I'm very tired, but I wanted to post this, as I think it is a good sign that rpghost.com and Cybercon want to try to make things work:

from email response:
Hi, Game Master Coordinator here, just weighing in:

If you check the Con forum, you'll see that someone asked if they could run an indy game. The answer I gave them was the same answer I will give you ... if you are willing and have permission to distribute
the rules to the players ahead of time (without additional charge), I'm more than happy to put the game on the schedule and let it run if it gets the minimum 2 players.

We just don't have a lot of time to teach players new games during the event (each game is only allotted 3.5 hrs), so we're not openly encouraging games that aren't already widely popular. That's not to say that we don't want them for diversity! As James noted, we simply have limited staff and limited capability to ferret out and follow up on those kinds of games.

In CyberCon II, perhaps we can accomodate more indy games by creating some kind of special login or lookup area for game rules ... where players will be able to try out new games. The problem is the same old
one with the Internet: if you display anything on a web page, it's downloaded and ultimately copy-able ... and we certainly don't want to take away from any publishers by making their materials available
at no charge! But maybe there are other options. I'm open to any ideas you have and I'll certainly put it on my options-to explore list forJanuary :smile:

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Loy

I got another response from James, the webmaster, who pretty much echoes this sentiment. All-in-all, I think this leaves a nice door open for freely distributed games, or those who are willing to allow games for free download during the con. Those interested, I suggest checking out the possibilities.

Dav

having read the gm requirements I was given the impression that they were distinctly less accomodating then they appear to be. they might want to change the wording.

Hi, I just saw this and wanted to respond. I think this is the text you're referring to: "You may run any game of your choice as long as it's a published and not a custom built rule set. There must be enough players who know the game/rules for your game to be accepted."

Published is a word that can have lots of meanings. In this case, it doesn't necessarily mean formal publishing by one of the big companies. Publishing on a web site would be sufficient. The last sentence is key -- if there aren't enough players who already know the gaming system when they walk in, that's a problem. I think you're right -- that could use a rewording for next round.

In future CyberCons (and there will be more), I'd like to see some more indie games with learning sessions available. Perhaps two people could team up - one to run and one to teach. I learned several RPG systems that way and loved it because having one person on our side who could help with the game mechanics allowed us to learn them without slowing the pace of the game to where it was tedious.

I think, too, some indie developers could get more exposure by signing up for a vendor's booth. The trick there is to be able to offer something for a prize, or something else of value to the Con.

Many of the GMs who asked to run indie or even lesser-known games came in with a roar and out with a whimper. they showed up, filled out the application, emailed their interest and were generally on fire. Then, when the schedule was built and the slots assigned, they either cancelled or didn't respond at all. It's unfortunate ... I spent most of my time chasing after GMs for these lesser-known games only to have to cancel many anyway.

I'm up for any suggestions on how to make the whole gaming process easier and more enticing for the indies.

Thanks, Loy (GM Coordinator, CyberCon)

Hi Loy,

Welcome to the Forge! And thanks for the willingness to get with us about this.

It may be especially useful to have an "indie-band" thing going on, in which you have a veritable horde of allied, mutually-supportive small-press publishers acting as a unit. I've had some success with this so far, so get in touch by e-mail and let's see if we can come up with a functional strategy.

Best,
Ron

Sent you an email, Ron. Thanks :smile:

-- Loy

FYI, we are working on a new site that will more or less private to the industry. In other words, if you work on a game or are an artists or own an indie, you'll be allowed into the message system and classifieds system. It'll be a place for industry people to communicate in a less-then-public area. This new site will have the backing of many larger companies and we hope to have a good showing of the indie group...

Also, I'd like to extend an invite for this site to actually join the RPG Host Network and thus get much more expsure by association. We could use a good Indie resource site under our SYSTEMS menu bar.

Hope to see you at the Con!
James
RPG Host Network

Based on feedback from the first con, (everybody had a good time), we are hoping to expand the gaming for next Con into five tracks. Two of those, I believe, indie gamers and companies will be interested in.

We're looking to actually focus on indie games as a separate entity. We are looking to schedule these games for experienced players who can meet new people in their system.

We're also looking to add a "Demo" schedule ... where we hope to have two GMs per game - one to run the game and one to help players with mechanics. A learning session, if you will. With that setup, it is possible that distribution of the rules will not be a necessity. Short descriptions of those rules players will need may be posted or the assisting GM may simply direct the players throughout the game (smart players will write down a rule the first time they encounter it, making the game run more swiftly as time goes by).

If anyone is interested in participating in these gaming tracks, or has any ideas they'd like to pass along, I will continue to check here or email me effie@effierover.com.

Thanks; we look forward to seeing many of you next Con!

-- Loy, Games Coordinator, CyberCon