Untold @ DragonCon

If it's possible, we'd love to help out...

Cool!

Keep us posted/let us know what the conditions that trigger "possible" are and we'll go from there. :)

Has Cap established a dialog with the Gaming folks for Dragon*con, and have they confirmed we're good to go? Being the world's largest fan-run (volunteers all) convention, I would just want to make sure the policy is the same this year, and that the left-hand and right-hand at Dragon are talking with one another. I'm also reaching out to one of my friends who ran games the past few years, to double check the contact names and any other info I can glean.

Cap is working it - making sure the deal is still good this year, etc. :) Any info you find out, please post it here.

I'm interested to know the details too. We had decided against Dragon*Con for monetary reasons but certainly could clear our calendar and make arrangements for travel and room (much less than admission unfortunately).

Awesome - thanks, LK!

I am hoping you got from Lumberklik's message that both of us are willing to run demo's, etc. But just in case...

I did not know, but great!

The major convention hotels (Mariott, Hyatt, Hilton) have been pretty much sold out since last year's convention. I don't have a good handle on the other hotels within walking distance, but rumor has it there are four(4) events downtown that weekend.

If you have to get a hotel "away" from the convention, getting one close to a MARTA rail station is a good idea. MARTA runs from 6AM to 1AM, and stops just outside the Hyatt. A four-day pass (unlimited rides for period) is $13.00. I'd also suggest some coordination of the out-of-towners to stay at the same hotel if they can, especially if there is any commute to and from the station (free daily parking at many).

I'll be taking MARTA to and from my apartment; I don't have any capacity to host anyone or I would offer.

If we can get enough folks to commit, I will call some of the local hotels near the MARTA stations and see if we can get a group rate. :)

Yes, a MARTA accessible hotel is part of the plan. Just trying to learn the particulars of getting in...

Okay....so far we have been accepted as an event at Dragon..... I need to know who is going, and how many games they will be running. These are four hour slots and five or more events gets a free badge. I am waiting to hear if that is one for total events or if we run 15 can we receive 3 badges. I need confirmations on attendance as we had to pull out last year and would not like to do so again.
Post here or att he demo email.
Thanks!
Cap

Will Untold actually have a booth? There's a reason I ask...

My attendance is, unfortunately, dependent upon the provision of free rooming - which further conversations have made clear is unlikely to be possible. I don't have a very significant cash flow to put into this sort of thing, given the lack of paid employment, and gas and food for a trip to another state would be enough of a drain on my limited resources without throwing in hotel costs.

Unless a miracle happens and this changes, I probably won't be able to attend. Sorry guys.

Ben, Untold will NOT have a booth @ Dragon.

MHM, contact Hall - he may have a place where you can stay.

ko folks, Good news I have a place for us to crash! It is 10-15 min North of the venue at my cousins place. She is cool with us pullin up some floor space so bring a sleeping bag/air mattress. Parking will be a bit touchy so anyone that can hook up with anyone else would be great. Parking at the con ranges from $5 - $30 a day. if we can all pile in one vehicle GREAT! I'm looking into MARTA as well. Bob if you can clue me in to that availability we will be staying at

970 Sidney Marcus Blvd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324

either way it looks like food and a portion of the parking is all we hafta worry about. BE (the cuz) knows a KILLER Mexican restaurant and I can whup up a batch of homemade chicken and dumplings if we want to cut cost even further. All I need ta know now is who's coming. so sound off and we'll figure out carpooling after dat.

@Cap:
I'm willing to do demo sessions to earn the badge, and as many as needed. Dragon*con just published the pre-con booklet (here: http://publications.dragoncon.org/pdfs/2010/2010-Progress_Report-web-ver...) and there are four (4) gaming sessions each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and two (2) on Monday.

Friday --- Saturday - Sunday --- Monday --- Time
Session 01 Session 05 Session 09 Session 13 9:00 am–1:00 pm
Session 02 Session 06 Session 10 Session 14 1:00 pm–5:00 pm
Session 03 Session 07 Session 11 ---------- 6:00 pm–10:00 pm
Session 04 Session 08 Session 12 ---------- 10:00 pm–2:00 am

My suggestion is that once you know who all is available, set up a schedule, so we all know who is running when. There are fourteen slots, and if we take 3 tables each slot, and we have 6 GM's, that's 7 sessions each. If we drop the last session each night, that's only 5 sessions each. I'd also suggest no GM have back-to-back sessions if possible. Gaming is at the Hilton in the basement. The main gaming room is shared between board-games, miniature gaming, and card-gaming. The primary role-playing is one or two floors up, and gets much less walk-by traffic, so I'd suggest getting in by the card gamers. There is some limited role-playing in the main room as well (including the infamous DnD/d20 Cheese Grinder). There are lots of opportunities for pickup gaming of any kind during the con, as well as scheduled events.

@Hall:
The closest MARTA station is Lindbergh Center, between a quarter- and half-mile from the address you gave. Parking at the con itself is pretty much impossible, and costly as well.

