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Would you play D&D in the Meydenbauer garage?
Mike Fehlauer
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
The PAX D&D sessions were the first to fill up. As a D&D gamer this makes me happy: my fellow D&D dorks will be at PAX in force. As a PAX planner it makes me sad: I'm getting tons of mail from people demanding more D&D sessions.
The problem is space. We've already rented out the entire Meydenbauer Center. There's no more room for additional tabletop/D&D areas.
A solution is designating a floor of the underground parking garage as the PAX D&D lair. We'd block off that floor, fill it with tables, maybe add some decorations.
I was resistant to this idea when Robert first proposed it. Even with the floor blocked off to cars, it's still a garage. It'll be a little dirty. It'll be a little gloomy.
Then I thought: hey, that sounds like the place I game every weekend.
So what do you think? Given that the parking garage is literally the only unused space at the Meydenbauer Center available for tabletop, would you game there?
-Mike
The problem is space. We've already rented out the entire Meydenbauer Center. There's no more room for additional tabletop/D&D areas.
A solution is designating a floor of the underground parking garage as the PAX D&D lair. We'd block off that floor, fill it with tables, maybe add some decorations.
I was resistant to this idea when Robert first proposed it. Even with the floor blocked off to cars, it's still a garage. It'll be a little dirty. It'll be a little gloomy.
Then I thought: hey, that sounds like the place I game every weekend.
So what do you think? Given that the parking garage is literally the only unused space at the Meydenbauer Center available for tabletop, would you game there?
-Mike
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and so fitting!
Cheers!
Small
Provided someone can run Living Greyhawk. I desperately want an Urnst regional.
oh please larp
i would have to set the building on fire if larping was taking place in its walls
Red for flaming buildings to exterminate larpers.
Also, I wouldn't mind trying out some D&D in the bottom floor of a garage.
this is why i want the larping.
for the comedic aspect
and so I can just plain feel better about myself
you mean good?
shucks, i'm not allowed to play D&D.
It's ok borfase. maybe someone will start a riveting game of gurps or shadowrun. or maybe even torg
oh god yes torg
Will there be enough games to sit in on? Do I have to play the campaign through to the end?
If the D&D pre-registration (which revolved around some contests) was already filled up before I could register, can I still play a regular game?
Questions, questions and more questions. :P
Personally I see the Lair as being devoted mainly to relatively long-term periods of gaming, such as the 4-hour Living Greyhawk slots. Tournaments and tabletop games (like Magic and the miniatures games) will be upstairs in the dedicated tabletop room. The additional garage space is for those who want to hunker down for several hours at a time and focus on rolling dice.
-Mike
Carbon. Monoxide. Poisoning.
The silent killer.
with some of the gamers I've met...
Anyways, I have been to more than my fair share of cons and have even been on staff at my local big con, Dragon-Con out of Atlanta.
I think the idea is cool in theory. Kind of like playing D&D in somebody's parents humungous basement.
However, in practice, I don't think it would work.
First off is the Fire Marshal. I would be amazed if he/she lets this pass. But this isn't Atlanta you’re talking about, so who knows.
Second is security. In general parking garages don't have near as much as a typical convention hall. Be prepared to have things stolen, people walking in who did not pay, bums.... Not to mention the location's concern about vehicles being broken into. I seriously doubt any PAX attendee would stoop to this, but convincing the local security of that may be challenging.
Third is echoes, (echoes, echoes). I don't know about your games, but the ones I have with my friends have gotten a little loud at times. Now multiply that by 100 and put it in a hall that has no sound absorbing materials what-so-ever. Fun. (What?) I said THIS IS FUN!! (WHAT!!??)
Fourth, as has been pointed out, vehicle fumes. True, you are talking about the bottom levels and, in theory, fumes go up right? Trust me, gas fumes and carbon monoxide will be the party favors at this gathering, not to mention BO, but that goes with all gaming. :roll:
Fifth was also pointed out before, temperature. Whether it is hot or cold that parking garage will be less than comfortable. Add in wind and you have a rather unfriendly atmosphere to relax in.
