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So we're about two weeks out now. The Wednesday games have a location, but the Sunday games do not.
While suggestions for the Sunday locations are always welcome, someone should probably take the lead in deciding where to play. I would assume the GMs for each game? It looks like only two are going to happen anyway - no need to make sure they're at the same place.
My personal experience has been that groups that use a unified location for post-con gaming (or within a close proximity) tend to 'fire' and run more smoothly.
If there's no location, then someone will come up with the idea to go back to a room and play. And then everyone gets back to the room and immediately shifts to "Oh, should pack for tomorrow, watch TV, pass out, etc."
And then any proposed games just deflate and die, because there's no energy after such a long weekend.
I don't have the bandwidth to logisticate this, but perhaps the Westin might be an idea, especially with the number of players we have who are also GMs staying there?
Someone was able to finagle a room there last year, perhaps worth a look?
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My personal experience has been that groups that use a unified location for post-con gaming (or within a close proximity) tend to 'fire' and run more smoothly...
...I don't have the bandwidth to logisticate this, but perhaps the Westin might be an idea, especially with the number of players we have who are also GMs staying there?
Someone was able to finagle a room there last year, perhaps worth a look?
I would like to have all the games at the same site, as you suggested. I simply think it doesn't have to be a requirement.
SUNDAY EVENING GAME LOCATION OPTIONS:
OK. I took some initiative today, and spent my breaks between work making some phone calls. This is what I found out about possible locations for our Sunday games.
Talking to hotel folks at the Westin and Marriott - Gen Con has their private rooms held until 7pm Sunday. After that, any reservation or use of the rooms would require deposits/standard rates. They have a few public tables in hallways here and there, but not necessarily what we would need for an RPG (low tables, not many seats - more for lounging).
Talking to the Convention Center folks - rooms are unavailable. After 6pm, they begin setting up for some different up-coming events. As for open play areas in the public areas/hallways, they will not be available for gaming, due to clean-up.
The restaurant/bar 'Champions' in the Marriott, across the street from the convention center, is closed due to hotel renovations (possibly for good?).
The other restaurants in the Marriott Indianapolis and JW Marriott do not have reserved areas we can use.
The RAM closes at 6pm (since they expect to be out of food at that point).
Two possible restaurants we could use are either Champps, which is about 2 blocks away from the convention center, and Rock Bottom, just across the street and down a bit from Champps. Both have areas we can areas we can game. Champps manager is supposed to call me back later today or tomorrow about availability - they have supposedly a 'somewhat removed area' we could use, although it's not a fully private room. Rock Bottom has actual private rooms, but you have to buy $750.00 worth of food to make a reservation for those rooms. However, you can make a reservation for NORMAL tables at Rock Bottom. I described to the manager at Rock Bottom what our needs are (2-4 7-person tables for eating and playing role-playing games from 6pm-10:30pm on Sunday). She said she could do that, and we wouldn't have to put down money for the 'reservation'...although, obviously, any restaurant we go to will expect folks to eat/drink while there (just as the RAM and Scotty's do).
MY CONCLUSIONS:
Gaming at the convention center is out, as well as private rooms at the hotels. Grabbing an open table somewhere might be POSSIBLE...but it'll be a luck-based thing. This is probably NOT something on which we should make solid plans.
The best two solutions that I found to gather were Champps and Rock Bottom. Both managers seemed accommodating, and they're fairly close to the convention center (2 blocks vs 2 1/2 blocks). Food's not overly pricey, and appeared varied enough to meet the needs of most folks. Between the two, I'm leaning towards Rock Bottom (mostly based on the online reviews), but I am flexible. I've gone ahead and made reservations at Rock Bottom, just so something is 'locked in' for us - however, we can always cancel or change these plans, based on feedback from everyone. I made the reservation under 'Pathfinder Society', although I gave my name, as well.
Whoever is managing the Warhorn page with these events: once we've nailed this down, you should update the page to show where we are meeting - so everyone can figure out where to go (rather than having to thumb through all these posts to figure out where we've settled on things).
So...thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? What do people think?
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Folks playing the Wednesday night Unleashing the Untouchable scenario, I'm going to need some assistance from you. Before we begin, I need to take a cursory look at each of your character sheets. This shouldn't take more than ~5 minutes for each PC.
