--Avonelle Wing
Senior Vice President
Double Exposure, Inc.

[Michael S. Miller]

Hi, Avie.

As one of the organizers of the Indie RPG Explosion, I wanted to reiterate what Judd said at the top of the thread:

Thank you, Dexcon staff.  This is what the small con experience should be like.

I and numerous others have appreciated all the effort and hospitality that Vinnie, Becca, and the rest of the DE staff have extended to us Indie folks over the past few years. The time and energy DE invests into its conventions is stunning and most of us are glad to be a part of it.

[Andrew Morris]

I had a blast at DexCon. I got to playtest my two games (The Great Art and Unistat) and received great feedback that will be invaluable in finishing them. I found out that TGA is not as close to completion as I'd thought, and that Unistat is essentially done -- I just have to update the download to the most recent version of the rules.

I had a real scare when I looked at Mortal Coil. The concept seemed similar to TGA, the artwork was just what I was looking for, and Brennan even used the artist I would hire if I had the money. He even had illustrations of two of the spirits in TGA (the Blue Lady and Bloody Mary). I found out later that we'd simply used the same source material, but wow....it still put a real fright into me for a moment.

Ganakagok has quickly become one of my absolute favorite games, right up there with Dogs in the Vineyard, Capes, and Universalis. I'm glad I had a chance to play it again -- the new Ganakagok Tarot looks awesome.

Meeting all the nice folks I've met here is always a treat, as well. Having people like Judd, Tony, and others at your table is scary in a good way, because you've got to be worried that your game is capable of handling their sheer awesomeness and creativity as players.

I'll be posting several actual play posts as soon as I can get my thoughts together.

And Jared...comments like that make me embarrassed to be associated with the Forge. You didn't really attend GenCon, you just hung out with people that did. Saying that the con sucked for you because you didn't care about the con really isn't useful for discussion, in any way, shape, or form. If it didn't meet your wants or needs as a gamer, fine. Point out the issues so the organizers can be aware of them. If not, go put it on a blog or something and rant away. The Forge is supposed to be about theory and useful discussion, not empty ranting.

[Clinton R. Nixon]

Jared is usually this negative, and it usually gets ignored, but I'm going to go ahead and drop a little moderator action here.


Jared, the above comments were inappropriate and was purposefully posted in order to be disruptive. You, of all people, should know that is poor form for any forum and especially the Forge. Please do not intentionally act disruptive again.

This thread is not closed, but I ask that discussion of Jared's comments be closed from here on out.

[Salvius]

Hi, Avie.

As one of the organizers of the Indie RPG Explosion, I wanted to reiterate what Judd said at the top of the thread:

Thank you, Dexcon staff.  This is what the small con experience should be like.

I and numerous others have appreciated all the effort and hospitality that Vinnie, Becca, and the rest of the DE staff have extended to us Indie folks over the past few years. The time and energy DE invests into its conventions is stunning and most of us are glad to be a part of it.

Michael,

It is always a pleasure to have you and the other Indie Press people at our conventions. We love watching games grow and mature and we are immensely proud that we have a hand in making your dreams come true.

I have to say, though, that seeing a post like Jared's today was a real shock. A "pile of suck"? I just put four intense months of my life into this convention, and I pride myself in the fact that every Indie author, INCLUDING Jared, was treated like royalty at our events. If he objects to Sugarfest, I respect that; but to insinuate that he had to find fun because the management of the convention sucked is not only horrible, it is clearly untrue in the face of everything we heard from our attendees AND gamemasters.

I didn't expect to see something like that from one of the Indie publishers when we go out of our way to headline your games so that they appear as mainstream as anything from any large game company. We can't make everyone happy, but that was just uncalled for.

It's a good thing that the forge has people like you, Kat, Tony and Andrew who go out of their way to work with us every step of the way and to ensure that we all grow together. If Jared were the face of the forge, Indie publishers would certainly not have a place at DE events :(

>>>Vinny

[Luke]

Vinny, Avie, Judd, et omnes,

Clinton has already commented on Jared's post. Please do not respond Jared's post or attempt to defend yourself or the con. Jared is entitled to his opinion, as are you, but no good is going to come in this thread from responding to his post. Just leave it be and move on.

Yes, I'm a mod.

[Salvius]

Vinny, Avie, Judd, et omnes,

Clinton has already commented on Jared's post. Please do not respond Jared's post or attempt to defend yourself or the con. Jared is entitled to his opinion, as are you, but no good is going to come in this thread from responding to his post. Just leave it be and move on.

Yes, I'm a mod.

I'm done with it, Luke. Note the timing of my post; I had it fully written a couple of minutes after Clinton posted his request, so I wasn't going to abandon it. But the subject is closed.

>>>Vinny

[Judd]

I will be collecting forum threads, AP threads of games that went on there, blog and livejournal posts about the con right here.

[Judd]

I will be collecting forum threads, AP threads of games that went on there, blog and livejournal posts about the con right here.

http://judd-sonofbert.livejournal.com/226497.html

[Andrew Morris]

Just to be clear, Judd, are you asking that people put a notice about relevant posts/links here, so you can update that page? Or something else?

[Robert Bohl]

I have started my own thread-of-posts for my DexCon AP experience.