MACE, High Point, November 10-12

[Luke]

TENRA BANSHO HAI

BONSAI! SUGOI!

[Andy Kitkowski]

That's does it! Where's my katana... grumblegrumblegrumble...

For that crack, I'm gonna translate Burning Empires into Engrish. Here's the cover page blurb, thanks to Google Languages:

-------------------------------------------
The game of the fantasy scientific novel of the epic which is based on the Iron Empire realistic novel which the game designer and the author of prize acquisition of the wheel whose Christopher Moeller is hot very has designed and is extolled critically!!
   
Very hot Empire uses the very hot wheel system as a center, taking expands the extent of the story which decides the destiny of the world in order to surround!

With this game original technology, delicate infiltration, extreme revolution, the discussion which is burnt, the millwright for firefights and the strategic fight which burn is found. 

Quality of the player is their itself destinies, destiny and the friend of their families and the leading part of the story which they decide destiny of the world.

That is test of belief and conviction.

In order to rescue everything which in the empire where you are hot very is made important, you must pass by the fire.   

And it changes.   

Very Hot Empire is the digest which is classified 5.5x 8.5 (size where inside four color printings there is a gloss has been attached) is the hardcover book.

As for the game art work almost 400 parts, the art work both where were painted sufficiently from sketch and comic never front from the book of the sketch of the crith it was seen it includes.
-----------------------------------------

Yes!  I'm sold on the sufficiently painted artwork, and the delicate infiltration!

[rafael]

Hi, David,

Very cool.  I'm going to MACE to run several sessions of Dread: The First Book of Pandemonium.  Not sure exactly how many.  If you're interested in running a session or two, I'd love to talk to you about it.

Everybody else, I'll see you at High Point (isn't that in the Forgotten Realms?).

-- Rafael

[Eric Provost]

Dude, I just ran to my Forgotten Realms setting book.

I checked the index, but didn't find High Point.  I did find High Castle, High Country, High Forest, High Ice, High Moor, and um... Highcastle.  Which I assume is different from High Castle. 

But no High Point.  And now I'm terribly dissapointed.

[rafael]

Wow.  There's also High Dale, High Horn, and Highmoon.  But alas, no High Point.

What a downer.  I'm sorry.

-- Rafael

[David Artman]

The Furniture Capital of the World just don't get NO respect. :(

How about I do it like this, having not gotten word back from McClurg: I will just list the times I am willing to GM, and folks post to reserve those times? Be sure that I am given some kind of advance material to learn the game before the day, of course! :)

Saturday 11/11
10:00 - 18:00	uncommitted
Sunday 11/12
09:00 - 13:00	Indie Games Roundup, Jason Morningstar
13:00 - 18:00	uncommitted

Sign up soon!
David

[Andy Kitkowski]

How about I do it like this, having not gotten word back from McClurg: I will just list the times I am willing to GM...

Hey David- sorry we weren't clearer earlier:  Ron actually passed your registration information on to me, Jason and Eric (he considers us to be the Hippie Squad's Leadership etc: Eric's organizing the blocks, me and Jason are organizing the MACE Game Chef etc) to talk to you. His concern, as Jason alluded to above, is that a bunch of us have already signed up to run a ton of small-press games over the space of the convention, in one clustered area.  He doesn't have any more room (tables or free heads when considering the attendees), really, and wanted us to work something out with you (which is what we were suggesting above).

Given your previous statement of really wanting to be a Demo Guy (not for playing, but rather pure hardcore Running), you might actually want to consider going ahead and doing the board game blocks then.

As I mentioned above, though, I'm still waffling on whether or not I run John Harper's excellent game AGON, as I'll be pretty busy overall (and would actually want to play it as much as run it).  If you're interested in taking over for me that slot, I can hook you up with the AGON book beforehand and "pay you back" with a free lunch or something (I'll still be listed as "running the game", but when it goes down you'll just pop in and take over. Or we could work on rescheduling that event to get you in as the registered GM).

Does something like that appeal to you? (I forgot when my AGON slot is, but it's there at the MACE reg site) If not, that's totally cool.

...

Also, I have to say this: If anyone gets a chance to sit in on Rafael's DREAD games, you owe it to yourself to get into at least one session. He's the best GM I've met for horror or "quickly setting a scene" (improv style), and he started a huge local DREAD fanbase simply by running a few sessions at Trinoc-Con; The people who he ran sessions with ran their own sessions using tricks of Rafael's unique style, which got more people interested, and so on. Made us all a bunch of DREAD drooly fanboys, and we also picked up some excellent GM pointers to boot.

I'm not sure when they're going down, but I'm gonna try everything in my power to make sure I get to sit in as a player on at least one session at some point.

-Andy

[TonyLB]

I really, really think it would be cool to go ... if the convention did not precisely bracket my wife's birthday on the 11th.  Dammit!  Next year tell 'em to schedule it on different days.

[David Artman]

Given your previous statement of really wanting to be a Demo Guy (not for playing, but rather pure hardcore Running), you might actually want to consider going ahead and doing the board game blocks then.

