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Josh, I am experiencing a problem on my local scene. We (Southeastern Michigan) have three annual RPG conventions at a local game store. I’m trying to promote Pathfinder Society at conventions as well as running a gameday or two a month (and organizing a weekly PFS home table for veteran players). Conventions are where PFS is going to be the most visible and pick up more players. My gamedays now have regular players and a trickle of new recruits. My problem is that when given a choice between playing at a convention and paying $5 a slot or playing for free at a gameday/home event, most players choose the latter. There isn’t a deluge of PFS getting cranked out, so players can keep up-to-date with scenarios by attending the gamedays. When the conventions roll around attendance is light and PFS doesn’t receive a lot of attention from outsiders. This question has been raised previously but I wanted to bring it up again.
Come Season One or onward, will we see any convention-only special scenarios outside of GenCon and PaizoCon?
Will the special scenarios already announced ever be available for re-play elsewhere?
Are there any suggestions for strategies to make conventions more attractive to players who have the gameday option?
Thanks!
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I agree with Doug Doug there is no motive for exsisting players with regular play opportunities to go to cons.
If some of the Gen Con Specials could be offered to local cons in the fall/winter then at least they would fill some seats. Other con attendees would see the events and it would draw support. Ration them out one event per con or something like that.
What is the point of scrapping the Specials after GenCon? What is the cost to Paizo?
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Josh, I am experiencing a problem on my local scene. We (Southeastern Michigan) have three annual RPG conventions at a local game store. I’m trying to promote Pathfinder Society at conventions as well as running a gameday or two a month (and organizing a weekly PFS home table for veteran players). Conventions are where PFS is going to be the most visible and pick up more players. My gamedays now have regular players and a trickle of new recruits. My problem is that when given a choice between playing at a convention and paying $5 a slot or playing for free at a gameday/home event, most players choose the latter.
Think you have an "interesting" problem Doug. We just have the opposite problem in the Montreal area. We got crowded tables at our last local con (Draconis), and every player had a blast there. However, many of them never showed up at our regular games, and others just came ounce or twice.
Our next con is Cangames (www.cangames.ca) and we hope to recruit new players. PFS 13 and 17 will be offered there, and -very probably- not before in Montreal.
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Are there any suggestions for strategies to make conventions more attractive to players who have the gameday option?
DO your gamedays have people that ONLY DM? that could be part of the problem :)
If someone has to eat a senario for the group, they will have an incentive to go to a convention to play it first.
Also: the issue with doing the GenCon convention exclusives at other cons:
1) at gencon the writers are the ones running it (with volunteers) so no art and very little maps are needed
2) a large number of DMs are needed for theses events as there are many NPCs involved.
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Are there any suggestions for strategies to make conventions more attractive to players who have the gameday option?
Thanks!
For past experience with RPGA's Living Greyhawk, some local cons attracted a lot with:
*Interactive mods (every table play the same interrelated adventures at different tiers, at some point players are noticed of the progress or failures at other tiers, then the scenario resumes with this new input).
If one can provide good animation during these "cut scenes" this provides a game feeling you can't have at regular games.
*One scenario with some LARP elements (everyone bring his disguise).
*Against the clock scenario (using a 3D dungeon map).
*Some special monsters should appear only at cons or during special mods (was defenitely the case with Dragons in LG).