Search Posts
Marty - These are all operational and tested. Please try again.
A while back, folks raised some legitimate concerns about the state of the Pathfinder Society in Las Vegas since I took on the VC role. Wheels have been in motion, but I clearly needed to do a better job of keeping folks in the loop. With that in mind, I've taken some time to prepare a the following update, which addresses those concerns and outlines about the steps we are taking to get the Vegas lodge back on track. 1) The Venture Team
Vegas Venture Team *
* The listed email addresses were just created yesterday and may not yet be active on the mail server. Everything should be fully operational by Monday. If my work schedule continues the way it has over the last few months, it may be that I'll hand over the VC reins to one of the VLs down the road. PFS is bigger than any one player, GM or VC/VL. If I cannot commit the time, I'll step down, but we are not there yet. 2) Vegas Game Day (VGD) moves to new location
Most important to you, the Library only allowed us to play two PFS sessions/month. /usr/lib allows us to play up to six PFS sessions each month. This new venue also acts as a central location where folks can, and do, convene throughout the month for other pickup games. Last month, we installed a complete library of Pathfinder books at /usr/lib. This games library includes two copies of the Pathfinder Beginner's Box and two copies of everything a GM needs to run a game (dice, maps, etc.) … all made available free of charge to the community throughout they year. I am happy to report that VGD attendance is up dramatically as are the overall number of games run … especially for brand new players, which means a growing community. As for VGD being nothing more than extension of NeonCon (my convention), I respectfully reject that notion. Do NeonCon volunteers attend VGD and play there? Yep, they are gamers too. Does the show get discussed there? Yep. But, those discussions happen as an organic and spontaneous byproduct of the fun folks have at VGD. THey ask about other events and NeonCon comes up. In the past, we used to hold NeonCon volunteer meetings during the lunch break at VGD, because that's when most of the volunteers were all in one place. Now, we hold that meeting an hour before VGD and work hard not to delay play at VGD. We do that specifically to let folks focus on playing and not NeonCon. If they want ask about the show or volunteering, we'll discuss it with them, but we don't get in people's faces about it. 3) VGD to focus on new & lapsed players
This new focus serves us all. The more players we create, the more GMs we create. The more GMs we create, the more play opportunities ALL of us gain. 4) GM Recruitment
A big part of my job is recruiting GMs, new and old, to the PFS cause. Part of the challenge has been getting former GMs to come back to the game. And, we've lost some of our best GMs to marriage or to relocation due to the terrible job market in Las Vegas. Without GMs, we cannot run games. I've had to travel internationally a great deal since late November, so progress on this front has been slower than I would like, but it is moving forward. If you, or any other reader, is interested in GM-ing, please email me at pfs.doug@vegasgamers.org. 5) GM Development
Historically, we have not done a very good job of helping challenged GMs get better. To that end, we will soon offer a "GM Workshop", where experienced GMs can help the nervous/shy, rules lawyer or otherwise challenged GM become better at running a successful game. Does an individual have to attend the workshop to run PFS in Vegas? No. Heck, they don't even need my blessing. There are plenty of game stores and home games where they can run PFS. They are free to log their own games. None of this requires my OK or that of any other VC or Paizo staffer. As VC, I am responsible for the public face of PFS in Vegas. As such, I can and do evaluate and chose GMs to run games at the public events I coordinate. Some folks have been asked not to run public games. Some of them are really nice folks who run a really long game and have a hard time staying within the 5 hour slot. That is fine for a home game, but it is death to a public game, particularly when another group is waiting for a table or players. Other folks have trouble being polite or respectful of their players, when GM-ing or playing themselves. That really boils down to the golden rule. If folks cannot be respectful of the other people at their tables or the other players in the room or the rules of the host venue, they certainly don't GM in public events and they may be asked not to play. Folks like that hurt the hobby and the PFS community. Again, home play is always an option. Having said that, I always speak to these folks privately and encourage them to respect others. Some tell me to take a flying leap. Most listen and try to get better. And, as long as they are trying, I'll be glad to help them as much as I can. To help get this ball rolling, we've created Vegas Pathfinder GMs, an open Facebook for all Pathfinder GMs in the Vegas Valley. If you are a GM or want to be, please join the group and participate. 6) The Game Stores
So, that is one reason we started VGD … to put organized play in a store-neutral environment where people could play all day. Then, we encourage folks to play in the stores through out the month. This program has worked pretty well. And now, stores are asking about getting regular games going in their stores. So, we are working on that. To make it work, we need folks who will be reliable and committed to running on a regular basis at their local stores, which brings us back to GM Recruitment. So, stay tuned. As we get more GMs, you'll see more in-store play. 7) Better communication
8) Do you want to be part of the solution?
