Hello,

It's coming close to the time when we need to designate contact people for various times at GenCon, so people who show up know they can get in touch.

I don't want people to post cell phone numbers here, but we can use this space for volunteering and making it clear who's going to be on point at what times.

The key times are Wednesday afternoon, Wednesday evening, and Thursday morning.

Can anyone commit to having their cell phone on and being in the following places? At least two people would be good for each.

Wednesday afternoon: helping set up the booth

Wednesday evening: dinner with other Forge folks and then, later, at the Diana Jones award ceremony

Thursday morning: helping prep the booth well before exhibit-opening time, as well as being at the booth after the hall opens

Once we get the volunteers, then I'll contact all the booth-folks by email and disseminate the cell phone numbers.

Here are a couple of other points about this process.

1. Hotel accomodations are your worry, not a booth thing at all. Make sure that you can contact the person who reserved your rooms for you, if you're sharing.

2. Don't get bent out of shape about badges yet. If all goes well, you'll be able to pick up your badge via Adept Press at the exhibitor booth; if not, you can contact me via the cell-phone thing and we'll take it from there. I'll post more info about badge stuff as the con draws nearer.

I think that'll do it for now ... any questions, or whatever? And volunteers?

Best,
Ron

Ron,

I will commit to being available by cell phone starting Wednesday evening (actually the phone is my friend Flash's - he's is a Forge lurker and will be a booth monkey), when I'll arrive in Indy. I planned on eating dinner w/ fellow Forgers and attending the Diana Jones gig anyway! We will then gladly help set up the booth early.

Hi,

Ron what time in the afternoon. I'll be leaving Chicago around 12 noon so I could be available in the afternoon depending upon the time. Otherwise I'll be there Wednesday night and Thursday with my mobile technology with which I have a love hate relationship. Therefore I volunteer my skillz.

Keith

Ron,
Janet and I will be arriving on Tuesday. We won't be able to get into the exhibitor's hall, so don't know how useful we will be. We're looking forward to dinner and the Diana Jones awards though.

We didn't get exhibitor badges this year, due to Gencon being our honeymoon and all, but we're still willing to help out when we have the chance. Just let me know if there's anything you need from us. If you could somehow arrange for us to trade in our regular badges for exhibitor badges with minimal difficulty we'd be more than willing to help with setup on wednesday.

,Matt

Hi Ron- I do not have a cell phone, but am planning on:

1) Arriving at the airport on Wednesday at around 10AM, and coming straight to GenCon after that (as I won't be able to get into my room until after 12 anyway).

2) Wed Afternoon, Evening I will be with the Forge crew, working like a good servitor ant. At some point, when Ralph shows up, I'll be running back to the hotel to drop off my stuff and freshen up.

3) Thursday morning: I'm there. I'll be there for the rest of the Con, too.

-Andy

I'm arriving in Indy tuesday evening and will be available for booth setup and all other preparations as soon as you're there. I'm planning on deconstructing the Diana Jones pyramid even more this year, so I'll be at the Diana Jones ceremony for sure. Also mark me down for wednesday evening dinner and thursday morning booth ninjaing (hey! a new word!)

In order to prevent everyone's phone bills from reaching staggering heights due to USA-Europe-USA-roaming, I'm leaving my cell phone at home.

How early Thursday morning are you needing people? I currently plan to leave around 4am Thursday morning, and depending on traffic (which I have been given to understand is the stuff of hellish legend between Chitown and Indy) which I am hoping to leave early enough to miss, I should arrive around 8am at the convention center. So if that's early enough, count me in.

I'm bummed about missing the awards ceremonies tho... if I'd known stuff was going to be happening Wednesday I'd have taken an extra day off =/ Oh well, there's always next year ^_^

Hello,

Although I appreciate everyone's posts so far, I am not seeing what I need to know within the next 72 hours.

Wednesday 1:00 - 5:00 PM. Two cell phones needed.
Matt Snyder's pal fills one slot

Wednesday 5:00 - 9:00 PM. Two cell phones needed. (after that, you're on your own)
Keith (Bob Goat) fills one slot
Matt Snyder's pal fills one slot

Thursday 8:00 - 12:00 PM. Two cell phones needed.
Keith (Bob Goat) fills one slot

Thursday 12:00 - 6:00 PM. Two cell phones needed.

I need those slots filled. If you aren't a cell phone person, then I blow you heartfelt kisses, but this thread does not need your info about when you'll arrive. Cell phone people, please post and take slots.

Once the slots are full, I'll need each cell-person to email me their phone number, which will then be sent out to all of the companies and booth-folks participating at the booth.

Best,
Ron

Hi,

Ron I can also fill the slot for Thursday Afternoon too. I have nowhere else to be... You should have my number from my purchase of my little corner of booth heaven. If not it is 847-302-8614. I am not concerned about prank calls. Once my jagg-off friend left me a 30 minute drunken reading of the Pokey Little Puppy which I was forced to listen to because my phone sucks and won't delete messages mid spew.

This moment of useless information from Keith Senkowski is brought to you by the Letter R.

Keith

Ha! Now I know whom to call when such urges overtake me.

Anyway, Keith, I'd actually like to spread the responsibility around more people rather than peg you as the phone-guy all day. It really can be a pain in the ass, especially on Thursday.

So other people, speak up please.

