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[serrate]

Hi Demo agents,

I was checking out the Origins event matrix, and saw the following in the description column for Battletech Feature Event(s):

Age of War era feature Battletech event. This year we are presenting the feature Battletech event in a new format. Same rules system, but a new format that has something for everyone. For more details see bg.battletech.com

There is a news item regarding Origins events at bg.battletech.com, however it simply says the following:

Age of War Era featured event. This year we are presenting the feature BattleTech event in a new format. Same rules system, but a new format that has something for everyone.

Not exactly the "more details" I was hoping for.  Can any of you provide more details about the new format?

Also, it appears that Saturday's "feature" events are a replay of Friday's, based on the session titles (Day 2.1, 2.2, 2.3). Is that the case, or should Saturday's events be listed as 3.1, 3.2, & 3.3?

Thanks!

[serrate]

Couple more questions:

The "feature" events are listed as 4 hours each, with no time in between sessions. They'd also consume the entire day (from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm).

1) Do players in the canon events typically play all three sessions, and therefore skip playing anything else, even other BT events such as Solaris, Grinder, or the Open? I can see where the Grinder might be less attractive to play than the canon event, but Solaris and the Open seem like cool tournaments to participate in.

2) When do you eat lunch, or walk around checking out the rest of the con, or play some Leviathans, or do anything really? I guess for some guys who live in areas with no other opportunities to play, they might want to spend their time playing nothing but BT for 3 days, but I think I'd want to spend time doing other stuff too. Maybe that's because I've never been.

Leviathans:
1) What, no tourney?
2) Since I've played the game a couple times now, should I bother with the Shakedown Cruise, or skip directly to King of the Skies?
3) Randall recently posted a pic of tons of boxed sets sitting on pallets. I'm guessing that's a pic from the printer, but at least they may have the option to have some boxes sent over via airmail. It just might pay to be first in line at the Catalyst booth on Thursday morning...

Other events:
1) As a possible first-time attender, what is NOT to be missed?

[Darrian Wolffe]

Woof.

OK, first, regarding the canon event.  For the last X years (where "X" was the number of GenCons at which a BattleTech canon event was run ), the format for the canon event has always been "20 guys sit down at a table and play a WTFhuge game of BattleTech that either has an effect on the storyline or plays out a canon scenario".  The gigantic downside to running a game this way is that, well, it's 20 people around a table at a convention.  There's not enough space, fat people crowd everyone else away from the table so you can't see it, people take FOREVER to make their moves, and over the course of a whole day we get 12-15 turns done.  Tops.  Individual people aren't actually getting to play that much "BattleTech" during that time; they're controlling 1-3 mechs (so, 40-60 units on the board) over 12-15 turns.  But it takes 12 hours.  Thus, it was decided this year to try a new format.

The new format (known as Vimy Ridge Rules) essentially splits the single huge game into a dozen or so smaller games that are run simultaneously.  Each individual table has 2-4 players, with each player controlling 2-6 Mechs.  Each Team has a single commander who coordinates the tables ("you on Table 4 need to reinforce Table 7 to prevent the OPFOR from breaking through to Table 8 where our supply depot is") and any strategic assets the forces may have.  The primary strategic force will be areospace support - simultaneously with all the tables being played, there's an AreoTech game going on on yet another table, which is mapped over the BattleTech tables.  Units from the AreoTech game may make ground attacks as directed by the Team Commander on a given table...assuming they're able to do so whilst being opposed by OPFOR ASFs.  What this means for the individual player is that they will get a LOT more actual "playtime" for their dollar.  Based on testing at other cons, we're expecting to run a complete Turn every 20-25 minutes.  Which is double what we were getting before.  Plus you're actually at your table for the full time, rather than sitting for 90% of the day waiting for your turn to come up (ie, not actually playing the game).  It's a LOT more complicated to run, and we're expecting some logistical delays as a matter of course, so be warned.  

And no, you don't have to be there the ENTIRE time.  However, I'd recommend devoting an entire day to it; 3, 4-hour blocks.  There's a sense of continuity you don't get if you do 1, 4-hour block per day that makes the canon event unique.

2) Scheduling.  

