Official ICE Forums
Gamer's Corner => Conventions & Conferences => Topic started by: Old Man on December 13, 2014, 09:22:05 PM
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July 30th through August 2nd, 2015
Badge registration begins in just over a month (Jan. 25th 2015).
Details at http://www.gencon.com/ (http://www.gencon.com/)
My wife and I will be there.
Regards,
Old Man
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Our current plans are to attend again as well. Possibly with an additional niece in tow this year.
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OK let us know if you want to run games, if you need adventures and of course we can offer prizes!
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Not sure if I'll be attending yet or not, but if I do I'm hoping to talk my wife into going also.
If I do go though, I may not be running anything this year. I may be tied up with other stuff as I'm helping some friends start up a small game publishing business and we may be demoing some of their games (a couple of card games to start, with several possible board games in the future, so nothing that would directly compete with ICE/GCP) to evaluate interest in them from a marketing standpoint.
But if that is the case if there are any openings in any Rolemaster, Spacemaster, HARP games that fall outside of the convention hours I might be willing to fill an empty seat (or two if my wife also goes) with generic tickets.
But if ICE/GCP is active (has a booth) the following year (2016 as Nicholas had indicated) I'd be willing to volunteer some of my time to help out as needed (demoing, etc.).
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Not going to go this year, and likely not the next. However I think I might try to get to the 50th.
The next two years will be drained of cash due to house upgrades and a trip east over the pond.
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I plan on going and would love to run a few games if possible. I had planned to run a HARP SF adventure but I haven't been able to work on a game much less play HARP SF. Maybe I could even demo my combat system if you HARP people don't mind.
Bruce
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Bruce,
You should contact Colin at ICE about running games and demo your combat system. I do not have any info on the inner working of ICE but in general from a biz perspective running non-official game stuff at a sanctioned company event is tough to do.
I have seen in the past when I have gone to con's many of the people running official games also run non sanctioned games with house rules in pick up games or mini-games but I have rarely seen (once) a game company allow non-official rules in an event.
MDC
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I sent an email to Colin via the ICE forums a few days ago but have since received no response. I'm not sure if it got sent so I PM'd him. Hopefully he will get back to me soon.
Bruce
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Bruce,
Thanks for contacting him. If he does hot get back to you in a week (he may be on vacation) then I would try Thom @ ICE and see what he can do for you.
Then again maybe Colin is waiting for info from someone else also.
MDC
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Discussions active behind the scenes. Colin should be responding shortly if he hasn't already.
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No worries now. I was originally worried that the email and then the first PM didn't go through because my browser had acted a little weird both those times. I am used to things happening almost instantly in my browser and there was an excessive delay of more than two minutes so I reloaded my browser, but apparently they went through just fine.
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I am going to submit a HARP game event for 3 days at 4 hrs with up to 6 players. This is my first time doing an event at Gencon so I would like some advice. One thing I need advice on is; Is it better to see if the parent company will submit the event so I can possible get a GM badge and get my regular badge reimbursed or should I just submit the event on my own?
Any other advice on running an event at Gencon is welcome!
Bruce
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Bruce,
Go ahead and submit the event on your own, but contact someone from ICE to have them send an email about you doing an "official" event so that you can get the GM badge (that was how I did it last year). That way you get the process started right away, and if you can get it squared away ahead of time, then you can get your refund for your paid-for badge much sooner.
Last year they only allowed one badge for the number of ICE based games that were run (which I used since I was running the largest number of "hours" worth of games). So that is something to keep in mind if very many others run ICE events (I won't be running anything ICE related this year, but not sure if anyone else will or not).
If you do it on your own without ICE's "backing" then you need to have a minimum number of "hours" worth of tickets to get it (and sometimes people might not show up, so it can be difficult to get there), whereas if ICE "backs" your games, then you don't need to generate a full 100 hours (but you do need to run a moderate number "hours" worth of games.
