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The only, and i mean ONLY gripe I had about Gen Con this year was the fact I was playing in all the scenarios I could get into and that effort caused me to miss getting the buttons each day.
I watched as the well deserved GM's got theirs but as a player, I missed out.
I understand that its supposed to get more people to the booth to see what Paizo has to offer and that us society players are already committed to Pathfinder but I like SWAG. Expecially if its a dated momento that can only be gotten at a con.
Is it possible to modify procedures so that PFS players are able to share in the flair?
If I had known you were so interested in buttons, I could have freed you from my table. You may not have liked the method though. ;-)
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The only, and i mean ONLY gripe I had about Gen Con this year was the fact I was playing in all the scenarios I could get into and that effort caused me to miss getting the buttons each day.
I watched as the well deserved GM's got theirs but as a player, I missed out.
I understand that its supposed to get more people to the booth to see what Paizo has to offer and that us society players are already committed to Pathfinder but I like SWAG. Expecially if its a dated momento that can only be gotten at a con.
Is it possible to modify procedures so that PFS players are able to share in the flair?
This is me eaxctly as well. Except I did make an effort to swing by the booth as soon as possible (bathroom breaks, etc) and STILL missed out. They were WAAAAAY more popular this year I think.
Fortunately, they will be available for sale in the near future.
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I'd like to thank my GM's as well. Dorian, Jason, and Russel. It was a great time. From the controlled chaos of the muster, to the cleanup chit-chat, The scenarios my son and I played were all outstanding thanks to you fine fellows and your obvious love of the game...
As for the buttons... A HUGE thanks to Sean Reynolds. When my (12yo) son asked him on day 1 if there were any buttons left, (there were none, as it was ~1pm) He gave him his own button... Super Nice! Please make sure he gets another one :) and a tremendous THANKS to all the employees and volunteers. PFS & Paizo was a considerable portion of our time at GenCon this year, and thanks to all of your efforts it was the highlight!
Can't wait for next year! only 51 Weeks to GenCon! :)
-Tom
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As for the buttons... A HUGE thanks to Sean Reynolds. When my (12yo) son asked him on day 1 if there were any buttons left, (there were none, as it was ~1pm) He gave him his own button... Super Nice!
-Tom
And THIS is why I love this company so much. I keep telling people who ask us why we like Pathfinder so much, I say its because they care about their customers. Kudo's to Sean K.
On a side note, while I had a blast running 10 slots, my voice still hasn't recovered. Too much roaring as the big baddy in Rescue at Azlant Ridge, I guess... and playing a very angry shop keeper in Bloodcove disguise...
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I had a blast running 10 slots, my voice still hasn't recovered.+1
"Are you sick?"
"No."
"What's wrong with it?"
"Over use."
"Doing what?"
"Talking loudly for 12 hours a day in a room with 200 people."*confused look*
Heh, I've gotten that too.
At the con I really liked the player that offered me a throat lozenge on Sunday morning as I was calling out the players for the muster into the hall.
Angus
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I had a blast running 10 slots, my voice still hasn't recovered.+1
"Are you sick?"
Yup
"What's wrong with it?"
Lots!
"Talking loudly for 12 hours a day in a room with 200 people."
Wait, what did you say? I can't hear you over everybody, and my current shouting is equal to my normal wheezing...
*confused look*
Same here... LOL! My brain just shut down at about 1430 on Sunday and my body informed me that it was time to go to bed, whether I wanted to or not... so much for running around the exhibition hall until it closed shop. And then the Ram had the audacity to be closed for dinner! (should have remembered that from last year...)
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Same here... LOL! My brain just shut down at about 1430 on Sunday and my body informed me that it was time to go to bed, whether I wanted to or not... so much for running around the exhibition hall until it closed shop. And then the Ram had the audacity to be closed for dinner! (should have remembered that from last year...)
This was the first drive home where I slept for most of it. I was WIPED after GMing.
The worst though? Trying to play through Rebel's Ransom at 8:00 Sunday morning after 3 hours of sleep. Folks, do not try that at home.
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My first Gencon was last year, and the most important lesson I learned from it... don't mess with your sleep! I was pretty good about it too, got at least 6 hours a night, and still I crashed out on Saturday afternoon for 2 hours (missing an event) out of pure exhaustion. Dam those late night "Are you a werewolf?" games.