Because of the length of the adventure, and in an effort to get us all a reasonable amount of sleep before Thursday morning or to other activities Wednesday night, if any of you have digital versions of your PCs, either in stat block form or as digital character sheets, that would be a tremendous time saver. This is not a character audit and it is not a request to digitize your PC if you're running on pen and paper or only have PDFs saved locally on a tablet - I can take care of all the necessary note-taking/sheet-looking on site.
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me here or email me at blomquist.r@gmail.com. I'm looking forward to this adventure, and I'll meet you all on Wednesday!
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Folks playing the Wednesday night Unleashing the Untouchable scenario, I'm going to need some assistance from you. Before we begin, I need to take a cursory look at each of your character sheets. This shouldn't take more than ~5 minutes for each PC.
Because of the length of the adventure, and in an effort to get us all a reasonable amount of sleep before Thursday morning or to other activities Wednesday night, if any of you have digital versions of your PCs, either in stat block form or as digital character sheets, that would be a tremendous time saver. This is not a character audit and it is not a request to digitize your PC if you're running on pen and paper or only have PDFs saved locally on a tablet - I can take care of all the necessary note-taking/sheet-looking on site.
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me here or email me at blomquist.r@gmail.com. I'm looking forward to this adventure, and I'll meet you all on Wednesday!
Ryan, I hold a ticket to this table but because something else came up I will be giving my ticket to Glav.
So Glav, please answer your GMs call!
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I've coordinated several tables of PFS on Sunday of GenCon the last couple of years.
I'd like to do the same this year.
I'm envisioning 1-4 tables on Wed 7 pm to 11:30 pm and 1-4 tables on Sun 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm.
If you are interested in playing or GMing for this plan, speak up here. I'll need to sort out a location either by asking for it from GenCon (and if rejected locating it physically myself onsite and posting here where we are.)
As a resident of Indianapolis, there is a gaming store on the north side of town called Family Time games that has lots of tables you could coordinate with, and a gaming store called Game Preserve on the south side that also has gaming space. I'm sure either would be willing to coordinate with you, but it would require people to travel to those locations. Both are pretty easy to find and in pretty decent locations.
Venture-Agent, Minnesota
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So... Fromper, Toz, Wei Ji et al.... There is a price for my GMing for you. First off, you guys have to find me a venue and secondly make sure that I have access to something vegetarian that I can eat.
You also have to point me at the place, taking into account that my brain may have wandered off by then.
Am I correct in assuming that I will need to report this game on my own private PFS number, because it will no longer be an official GenCon game?
Hmm
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Evilaustintom had two restaurant suggestions above that might work. We might want to make reservations in advance, and make sure they'll be open late enough.
If those don't work, I'll recommend looking into High Velocity, in the lobby of the JW Marriott. It has lots of big tables, and even when I've been there in the middle of Gen Con in the past, it's usually not full. And as a vegetarian, I've eaten there before, so I know Hilary will have no problems.
EDIT: Another option might be to wait until we're on site to see what's around and talk to restaurant/hotel staff there. I'll have some free time in the mornings, since I intentionally only scheduled afternoon and evening events (other than GMing Sunday morning), so I could probably poke around Wednesday evening or Thursday morning and report back here.
If we don't decide on a place before we go, how can we communicate while on site? Will everyone have access to this forum? Email? Should we just share a list of cell phone numbers and do a group text?
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Evilaustintom had two restaurant suggestions above that might work. We might want to make reservations in advance, and make sure they'll be open late enough..
I already made reservations at Rock Bottom (mostly based on the online reviews), telling them we had 4 tables of 7 people each. I believe they will be open until at LEAST 11pm (some of the restaurants and bars downtown are closing early, due to the expectation that they'll be out of food). However, we can always cancel or change these plans, based on feedback from everyone.
I made the reservation under 'Pathfinder Society', although I gave my name, as well.
Can the person managing the Warhorn page for Sunday games update the page with the location?
Owner - D20 Hobbies
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Quick Questions .... Where are Sunday evening's games being played?
I missed this til now, it's been a hectic late July/early Aug for me.
I believe I post in the original post, I'd be securing space. Since that has to happen by talking to Gencon folks AND/OR Hotel folks on the spot Sunday. As I've done several years in a row, this also involves sitting down at the tables to prevent others playing at them.
