[Deptheads] Boardgames Query

[Evil5757 at aol.com]

You are absolutely right, we are getting worse at getting along, period. We  
are all fighting the circumstances, and that has led to fighting each other to 
 protect each department's interests.
 
I was going to suggest this when things calmed down a bit, but now seems  
like a good place to start.  The saying "we are as strong as our weakest  link" 
is sooo true at every convention I have been staff on since 1978.   The 
complaints that are published in writing or word of mouth always focus on  the 
weakest link at a convention, sometimes inversely.  Remember when  people stopped 
coming to Strategicon because it was a "card convention"?   It is so easy to 
look at what we do best and GO FOR IT!  The best  conventions I have ever worked 
with put their attention on problem areas and  areas that needed to grow 
rather than what they were strong with.  
 
When I first joined Strategicon, the first thing I said was we needed to  get 
collectibles and LARPs going again, and that was our primary focus for the  
first 2 conventions.  We now have solid departments that are steadily  
improving each convention.  This is what we need to focus on.  Earlier  I was 
criticized for my opinion because I am not in the RPG department.   Well, now I am 
putting together a staff to run a Gaming Community Department,  trying to bring 
open gaming back to the rightful place it should be.  I  want input from 
Victor.  I want input from Janice.  I want input from  Chris.  I want input from 
Heather.  I want input from EVERYONE.   I don't care if they are not a part of 
the Community Gaming Department.   Sometimes people see things better or at a 
different angle than if they are in  the middle of it. That is how we also keep 
from getting set in our ways and  complacent (which we are starting to do).
 
The state of things as I see them:
 
Boardgames - Great job, slow steady improvement on little things to fine  
tune constantly being done.
 
Collectibles - Great turnaround from where we are a year ago.  Still  room to 
improve the attendance with word-of-mouth and some big tournaments or  some 
kind of big draw.
 
Dealers Room - holding steady.  Even with the turmoil, Janice has done  a 
good job of filling the place with various products.  Getting rid of  exclusivity 
for non-mfrs a plus. Getting mfrs in is next goal.
 
Computers - Good job with a department I was ready to give up on until we  
could have a big internet network to go with.  Good job proving me wring  and I 
have a great computer guy starting in my department who can help out if  you 
need it. 
 
Registration - Cleaned up VERY nicely.  Steady improvement each  convention 
and I heard no complaints at all this last convention.  I am  sure there is 
some behind the scenes logistics you are looking to improve  on.
 
Auction - Seems to be that moving it to Monday has improved things.   Maybe 
if we could get the listing of items up for auction out earlier it might  
improve attendance?  i don't really know, but might be worth a try (sign-up  lots 
on Saturday, post lots on Sunday, auction on monday?).
 
RPGs - The variety of games has been improving steadily.  There are a  LOT of 
games not represented though, including out of print ones that can be  run.  
Remember, gamers love to reminisce.  if you have a blue Planet  or a Space 
Opera game, people will get in on them and take home good memories of  cons past. 
 RPG players seem to replay convention history in their head  more than any 
other, old RPGs bring those memories back.
 
RPGA - Seems to have a good system going with getting current modules  
quickly.  Back East, we used to have "This Convention Only" modules that  were 
extremely popular.  Can we find out if we can do something like this  and how we 
can make "Strategion Modules"?
 
Miniatures - Sat and Sun good....Fri and Mon bad.  We badly need to  help 
Jose and Robyn make this department a 4 dayer.
 
Special Projects - improving every convention, but still 3 or 4 conventions  
away from being the 24/7 gaming location it is intended to be.  Adding a  
Battlestar Galactica large scale space combat game early this year and a 1/100  
scale Wooden Ships and Iron Men game at the end of the year.
 
Marketing - This has always been sticky because there is not a lot of money  
to put into it.  I have always felt that big impressive "LOOK AT ME"  tshirts 
people can buy from us then advertise for us at their gaming clubs or  with 
their friends is always the best investment of money (get your money back  and 
free advertising).  We have about a month until Eric wants to get our  
marketing push out there for February.....please cost out and put some ideas out  here 
that we can work with or find better prices on.
 
