Here's the FB event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/154111618279404/Time: 7pm to midnight...or so
Date: Thursday, January 28th
Location: Geekdom Event Center, 131 Soledod St San Antonio, TX
Google Maps Link (
for directions on your phone):
Click hereRules: Be friendly, be respectful of the space and others. Feel free to drink but if you get too smashed you might be asked to leave. Borrow any game during the night but take good care of it and put it back as you found it. Help clean up at the end. And try games by exhibitors and Texas game designers!
Drinking?: Yes! bring a bottle to share if you can. If not, no worries, we are trying to get some beer sponsors. However, as above, know your limits.
What to bring? Games! We all bring games to show and share. Snacks if you want.
What not to bring? Weapons, unless you want to be relieved of them and called out to a kungfu duel
Host Contact (for questions or just say wuuusssuupppppp!
#geekdom #prepax #paxsouth2016 #pax)
@heroesmustdie@s3prototype@ultnessWhen you get there:
1. If you've got a game and are looking for players, put the box top of the game vertically on your table. This is the universal sign for "I don't care who you are, please join us"
2. If you're looking to join a game, look for vertical box tops.
3. HAVE FUN.
We have tables for about 150 people. We can squeeze a few more in and probably fit up to 200, but a little crowded. 150 should be fairly comfortable with gaming room for all.
You can all use your PAX passes for a free day pass to Geekdom Thursday if anyone would like to check it out!
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Our table probably paid for the night on rumpleminze alone.
Oi! The Ol Rumple had me praying to the porcelain gods many nights in my youth. I just stick to Bud nowadays when I do drink.
On topic, I missed last year but would like to come this year. I look to be closer to you guys.
ultness.com | twitter: @ultness | facebook: ultness | instagram: ultness
ultness.com | twitter: @ultness | facebook: ultness | instagram: ultness
I can't speak to similar events at other PAX's (I usually played demo board games in vendor areas), but this one was very casual (and packed!). We spread out throughout the entire bar/lounge area plus several small back rooms set aside just for us with tables and chairs. One table hard a large pile of games that anybody could try. Some people also brought their own games and already had them setup on tables, waiting for players. Every table went to max capacity pretty quickly. All styles of games (euro/american, casual/medium/heavy, etc) were being played. Aside from one group in the back room being really loud, everyone was well-behaved. I joined a group of four others and we played several different games until the hotel basically shut it down (maybe 2 or 3AM?). It seemed like CAH was the game of choice out in the bar area. Tons of people were playing it.
Maybe this defeats the purpose of having an informal pre-PAX event, but after reading comments in the badge thread (Khoo said tix are still available because way more are being offered this year), what about approaching PA and asking if we can have a convention room the night before it opens? Call it a goodwill space. Just a ton of tables and chairs, kind of like the board game meetup space during PAX itself. We don't require a PAX badge to attend. The downside for them is cost for insurance and setup/breakdown of the room, but that could be offset by the convention setting up a concession booth and cash bar. In that regard, it would be no different than playing in the hotel bar last year. An added plus would be that, if tickets don't sell out for the con, we might entice local gamers to the free event who have a good time and then buy PAX tix so they can keep playing and check out the con. I'd be happy to spread the word here in San Antonio and in Austin.
Just a thought since we overflowed the last hotel space, and it sounds like you are getting pushback this year. If con attendance is up, that means game night attendance will be up, too. Plus added newcomers based on the good word of mouth from last year's game night.
Oh (and this is the PR guy in me talking), this could also be pitched to the people selling board games at PAX. Their reps can set up their games and demo them informally that night to generate sales during PAX. Money for everyone! LOL
ultness.com | twitter: @ultness | facebook: ultness | instagram: ultness
I have some experience setting up events for video game publishers, but I retired a few years back. And I don't have similar contacts on the board game side of things. I'd say Khoo would be the best point of contact, but for something like this we should already have the pros/cons/costs/risk exposures/etc roughly worked out so we can provide a relatively complete proposal. Khoo can do the actual number crunching if he's on board.
I'm happy to do a little research and write something up to present to him. Having gone to all but PAX Aus, I dig the idea of maybe making South the "indie and board game PAX". The timing doesn't fit the AAA video game publishers' normal release schedule, so board game publishers could step in and take the spotlight. Sitting down to play with strangers at a table also fits San Antonio's friendly, personable reputation. There are a lot of fun PR angles that could be explored with this kind of theme.
