Subject:
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Re: Gaming at AFOL cons
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.gaming
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Date:
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Sun, 24 Feb 2002 21:21:53 GMT
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Viewed:
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1815 times
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James Seibert wrote:
>
> "Frank Filz" <ffilz@mindspring.com> wrote in message
> news:3C77FBB9.FA7EC75E@mindspring.com...
> > We had a nice roundtable on gaming at BricksWest, but I thought I'd open
> > some of the discussion here.
> >
> > One thing Steve Jackson asked was based on the response to the Pirate
> > Game at BricksWest, was it even appropriate to have gaming at an AFOL
> > con.
>
> Yes, but noting your overview of BricksWest in "Frank's Big BricksWest
> Adventure" the gathering may need to be longer.
Definitely.
> > Of course if the answer is yes, then what should be kept in mind to
> > make it go well.
> >
> > My immediate reaction is yes. Based on the response to the gaming at the
> > three AFOL cons I have attended, I think there is definitely a place for
> > gaming at AFOL cons. There does need to be some planning to make the
> > gaming rewarding to all involved. Some thoughts are:
>
> Planning for events will be easier once our Lego gatherings stabilize around
> specific time periods during the year. Brickfest(r) in July, BricksWest(r)
> in February, and other gatherings in May? or October? I have to plan my
> vacation time a year in advance, so definite dates are critical if I want to
> attend a gathering. I can imagine it is important for everyone else too.
Yes, a fixed yearly schedule helps. I rarely think about this because my
vacation time tends to be pretty flexible, and inflexibility occurs on
short notice.
> > An AFOL con needs a significant amount of unstructured "play" time.
> > Gaming events should be scheduled during this time, but also scheduled
> > in such a way as to allow those running the gaming to still participate
> > in some unstructured play.
>
> Were events at BricksWest(r) held one at a time or simultaneously, or a
> combination of the two?
> Most gaming conventions run their events on a schedule simultaneously, all
> we have to do is sync up the gaming with LDraw, Animation, Train, Master
> Builders, seminars, etc. If that is possible.
BricksWest had a "professional" two-track (with appropriate jokes about
the "train track"...) schedule. The problem was there was limited free
play time scheduled, primarily two 4 hour (but could go longer) slots
starting at 8:00 PM (after events highly likely to run overtime).
Brickfest has not been quite as well scheduled, though 2001 was more
scheduled than 2000 (but I think the Brad Justus Q&A session slipped in
2001 which was one cause of the Pirate Game starting so late).
> > An involved game like the Pirate Game or Mike Rayhawk's BricksWest Brick
> > Wars scenario really requires the gaming to have a dedicated secure
> > space (it need not be independently lockable at an AFOL con so long as
> > general security covers the space). This allows setup to occur without
> > delaying the start of the game, and allows the game to span multiple
> > non-contiguous time slots.
>
> I agree, the problem with most gaming cons is no security for your gaming
> set-up so once your game is done for the current time slot, you have to tear
> the display down, store it in your hotel room, then rebuild the display and
> set-up for the next scheduled time slot for your game. On a side note, I
> have run Stephen Gabriels Lego Pirate Wars at several gaming cons and set-up
> and tear down is sheer torture for a standard 4 hour gaming time slot. By
> the end of the con, my displays deteriorate to the point that I give players
> extra treasure for frankensteining the boats and bases to usable condition.
This is one area where a smaller con may work better. At the SF con in
Durham I attended about a year ago, they had a nice big room for gaming
which allowed the miniatures games plenty of time for setup long before
their slot. I think this also helped bring in gamers since they would
wander by the table and oooh and ahhh over the setup. I thought about
asking to run the Pirate Game. There would have been plenty of space for
it to run all weekend and not be torn down, and I think the room was
locked after hours. Security during the day would not have been too much
of a problem (people had gaming stuff lying all over the place
unattended).
> > It is worth encouraging some less structured gaming. I think all the
> > Brick Wars games at BrickFest have been less involved scenarios which
> > could be quickly set up.
>
> Necessary at a gaming convention.
Not absolutely. It depends on how the con is scheduled.
> > There needs to be management of expectations for the gamers. Somehow
> > Steve was expecting 25 players or so. I hope I wasn't the source of that
> > expectation, the 8 we had the first night was a "good crowd" by my
> > thinking, though we could easily have had more in a different situation.