@everyone:
Normal MARTA rates are $2 per trip, but for $13 you can get unlimited trips for 4 days, so if you plan on being there all four days of the con that will save you some money. Parking at the MARTA station is free if you get out before the trains stop and MARTA closes at 1am or so (note the last session each day runs until 2am). The MARTA site for the convention is Peachtree Center -- that's about a 10 min or less ride from Lindbergh. Trains run every 15 minutes or so Friday, 20-30 mins apart Weekends and Holidays. MARTA information is available here: http://www.itsmarta.com/

The nearby food courts do a booming business during Dragon*con, are typical mall-food and generally crowded (but the people-watching during the con is a blast). There are some regular restaraunts nearby, but waits fro seating typically run long all convention weekend. I'd strongly suggest bringing water and snackages for the gaming room itself. The con is spread across three (3) major hotels (the Hyatt, the Mariott, and the Hilton -- all 20+ stories). Review the PDF booklet above to get a rough overview of all the activities.

Attendance is typically 40,000 or so folks, so it does get crowded.

Please ask questions: I'm a local, and I've been to the convention 12 of the past 15 years.

Thanks a ton, Bob! This is awesome info!! :)

Thanks Bob! Please those attending post waht you are willing to run so I can set the times and get the badges I can out of it.
Thanks a ton!
Cap

First off, Thanks Bob that is EXACTLY the info I was looking for! you rock! I will undoubtedly be the weaker of the GM's present. I can run games but would also like the ability to walk the area and talk shop with folks. so plug me in where needed.

Since it looks like I *can* make this due to the provided rooming, I'm going to basically say that I'm open for running games at any time you need me to - though I'll admit that I'm not a morning person and thus generally am likely to be a bit "sluggish" (to put it mildly) if I'm going to be starting off a 9am session. Regardless, however... I intend to be there to GM games for you folk, and thus I *will* GM games for you folk whenever you need me to do so.

My wife, Mary Talbot, has agreed to GM if needed. What's cool (and the surprise) is she has never GM'ed any RPG before -- the openness of Untold has pulled her into giving it a try. I'll be coaching her between now and the con, as well as using that time to practice my demo pitch ("How to read an Untold card" and "Make a character in record time", as taught to me by Ashy at Imagicon).

Also, while I know there won't be a booth, will there be any ability for anyone to buy product at the con? I'm looking to pick up the latest decks if I can, and I think it might be nice if someone got hooked during a demo and could buy something there (maybe just the Starter Sets?).

I wish Dovebear would try it. She'd be a great GM.

And actually, her idea for pushing product at Dragon was having people walk around with the little trays that you see at sporting events. No booth necessary, just the occasional refill.

That is hilarious, Ben! I love it!!! :P

Bob - to answer your question, I don't think we'd be allowed to sell anything at Dragon unless you have a booth - big no no. There MIGHT be a slim possibility if some of the WM's writer pals go, but that's a slim one. I'll work it, however!

Glad to hear that Mary's looking into becoming a GM! That's awesome; do you think she'd be ready for "prime time" by Dragon?

Ashy: let me answer that after this weekend, with the first training session with her.

Ben: One idea I had was Dovebear, Mary, and Melissa either doing a tag-team GM event, or at least sitting down and comparing notes sometime during the con. But yes, I think Dovebear would be a great GM, and I suspect Melissa would be too.

I need to get Mary signed up here on the forums as well.

Groovy on all accounts... :D

Badge pick-up: Pre-registrations and Staff typically can pick-up badges the night before (Thursday), as well as when the con starts at 9am Friday. *IF* we omit session 1, I can arrange to meet y'all at Lindbergh station and guide you in Thursday morning, since it sounds like I might be the only one with Dragon*Con experience. Staff lines (which the demo-team should count as) should be fast. Pre-reg lines (for friends and family) should only be about an hour. However, if someone waits to register and pay at the con itself, that line can be as long as *4* hours or so. Hint hint -- you have been warned.

Rather than omit the late sessions (4, 8, and 12), if one keeps the demos to 2 hours, that gives time to hit MARTA and head back before they shut down.

Anyone have any questions or other ideas?

Bob, how about you take lead on this (Cap's pretty covered up with work). Take charge of all the organization, create a schedule that you thinks work best and get everyone lined up. What'dya think?

@ Ashy: I think I can manage that -- Cap will still need to be the point-person with the D*Con folks (changing contacts with them now will only result in pain -- ours), but I'll collect names and set up the demo schedules.

FOLKS: Whether you've posted intent here or not, send me an email through the forum-contact feature. Include real name, board handle, and a cell phone number (in case I need to reach someone right before or at the con). If you come in after this, please let me *and* Cap know you coming (me for scheduling, Cap for badge).

If anyone has any scheduling constraints, please let me know here and via contact (so I have no excuse).

Based on Ashy's original post, and later posts, here are the names I have now:

• Captain Blood (Chief)
• Bob Slaughter
• Hall
• Many Hatted Man
• Stigs
• Ben
• Lumberklik
• Melissa
• Mary Talbot

That's 9 GM's, so unless someone bows-out, we should be good, but we won't turn away any help, but may not be able to promise badges.

I'll work out a tentative schedule this weekend and post it here.

Thanks, Bob! And yes, please keep Cap in the loop. :D

+500 UP for Bob!