Using your planned events, if they are full then you will have 72 "hours" worth of events. I can't recall what the number is that you need to break to get the free badge (and you will be reimbursed for the badge 2-5 months after GenCon is over if you do it yourself). Whereas if you do so with ICE's backing, then you can possibly get a refund for the paid-for badge much quicker (if you start the process before GenCon starts).
GenCon did a good job of working with me and Colin on that last year (you need to pick up the GM badge at the GM HQ when you get there, which is separate from the Will-Call and other stuff (it was in a room in an out of the way place that has relatively short hours, so you will need to be sure to get there fairly early in the day to get it).
You will also need to be sure to keep track of all the event tickets that you collect and fill out a form for each event/session. But it is well worth doing if you get a free GM badge out of it.
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The required hrs to be considered for the free GM badge is 70 hrs, of which is just under my 72 if I get all 6 players for each game. I didn't know I could submit the event then have ICE send an email to set it all up for me. I will go ahead and submit my event and ask the guys at ICE to make it "official". I am going to put it in for 10am Thursday through Saturday. I didn't want to pick a time as I was more for letting them choose a time for me but 10 am will work great. Hopefully I will get plenty of people to sign up for it either way.
Bruce
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I would contact Colin directly and work with him to make the most out of the possibilities.
MDC
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I have been talking to Colin a little discussing the event and a few other things. I am also in contact with a few other people. Though I had emailed Nicholas on an adventure or something with updated stats from the archives I haven't heard from him yet. I assume he is really busy with being in a teaching position. I already submitted an event on the advice of Wolfhound. Gencon remembers doing what they did for Wolfhound for ICE last year, so it shouldn't be a problem. That is unless someone has already claimed the single spot ICE grants, again unless they might give more than one this year.
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The limit is based on GenCon's limit based on how many hours worth of events there are.
On the note of the hours though, just to warn you the first year I would have had 144 "hours" had everyone shown up (and that was with nearly all of those tickets selling out (only two sessions had one or two tickets left with 6 spots in each of 6 4-hour sessions). But with 132 hours worth of tickets "selling" or being claimed. I only ended up with 102 hours of actual tickets, and that was with 2 people showing up with generics to fill empty spots (8 hours), otherwise I would have only had 94 hours of the 132 (only 71% response). That is why you should try to get ICE to officially "back" you, so that if you do fall short of the 70 hours (which is possible due to people purchasing tickets but not showing up or a slot or two simply not selling) then you will still get the GM badge for free.
While I don't know the break-point at which GenCon will issue a second GMN badge to an ICE sponsored GM, I would guess that it would need to be after at least 120 or more "hours" of ICE sanctioned events are submitted and accepted. But again that is only a guess on my part and I could be way off.
On that note, if you post your events here once they are accepted, then if time permits I'll try to get my wife and I into one of them, or at least try to have generic tickets for us to sit in if one of your sessions falls short on players or people don't show up (to help fill your slots if needed).
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I am in contact with Colin on getting everything set up for the GM badge. Hopefully it will turn out ok. I honestly don't think the game will run for 4hrs but we'll see. I put the event in for Thursday through Saturday starting at 10 am. It would be great to have you guys play as it would anyone else here on the ICE forums. I am also thinking of running a few demo sessions for the alternative combat tables I have developed and maybe my action system also. But that all depends on a few things over the next few months and the demo sessions will be a late addition if added.
Maybe we can schedule a dinner again for Sunday or some other day.
Bruce
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I would definitely like to get in on a Harp game this GenCon. If it is during the day/morning I should be able to swing it. I may not be able to if it is at night however, as the hotel registration system this year gave us a late draw at the hotel rooms. We barely got a room within 10 miles of the convention, and I'll have my wife and three minors in tow this year.
-regards
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cool, I look forward to seeing you there then as my event should be starting at 10am.
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New to the forum...
I'm all set for this upcoming GENCON (badge, hotel, etc) and was hoping for some sage advice/info. I'm looking to play/possibly GM an event or 2. Prefer the RM1 game system for it's simplicity and overall outstanding game mechanics....and for the nostalgia. Here's what I was thinking:
Event #1: Character Development Session
----Go thru the PC development process with a strong focus on character concept (3.7 Creating Character Backgrounds, GM Law).
