Origins 2014

Started by bayonetbrant, January 30, 2014, 09:05:38 PM

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bob48

....now if I can persuade 'geek to come along as chauffeur..........
'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'

'Clip those corners'

Recombobulate the discombobulators!

GDS_Starfury

Quote from: bob48 on June 23, 2014, 12:30:06 PM
We were looking at flights (there is actually one from Newcastle to Columbus) but they are over £1000 each, so that is a bit daunting to start with. :(

take a tramp steamer and make an adventure out of it.
Toonces - Don't ask me, I just close my eyes and take it.

Gus - I use sweatpants with flannel shorts to soak up my crotch sweat.

Banzai Cat - There is no "partial credit" in grammar. Like anal sex. It's either in, or it's not.

Mirth - We learned long ago that they key isn't to outrun Star, it's to outrun Gus.

Martok - I don't know if it's possible to have an "anti-boner"...but I now have one.

Gus - Celery is vile and has no reason to exist. Like underwear on Star.


bob48

Quote from: GDS_Starfury on June 23, 2014, 09:39:49 PM
Quote from: bob48 on June 23, 2014, 12:30:06 PM
We were looking at flights (there is actually one from Newcastle to Columbus) but they are over £1000 each, so that is a bit daunting to start with. :(

take a tramp steamer and make an adventure out of it.

I'd rather go by sea. Do such ships still exist?
'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'

'Clip those corners'

Recombobulate the discombobulators!

bayonetbrant

If they do, they take an extra week...
The key to surviving this site is to not say something which ends up as someone's tag line - Steelgrave

"their citizens (all of them counted as such) glorified their mythology of 'rights'...and lost track of their duties. No nation, so constituted, can endure." Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers

bob48

As long as I don't have to stoke the boilers or act as 'cabin boy'.
'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'

'Clip those corners'

Recombobulate the discombobulators!

bayonetbrant

The key to surviving this site is to not say something which ends up as someone's tag line - Steelgrave

"their citizens (all of them counted as such) glorified their mythology of 'rights'...and lost track of their duties. No nation, so constituted, can endure." Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers

BanzaiCat

Quote from: bob48 on June 24, 2014, 06:47:26 AM
As long as I don't have to stoke the boilers or act as 'cabin boy'.

That would steerage you the wrong way, wouldn't it?

bob48

Only if they give me enough latitude.
'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'

'Clip those corners'

Recombobulate the discombobulators!

bayonetbrant

Now that we're a little ways past Origins, and the annual ritual complaining about the convention seems to have subsided (except on the "board room" thread here on BGG), I want to ask the community for some constructive advice.

We all know wargaming has spent a few years on the wane at Origins - mainly through neglect rather than malicious intent - and would like to see it come back.  This year, we took some first steps toward putting together a wargaming program to give grognards some dedicated events, in a dedicated space, with support from vendors.  Included in that vendor support were playing events with the designers/publishers, as well as prizes for participants (and props to Lost Battalion for going *waaaay* overboard on their prizes). 

Even with the advance notice, the vendor support, a generous location in the D-Hall, and full slate of events, we still had some fairly light participation.  There was, on day 1, some confusion about where we were; that was quickly straightened out with the Tabletop HQ.  But there were more than a few events with no participants, and quite a times where just our team were pushing counters around with each other, rather than other wargamers.

So I'd like to put it to you guys - what would you want to see in the wargaming program that would bring you to the table and have you playing in ticketed events with us?

- Different slate of games?
- Bad times on the events / wrong length on the events?
- Bad location?
- Couldn't find the events in the program book?
- Personal jihad against GAMA / Origins that you're unlikely to attend no matter what? (and if so, it seems odd you'd even be reading/monitoring this board)
- Confusion between us and the board room?
- Didn't like the vendors that were participating?
- Didn't even know the program was going on?


Now, we *are* looking at some changes for next year:
- Games times planned at 2-hr blocks instead of 3
  ---- only 1 generic token instead of 2 for the game session
  ---- more sessions for each game, instead of fewer/longer
- Big "event" games, such as the entire Eurofront game from Columbia one evening
- Tournament play for smaller/shorter games like Spearpoint 1943
- Better tie-in with the vendors / gaming area with cards for locations/schedules/times at both ends so vendors can better inform customers when their events are and player can more easily find vendors

Every year there's talk about bringing wargamers back to Origins.  We stepped out there and tried something new this year, and we've got a commitment from GAMA for at least 2 more years to refine this program, so it's going away and we've got some room to experiment.

What would *you* like to see?  What would make *you* more likely to come and participate?

Please keep these comments focused on things we *can* control!  We can't affect the ticket price for the show, or move it Atlanta, or play on levitating tables.  But within the things we can influence - scheduling, prizes, location, game choices, etc - what would you like to see?
The key to surviving this site is to not say something which ends up as someone's tag line - Steelgrave

"their citizens (all of them counted as such) glorified their mythology of 'rights'...and lost track of their duties. No nation, so constituted, can endure." Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers