Customer Service Manager
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Questions, Comments or Corncerns about PaizoCon 2016!
You can post here or email us a paizocon@paizo.com.
I have a list going for all my thoughts on 2016 and ways to make 2017 better and I'd love to hear from attendees (or outside observers) about what you felt worked or didn't work!
-Sara Marie
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Had a great time this year. Great job once again.
I do have a suggestion. It would be cool to have a panel that's an entire hour with the guest of honor (one for each guest), to get to find out more about them outside of the context of panels specific to their work. While it was great to see Nick on the Curse of the Crimson Throne and celebrity gaming panels (and I'm sure was also great to see him on other panels of his I didn't see), it would be cool to have a panel that was all about Nick, where a moderator interviews him a bit then does Q&A, to hear about things like how he got into gaming, what games he plays regularly, and just general gaming stories (as well as acting, and his day job roll).
I know I'd be interested in something like this for the guest of honor every year.
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I had a fantastic year again, even better than last year. Met some amazing new friends, got goblin brains, and played until I about dropped (both in char and out).
I loved the Scavenger Hunt boon idea, I think this should be a recurring event assuming we didn't terrorize the staff too much over sigs, heh.
My only complaint, if you can call it that since it's really circumstance, was the volume level in the Grand Ballroom for those events did make it a bit difficult to hear at times - especially during the special, but that's not a huge deal given it means people were having a blast. Perhaps if there were a better way to arrange the tables so they were just a bit further apart it might help but otherwise I can't think of anything else.
Wonderful job again Paizo and as usual, all the staff we encountered were super helpful and polite.
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The celebrity gaming session was terrific fun. I don't know if that's a regular thing, but I think it should be.
Every single staff member was approachable, friendly and extremely generous with their time.
Every fellow attendee I met was similarly friendly and chatty. Meeting and mingling with others was really easy and low stress. The thought of gaming with strangers is a bit intimidating to me, but next Paizocon I won't have any concern about that at all.
The seminars/workshops were really good. The panelists gave considered, well thought out comments. There was ample time for questions. Sometimes sightlines were an issue in really crowded rooms, but that's probably one of those insoluble things that just is.
Jeff apologised on the way in for how long it had taken, however the logistical feat of seating and feeding several hundred people so efficiently was really quite impressive.
Being picky, I can only think of one mildly negative thing:
The loopy things which hold the nametags had a tendency to turn around which made going up to meet people sometimes odd. I had a few conversations along the lines of: "Hi. I want to say hello to you but I don't actually know who you are!"
The volume and heat levels in the Grand Ballroom made it exceptionally difficult for me to concentrate on the Special, in addition to it being on the *third* night of the convention.
While it is appreciated for the effort to incorporate everyone, if there is another 'pregen' special in future years, humbly request it be on Friday evening.
Will have more after I get home tomorrow night.
This being only my 3rd year, it was the best one so far. I did not have a single game that wasn't fantastic. The Munchkin table was a very nice addition. I agree with the Scavenger Hunt boon comment above.
Only one suggestion.
I understand the reason behind removing the autograph table, but I never had a good chance to get my Ultimate Intrigue signed and that would have been nice. Could that come back next year, but maybe with limited hours? I would suggest a couple of hours in the afternoon each day, or maybe on Monday after all the events are over.
It's just so much easier to approach someone for an autograph when they are sitting at an autograph table. That way if I run into Paizo folks in the hallway I can just have a genuine conversation and it not be a Segway into awkwardly asking for an autograph.
Great con! Will see everyone in 2017!!
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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I wound up getting a room in the tower section of the hotel, since I didn't check in until Friday and that's what they had ready. It was fantastic to have a room so close to the con. I'd strongly suggest adding these rooms to the room block - I'd willingly pay a bit more for the location advantage (as long as it was a reasonably discounted block rate still, just higher than the "walk a half mile to get to your rooms" section.)
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PaizoCon 2016 was excellent. Some quick thoughts that had little to no influence over my enjoyment:
-Have Pathfinder T-Shirts available at the store.
-Consider having more than eight hours between the night slot and morning slot. No doubt you've landed on the current schedule after much consideration. It's tough getting five hours of sleep night after night. I end up skipping seminars that I want to go to simply to catch up.
-The special needs to arrive in a GM's downloads more than a week ahead of time. #7–98: Serpents' Ire is one heck of a good time, but I doubt it got the preparation it need at many tables.
I absolutely love attending PaizoCon because of all that it gets right and because of all of the wonderful people that put their time and love into it. That should stand out above all else!
See you next year!
Jeremy
PaizoCon 2016 was excellent...
-Have Pathfinder T-Shirts available at the store.
+1
We were bummed out about there being no 2016 shot glasses or pint glasses. A matching design t-shirt would be sweet as well.
First time to PaizoCon, so please take my comments with a grain of salt.
Pros
-The PFS Boon rolls were really cool and I enjoyed getting those wooden tokens.
-Super helpful staff members in the gaming store.
-Convenient hotel with lots of good food options around.
-Registration line looked intense, but the staff for that handled it with professionalism and we stood in line for 10-15 minutes tops at the back of the line.
Cons
-No T-Shirts or Pint Glasses
-It was REALLY noisey in the Grand ballroom and it made it difficult to hear the GM's at my tables. Perhaps segment the grand ballroom to cut down on some of the noise.
-Everyone was very confused where to go for their PFS games and it became VERY crowded in the hallway. Move everyone INTO the ballroom and out of the hallway.
Ideas for next year
-T-Shirts/Pint Glasses/Wearable Pathfinder branded gear for sale
-Put the store upstairs and bring the PF Online and the open gaming rooms downstairs. Include the PF Adventure game demos in that room.
As I understand, the T-Shirts were available the next day if you asked the store people. It should probably be more well-known (I would like to help others get rerolls!)
Having a tshirt in the swag bag would be good. I'd be happy to pay a bit extra for my ticket. Maybe as an extra at a good price (the way the banquet is).
Speaking of the banquet... was the food pretty much exactly the same as last year? It was fine as conference banquets go (so no complaint on the quality), but to be the same menu?
The room block being in wing 5 was a bit of a perk in a way... with all that sitting, a walk now & then was nice. Cutting through the parking lot when the weather was agreeable was also a nice chance to get outside briefly.
The hotel seems to have gone downhill from what I remember (last year): wifi being very unstable, housekeeping neglecting things, and being quoted and charged different amounts.
If PaizoCon 2017 is at the Doubletree again, we will look into alternative places to stay; there are several other hotels not much further away than wing 5.
Despite any complaints, the Con itself was great. Such fun. Beyond the games, I greatly enjoyed the GM oriented seminars & panels (being a new GM and all). The banquet presentations were awesome... looking forward to my games getting scary!
Kudos to all the Paizo staff, I had a great time playing PACG all weekend long.
For me there would be one aspect that would be an area for room for improvement.
Do not allow a slot to be scheduled and signed up for that doesn't exist. This is in reference to the fact that there were sessions on Saturday in the ballroom until 6pm yet we were ushered out around 315-330.
Thanks to the wonderful and kind TANIS we were able to borrow a box and played until midnight.
The same thing happened in 2015 but that was my first year so I was not sure if this was unusual or not.
My suggestion would be to allow for play to continue in another gaming area? Obviously for those not attending the banquet.
Two years running at this point and already making sure I have vacation time for next year :)
Pros:
The staff and attendees are top notch compared to any other con I've attended. Speaks volumes for Paizo.
Lots of things to do! The PFS scenarios were great.
Great depth of books at the store.
Great swag bag!!!
Improvements:
The main hall is incredibly loud. This is my fourth year and the Double Tree hall seems particularly loud. I enjoyed the games upstairs much more simply because I could hear the DM and other players. Maybe try:
+ The tables could have been spread out more.
