Constructive Criticisms for 2012

[The Dark Elf]

I missed a couple of games i wanted to play in (namley James', Irvins, and Tonys) due to the staggered times. In fact both Friday and Saturday I only played in 2 games each day.

I dont know the ins & outs (quantity and availability of GMs etc (9am is early for a weekend) so disregard the suggestion as you see fit but:

Would it be an idea to have set game times. ie. 9-1, 2-6, 7-late so that the end of one and the start of another dont overlap?

[Rabbi the Mage]

Another suggestion is that if the doors are supposed to officially open at 9am then game signups should be started then - that's why I missed Irvin's NB game - we arrived @ 08:50 to find the game already full

I appreciate that more regular attendees of the OH might know that doors actually open early, but it was a bit of a surprise for a newbie.

RtM

[Hendrik]

I missed a couple of games i wanted to play in (namley James', Irvins, and Tonys) due to the staggered times. In fact both Friday and Saturday I only played in 2 games each day.

I dont know the ins & outs (quantity and availability of GMs etc (9am is early for a weekend) so disregard the suggestion as you see fit but:

Would it be an idea to have set game times. ie. 9-1, 2-6, 7-late so that the end of one and the start of another dont overlap?

I totally agree with Dark Elf. I loved all the games I was in but "accomodating every game in my schedule" could have been easer without overlaps.

Cheers
Hendrik

[Eryk Stormbright]

well I would have liked to have you guys in my games, but without knowing when the pannal talks were, or when the other games were going on it was hard trying to find a good time to run that would let everyone who wanted to play, actually Play. all we as GMs could say was hey.. I would like my game in the morning/afternoon of whatever day.. kinda sucks not knowing when everything else is going on.

[Warwolf]

I missed a couple of games i wanted to play in (namley James', Irvins, and Tonys) due to the staggered times. In fact both Friday and Saturday I only played in 2 games each day.

I dont know the ins & outs (quantity and availability of GMs etc (9am is early for a weekend) so disregard the suggestion as you see fit but:

Would it be an idea to have set game times. ie. 9-1, 2-6, 7-late so that the end of one and the start of another dont overlap?

There were a couple of reasons for overlapping games:

#1: This is how it was done every other year. Since I'm not staff I didn't feel I had the authority to decide to change such things (and Wayne made only minor changes to my schedule).

#2: Not all games run for the same length of time (notice Tony's 6-hr time slots). That makes parallel scheduling nigh-on impossible.

#3: Not everyone shows up to the Open House at the same time or grabs meals (attends panel talks, seeks out autographs, etc.) at the same time. Thus, staggering the games gives people windows to do such things without having to miss out on an entire 4-6 hr. time slot.

As far as sign-up goes, I suggested a couple of years ago that we open half of the slots for online signup that way some of it can be taken care of before-hand. I don't think Wayne had time to coordinate this with me for 2010, but I'll be sure to mention it again for 2012.

Thanks for the suggestions, it's always good to get peoples' feedback so Palladium can try and provide the best possible Open House experience.

[Kalinda]

One thing that was brought up at the OH after one of Julius Rosenstein's games is that he really deserves to have some special consideration given to the fact that he's very soft spoken. Most if not all of his games ended up at a table right next to the huge Robotech games, or were otherwise held under conditions with a lot of ambient noise nearby. (one was scheduled opposite the auction IIRC, so he was competing with the PA system.) It made it very hard to hear him, and difficult for him to hear the players.

Obviously everybody had similar issues, but I think Julius needs a little more consideration given his age and tendency to speak softly. (Not to mention his stature as the guy who got Kevin interested in RPGs in the first place.)

Maybe try to put his games at a table at the far end of the gaming area, right near the artist's tables, and if there are going to be empty tables that session put them between his table and the other games. Another alternative would be to let him use one of the tables that were located on the other side of the "wall" of product that separated the gaming from the panel & auction area. (This would only work when no panels were going on of course.)

[Warwolf]

One thing that was brought up at the OH after one of Julius Rosenstein's games is that he really deserves to have some special consideration given to the fact that he's very soft spoken. Most if not all of his games ended up at a table right next to the huge Robotech games, or were otherwise held under conditions with a lot of ambient noise nearby. (one was scheduled opposite the auction IIRC, so he was competing with the PA system.) It made it very hard to hear him, and difficult for him to hear the players.

Obviously everybody had similar issues, but I think Julius needs a little more consideration given his age and tendency to speak softly. (Not to mention his stature as the guy who got Kevin interested in RPGs in the first place.)

Maybe try to put his games at a table at the far end of the gaming area, right near the artist's tables, and if there are going to be empty tables that session put them between his table and the other games. Another alternative would be to let him use one of the tables that were located on the other side of the "wall" of product that separated the gaming from the panel & auction area. (This would only work when no panels were going on of course.)

Nothing was scheduled during the auction/costume contest. His game or the other events may have run over.

I actually tried to leave a buffer of a table on either side this year, but some ended up being commandeered due to large groups and whatnot. I had a game physically encroaching on my table during one of my Nightbane games (if I leaned back I would have hit people)! Also, I had no way of knowing how the tables were going to be arranged, so I couldn't give anyone any kind of consideration regarding placement.