Are you a "do-er"? Are you committed to and passionate about PFS enough to do something to help it grow? If you are, then I really want to talk to you. Like any community, PFS needs do-ers. Thanks, Doug Daulton
As someone who's first experience with Las Vegas Game Day was this month, I'd just like to thank you and voice my support the changes you made. The more convenient location and time of the event persuaded me to attend and participate in PFS there for the first time; I had a lot of fun! Glad to hear you are actively trying to improve the Vegas experience and I hope to become a regular in the future. Thanks for all the hard work. Thanks BigMac!
I've had a couple of email queries about /usr/lib/, the new host of Vegas Game Day. So, I thought I'd add that information to this thread. What is /usr/lib/ ?
Our community LOVES the new digs and it is exposing us to the the local start-up & tech community, which has a lot of lapsed gamers in it. So, it gives us a great opportunity to introduce PFS, and all of the other games we play, to new or lapsed gamers. You can learn more about the /usr/lib/ here: One point of clarification, /usr/lib/ has a $25/year membership. Some folks have grumbled when they see that fee. No one who attends Vegas Game Day has to pay a penny. The VGD organizers all pay the fee and VGD attendees are our our guests. We do encourage folks to support usr/lib/ because it is an outstanding value for what they provide, but we do not require it of anyone. If you are looking for a venue to host your own game day, I suggest you look at your local coworking spaces. If you are not familiar with coworking, here are some resources you might want to check out. I hope this helps! Doug
Wow. Just wow. How is this awesome? Let me count the ways. 1) Pathfinder. 'nuff said. 2) The early descriptions indicate that Goblin Works will take the MMO space in interesting new directions which appeal to thoughtful players, not just level grinders. This is a big hole in the market, only addressed well by Eve at the moment. 3) Ryan Dancey is involved. Why is that a big deal? Ryan was the driving force behind the OGL and the former CMO of CCP/White Wolf, the makers of EVE and the forthcoming V:tM MMO. The man is a serious visionary in the space. He brings immediate credibility to a hobby games/MMO crossover product; the most since Bioware owned the D&D license. 4) Lisa. She is one smart cookie. She wouldn't be making this move if it wasn't well thought out. So, color me excited. DD *raises hand for a beta key*
... attended NeonCon this past weekend. Disappointing. Vors, I am sorry you had a bad experience at the show. I just got in from a double-shift and have to be back at work in 6 hours. Desperate need for sleep precludes a detailed reply at the moment, but I promise I will address each of your concerns in a subsequent post over the weekend (if not sooner). The short version is ... the show could be better. It can always be better and we always aim to make it so. Feedback from everyone is valued. I look forward to continuing this conversation once I am well-rested and properly fed. :) Thanks, Doug Daulton
Neil, the plan is to move the show to Columbus Day Weekend in 2012. ;)
This is open for discussion. What would you suggest? Will also have a look at the 10-11 for the special.
Time is drawing near for NEONCON 2011. To help ease the pain of the down economy, we've dropped our ticket price from $60 to $50 for the 2011 show. If you GM 4 scenarios/slots for us, you get your badge for free. Here are a few links to important information about Pathfinder Society events at the show:
Thanks, Doug Daulton
PS: If you are interested in playing the "Eyes of the Ten" retirement arc at the show click here. Given the scope of the arc, we are only planning to one group through the entire thing. But, if there is enough interest and folks are willing to help judge other events, we'll consider adding another group/table.
