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http://nolarpg.com/cgi-bin/NolaRPG/YaBB.pl New Orleans Roleplaying Connection >> Conventions >> BabelCon 2009 http://nolarpg.com/cgi-bin/NolaRPG/YaBB.pl?num=1216884751 Message started by Bayou Halfling on Jul 24^th, 2008 at 8:32am

Title: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Jul 24^th, 2008 at 8:32am

Registration
Register before December 31, 2008
$20 Discount: $25 3-Day SuperPass
..................
Register before March 31, 2009
$10 Discount: $35 3-Day SuperPass
..................
Register before July 6, 2009
$5 Discount: $40 3-Day SuperPass

Lifetime Registration
Register before July 31, 2008
1-Day Badge: $100
Full Event Badge: $150
Lifetime Merchant Table & Badge: $300

At-The-Door Admission Prices
3-Day Weekend SuperPass: $45
Friday-Only Badge: $15
Saturday-Only Badge: $35
Sunday-Only Badge: $20

Game Master Discounts
Host 4-hour Game: 40% Off Day Badge
Run 8-Hour Tournament: Free Day Badge

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Oct 17^th, 2008 at 5:12am

The new location for BabelCon 2009 is the "Cook Hotel" and the adjoining "Lod Alumni Center". This new location has many advantages over the other locations we've been:

* First and foremost -- if I am to believe our young, single volunteers -- the new location is on Sorority Row for the LSU campus, which is right next to the jogging track. I can see their point. Moving on... 8-)

* Second, and more seriously, the cost:benefit ratio is much better than we've had at any other location, including the Holiday Inn Select. This means in 2010 we can put more money into procuring bigger and better guest stars, increase our efficiency in various executive areas, and an expanding our advertising.

* Third, the location is right next to the lake on the LSU campus. Our fellow nerds, geeks, and dorks will be right at our back door, meaning a built-in attendee population. And don't worry about parking or traffic flow, as this area of LSU campus is not a closed traffic area - no passes are required for through traffic. Parking is free, and should be sufficient for our projected attendance figures.

* Fourth, the rules at this location are almost as lax as those we had at the Conference Center our first and second years. This means we plan on adding a) alcohol after 6pm, b) snacks near the game room, c) a hospitality suite, among other things.

* Fifth, this location is more secure that any we've had in the past. Not only does the merchant room lock tight (with wooden doors and actual walls), but the entire Lod Alumni Center is locked after con hours. Plus, there are only two entrances to the building, which means less doors to watch for potential gate crashers. In addition, there is no "through traffic" of non-attendees, because we're doing a total buyout of the facility.

* Sixth, most all of the rooms are in one location (the Alumni Center), rather than being distributed in two, three, or four halls and floors. There are two conference rooms in the hotel, but we will be using them as auxiliary rooms, not as main panel rooms.

* Seventh, the location is conducive to room parties, so this year BabelCon will sanction some room parties. Details on teh vetting process will be announced.

* Notable: Chimes and Walk-Ons restaurants a couple of blocks away, along with other fast-food places (Canes, Burger King, Jack-in-the-Box, etc).

So, without further ado, let me introduce to you the new location for BabelCon (barring any unforeseen calamities):

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

& Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

3838 Lakeshore Rd., Baton Rouge, LA 70808, (866) 610-2665

Ask for the "BabelCon room rate":
* $99 Standard Room (normally $145)
* $135 Deluxe Suite (normally $185)
* $325 Mega Suite

For more details, Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

For photos of the location: Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Red Priest on Oct 17^th, 2008 at 8:38pm

Looks like a great deal.

The only question I have is about parking. I used to live in Baton Rouge in the '90s, and I know that neighborhood (well, as it was in the '90s anyway) and I'd have a concern about parking. I don't recall that hotel being there, and parking would be a concern for that entire area. Does that hotel sufficient parking space to accommodate full room capacity? I'd hate to have to walk a block from my car to my hotel room.

I'm hoping my info is out-dated, cause otherwise it looks like a really good development for that convention.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Oct 18^th, 2008 at 5:12am

Red Priest wrote on Oct 17^th, 2008 at 8:38pm:

Does that hotel sufficient parking space to accommodate full room capacity? I'd hate to have to walk a block from my car to my hotel room.