+ Partition off the room with dividers or curtains?
T-shirts. I mentioned this the previous years. Make some beige/parchment color t-shirts with the core characters on them. Just like the banners in the main hall. My teen and my friends teens (and the parents) would buy as many of these as we could. Not purple or black - but use the same graphic from the banners. Include small sizes. Huge opportunity for fans to wear their favorite characters never-mind spread the word ("marketing").
Add more space for unique scenarios like True Dragons of Absalom.
Chief Technical Officer
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I just want to say that Paizo employees are going to be listening more than talking in this thread, so don't stop posting just because you don't see us for a while.
But i do want to comment on one thing:
That way if I run into Paizo folks in the hallway I can just have a genuine conversation and it not be a Segway into awkwardly asking for an autograph.
I just want to say that we don't generally find being asked for autographs awkward.* It's something any of us are happy to do any nearly any time.**
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I wonder if a bit of a maze of thick curtains on poles throughout the ballroom might mitigate the sound problem. It's pretty bad, but I do think it's not as bad as it was at the Marriott a couple of years ago. (That room was cramped .)
Last year I busted in on a game Crystal was running to get her to sign my Secrets of Cats book. I actually don't recommend interrupting somebody else's game to get an autograph, and feel a little bad about it.
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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I had a blast this year and changed up my schedule to have less games and more time to talk to people. It worked out very well.
Pros:
- The staff, as always, were all wonderful people.
- The panels were great and I learned a great deal from them.
- The kettle chips smothered in blue cheese.
- There were activities that could drop in on when I had a little free time. I love the addition of Pathfinder Munchkin.
- I really like the hotel.
- The food the hotel offered at the coffee stand was nice. I noticed and took advantage of a varied selection of food and drink. They took advantage of my wallet.
- On the topic of food, there was a decent selection of places to eat within walking distance.
- The banquet was amazing as always and I loved how the lines were set up.
Cons:
- Like previous years, I feel disapointed in the convention store. As much as I would hate to risk going over budget, I would love to have more reason to spend time there.
- The open gaming rooms always felt so out of the way and there was never a good way to look at what I might be able to drop in on. I know you can't move the rooms, but maybe have a board or some other method of advertising currently open games?
- There isn't a fix you can do for this, but the bar staff was overwhelmed, unprofessional, unprepared for the convention. One server was very rude and obnoxious, another was clearly new and barely keeping it together. The bar has become a traditional gathering place, so it may be a good idea to make sure people are warned ahead of time next year.
- No fix at all for this, but the food and drink at the hotel bar and restaurants was very pricy.
Suggestions:
An Observation:
The poor vacation group of elderly people had to put up with a gaming convention. It stretched the limits of the lobby space and I could see how uncomfortable some of the vacation group people were. I saw no signs of disrespect towards that group, which I think says a great deal about PaizoCon. I do feel sorry for that group though, I don't think they expected to be surrounded by excited and passionate gamers.
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For this con, the tables were grouped by iconics (gunslinger, bard, etc.). Could the tables be arranged so that there is an aisle sepating each group? This would make it easier to find and get to your section. It would also help with the noise as it creates more tables at the periphery, as others have reported having a table on the edge was better than in the middle.
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Hey all
Just so it doesnt get forgotten, please can we have postcards in future for we foreigners to send a little of Paizocon home to our loved ones. Just a simple Paizocon Wish you were here, maybe with a goblin screaming "so we can eat you". It doesnt need a number, so they can be reused every year.
Now, to more serious stuff.
I travelled 5000 miles and I made it, the journey was hard and I was very stressed on arrival due to my aspergers and being in an enclosed space with many people for a 10 hour plus flight.