For starters, does anyone have a decent headcount from last year? And where did most of the games come from? Did a couple of people bring that huge pile I saw in the back room? I know that some people also sat down at tables with a board game or three of their own. If PAX does back the event, we might be able to call upon their lending library as well.
Pitching it to vendors as a way to generate more sales seems like, again, taking entirely away from the community event aspect and making it a vendor event. That's not a bad thing in and of itself, but it would decidedly not be the same sort of thing.
Getting space from the hotels has always been a struggle for each of these events one way or another. Each enterprise involved that is not the community itself is a for profit enterprise and they want to make money, so getting anyone pax or not to give the space will come with challenges.
So we are faced with 3 tough choices. 1) Hold the event in a smaller location and plan on disappointing a lot more people as it fills up immediately. 2) Pitch it to PAX/vendors and hope for a co-op event between the community and PAX/vendors where we can take advantage of a larger space in the convention center. 3) Cancel the event.
Trying for option #2 doesn't preclude using #1 as a fallback if we are denied. And realistically, the pre-event I envision wouldn't be all that different than the game lending area that was open each night during PAX anyway. They had games to loan, minimal staffing, and concessions. The main difference would be offering it a day earlier with the understanding that we here on the forum would commit to bringing a large # of games ourselves. Open it to non-PAX attendees on that first night means no need for controlled entry/badge checkers. We do run the risk of crashers looking for trouble, but that seems rather remote and can be discouraged if we have even one security (ie, off duty police) in attendance. And I assume that would be a given as part of PAX's insurance terms anyway. On the flip side, if ticket sales are doing well, and early badge pickup is open, it could be more of an official PAX event and promoted as a board game warm-up/social mixer night or something. And anything that lets you get first crack at attendees' wallets is attractive to vendors. Any game publishers in attendance will already have people and product in the hotel by Thursday night and can informally come down just like any of us and set up on a random table. Or they can go for something more official like a merch booth.
The whole idea is far from a slam dunk, and it probably wouldn't be possible at a more established PAX. But South is primed for growth, and this is a chance to generate some relatively cheap goodwill while establishing some unique branding for South as a board gamer's destination.
Unless they were extremely close together (like, across the street from each other), I don't think this would be a good idea. It would require a lot more coordination to make sure a good distribution of games and players made it to each. And how many people would wander into one, see it is too dead/too full, and just leave?
Excellent info, thanks. Like I said, I never participated in the other game nights (I was generally working at PAX as an exhibitor, so I was prepping our stuff), but I always made a point to visit the game areas during the con itself. I'm not familiar with starwood, but I'll definitely look into it.
Maybe you can help with another question. Do you know who provided the huge game lending library each night at South last year? It looked like they had at least a hundred games (some beat to hell), but I don't recall what group claimed responsibility. Getting in touch with them would also be a good idea, just to feel them out on participating early.
Also, two different locations could make it more likely that one is closer to your hotel. I imagine that as long as both locations were suitable, people would just naturally split up evenly. Assuming we can get a large turnout, I suspect we would see both sites packed anyways.
But I'm not hosting this. Maybe it really would take too much coordination! I just thought it was an idea.
I believe the PAX lending library is provided by PAX. Either owned outright by PAX, or assembled from games owned by enforcers, but I think it's the former.
As of the multiple locations that's up to you guys if some one want to get in touch with another venue. It maybe wise to, since I last years venue at the Hilton I had to turn people away. I am staying at the Marriott this year, and I've already reached out to the Hilton. Hilton is providing a smaller space...not great...but better from nothing.
ultness.com | twitter: @ultness | facebook: ultness | instagram: ultness
This looks like the thread from last year if you want to reference it
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/195521/pre-pax-south-lobby-game-night-hilton-placio-del-rio-1-22-15#latest
Throwing out ideas, I know Aus does their pre-PAX game night at a game store that has a tournament room for that kind of thing. Perhaps having it at a different venue might be an option. The PAX community is an amazing thing, I am sure the Texan branch of it is no different.
ultness.com | twitter: @ultness | facebook: ultness | instagram: ultness
ultness.com | twitter: @ultness | facebook: ultness | instagram: ultness
There is a tech-space nearby called Geekdom. I know it's not a games store, but it looks like it might have a lot of space. It couldn't hurt to ask.