My eyeball assessment of the parking lot is that its HUGE, and appears to be more than enough for the hotel capacity. The hotel is relatively new, having been built only 8 years ago.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Cybrludite on Jan 24^th, 2009 at 11:49pm

Any further word on the room party vetting? I might be interested in doing another run of the Bomb Shelter Bar & Grill. (The video/party room me & some friends ran at the final Crescent City Con. I also ran a solo party room at LibertyCon 20 up in Chattanooga, which was well received. (Even if my Hurricanes got me declared a threat to public sobriety... :D )

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Feb 7^th, 2009 at 9:40pm

Cybrludite wrote on Jan 24^th, 2009 at 11:49pm:

Room parties ARE allowed this year. The con is not sanctioning them, but the con is also not preventing them. Have fun!

Title: FREE BabelCon Badges!
Post by Bayou Halfling on Feb 7^th, 2009 at 9:43pm

BabelComp Program

That's right, you read correctly. Receive a FREE 3-day SuperPass with EVERY paid hotel room NIGHT. If you and your buddy stay for two nights, you get two free 3-day SuperPasses. Every paid night gets a free con badge.

All you have to do is pre-register by filling out the "BabelComp Free Badge Form" on the Registration page. Then, on the day of the convention, bring your PAID Cook Hotel receipt to the badge pickup desk, at which time you will receive your free con badge. This offer has a limited quantity, so sign up today. These badges will go fast!

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

FAQ: What if I already paid for my con badge through preregistration?
Answer: When you appear at the con registration desk with your hotel receipt, you will receive a refund along with your badge.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on May 1^st, 2009 at 7:09am

Kandyse McClure has been selected as the BabelCon 2009 celebrity guest. Kandyse portrayed Anastasia Dualla in the newest Battlestar Galactica TV series.

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

On the big screen, she has appeared in Romeo Must Die and See Spot Run, and on TV has guested on the Canadian series Level 9, Jake 2.0, Andromeda, and starred in the "Abduction" episode of the new Outer Limits. She also played "Annie Fisher" in two episodes of Dark Angel, a blind character with a seeing eye dog named Billy. Prior to Battlestar Galactica, she appeared in Da Vinci's Inquest, playing series regular "Marla", after previously guest-starring in that series in the role of "Lily".

The unique spelling of her name was done when McClure first entered into acting as a "kind of a joke". She initially changed it back to Candice, the original spelling, as seen in the Season 3 episode "Occupation", but she had the name changed back in order to avoid confusion. For more info, go here: Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

Tiffany Grant is the BabelCon 2009 Anime guest. She has worked on Neon Genesis Evangelion, in which she voiced the character "Asuka Langley Soryu". Grant is also known for portraying "Altena" in Noir and "Ryoko Subaru" in Martian Successor Nadesico.

Grant, along with a handful of other ADV contractors, also works with Fort Worth-based anime distributor FUNimation Entertainment on series such as Fullmetal Alchemist. Learn more at Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

Patrick Burns is the BabelCon paranormal guest for 2009. He is a paranormal investigator, best known as star of the TruTV (formerly Court TV) series "Haunting Evidence". In addition, Burns is the founder of the popular website Ghost Hounds, which in 2001 was featured in an Emmy award-winning Turner documentary "Interact Atlanta - 'Ghost Hounds'". Burns is also the organizer and director of Ghostock, a paranormal investigators convention held twice annually in Savannah, Georgia. For more info, go to Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

The new Horror track for BabelCon 2009 will be run entirely by The 13th Gate, voted the best haunted house in the U.S.A.! During the off-season, the haunt employs a year-round movie industry construction crew, which includes award-winning Scenic Artists, Set Carpenters, Lighting and Sound Technicians, and Special Effects Artists. Many of these crewmembers have an extensive portfolio of Hollywood movies that they have been involved in and it is their artistic talents that have set The 13th Gate apart from most Haunted Attractions.

During the Halloween season, over 100 professional actors, 12 special effects makeup and airbrush artists and several costume specialist work together to bring the terrifying show to life each night. And now they bring their talents to BabelCon! For more info, go here: Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

Greetings, my erstwhile lab rats! The Consortium of Genius will be running several rock-n-roll experiments at BabelCon on Saturday, July 18th from 8pm to midnight. Cost for the concert is FREE to all BabelCon attendees wearing a name badge! A small door fee is required for everyone else. All bow to the...