I just want to pass on how absolutely amazing and unbelievable EVERY member of staff was (and those who met me who weren't staff too), especially to me - most of you knew of me which blew my mind somewhat but the thing that truly showed how special you all are is that you were all aware of my aspergers as I was very open about it in the forums before coming.
All of you, staff and public, made every effort to ensure I was comfortable and happy whenever we talked. Your gestures were overt enough that I could read them. I felt comfortable and safe, and I felt I had found a new circle of friends.
I ended up finding a support group that was unexpected and unbelievable. So much so, that even though I hate being stuck in an enclosed airplane for over 10 hours, I am going to come back again for more. You are all superb people.
I really cannot put into words how amazing you have all been, I felt like I belonged from day 1 of the con - that is so amazing to someone like myself who suffers problems in social crowds that I simply cannot put it into words, so allow me to close simply and heartfeltly (if that's a word)...
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Like previous years, I feel disapointed in the convention store. As much as I would hate to risk going over budget, I would love to have more reason to spend time there.What would you suggest to improve that?
Maybe have a table set aside on the Saturday for the latest release to be purchased and signed by the authors - I know that takes a willingness of the authors but it would make those items purchased from the store so much more special.
This maybe giving a reason to visit the store.
How about products being given a clear indication of being a purchase made at Paizocon. Maybe a stamp at the checkout for stamping inside the front cover, or a sticker ("purchased at Paizocon"). This would make any purchase that little bit more special.
Last one - as I liked attending the seminars, with them end to end during each day, I had difficulty scheduling some free time to visit the shop, so.... how about not scheduling any seminars between noon and 1pm on the Saturday so anyone new to Paizocon can be assured of one one-hour slot during the con that is totally free for the store visit, if that makes sense.
Daft suggestions I know but I thought I would start the ball rolling.
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Like previous years, I feel disapointed in the convention store. As much as I would hate to risk going over budget, I would love to have more reason to spend time there.What would you suggest to improve that?
I enjoyed the store and made ample use of it. But I, too, would like to see a more impressive store. I'm not sure how to accomplish that. Some thoughts:
- Clothing! Yes, it's a pain. People dig through it and things get unfolded and it's a mess. And when I asked, the staff made it sound like shirts hadn't sold enough to warrant bringing them over. And people were super-nice and brought over some shirts at our request. But if I'd had a display with more to choose from, I likely would have bought some more. And maybe even an expanded selection beyond last year's. (I'd love a Con shirt; we do this for an annual festival I run and we do them as pre-orders to limit excess inventory that goes stale as soon as the event ends.)
- Take up some of the excess floor space to lay out more of the merchandise. Flip mats were hard to go through; having them displayed on a table in front of their holders would have made it a lot easier to find things.
- More partners? I feel like this probably isn't feasible, since you already sell all the Pathfinder-related stuff. Are there additional complementary partners that could be brought in? How about dungeon dressing type stuff (like Stones Terrain or Dwarven Forge) if they don't overlap with what you offer at Paizo.com?
- One of the highlights for me was getting Tyler to do an awesome sketch of one of my PFS characters. Do many people take advantage of that? Could there be a partner artist dedicated to that?
- Or other services. Reaper Paint and Take is awesome, but would a commission painter want to set up a table? I'm sure I'd find something to get painted if someone was doing it at the Con.
Overall, the store was great. I know it's a tough balance. You don't want to haul over stuff you just have to haul back, and you don't want to make the place to feel overcrowded. I'm definitely happy with what was available. It just seemed to lean too far in the opposite direction and felt a little sparse.
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For apparel, if mess is a concern, it sounds like Emerald City has someone behind the counter with all of the apparel. There is a large graphic above the table that shows what is available. Someone can hand you a shirt to see if it will fit, but people can't rummage. This takes labor and could form a line, but I guess it works.
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Space was a fairly significant problem in the grand ballroom this year. Having helped set up previous years I would suggest trying to get it spread out a little more. We used to come in, find out what fire code required, and then move the tables out a bit to help spread things. There was quite a bit of wasted space side-to-side (as was evidenced by us moving our table into a corner, and having (and giving our fellow players near us) a much more positive experience because of it).