I felt tired in general, so next year I'm going to get more than 6 hours of sleep.
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My first GenCon, and my first experience with Pathfinder Organized Play. I had tons of fun, and will definitely be back to GenCon in the future (maybe not next year, though - I have a pesky wedding to worry about ;) ).
A shout out to my three GM's over the course of the weekend. I'm terrible with names, but if your society number is 7130, 2177 or 5392 - you were all awesome and gave me a great taste of what organized play is like.
Oh, and 5392 - you were particularly engaging running us through Rescue at Azlant Ridge. Even if you kept trying to target my eidolon with those damned ape-men!
Kudos to the Paizo staff on hand during GenCon as well. Everyone was super friendly, and more than willing to answer questions from a new player.
Met a lot of great players at the tables as well, many of whom I hope to encounter again at future events!
An all-round great experience! Thanks for the fun GenCon guys!
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Josh did a superb job in taking PFS organized play to where we are today, and the DMs and players alike who support this effort should take a great deal of pride in how far we have come in such short a time.
My thanks to all of you!
As for me, besides the pleasure of meeting and spending time with a great many fellow PFS fans and volunteers - and getting more than a fare share of Lilith's cookies (I have no shame!) - I am quite proud that I got to run an impromptu Delve for some 4th Edition DMs and exhibitors who came sniffing by our room and over the long weekend I enlightened no less than 8 new players on the bounty and honour of serving the Cheliax faction.
Its ok dear kind Angus, Taldor can have the stewardship of the Common tongue; Cheliax will have to settle for ruling the world entire.
And to those who played Friday night's special session - OI !!
Noel Anthony
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Not my first GenCon, but it was my first time with PFS, and I'm hooked. Luckily there are already some great places here in Indy ( The Arsenal rocks!) who are playing Pathfinder, so am looking forward to continue playing.
Thanks to all the cool GMs and players alike.Hopefully the construction will be done next year and we'll have an even more impressive GenCon, though it'd be hard to top this one.
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Someone in this thread asked about the venue.
The first two years, PFS was crammed into one or two small rooms near the registration area. These rooms were hot, violently loud, and very hard to navigate through.
The digs this year were a vast improvement!
A couple of suggestions:
1) Ceiling hangings or some other noise baffle.
While the noise was nothing compared to the runway level sound of the prior two years, it was still high. I ask those with some acoustic dampening training to chime in on whether banners hung from the ceiling of that large space would do anything to attenuate the sound level.
2) Better "avenues" within the gaming area.
I understand this could eliminate a table and that is not the intent but something done to assist with moving from front to rear in the hall.
3) Give poor Tim Hitchcock a small PA system for the special next year ;)
Other suggestions fall outside of Paizo's ability to influence, chiefly the distance to and the disgusting nature of the rest rooms at this year's Gencon. As one of the tables I was at said, nearly all together, "I'd do ANYTHING to not fall onto that floor!".
Great GMs, great players, good pre-planning (iconic PCs at different levels), fast and efficient mustering, and happy staff. As an old LG/RPGA person, PFS is what a living campaign should aspire to become!
Venture-Agent, Virginia—Hampton Roads
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It was pretty awesome seeing an average 200 players per slot, and I had a lot of people come by the HQ desk offering their praise on the Society at this years GenCon. Glad to see everyone had such an amazing time, I certainly picked a good year to make it my first GenCon! :)
What were the complaints? I know there has to be some but I am looking for things that maybe we as GM's can improve on.
I know in my 10 slots that I ran I had one player who didn't look to be having much fun and I think that was more due to his party really not paying attention to the mission at hand.
I ask because as a GM I only get the view from the one table per slot. People running the HG up front would have a better feel for how things went overall.
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It was pretty awesome seeing an average 200 players per slot, and I had a lot of people come by the HQ desk offering their praise on the Society at this years GenCon. Glad to see everyone had such an amazing time, I certainly picked a good year to make it my first GenCon! :)What were the complaints? I know there has to be some but I am looking for things that maybe we as GM's can improve on.