I'm a bit confused by this: do you mean I should go ahead and do Looney Labs pyramid games (FYI, not always board games, by any means)? I was only going to offer to envoy for Looney if no one wanted me to demo/run their game. But then you say...

If you're interested in taking over for me that slot, I can hook you up with the AGON book beforehand and "pay you back" with a free lunch or something (I'll still be listed as "running the game", but when it goes down you'll just pop in and take over. Or we could work on rescheduling that event to get you in as the registered GM).

...and I'm confused. If I can be assigned... or asked to run or demo... or otherwise be the guy sitting at a table who knows a game the best, regardless of my "role"... to 16 hours of sessions, then that's what I'll do. It's fine with me if I am not the one who owns the table or whatever.

I would certainly appreciate it if MACE gave me free admission to the con--as if I were An Official GM In The Database--for the 16 hours of gaming I want/plan to run. After all, they comp GMs for doing only 12 hours, of any game including the same one over and over again. Further, I would also certainly appreciate being given a copy of a game I demo, for my own pre-prep and as compensation for my time investment. And, put differently, if I have to buy a game to demo it for someone, it will be nearer the bottom of my list of priorities than one which doesn't cost me to help sell it. ;)

So that's the Full Disclosure, I reckon. I plan to work for MACE as a GM-Type-Unit for 16 hours out of the weekend. I hope to be admitted into MACE for free as a result. I further hope to get free copies of each game that I demo/run. The more those two hopes dwindle, the more the preceding plan will dwindle... until I get to No Games to demo/run. Then, I contact Looney and try again, with their pyramids-based games. Repeat plan/hope/hope sequence.

Make sense? That's all I was doing with the above table schedule. I wouldn't generate such a schedule (yet) for stuff that I would be running on my own without liasoning with you folks. Rather, that schedule was to show when I would be willing to come to one of your tables to replace/help you with demos/running; and it showed who had already made requests and laid claim to my time. In short, the table above is my "replacement/assistant to demoers" schedule, NOT my "demoing solo" schedule.

But whatever works best for the folks actually manning the Hippie Helm. I could just show up at 9am on Saturday, get you to sign me in, and start reading demo packages. But that wouldn't make for very good demos, so I am trying to get pre-prep materials arranged now, with this thread.

Sorry if I have confused the whole matter trying to clear up my own confusion. For this thread, focus on pre-prep, 16 hours, free demo kits, free admission--and whatever has to happen to make those four elements happen is fine with me!
David

[David Artman]

Forgot one thing: I need not be compensated in any way by game designers, including but not limited to food, drinks, women, wine, and song (though I will seriously consider women and wine). I am doing this (a) to train myself at public promotion and pitching and (b) to get into MACE on the "employee" side rather than my typical "consumer" side. (I will also be making such an effort with Trinoc*coN, next and subsequent years.)

My desire for demo kits is only driven by my desire to do good pre-prep for them.
My desire for free admission is just in keeping with what is offered any other GM who doesn't take such a... flexible... approach.

I require neither of the above, just designers wanting me to show off their stuff. But if everyone says, "Yeah, demo my game, but you gotta buy yourself a copy," I will then turn to Looney Labs pyramid demoing: 130-odd games for which I already have materials and experience.

HTH;
David

[David Artman]

As I mentioned above, though, I'm still waffling on whether or not I run John Harper's excellent game AGON, as I'll be pretty busy overall (and would actually want to play it as much as run it).  If you're interested in taking over for me that slot, I can hook you up with the AGON book...

That's the Friday night slot and, unfortunately, I can't be sure I will be there (a) on time or (b) at all. Further, I am trying hard to keep my "work" commitments only during the day, so that I have the night(s) free to LARP and/or check out the rest of the con.

I'm going to MACE to run several sessions of Dread: The First Book of Pandemonium.  Not sure exactly how many.  If you're interested in running a session or two, I'd love to talk to you about it.

I could not find Dread registered on the Gaming Schedule. If you would like for me to take over a registered Sunday 2pm to 6pm slot, that would mesh perfectly with Jason's Indie Gaming Roundup (if you haven't got a table registered yet, you might not be able to do so; find out from Ron or Eric). Between that session and the Roundup, I'd have a full day of supporting Indie Gaming.

If you want me, you got me: how do I get a copy of the rules?

Likewise, Jason, if you want me for the Roundup, you got me: how do I get the demo kits/books? Will I just have to borrow and study up before the con (maybe we meet at Sci Fi Genre?). Or do you think you'd use me more as a "plant player" (bolstering the player numbers) than as an assistant demoer, in which case I can learn as I go like the other players?
Update to My Progress
I have contacted the other Looney Labs Demo Rabbit (heh) and Ron has let me know that I would have to solo a table for Pyramid Games, not share with her. Something to do with the location of her table....

Also, due to the current volume of indie offerings and Ron's reluctance to risk empty tables, I will not be able to solo indie on another table on Saturday. I'd either have to join in on one of your existing tables--which won't work, as they aren't demos so much as full runs--or do Pyramids on Saturday.

