[Deptheads] After Action Report

[Evil5757 at aol.com]

Gamex 2008 After Action Report
 

I want to concentrate this After Action Report on 3 items that need  
attention for Gateway, with 1 General comment:
 
Program Book
Foyer Usage
Boardgames/Miniatures  Ballroom
General
 
PROGRAM BOOK
 
I went over the program book and have the following insight and  
recommendations.  Our program book must cater to the “lowest common  denominator,” our 
first time attendees.  Old Strategicon staff meetings  answered many questions 
about events with “the attendees know what it  is.”   We need to look at this 
book from a new person’s point of  view.  A person who doesn’t know what Uno 
or Settlers of Catan is but is  looking for a fun family game. A person who 
has never tried a RPG and is looking  for one with some of their interests in 
it.  A person who loves Civil War  history, but has never played a miniatures 
simulation of one.  An anime fan  who has heard of the new CCGs and comes here 
to try them to see if they like  one.  Please read it with nothing taken for 
granted and no pre-knowledge as  you follow along.
 
Convention policy: Bonding – we need to add the days/times that  
reimbursement is available.  After re- reading our policy, we may be losing  volunteers 
because they can’t stay until Monday to get their  reimbursement.  We may need 
to look at having Volunteer Reimbursements each  day if possible, or at least 
Sunday early afternoon.
 
Troubleshooting Staff – In the age of communication, I suggest making a  
comprehensive list of all Staff cell phones that other staff carries.  If  someone 
has a question about Miniatures and can’t find Jose or Robyn, they can  
contact any of us and we can make a quick call and might be able to get a quick  
answer for any problem or at least let the person know when Jose or Robyn will  
be back to answer their question.  If implemented, we can include this is  the 
paragraph associated with this title.
 
Convention Rules – 
 
#2 – Until we get a permanent Open Gaming space, we need to let people open  
game in the departments as space permits.  As we already allow them to do  
this, the rules needs to change to something like “Never use the table space in  
any room for open gaming until you have coordinated with the Department  
Headquarters.  There may be a planned event for the space you take and we  don’t 
want to stop any games or move anyone if we can help it.”
 
#7 & Radisson Hotel Rules #1 – Often I see people playing games in the  bar 
area.  As this action breaks both rules, (is Open Gaming a convention  
organized activity anymore, and if it is, #1 disallows it being in the bar) we  need 
to address how we are going to handle it and state it plainly here.   Without 
dedicated Open Gaming space, we need to let people know EXACTLY where  open 
gaming is and isn’t allowed.  If Open Gaming is a convention organized  activity, 
we need to organize it and make a place for it.
 
#13 – ADD – We need to write a policy/guidance for people handling unruly  
or disruptive attendees.  If someone gets out of hand and someone else  “
handles it,” we can be at liability for not telling everyone “Don’t handle it  
yourself, get one of us” or something to that effect.  We have been very  
fortunate and have had no incidents since changing ownerships, but it only takes  once.
 
General – All of the rule, rights of officials, and everything numbered is  
too bunched up and more difficult to read than it needs to be.  We need to  
space between each numbered item to make it easier to read and give a more  
professional appearance.
 
Event Registration – I suggest adding a line such as “Please cancel your  
event sign-up if you determine you will won’t be attending an event as soon as  
possible so others may sign-up in your place.”  If we give them this  
reminder, it may help events with limited number sign-ups such as RPGs and  Miniatures 
events.
 
Game Auction – I didn’t see anything that spoke to “lot viewing” times or  
availability…do we have it or do we want to add it?
 
Flea Market – this is an idea with both positive and negative.  I have  been 
with conventions that had an alternate plan for flea market in making it an  
event itself.  What would happen is that a room would be set aside for flea  
market sellers and opened for 2 hours a day.  It actually attracted more  people 
to the sellers (limited time, more competition, planned event) than when  
tables were just “there.”  The Dealer’s Room actually liked it, because it  
would allow them to send someone to get food or whatever and not lose customer  
service.  One convention the dealer’s actually asked if we could officially  
close the Dealer’s Room so they could get an actual dinner and not worry about  
booth staffing.  Either way, after the flea market closed, the Dealer’s  room 
got more business than any time of the day with people who didn’t find  
anything in flea market and had cash to spend.  The way we do it now is  fine, but do 
we want to try this?  Maybe we can do flea market one way  Saturday and one 
on Sunday and see how everyone reacts?
 
Product Policy – We are growing, we are attracting attention.  I spoke  with 
Zev a bit before the convention with Heather and he mentioned about  
manufacturers coming out here and his belief that we could get them to do it  now.  
Continuing with the policy of product exclusivity by letter, we  eliminate a 
reason for the manufacturer themselves to come out to  Strategicon.  We also 
cheapen the effect of the manufacturers that do come  to Strategicon (We came out 
here and they just wrote a letter?).  
 