Sent them an email. They were more than enthusiasic to do this. I'm ironing out the details.
ultness.com | twitter: @ultness | facebook: ultness | instagram: ultness
Hilton Placio Del Rio - POSSIBLE. 50 people with rounds of 10 (im awaiting clarification)
Marriott RiverCenter - POSSIBLE. Awaiting feedback from the restaurant manager for space and service.
Geekdom gamespace - MOST LIKELY. Spoke to them the other day and they are willing to do this, is about a 10 minute walk from the convention center and hotels. Ironing out details at the moment.
If the Marriott and Hilton agree to host, would anyone want to take the wheel for those locations? Or should we consolidate all our energy into one place. either way. People are gunna play.
ultness.com | twitter: @ultness | facebook: ultness | instagram: ultness
Good work, everyone. I've never heard of Geekdom, so I can't comment on them or their space. If they are willing to host this and realize it's for free, that would be excellent. I'd pitch it as a PR coup for them if they are trying to get established. PAX has tons of geek cred, and this event means getting hundreds(?) of dedicated geeks in the door and learning about their place.
One location is definitely preferable to multiples, mainly because of game distribution. If we do go with more than one location, we'll need to coordinate with each other and make sure a good mix of games make it to each one. If you need a local space scoped out personally, drop me a PM here. I'll drive down and talk to them. Having that face-to-face interaction can solidify a deal faster.
I'm mulling the multiple location pros and cons around, and while having locations right there in the hotels would be super convenient for some folks, it might make the farther location seem like the "bad" one if people are forced there due to overcrowding. Or we could see one or more locations experiencing poor turnout, which might make that location less likely to host us in the future (assuming all locations have some revenue generating operations like food/drink sales). Also, one location makes it easier to track the turnout, which is vital for planning this type of event in the future.
With multiple locations that might happen, there isnt much to coordinate. Hosting last year I was just there to make sure people knew where the party was at and ease them into a game. There is going to be thousands (millions?) of people in PAX, attendance shouldn't be an issue. Its rather letting people know where the fun is at. I couldnt stress it enough on last years thread to bring their own games. I tried keeping up a list of games people were bringing. I wouldnt think that a gaming con would have shortage of video games and table top lol.
ultness.com | twitter: @ultness | facebook: ultness | instagram: ultness
I'll trust you and the other previous organizers when it comes to the pitfalls. You're doing the hard work of making calls and such. I have some experience setting up stuff like this, but I haven't done a PAX game night specifically. I have no doubt everyone is packing portable electronic gaming, but lugging a boxed game on a trip is hassle I'm well familiar with. Which is why I was so impressed with the communal table of games available at the hotel party. Lots of people brought games and had them with them, but that table was what really got my attention.
Even if Geekdom sounds great, it never hurts to have potential backup plans researched. So I'm all for keeping the options open with the other venues. I still think that one central event is best, but options are good. Without a deposit to hold a location, they can cancel on us at the last minute. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. ;-)
I'll shoot you a PM right now.
I think the community bringing boardgames works for 2 main reasons. Many people are local (this is true of every PAX), and anybody driving can bring a literal pile of games. The other is, the minimum games need 2 people and most take 4 or more, so you need a lot fewer games than people.
This concept, of course, doesn't appear to Geekdom. I'll also note Geekdom appears to be a bit of a distance from the convention center compared to say.... East.
Just to clarify. People bringing games with them, sitting down, and getting others to join them wasn't what surprised me. It was the number of games people brought and left unattended on a table in the back room, available to anyone off the street who could walk in and do whatever they wanted with them. I'm happy to bring a pile of games, but I think they'd be played at my table (or a table next to me), so I could keep half an eye on them. LOL
It seemed like people were drinking a fair bit last year, but apparently it wasn't enough for us to secure the same space again (much less a larger one). If Geekdom works out, one of us will definitely talk to them about concessions since having something there not only brings in money for them but it's also convenient for us. If they aren't licensed for food, then at least we have plenty of restaurants nearby.
The Geekdom locations even have board game nights (one, in another city, specifically has a eurogames night!) so that might explain why they are ready to grok what we're proposing.