I know in my 10 slots that I ran I had one player who didn't look to be having much fun and I think that was more due to his party really not paying attention to the mission at hand.
I ask because as a GM I only get the view from the one table per slot. People running the HG up front would have a better feel for how things went overall.
I think over the whole convention I maybe had 10-15 'upset' people. That's including annoyances if a person couldn't be at the same table with friends/relatives/spouses, annoyances with a scenario in general, or other minor things. I don't recall any 'big' unpleasantness at all. Considering we had about 200 people per slot for 10 slots, 10 annoyed folks are a pretty small percentage. I remember the many many more who came to give praise to Pathfinder and Paizo, compliment how well the Society was run compared to other Live events, or just shoot the breeze in general! :D
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Venture-Agent, Virginia—Hampton Roads
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I know in my 10 slots that I ran I had one player....You are a mad man. I don't think anyone can ask anything more from you. That's a full time job workweek (with a bit of overtime) crammed into three and a half days of gaming. Mad man.
There is a long story about how I got stuck with the 10 slots due my best friend signing up for me while I was at see. Now it is past GENCON and I wouldn't have changed a thing. My desire for my 2nd star and self punishment was to strong to ignore ;-) To me though it not what more can Josh ask of me but what I ask of myself. I take much pride in running a smooth seamless game. I hate diving through book in mid game to find answers as it just stops the pace. Players at GENCON paid 6$ to sit at my table per game and I want them to walk away feeling it was worth $20.
Besides I got a lot of cookies from Lilith and that made it all the better!
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Venture-Agent, Virginia—Hampton Roads
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I think over the whole convention I maybe had 10-15 'upset' people. That's including annoyances if a person couldn't be at the same table with friends/relatives/spouses, annoyances with a scenario in general, or other minor things. I don't recall any 'big' unpleasantness at all. Considering we had about 200 people per slot for 10 slots, 10 annoyed folks are a pretty small percentage. I remember the many many more who came to give praise to Pathfinder and Paizo, compliment how well the Society was run compared to other Live events, or just shoot the breeze in general! :D
When I talked to you around the end of day ....three I think....it gets a tad fuzzy. You said pretty much the same thing to me before the house of cards came crashing down. I think overall it was good but I try to strive to make it better. My hope in 2-4 years we need two rooms the size of what we had this year which mean we have a lot of recruiting to do back home.
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I know in my 10 slots that I ran I had one player....You are a mad man. I don't think anyone can ask anything more from you. That's a full time job workweek (with a bit of overtime) crammed into three and a half days of gaming. Mad man.
pfft. 10 slots. What a wimp. ;-) I'm the only GM that did "11" slots. :D
(I had to finish a slot for another GM because he didn't have his badge and the Gen Con Cowboy was going to stop the game)
Either way, it was a monumental effort by all the Tier 1's out there. Go Team Insanity!
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I applaud all the GMs who came and contributed. I guess I'm getting old, when after my 5th slot on Friday, I ended up collapsing on Friday night, and oversleeping on Saturday morning when I was suppose to meet with Josh.
Josh refused to talk with me the rest of the weekend :<
So by the time I finished by 8th slot on Sunday, I was bushed!!
But to all the players I met, I had a GRAND time and enjoyed each and every game and it was all because of the players that came to GAME!!
So those who did 9, 10 or 11 slots, you guys are the bomb!!
Robyn
pfft. 10 slots. What a wimp. ;-) I'm the only GM that did "11" slots. :D(I had to finish a slot for another GM because he didn't have his badge and the Gen Con Cowboy was going to stop the game)
Either way, it was a monumental effort by all the Tier 1's out there. Go Team Insanity!
