I'm surprised we don;t have a thread for this yet!

The Origins Event list is now up: on the Origins Website: http://www.originsgamefair.com/Events/tabi...94/Default.aspx

Couple notes for folks looking to sign up for SR events...

1) A Time of War is the new Battletech Roleplaying game. It was mistakenly listed as a Shadowrun event. It will likely be in the same place as the SR Tabletop games, but it's Battletech.

2) The Shadowrun Scramble is currently listed as starting at 4 AM on Thursday. This is an error. It should be 4 PM on Thursday.

I'll pull out the events from the spreadsheet and post them to the SR website shortly.

So who's going?

Bull

http://www.shadowrun4.com/2011/05/shadowru...-event-listing/

WEDNESDAY

6018 -- CMP 2011-01 Moving Day -- Wed 12:00 PM
6019 -- CMP 2011-02 The Prize of Failure -- Wed 12:00 PM
6032 -- CMP 2011-03 Threads of the Past -- Wed 2:00 PM
6033 -- CMP 2011-04 Ancient Pawns -- Wed 2:00 PM
6039 -- SRM 04-00 Back In Business -- Wed 2:00 PM

THURSDAY

6091 -- Shadowrun Missions Scramble -- Thu 4:00 AM
6097 -- CMP 2011-02 The Prize of Failure -- Thu 8:00 AM
6098 -- CMP 2011-05 Burn Notice -- Thu 8:00 AM
6143 -- CMP 2011-06 TRO 2073 -- Thu 10:00 AM
6144 -- CMP 2011-07 Super Brawl Sunday -- Thu 10:00 AM
6145 -- CMP 2011-08 Ain't That a Kick in the Head -- Thu 10:00 AM
6160 -- CMP 2010-01 Manhunt -- Thu 12:00 PM
6162 -- SRM 04-00 Back In Business -- Thu 12:00 PM

FRIDAY

6337 -- CMP 2011-08 Ain't That a Kick in the Head -- Fri 8:00 AM
6408 -- CMP 2010-02 Copycat Killer? -- Fri 12:00 PM
6409 -- CMP 2010-03 Ashes -- Fri 12:00 PM
6410 -- CMP 2011-04 Ancient Pawns -- Fri 12:00 PM
6411 -- CMP 2011-05 Burn Notice -- Fri 12:00 PM
6414 -- SRM 04-01 Hiding in the Dark -- Fri 12:00 PM
6487 -- CMP 2010-04 Humanitarian Aid -- Fri 4:00 PM
6488 -- CMP 2011-01 Moving Day -- Fri 4:00 PM
6489 -- CMP 2011-06 TRO 2073 -- Fri 4:00 PM
6498 -- SRM 04-01 Hiding in the Dark -- Fri 4:00 PM
6499 -- SRM 04-02 Extraction -- Fri 4:00 PM
6565 -- CMP 2010-05 Lost Islands Found -- Fri 8:00 PM
6566 -- CMP 2010-06 Deconstructing Patriots -- Fri 8:00 PM
6567 -- CMP 2011-07 Super Brawl Sunday -- Fri 8:00 PM
6571 -- SRM 04-02 Extraction -- Fri 8:00 PM

SATURDAY

6583 -- CMP 2010-03 Ashes -- Sat 8:00 AM
6584 -- CMP 2011-03 Threads of the Past -- Sat 8:00 AM
6650 -- CMP 2010-02 Copycat Killer? -- Sat 12:00 PM
6651 -- CMP 2011-01 Moving Day -- Sat 12:00 PM
6652 -- CMP 2011-05 Burn Notice -- Sat 12:00 PM
6653 -- CMP 2011-08 Ain't That a Kick in the Head -- Sat 12:00 PM
6658 -- SRM 04-03 Rally Cry -- Sat 12:00 PM
6718 -- CMP 2010-07 Congressional Conspiracies -- Sat 4:00 PM
6719 -- CMP 2011-02 The Prize of Failure -- Sat 4:00 PM
6720 -- CMP 2011-04 Ancient Pawns -- Sat 4:00 PM
6721 -- CMP 2011-06 TRO 2073 -- Sat 4:00 PM
6730 -- SRM 04-03 Rally Cry -- Sat 4:00 PM
6784 -- CMP 2010-08 Stormcrow Undone -- Sat 8:00 PM
6785 -- CMP 2011-07 Super Brawl Sunday -- Sat 8:00 PM
6788 -- SRM 04-04 Smuggler's Blues -- Sat 8:00 PM

SUNDAY

6798 -- CMP 2011-03 Threads of the Past -- Sun 8:00 AM
6799 -- CMP 2011-04 Ancient Pawns -- Sun 8:00 AM
6840 -- SRM 04-04 Smuggler's Blues -- Sun 10:00 AM

The first convention runs of CMP events TRO 2073 (6143), Super Brawl Sunday (6144), and Ain't That a Kick in the Head (6145) start at 10 AM, halfway through the first daily slot on Thursday.

