Coming to GenCon 2011, GenCon 2011 Options

[Thokk]

Good news, bad news, and a few questions . . .

Bad news . . . My pre-registration did not function properly so I was not able to get specific seat tickets for many slots of SR at GenCon 2011.

Good news . . . I bought a ton of generics purely for use towards getting into as many Shadowrun games as possible!

Questions . . . I am wondering who is best to speak with (likely your convention coordinator) about weaseling my way into a few games and thought if I could speak to someone ahead of time all the better. So does anyone have suggestions of who I should speak with?


Who Am I?
I am an individual who has written, edited, and judged a ton of missions/modules for a couple of different systems (Star Wars d6 & Star Wars d20) and is lookgin for an different ongoing campaign to get involved with and I really enjoy Shadowrun!

[DWC]

Getting into things with Generics is a matter of showing up when the event starts and praying that there are enou no-shows and generous GMs that you can weasel onto a table. Take comfort in knowing that you're not the only one who got screwed by the registration system and the weird scheduling. There will probably be a ton of people with generics looking to do the same thing, so there may be a few impromptu additions to the schedule to accommodate everyone.

See you in Indy!

[TeaTime]

Yep to the above.

I've never seen a Missions GM turn away players at Indy. Come with your generics, an openness to play any of the SRMs that start at a particular time, and have your PC ready to go- there is ever chance you'll find a seat.

And Scramble?
It is a must do!

[Thokk]

Thanks for the good news folks.

I am defintely looking forward to getting into as many games as possible but unfortunately the scramble is out for me as I will be judging a different game for a few slots (one of them Saturday night).

[Redjack]

Scramble is Thursday night, Tournament Friday & Saturday (2 night event).

[Bull]

I will note that while we do our best to not turn away anyone from an event...

1) Last year there were a number of complaints at overly full tables that had 8+ people at them. Noise and seating also become a problem. (Noise is a problem regardless, but it gets worse the more people you have at one table). As such, GMs have been instructed to limit the table a little. Tables are scheduled for 6 players. GMs can take one extra no problem, so up to 7. They can take an 8th player if (and only if) all the Ticketed players present are cool with that many players. GMs should not go above 8, as it just starts to get ridiculous (and difficult).

2) We do have a limited GM pool. We increased the number of SR Missions we're running this year by a LOT. We did I think around 75 Shadowrun events last year, only about half were Missions. This year, we're running over 90 (94 or 95, I think), 82 or so of them Missions adventures, including 15 different Missions new to Gen Con (though we ran 13 of these at Origins). We have 34 Gamemasters this year, and they all have very full schedules. So while I will try to have standby GMs when I can, I can't promise anything there.

There's also a problem with space. We have 12 tables for our room (JW Marriott 304-306), and those tables are full from about 10 AM through Midnight almost every day. So that's also a concern.

We'll do what we can. And we can usually find space for everyone. But I would strongly suggest showing up early for events when you can, as Generics are usually handled "First come, first serve" once we're sure how many Ticketed players we have.

Good luck!

Bull

[Thokk]

I will have to see if I can make the scramble on Thursday night . . .

Bull,

I totally get the concern about full tables as I have coordinated a number of crazy full conventions in the past myself and will of course be there as early as possible. I totally understand generics are no garauntee of a seat and will look forward to being able to play in as many events as possible. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Aaron]

I've been GMing for CGL at Gen Con for a few years now, and I've never turned away players. Last year I think I did a Sunday run for eight, and not so long ago I had a table of twelve for a one-shot.

[Critias]

Yup. As I've been telling folks, as far as I'm concerned if there's physical room at one of my tables, folks are welcome to play. I don't want people crammed in elbow-to-elbow so that no one has any fun, but if someone shows up with GeneriTickets ™ and I've got room for 'em, it's game on!