In Case you missed the email update for GMs, here it is again. Greetings Gary Con GMs Gary Con X is almost upon us! We have a few things to share with you before you hit the road for the show. Registration GM registration is at Convention HQ, which is in the Salon Coat Check in the hotel’s conference center. It’s the same place everyone goes to register. Just drop by and give your name, you’ll get the standard packet of goodies. You can pickup your Gary Con GM shirt when you register if you qualify (12 hours of scheduled events). You did answer our email asking for your T-shirt size, right? Each player packet includes a Badge and printed tickets for all events that they have pre-registered for. As a GM, you also will receive a sheet for each of your events. Every event sheet shows the event’s time and location and who’s registered. Reminder: You can review your events anytime by visiting your Table Top Events account; each event listing in TTE also shows a list of players registered. Running Your Event At game time, please check off your player’s names on the event sheet; if you have empty seats and you recruit players at the table have them sign in on the sheet with their full names and their Gary Con badge numbers. Please allow a little time for your players to arrive before you begin play, but try to get underway as soon as is practical—no later than 10 minutes after your scheduled start time. We encourage you to recruit players for any empty seats you have. Please remember: No one is allowed to play in events without a valid Gary Con X Player’s badge (Spectator is not a Player badge). All gaming tables have Red and Green cards. As you begin, please place the GREEN card in the holder to indicate that players may join the game. When all positions are filled—or the game has advanced to a point where you no longer will accept new players—please place the RED card into the holder and leave it there while you play. If you have no open seats when you’re starting, you are welcome to begin with the RED card in place. This year each table also will have a yellow flag to indicate that one or more people at your table would like to use the tableside food service. Use this as needed. After Your Event Event space is very tight (as always), and another event likely will need your space pretty much the moment your event ends. Please call a halt about 10 minutes early to allow for some cleanup time so the next group doesn’t have to sit down to a mess. Important: We need your completed event sheet when you’re done. Please return the sheet to convention HQ as soon as possible after your event, and no later than 8 pm on the day your game runs (HQ closes at eight each night). Can’t make it by 8 pm? Drop the sheet into the slot provided. You may also return your paperwork to the GM/volunteer lounge. (Right, we said “lounge,” read on.) Other Considerations The staff at the Grand Geneva Resort is looking forward to welcoming you to their facility for Gary Con. That said, here’s a few ground rules we need you to follow: Please leave your event setup as you found it. We’ve arranged the gaming areas to meet any number of requirements, including, but not limited to: Access, safety, and accommodating other events that run later during the convention. If something does not meet your needs, please locate a convention staff member (HQ is staffed until 8 pm each day). Please do not ask the hotel staff to move tables or otherwise rearrange the public gaming areas. Also, electrical power is generally not available in the public gaming areas (except by prior arrangement). If you have mobile devices that need power, please make sure that they’re fully charged before your begin gaming each day, or plan to return to your hotel room or other private spot for recharging during the day. If you have requested power, we’ve scheduled your playing space near an available outlet. Be aware that the hotel staff has been instructed not to honor request for power or other services in the public areas from convention attendees. The lounge (there’s that word again) also has power for your devices. Please remember that you’re gaming out in the open. We want everyone to have a great time, so always consider your fellow gamers and guests at the hotel. Children may play in any event (except those the have been pre designated for age 18+ when submitted/accepted.) Minor children must have an adult guardian with them during the event. Gary Con is NOT able to supervise or be in any way responsible for minor children. Any child must be well behaved throughout the event or the GM may request that a staff member remove the child from the event. All participants in any event, regardless of age, must be respectful and abide by the rules and policies as presented in the event guide. As a GM you are allowed and encouraged to request that a Gary Con staff member remove any unruly participant. If a GM is disrespectful to a participant, the participant can request that a Gary Con staff member address the issue. Dependents (infants, young children, etc.) may remain at the table with an adult participant, but only if the GM agrees. Gary Con staff members and the event GM may ask you to remove the dependent if he or she becomes disruptive to the gaming environment. In any case, a parent or adult guardian always must accompany any child under age 12. New This Year: The Yawning Portal GM Lounge This year we’re pleased to provide lounge space for GMs, volunteers, and Special Guests ONLY. You will receive a sticker to place on your badge that allows you access. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast for their generous sponsorship. The lounge is located in Loramoor A (that’s the basement level in the Conference Center), right next to the Games Library. Mostly, the lounge is just a place for you come in and take a load off for a while, but it’s also a resource for you. Here are the details: Lounge hours are 7:30 am to 7:30 pm each day (3 pm on Sunday). Inside, you’ll find: refreshments, comfortable seating, a TV, a copier, worktables, and a few power outlets. The lounge will be monitored, but we strongly recommend that you do not leave any gear in there unattended. That’s it. Game On!
Hola Luke!--- A few quick comments: This is a great idea, thanks! I know it's sometimes been hard to catch the attention of the wait staff, and the flag will definitely help with insuring that our tables aren't missed If you think it's reasonable, including Exhibitors in the list of folks who are able to access the lounge seems reasonable to me. Many exhibitors are also GMs and/or Special Guests, but not all. Sounds great! In terms of printing character sheets and such for the event (for those who forget to do so before coming to the con), do you know if we can print to the copier from a PC or USB drive, or if we would need to use the business center for that? Allan.
Similar question - is the copier also a printer? If so, what type of media device can one use to get something printed out?
I think we are using it as a copier only, but IF we can accommodate the printer functionality we will.
As a GM who brought children, I saw several children who were not accompanied by an adult, or who were dropped off at their event and then left alone in the room. None of this was at my tables, so I didn't feel it was my place to do anything about it. That being said, I feel there are several things that could be done to mitigate this in the future, assuming it matters. First, I only knew this policy from the GM side, I don't think I encountered it while purchasing their badges, etc. It should be fairly easy to notify those who actually purchase children's badges. So, if it's available in TableTop, maybe there could be a pop-up for rules for minors when purchasing a child's badge. Whether that option is available or not, I would send a special email to those who have purchased children's badges; if you do this, make sure to make the subject "Rules for Minors" or something equally clear. From the GM side, maybe make it it's own bullet point on the informational email, it was pretty lost in the bottom of the message. I know that many don't read anything like that(how many of us don't read the end user agreement for software?) but it should help. beyond that, maybe a separate sign near badge pick-up? I don't know how much of a priority this is, but if it is deemed important, you definitely want to make it more prominent.
