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Guedoji
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9th Level
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Posts: 564
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Yes +1
And have an email go out to them that recommends users go read the rules and coordinate groups otherwise they may not get their prefered class.
Xavon wrote: Wayne Rhodes wrote: Xavon wrote: Mike Steele wrote: Xavon wrote: Grekel! wrote: edwin wrote: Brokkr wrote: No experience is required to create a forum account or use the app. The player is still free to show up with out doing either.
Reminds me of an rpg I signed up for at GenCon. I showed up and GM expected me to have a character in an online application. GM said email was sent out. What email since I expected event lisrings to define everything I need to do. No cost either. Delayed the game for 15 minutes for everybody. That would be an issue for TD since they have a schedule to maintain.
THIS!
NOT THIS!
I had a big rant typed out, but it was getting too long and too personal. But long story short, I find it personally untenable not to read ALL materials associated with an event/game.
I understand what you're saying. But, at the same time, if I were running True Dungeon, I'd want as few barriers as possible to new players trying the game. It is already $80 per ticket at GENCON, which is a pretty big initial barrier. If new players were also required before the event to read and comprehend a bunch of materials, create an account and log onto the forums, figure out how to find the thread which corresponded to their run, and engaging to select a class.
Even if they can create an account and find their way to the correct thread on a forum they've never been to before, in order to pick a class they'd have to do a lot of research on the game in general (how combat is done, what puzzles are like, etc) plus research each class to figure out how each works and which they might prefer. That seems to me to be enough of a barrier that many players will either decide not to play TD at all, or decide to show up without doing all of that and be pretty unhappy that other group members have already claimed a number of the classes prior to the event.
Sorry in advance, this will be long.
Most people at GenCon are gamers. Games have rules. A no experience event is a bit more flexible/forgiving, but the rules are not completely ignored.
To wit from my own GC experience this year:
I signed up for an MHA TCG Pre-release sealed tournament. I immediately got an email telling me to go to the Jasco booth before the tournament to run a demo and receive the demo decks that the tournament would be using. Which I did. Out of the 16 players in the tournament, only 1 failed to do this. And while the organizers brought 2 sets of the demo decks, so that person was okay, they were perfectly willing to turn away anyone who didn't have a deck if they ran out.
I played in a Funkoverse board gamer prerelease and early purchase learn to play. I watched a certain yT game channel's how to play and sample game videos. Some of the people at the table hadn't. And the vids were for the Batman version while we were playing the Harry Potter version, so I still had questions. They had a person on hand to answer guide us, and we still followed the rules of the event and the game in general (though I didn't end up buying it, for various reasons).
I played in a Demon Hunters RPG event. Demon Hunters, for some reason, is listed as a FATE game (both last year and this year). It is not. It is a system inspired by FATE, but not the same. No where in the event description does it say this (though it is a No Experience type event). Both this year and last year, we had people show up (myself included last year) with FATE dice, expecting to play that system. One even left last year. But they did not change from their own system, and every who stayed still enjoyed it.
I played in a KeyForge Sealed Deck tournament. Again, No Experience event, and while I had watched games online, hadn't played it. I showed up early, and asked if any of the event runners could give me a quick demo. Because it was the first event and had time, they did. If they hadn't been able to, I wouldn't have complained, and would have done my best not to inconvenience my opponents with my inexperience. Even so I still had a few questions. And at the end, they told me I had to have the App to get my prizes. Because that is how their system worked. So I got the app (and found out I already had an account with the company from ordering a different game). If I had been unwilling/able, I would have had to forfeit my rewards.
My point? The event descriptions are frequently not the end all be all. Nor are the events themselves. There are things to do outside of them. And the rules don't change just because one or a few people are not aware of them. Some minor concessions can be made, but there is a limit. If TD were to choose to send the players here to set up, that would be well in keeping with what many other events are doing. And if the participants chose to ignore it, it is on them. not TD. We want new players, of course. But the new players have to want to participate, be willing to put in at least a little effort.
And if I was spending enough money on a 84 minute TD run to buy a board game or video game, you can bet I would want to put in some effort to get the most out of it. But then I did. Both with TD and other events. Maybe that makes me outside the norm, putting in a little effort and taking some person responsibility and trying to make sure I don't make things less fun for others...
Also, TD is in sort of a nebulous event space. It says No Experience, but that is a very broad category. And when I went to register an event last year, the default category. But TD is not a learn to play event, where everyone is expected to be new, and there is an extra degree of simplification and guidance. There is TD 101, but it is not mandatory. There is the sealed pack events, but even those are not the same thing as a regular 'learn to play' style event. There are not separate events for veterans. They tried that with the Nightmare events of the past, but that was just more proof that even if it is in the event description, some people won't read/care.
And frankly, even if they come here, do they really have to do research? They can sign up, find the thread and start talking. Get advice from vets and not have to look at the cards or tokens if they don't want to. They have to sign up anyway, if they want to get XP for the events. And, again, players who are willing to do that are the ones who will come back, who will support TD. They are the ones we should want.
Personally I think if a event is no experience required then we should expect most new players to be completely unprepared.
I run a game at origins every year, I expect fully to need to teach everyone that shows up, since it’s no experience required. The game for anyone interested is Dragons Night Out.
Origins requires me to put in a game system, so I always put reaper miniatures warlord system, but it’s a slightly altered version of the old rule set that we were using when reaper used when I was on the demo team.
Point being based on my experience we should expect almost no one to read the rules before playing the first time (I didn’t read the rules until almost a year after playing my first 2 times)
And part of my point (which I forgot to add to the original post), is maybe TD101 and the Sealed packs should be 'No Experience' and the regular TDs should be 'Some Experience'. Not that most people will pay attention or that is will stop them from signing up.
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