We can move the last slot to SAT AM. Assuming that works for all involved, we'll need to cut it off there (7 players) for the moment. Other folks can express interest, but i cannot guarantee another group until I have all of the other slots covered. DD
All, I wanted to take a second to address the Warhorn vs. NeonCon.com scheduling issue for the group. In a nutshell, we moved everything into the NeonCon scheduling system because we have a lot of folks crossing over between the various gaming genres (RPG, Board Games & Minis). Warhorn is pretty solid for showing/scheduling RPG organized play because they fit into nice, neat slots. However, it is a nightmare to get anything other than 4 or 5 hour slots to look/work right in Warhorn. And, since we run PS & LFR and the slots don't line up, we can't use it for just the OP systems either. The only solution is to run 2-3 separate Warhorn instances for each "meta-track" (PS, LFR, Board Games, etc.). It gets ugly ... fast. Trust me, we've tried a every possible permutation over the years. :) Multiple schedules in multiple places just causes confusion and frustration for everyone, but mostly for the attendees as it ends up gumming up table musters. By the way, the guys at Warhorn have been great in trying to accomodate us. But, they have limited budget/resources just as we do. So, as an answer, we started building our own system. I'll be the first person to admit it is not perfect, but it does give both the organizers (us) and the players (you) a single place to see the whole schedule. The schedule software is locked for 2011, so don't expect wholesale changes before the show. With that said, I'd love to hear your ideas for improvements to our system. I'll set up a forum on the show site for that discussion. Once we have something more solid, we plan to release the system for free to the public to help other shows run more easily. Thanks, Doug
Thanks Doug. We'll get our judging schedule to Issak ASAP. Nick, Rand, JP & EotT Crew, How does the following sound for an EotT schedule? I have to confirm with the judges, so this is not written in stone just yet. THU - Slots 1 & 2 (2PM- 1AM)
FRI - Slots 3 & 4 (8AM- 7PM)
SUN - Slot 7 (10AM- ???)
This schedule would really help us out by having you guys available to judge FRI night & SAT, when we will have the most need for GMs. Thanks, Doug
Nick, Rand & Company, We've got some judges set up to run the "Eyes of the Ten" retirement arc for you. You've always been good the show, so we are happy to help you guys out. Part of the challenge, as I am sure you realize, is that as high level mods, we really need skilled judges to run those slots. For that reason, I cannot imagine we'll run more than one "group" for this arc. That group can change as needed, but expect one session of each EotT scenario and no more, at least to start. I'll leave it up to you guys to set the players for the group. When we have all other slots (especially for lower tier & newer adventures) covered, we'll explore another EotT group, if there is interest. Thanks for stepping up to GM other slots for us in return. And, thanks for your patience as we sorted this out. Both are genuinely appreciated. More info as I have it. Thanks, Doug
Clark, It was great to finally connect with you. I could not agree with you more about PaizoCon, it is very special show. There are not many shows where fans can get to spend so much quality time with the talented people that bring them the games they love so much. Take care ouf yourself. I hope to see you at GenCon. Doug
I received this email a couple of days ago but just got around to reading it today. I don't know about you, but I am very excited by this market test and hope the community jumps in to support it. A few years back, Erik spoke publicly about the future of pen & paper RPGs in the 21st century. He discussed the fact that more and more, P&P games would be supported by digital tools. Supported by; not replaced by. Along with other initiatives, like PDF books and HeroLab support, this test is part of Paizo's emerging leadership in the digital support arena. Not sure how PDFs of flip-mats and map packs can help you? Read on.
There is only upside to the consumer for this product line. The only potential downside is for the publisher ... if the community resorts to piracy. Let's not let that happen. Paizo ... thanks for leading the way Doug Daulton
Woot! I am very excited about this! The Paizo golems do things right, so I expect that these will be as good or better than the DDM line. Erik & Lisa - Should the line be extended beyond the Beginner's Box, this is a product to which I would also subscribe. If other folks agree, let them know as well.
Weird thought get the 5 star people in a arena/challenge encounter! A 5-Star Cage Match on PPV. I love it. Sounds like a NeonCon event! Actually, this already exists in the form of Iron GM, which was a ton of fun and features Pathfinder as the default ruleset.