Event #2 & 3: Use of PC's from Event 1 or pre-gens for a short (4 hour) Tournament Scenario (TBD). Focus is on role playing and secondarily on highlighting the simple but effective game mechanics (maneuver rolls, skill usage, spells, combat, etc).
Questions:
1-Does my plan suck?
2-Will ICE have a table/booth at GENCON 2015? Possible SWAG?
3-Anyone wanna meet-up at the CON for a group dinner to share the MERP tales?
4-Other planned RM events?
Thanks!
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1, I'd probably go with pre-gens. I did such for an intro to RM game back in the ... 90s ... and attached a brief - here's how the dice work etc.
2, No and Yes from what I've read
3, Sure
4, Don't know
Back "in the day" I did two round events (w a co-GM) where we did 3 groups of 6 and advanced 2 from each to a 2nd 4 hour session. That worked pretty well.
If I have an old sample pre-gen floating about, I will try to scan it as a PDF and attach as an FYI.
Regards,
Old Man
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1)Yeah, I agree Pre-gens may be the best option for a tournament/con style session. My thinking w/the PC development event was similar to yours waaaaay back when---just to give potential newbies a chance to see that generating a RM PC need not be as exhaustive an undertaking as filing your corporate taxes in the Ukraine. Plus, any RM old hands could come give advice on character concept/share stories as we go through it for kind of a "tricks of the trade" on how to bring a good PC concept to life.
2)SWAG is always good! :)
3)From some other prev replies, I'm thinking possibly Sunday could be a good RM/ICE meet-up. Either way, I'm down for whenever (as long as it's not smack dab in the middle of one of my events).
Also, when I said tournament style, should've said just a limited "Con Style" 4 hour gaming session. Not too sure about the awarding points & moving on, etc. Just want to run a cool/fun session with some new RM folks.
Appreciate the pre-gen sample if you have one. Always good to take a peek through the wormhole into another universe.
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You should contact Colin at ICE for info and just what ICE will help you out on. Colin's contact info is on the main web page or you can do a search of the PM's to send him a message.
The main thing that jumps out at me is the RM1 comment as I think ICE would want you to do at least RM2 but you should contact Colin about that.
MDC
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Sure, will do on contacting Colin.
RM "Classic" hopefully would be fine. Totally understand how the original RM1 work may have ownership/copyright issues that may or may not present issues for ICE getting involved in to any level. Either way, personally it's no big deal...just want to go celebrate the gaming experience that is RM. Not looking for a hand-out....at least not much of one. ;)
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I know that ICE has in the past compensated GM's for there running games but as a volunteer moderator I know nothing more about the program as I have not participated. But Colin is your guy to contact as IIRC he handles all of that type of stuff right now.
MDC
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Weald,
For shoots and grins, I've attached a 1st level tournament PC from, literally, the last century. :)
I did a cover sheet, stat sheet, equipment sheet and the common terms in RM sheet. (For some bigger events I include pictures of the PCs.)
(I usually handed out weapon charts and spell lists but didn't include those here ... )
Regards,
Old Man
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Approved.
MDC
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New to the forum...
Questions:
1-Does my plan suck?
2-Will ICE have a table/booth at GENCON 2015? Possible SWAG?
3-Anyone wanna meet-up at the CON for a group dinner to share the MERP tales?
4-Other planned RM events?
Thanks!
First off welcome to the forums Weald Walker.
1. It does not suck but I think you may be dreaming big as there really isn't a big gathering for ICE games. Rolemaster does have a presence but there are a lot of old schoolers that are intimidated by RM's mechanics and they talk other people out of it.
a. In my experience of trying to teach new players to make RM characters it can take a while with just one person (3 - 6 hrs). Because there will be a lot they
don't understand if they have never played RM or any of it's relatives (MERP, HARP, Spacemaster, HARP SF).