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I think over the whole convention I maybe had 10-15 'upset' people. That's including annoyances if a person couldn't be at the same table with friends/relatives/spouses, annoyances with a scenario in general, or other minor things. I don't recall any 'big' unpleasantness at all. Considering we had about 200 people per slot for 10 slots, 10 annoyed folks are a pretty small percentage. I remember the many many more who came to give praise to Pathfinder and Paizo, compliment how well the Society was run compared to other Live events, or just shoot the breeze in general! :D
I must have had bad luck, then. In my 9 Slots, I felt perhaps I wasn't doing enough or was just too green. I had three players who fell asleep though that was during the early and late slots. Three or four other players really, really looked like they weren't having any fun, perhaps they just took everything very seriously - it looked like irritation at the time. Then there was a less than stellar three slot run in with two players that required a dig in the Core book every three minutes because of repeated protests to what amounted to, IMHO, arbitrary rules adjudications.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I had a great time overall, and am very glad I participated. I learned a lot, got some loot and met some cool people - I'm just not sure what else I could learn from these rough spots. Any advice is appreciated, because I want to do it again in 2011, just four times better! :D
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Then there was a less than stellar three slot run in with two players that required a dig in the Core book every three minutes because of repeated protests to what amounted to, IMHO, arbitrary rules adjudications.
Why I have and will always start each table with the statement I'm not a rules lawyer, if you are and cannot suspend that for the next however many hour *point finger at Doug* there is the guy that can work to get you on another table.
I openly admit that I don't know every rule by heart... that is why I know people that do lol
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There is a long story about how I got stuck with the 10 slots due my best friend signing up for me while I was at see. Now it is past GENCON and I wouldn't have changed a thing. My desire for my 2nd star and self punishment was to strong to ignore ;-) To me though it not what more can Josh ask of me but what I ask of myself. I take much pride in running a smooth seamless game. I hate diving through book in mid game to find answers as it just stops the pace. Players at GENCON paid 6$ to sit at my table per game and I want them to walk away feeling it was worth $20.
Besides I got a lot of cookies from Lilith and that made it all the better!
Then you shouldn't have been out to sea when Josh wanted us to sign up... and yes, Lilith cookies were great!
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Then there was a less than stellar three slot run in with two players that required a dig in the Core book every three minutes because of repeated protests to what amounted to, IMHO, arbitrary rules adjudications.Why I have and will always start each table with the statement I'm not a rules lawyer, if you are and cannot suspend that for the next however many hour *point finger at Doug* there is the guy that can work to get you on another table.
I openly admit that I don't know every rule by heart... that is why I know people that do lol
Rules lawyers ruin it for everyone. I didn't see you running in Indy, but I recall much fun and laughter at every table you ran at Origins. My kinda GM.
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Was I the only volunteer that Josh fired?
No, he fired me twice. But when I looked so excited he quickly rehired me both times.
However I seem to think that you and Kyle seemed to be the two that were threatened the most with being sat at Table 38.
In a previous post I thanked the players, now I should move on to the GMs:
To all the GMs that gave their time, you guys did a great job! I'll agree with Blake's post above that I heard very little in the way of complaints at the HQ table, and they were completely outnumbered by the compliments that I received. And for the amount of players being brought through the lines and sat at the table throughout the con it was a very small percentage.
I know that I can improve on my demeanour while sending people to their muster points - I was probably a bit curt with a few people as we were trying to seat everyone. Luckily I had you GMs there to cheer up the players by having great games for them to play and for them to be willing to come back and play more and more slots.
I just wish that I could place everyone with their handles on this and other threads.
Angus - who also managed to probably eat more than his share of Lilith's cookies. :)
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Or there were only 37 tables? :)However I seem to think that you and Kyle seemed to be the two that were threatened the most with being sat at Table 38."Table 38"??? Sounds rather ominous...
(I'm guessing that that table was all the way in the back, with the least access?)
I believe that table 38 was in the middle of the intersection of Missouri and Maryland streets.
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I believe that table 38 was in the middle of the intersection of Missouri and Maryland streets.Or there were only 37 tables? :)However I seem to think that you and Kyle seemed to be the two that were threatened the most with being sat at Table 38."Table 38"??? Sounds rather ominous...
(I'm guessing that that table was all the way in the back, with the least access?)
Over a steam vent as well.
Over a steam vent as well.
I believe that table 38 was in the middle of the intersection of Missouri and Maryland streets.
Truly a place of exile.
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I was seated at that table for GMing one slot, and it was the only table in the room that ended up empty on Saturday morning. It made me mighty sad not to have players, but it was a high level mod...
Hmm, I don't think you would have been at 38 - we didn't end up actually using it.
Our tables went up to 36, and as far as I know table 36 was always used for Classic scenarios except during the Friday night Shadow Lodge event.