Is this to give more time to prep for the Scramble later that day?

Also, I will say that having your slot times different from most of the other games makes figuring out a play schedule kinda tricky. Most other gaming group folks are running three slots a day instead of four, at 8 AM, 1:30 PM, and 7 PM. The Catalyst slots are 8 AM, 12 noon, 4 PM, and 8 PM.




-k

Most other companies aren't trying to fit 50 events into a single 6 table room either And hey, if Origins wanted to do specific time slots, tehy should have told us that. They didn't. <shrug> Beside,s why do you wanna play non-SR events anyway?

But yes, the 10 AM games were to ensure thaqt we had a good spread of games available on Thursday, because we don't really have the manpower to do the Scramble AND run events opposed to it (Plus we aren't sure what kind of turnout the Scramble would have, and didn't want to "Compete" with ourselves.

Eh. Maybe it's my advancing age, but I really don't like conventions squeezing four slots into each day. I loved it when I was younger, I would go the entire con with like 2 hours of sleep total.

Now? I rarely ever hit midnight events anymore, not if I want to play a morning slot, and I usually sleep thorough the first slot on Sunday if I'm driving, because a multi-hour drive without proper sleep the night before is kinda scary.

The 8 am / 1:30 to 2 pm / 7 to 8 pm slot setup has been pretty widespread at Origins for at least the past 5 years. I know it sounds insane, but there is such a thing as scheduling TOO many events. I speak as both a attendee AND as someone who has organized conventions in the past. You will not believe how much less stressful organizing a relaxed three-slot day is, over the four slot no time to eat go go go schedule.

And honestly? I go to Origins to play a wide variety of games that I don't normally get to play. Otherwise why travel halfway across the country?



-k

Well, the other thing I was keeping in mind was the ability to find events that you want to play, at almost any time you want to play them. There are folks who will play 8 AM games and be done by 4 in the afternoon, while others don;t even crawl out of their hotel rooms till after Noon.

The other thing I kept in mind while scheduling this year was trying to spread the events around, and make sure there were enough events to give everyone something to do. We have all 8 of the 2010 CMPs, 8 new CMPs, and the first 5 SRMs (These I deliberately scheduled "In order" so that it's difficult, if not impossible, to play them out of order. Possible to skip adventures, but not to play 04-04 before you play 04-02, for example.)

It's not perfect, but... *shrug* Gotta do something.

Gen Con is even more crazy and chaotic.



Yeah, I was kinda teasing. Hell, I wonder how anyone finds time to actually GAME at a convention myself. The years I didn't work the cons, I think I managed to play a total of 3 SRMs and 2 scrambles, between 3 Origins and 3 Gen Cons. I'm too much of a social butterfly, so to speak I'd rather be out partying and hanging out with folks.

Bull

Ok, so I assume the scramble actually starts at 4PM not 4AM....

An quick question - is this going to be a different 'mission' than the one being run at Gencon? Or the same?

Thanks, Bull...

Yeah, see the first post where I mention that



Yes, it will be a different Scramble adventure than Gen Con.

Bull

Any suggestions on appropriate costuming for the Scramble?

I mean, if my runner is invited to a high society party, he's probably not going to be wearing the tactical armor.




-k

Not entirely sure, honestly. Aaron Pavao is handling the Scramble game again, and I don;t have all the details yet.

However, my suggestion? Dress like Shadowrunners, Or, dress like you want to dress. For you, I suggest Pixie WIngs. Tutu is optional

I plan to do a variation of my costume from the last few years... Modified, as I'll be dressing up as a certain Ork Decker instead of Rush, my STreet Sammy. Which means I need to create a new cyberdeck, and no Mohawk. Otherwise, everythings about the same

Bull

Please wear pants.

Unless you're sexy. In which case, Kilts or Skirts are acceptable.

Emphasis mine. =i)

Aaron's writing the Origins Scramble, so.. I trust his suggestion

Considering the wildly varying range of clothing that Shadowrunners wear, that's not actually saying much.



So I just have to decide between the Armani look, the Tactical SpecOps look, or the Pink Mohawk look.





-k

Also, wear something comfortable and appropriate for the weather (whatever it ends up being). The Scramble will feature scrambling.

Ok, I have never done a convention before. Is each event an episode? Could I come and go as I please? I am leaving OH just after the convention... so I don't want to commit to anything out here.

Convention games are self contained events, 4 hours long, especially the CMP adventures. The SRMs tie together to form a longer storyline, but you don't have to play every one, nor do you have to play with the same group of people.

