Test of Concept: North East 'Day' Convention ala CCow

[ImpossibleGears]

ha, awesome!

it's mainly going to be spreading the word as much as possible, we've got a great venue just screaming out to be filled by eager gamers - and I know there's a lot of people been after an event like this in the North East - we're especially interested in clubs and societies who may benefit from meeting new players, there's almost certainly players out there who aren't aware that there's a games club in their town and it'd be nice to put them in touch - I want to actively encourage clubs, companies and independent stores in the wider area to promote the hell out of themselves, it's good for them and it's good for the hobby

We want to help make a gaming community, all being well (and it seems the interest is there) I'd like to run EP a few times a year to just get folk together to chill out and have a laugh about THAT fumble, THAT ill conceived PC plan and the time we killed the villain mid-soliloquy... I just think it's good to refresh the gaming waters on occasion, to try a new game, a new GM or new players

We're probably going to sell tickets for the event through Facebook, purely because interest is coming in from as far afield as Northumberland, North Yorkshire and Carlisle and if we only sell on the door their could be people disappointed when the venue gets to capacity - it just doesn't make sense and wouldn't be fair

I put a shout out on the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Experien ... 3520769212) for information on clubs and retailers we're not yet aware of to be pointed out so we can get in touch, if anyone has any to add it'd be a great help

and of course any feedback and thoughts would be appreciated - this is, in a very important way, YOUR event and should grow as such

[catty_big]

We're probably going to sell tickets for the event through Facebook

Any chance you could sell tickets somewhere other than Facebook? Otherwise, for folks not on Facebook,

it... wouldn't be fair

[ImpossibleGears]

There will also be a non-Facebook website up and running in the next few days

[zackspacks]

Hiya
I have posted a couple of questions on the FB group just now, although I thought I would also post on here too, as there is probably a slightly different audience.

Firstly, good to see something happening in the north east, and many thanks or organising this. As it is only half an hours train ride away from myself, and I am free that day, you can count me in. I have posted on FB about running some stuff, but TBH if you already have it pretty much planned, I am more than happy to turn up and play.

A few things have come to mind though ( similar cross post on FB btw )
a) Are there any RPG slot times ?
b) Will the music be in a different area to the RPG's ?
c) Is the finish time, the time we get kicked out, or is it the time that games have to end by ?

cheers
Paul

[Neil Gow]

Yeah, I'll chip in with at least one session of Beat to Quarters too. Its been a while since anyone has sunk a French frigate in anger at my table!

[ImpossibleGears]

We have the venue from 10am till 5pm - after that the room becomes a 'fun casino' where you can stay on and have another drink or two while being shown the ropes by experienced croupiers without risking any money

Once more people come forward as you have with games to run I can come up with an itinerary for the day and players can bag themselves a seat at whatever table/tables they like - 3-4 hour games would fit in pretty well as you could certainly fit 2 in on the day

Over the next couple of weeks I'll make a master list of who's doing what, when, how long it should last and which table they'll be on and post it on here and on the upcoming dedicated website

Several local Games/Miniature companies are coming along too, which should be awesome - rather than having stalls and such I'm encouraging them to run games and mix with gamers on a one-to-one basis - I just think it's a better way of doing it as it lets them chill out with hobbyists instead of being stuck behind a stall for the day. Traders also pay the same entry fee as everyone else, I'm not interested in milking small independent companies, it's not good for them and it's not good for the hobby - same goes for clubs and societies - if you want to promote your group then feel free, bring cards or flyers and go nuts! (well don't start licking the carpet or hugging your legs while gently rocking and muttering, but you know what I mean)

Music wise there'll be background stuff on for atmosphere if it's required, our house band will only be playing a few tracks to give people a flavour of what to expect from our massive 2 day event in Sunderland in August (Miscellarium - there will be a rpg section there, we're looking for entries into the Miscellarium RPG scenario competition too)

It's good to have positive feedback about EP and I'm looking forward to it immensely - though the organisational stresses may inflict some sanity loss

[ImpossibleGears]

and the Casino folk are surprisingly chilled and easy going - so a bit of packing up time at the end should be totally fine as long as games finish at about 5

The silent auction will finish at around 4:30 to give everyone a chance to complete transactions - for those of you who don't know, the silent auction works like this:

1. seller displays whatever they want to sell
2. seller chooses a minimum bid and writes it on the bid sheet for that item
3. bidders who want the item write their name and bid on the bid sheet
4. other bidders can bid higher amounts (a minimum of 25p extra per bid)
5. at the end of the trading period whoever bid the highest for the item wins and exchanges the item for cash in a private transaction

there is no fee for the silent auction and we don't take a percentage of sales - I just figure there must be other gamers with stuff they never use and other gamers who'd love to get their hands on it - and why pay eBay when you don't need to?

[ImpossibleGears]

tickets for Experience Point are now available the the Impossible Gears Facebook store - go to www.facebook.com/ImpossibleGears and click on 'shop now' - 2 kinds are available, eticket' to print at home or 'physical' which will be posted - physical tickets do have a surcharge to cover printing and postage...if you are a trader please contact me at danieldunlavey@impossiblegears.co.uk before you purchase your ticket(s) so I can ensure you get a 'trader' ticket (same price as the standard ticket, but allows you in 30 mins early to get set up)

The dedicated website for non-Facebook users will be online in the next 2 days

[ImpossibleGears]

sorry for the delay - The Experience Point website is now up and running - www.epnewcastle.co.uk - you can buy tickets there and check out the venue too

[catty_big]

sorry about the delay - The Experience Point website is now up and running - http://www.epnewcastle.co.uk - you can buy tickets there and check out the venue too

Looks like it'll be difficult to get there this time, but I'll put it on my watch list and will try to make it next year. Hope it goes well.

[ImpossibleGears]

I'm getting the itinerary together - several tables are reserved for clubs and demonstration games and some RPGs are looking for players - still looking for people with games to run - it'd be fantastic if every club represented at EP had at least 1 table (and therefore 2 games, a morning and afternoon session) so that gamers can see how they roll

Tickets are now on sale through www.facebook.com/ImpossibleGears and the experience point website (www.epnewcastle.co.uk) - if you want to save on postage AND ink you can pick up tickets from me and pay in cash when I'm in travelling Man Newcastle next, you need to PM me first though as all tickets carry the buyers name along with a security code - I will be in TMN on Wednesday 25th between 12 and 1

[ImpossibleGears]

I'm hitting Travelling Man on Wednesday 25th between 12 and 1ish if anyone wants tickets for Experience Point without having to use PayPal, or just fancies a chat about gaming - if you want a ticket comment on here so I can make sure you're name is pre-printed on the ticket and assign you a security number