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

During our intermission, The Slow Poisoner will entertain your puny brains with his mystical sounds and miracle tonic! This one man surrealistic rock band hails from planet San Francisco:
Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

During our breaks, the Green Orion Girls will perform in their scantily clad belly dance outfits for your titillating pleasure! All of you will kneel and grovel before their commanding presence:
Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

For all other guests visit Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on May 18^th, 2009 at 3:26pm

The LAN room is confirmed for BabelCon. Click here for details:

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on May 22^nd, 2009 at 10:34pm

I don't have a lot of information on the Artist's Alley area yet, but I just wanted to let artists know there will be one at BabelCon this year.

Table rental is free, but you must sign up for it. Our first signup was 13th Gate, which will be doing movie-class monster makeup on attendees (face painting by professionals - I like it!).

For more information, or to sign up for a table, click here: Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Jun 19^th, 2009 at 9:31pm

The BabebComp "free badge with a hotel room" ends tonight at midnight.

Also, the reserved block of rooms ends tonight too, per the hotel. Get your reservations quickly or be left out in the cold!

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Jun 22^nd, 2009 at 7:13am

A scant highlight of some con events already on the books...

Friday
3:00 pm: Hotel panel room opens. Game & Video areas open.
7:00 pm: Celebrity "Meet-n-Greet & Eat" Pool Party, open to all BabelCon attendees free of charge. Meet the BabelCon guests, including Kandyse McClure, in a fun environment! Free food will be served. Cash bar available.
9:00 pm: Harry Potter movie outing at the Rave Theater (off site event).

Saturday
10:00 am: Opening show, "Rebels vs. Darkside" performance. All convention areas open, including Merchant, LAN, & Artist rooms. Panel discussions begin.
After 5pm> Costume & Cosplay Contest.
After 5pm> "Cool Things" Charity Auction.
8:00 pm: "Consortium of Genius" Rock Concert. Free admission for BabelCon attendees, $5 for everyone else! Cash bar available.
12:00 am: Midnight ghost stories in the Hospitality Suite.

Sunday
10:00 am: Convention opens, all rooms.
6:00 pm: Big closing show!

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Jun 22^nd, 2009 at 7:13am

BabelCon will be open the following hours:
Friday, 3pm to 9pm, hotel only. Includes any panel rooms, and the celebrity pool party in the room extant of the hotel lobby. Any rooms open for 24-hours do not close at all.
Saturday, 10am to 1am, alumni center.
Sunday, 10am to 6pm, alumni center.

There are 24-hour rooms in the HOTEL that are OPEN ALL NIGHT, every night. The above hours do not apply to them, as stated above.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
These rooms are open 24-hours:
Game Room.
Video Room.
Hospitality Suite.

When we say "open 24-hours" that means from the time the room first opens, its always open until the convention closes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The registration desk has the following hours:
Friday, 2:30 pm (hotel lobby)
Saturday, 9 am, (alumni center lobby)
Sunday, 9 am, (alumni center lobby)

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Red Priest on Jun 22^nd, 2009 at 7:08pm

How can the "free badge with a hotel room" end tonight? As I understand the procedure, it is to bring your hotel check-in with you to the registration desk when you show up at the con. Has that changed?

My wife, daughter and I are already registered with the con (weekend memberships) and have 1 hotel reservation for 2 nights.

Rob

Bayou Halfling wrote on Jun 19^th, 2009 at 9:31pm:

The BabebComp "free badge with a hotel room" ends tonight at midnight.

Also, the reserved block of rooms ends tonight too, per the hotel. Get your reservations quickly or be left out in the cold!

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Liam on Jun 22^nd, 2009 at 9:43pm

I'm thinking that yesterday or the day before was the last day to register for a room at the convention reserved price and to get the free con pass with such a room.

If you have the reservation already you are set... if you didn't get it yet, its too late.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Red Priest on Jun 23^rd, 2009 at 6:01pm

Liam wrote on Jun 22^nd, 2009 at 9:43pm:

Then I should be good, technically, because I made the room reservation weeks ago. Likewise on the con registration.

