just a quick post to make sure you are all aware of our little gaming con in High Point, North Carolinas

MACE 2005
November 11-13, 2005
High Point, NC
http://www.justusproductions.com/

North Carolina's best organized and fastest growing gaming con.  we have everything - RPGs, War games, computer games, LARps... you name it.

Family and gamer friendly.

Check us out.

Ron McClung
Gaming Coordinator
MACE 2005

Well, as Mr McClung missed the sticky on posting here I'll pop in and soften the inapropriateness just a bit.

I've signed up with his orginization to run both DitV and tMW at his conventions, including the aforementioned MACE. 

At this point I intend on providing the players to these events with the character sheets and attached contact information to look up the designers of those games should they decide they're interested in buying.  I'm also considering going out of pocket to buy a couple more sets of Tim's nifty-kewl japanese dice as giveaways to the players of tMW.

I think I have a handle on presenting the games well.  It's my intention to get everything together and then playtest my setup on whichever gamers I can get to show to my house between now and then.

If Tim or Vincent or any allied people would be interested in having me present other giveaways or information, I'd be delighted to do so for them.

If anyone has any advice they'd like to offer to someone who's never actually run at a convention before I'd gladly accept that too.  But specific advice to the games I'm running and generic GMing for a con advice.

-Eric

p.s. to Tim;  I promise to do a better job presenting your game in the future than I did that night at the Suites.  Someday I'd love to chat with you on our mutual reflections on that session.

what's the deadline for submitting games?

Also, Andy and the rest of the NC gang, would you be interested in making this a gathering of sorts? I'll come out just to see you all. Brainstorm here.

-L

I'll come out just to see you all.

abzu wrote:
Also, Andy and the rest of the NC gang, would you be interested in making this a gathering of sorts? I'll come out just to see you all. Brainstorm here.

Good advice Andy.

I just finished ironing out my GMing schedule with Mr. McClung.

> Dogs in the Vineyard (Story A) - Friday 3 to 7
> The Mountain Witch - Saturday 9am to 1pm and Sat 1:30 to 5:30
> Dogs in the Vineyard (Story B) - Sunday 10am to 2

I'm actually expecting tMW to run about 6 hours (a guesstimate based upon half a game worth of play), so I'm expecting to be done by about 3:30 or so.  I'm taking on 4 players for each of the DitV sessions and 6 players for tMW.

I just realized I never got the deadline for submitting games.  I'll email Mr. McClung about it right away.

-Eric

Hey, High Point is close to East Tennessee, I think.  I could come to that!

Woot!

Okies.  With all the emails back and forth with Mr. McClung I finally remembered to ask about the submission deadlines.

Ron McClung wrote: Deadlines for us are fairly flexible, but if he wants a hard deadline, then it depends on what tupe of games he wants to run.  If he wants his games open to preregistration, it would be best to get it in before Oct 14 or the 21 at the lastest.  If he doesn't care if people don't have a chance to prereg for his games, then he can get it to me before Nov 1.

Ron,
Would love to drop in and try and run a tourney for Infinite Armies, and I may have a playable version of the "design it while brain-fried on the way home from GenCon" game of the year as well (F*ck This! was one of those).

Greg Porter
BTRC

Every year I manage to miss this convention. With the growing number of indepedent games offered, I think I need to get there, no matter what... count me in. I would love to see some face-to-face Burning Wheel.

I suspect that Mr McClung is not checking back here regularly, if at all.  I'd suggest that if you're interested in running something that you contact him via the GM application form at the website he linked.

-Eric

Depending on the job situation (I'm trying to get a job in NC) I might be there. Awesome.

I just rearranged my yearly conference travel so that I could attend this.  It is shaping up to be a kick-ass Forge gathering.  Let's make it happen!  I'll run some stuff, too - Eric, you appear to be coordinating our offensive.

Clinton, what part of North Cackalack might you be moving to?  There's an indie game crew strung out from Raleigh to Greensboro...

--Jason

Oh hell, I'd better get in on this. (Hi folks! Durham resident here.)

Emily Care told me there's a bunch of Forge folks coming, and if Clinton might be there as well, no way am I missing it.

I'm gonna do what I can to get to this, too. Anyone interested in room-sharing?

I feel comfortable running MLwM and I am always happy to run Verge for people after hours.

I don't mind hosting people at my house for minor compensation ($15-20 a night or so?). I live about 30-40 minutes away and will be driving to the event.  If you want a place to stay, feel free to ping me.

Jason wrote: Eric, you appear to be coordinating our offensive.

Sometimes when you randomly delegate, people rise to the occasion, Eric!  I can run something too - DitV for sure, PTA, probably other stuff. 

Andy, you must drive fast if you can get to High Point in 40 minutes - it's 70 miles from Chapel Hill.  Or maybe you moved and didn't tell me...in any case, we should coordinate and share commuting expenses all along I-40.

I'm way more interested in meeting fellow Forge people and hanging out and playing games with them than I am in MACE proper.  Is that wrong?  I'd also like to use it as an excuse to playtest, playtest, playtest.  Is that wrong? 

--Jason

What's the best airport to come into? If I'm hanging out with Andy, is a different airport better?

Hey, my original intent was just to sharpen my Con-GMing skills for the big leagues next summer, with a side-order of bringing Forgey games to the masses.  If there's gonna be a Forgite gathering then hanging with the Forgites becomes my top priority.  