2. Not this year but I believe they have plans to attend in the future.
3. A bunch of us ICE fans did meet up last year for a pretty good gathering on Sunday at about 4pm. I believe we have the same plan this year. Keep an eye on this forum as we will start to plan for it more as GenCon gets closer.
4. Last year I played in two RM events and we had a great time. This year I believe at least one of the GM's is not able to run because of prior commitments but I will be running a 3 HARP events (Thur, Fri, and Sat all 10am to 2pm). You should come sign up for one. This will be the first HARP event at GenCon in a long time from what I understand.
Bruce
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Yes most structured tournaments I have played in have had per-made PC's to pick from. This gives the players the skills, spells and other options that are common to run the adventure.
Now in pick up games I have never had a GM give me a pre-made PC, they may have helped me create one but I have always had some input.
Also "typical" players generally want to play and not spend a n hour or so creating a PC.
MDC
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Thanks Mark & Bruce, appreciate the feedback.
I'll look for the HARP events and try and get signed up for a couple (and encourage a buddy or 2). I feel you on the small RM gathering at the CON. I've played lots of RPG systems since my AD&D2e days ('82?) and have inescapably comeback to RM. In its time it was truly ground breaking. I think it still stands the test of time on its own merits (% based system, skill based character development, realistic combat/crits, logical spell use, super rich world system content, etc). I'm fine with RM not being popular/the system "du jour". I love the little game that ICE created, like Han loves the Falcon. No point though in preaching to the choir! ;D
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I've run a multi-round tournament at GenCon using RM so I have some relivant advice I suspect...
As others have said, you're probably best using pre-generated characters. Just make sure you have, we'll say, at least three choices for each player. You'll spend a LOT of time trying to explain and make characters and some of your players won't even care what system you're running, they are just there for the game/story.
Pester the hell out of ICE on the support topic. Meaning ask for help and if they say you can get it then stay on top of them. Make sure you get what are supposed to with enough time to use it. Nothing against them, but this isn't their primary job/source of income, so things can slip through the cracks.
Hopefully you got a hotel close to the center. Hauling around stuff is no fun. I will pay twice as much to be within walking distance to the center... after being 20mins away once I'll never do it again. If I can't afford to be that close I just won't go. But, I'm in Seattle, so going to GenCon is a 'big trip'. It's not like I'm just driving over from a state away or anything.
Bring hard candy or LOTS of liquids. If you are not used to talking a lot, and I mean a LOT, you may lose your voice. I ran four four hour events, not even on the same day, and my voice was about to go by the end.
Have extra dice, writing utensils, and notepads. Players will show up with nothing. Also expect no-shows and have a sign to put up that says you're looking for more players.
Find out who is going, get cell # for texting or email info, see what peoples schedules are like and try to arrange a dinner for when the most people are not gaming. Expect a no-show or two. Also expect them to bring along unexpected guests (not an issue so long as you are ready for it). You probably won't nail it down until a few days before the con. Find out if anyone has any diet restrictions then I'd recommend picking out a place close to the center. When we did it we went with St. Elmo's (that might be more expensive than some want to pay - but I always do one 'expensive' meal per GenCon, so that was it).
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Great Advice Everyone.
I wont add to it, other than to say I think Pre-Gens are best. If anything, you could convert that slot to a tutorial using pre-gens to show them the mexhanics of the game as a "pre-adventure" to the next adventure, so something that's easy and where you can go slowly, with an exciting bang at the end that gets tehm excited for the next gaming slot.
ICE will Help, as Cory said, and yes, stay on top of us! In general, we will get you an "official ICE t-shirt" to wear, some swag for giveaways and 1 hardcopy prize, and a little gift for you (besides t-shirt). In addition you will get flyers for all players (and anyone else you chat up) which will direct the person to sign up to the forum in exchange for a coupon for product on RPGNow.
Note that we need to see evidence of your game slot at gencon on the gencon website for the swag to ship. Ideally this would be done before end of april so I can access some cheap shipping in May - I assume you are in the US, if not, we need to know!