My big complaint/concern was how afternoon PFS slots were set-up, and the total lack of communication regarding said topic, but that's a conversation for a different staff.
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The Good
- The swag bag was, as always, amazing and full of pleasant surprises. Thank you!
- Registration was, also as always, efficient and professional. Kudos to the staff running it!
- By design or by happenstance, it seemed that (most) panels that shared themes were kept clustered together on the schedule. This was really helpful!
- Putting one of the Tech Demos (playbook) in the main play space. This made it easy to say hi, see the product, etc. around PFS play periods and was a good use of projectors.
- I want to note how much I really do appreciate the decision to unveil Starfinder at PaizoCon vs. GenCon. It's small nods like that keep bringing me back each year.
- Pathfinder Munchkin pickup game was a great idea as well!
- Bar service in the main ballroom nailed it both nights. Good pricing for a hotel/catered bar, good selection, and the bartender was always a pleasure. The custom cocktails were also great! Please do these again!
The Not So Good
- PFS Mustering in the hallway was messy. We had the most populous games (Tiers 1-5) at the very front, creating a big crowd you had to work through to get to the other tiers. This also created confusion as many different players from many scenarios had to sort themselves within a small space. I like this model for things like the Specials because it is definitely ideal to get folks to self-marshal into tables of 6 before entry, but not for regular scenarios. While we did have 5 hour slots, I almost never sat down at my table before start time because of this organizing method, meaning our game didn't really get going in earnest until after the listed start time. This also meant a lot of the tables for the special ran up against their time slot.
- Definitely disappointed that there were no pint/shot glasses.
- There seems to be no consistent physical PaizoCon Block? I'm wondering if they are giving you actual physical room blocks or if they are just "setting aside" X number of rooms for the PaizoCon goers. I got one very close to the convention area (tower 7, 2nd floor). But I also checked in Thursday just before 12 PM. Might be helpful to clarify this with the hotel to better communicate how rooms are assigned. Granted, there may be an interaction with being a Hilton Rewards member that changes how this is handled.
- Out of your control, but more a side note for future venues/contracts: The $50/day hold on my credit card for "incidentals" in addition to the cost of the room came to a $730 hold for a $530 post tax room. I was able to shift this to a credit card, but not everyone is in that position. It's pretty rough to have $200 of your bank account in limbo while on a trip. I understand this is Hilton's policy so they can't change it, but may be a consideration when looking at future venues.
- Did Obsidian not stay the whole con or have to pull down the pads for their demo stations early? I don't recall seeing pads for play at their demo stations after Friday. This made me sad, as I'd wanted a chance to test drive the Card Game App.
Suggestions
- Return to 2015's method of mustering PFS tables. If fire code requires it be done in the hallway, please instead put the tier 1-5s at the door furthest back, then down to 3-7/5-9, then 7-11, etc. so that crowding at the very front isn't an issue. Find a way to get people to tables (even if in partial groups) well before the start time and make it clear that folks should arrive before the start time for mustering so all games can start on time.
- Find more Pathfinder themed/adjacent games to have pickup tables of running the common areas.
- Post a schedule of who will be running delves and when! I know there are a lot of moving parts, but for me, at least, this is a chance to get in a quick game with a particular staff GM I'd love to play with.
- Put a stat block for each year's goblin mascot on the back page of the program. Better yet, unveil said goblin's art ahead of time in a blog post and make creating his stat block be a contest for a free badge/store credit/appropriate prize, etc.
- Maybe have some formal "Mini Painting 101, 102, etc." workshops? The Reaper team is great and super helpful at their paint and take, but every year I'm wow'd by the talent present. I imagine some formal instruction periods would be very well attended.