But, how are the people working the con registration desk going to know when I made my reservation? When you check into the hotel, all they give you is a room key. You don't get a receipt until you checkout of the hotel.

Bayouhalfling/Richard ... can you clear this up for me? :-/

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Jun 23^rd, 2009 at 8:13pm

The instructions and order form for Program Book Ads have been updated. You may download the PDF file here:

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

To pay online, you have to use the PayPal buttons on the BabelCon website:

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Jun 23^rd, 2009 at 8:17pm

[How can the "free badge with a hotel room" end tonight? As I understand the procedure, it is to bring your hotel check-in with you to the registration desk when you show up at the con. Has that changed?]

An integral part of the procedure was to register for the program using the online form, and make a hotel reservation. The only thing ending is the registration process for the free badges (because the hotel is no longer holding rooms).

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Jun 23^rd, 2009 at 8:20pm

Red Priest wrote on Jun 23^rd, 2009 at 6:01pm:

Liam wrote on Jun 22^nd, 2009 at 9:43pm:

Yes, that morning the hotel will give a list of all reservations/names to Sydney, who is doing the at-the-door registration. She'll even know what room you are in before you do :-?. She will cross check that list with the BabelCon internal list of people that signed up for the Comp program. If you're name is on both lists, then you get a free badge for each night you have reserved.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Jul 5^th, 2009 at 8:40pm

A low-res digital version of the 2009 Program Book is now available for download from the Schedule page at Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

, but it is still subject to change. An 8-1/2 x 11 professionally printed version will be available at the convention.

~Randy

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Red Priest on Jul 20^th, 2009 at 5:30pm

Wow.. I can't say enough how disappointed I am with the gaming situation at BabelCon.

I am disappointed with the lack of support I encountered this past weekend at babelcon. Their on-line gaming registration system, and their frequent postings to this group, and others, regarding gaming at babelcon led me to believe that gaming was an organized event at this convention. Soon after arriving at the con, I was readily corrected in this assumption.

Although I registered my game well over a month prior to the con, there was no record of my game whatsoever. In fact, there was no record of any game to be run. It turned out that all gaming was open gaming, and tables were first come, first served. Considering there were only about a half dozen tables in the very small meeting room designated for gaming, this meant if you wanted to run a game in the afternoon, you had to stakeout and sit at your table all day. Sorry, I wasn't about to to do that.

Yes, I am not happy with the way babelcon treated their gaming guests. I was misled as to the organization of gaming and I feel duped.

I'll admit to being rather put off by the spamming around here by babelcon. Whereas it's nice to hear about the doings of local-ish conventions, it would be nice if the representatives would actually participate in this forum rather than just drop their spam here.

Not a happy camper at all. >:(

I made a very similar post on the bayou wars yahoo group. Babelcon is guilty of the same spamming on that forum as well. Their reps only post about their con, and never engage in general gaming discussion.

As one member of this forum, and dupe from the con, I'm tired of it. That said, if reps from babelcon want to be full participants in groups and forums, and not just view such places as Free Advertising, I would welcome them with open arms as full, participating members. Until then. Stop the spam.

Rob

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Admin account on Jul 20^th, 2009 at 5:54pm

Did the room registration go OK?

Your comments put me in a quandry about how to reply (as grand poobah of this forum). I don't want this site to be commercial. I pay out of my own pocket so the forum has no commercial ads. That said, posting about gaming events is certainly within the context of this forum so even if your assesment is correct, I'm not going to ask people not to post about upcoming events.

I also don't have a problem with any gaming store or company posting when they have a sale or that they got in the latest cool game or CCG. While that is commercial, again, its in the context of this forum. It seems to me that posting a link from ebay to a big collection of out of print books or minis or something is fair game. If someone did that weekly or daily I'd have a problem with it. I guess SPAM is in the eye of the beholder. (Posts about beholder eyes for sale are also fair game.)

I guess I am willing to tollerate a bit of nuscience posting if it relates to gaming and doesn't take over the forum.

That said, while I tollerant of postings about cons or whatever its also fair game to post your impression of the con or bad experiences you've had in the past. Again, as long as it doesn't become annoying predicitable spam. I'm not going to censor content as long as it remains civil and PG-13. (I do censor some language just because I want to be family friendly.)