Maybe next time whoever does the schedule will have a floor-map to work with...

[Carl Gleba]

One thing that was brought up at the OH after one of Julius Rosenstein's games is that he really deserves to have some special consideration given to the fact that he's very soft spoken. Most if not all of his games ended up at a table right next to the huge Robotech games, or were otherwise held under conditions with a lot of ambient noise nearby. (one was scheduled opposite the auction IIRC, so he was competing with the PA system.) It made it very hard to hear him, and difficult for him to hear the players.

Obviously everybody had similar issues, but I think Julius needs a little more consideration given his age and tendency to speak softly. (Not to mention his stature as the guy who got Kevin interested in RPGs in the first place.)

Maybe try to put his games at a table at the far end of the gaming area, right near the artist's tables, and if there are going to be empty tables that session put them between his table and the other games. Another alternative would be to let him use one of the tables that were located on the other side of the "wall" of product that separated the gaming from the panel & auction area. (This would only work when no panels were going on of course.)

I've found this to be common at most conventions. I had trouble hearing several soft spoken people at most of my games. Its the nature of the beast, but yes most difficult when it's the GM. My voice is often horse at the end of each day from shouting to be heard. I'm not sure what could be done at the open house.

Carl

[Jorel]

It feels like Get Smart technology without the tech.

[Kovoston]

Biggest critism! Why do we have to wait untill 2012!

No, seriously. I was just getting into the open house night. I know that there are financial issues for everyone, and writters and people come from all over the country, but I could make the drive, and I hope at least half of the others could to. I'm sure most of the people were there for gaming. I could live with a toned down version, even if it meant the warehouse wasn't perfectly set up. As long as the Warehouse and the Hotel were available. Access to the various writers, or artists that could show up. Everything would be fine with me.

If every two years they wanted to do something special I could understand. I could definetly make the 4 hour drive ( I know I am spoiled). I got to play in a game on Open House night and it was alot of fun. even my wife was totally into it and the only complaint was that she didn't see enough action ( Typical she was playing a Juicer)! It was my first time at such an event and I left feeling that I could do it four times a year!

I also don`t have access to Palladium Books, and the opertunity to read and see the books at the warehouse was worth the drive. I even got to talk to some artists, some of which I was a fan, and didn`t even know it. My GM even sold me oin his book! Good for marketing! I walked away with three books. i don`t know what sales were like for the weekend, but it`s got to be good. My only regret is not staying longer.

I agree with you...

[Kovoston]

One thing that was brought up at the OH after one of Julius Rosenstein's games is that he really deserves to have some special consideration given to the fact that he's very soft spoken. Most if not all of his games ended up at a table right next to the huge Robotech games, or were otherwise held under conditions with a lot of ambient noise nearby. (one was scheduled opposite the auction IIRC, so he was competing with the PA system.) It made it very hard to hear him, and difficult for him to hear the players.

Obviously everybody had similar issues, but I think Julius needs a little more consideration given his age and tendency to speak softly. (Not to mention his stature as the guy who got Kevin interested in RPGs in the first place.)

Maybe try to put his games at a table at the far end of the gaming area, right near the artist's tables, and if there are going to be empty tables that session put them between his table and the other games. Another alternative would be to let him use one of the tables that were located on the other side of the "wall" of product that separated the gaming from the panel & auction area. (This would only work when no panels were going on of course.)

I've found this to be common at most conventions. I had trouble hearing several soft spoken people at most of my games. Its the nature of the beast, but yes most difficult when it's the GM. My voice is often horse at the end of each day from shouting to be heard. I'm not sure what could be done at the open house.

Carl

I about lost my voice too Carl, when I play-tested my game there...

[Spinachcat]

My thoughts:

1) It should be an annual event. Then it becomes something people can plan on like GenCon and it becomes a yearly ritual. Maybe even locking down the calendar as well, "First Weekend in May" or whenever. Yes, some won't make it every year. That's fine. But you need an annual event to build momentum for the growth of the Open House.

2) The OH should be 4 days + the Preview Night. So Wednesday evening thru Sunday. Most of us are flying / long driving, so an extra full day would be awesome.

3) I personally like 4 hour or 6 hour fixed hours for RPG schedules, but I understand the overlap issue. A 2-hour blocking is a decent compromise, AKA games & events start at 10/12/2/4/6/8 and go for whatever hours. There will be overlap, but every 2hours you know something is starting up.

4) I would be open to the idea of pre-reg for events, but the pre-reg for games is a HUGE perk for the Thursday night preview guests. If there was an online pre-reg, then it should be "Golden Ticket" pre-reg and then "Open Pre-Reg" and then "On-Site" pre-reg.

Of course, if you attend lots of cons, you know that 20% of pre-regs don't show up for whatever reason so you will need Alterates for games as well.

5) Two factors will help the noise issue - carpeting and cubicle walls. You can rent both and they go a loooong way to helping large space / stone floor noise issues. But definitely Julius deserves some sound-protected space of honor for his games. I am a booming headbanger and I felt bad for Julius and his players.