Hope the info helps anyone who wants to run a game at gencon!
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Also if you submit your adventure and PC to the vault I think you get Order of the Iron Crown points that can be used for products. But you should check with Colin about this.
MDC
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Thanks Corey....very detailed advice. I'm still putting together all the moving parts; but, your insights are very useful/original (I wouldn't of thought of several points)
John, yes I'm here in the US and will post any/all events I have planned on the GENCON website. I'm an avid RM player; however, very novice as a GM....so I'll be using the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) Method as much as possible for the adventures/scenarios. Sorry, no transdimensional warfare versus the Gods of the Realm. :)
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I went w KISS as well, hence doing a group of low level relatively simple PCs (also as at the time I was trying to teach the system as well). Good idea.
Regards,
Old Man
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For anyone here that is going to Gencon and interested in HARP my HARP events have been approved and are up on the Gencon list. They are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10am til 2pm. There are slots for up to 6 players and though I can run the adventures with less than that it is always better with a full group. I will have a selection between 6 - 10 characters to choose from and all will be about 5th level. Once Gencon is over I will post the characters in the vault. If you plan on coming to my event then by all means invite your friends and the people you meet at Gencon! The more interest we gather in ICE games the better!
Bruce
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I'm filling out my schedule now and see 2 Rolemaster fantasy events listed. The Bandits of Tol Mabor and Riders of Rohan. Unfortunately, both conflict with something else and I have to make both option 3 at those times.
I think they still may be accepting new events for a little while longer. So, I was just wondering if someone might still be working to add another RM game.
Or maybe is there a forum pick-up game planned?
I just took a look at the HARP games that were mentioned. Looks like I could add 1 of those as a 2nd choice. I think I bought the books a LONG time ago, like the '90s, because I was buying everything from ICE, but I'm afraid I never actually read them. Would that be a problem? Or is it close enough to Rolemaster where I could figure it out? I'll have to see if I can find them in them in the meantime.
And I'm definitely up for a dinner or something after the con ends on Sunday. I always stay until Monday and never have anything to do on Sunday after it is over.
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Well, looks like I was mistaken. I think I was confusing the old hard back version of "Rolemaster Fantasy Role Playing" with HARP. I just remember the big blue emblem on those books and thought they were HARP books. It's been so long...
Is HARP a simplified version of RM? I vaguely remember something like that at one point. Anyway, I'll put it on the Wish List and see if I can get in.
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You could say HARP is a simplified version but it's not really the same. It's pretty easy to pick up especially if you have played RM as it has the same concepts only a less complex skill system and 9 stats. Though in truth you don't need any ICE gaming experience to play.
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Yup, the way Bruce explained it is correct. Very similar to Rolemaster (basic mechanics are about the same), but there are some differences and it is a little simpler. If you have played Rolemaster then you will likely be able to catch on to HARP very quickly (as the differences are not that large).
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Yeah, as the others said, if you know Rolemaster then HARP will be easy to pick up on the fly. It's close enough to an "RM Lite" that that's how I essentially look at it.
To put it very generically... it's sorta RM but...
The skill system is reduced in volume.
Attack and Crit tables are combined and bit more limited.
Spell purchasing is done by the specific spell that you can scale up rather than by list with various power levels of the same spell.
If you like RM, but you'd like it scaled back a bit, HARP is a great choice. (Not trying to sell you on it either... cause I actually prefer RM).
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Thanks for the HARP explanation. I remember always seeing it on the website, but I never really knew what it was.
Looking though my books last night did remind me that I need to skim through the old RM again to refresh my memory. Wolfhound's Gen Con RM event from 2 years ago is the only RM I've been able to play since like the mid '90s and I've forgotten so much. But I'm thinking I should be fine for a 1-shot after going through the books once or twice.
Also glad to hear that there might be a booth next year. Many years ago, I was walking down an aisle and saw a gap between 2 booths with just a paper sign on the back wall, a closet type shelf rack in the corner, and a woman on a folding chair. I was quite shocked when I saw ICE on the sign. They had been missing for years before and then just appeared in such a sad way. And then disappeared again the next year. It'll be great to see a real ICE booth again after all these years as Gen Con is really my only chance to catch up on all the gaming products every year.