In the end we have to remember that everyone plays for different reasons and they value the experience differently. Personally, I don't go to cons anymore because the entry fee just isn't worth it. To many of the vendors want collectable prices for old out of print stuff and I don't need a cover to get that. I just go to ebay for it.

So a thread for each con with updates if something changes is certainly fair. A single post with your personal opinion of that con is also fair. Anyone who wants the full on rant can PM the author for more details.

Hopefully the two of you will get to talking about the problems this time and maybe you can get free admission (other perks) for running the game room next year. Show him you can do it better. I know it would only take me a few days to write an app that would let people sign up on the web for table space and then anyone could see who had what and when before the con started.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Red Priest on Jul 21^st, 2009 at 4:53am

The room reservation and connected free passes worked great. I was just very annoyed about the gaming situation. So much hype, so little realization.

The rest of the con was fine. I enjoyed the three panels I attended and Consortium of Genius, and the Orion slave girls, were very entertaining.

Geez.. next time you hype gaming, just produce what you promise.

With that, my rant is done.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Ancient Goat on Jul 26^th, 2009 at 8:02pm

I have to concur with Red Priest.

Well, I decided to drive in from New Orleans to see this great turnout of gaming for Bablecon. So, after a half hour or so of trying to find my way around, through discussion rooms, meet the Renaissance Fest people, and the merch tables, I finally find myself in the hotel and not the Alumni Center. Down in the left side of the check in desk is the gaming room? Well...needless to say, it was about as big as my bathroom. 3 tables with 2 to 4 people at each...and one table with nobody around it. I was looking for the Red Priest...and the D&D table. Nope...not happening. Maybe I'm just out of the loop, but the games the few were playing were like Pokemon or Shoots and Ladders. LOL

About 10 minutes later, I find the Priest out in the hallway...but, no game (due to the reasons he's stated above). So, we just went to a room or two for some Firefly reenactments...and that's about it. Too bad...I really wanted to see some old school gaming and participate in a good battle.

I can't say the price for one day was worth it...but, maybe I should try another Con somewhere else. OR maybe we can take this over for next year and create our own turnout…with a larger room…and more tables.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by hewhorocks on Jul 27^th, 2009 at 3:13am

I tried to find out ahead of time what was what with gaming and found nothing listed in the program guide. I know a couple people wanted to run/play but with nothing in the program I figured mine as well stay home and clean out my garage. Judging from the reviews...glad I did.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Jan 8^th, 2010 at 11:29pm

Red Priest wrote on Jul 20^th, 2009 at 5:30pm:

Rob,

Let me start off by apologizing that your experience at BabelCon was not what you expected. Each year we solve new problems that crop up, and make corrections the following year. Unfortunately, the 2009 Game Room was hindered by a series of unfortunate occurences that may have led to some problems with proper execution of said Game Room activities.

First let me clear up a rumor, as there seems to be some misinformation, perhaps due to a miscommunication on the day of the event. There were two game rooms. The game room you spoke of, with 24-hour "open gaming", was the small room in the hotel. The large game room in the Alumni Center was the main game room, and thats where your game was scheduled to run (along with 14 other games). How you wound up in the auxiliary game room, I have no idea.

As to the game room, there were some issues behind the scenes. At the last minute, two bad things happened. One, the game room volunteer host dropped out on us at the last minute. It wasn't his fault, as he had some serious personal stuff to deal with, but it did cause major logistics problems.

This meant running the game room fell to me, as a backup, but I had already been contracted to work out of state that day, on a work gig 8 years in the making. My solution was to procure Little Wars, the Baton Rouge game store, to take over the two game rooms for the entire weekend. They were supposed to schedule and run the games, as well as sell products to the gamers.

When I returned on Sunday, I only heard good things about how the Game Rooms excecution went, so I did not probe any further. I am saddened to hear your experience was not on par with the rest of the convention goers. If there is anything I can do to make it up to you, I would be happy to do anything within my power.

If you, or anyone reading this, would like to help organize the game room for 2010, I would be happy to give you/them a free weekend Superpass.

