[Deptheads] Meeting notes

[Eric Burgess]

Janice,

Your lack of knowledge about those folks doesn't mean they are insignificant
- it means that you don't know the best known designers in the largest and
fastest-growing segment of our attendees. If you don't know award-winning
games like Pandemic or Agricola or Galaxy Trucker/Space Alert/Through The
Ages, it is quite natural that you wouldn't see the logic in having these
folks in to drive attendance.

Furthermore, no other segment focuses on designers like Board Games. We'd
discussed ad nauseum the fact that there are no 'rock star' designers in the
RPG world, nor particularly the miniatures world. We have a ton in the Board
Games space. Designers' names on the box is a big deal in board gaming and
so people know them. Board Game designers are also natural fits, as a larger
number of people play their games than RPGs (a far more splintered market
these days for designers) or minis or CCGs. And someone can just walk up and
try the game out with the designer and go buy it in the dealer room - an
easier sell than RPGs/minis/CCGs. It's just natural synergy.

Alan and AEG are here in SoCal. Having them as the special guests will draw
no additional attendees. Simple fact - why would they when you can meet them
all over the place around here? I like AEG and Alan, too, but there is zero
value monetary value in showcasing them other than championing local talent.
No problem there and having them as guest as well is cool. But if we want to
draw people, we should stick with names that (most) people know.

I can understand wanting to spread the love around but I think there are far
better ways to help develop RPGs, minis, and other departments than changing
a winning formula for Board Games and losing attendees as a result.

...ERB
www.boardgamebabylon.com
www.strategicon.net


On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 10:21 PM, Janice Sellers <janicemsj at gmail.com>wrote:

> On 10/14/09, Eric Burgess <erburgess at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 10:45 PM, Eric M. Aldrich I <ealdrich at apple.com>
> > wrote:
> > >        b. Special Guests and Events: Trying for Alan Emrich for
> Gateway,
> > trying for Richard Borg for Gamex. AEG maybe at Orccon. Lonnie Gill at
> > Orccon
> >
> > I think people are forgetting that we already have Matt Leacock of
> Pandemic
> > and Roll Through The Ages fame coming for Orccon 2010. He's just up in
> the
> > Bay Area so it's not even costly and he doesn't really do Kublacon so
> this
> > is a nice coup for us (I happen to be sharing a room with him in Essen so
> it
> > was easy to get). Plus, Uwe Rosenberg (Agricola, Le Havre, Bohnanza and
> the
> > new At The Gates of Loyang) already told me he'd come out in 2010 (I'll
> > confirm in Essen) so please don't fill up the dance card with - frankly -
> > small draws. Borg's great but he's at Pacificon a lot and been here
> plenty.
> > If he comes, it should be along with asking DoW to come and perhaps
> promote
> > a big Memoir '44 event.
> > Alan's a friend but I'd only seek him out if he truly have zero budget
> for a
> > guest. Lonnie would fall into the same category. If that's the case, no
> > problem - but tell me now before I ask big draws like Wolfgang Kramer,
> > Vlaada Chvatl, or even Reiner to come back.
>
> I think we need to keep in mind that focusing on guests from only one
> segment of the industry, i.e., board games, can make us look like only
> a board game convention from a marketing perspective.  I've never
> heard of Leacock, Rosenberg, Chvati, or Borg.  I also don't think that
> Emrich and AEG are quite that insignificant.  And we can have more
> than one guest, especially if we focus on West Coast people.
>
> >         f. We need an art director! Janice, see bottom of page for art
> > details.
> >
> > Seth Halbeisen? If you are specific with what you need, my wife might be
> > able to help with concepting but she's no digital artist.
>
> I have a good list of artists I'm talking to already.  But who is Seth
> Halbeisen?  Is he the one I found who goes by jstr4hire?
>
> > Need artists for
> > Revamped logo: up to $200 offered
> >
> > What do you want on it? Again, my wife might be able to help.
>
> I am already talking to artists.
>
> Janice
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