Shadowrun at PAX, Or, will they be at Seattle convention? Options

[ggodo]

I was wondering if anyone's heard about Shadowrun or Catalyst in general being at PAX Prime this year. I didn't see anything on their site, but it seems like Dumpshock finds things out faster than they get posted officially. If someone official would like to throw in, that'd be double awesome!

[tete]

If prior years are any indication I would say no. Sandstorm will probably be there though which means some of the former employees will probably be there. CGL however is not SJG, and while SJG stuff sells like hotcakes and WOTC has a huge presence, I think card/board games do a lot better than RPGs there. People don't want to sit down for 4 hrs to play a game while the vendor room is open. I picked up poo and cthuhlutech last year but as full as the Sandstorm area was, you need games with quicker turnaround than RPGs to see it as a profitable con (or maybe adopt the D&D encounters philosophy)

[CanRay]

Shadowrun the MMO the RPG, even a fanboy like me would go "Pass" on that one.

Now, a new Shadowrun CCG with some of the cards Squnky is making...

[tete]

Shadowrun the MMO the RPG, even a fanboy like me would go "Pass" on that one.

I think Shadowrun Encounters (Encounters is about trying to do all the most memorable types of things in one hour segments) would look more like "You just completed an amazing run and are heading back to pickup your fat paycheck. When you meet Mr. Johnson he has a coy smile on his face... and thats when the shooting began"

[MikeKozar]

I have a strong suspicion that there will be no official Shadowrun presence at PAX Prime.

That said, if anybody is interested in setting up some pickup games or demos, it might be a good place to do some recruiting. Tabletop Free Play will be open until 2AM, long after the Expo Hall closes, and you should be able to grab a table not reserved for vendor demos and set up a game. If you want free promotion for your game, check in at Tabletop HQ and see what they're doing as far as matchmaking / LFG stuff and see if they want to put up a sign for you. They're pretty amenable to such things.

[ggodo]

Sounds like it isn't likely, then? Dang, I was looking forward to seeing what they did for a booth, and if that Arsenal reprint was out yet.

[MikeKozar]

Rumor is that there will be a secondary expo hall, largely for tabletop related booths. There's a good chance that some friendly local hobby shops will have Shadowrun stuff, especially if you call ahead and ask them to pack it. FWIW, I got all my SR4 hardbacks from http://www.thedreamingcomicsandgames.com/ in the U-District, and they always seem to have a booth. Nice guy.

It does sound like nobody has organized any Shadowrun events yet, but if enough people were interested it could probably be fansourced. I've never gotten my SR4 game down fast enough to play it in an hour-long pickup game (and I spent a year building maptools automation for it) so I'm not sure how the Con version is supposed to operate. I might be able to help out if anybody else wants to run a game, though.

[tete]

I don't think getting the SR4 books will be a problem, I pass by 6 FLGS and 2 HPB on my way home every day from work (Sooo many gamers in Seattle). Gama Ray Games is a stone throw away from the Convention Center. Most Con RPG events are four hours long but thats not the PAX crowd. Pannels and events are usually an hour long so most people have something they want to see or do in an hour which is why SJG card and dice games do so well in sales every year (if your a FLGS with a booth and you have SJG card and dice games, you will sell out). You can sit down an learn to play with one of the MIBs and be off to your next thing in under an hour. WOTC's Encounter format works really well for PAX. A small percentage of PAX attendees would sit down for a four hour RPG while the vendor room is open. Would you rather play Guild Wars 2, the next Halo, etc for 15 min chunks or sit around a table with 4 strangers for 4 hours. Most of the PAX people are there for the Video Games, it just so happens alot of us like all games.

[Troyminator]

How many of us are going to Pax Prime 26, 27, and 28 Aug. 2011?

<raises hand> I'll be there.

[Adarael]

I'll be there.

Giving a panel, even.

[Troyminator]

I'll be there.

Giving a panel, even.

What is the panel about?

[MikeKozar]

What is the panel about?

Indeed?

Oh, and I'll be at PAX.