Origins is a good warm-up for GenCon, because they're the same general format.  GenCon is just an order of magnitude larger.  So, what I recommend for the 1st time con attendee is to schedule 2-3 things you KNOW you want to do.  Go do the canon event for a full day (I recommend Friday).  Leave 4-8 hours to wander the exhibition hall (Thursday and Sunday).  Take at least a few blocks of time and leave it open (Saturday, late Thursday) to go around with generic tickets and drop in to stuff that looks "neat".  Basically, schedule in a little bit of everything, and don't lock in your schedule too tightly so EVERYTHING is pre-planned.  Food is grabbed on the fly - while there's technically no time listed between an event during Block 1 (10-2) and Block 2 (2-6), in reality, Blocks end 15 minutes early.  This allows you time to grab food and/or bathroom breaks, and gives the GMs time to catch up on their paperwork (I leave out sanity, because that's what the booze parties in the hotel rooms are for - be nice to your GMs in the morning slots; hangovers are killer).  Sometimes, you can duck out of a game for a few minutes to grab food or a bathroom stop; just check with the GM first - do NOT just walk off.  Evening tables will every often coordinate for food runs out to the food court so only 1 person has to go.

3) Leviathans

No.  No tourney.  As the person who wrote the tourney, I will remain silent on what I think about this.  You can probably go straight to KotS, honestly.  Just be aware that we are finally (FINALLY!) supposed to be getting actual rulebooks for the GMs to look through.  This means some rules may change from what you've experienced (see also: bracketing fire, I think we're on iteration 12), and mistakes from the rulebook will be prevalent as our GMs learn the "published" game and its differences from our "playtest" game.  

4) 1st-time attendee

Honestly, I can't think of anything.  Everyone will have different priorities.  Otaku Hambeast the 400# Cosplaying Anime Catgirl will want to ensure she hits different things during the con than, say, Dan would.  Basically, the single biggest thing is to ensure that you don't over-schedule yourself.  Leave time to wander the exhibition hall and get your breath back.

[serrate]

Thanks for the detailed info Rob...

Your description of canon events of the past X years makes them sound not very fun at all, tbh. The new format sounds pretty sweet! Although individual battles should move faster, since the entire session will need to stay turn-synch'ed, it will only move as fast as the slowest group. But that still seems preferable to the alternative.

There's not enough space, fat people crowd everyone else away from the table so you can't see it,

Hey now! Fat people need to drive giant stompy robots too!   

No.  No tourney.  As the person who wrote the tourney, I will remain silent on what I think about this.

D'oh! So there was a tourney, and somehow it died.  Sorry to hear that, especially ssorry for you, since you no doubt put in a lot of awesome work on it.

Otaku Hambeast the 400# Cosplaying Anime Catgirl will want to ensure she hits different things during the con than, say, Dan would.

Maybe, maybe not. Other than hockey, I really can't imagine what Dan is into; and to save my sanity, I refuse to think about it.

[ItsTehPope]

Thanks for the detailed info Rob...

Your description of canon events of the past X years makes them sound not very fun at all, tbh. The new format sounds pretty sweet! Although individual battles should move faster, since the entire session will need to stay turn-synch'ed, it will only move as fast as the slowest group. But that still seems preferable to the alternative.

There's not enough space, fat people crowd everyone else away from the table so you can't see it,

Hey now! Fat people need to drive giant stompy robots too!   

No.  No tourney.  As the person who wrote the tourney, I will remain silent on what I think about this.

D'oh! So there was a tourney, and somehow it died.  Sorry to hear that, especially ssorry for you, since you no doubt put in a lot of awesome work on it.

Otaku Hambeast the 400# Cosplaying Anime Catgirl will want to ensure she hits different things during the con than, say, Dan would.

Maybe, maybe not. Other than hockey, I really can't imagine what Dan is into; and to save my sanity, I refuse to think about it.

Hey, I always loved the canon event, but then again, different strokes for different folks

See...there's fat and then there is "exceeds loading capacity for many small cars"  We've seen several who have passed the 500lbs mark before.  Usually they're the ones who complain the most when we tell them to MOVE AWAY FROM THE TABLE.

As for my personal hobbies, well most of them ensure I'm on federal watch lists

[Darrian Wolffe]

See...there's fat and then there is "exceeds loading capacity for many small cars"  We've seen several who have passed the 500lbs mark before.  Usually they're the ones who complain the most when we tell them to MOVE AWAY FROM THE TABLE.

Yup, that.  Why do you think Dan and I yell at people in our home games about moving away from the table?  Ingrained reflex from conventions.

Dan, do you remember the guy who broke the chair back at GenCon 06?  Not the folding chairs; the solid ones up in the ballroom on the second floor.  Did he ever come back?

[Riegien]

I'd definitely try to get into one of the later night grinders on friday or saturday, especially when the other demo team members come off shift and the canon table ends for the day.  Either everyone there has been playing all day and knows what they're doing, or they're demo guys and know what they're doing, and generally doing silly things for fun.