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Also glad to hear that there might be a booth next year. Many years ago, I was walking down an aisle and saw a gap between 2 booths with just a paper sign on the back wall, a closet type shelf rack in the corner, and a woman on a folding chair. I was quite shocked when I saw ICE on the sign. They had been missing for years before and then just appeared in such a sad way. And then disappeared again the next year. It'll be great to see a real ICE booth again after all these years as Gen Con is really my only chance to catch up on all the gaming products every year.
Oddly enough, I bet that may have been 2008 and my wife perhaps? (https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/yourphotos?pid=5238218307970545570&oid=110498867931037290791 (https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/yourphotos?pid=5238218307970545570&oid=110498867931037290791) - if visible here). We helped at the booth that year when the folk from Cloven Fruit handled it for ICE ...
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Wolfhound's Gen Con RM event from 2 years ago is the only RM I've been able to play since like the mid '90s and I've forgotten so much. But I'm thinking I should be fine for a 1-shot after going through the books once or twice.
Hope you enjoyed it. Mind if I ask which group you were in and which character you had played (as then I'll have a face to associate with your forum ID)? I have only seen a couple of forum ID's that I recognized as having been participants in the games that first year. A few of the people from last year I already knew through the forums, so that was great to actually be able to meet them in-person (such as Cory and Bruce, also met OldMan both years but he didn't particpate and we didn't get a chance to talk much).
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I'm pretty sure it was 2 years ago. You were play testing the rules. It was the one where the party was hired to break into a warehouse and "evict" the slavers that had taken over.
I was in the group that went over the roof. At the time, I think you said we were the only ones that did that. Think we ended up coming in 2nd or 3rd in points.
I was lucky in that our table was mostly RM vets. It was fun just being able to talk a little RM after so long and hear old RM stories. The other couples were a blast to play with. I've got some of the events this year on my wish list. We'll see what I come up with. Even if I don't get them, I might wander by if I can and maybe sneak in with some generics if there is space.
Or maybe meet up with some of you if there is an after-con get together like someone mentioned.
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Out of all my events so far there is one open spot on Saturday, 5 on Friday, and all are still open on Thursday. Hopefully they will all get filled. But if anything for those that are interested please try and fill up Friday and Saturday first.
Bruce
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Well I don't remember which day I registered for but I managed to get into one of the Harp adventures this year. So I'll see you there in July/Aug. 87)
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Sweet! I hope to see you and a few others (esp wolfhound) at the same table. I think we would have an awesome time.
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For anyone else that is interested, as of right now there are 4 open spots for HARP on Friday at Gencon. The times are from 10am till 2pm. If you have never tried HARP now is the time, if you have tried HARP then why not try it again? Who knows, you might actually have a great time!
Bruce
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Sweet! I hope to see you and a few others (esp wolfhound) at the same table. I think we would have an awesome time.
I'd like to make it, but unfortunately 10:00-2:00 isn't going to work for my wife and I, but I'll try to at least swing by at some point during one of the sessions.
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Correction, I went ahead and signed myself and my wife up to participate in the Friday game (but we will be bringing something to eat for lunch to the session, due to it running through lunch time).
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LOL... I was told that was the best time to run a game. Not to early not to late. I'll eat just before then shortly after. I look forward to seeing you guys there.
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It looks like all my slots are filled, which is awesome! I just hope I get full tables.
Are those that are going still planning on meeting up again like we did last year for dinner on Sunday?
I was thinking possible someplace slightly cheaper than where we ate last year would be nice and probably better for some people. I'm easy so just about any place is good.
An alternative would be if everyone has a smartphone (Android for me) there might be some kind of app we could download so that if we are nearby each other and it's lunchtime we could send a message. Anyone know of an app like that?
Bruce
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I avoid eating at the 'normal' times at GenCon. Easier to deal with the crowds that way.
