Pre-Pax East Game Night 2020

LexiconGrrl

Game night at the Westin is happening this year, albeit as a smaller, more stripped down event than years past.

The Westin Waterfront is dedicating two rooms for gaming in the hotel, starting at 4pm on Wednesday night. One of the rooms will be available for gaming all weekend. Signs are supposed to be posted in the lobby.

WHAT TO KNOW...
There will be 140 seats in total.
No info or check-in table.
No Cookie brigade.
No on site coordinator.

This event gets smaller every year, with less and less participation and forum engagement. I’m stepping away permanently as the coordinator so it’s going to become a matter of the hotel just setting aside some space to get the crowds out of the lobbies instead of the massive, crowded event it’s been in years past.

Please endeavor to be the charming, creative, amazing, respectful community you’ve always been while using these rooms.

Feel Free to Post any Questions.

Ryosuke

I’m glad that you have help initiate this so going forward those who had participated and came through prior years have something for 2020 to remember the years you’ve worked hard for us to have this event. Especially those times we had tough times to actually get the event approved lol. Hopefully whoever helps to lead it later can get what they need to try to fill your shoes. Hopefully enough people can show up and hopefully not be upset if there’s a limit this time for a smaller venue.

kropotkin

This is an interesting development as you'd think the popularity of table top games would lend itself to this event being self sustaining. With this news means no forum badges will be present due to the lack of check-in desk.

LexiconGrrl

kropotkin wrote: »

This is an interesting development as you'd think the popularity of table top games would lend itself to this event being self sustaining. With this news means no forum badges will be present due to the lack of check-in desk.

I don’t think it’s lack of tabletop interest, its the format of this particular event.

The Westin no longer hosts as many attendees (mostly vendors), and forum use and community participation are both diminishing. I was unable to find anyone to take over my facilitation position and the post I made only got a few views so there just isn’t the community to support it anymore.

PAX affiliated tabletop efforts are still going strong, but this was always a grass roots community event so if the community is dispersing, well then...

jayh0va

Lexi, I'm really sorry it's come to this and I'm even more sorry that I am not able to help out this year. But thank you so much from the bottom of my old black heart for all you've done to make this event special in the past. When I've been able to go, it has been the highlight of the weekend. I got to meet and play games with Tom Vassel, Max Temkin and a ton of the members of this community, which has given me memories I will cherish. I so much appreciate the work you've put in to make this happen and I will do all I can to at least put a hand on that torch next year.

I know it probably doesn't feel great right now, but I can assure you there a legions of nerds who don't know your name or the amount of work that this took, that are grateful for what you did.

smorggie

As the forums fade, the Pokecrawl has also seen a huge shift. We used to get 20 pages of hype on our forum post but now we get a much bigger response on Facebook, that's where we find all our volunteers now. Might be too late for you to make the shift to a Facebook Event but just a suggestion.

Ryosuke

That’s a good idea with how social media becoming or became the way of free advertisement and easy engagement.

nevermore13

I also wonder how much of the forum fading it die to the PA and PA community discords growing. I know I used to hang out in the forums and now spend more time there. Either way happy this is still a thing.

zerzhul

I don't think it's super related to the discord. It was getting pretty slow here way before that.

tvethiopia

i think the addition of thursday to the con has also had a big impact on the pre-pax events. pushing them all the way back to wednesday makes them entirely out of the picture for me; it used to be that so many people were already on site thursday night and hyped for friday, but it seems like far fewer people are taking half the week off work to show up on a wednesday.