Lisa and I already have a room reserved.  Lisa and I intend to drive our 4-door between Mebane and Highpoint.  If we can offer a ride to anyone who needs one drop us a line.  I won't have a Forgite missing a gathering for such a short distance.

And yeah, I'll step up.  But only if I get a tiara and sash.  And a septre.

Ok, I'll step up anyway.  Anyone who has any questions about gathering for MACE who can't seem to get them answered anywhere else, PM me.  I'm devoted to the cause now.

-Eric

Airport Question:  GSO!  I'm sitting in a hotel in Greensboro right now.  You'll likely have to fly into Charlotte (CLT) and then take a hop from there to GSO (about a 20 minute flight between the cities). 

Right after I posted I found this handly little site right here.  Shows everything going into and out of GSO. 

Mapquest sez that GSO is about 13 miles from the Radisson where MACE is being held.

-Eric

A mini brainstorm hit me a moment ago.  Forgites gathering at MACE are going to want to be able to find each other, recognize each other, and schedule some game time with each other.  No one is going to want to be left out of any cool after-hours hangout like at GenCon.

Problem is, there won't be any kind of central meeting point like there was at GenCon.  No place where you're certain to go and find some Forgites mucking about. 

I think what I'd like to see is some kind of bulliten board deal where Forgites know that they can go to find out what other Forgites are up to or to post what they're up to for other Forgites to find out about.  Online bulliten boards won't be the best option once the con begins as I'm assuming that most won't be bringing their compies with them.  Heck, I dunno what the internet service is even going to be like there.

My two ideas for finding each other:

Identifying clothing/accessories.  I was picked out of a crowd at Origins and GenCon by people who never met me before because I was sporting one of my two Forge shirts.  Worth every penny of investment.  More specifically, I was thinking of minting a large batch of "Forge Twunt" or "Indie Twunt" buttons at CafePress.  If someone with a little graphic design skill were to offer up their services to design some artwork for it I'd shell out the cash and resell them at cost.  Cost being probably $1 each after tax & shipping. 

The Book of Forgites at the Con.  I'm considering picking up one of those simple little black sketchbooks from my local art store.  Less than $10 out of my pocket.  Then, I keep that book in a handy place at the con (maybe with Lisa as she runs/plays some card & board games) where Forgites are invited to sign, talk about what they wanna do and where, and then read over what everyone else writes.  A tool for everyone to make notes for how to find each other and a nifty collectible for me and Lisa after the con is over.

If you have other ideas for how we can find each other & hookup that don't involve internet access during the convention go ahead and post them here. 

If you're interested in throwing down your support for the button or book ideas then PM me.  I'm willing to do the investing on either or both items but I wanna make sure that they're going to be used.  I'd be upset if I came home with 100 out of 100 buttons and an empty book.

-Eric

p.s. Whoops.  I forgot to actually put the link in for that GSO site the other day and now I can't find it again.  Sorry about that.

Does everyone have a cell phone? We could just exchange numbers.

I did consider that.  The problem being trying to communicate with people who may be in the middle of something where they can't chat.  For instance, I'll be running games in the morning and afternoon all three days and won't be willing to answer my cell.  I'm sure that most everyone will be in the same boat.

No, I think that some form of bulliten board will work out better in the way of timing. 

And while I'm willing to share my cell with any Forgite I meet, I'm a little aprehensive about sharing it online with Forgites I haven't yet met.

-Eric

Hey Andy,

I was told I needed to talk to you about the Iron Game Chef awards.  I would like to talk about doing something similar at MACE.  Are you interested?

Ron

I'm running the Shab-al-Hiri Roach three times:  Saturday 9-1 and 8-midnight, and Sunday 10-2.  Not sure if I'll have critical mass for all three, but you never know.  Feel free to sign the hell up for any and all and I guarantee you a good time.  Eric, do you have your slots allocated?  Anybody else GMing?

Yup, I'm still on for the three slots I'd listed earlier in this thread.

-Eric

Jason wrote:
Anybody else GMing?

I'm officially booked for MACE.

I'll be running Burning Wheel events from 11 to 10 on Saturday.
The Sword, The Gift, and the new one, Inheritance.

I'll also be doing a panel on Saturday morning from 10-11. Probably a state of the industry thing, but you can always count on my mouth get to me in trouble.

I therefore designate Friday night at the official "All the Forgies in NC hang out night"

What say ye?
-L

After 7?  I'm in.  Lisa's in.  We're all in.

-Eric

Yeah, seriously.  And you are all warmly invited to my 8-midnight saturday Roach game!

Well, damn. I was already planning to come to this, but I didn't even think about booking games.

I'll get signed up, and then maybe you folks can help me brainstorm on what to run. Or failing that, I suppose I could settle for the "disappointment" of just getting to play BW and Roach with their creators. ;)

Looks like, after Clinton berating me to go, that I'll be at this one too.  Not sure what I'm running yet, officially.  Likely candidates: Nobilis, Continuum, more Dogs, Exalted: The Fair Folk.  I'll take requests too.  Plus, maybe a playtest of Vesperteen.

Kacka-Lacky represent!

I started a Yahoo! Group called maceandforge for the purpose of continuing discussion and coordination for indie games at MACE. If you plan to attend MACE, please join this group so we can coordinate who is going to be doing what and where and when. I'd like to meet lots of indie gamers at the con, have long discussions, have a few drinks, and play some games.