Official Call for PaizoCon and Gen Con Volunteers!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Hello!
This is the official call for volunteer GMs and assistants to help Paizo Publishing run events at PaizoCon 2010 and Gen Con 2010. (If you're looking for the Origins Game Fair volunteer thread, click here.)
Paizo Con 2010
For Paizo Con 2010, I need a minimum of 20 volunteer GMs for Pathfinder Society Organized Play and I'll keep taking volunteers until the slots are full! Below you will find the reward structure for volunteering at PaizoCon 2010 as well as the events and slots for which I need volunteer GMs. I also need 2 volunteer assistants for the show—these folks will not GM, but will instead run Pathfinder Society HQ and will be my go-to guys and gals for all things Pathfinder Society. Volunteers must volunteer for a minimum of 2 slots and the volunteer assistants are volunteering to split time at HQ for the entire show. PaizoCon 2010 volunteer GMs and volunteer assistants receive the following:
(Volunteer GMs) A $10 per slot credit voucher for the Paizo sales area
(Volunteer Assistants) A $15 per slot credit voucher for the Paizo sales area
All PaizoCon 2010 volunteers can email me: josh@paizo.com with the subject line PaizoCon Volunteer. I can only take volunteers for Paizo Con who have purchased a badge to the show.
Keep in mind that you're volunteering for a slot, not a specific event. I'll assign people to events inside the slot they've volunteered for and I won't take requests.
For Gen Con 2010, I need a minimum of 50 volunteer GMs and I'll keep taking volunteer GMs until the slots are filled! I also need 3 Volunteer Assistants for the show—these folks will not GM, but will instead run Pathfinder Society HQ and will be my go-to guys and gals for all things Pathfinder Society. This year I'm also seeking 4 "booth volunteers." These folks must be highly knowledgeable about all of Paizo's products lines, must be well kept, clean, and professional, and must be able to stand and move for up to 6 hours at a time. Booth volunteers will work the Paizo booth sales floor, answer questions, and let Paizo employees know when product needs to be restocked. Booth volunteers will not work the register and will not have access to the back area of the booth. Below you will find the reward structure for volunteering at Gen Con 2010 as well as the events and slots for which I need volunteer GMs and booth volunteers.
Keep in mind that you're volunteering for a slot, not a specific event. I'll assign people to events inside the slot they've volunteered for and I won't take requests.
Volunteer Tiers and Rewards
Volunteer Assistant FULL! No more needed.
Booth Volunteers FULL! No more needed.
Tier 1 GM Volunteers
Tier 1 GM volunteers are my workhorse, every day GMs. They are invaluable to making the show a success! Tier 1 GMs must select and volunteer for a MINIMUM of 8 slots. Tier 1 GMs may feel free to volunteer for more than 8 slots if they so desire. I only have room for 24 Tier 1 GM volunteers so don't delay in volunteering for this tier. Volunteers will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis, though I reserve the right to select volunteers who have previously worked for Paizo over new volunteers. Please do not volunteer for Tier 1 if you have any doubts that you won't be able to attend the show. Tier 1 GMs receive:
A FREE 4-day Gen Con 2010 badge
A FREE 1/4 of a hotel room in the Marriott Downtown Indianapolis
A $10 per slot voucher for the Paizo booth (to be used in the Paizo booth on Sunday only)
A FREE autographed copy of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player's Guide hardcover at Gen Con
A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2010 T-Shirt
Tier 2 GM Volunteers
While the rewards for volunteering for this tier are smaller, the majority of my volunteers will come from Tier 2. Tier 2 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 4 slots. Tier 2 GMs receive:
A FREE 4-day Gen Con 2010 badge
A $10 per slot voucher for the Paizo booth
A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2010 T-Shirt
Tier 3 GM Volunteers
This is the minimum volunteer level. Tier 3 GMs must volunteer for a MINIMUM of 2 slots. Tier 3 GMs receive:
A $10 per slot voucher for the Paizo booth
A FREE limited edition Paizo Publishing Gen Con 2010 T-Shirt
Volunteering for One Slot
While we will gladly accept anyone who wants to run just one slot during the show, there are no rewards for doing so other than our thanks.
When Volunteering...
Please be specific about what slot you are volunteering for. I will assign folks to scenarios on an as-needed basis, so you really only need to tell me the slot(s) you're volunteering for (since I won't take requests). I will update the needs in the thread below as I receive volunteers, so you may look there to remain up to date on where we still need help. Lastly, you must have a gencon.com account and you must include your gencon.com account # in your email or I won't be able to get you a badge (obviously this is only for volunteers who are volunteering for 4 or more slots).
You know...I wasn't planning on going to GenCon this year, but this gives me both a reason and the means to do so. My wife lost her job a month ago, so money's tight. But, if I could get in without having to pay for a badge or a room, that means I'd only need to swing airfare and meals...which is completely do-able. I'm not sure I could be the workhorse GM running 8 slots, though. So, I'm interested in the sales floor and the booth experience if you haven't found 4 volunteers yet. I'll send you an email shortly with my GenCon account info.