Beyond that, not sure what you mean by come and go. You're expected to stay for the entire event (and indeed, since you're paying for the event, I would think you would). Beyond that though, you sign up for and come play in whichever ones suit your fancy.

Most convention roleplaying game events are self-contained, as in you play it in that four hour time slot and that's it, you are not expected to come back to continue the game the next week like you would with a regular home gaming group. Traditionally, since you are only playing the one session, pre-generated characters are provided rather than being created by you.

Shadowrun Missions is structured so that each play session is still self-contained, but you can take your character (that you created for Missions) and play him or her at any Missions game, no matter where or when the game is being offered.

For example, if I create a Missions character following the guidelines, I can go to Origins and play a half dozen Missions events there in whatever order I want. I can later go to GenCon and play some more Missions there. If someone local to me decides to order and run some Missions games at his house, I could also play the same character there if invited to attend.

Each Missions event has a sheet given to you at the end detailing the results of that event session, and you keep track of your character's activities and development using a log sheet. You need this because you might have a different gamemaster and players at every Missions table you play at, and there needs to be a way to track your character from game to game.

Basically, it tries to create the ongoing character continuity of a home game, but without the player having to commit to a regular gaming schedule. You play your Missions character as you have time. The only restriction are that the character must follow all the Missions rules in the FAQ, and be played in official Missions events.



-k

Just a note for everyone attending and playing in Shadowrun games...

1) The on-site event book is now available as a PDF on the Origins website. For whatever reason, the game system is not listed in the book (Unless explicitly spelled out in the game title or "blurb"). All the Shadowrun events can be found by looking for "CMP" or "SRM" except the Scramble, which is listed as Shadowrun Missions Scramble. (I actually know why this happened, but it's long, boring, and stupid, and involves how Origins had us fill out the excel spreadsheet to register our events). The on-site book includes maps of the convention center.

2) All of our events are in Franklin C (Which on the map is listed as the Catalyst room), with the exception of 3 events Thursday Morning at 10 AM which are currently listed as being in Union C. We have games running at 8 AM and Noon in Franklin, and as far as I can tell, there are no other events running in Franklin C that are not our (Hence, being named Catalyst Room), so I assume that those three events being in Union is an error. I Plan to try and get them moved (and post signs redirecting traffic). Union is just down the hall from Franklin, so no big.

3) I have no idea what our ticket status is (i.e., how many tickets are still available). So no clue how much is sold out, if anything.

4) The Shadowrun Scramble:

4a) The ttime has been fixed. It is from 4 PM to Midnight on Thursday, and doesn't run opposite any of our other SR events.

4b) The game will start off in Franklin C, where players will be split into teams. We'll open up with a tabletop session for a little bit to handle some early stuff, then break out into the LARP Portion.

4c) This year, the entire convention center represents the Ork Underground. There will be maps telling players where certain locations are and what certain rooms represent, and we'll have a fair number of NPCs helping us out. For those that have played/read any of the Season 4 missions thus far will recognize a fair number of our NPCs.

4d) Each team will have a specific goal, and some of those goals are at cross purposes with other players and NPCs.

4e) All PCs and NPCs will be required to wear a colored cloth tied around their arm to show that they're playing in the LARP, and to make it easy to recognize the other players and NPCs at a glance. (We want to avoid hassling non-participants).

4f) We're encouraging costumes and props! I plan to get pictures of all the players and the costumes before the event starts (players tend to shed costume pieces as the night goes on and it gets too warm or uncomfortable). If you bring any realistic weapons, we're fine with that, but we ask you not to carry it openly around the convention center, as the staff may have issues. But a good, quality Airsoft gun or 6 makes for good props, and can be left in Franklin C.

4g) There will be prizes for costumes, roleplaying, and the like. These prizes include gift certificates for the CGL booth as well as in game benefits for your Missions characters.

4h) The Scramble is a Missions Event. This means you should show up with a valid Missions character. if you don't have one, check the Shadowrun4.com site for character creation rules. Alternately, we'll have some copies of the Sample Characters available.

Hope to see y'all there!

Bull are you gonna be Macallister, please say yes, that'd be so awesome

That's the plan. Though it means no fun Mohawk or facial tatt. Ahh well.

so, how did it go

Smashing, just smashing, we ran a lot of tables and had lots of fun.

Hey, did new NERPS cards make an appearance at Origins?
('Cause they're pretty darn cool)

Yes they did.

Hey, just a thought - Shadowrun is owned by Topps, right? Catalyst is just the licensee.

Topps prints trading cards by the millions as their primary business.

I don't suppose Topps would be ale to throw in cheap product support like nifty professionally printed NERPS cards, for conventions that feature Missions, neh?




-k