Master Schedule – Add subtitle “Full event information can be found  
alphabetically in it’s department’s section following this schedule.”
 
Master Schedule – Font usage.  Do we want to explore using different  fonts 
to denote basic event groupings?  Such as all Puffing Billy events  being one 
font, Youth games being another font, Suggested Beginner Games another  font, 
etc?  If so, we would want to keep it to 5 or 6 fonts (including  regular 
events), so what groupings do we want to highlight?
 
Event Descriptions – We need to add Day/Time played to ALL events.  I  found 
a game that I had been waiting to see then spent 4 minutes looking through  
the Master Schedule to find it.  We also need to add Event Duration, Max  Number 
of Players, and GM for each event.  Miniatures and RPGs need to have  the 
Game System listed IN BOLD as well so people can scan the descriptions and  find 
systems they like easily.  More importantly, the chances of them  missing a 
system they were looking for would be diminished significantly.   Another 
addition to each event applicable would be “This event has all materials  you need 
provided” or something like that, encouraging people to try new games  they 
normally wouldn’t.  
 
Event Descriptions – After each department header, list where sign-ups for  
events in that department occur.  If possible, also put when event sign-ups  
are accepted (such as up to 4 hours before each event, anytime during the day of 
 the event, etc.).
 
Event Descriptions – Would it be an advantage for us to list specific  events 
as their own grouping?  We could have had all of Steve’s events in a  
separate listing at Orccon, or Zev’s events and the Puffing Billy events this  
convention.  We have a lead on getting a Battletech tournament with up to  50 people 
next convention, so they could be for Gateway.  I would suggest  the order of 
“Convention Special Events,” then the regular departments  alphabetically.
 
Event Descriptions – When a game has a revised and/or re-published version,  
such as Axis and Allies, we need to print what version or subtitle of that 
game  will be used.
 
Gamex 2008 Directory – Add what department holds events in each room to the  
convention map.  Also, denote where the Department HQ is in each room so it  
can be found easily.
 
Food – Suggested additions would be a map of the area with eating  
establishments numbered, hours of operation, and a book with menus at the reg  desk.  
This can be done with an easel, a large map, and a binder on a chain  attached 
to the easel, saving space in the book.
 
Winners List – This is an established Strategicon tradition, but takes up  
over 10% of our program.  I suggest moving this list to an easel in the  Dealer’
s Room and using the space in the book for current convention  information.  
This sucks for me, because I actually got into and  won  an event at 
Strategicon for the first time in 7 years, but I will sacrifice  having my glory in the 
book for 9 more pages of Gateway information.
 
This is just what I caught.  I suggest everyone go through everything  that 
relates to your department.  Next, think if you feel comfortable with  a new 
attendee reading the information on events in your department and having  not 
just a clue, but an excellent idea about what is happening in your  department.  
Lastly, send suggested changes to the list so we can help you  by 
brainstorming different ideas with you.  My team came up with ideas I  hadn’t thought 
about in over a year, simply with a fresh perspective on  issues.  As a team, we 
can work out any issue any department wants to  improve upon.
 
FOYER USAGE
 
As long as we are at the Radisson, this is our only true visual area.   We 
need to look at what events are located there.  They need to be visual  events 
or REALLY special events.  I agree with the 4e demos being held  there, it 
brought energy and “new shiney” feel to the area.  Honestly, when  I discussed my 
department with Eric over a year ago I told him I would be making  them so 
they would be visually attractive and designed for an area like  this.  A large 
scale Settler’s board would be appropriate for this  space.  I have to 
question using this premier space for flea market tables  and overflow for scheduled 
events.  If people are arguing about needing  this space, then we need to 
allocate it for events that will use it  appropriately.
 
BOARDGAMES/MINIATURES BALLROOM
 
We need to look at redesigning the Ballroom to separate these departments  
East/West instead of North/South.  Boardgames is healthy, lively and  growing, 
while Miniatures is shrinking.  Allocating the farthest section of  the 
convention to them where only people meaning to go there will not help them  get 
healthy.  Also, if nothing else, the airwall needs to open up to allow  the air to 
circulate and not freeze the miniatures area out as it is doing  currently.
 
IN GENERAL
 
What EVERY department needs to do is look at their events and see what is  
missing.  We need to see what systems and/or games are missing from our  
schedules, go to chat groups/ websites, whatever and solicit GMs.  For  instance, 
there were no Conan RPG events, so RPGs would go to Conan Yahoo groups  and say 
something like “we would really like someone to come to our convention  and run 
some Conan games to introduce more people to the system” and see what we  
get.  Miniatures could do the same for Confrontation, Boardgames to revive  the 
old Avalon Hill Classics or something like that, etc.  If we can fill  and keep 
2 voids in each department each convention, by Orccon 2010 we will  truly 
have a complete gaming event base we can be proud of and webgroups will  talk 
about.




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