While I'm not going this year, I think a cheaper place to eat is a good idea for a meetup. I was actually surprised everyone seemed good with a more expensive place last year.
There's also a Champs on W Washington St and S Illinois St that is not marked on Google Maps (about one block from the center)
Bucci di Beppo would be good if you're getting at least six people or so (about two blocks from the center)
Indianapolis Colts Grill wouldn't be bad (about one block from the center).
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An alternative would be if everyone has a smartphone (Android for me) there might be some kind of app we could download so that if we are nearby each other and it's lunchtime we could send a message. Anyone know of an app like that?
There is a free app - LINE
Once you set up your account you can create a chat group to easily communicate real time... or the other option is to simply use group text messages. Have someone get everyone's cell phone # and send out one before Gencon, then people just reply to that when appropriate. Sometimes it can get messy when you mix iPhones and Andriods though.
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Thanks Thom and Corey but it doesn't seem like there are any others that are going are interested in meeting up. There haven't been any responses on here nor have I received any PMs. It's all good though. There is a chance that people are not subscribed to this thread and forget to check back. Maybe some will check in before Gencon and hopefully sometime soon.
Bruce
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I will try and drop by one of the sessions, as I did last year.
Regards,
Old Man
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I will try and drop by one of the sessions, as I did last year.
Regards,
Old Man
As are most in this forum that are going. This was about a luncheon or some kind of gathering to sit and talk a bit. It's not that big of a deal as I understand it's difficult to try and get together with friends and such with all that is going on at Gencon.
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I will try and drop by one of the sessions, as I did last year.
Regards,
Old Man
As are most in this forum that are going. This was about a luncheon or some kind of gathering to sit and talk a bit. It's not that big of a deal as I understand it's difficult to try and get together with friends and such with all that is going on at Gencon.
yeah I know that ... just saying I'd drop in. If you do get even a random gathering organized (one group I know just meets in the ICC at one cafe on Sunday morning ... ) then I may do that as well.
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My wife and I may be able to make it, but not positive yet. But I'm not at the mercy of several other people this year like I was last year were I needed to leave earlier than I was expecting, instead it is a matter of if my wife is willing to stick around for such a get together (and she is usually agreeable to such things, but won't know until that day since this is her first time going to a gaming convention).
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I am trying to organize something like that but I don't know the area that well to set something up. I would like to try for something in the afternoon after the exhibit hall closes on Sunday.
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Just FYI, and I had/have no issue with this so no one worry about it, but last year I really wasn't able to get solid answers out of many people on where, when, and how many people were going to show up... so I just picked a place and time that seemed like it had the best chances based on what I did know... and we did have several people show.
Trying to pick a time out that works for everyone is, imo, impossible DURING the Con, which is why I just went with Sunday after the merchant hall closed. Although I think next time around I'd make it a cheaper place.
So... in the end, if you're a week out and no one has given solid answers, just pick a time and place, let everyone know and leave the rest to the dice. ;)
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Yeah that is good, but I think I would need someone else to pick a place. At least someone who knows a decent place where we can sit, relax, and chat.
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Based on last year I'd say go to Champs. It's only a block away and is on par with The Ram, which might be much busier.
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I'll see if anyone here responds and wants to meet up sometime Sunday afternoon, after the floor closes.
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Sunday afternoon would be easier for my wife and I, but I can't guarantee that I can make it until closer to that time.
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That would be cool.
I'll just go ahead and set it up then.
For anyone who is interested I am setting a dinner for all us ICE fans to meet up on Sunday at Champs at 430pm. I believe the exhibit hall closes at either 3 or 4pm (not sure).
Please post in here who is actually thinking of attending and how many so we can have it set up....
Bruce
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probably 2
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I am still thinking about the place. I have been told that Champs food isn't that good (particularly that one). So I am going through some options and will post here...