> > There is a lot of interest in LEGO gaming, but there are so many other
> > things going on to draw people's attention away. There is strong value
> > in broad advertising of the gaming, especially if a well known person
> > like Steve will be running the game. If you attract a few gamers who
> > aren't particularly AFOLs then you have a dedicated player base which is
> > not dividing their attention.
>
> Large games may not be possible if people want to participate in all the
> activities available at a gathering. Lets face facts, for me personally, I
> would end up with split personalities because of participating in all the
> events and seminars. I would block off a considerable amount of time to play
> games though.
There are some key points:
- have a game which can deal with coming and going
- have a long enough slot that it allows people to come and go and still
get plenty of play in
- have multiple GMs who work well together so that the GMs can come and
go also
> The potential for larger Lego conventions is enormous. I always get a crowd
> of people playing pirates and the news crew always stops by the table to
> take pictures. Doug Mikkelson ran the event last year and the organizers
> placed his gaming table up front by the entry door. Doug's pirate game table
> placement was not by chance because Lego is a big, colorful , and most
> gamers have probably played with Lego. And you guessed it, you already know
> it, an incredible draw for kids and the curious. You look through a doorway
> and see huge pirate ships, monkeys flying, and people laughing and screaming
> because a captain scuttled his ship taking everyone and every treasure with
> him down to the briny deep then you realize fifteen minutes have gone by.
> One year we were moved around because too many people were watching the game
> and blocking the fire exit.
>
> I believe a BrikWars or Pirate Game would be successful in most gaming
> conventions.
That would seem to be the case. Unusual games always seem to do well. If
you have a good group of friends, you can get lots of play with the
standard commercial games outside a con. A con is a time to try that
game you've always been interested in but could never get enough players
for, or that oddball game you've never seen before. Add to this the fond
memories many gamers will have about their childhood LEGO, and the
realization that wow! someone actually is nuts enough to field enough
troops to have a real game, and can build more than one scrawny little
fort!
> I have thought about a train set-up but there is limited space and I am not
> sure how well it would go over at a gaming convention. And with that point,
> the best reason to have a Lego based convention.
There would be no need to set up trains at a gaming con. A small display
of MOCs might be nice though (is it Michlug which has set up displays
at SF cons?).
> > I do suspect that AFOL cons are not yet big enough to have a significant
> > number of paid guests and this is something for con organizers and
> > potential guests to consider.
>
> My earlier point bears repeating, schedule the gatherings a year in advance
> or more. Advertise and ask Lego.com and Lego Direct to add a convention
> listing to their web sites and even the Shop@Home catalog. Once a definite
> schedule of gatherings emerge, people like me can plan which conventions to
> attend and block out vacation time. I would have blocked out vacation time
> for BrickFest(r) but someone senior to me took the July the 4th week.
> Grrrrr...only fair but still inconvenient. If BricksWest is going to be held
> the same time next year, I can actually make travel plans now. Hugh had
> suggested a gathering in St. Louis but I do not know the extent of
> pre-planning or event dates.
I think it will be a few years yet before the LEGO cons get enough
momentum to be well scheduled.
> A symbiotic relationship exists between convention attendance and the
> sponsor. I would love to see a Lego dealers room where they sell bulk bricks
> by the pound and sets.
Don't expect LEGO dealers at cons any time soon. Expect the first foray
into this to be at train shows. If a con had a significant LEGO gaming
track though, and their was a good sized local LUG, it would be possible
for the LUG to run a consignment table though.
> I would be happy if Steve Jackson came as an AFOL, gave an impromptu seminar
> on gaming, and then dropped by the Pirate game to offer pointers on game
> play. He would appreciate the vast world conspiracy of recruiting pirate
> disciples to GM pirate games to an international audience.
One thing I would like to see is better documentation of the LEGO gaming
which is happening. It's clear that there's a lot more going on that we
realize. I'm not even sure I'm the first other than Steve to run the
Pirate Game for other than just local friends.
Frank
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Gaming at AFOL cons
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| "Frank Filz" <ffilz@mindspring.com> wrote in message news:3C77FBB9.FA7EC7...ing.com... (...) Yes, but noting your overview of BricksWest in "Frank's Big BricksWest Adventure" the gathering may need to be longer. (...) Planning for events will be (...) (23 years ago, 24-Feb-02, to lugnet.gaming)
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