| What You’d Like to See… |
What You Want Not to Change |
How I See It… |
| Limit Length
1: The Pre-Cons should wrap up during
the Pre-Con period. One of the reasons I don’t attend them as
much as I used to, is that some tend to go on for one or more
days during the main convention after Pre-Cons are ostensibly
over. I understand that enthusiasts of a particular game or game
system want to get in as much
time as possible with their favorite game, but there seems to
be an
over-emphasis on formats that take too long to crown a champ—and Pre-Cons are one of the worst offenders in this area. If
you are a GM that can’t wrap up your Pre-con in a couple of days
of dedicated play, then maybe your event shouldn’t be a Pre-Con. |
See Comments on “Length” above:
Don’t change the Precons 2: The WBC is a commitment. Once you make the commitment
to be there you are there for the full deal and you want to get
in as much gaming as possible. I’ve come from Australia or Texas
to make that commitment… time and expense. Shortening the bang
for buck and creating more scheduling conflicts in the process
would be a very disappointing outcome. / I like being able to
concentrate on one type of game (in my case, 18xx) for a few
days before things get hectic. |
I’ll admit to not being in favor of events
that straddle both the Pre-Con weekend and extend into the regular
WBC week for the simple reason that they confuse people. I recall
dealing with one disgruntled attendee who couldn’t understand
why his WBC badge did not allow him to play during the Pre-Con.
“Because you didn’t pay for the Pre-Con and WBC doesn’t
start till Monday” didn’t seem to placate him.
The fact of the matter is that Pre-Cons incur
extra expenses—and as far as the hotel is concerned—since
we don’t sell out the hotel during the Pre-Con, the space we
require increases our liability greater than the same space does
during the week. |
| Rotation of Events
or eliminate Pre-Cons 3: I always
miss a few games I’d like to play because they are forever locked
in Pre-Cons. / All games should be available during WBC week. |
|
Eliminating Pre-Cons
would increase the number of schedule conflicts which is easily
the most common complaint. Rotating events in and out of Pre-Con
slots is strictly a matter of GM choice. GMs are free to take
their events out of Pre-Con slots. Presumably they don’t do so,
because they prefer them where they are—either due to personal
preference or a belief that they are more successful as Pre-Cons.
The reverse is not true by the way since our Pre-Con space is
limited. We would not move shorter games into Pre-Con slots. |
| Pre-Cons for Failing
Events 1: Use the Pre-Cons for games
not popular enough to qualify for the Century. |
|
There’s a recipe
for failure. Expect events which aren’t popular enough to compete
during the week to draw people to a Pre-Con. Don’t think so.
The object of Pre-Cons is solely to extend the week to lessen
conflcits for events whose length makes them less viable during
the week. Lessened competition would not do much for events which
aren’t popular enough to draw people on their own. |
| Pre-Cons as Handicap
1: I would rethink the Pre-Con system,
especially for games that can be played in a reasonable amount
of time like Hannibal or War of the Ring. These could be much
more popular if they were offered during the regular convention. |
|
Actually, it is pretty
much proven that the opposite is true. Hannibal for instance
has never been more popular than in its Pre-Con slot. The longer
games tend to fare worse during the week since their length makes
them expensive in terms of other events given up to participate.
Exchanging attendance for less competition is a good trade for
events that can attract players willing to concentrate on just
that event. |
| Pre-Con as Con
1: Remove the exclusive Pre-Con designation.
Many popular events overlap from Mon-Sun. Move some into the
Pre-Con weekend and just make the start date for the convention
on that Saturday. |
|
Your suggestion officially
turns the convention into a nine-day event while many already
complain a week is too long. We are already limited in space
during the Pre-Con weekend because we cannot sell out the hotel
for the early weekend. Weekends are prime time for convention
hotels and the Host books that time to other clients. The current
Pre-Con format allows us to extend the week for the limited number
of people who want that option without burdening the rest of
the membership with the passed on cost/liability of booking all
that space for nine days IF it were available (it isn’t). This
is why we tell people in advance that there is no Open Gaming
space available during the Pre-Cons—because there isn’t! |