Didn't mean to mislead anyone. It's the same old GenCon, just new year. Looking forward to running 8 games and getting closer to my second star though.
Since we don't know which modules we're going to run until we show up and you put us in a room, is there any way to anticipate what events we should register for should we also want to play a session or two with our own PFS characters?
When you log in, the page it will take you to has a welcome message at the top with your name and a number in parenthesis. The number is what Josh needs.
Since we don't know which modules we're going to run until we show up and you put us in a room, is there any way to anticipate what events we should register for should we also want to play a session or two with our own PFS characters?
Volunteer for slots.
Sign up for games in other slots that you're not GMing.
Email me (after I've confirmed that you're a GM and confirmed your slots) with what games you're signed up for.
I'll endeavor (no guarantees) to avoid crossover.
I asked in my email but thought others might have the same question so I'm posting here. Last year, GMs for both the Grand Convocation and Betrayal in Absalom interactives at PaizoCon and GenCon respectively received no GM credit or chronicles for either event. Under the new GM credit rules, how will these be handled this year?
Under the new GM credit rules, how will these be handled this year?
Well, last year there were no GM credit rules, so yeah. :-)
We tried to run those events as "no death" events but people pretty universally said, "I don't care if I die, I want experience!" so they will be run as normal scenarios this year.
We're not doing a Grand Convocation-type event at Paizo Con this year and we're not doing the same type of mass event at Gen Con as we did last year. We're doing what I call a "Pathfinder Society Special" which means any event that's not a normal scenario. It will run similarly to the event that Neon Con ran last year with one room GM telling the entire story and table GMs to adjudicate encounters during the story. That way we can allow any levels from 1 to 11 to participate in the event.
The Special will be the same for both shows as I'm playtesting the Gen Con Special at Paizo Con. There will be +1 XP chronicle sheets and GMs will get credit per the 2.2 GM credit rules.
Is it worthwhile to volunteer if you've never done anything with PF Society before? Maybe for a Saturday/Sunday slot after I've had a chance to play a few games myself?
If you know how to GM Pathfinder, you know how to run a Society game. There's just a small bit of paperwork at the beginning and end and anyone familiar with the Society can help you with that.
Is it worthwhile to volunteer if you've never done anything with PF Society before? Maybe for a Saturday/Sunday slot after I've had a chance to play a few games myself?
I can show you how to do the paper work that you give out in 5 to 10 minutes Sebastian. Then there is a slip of paper that you turn into HQ that takes all of a minute to fill out.
The only trick to running the games is that players are part of factions and they have side mission to the game that they character carry out in secret. If there is one or more of that faction that completes the goal, they all get credit for it. You'll see that once you have played a game. You need to reward them a point when they complete the goal so you want to pay attention to that once you score them at the end.
All the GMs like to work together and help eash other out. It's a lot of fun really.
Is it worthwhile to volunteer if you've never done anything with PF Society before? Maybe for a Saturday/Sunday slot after I've had a chance to play a few games myself?
That's what I did last year Sebastian. The legalese paperwork should be right up your alley :)
How soon before I run a scenario can I expect to get it so that I can read and prepare for it? I've heard some horror stories that GMs were given the adventure when they sat down at the table. This would be my first time GMing at a convention and I would like to be well prepared.
How soon before I run a scenario can I expect to get it so that I can read and prepare for it? I've heard some horror stories that GMs were given the adventure when they sat down at the table. This would be my first time GMing at a convention and I would like to be well prepared.
-Swiftbrook
If I'm remembering correctly, you should get them at least a week before the convention.
I'd be happy to volunteer with you guys at the Gen Con booth :o) I love talking with people and I'd like to wear my Amiri costume during it if that'd be fun?? :oD Josh, email sent!
I wasn't able to get to even a third of my volunteer emails today. I'm not kidding when I say I'm buried in volunteer emails. The response has been amazing!
Update: Volunteer assistants have been selected for Gen Con. No more volunteers needed!
Thanks!
and
I wasn't able to get to even a third of my volunteer emails today. I'm not kidding when I say I'm buried in volunteer emails. The response has been amazing!
So does this mean all the GM Volunteers slots are filled as well. If so, wow! You're GenCon events are going to go fast!
I wasn't able to get to even a third of my volunteer emails today. I'm not kidding when I say I'm buried in volunteer emails. The response has been amazing!
Wow, I guess that means that the GMs need to bring thier A game. That means good things for the players.
In the fear of sounding completely idiotic, I've two questions. First, under the rewards for volunteering, it sais 1/4 of a motel stay at a specific motel (don't remember which one, and I don't think the detail is important for the question). Does that meen you get 1/4 of a stay at that hotel reimbursed to you, regardless of where you stay? Or do you guys set the volunteers up four to a room at that particular place? Secondly, Bella Sera?
Alright, so I've cleared the first batch of volunteers out of my inbox (mostly).
Something interesting that's never happened before: I have a room for female Tier 1 GMs! It currently has openings for 2 more women, so if you know any female GMs ready and willing to work 8 slots at Gen Con, let me know!