[Adarael]

It's called "Change at a Moment's Notice... User Interface Design". Friday, 3:30 to 4:30, at Wolfman theatre. Not too tabletop related, but good if you care about good UI in games!

[tete]

ill be there

[Adarael]

If you want to take a look at another interesting panel, check out "The Agony and Ecstacy of RPG Writing" in Kraken Theatre, Saturday from 12:00pm - 1:00pm. My co-worker and all around cool guy John Gonzales will be part of it, and while I can't directly speak to the other panelists, John really knows his shit.

[Troyminator]

I asked on Facebook, and it seems that CGL might/will have a presence at PAX Prime (in 3 days!!!)

[Bull]

I know we'd like to do stuff at PAX. Unfortunatly, they seem to be... Difficult... to organize events at (for Tabletop stuff). We looked into Pax East at one point, and we basically had to buy a table to run events at, as if it was a booth. And it was EXPENSIVE. Like $1000+. Pax prime may be a bit different, since they're larger and have more diverse elements, but... Despite CGL being in Seattle, we don't have too many Demo agents up that way to look into scheduling games and stuff. And Pax is just too damn close to origins, gen Con, and Dragon Con.

Bull

[ggodo]

Wow, I had no idea it was that expensive to rent a table. That's pretty crazy. I don't know much about PAX east, though. Well, Dang, I was hoping to get to play Missions, since there's none in my area.

[CanRay]

I'd have suggested local cons, but there was only one that did legitimate games, and a "Certain Person" put it to me quite pointedly that it was a SCIENCE-FICTION/FANTASY and gaming was most definitely not welcome there.

A new gaming con is being attempted now.

...

I wanna go to PAX. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)

[ggodo]

I'd have suggested local cons, but there was only one that did legitimate games, and a "Certain Person" put it to me quite pointedly that it was a SCIENCE-FICTION/FANTASY and gaming was most definitely not welcome there.

Isn't Shadowrun both?

[CanRay]

It wasn't a Shadowrun demo. Conan The Barbarian.

I was also in The Gaming Room (Said so right on the laser printer sheet on the door of the conference room/lounge). It got bad enough that the fan-based gaming room (Which the con chairs have no control over, as it's paid for by fans) didn't show up the next year, and neither did I.

EDIT: Might have been Paranoia, but I am pretty sure it was Conan.

[ggodo]

Well, one is sci-fi, one's Fantasy, and I hate humanity sometimes.

[tete]

I know we'd like to do stuff at PAX. Unfortunatly, they seem to be... Difficult... to organize events at (for Tabletop stuff). We looked into Pax East at one point, and we basically had to buy a table to run events at, as if it was a booth. And it was EXPENSIVE. Like $1000+. Pax prime may be a bit different, since they're larger and have more diverse elements, but... Despite CGL being in Seattle, we don't have too many Demo agents up that way to look into scheduling games and stuff. And Pax is just too damn close to origins, gen Con, and Dragon Con.

Bull

Are you trying to be in the Expo hall like WOTC? cus all the other RPG companies put their booths in the annex or in the free play board games area. And seeing how I know some guys who rent tables $1000 seams on the high side. In the Expo hall your competing for space with Blizzard. SJG figured out their prime spot and I have to agree. For the record its no where near the Expo hall but the foot traffic is incredible.

[TheOOB]

Well, one is sci-fi, one's Fantasy, and I hate humanity sometimes.

And for some reason people still think there's a huge difference between the two. One has elves, one has aliens. One has magic, one has nanobots. One has ancient ruins and vast jungles, the other has abandoned space stations and uncharted planets. The genres are the same except for window dressing.

[CanRay]

And for some reason people still think there's a huge difference between the two. One has elves, one has aliens. One has magic, one has nanobots. One has ancient ruins and vast jungles, the other has abandoned space stations and uncharted planets. The genres are the same except for window dressing.

"Any significantly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke
"If technology is distinguishable from magic, it is insufficiently advanced" - Gregory Benford
"Significantly advanced technology my ass." - Harry Dresden, Wizard (Jim Butcher)

And a lot of people hate that particular member of humanity it seems.