[Deptheads] Event Group, Type, and Host clarifications

Fri Aug 28 23:19:10 PDT 2020

We will have to revisit the Prototype game type at a later date. I wouldn’t have a problem adding it to the classification list for Orccon.

Tara’s last sentence is exactly why we started primary, secondary, and host types, so people could find things in places they wouldn’t normally look.

Here’s where I come from. A Board Game Prototype is a unique type of board game. Do I go searching for Prototypes, not usually, but Board Games, yes. So, I might see the ING board game in a board game search and try it. All Board Games are not Prototypes and all Prototypes are not Board Games, but you can have a Prototype Board Game or a Board Game Prototype. Prototypes typically don’t stay as Prototypes, but if it’s a Board Game it is likely to stay a Board Game. The Event Type doesn't tend to change for a game. If it covers two types, the primary and secondary may switch, but they likely won’t change.

Classifications on the other hand are fluid.

I think I’ve bored you with my view enough. The system may not be perfect, but we’re trying to help everyone.

Tanya

> On Aug 28, 2020, at 10:47 PM, Strategicon Department Heads <deptheads at strategicon.net> wrote:
> 
> Message From: Tara Leederman  taleederman at gmail.com
> ING is a host department, which may have any number of different game types. The search function needs to be useful to the attendees, and we need to think of it from that angle. People tend to search by game type. It's probably not a bad idea to have a Prototype secondary game type, and it may help attendees find the games they're looking for or get more information about the games they're looking at, but they won't all end up in ING. Lots of LARPs are Indy and new games, and many are untested, but ING is very much its own thing and it has particular affordances; it is a space to accommodate and showcase a very particular kind of game designer in a particular state of production, and can accommodate some kinds of games but not others. To help people find ING games, it is more useful to list them by game type--card game, board game, etc--to help people find the games they want to play. Having a secondary Prototypes game type isn't a bad idea, but we should always make sure to list the primary type correctly, because it's there to give attendees the best possible information when they search. Under this scheme, people searching for, say,  "board games" are *more* likely to find ING, which is good for the ING department. I hope that's a helpful distinction.
> 
> Tara
> 
> On Fri, Aug 28, 2020 at 10:25 PM Strategicon Department Heads <deptheads at strategicon.net <mailto:deptheads at strategicon.net>> wrote:
> Message From: John Paiva  evil5757 at aol.com <mailto:evil5757 at aol.com>
> Yeah! The definition of a department/group has been broken down to the point where I DID have a department!!
> 
> Hong Kong Cavaliers Forever!!
> 
> 
> 
> The enemy cannot push a button if you disable his hand!
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> 
> -------- Original message --------
> From: Strategicon Department Heads <deptheads at strategicon.net <mailto:deptheads at strategicon.net>>
> Date: 8/28/20 9:50 PM (GMT-08:00)
> To: deptheads at strategicon.net <mailto:deptheads at strategicon.net>
> Subject: Re: [Deptheads] Event Group, Type, and Host clarifications
> 
> Mike,
> 
> I said, "Sub-groups and non-game-type groups”. Indie Games are definitely a non-game-type group, based on our definition of game types, as are Play To Win, and, well, Family Games. Family Games has potentially all event types, so obviously we have departments that aren’t sub-groups.
> 
> I would consider Pathfinder Society and Adventurers’ League as sub-groups primarily of RPGs; but they can be sub-groups of any event type depending on the game being run.
> 
> I guess we could just call them all non-game-type groups since they all can potentially be associated with more than one type. Nowhere on the website am I aware of us using either term. They are host types.
> 
> Tanya
> 
>> On Aug 28, 2020, at 9:20 PM, Strategicon Department Heads <deptheads at strategicon.net <mailto:deptheads at strategicon.net>> wrote:
>> 
>> Message From: Mike James  minis.tyrant at gmail.com <mailto:minis.tyrant at gmail.com>
>> Indie Games are a department. We had this discussion right before last con. They are not a sub group or a mixture of something else. Other than that, it all looks good. 
>> 
>> Mike
>> 
>> On Fri, Aug 28, 2020 at 6:09 PM Strategicon Department Heads <deptheads at strategicon.net <mailto:deptheads at strategicon.net>> wrote:
>> Message From: Jim Sandoval  plustentoawesome at gmail.com <mailto:plustentoawesome at gmail.com>
>> 
>> That sounds great! You guys are rocking it!
>> 
>> On Fri, Aug 28, 2020, 4:43 PM Strategicon Department Heads <deptheads at strategicon.net <mailto:deptheads at strategicon.net>> wrote:
>> Message From: Tara Leederman  taleederman at gmail.com <mailto:taleederman at gmail.com>
>> 
>> 
>> Sounds great, and the categories make total sense to me. Should make it easier for people to cross-index and find stuff they're looking for from different departments all at the same time. Good for cross-pollination. 
>> 
>> Tara
>> 
>> On Fri, Aug 28, 2020 at 3:38 PM Strategicon Department Heads <deptheads at strategicon.net <mailto:deptheads at strategicon.net>> wrote:
>> Message From: Tanya Aldrich  taldrich at strategicon.net <mailto:taldrich at strategicon.net>
>> 
>> 
>> Hi All,
>> 
>> As our group gets more complex, things have gotten a little muddy on the website, which is run by what I’m loosely terming, the system.
>> 
>> First, departments are defined in the system as groups.
>> Most departments have a definitive leadership, a few, like General, fall to Mike (Event Manager) and Eric (Con Manager).
>> 
>> All departments recognized by the system so far are capable of being hosts.
>> Obviously, Marketing is a department, but so far, I haven’t heard a need for it to be a host, and for one offs, it would default to general.
>> 
>> Not all departments are event types.
>> It just so happens that for years our departments/groups in the system correlated to Game/Event Types. And, at the time there was no reason to worry about the sub-groups being their own type, such as Pathfinder Society.
>> 
>> But now the system is switching over to differentiating between event types and hosts. Sub-groups and non-game-type groups will only be hosts at Orccon 2021. The search function is now recognizing the difference. For now, a recognized department will be either an event type or a host type in the search. If we get a lot of requests for searching on event types as hosts, I’ll add it.
>> 
>> To this end, these groups will only be searchable as hosts.
>> Adventurers League
>> Pathfinder Society
>> Indie New Games
>> Play To Win
>> Family Area
>> 
>> These groups should have an event type as the primary type. For Gateway 2020, these groups can remain as secondary types, if you wish, but as long your group is the host, it will say “Hosted by …” in the event list and you will remain controller of the event for editing and sign-ups.
>> 
>> As we continue to separate event types and hosts, the secondary type will no longer allow these host only types. By that point, GMs will have the option to select one of these as a host. Everyone with admin access should already have this ability and more.
>> 
>> Hope this helps clear some things up.
>> 
>> Now to migrate the new search code to the sign-up page that everyone has been clamoring for for ages.
>> 
>> Tanya
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