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Put a stat block for each year's goblin mascot on the back page of the program. Better yet, unveil said goblin's art ahead of time in a blog post and make creating his stat block be a contest for a free badge/store credit/appropriate prize, etc.
Oh ho, I really love that idea as a blog feature! Definitely something I'll take back to see if we can wrangle :)
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Customer Service Manager
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By design or by happenstance, it seemed that (most) panels that shared themes were kept clustered together on the schedule. This was really helpful!
I noticed it happening naturally as I built the schedule and liked it so I tried to keep going with it where possible. Glad to know it was appreciated.
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Customer Service Manager
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Maybe have some formal "Mini Painting 101, 102, etc." workshops? The Reaper team is great and super helpful at their paint and take, but every year I'm wow'd by the talent present. I imagine some formal instruction periods would be very well attended.
We had Adam from Big Mini Studio running Miniature Painting 101 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I think this raises a good tangental point though: putting up the schedule of those classes near the Paint & Take so folks who are interested in learning more know when and where to go.
Every year the event schedule has been mostly what people are interested in running. I haven't been able to do much actual soliciting/inviting for specific events. I do want that to change to where I have the time resources to do more inviting/contacting local industry folks. The show is in constant evolution and getting better each year.
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Oh, one other thing about seminar scheduling. The RPG design panel covered Starfinder, but the 2nd hour overlapped with the Starfinder (distant worlds) seminar. I know there's always going to be overlap between things, but this one seemed like it could have been better scheduled.
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I went to a few things and then couldn't remember all the details. Would it be possible (for the 'future of...' sessions and similar) to have a one-page, bullet point summary handed out at the end (or better yet, put up on the webpage somewhere after it has finished so that people not at the con can catch up).
I wouldn't envisage anything huge - just a bullet point list of products to be announced at that seminar, highlights of the AP being revealed there - that kind of thing.
The handouts Liz, Ashley and Owen gave at the 3rd Party Publishing seminar were stellar (and way more than I'm picturing as a general rule). It meant I could browse over 'what I did today'.
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This year marked my 4th PaizoCon with each year providing its own unique and enjoyable experience. There are some suggestions I would make to improve the show that I love so much, and they are as follows:
-Others have complained about shirts and although I too was hoping to buy a couple of shirts from the con I have a suggestion for what could be done. In the swag bag of all attendees is a double-sided sheet displaying each shirt, size, and quantity desired with a place to fill out the attendees name at the top. All attendees who wish to purchase a shirt can fill out the sheet and turn it into the store by noon each day (except Sunday) and the shirt would be provided for pick-up the following day from the Paizo store.
-The How to Name Anything Workshop needs a larger time frame (perhaps 2 hours). This could cover not only NPC's and class names, but locations, and adventures themselves based on hand-out descriptions/ synopsis'.
-Make designing Monsters for Pathfinder Seminar a Workshop that not only talks about the fundamentals but applies them in design principles with hands on experiences. The workshop would need to be extended for this accommodation.
- A PACG Special involving multiple tables would be lovely.
-Next year is the 10th PaizoCon so perhaps a special swag bag, commemorative shirt, or coin would be a wonderful acknowledgement for all attendees.
The convention as a whole was a wonderful experience and one I look forward to every year. Thank you for your time and consideration.
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I went to a few things and then couldn't remember all the details. Would it be possible (for the 'future of...' sessions and similar) to have a one-page, bullet point summary handed out at the end (or better yet, put up on the webpage somewhere after it has finished so that people not at the con can catch up).
I wouldn't envisage anything huge - just a bullet point list of products to be announced at that seminar, highlights of the AP being revealed there - that kind of thing.
The handouts Liz, Ashley and Owen gave at the 3rd Party Publishing seminar were stellar (and way more than I'm picturing as a general rule). It meant I could browse over 'what I did today'.
This does not solve your bullet-point reminder request, but for those that could not attend a session, don't forget about Know Direction podcast. Knowing that most sessions are recorded, I attend things that you must be there to participate in and then listen to all the sessions I missed after the fact on long drives.