In other words, to answer the question of "where is this", look here Sunday midday around 1 pm. I'll post map and photos.
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Owner - D20 Hobbies
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While suggestions for the Sunday locations are always welcome, someone should probably take the lead in deciding where to play.
If someone can secure space Sunday in advance of 1 pm on Sunday, I'm game. Every year I've tried (and I've ran these multiple years on Sunday at GenCon) I've been unable to get "confirmed" space assigned.
Why?
Because GenCon ends at 4 pm on Sunday. No one can guarantee space. On Sunday, people can tell me "that isn't being used and you may use it", but I've never been able to get people to block out the space in advance.
Now, I'd love to be wrong. Because tracking down space and posting photos and maps is a hassle I'd rather not have to perform each year.
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Owner - D20 Hobbies
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Gaming at the convention center is out, as well as private rooms at the hotels. Grabbing an open table somewhere might be POSSIBLE...but it'll be a luck-based thing. This is probably NOT something on which we should make solid plans.
Yes.
I've gotten open tables, squat at them, and confirmed my squatting is A-Okay several years in a row.
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Owner - D20 Hobbies
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Evilaustintom had two restaurant suggestions above that might work. We might want to make reservations in advance, and make sure they'll be open late enough.
If those don't work, I'll recommend looking into High Velocity, in the lobby of the JW Marriott.
If we don't decide on a place before we go, how can we communicate while on site? Will everyone have access to this forum? Email? Should we just share a list of cell phone numbers and do a group text?
I'll call on the "walkable" restaurant or High Velocity idea Monday.
I'd assumed every had access to the forums and the years in the past, that seemed to work. But sharing phone numbers could work. PM me and I can tell you mine (I'd rather not post it publicly).
Developer
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I moved our caravan to Tuesday so we could hit Indianapolis on Wednesday to find some paths! Looks like its too late to find games via Warhorn, but with three of us I'm sure we can find enough people to start a pick up game or two. I need to GM to get my second star before Gencon Day 1!
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Owner - D20 Hobbies
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James, was there any official reason for the denial? That seems pretty crummy?
Bah.
Lots of talk, on balance it comes down the right thing to do. We don't want to outshine GenCon with a little GenCon adjunct event from me.
I have a huge folder of boons, I'll pick two and throw them in the pot. I only use mechanical boons (free reroll, dayjob +, bonus trait) so all the other boons sit in my binder forever.
Looking like finding a table somewhere in the Westin Sunday evening.
I've had the job of securing tables a couple previous GenCon's. It's not easy and the hotels have been resistant to using their tables in every previous year. I've always had good luck with camping tables in the area near JW Marriot walkway.
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James, was there any official reason for the denial? That seems pretty crummy?
Bah.Lots of talk, on balance it comes down the right thing to do. We don't want to outshine GenCon with a little GenCon adjunct event from me.
I have a huge folder of boons, I'll pick two and throw them in the pot. I only use mechanical boons (free reroll, dayjob +, bonus trait) so all the other boons sit in my binder forever.
I'll see if any from my meagre 'available' stash (less than half-dozen) are worthwhile for when I run on Wednesday.
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Owner - D20 Hobbies
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Well, this may be a sad time. I'm packing up everything for GenCon and realize I'm not sure where by binders of character and boon sheets are located. They are missing. So all my character sheets and all my boons. The best thing I can think of is I left them at Charcon 17 hotel or inside the Clay Center.
Not the best way to start off 4 days of fun with terror.
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Well, this may be a sad time. I'm packing up everything for GenCon and realize I'm not sure where by binders of character and boon sheets are located. They are missing. So all my character sheets and all my boons. The best thing I can think of is I left them at Charcon 17 hotel or inside the Clay Center.
Not the best way to start off 4 days of fun with terror.
Could be worse.
Could have lost your wallet...
Do what you can, have faith.
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Owner - D20 Hobbies
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That was a kinda terrifying 2 hours. I found them. But I just realized how invested we all are (well I am) in these little bits of paper. I think I'm going to scan them all some time. To preserve them if I lost the whole batch.
On the whole, I think I'd rather lose my wallet than these papers. I can replace credit cards and drivers licenses.
