[Deptheads] GM Badge Requirements

Thu Sep 11 12:52:29 PDT 2014

Please keep in mind that each RPG (including LARPs) requires many hours of
investment before the con to author new scenarios. I agree that leaving
each dept to customize (with transparency) is the way to go.

Ryan
On Sep 8, 2014 2:36 PM, "Victor B" <fhoenix88 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Gm badges
>
> The exact text from our website----
> Volunteers who have worked for at least 8 hours and performed their
> assigned duties to the satisfaction of their department supervisors, will
> receive a reimbursement for the cost of their convention badge.
>
> --Supervisors approve events and approve the hours for their gms to earn a
> badge. If you look at what a GM submits to run for 8 hours and feel they
> should do more then notify them and work it out before con.
> --The rules should not change for the entire con because one dept. feels
> their GMs are not doing enough. No need to create problems where there are
> none. In the end a supervisor is the one that approves of badges for his or
> her dept. This is a main function of the supervisor. Every dept. is
> different.
>
> --The hours are overall guidelines for supervisors and give potential
> volunteers a ballpark. They know the "minimum" they will be required is 8
> hours of approved events. The key here is "approved".
>
> For Strategicon and at other cons this year where I ran boardgaming (like
> Boston game fest for 1000 gamers) or ran the entire game room  (500 person
> or less con with all gaming in one room) here is what I use:
>
> --If I ask someone to come run an event they get full credit for the
> scheduled run time. Top games I need to make sure are run.
> --If someone asks me to come run an event that is current and popular I
> badge them based on playing time hours listed on boardgame geek plus 30
> minutes to an hour. Remember that some GMs will pad their hours...when
> approving an event you approve of the listed hours as well. Check them and
> if questionable ask the GM why.
> --In most other cases I will accept "GM wants to run this game or event
> but it is a long shot if anyone shows up to it" events but that GM is
> responsible for their own badge and if they run 8 hours of attended events
> they are reimbursed for their badge. I did this because there are people
> coast to coast that will schedule to run events knowing they will have no
> one show up to play it. They do it to get the free badge.
>
> --hours are tricky. A game ending early does not take away hours. A game
> running twice as long doesn't give more hours. Otherwise you could have a
> GM say they are dropping their sunday game because their Saturday event
> took twice as long and they have enough hours without running their next
> event. If we took away hours for games ending early this would happen and
> we would have chaos and lots of extra book keeping. As it is now approve of
> the hours for events  and note the ones that do not run.
>
>
> All gming is not equal-----
> --The base for gming is setting up the game or tourney, starting it, and
> being around to answer any rules questions.
> --Teaching a game is 1.5X the base hour. It is more work and effort, You
> are locked to that table start to finish of the event and talking the
> entire time and teaching.
> --Moderating a game is 1.5X the base hour. It is more work and effort. You
> are locked at the table start to finish running a scenario, challenging the
> players, storytelling, keeping the game going, etc.
>
> Playing in a game of 'settlers of catan' that you are gming is not the
> same as moderating 'are you a werewolf' or running a dominion mega tourney,
> or running a game where you paint provide all the miniatures for all
> participants and teach and moderate, or preparing and running a role
> playing game and moderating it, or setting up and running a larp where you
> coordinated the npcs, decorated and set up 2 rooms, and moderated the
> entire time. Therefore each game is approved separately. Even within a
> dept. the games are not all the same. You have 8 player games vs 3 player
> games, 30 minute games vs 6 hour games, per player per hour per amount of
> time you had to spend at the game moderating (or were you able to simply
> play in it which makes a difference).
>
>
> This is why I repeat--supervisors are responsible for the approval of
> badges in their dept.
> The supervisor approves the event, the hours, the time slot,  the day, and
> when looking at a specific Gm if they earned enough credit for a badge or
> if you want them to do more.
> The 8 hours is a universal minimum that each supervisor can raise for
> their area. Quality and quantity control is done by the supervisor. 10
> people all wanting to run battlestar galactica for 8 hours each person on
> Friday and Monday only won't be approved for all of them.
> Btw...everyone is not comfortable teaching or cannot do it....therefore it
> should not be required.
> Some people are bad gms. Look into complaints about gms, make sure they
> are valid, and take action accordingly.
>
> We want this to continue be the best con so we surrounded ourselves with
> top notch supervisors--you guys.
> You supervisors make your depts. click. You in turn surround yourself with
> good volunteers and gms that you approve, coordinate, manage, and supervise.
> You can make minor changes for gms for the area you supervise. Just do so
> with caution and be prepared for reaction to your action since it will
> effect your best gms as well as the cheesers.
>
>
> V
>    On Sunday, September 7, 2014 10:20 PM, Tanya Aldrich <taldrich at punk.net>
> wrote:
>
>
> Are hours credited based on scheduled hours or actual hours an event
> takes? I assume this means the event also has to run, regardless of method.
>
> Where you thinking a GM had to accomplish all 4 tasks? I think that's
> asking a bit much. First, you determine if an event becomes a tournament. I
> never asked for Alhambra to be one, it just was. Second, not everyone
> probably feels comfortable doing 101s. If you were thinking of all 4 tasks,
> then I suggest making it 16 hrs and the other 3 tasks give you double hours
> (see my across two days suggestion below). But I think 16 hrs might be
> pushing it.
>
> I think upping to at least 12 hrs of games is fine. Twelve hours barely
> gets a board game GM to the same number of player hours as an RPG GM,
> assuming a 4 player game, and few board games require the constant
> participation of the GM. After all, nothing says that if your players don't
> need you in constant attendance that you can't play a game while GMing a
> board game, as long as you are accessible.
>
> As for the other suggestions, I would at least suggest stating ...
> 8 hrs if that includes one tournament.
> 8 hrs plus a 101.
> 12 hrs across two different days, provided one is a day you have trouble
> filling, and they get a 2 hrs for 1 real hr up to 4 real hrs max. That way
> someone can't run a little 1 hr game on a hard to fill day and expect it to
> fill the extra 4 hrs needed.
>
> Or as mentioned earlier, 12 hrs, but tournaments, 101s, and games on hard
> to fill days count 2 to 1 in hours.
>
> My two cents.
>
> Tanya
>
> On Sep 3, 2014, at 3:13 PM, Shane Sauby wrote:
>
> Good afternoon everyone,
>
>   I was considering changes to the general rule of qualifying for a GM
> badge.  At the moment, it is running 8 hours of games.  This is not a lot
> of work for what they get in return.  I ran 12 hours of games (4 Power Grid
> World Tour events) and it took about forty minutes of my time all together.
>
>   I have thought about several changes I would like to make and was
> wondering how much leeway I had and what others thought of my ideas.  I
> have listed them below, but would be interested to hear any ideas you may
> have.
>
> Run at least 12 hours of games
> Run at least one tournament of any size
> Run at least one gaming 101
> Run games on at least two different days
>
> Shane Sauby
> Boardgames Supervisor
>
>
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