You have answered all questions I can think of and now salute you fully recognizing your awesomeness. LOL. Thanks. Right back atcha! Lots of awesome, passionate folks in the PS community. Just wanted to say that I appreciate all the work you have put in for Pathfinder Society and look forward to seeing you at Neoncon 2011, if not sooner! Thanks Nate! Going to PaizoCon this year? If all goes well, I'll be in for the whole show this year and will actually get to play!
Raised the question of "Con Organizer" vs. "Convention Owner" and all points in between. This is a fair question. For the sake of clarity and to help put a framework around this issue, here is a break down of the history of OP at NeonCon and the principal roles of the organizers. For everyone's education (including mine), I'd love to see other show organizers do a similar break-down.
Throughout the year, I help organize Vegas Game Day (VGD) a monthly game day which now averages 4 tables of PS a month. And, once we change venues, we should see than number jump to 6-8. I also advocate PS play in our 5-6 local game stores and support Issak Haywood, our local VC by introducing him to local store owners and other contacts (like our GM pool). Finally, I maintain vegasgamers.org, a website for local gamers with almost 700 members and a local PS group of 49 players (and growing). The site serves gamers of every stripe and helps them connect to find local games, FLGS and other gamers. In addition to overseeing the ongoing growth/expansion of NeonCon, I became a dad in 2008 and again in 2010. So, family obligations have cut into my ability to run as many games or directly drive PS play as much as I have in the past. But, a beautiful thing happened along the way (in addition to my growing family). The community I helped nurture stepped up when I had to step aside, at least publicly. Often times, I am now the "man behind the curtain" helping keep wheels in motion, rather than the public face I once was. Were it not for guys like Steve Pitcher, Mike Shields, Perry Snow and, now, Issak Haywood, stepping up, PS in Las Vegas may have died on the vine. The Las Vegas story is certainly not unique. I am sure everyone who has ever owned or organized a con can relate. Roles change and evolve, especially if a show is successful and has plans for serious growth (as ours does). For me, the personal accolades are nice, but really unnecessary. My concern has always been the local community that has supported PS from it's inception. When I ask for something from Paizo (or any other publisher) I am asking on behalf of the players and GMs in my community ... not myself. And, Paizo has always been there to support us. ALWAYS. This is one of the many reasons PS gets so much love at NeonCon. It starts with awesome content (rules, scenarios, etc.) but the loyalty, at least here in Vegas, really comes from the ongoing support Paizo shows it's player base, not just here in Sin City, but around the world. DD PS: Thanks for listening to these (and other) ramblings. Somewhere in here, I hope there is something of value for current and aspiring event organizers, GMs and players.
Erik - Thanks for the kinds words. My contributions, such that they are, pale in comparison to those of the larger community across the US and the world. All - As others have said, there are a lot of deserving OP organizers at the regional, local and individual level who deserve recognition for their contributions. Some are GMs. Some are not. Some are Venture-Captains. Some are not. While I am glad to see the Paizo team move to formally recognize their efforts, I cannot emphasize strongly enough that I do not see this decision as "righting a wrong" or "fixing something that was broken". Rather, the community asked for some clarity and Paizo delivered, as they always do. So, a heartfelt thanks to Team Paizo for jumping in and making PS even better than it was. Whatever the final solution is, I am confident it will be fair for everyone.