Movie Room - Strange, because ideally we want everyone gaming and not have  
spare time to watch a movie. However, we want the movie list to make people say 
 "I wish I had time to see that" so that anytime they want to take a break, 
grab  a soda and a sandwich and sit down to watch a movie, they still enjoy  
themselves.  We need to publish the movie list on a poster though, BEFORE  the 
movie is playing.
 
Program - We have the basics in place, and with Eric working on the  
extraction program this should be a strong point by the end of the year.   With 
everything growing though, we need to decide - larger book, smaller print,  or what 
do we cut out?
 
Open Gaming - Sucks.  Scattered all throughout the convention instead  of a 
single location building energy. Everyone who is stretched for space  should be 
asking open gamers to leave their area and come to Community  Gaming.  
 
At this late hour, I probably forgot a department or 2, but you  get the 
idea.  Our attention needs to be focused on our weakest links,  Open Gaming and 
Marketing, and on our links that have the potential to  improve the most, 
Computers, Miniatures, and Collectibles as I see  it. 
 
Yes, i know people will say I put open gaming in there because I run it,  but 
I volunteered to run it because I see how much it needs attention.
 
What I would like to ask EVERYONE to do it write down the departments  I have 
listed above (boardgames, collectibles, marketing, etc.) and make a list  of 
strongest to weakest as you see them. No personality conflicts.  No  
department wars.  Please put them in order of whatever you feel more  comfortable 
doing, either weakest to strongest OR strongest to "most room for  improvement," as 
I listed collectibles earlier.  Strong, but a huge upside  is possible the 
way Victor is running it.
 
If you don't want to post it "out there" email it to me directly and I will  
put your input anonymously with everyone else's when I compile it.
 
John
 
 
 
In a message dated 10/29/2008 9:15:16 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
zeotter at gmail.com writes:

I have to say, we are not getting along.  Everyone talks like we  should be 
gettting along but I see a lot of bitterness and resentment in more  than one 
(not all) of the e-mails in this thread.  
 
You always here about the guys who run cons and constantly fight with  each 
other (I won't name any con names) and wonder "How much better would it  be if 
they just stopped fighting each other?"  
 
Everyone has personal issues going on outside the con and sometimes they  
bleed over, it happens.  But we all love game conventions (why else would  we 
keep doing this), can't we not be like other cons that have fighting and  
bickering staff and be honest with each other.  
 
I want to see the whole con do well, I play baord games, but I also  
role-play, play a few collectible card games, and enjoy miniutres (not the  painting) 
can't we find ways to help each other instead of being at each  others throats 
when a suggestion is made we don't agree with.
 
A couple of opinions as I see them.
    *   Board games draws the most attendance for the con and needs the most  
space. They use all of it, not every hour of every day but they do use it  
and it is very difficult to know when or where open spaces will be at any  given 
time.  
    *   People keep wanting the board game space for something else, they  
may not realize that is what they doing but it happens a lot.   People are 
contantly coming up with ideas that need to take away space from  board games, that 
makes board game HQ a little paranoid about giving up the  space.  
    *   The board gamers want more space, they want more open gaming, they 
want  to set up displays (did you see the political games setup last con, he 
wants  more space), they want more space for huge version of Settlers of Catan,  
Days of Wonder wants 500 sq ft if they every show up.  
    *   I am not an expert in everything, and working for this con doesn't 
make  me one.  I don't know exactly what every other department needs I can  
only comment on what I have seen and what I know.  
    *   These opions do not make board games more important, I just wanted  
others to see my perspecitive on the con.
I am not offically with board games anymore directly, I just run a  wargamers 
boot camp so take my opinions with that in mind.  
 
I just felt l like someone should say it like it is, we are getting worse  at 
getting along.  Sorry about being the harsh one but I call it like I  see it. 
 
 
 


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