This does not solve your bullet-point reminder request, but for those that could not attend a session, don't forget about Know Direction podcast. Knowing that most sessions are recorded, I attend things that you must be there to participate in and then listen to all the sessions I missed after the fact on long drives.I went to a few things and then couldn't remember all the details. Would it be possible (for the 'future of...' sessions and similar) to have a one-page, bullet point summary handed out at the end (or better yet, put up on the webpage somewhere after it has finished so that people not at the con can catch up).
I wouldn't envisage anything huge - just a bullet point list of products to be announced at that seminar, highlights of the AP being revealed there - that kind of thing.
The handouts Liz, Ashley and Owen gave at the 3rd Party Publishing seminar were stellar (and way more than I'm picturing as a general rule). It meant I could browse over 'what I did today'.
That's probably a good point. Podcasts are one of those things 'other people do', but it sounds like they would help.
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RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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Like previous years, I feel disapointed in the convention store. As much as I would hate to risk going over budget, I would love to have more reason to spend time there.What would you suggest to improve that?
There were already some good suggestions given so I'll try not to repeat them. The whole space felt very empty and sparse, and while I noticed a few more vendors it still felt like everything was too focused on printed Pathfinder material. My first PaizoCon had a couple non-Pathfinder specific people set up in the store area, and having something like that would be great.
I know that Lone Wolf wasn't able to come this year because the team member that would have set that up left them. Hopefully next year they can set up something in the store to show off not just Hero Lab but Realm Works and Card Vault. It would also be awesome to see people show off other gaming aid products, like gaming tables and furniture, hand made dice towers, and artisan dice. Having a small artists corner where artists could sell prints or their services would also be nice.
I know shirts and similar apparel is a pain to deal with, but maybe instead of having racks set up for people to go through you can display the offered shirts, coats, and hoodies behind a counter and have people request their size.
I totally understand how difficult something like this would be to set up and run. From what I understand you have only a couple people doing most of the work in setting up and managing the store, and you are running all the sales though your own system. I don't have a solution on how to do more while working with the same system and resources, but hopefully it could be done.
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Everything was superb. I love the con.
Suggestions
- As already stated, put the lower level musters further down the hallway so everyone isn't all bunched up at the main entrance.
- Post instructions on how mustering is going to happen. Always seems a little different each year. Would save the poor door person from explaining dozens of times.
- I prefer an interactive special, where all 250 characters are actually in the same place, working towards the same goal. It is cool to play Aspis, and further that story, but it's not the one-big-happy-cooperating-family vibe.
Again though, nothing major here, I've only got good to say (see article). PaizoCon is a well run, extremely entertaining con. Keep up the good work!
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The Not So Good
[list]
PFS Mustering in the hallway was messy. We had the most populous games (Tiers 1-5) at the very front, creating a big crowd you had to work through to get to the other tiers. This also created confusion as many different players from many scenarios had to sort themselves within a small space. I like this model for things like the Specials because it is definitely ideal to get folks to self-marshal into tables of 6 before entry, but not for regular scenarios. While we did have 5 hour slots, I almost never sat down at my table before start time because of this organizing method, meaning our game didn't really get going in earnest until after the listed start time. This also meant a lot of the tables for the special ran up against their time slot.
To address this portion, we started mustering at 10-15 minutes before the listed start time and had all the ticketed players seated within minutes of the start time. I'm not sure that we did it that quickly last year, but I could be wrong.
Grouping up prior to sending to tables saves time in the long run. When you send ones and twos to different game tables, you run the risk of a full table of ticketed players showing up wanting to play together. You then have to leave the muster area, go to the tables and re-arrange and come back. It's just a more efficient way of mustering to prevent issues.
- I prefer an interactive special, where all 250 characters are actually in the same place, working towards the same goal. It is cool to play Aspis, and further that story, but it's not the one-big-happy-cooperating-family vibe.