It has nothing to do with actual GMing. Missed this earlier. BTW, none of the following is intended to challenge the basic assertions Abraham makes. Rather, I'd like to expand on this one point a bit. For context, I'll assume "it" is running & organizing game days and conventions. On this point, I'd offer that knowing what it takes to be an excellent GM is very, very important to any gaming event organizer. And, this knowledge should be based on personal experience both as a GM and as a player. To run a good event, the organizer has to be able to put him/herself in the shoes of the player & the GM and make sure the GMs selected to run an event are not just bodies to fill the chair and make playable tables. At NeonCon, we are fairly selective about who runs official PS (or other OP events). We aren't selective to be clique-ish. People pay money to attend the show, we want them to have a good time. Some folks are great home game GMs, but have a hard time fitting into the slot structure of a convention GM. So, their games tend to run over and players miss or are late to the next slot. Other GMs are a tad too rules-focused and can make what should be a fun, exciting adventure seem like a math lesson or root canal. Still others have ... how to put this delicately ... issues with hygiene or general social skills. In every case, we set our expectations in advance and, when a GM struggles, we try our best to coach them up and give them every chance to be the best GM possible. In short, we have standards, but we are not jerks about it. At the end of the day, we always try to remember that there are 4-7 other players at the table, not just the GM. If our team did not have a good understanding of the skill set required of a good GM, I don't think our show would enjoy the reputation it has among the player & GM base. DD
Thanks to Issak, JP, MadClaw, and others who've had kind words for me. They are appreciated. Still, this thread is not about me. It is, at it's root, about building a better Pathfinder Society. With that said, we should be clear that the Pathfinder Society is not broken, far from it. It is the most robust, well-supported, forward-thinking organized play campaign for roleplay ... on the planet. From Erik to Mark, the folks at Paizo have put a great deal of time, energy and thought into PS and it shows on the page and at the table. Of all of the fundamental components of PS, there is only one with which I strongly disagreed at launch ... no regional "triads" who could create independent story lines as we were able to do in LG. And, now 3+ years in, I see the wisdom of that decision and support it. The quality of PS Scenarios is consistently high and, when I actually get to play or run, I find it a much more entertaining experience than any other OP campaign I've played in ... hands down. Could communication be better? Perhaps. But then, from the smallest mom & pop shop to the largest corporation, communication can ALWAYS be better. What other RPG publisher do you know that has practically every staffer, from the CEO to the CSR, engaged on the public messageboards everyday? At the end of the day, we are all very lucky. We've got a game we all love, supported by staff and volunteers who love it just as much each of us. And, the publisher actively listens to the community. DD
But I don't think organizing events should allow you to get access to 4 / 5 star GM specials to run because organizing an event doesn't prove your mettle for running a scenario. You may be great at both, and that's fine. I think you need to have recognition system in each area that earns different benefits. I agree. You should not, by default, get a 5-Star GM if you are not an awesome GM. At the risk of sounding like a self-important a$$, I think my players would ... without a cattle prod or bribe from me ... say that I run a pretty awesome game. So, it is not like I am a hack. :D Having said that, I would agree that there should be specific rewards for being an exceptional GM, and that does not necessary mean a prolific one. We all know GMs who run a lot, but run a boring or rule-lawyery (sp?) table that sucks the fun out of a game. To me, that is why the jump from 4-star to 5-star is more subjective and less numbers driven. /Not to be taken as a slight against you DD, I'm just uncomfortable with the implications of the decision. No worries. I get it. And, as Mark has said, they are working on it.
tangible for a coordinator is how many tables they report for their GMs that would be about the only way that contributor/promoter "points" could be awarded This is a great idea. Sort of a "meta-chronicle" for the show/event and organizers? Simply putting up a flyer or making a webpage doesn't work in my book to I agree in principle. But what about folks like the online PF SRD or PathfinderWiki? There is a lot of work that happens there to support both Pathfinder and PFS?
I like me some Doug Daulton and I like me some Kyle Baird, and quite honestly, I think both of you would like each other quite a bit. (Stupid Internet) Adam - I know (or at least hope) no one on this thread is levying an actual personal attack against me. If they were, I would shrug and go on about my business. I don't feed trolls. Kyle - Thanks for the nice note on Facebook. We are cool. At the end of the day, ideas solve more problems than rants and I think everybody is really trying to express ideas, not venom.
Which isn't a lot since you can't/won't verify your 5-star status, and Paizo can't/won't verify it. Which is why I think people find it odd you have it. Fair points. Regarding the above quote, no one (me or Paizo) is trying to hide anything. I've GM-ed more games that have been recorded. Some of them haven't been logged, many have not. Do I have 100+ games run? Probably not. Am I, in some way small or large, ultimately responsible for 300+ PFS tables (probably closer to 500) since the PFS OP campaign started ... Yes. Did I do it all myself? Absolutely not. Has my team always done it perfectly? Nope. Callerack can clearly attest to that. :) Do my contributions, such that they are, make me any more important to the community that the player who just walked in the door and asked "What is Pathfinder?" No. Does that answer your question? If not, I'll share more, not to pump myself up, but to share the other ways people can contribute if they cannot GM.
|