Best,
Ron

Hell, I guess its as good a way to meet people as any. We can take the Thursday afternoon slots. I am volunteering my buddy Andy as well. Thats two cell phones.

To clarify, I will likely not arrive in Indianapolis until about 5:00 p.m. or thereabouts. So, my pal's cell will not be available for that first slot.

It WILL BE AVAILABLE for the subsequent slots.

I mistook the aim of this thread, my apologies. As I will be transporting another person, and also because I am not 100% certain of my cell provider's service areas, I withdraw my eligibility for this task. Sorry for the confusion!

Hello,

As it stands:

Wednesday 1:00 - 5:00 PM. Two cell phones needed.

Wednesday 5:00 - 9:00 PM.
Keith (Bob Goat) fills one slot
Matt Snyder's pal fills one slot

Thursday 8:00 - 12:00 PM. Two cell phones needed.
Keith (Bob Goat) fills one slot

Thursday 12:00 - 6:00 PM. Two cell phones needed.

Please volunteer, people. I am not going to let one or two people carry the weight on this one. I know there are more cell phones out there. That Wednesday-afternoon period is especially important.

Best,
Ron

Ron,

Did you not get the cell#'s for me and Andy? We got Thurs Afternoon. We aint leaving until they kick us out.

Right! Got it, and thanks. So that leaves two for Wednesday afternoon and one for Thursday morning.

Best,
Ron

Good, I though there was a problem. When I sent you the email, I got an email too. It seemed weird.

I have a cell, I'm happy to be available. I do not know yet when on Wednesday I'll be arriving. Might be sometime early in the 1-5 period might be late in the 1-5 period. So consider me available when I get there, but as of yet, don't know when that will be.

I'm happy to take a thursday morning shift. I'm an early riser, so it's no biggie for me. Hook me up and stuff.

What's up with the 1:00-5:00 timeslot on Wednesday? Danielle and I will be arriving during that time, not before 2:00, and I'll have the game display unit in the bed of my truck. I need the number of someone to call when we pull into the loading area, who can bring our badges out to us and help bring the unit itself into the convention center where I can assemble it. This is maybe 15 minutes of work.

Paul

Hi Paul,

I've been trying to solve this problem. Clearly it's important.

The best solution is for me to make sure that badges with your names are available by the time you arrive. IF this is possible, I will do it. Then you can pick'em up and walk on in.

The second solution is for you to arrange a meet-up with someone else with a cell phone. Julie, Juergen, and I will be there at noon, but none of us has one. I suggest talking to Matt Snyder and to Ralph.

The third solution is the least pleasant - when you arrive, harass staff until they break down and send someone to get one of us. Meanwhile, I will be harassing staff from the other side to look out for you.

Best,
Ron

Hi,

Ron,

So quick question. Do we just go up to the exhibitor station and give our name and Adept Press? Or is there something else I need to do?

Paul,

I will be there between 2 and 3 so if it is in that window you can use my cell for contact. Myself and my two cronies (I love using that word) would be more than happy to lift heavy things. So if it is later in that window I can be the contact person.

Keith

Hello,

Keith, it all depends on whether the staff is set up to process exhibitor badges on Wednesday. If they are, then we're all very cool - the first thing I'll do is bring up my checkbook and write a honking big check for badges under the names that need them.

Then you guys show up, say "Adept Press," and get your badges.

By Thursday morning, this should be a cinch. The question is whether it's possible early Wednesday afternoon. Last year, it was. This year, I expect that it is as well. But I cannot tell you, omnisciently, that it will be said cinch.

As usual, I'm regretting my candor. It would be so easy just to say, "Yeah, dudes, it'll be all set!" and risk the small chance that it won't. In that case, all of you would at least be happy until you arrived and most likely stay that way. But instead, I'm sayin', I do not know what the badge-getting process will be like, because (wait for it) the process has been different each of the past four years.

I'll say it one more time. The first thing I will do upon arrival is try to get all of the badges all set without any hassle, so that every single person arriving thereafter will simply walk up, get badge, and walk in. That is the best anyone can possibly do. Instead of stressing about it, just plan for that and also come up with any con-legal Plan B you think will work, as I outlined above.

The whole point of the cell phones was to try to solve the remote possibility of a problem. If no one can guarantee being there early with a phone, then, well, that's something maybe some of you ought to consider next time. I'm starting to get pissed now, so will stop typing.

Important: two of the other primary sponsors (Burning Wheel, Ramshead Publishing) should pretty please get their own badges and double-check regarding anyone they've arranged for, back on their original applications.

The new Riddle of Steel guys present a special and confusing case, and I will have to deal with that on-site. But since they aren't arriving until later, that's not an immediate crisis.

Best,
Ron

Ron, we're getting an insanely early flight, and I do own a cell phone. Now, I do not vouch for my state of alertness or functionality, but I -think- a 6:30 am flight puts us in Indy by 1 pm. I've not been checking, well, any Forge stuff, what with work and con prep, but is it helpful to put me down as a possible warm body with cell phone? What would need from me?

-Lisa

Hi Lisa,

Many thanks for the offer! However ... since you're not one of the exhibitors, they won't let you into the hall before Thursday at 10. What we need is one of the folks who've bought into the booth to be there with a cell phone so others, who might have badge issues, can get in.

Since the badge issues are almost certainly not going to be issues anyway, it's really not a crisis. But again - my deep thanks for being willing to pitch in.

Best,
Ron

Sure thing.

-Lisa