As to the advertising here without participating (we are Bayou Wars sponsors, so that forum does not apply, but its true I do not know people on here, nor shop 100 miles from my home in Baton Rouge), I would happily engage anyone in conversation about games I am familiar. I only play Dungeons and Dragons, so if anyone wants to talk about it, I would do so with vigor. Seems like no one talks much about D&D any more. :(

Thanks,
~Randy

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by SombreNote Formally The DM on Jan 11^th, 2010 at 2:11am

A word about SPAMing.

These forums were originally designed by Liam and myself in order to be the networking hub for all the New Orleans gamers who wanted to see their past time achieve a reverie of health to pre-Katrina levels.

At the time of the forums inception we were the first dedicated New Orleans networking gaming resources, therefore the forum has happily grown.

We have always prudently welcomed the free advertising of New Orleans gaming events as long as they were concise and contained in one thread per event.

We have found that Babelcon events have essentially followed this tactful edict, and I do not feel it shameful that people have choosing to advertise here. I of course would like it if even the advertisers socialized here as well (and some do), but even their partial participation is helpful to our cause.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by pestigor on Jan 11^th, 2010 at 3:57am

I have to say I went to babelcon because of this forum. While I did not register for any games I expected to at least to find the game room on the convention map in the flyer. It took me and my group (6 of us) about 20 minutes of asking around before we were told that the gaming was in the other building and once we arrived we were very surprised to find a veritable closet instead of a game room.

In hind sight I now understand how the situation went from bad to worse. I don't mind the people behind babalecon talking up the gaming at their convention in these forums, I welcome it. I wish the gaming at babelcon wasn't treated as the bastard at a family reunion though. I went there expecting at least an open gaming area with at least twice the table space and at least a dozen games/demo's/tournament running.

That said I'd be willing to give babelcom2010 a try and see if they get their logistics fixed from last year. I'd be willing to run a pathfinder module or something pathfinder related at the con to "put my money where my mouth is" so to speak.

Halfling shoot me a pm and we can work something out.

Have dice-will travel!!!
_{better luck next year ;)}

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Red Priest on Jan 11^th, 2010 at 4:35am

Bayou Halfling wrote on Jan 8^th, 2010 at 11:29pm:

First let me clear up a rumor, as there seems to be some misinformation, perhaps due to a miscommunication on the day of the event. There were two game rooms. The game room you spoke of, with 24-hour "open gaming", was the small room in the hotel. The large game room in the Alumni Center was the main game room, and thats where your game was scheduled to run (along with 14 other games). How you wound up in the auxiliary game room, I have no idea.

The rest of the con was good enough, that I'd be willing to give the gaming portion a second chance. We need a good, relatively close, con with decent gaming.

That said, it's not a rumor that gaming was non-existent or at least incognito at the 2009 con. I asked repeatedly (at least 4 times Saturday morning) at the information & registration desk, and several volunteers here and there, about the gaming area. Nobody knew nuttin'. I had to find the gaming room that was in the hotel all by myself, as did ancientgoat. I have no idea where this mythical gaming area in the Alumni Center was supposed to be, because I checked all over the first and second floors, and no one affiliated with the con seemed to know either. That's not rumor, that's my first hand experience.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Jan 11^th, 2010 at 7:17am

Red Priest wrote on Jan 11^th, 2010 at 4:35am:

I have no idea where this mythical gaming area in the Alumni Center was supposed to be, because I checked all over the first and second floors, and no one affiliated with the con seemed to know either. That's not rumor, that's my first hand experience.

If you never found it, then it was indeed mythical!

Well, whether you found it or not, someone dropped the ball, and for that I am sorry. This year, BabelCon 4.5 is scaling down the con (half normal size) in order to ride out the bad economy. The 2009 attendance was down 50% over the previous year due to the stock market crash. Many cons did not survive.

Anyway, I am still trying to get the game room situation arranged, but when I do I will make sure to follow through MYSELF this year rather than relying soley on a volunteer. I have a system that worked in previous years (2006, 2007, 2008) that I will be instituting once again. You can still register games online (on the Games page of Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to

), but I will also include a page of registered games.

Once of the types of games we lacked last year is miniatures games. We had D&D games, board games, card games, and video games, but no miniatures (like Warhammer 40k or historical wargames). Thats disappointing. Hopefully this year we can get a few in.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Jan 11^th, 2010 at 7:21am

hewhorocks wrote on Jul 27^th, 2009 at 3:13am:

I tried to find out ahead of time what was what with gaming and found nothing listed in the program guide. I know a couple people wanted to run/play but with nothing in the program I figured might as well stay home and clean out my garage. Judging from the reviews...glad I did.