Therefore, at this point, to keep things simple, I am going to make that arrangement with Ron, for Saturday. Thus, I have only *ONE* slot available to loan-out to demo/run for someone: Sunday from 2pm to 6pm. And that's only if Rafael doesn't want me to take over his Dread session at that time (if there is one). He has first dibs (sorry I didn't reply on that sooner--was dazed and confused, at that point).

Lemme know, folks; I need to lock-in my times and tables to register as a GM;
David

[Andy Kitkowski]

Hey man- Cool. Looks like Ron got ahold of you.

Yeah, as we alluded to earlier, Ron told us that he's tapped out in terms of available space or slots for the Indie games. There's just no more room. I requested that he contact you about the Loony Labs boardgames/cardgames, looks like he did and looks like that's what you're going to be scheduled to run.

Between that session and the Roundup, I'd have a full day of supporting Indie Gaming.

Currently there's no more room for demos and the like, no tables or slots. However, if you want to be a "plant player" in full games (it didn't seem like you were interested in this, but I'll throw it out as an option anyway), that's totally cool, because it can help out the other players at the table. I'm planting in Jason's TSOY game, but that's because I love TSOY and Aztecs, which is what his game is about. My primary function is to have fun. That is also my secondary function. My tertiary function is to be aware of the other players and to help them have fun, too. There's nothing sneaky about being a plant player, becuase it's all about fun, not sales. :-)

Likewise, Jason, if you want me for the Roundup, you got me: how do I get the demo kits/books? Will I just have to borrow and study up before the con (maybe we meet at Sci Fi Genre?).

I'm not sure what the Roundup is all about. I'll have him contact you by email to straighten that all out.

Also, there are no "demo kits". Most folks in the inde world don't have the resources to send "demo kits" and the like. So you'd probably be expected to demo whatever you happen to have bought/read/played yourself.

Thus, I have only *ONE* slot available to loan-out to demo/run for someone: Sunday from 2pm to 6pm. And that's only if Rafael doesn't want me to take over his Dread session at that time (if there is one). He has first dibs (sorry I didn't reply on that sooner--was dazed and confused, at that point).

I don't think Rafael, if he schedules his events, will be having other people run Dread. There's really no one in this world better to run the game than himself, and since he's already attending the con...

Also, Sunday 2-6 doesn't quite work out for me with AGON (also, I don't have enough money now to buy someone else a demo copy), so I'll just run my three regular events as scheduled.

So to prevent confusion, let me summarize again:

1) No more openings or slots for full or demo Indie games.
2) If you really want to demo, your best bet is the Loony Labs stuff. Please see Ron to work out times and slots.
3) Please contact Jason about the "Roundup event" (I have no idea what that is about, so I cannot comment). Most likely it is an event that Jason is covering himself without outside help required, but let's confirm.
4) You're more than welcome to sit in on our full sessions as a regular or plant player if you want! :-)
5) At this point, we're probably not going to see anyone give up, move or change their slots once they're locked in. But if anyone decides that they need help on Sun 2-6, and can supply you a copy of the game, they'll PM or contact you directly. But no need for you to keep that slot open in anticipation; if there's anything else you want to do at that time, do it.

Hope that's clear.

Thanks again!
-Andy

[Jason Morningstar]

The "Indie Games Roundup" is a four hour slot for which I am responsible.  I pitched it as "come try some crazy hippie gamez0rz!" and intend to keep it loose and friendly - I'll run an hour of anything I know, more if the interest is there, however it works out.  If a bunch of people approach me and want a full session of Dogs, I'll do that.  Dave et al, if you want to be a part of that, by all means join me and we'll divide and conquer, but I made the commitment and I can handle it. 

[David Artman]

Jason: You got me--please let Ron know to add me to the "Other GMs" field of the database record for the Indie Games Roundup. (I am trying to hit 16 hours registered to GM, to be at 133% of the requirements for GM admission.)

Andy: Though I am sure Rafael is The Man for Dread, he *did* ask me further up the thread if I were interested in running a session or two. :)
Hmmm... but maybe he was merely offering to give advice on GMing, not offering up a table slot. Rafael?

Others: First come, first served, if you have a registered table slot for the 2pm to 6pm Sunday session and want me to take it over for you. Furthermore, I am shortening the time frame that this offer is open, to ensure that I am not left in a lurch for table space Sunday (I *will* be demoing something, and tables are filling up).
The new, final deadline to request me to GM for your registered Sunday 2 to 6pm table slot is September 20th, one week from today.

Sorry to have been so confusing up until now. I didn't realize I was such a latecomer to MACE Indie Games planning--or that it had hit a saturation point--or I would have just gone with Looney from the get-go.
David

[Andy Kitkowski]

Andy: Though I am sure Rafael is The Man for Dread, he *did* ask me further up the thread if I were interested in running a session or two. :)
Hmmm... but maybe he was merely offering to give advice on GMing, not offering up a table slot. Rafael?

Ah, oops I totally missed that, yeah my bad.

-Andy