I like the idea of that... yet at the same time, I rather think it's a special treat for the specials to have people playing the "bad guys" since you can't normally do that for PFS. (And I might be a bit biased since I begged to keep Catastrophe to use in my home games).
Maybe alternating years for it? Or heck, if Paizocon ever gets big enough and they think it'd be wanted/worth the money, etc.... extend Monday hours to have a second special. Then you could have both types of stories every year.
It's a really hard call; it's such an awesome event and I already feel so very spoiled by them most of the time.
Ah, see I spent 90% of 2015's volunteering in an upstairs room, so I was a wee bit sheltered on that one.
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Like previous years, I feel disapointed in the convention store. As much as I would hate to risk going over budget, I would love to have more reason to spend time there.What would you suggest to improve that?
Possibly use divider curtains to split the room into two? I can't recall if the store ballroom had that feature or not. If so, it could allow for a less empty store area while opening a second room for scheduling other events. The only downside I see is the back area being comparatively out of the way and perhaps less trafficable.
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With that hall divided, some of the events that were out in the hallway and felt 'cramped' would have plenty of room to work, and it would free up some space in the halls and eliminate some of the 'claustrophobic' tendencies.
Alternatively, if the 'high tier' events were run on that side of the atrium, that would alleviate some of the over-crowding and possibly help cut down on some of the noise issues that were becoming prevalent as the weekend went on.
Why single out the 'high tier'?
Because they are crunch-heavier with a lot more detail and a lot more work required to run them, so a 'quieter' and more 'open' space would help with the running of them, imo.
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Loved it! I know it's a new year and all, but I still have fresh memories of the Con!
I was a volunteer for all rpg slots and hope to do the same this year.
My suggestion for this year:
Have a room for younger players. Offer Society games, board games, card games. Have an adult volunteer or two on hand at all times, but let some of the teens or preteens run the games. Ice water on hand, maybe some fresh veggie trays, things like that, just for them.
I'm not talking about babysitting. I'm talking about kids who are Gamers! Both of my kids play D&D, Society, DDO, MTG, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more. Letting the kids learn to play rpgs simply encourages another generation to join. It can probably keep them from drugs, too, since they'll want to spend all their money on books, dice and cards.
Btw, my kids will be 14 and 12 at PaizCon 2017. Provide a few minis and maps, a couple of books and sets of dice, paper and pencils, and let them go!
Also, could we space out the tables a little more in the Big Room? I had to have a table on the edge due to a broken foot/wheelchair, but it was difficult for people to get to and from the inside tables...
More cups and ice water would be helpful. Maybe coffee in the morning? Nothing much, just some wake-up nectar-of-the-gods and lubricant for throats throughout the day.
Last year was a BLAST! I'm looking forward to this year being just as great, if not better!
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I went in 2016, and had a great time overall. For what its worth though... I hated the special. I don't want to play an 8th level pregen of a class I don't know, having been handed the sheet 10 minutes before I start playing. I was the "leader" of my table and was frustrated to find everyone else at the table had their own goals and didn't want to cooperate. And this is tied to an existing characters pfs number, so if I die on this special I have to pay for a resurrection for my actual character. It was 5 hours of pure stress trying to get everyone to work together and solve the story. And there was not nearly enough time to finish the special, I saw plenty of tables nowhere near finishing at midnight. I would have felt much better playing my own character. Having done the specials in 2015 and 16, I don't care about the aspis consortium. Interesting idea on paper, but these pregens are complicated. We don't understand everything our characters can do, and are instructed by the module it seems to undermine each other. I can't stress how much I hated this experience, never again.
I had a great time in 2015 with 6-97 siege of serpents. Played my own level 10 cleric and had a great time with a table full of new people. I didn't enjoy 6-98 in 2015, or the special in 2016.
I still plan on going to paizocon this year, but if the special is with pregens again I won't be participating.