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I ate at Champs twice in 2014 and I thought it was fine, not really any better or worse than The Ram or the HRC. However... go through this list that I still have from 2014 and see if anything jumps out. Keep in mind all these places, if completely overrun by con-goers might suffer due to how busy they might get. I think that was the problem we had with The Old Spaghetti Factory (i.e. things were semi-cold when brought out). I've eaten at the bolded ones.
Indianapolis Colts Grille (not spectacular, but passable).
Ike & Jonesy's
The Old Spaghetti Factory (pretty much the same everywhere but I was NOT impressed when we ate there in 2014)
Hooters (pretty much the same everywhere)
Claddagh Irish Pub
Kilroys Bar & Grill
The Ram (pretty much the same everywhere)
Tilter Kilt Pub & Eatery
Hard Rock Cafe (pretty much the same everywhere)
Scotty's Brewhouse
Buca di Beppo (this place tends to have good food, but you need to have around six people to be worth it (group dishes)).
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I've only eated at the Tilted Kilt (last year) and it was okay and the Colts Grille (which was probably the worst place I ate at last year, but not what I would call awful just took forever to get our food (waited 20 minutes before we knew who our waiter even was and took more than an hour to get food)), but have to say that the Claddagh's in Lansing MI is one of my favorite restaurants but no idea how the one in Indianapolis is.
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Out of all the places Corey listed I can get some really good coupons for Ike and Jonesy's, as others can also at restaurant.com. Look for restaurants within 1 mile and enter this code "MEETUP". Basically with that code you can get a $10 gift certificate for $2. But I believe you have to do it tonight. I am trying to see how long the coupons are good for and if I can use them during Gencon.
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Just about a week away! Anyone think about meeting up the last day?
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I'm packing up for Gen Con tonight! I'll have even more family in tow this year and we weren't able to book an attached hotel, so we will have to see how that works out. I've got a RMU event ticket this year so I'm sure I'll see some of you there!
Happy Con to everyone, and for those who can't make it, wish you were there!
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We are packing as well. I'll see whether our free time intersects with any RM(U/C/2/SS) events and drop by.
Safe trip to all traveling!
Old Man
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We just got here. I have to say coming a day early is such a great idea. For those that are coming that haven't left yet please IM me your phone or I will IM you mine and we can talk about meeting up... Of course I am runnng a HARP game on Thurs through Sat from 10am til 2pm if anyone wants to stop by.
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What about meeting in the food court at the convention center and figuring out where to go from there?
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Sorry NanoEther but I usually don't check the forums once Gencon starts. I posted arriving at Gencon because the day after was a relaxing day for us, not so the next few days....
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Unfortunately my wife and I had to head out of town right away at 3:00.
BTW, good game Bruce. We enjoyed it.
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As I did having you as players. I am glad you did enjoy it and I hope all the players had a similar enjoyable experience.
My first game on Thursday was almost a flop as I only had three players show up. One gave me his friend's ticket because he could not make it so I essentially had 4 players. We still played, and the one guy familiar with HARP played two characters (both the mage and the cleric). The Thursday and Friday games were much better as we had 5 players in both and we had lots of fun. On those two days I scaled up the adventure and put in a Battle Demon instead of the standard "Binding Demon" that was normally part of the adventure. I used the adventure "Island in the Mist" from one of the Guild Companion articles as suggested by Nicholas. Each time the adventure went pretty much the same all three days with differing endings each time (though the groups succeeded in all their goals). The third day was the toughest day as I think at least three characters used up all their fate points and the other two had used at least 1 fate point. They all enjoyed it and at one point I mentioned bringing in more skeletons but the table consensus was that it was already pretty difficult. I believe fate points were primarily spent to avoid failing their resistance rolls against the demon and skeletons fear effects and to penetrate the Battle Demons really high DB. But there were also a few spent on avoiding some major crit damage from my few limited high attack rolls. One guy spent a fate point to hopefully do more damage to the Battle Demon but did not roll high enough to make that much of a difference. I think he did like 8 points of damage with no other crit results. I will post the nine characters with their backgrounds to the vault once I get them all combined (backgrounds and character sheets) so that others can use them in the future.