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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
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I am only one person and, as noted before, I've been traveling a lot for work. To help fill in the gaps, I've been recruiting local GMs to form what I am calling the "Venture Team". I am happy to announce that, as of last night, Las Vegas has four new Venture-Lieutenants. Please make a point of introducing yourself to the crew:
Vegas Venture Team *
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- Doug Daulton, VC (pfs.doug@vegasgamers.org)
- Duke Searles, VL (pfs.duke@vegasgamers.org)
- Chris Clay, VL (pfs.chris@vegasgamers.org)
- Adam Mickelson, VL (pfs.adam@vegasgamers.org)
- Rob Fain, VL (pfs.rob@vegasgamers.org)
* 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
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Since stepping into the VC role in late October, we moved Vegas Game Day from the Las Vegas Library (LVL) to /usr/lib/, a tech library and coworking space. While it served us well in the past, LVL had many challenges, not the least of which were safety concerns, long drives for lunch which regularly interrupted gaming sessions and inconvenient hours of play. All of these issues (and more) have been resolved by our move to /usr/lib.
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
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More and more, high-tier adventures will be held in stores or home games. VGD is slowly being retooled as a place to showcase all games, particularly PFS, for NEW and LAPSED players, of which we are seeing a great number in our new venue. So, one should expect to see less high-tier adventures at VGD as we are trying to grow the PFS community, not create a monthly gaming clique that is inaccessible to players unfamiliar with Pathfinder or PFS. This does not mean that no higher-tier scenarios will be offered, but it does mean that Beginner's Box and "Intro to Lore" and other beginner and low-tier material will be given precedence at VGD.
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
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Towards the end of Living Greyhawk (LG), we had a pool of 20-25 GMs running games around town on a regular basis. When LG died, most transitioned to either PFS or LFR when that campaign ended. Over the last 18 months or so, most of the old GMs have stopped running games for one reason or another and not many new folks have stepped up.
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
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Great GMs are made, not born. All of us have challenges as GMs, especially when it comes to Organized Play programs like PFS. There are slot lengths to be managed and we have to represent what Paizo looks for in GMs … for their brand. In the original thread, Marty/Callerack said a "challenged" GM cannot become a better GM unless he/she comes to understand why they have trouble running an exciting, effective game.
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
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I am often asked why we don't hold Vegas Game Day in one of our Friendly Local Game Stores (FLGS). Well, in the beginning, several of the FLGS were not really interested in Pathfinder. They were turned off by the 3E vs. 4E debates that erupted in their stores. Some wanted to focus on Magic or Warhammer 40K, both of which generated more sales/revenue for the stores. Whether it is LG, LFR or PFS, organized play games usually suck up 4-5 hours where most players don't buy anything at the stores. This is not me guessing, this is direct word from most of the store owners.
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
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We regularly communicate via the community website (vegasgamers.org) and twitter. Still, we obviously need to do a better job of letting folks know what is going on and when. We will do so in the future.
8) Do you want to be part of the solution?
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I'll close with a question.
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
Venture Captain, Las Vegas Lodge
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- Doug Daulton, VC (pfs.doug@vegasgamers.org)
- Duke Searles, VL (pfs.duke@vegasgamers.org)
- Chris Clay, VL (pfs.chris@vegasgamers.org)
- Adam Mickelson, VL (pfs.adam@vegasgamers.org)
- Rob Fain, VL (pfs.rob@vegasgamers.org)
* 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.
Doug,
I tried to email these addresses, and they are still not available as a destination. All 5 failed.
Marty
"Go Team Venture!!"
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- Doug Daulton, VC (pfs.doug@vegasgamers.org)
- Duke Searles, VL (pfs.duke@vegasgamers.org)
- Chris Clay, VL (pfs.chris@vegasgamers.org)
- Adam Mickelson, VL (pfs.adam@vegasgamers.org)
- Rob Fain, VL (pfs.rob@vegasgamers.org)
* 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.
Doug,
I tried to email these addresses, and they are still not available as a destination. All 5 failed.
Marty
Marty - These are all operational and tested. Please try again.
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Marty - These are all operational and tested. Please try again.
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- Doug Daulton, VC (pfs.doug@vegasgamers.org)
- Duke Searles, VL (pfs.duke@vegasgamers.org)
- Chris Clay, VL (pfs.chris@vegasgamers.org)
- Adam Mickelson, VL (pfs.adam@vegasgamers.org)
- Rob Fain, VL (pfs.rob@vegasgamers.org)
* 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.
Doug,
I tried to email these addresses, and they are still not available as a destination. All 5 failed.
Marty
Resent.