Sixth Oil Stains. What parking garage doesn't have them. Gonna have it on your shoes, any books, book bags, miniature carriers or what-not you set on the ground.
**edit** Seventh, Bathrooms, or lack there of. Now add in gamers with too much soda and too much imagination. Add the scent of urin to gas fumes and carbon-monoxide. Sa-weet..sniff...or is that Sa-weat.
**edit** Eighth Oh and the dank, you can't forget the dank...actually, put together all those smells and it would be like gaming in MOE's Bar on the Simpson's with a couple hundred Barney clones.
**edit**edit** Ninth, Lighting generaly sucks in parking garages. There are lights here and there, but they will generaly be to little or too much.
**edit**edit** Tenth, Bugs. Lots of them.
I know I am sounding like a real buzz-killer here, but I just gotta point these things out. I think it would be better to look for a more realistic solution.
Just my two cents, take it for what little it's worth.
**edit**edit** Sorry, I'll shut up now. :oops:
Amen to that. My friend who was in charge of gaming at Dragon-Con for a year or two had loads of fun with them. :roll:
This is a clickable link to my Steam Profile.
Secondly all parking garages are equipped with air exchangers to prevent the build up of carbon monoxide. They don't want to be killing the people who park their cars in there now do they.
Rivers Cuomo would be proud...
Excellent points Smilinrat.
My chemistry professor would be strangling me right now.
Also, I forgot about the air exchangers. They would have those I would expect.
Still, I think those would be designed for folks having limited exposure to the fumes, walking to your car and back for instance. However, being in there for an extended time, (playing an extended 40K or D&D game for instance), might become unpleasant even with air exchangers present.
I'm sure there'll be room elsewheres. Last year, there seemed to be places for games like that, and there's always people's rooms.
I agree, it could be cold. And security would need to be beefed up a bit. But it could be increadibly fun (and I'm not saying that just because I missed out on the D&D signup
Dark Fibre: Fiberoptic cable placed in anticipation of future demand
I go to a big scientific conference every year, and they have the poster sessions and vendor area in a floor of the parking garage. It's not bad; they take all the cars out, they carpet the floor (for comfort and to protect from road grime), they bring in BIG air conditioning units since thousands of bodies in an enclosed space gets warm pretty quick, they bring in several coffee and ice water stations for when the poster sessions are happening... it's not bad. The acoustics are also a fair bit better than the floor of a large auditorium (since the ceiling helps you hear people near you) although the boards the posters are hung on probably act as baffles and help with that as well.
I bet the space they're talking about isn't a high-traffic garage. If people in expensive suits (the primary food item of the North American Spotted Convention Center) are willing to have their events there, gamers should feel right at home.
Invader blood runs through my veins like a pair of giant plastic pants!
You cannot ignore my veins! The pants command me!
Run it in the garage.
:twisted:
Also I highly doubt the convention center will let you do it, also it's probably illegal (constitutes a fire hazard).
Neo Geo Big Red owners club.
2009 PAX Puzzle Quest Champion
I have beat Rygar on the NES and many of you have not.
i'm sure the rest of us will be just fine gaming with out you...
Cheers,
Small
Aren't there Bears outside? :shock:
Mainly I want you to do it so I can take lots of nifty pics with my digital camera for the folks back on Tau Ceti Four-and-a-half.
I don't know the fire laws of Seattle, but I see no reason why this would be a problem so long as exits are marked... besides, there's room to get CARS out I'm sure there's room to get PEOPLE out in case of a fire. The building would be to code in its entirety.
I think it sounds like a cool idea.
Edit - I should scroll down before I post, Gabe already nixed it. hehe.
I'm just pointing out that you could have several hundred, high, on-the-verge-of-death, nerds... and that be a little hard to control...