[Deptheads] Boardgames Query

[Jose Mendiola]

HMGS mini-wars con is November 8 and 9.  Do you think you can join me there and help drive events and attendance.  It would be a great way also to show forth your M&M game to possible interest the old M&M players to dust off thier game.

Jose


----- Original Message ----- 
From: 
To: deptheads at strategicon.net
Sent: 10/29/2008 11:39:06 PM 
Subject: Re: [Deptheads] Boardgames Query


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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