But not for Carl. He can just toughen up!

6) More communication on the OH forum by GMs and players. PB does a great job, but lots of scheduling / interest generation can be done online in the forum and that's just taking initiative by everyone talking more about What / When they want to play. Some of us are good about it, but if you are attending, please get involved in the forum. Maybe PB can help by adding a link to the OH forum on the Ticket Purchase page?

Suggesting a game like "I want to play Rifts Underseas event!" is great - it doesn't mean that a GM will do so, but if the idea generates interest, there might be a GM who hasn't decide what he wants to run at the OH and decides to go with your idea. On the flip side, as a GM if I want to run Mechanoids, its cool to find out if there is potential player interest before I submit my game to PB for the schedule.

7) More organization of the Hotel After-Hours Gaming. Again, this should be on the shoulders of the attendees via the forum. PB has provided the space and surely we can help make sure there is plenty of good stuff happening.

[Carl Gleba]

5) Two factors will help the noise issue - carpeting and cubicle walls. You can rent both and they go a loooong way to helping large space / stone floor noise issues. But definitely Julius deserves some sound-protected space of honor for his games. I am a booming headbanger and I felt bad for Julius and his players.

But not for Carl. He can just toughen up!

Great feedback Spinachcat

Question for you and everyone for that matter.

Should there be an upper limit on how many gamers per game?

I know this is a doubled edge thing? In one respect I don't want to turn down any gamers who want to be in my game. I still feel guilty that Jorel didn't get to play in any of my games Sorry Jorel.

On the other hand I had a group of 20 in my VIP night game. I think I could have made the game more exciting with a smaller group. I'm still getting a handle on running the large groups

[Spinachcat]

Should there be an upper limit on how many gamers per game?

YES! Every GM should post a Player Limit they are comfortable with running.

And you need to learn to say "No" to too many players. I've had the same problem for many years at conventions. I would list a game for 6 and then feel bad about the droopy faced players begging to get in and then ran with 10+.

And often my games suffered.

Some adventures work awesome for large groups. Some, not all. If you are going for atmosphere, NPC vs PC interaction and mysteries, you are best served by a smaller group. If you ran with the same 10 people every week for months, you could probably do it with them.

But a random dozen gamers for a one shot? Nope, not all games will work for them.

I made the hard decision I would rather GM a GREAT event for 6 people than an OK event for 10. At the OH, its tough for you because lots of people want to play with the freelancers and additionally you have a strong reputation as a very fun GM. My suggestion is run more events of shorter length, but cut down the max group size to whatever you feel will allow you to run a GREAT event.

I know the tales of Gygax and Kevin running 20+ people are alluring. I've done it too and they aren't RPG sessions as much as an "audience participation" of a semi-RPG session. For the past 2 decades, small RPG groups are the norm and players expect lots of "face time" from their GM. Its hard to alter that expectation and still keep everyone happy.

In the old days, players in large groups were more accepting of the "down time" between their "turn" in the game. In our FaceTwitterPadPod world, such patience is decidedly lacking among most players.

A trick with large groups is a Co-GM. But that's tough because you need to have clear boundaries about Who is handling What. LARPS do good with larger groups since they are mostly about PC vs. PC interactions.

[Xar]

Six worked well for me at the one Open House game I ran. I prepared 10 pregen characters, with the goal of 4 - 8 players, and they could still have a choice in characters to pick.

Yup, worked well. I also went with a 4 hour time-slot, and was hoarse after that...It's loud in the warehouse.

[Jorel]

I know this is a doubled edge thing? In one respect I don't want to turn down any gamers who want to be in my game. I still feel guilty that Jorel didn't get to play in any of my games Sorry Jorel.

On the other hand I had a group of 20 in my VIP night game. I think I could have made the game more exciting with a smaller group. I'm still getting a handle on running the large groups

No apology needed. I tried to get myself and my wife into as many of the freelancer games as I could. I ended up getting to play in Kevin's Dead Reign game on Sunday. I got killed by Carmen on the awesome Robotech game (RIP to Carl Macek also). I got to play Triax 2 on VIP Thursday and I enjoyed that very much. I even got to play in a game run by Rat Bastard himself. Very generic, but super fun time was had by all.
I also regret not getting into your games, Carl, because they sounded like so much fun while I was playing next to them every night. I will make sure I get in on the next round (2012). It seemed like the people playing your game were having fun, and that is what counts most. It might have been a task for you, but a task you seemed to handle proficiently.
I tried to contact as many GMs running games before the open house as I could. I gamed as many games as I could. In the end I only got into about half the games I planned on, with hardly any regrets. Would have liked to play in your game as well as one with Julius, and a few others. All in all I overbooked my self to my benefit. So please don't feel bad, I'm as much at fault and I don't really regret it, I would have liked to have been three people that weekend instead of two.

[Prince Artemis]

GM's that can handle more than the stated amount of players should post an asterix next to their player count. That way people know which GMs they can ask if they can have one more.