The game rooms were clearly marked on the maps, but the games themselves were not listed in the program guide. I was not allowed to include them because we were still adding games up until the first day of the convention. The final program guide had to be submitted several weeks before that.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Jan 11^th, 2010 at 7:27am

Ancient Goat wrote on Jul 26^th, 2009 at 8:02pm:

OR maybe we can take this over for next year and create our own turnout…with a larger room…and more tables.

That would be GREAT! I feel like tabletop gaming is dying, probably in favor of video/computer games.

BABELCON 4.5, GAME HOST DISCOUNTS:
Run a 4 Hour Game: $10 Off Day Badge
Run an 8+ Hour Game: Free Day Badge
(a weekend pass is $25)

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by SombreNote Formally The DM on Jan 11^th, 2010 at 6:55pm

Quote:

I feel like tabletop gaming is dying, probably in favor of video/computer games.

Its called World of Warcrack; taking away what little sociability the next dork generation has one click at a time.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Jan 11^th, 2010 at 7:12pm

At several cons I've given a panel discussion, called "The Death of Dungeons & Dragons". But its a very specific discussion on D&D and its last gasp. Perhaps I should change it to "The Death of RPGs" or "World of Warcrack: The Death of Tabletop Games".

Hmmm.....

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by SombreNote Formally The DM on Jan 12^th, 2010 at 2:33am

Very catchy title.

As you point out, it is not just D&D that is declining, but all RPGs. I am of the opinion that D&D 4.0 is a perfect example of the "Dumbing Down" of game systems in order for them to compete with World of Warcrack. This does not mean that I wanted D&D 4.0 to fail, even after I learned of its system flaws. Quite to the contrary I wanted D&D 4.0 to become something of a gateway drug so that budding gamers could transition from WoWc type addictive games, to something that is similar in cheese factor but STILL a table top RPG. As their tastes matured they might be interested in trying some of the more serious games out there.

I have not seen the new numbers yet but I suspect, WoWc have grown customers, sales for D&D 4.0 supplement sales have been constant, and other RPG games have lost in sales.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by hewhorocks on Jan 12^th, 2010 at 4:07am

I really think that the new eddition of D&D isnt so much dumbed down as streamlined. The Rube Goldberg Style of games have much more limited appeal. The approach of the current game is more accessible than at any point since the basic set. Still it is much more complex a game than what was offered way back when. I think D&D isnt in a "Last Gasp" any more than say cribbage is. Certainly it is no longer the pop icon it used to be. It has taken its place in the pantheon of pass-times the have outlived their Fad status and will continue to live on in the collective conscious with the Hula hoop, Rubix cube, the yo-yo and Tetris. All of these pass-times hit cultural relevance and then declined settling into the background as identifiable but not popular. So it will be for D&D and maybe to a lesser extent a few other RPGs.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Jan 12^th, 2010 at 6:04am

hewhorocks wrote on Jan 12^th, 2010 at 4:07am:

Agreed. Same thing happened to Glamour Shots. By "last gasp", I meant its last gasp as the dominant RPG. According to some industry insiders I've had on my panel, 4th Edition marginilized D&D, and put WotC on par (sales-wise) with many of its competitors.

Title: Re: BabelCon 2009
Post by Bayou Halfling on Mar 31^st, 2010 at 8:56pm

The good news is that we had about 15 more scheduled games at BabelCon 2010 than we had at BabelCon 2009, 14 of which went off without a hitch. The gaming signup book and assigned tables were a big plus, and all game masters on hand said their games went smoothly.

The bad news is that the people who submitted the Warhammer 40k tournament NEVER SHOWED. What is it with Warhammer organizers? Thats the third group of 40k players we've had, in five years, that submitted games but failed to deliver. From now on I am not even going to advertise a 40k game unless we have two other 40k games running at the same time.

Overall the gaming support was definitely an uptick from last year, when we had our gaming organizer bail on us at the last minute (due to a personal crisis - not his fault).

Now if we could just get some Warhammer 40k players who can follow through, we'd have a perfect gaming lineup.