Genghis Con Volunteers

R

ravengode

Newbie
We're looking to do some recruitment!

Genghis Con runs February 11- 14. We will be running games and tables all day the 13th.

Here is what I am looking for:

All Volunteers must be able to commit to the full 9:30 to 3 shift or 2:30 to 8 shift on Saturday. There will be time to eat lunch and take breaks.

Mod Team: 8 volunteers

A volunteer on the mod team should be able to do some basic RP as various NPC’s. This can range from easy (undead) to moderate (RP getting information to the PC’s). This also entails combat and the volunteer should be able to handle some light to moderate boffer combat. A basic knowledge of the rules is helpful. Dress in basic blacks for easy RP roles and nice costuming for moderate RP roles (these may be interchangeable).

Recruitment Table: 3 volunteers

A volunteer at the recruitment table needs to be outgoing and able to talk with strangers with ease. This is essentially a sales position, so must be able to discern if there is actual interest, or if they just want to waste time. A good understanding of the out of game culture as well as the in game culture is essential, being able to talk about the concepts of the game, such as what a boffer is, and LARP in general. Please dress in an eye-catching costume. Talking for long periods of time will be essential.

Fishing Team: 2 volunteers

A volunteer for the fishing team will need to be outgoing and able to approach people on the con floor. Having a contest worthy costume is essential. This position is to drum up interest in our larp by directing traffic to the recruitment table, to the mods or by talking with potentials on the floor. Role-Play will be helpful as you will be portraying a character and interacting with the floor as that character. Standing and walking around for long periods will be essential.

The DETAILS:
You must register with the convention, you will need to pay for a visitors badge (this won't be on the site, this will have to be paid for at the Con), this will run $10. (We will count this towards your gobbie rewards for volunteering). Go to this site to register:

https://store.mstbgaming.com/MainMenu.aspx

I'll be taking submissons until the Suday before (that would be the 7th) or until all slots are full.
If you are interested, or have questions, DO NOT contact me here on the forum.
PLEASE CONTACT ME AT: ravengode@gmail.com

Thanks
Cory Williamsen
 
Hey folks,
I heard some strange rumors today surrounding this, so let me be 100% clear. Yes, you receive DS for this event! The cash you spend for the ticket/badge will translate into GS as well. Cory will let me know who shows and buys a badge so I can reward appropriately. :)
 
While some of you volunteered in the past and understand compensation, for the new folks volunteering, here is a breakdown:

Volunteer the whole day: 25DS and 100 local GS.

Cory has graciously agreed to allow part timers for the mod day, so for those who can only make a half day, you will get 12 DS and 50 local GS.
 
Hi Everybody!

I'll be volunteering to work at Alliance's table on GenghisCon with a few other folks. GenghisCon is traditionally one of the biggest shows of the year for Alliance. Often we end up with a lot of Alliance players who drop by the table during busy times to help greet some of the gamers interested in our LARP. Our volunteers monstering at the module runs often get talking with potential new Alliance players when you meet. I thought a few talking points might be helpful for everybody (and for our friends over at Dystopia Rising, who are placing a table at GenghisCon for the first time this year):
  • You will talk for about 3 hours continuously without much break. From about 1:00-4:00 on Saturday afternoon, the LARP tables will get a lot of visitors, and it will be nonstop talking about our awesome game. I'm really outgoing, and an extreme extrovert in terms of social comfort... and I find the full day at GenghisCon socially exhausting! Pace yourself. Plan to take lunch offsite. Be upfront with the others working with you about when you're reaching your limit, and take breaks when you need it. Speaking up sooner is more helpful for your teammates at the table than needing to dash when you can't take just one more conversation.

  • Let the person you're talking to know what kind of game this is. I start out with, "Hi, we're Alliance LARP Denver. We run live-action roleplaying events in a fantasy setting, full weekends from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. You are in-character, and in-costume the entire time." With that opening line, you will see instantly on the face of the other person whether this is the sort of game they're looking for... or they thought we were another table-top at the show, or they're too busy with kids to commit full weekends, or whatever.

  • Find out if the person you're talking to is local. If they're still interested after that opening line, I continue with, "We run at a camp outside of Colorado Springs. Are you local to Colorado?" If the person is from outside Colorado, my advice is that person is not terribly likely to drive more than 4 hours to come to events. Use your best judgment as to whether that person may be the rare exception like our beloved Rahra and Zizi who drive more than 4 hours for our events; most people won't. I suggest to those from outside of Colorado, "Alliance is a national game with many chapters across the country. You might check out the website to see if there's a game closer to your home."
  • Who is looking for this game? Working adults, age 25+, experienced gamers and roleplayers, who are local to Colorado, and who express that they have, "always wanted to try LARP," or who express that they've discussed this with their table-top gaming group, and everybody's interested.

  • Be upfront about game fees, age limits to play, and focus on weekend length of events. You don't need to defend the costs of the hobby - just let someone know the fees. That person can decide for herself whether this hobby is within range of financial comfort for her situation. Be honest that most of our events are from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. You don't need to work out someone else's busy schedule, or solve demands on his time -- just be upfront that this hobby is most fully enjoyed for a whole weekend at a time.
  • Figure out which aspects of the game interest the person you're talking to, and discuss those. GenghisCon is a gaming convention. Nearly the entire audience there are already gamers, so we're ahead of the game on the concept of what roleplaying is. Is the person wearing a costume (unusual for this show), or commenting on yours? If so, discuss the cosplay aspects. Does the person have an interest in the armor you're wearing, and talks about trying to make her own chainmail? Talk about the inspiration to craftsmen that this hobby inspires. Did that guy just ask a lot of questions about the rules and skills in the game? Talk about the gamer aspects, and how the system works, what classes and skills we have. Did his eyes just light up when you mentioned the weekly fighter practices at Ladybug Park in Arvada every Sunday? Let's talk about boffer combat, and how fun it is, and easy to learn! If you feel like you're not making a connection with that person, try switching the topic. YOU may be super interested in one facet of the game that just doesn't interest that person. Try different approaches to see if you can pinpoint what is attractive to them in this hobby.

  • Keep the diversity and flavor of our local Alliance community in mind when inviting someone to join us. Some personal advice that I've learned from working a lot of cons for Alliance - You'd like to think that gamers are most interested in the game first, and leaving socio-political controversy behind in the real world... but I'm sad to say that's just not always so. As frequently as once an hour, I might meet someone at our table who expresses things like, "Women shouldn't be allowed to fight in this game. It should be more like it really was in history!" or, "My family isn't comfortable around gay people," or comments even from an adult like, "Men and women sleep in the same cabins? They're not segregated?" Far less controversial are not uncommon comments like wanting to sneak down to the parking lot to get drunk or smoke pot during events. Be friendly, be polite, but be upfront about the rules, structure, and community we have supporting our game. When I receive comments like that, I usually smile as sincerely as I can muster, and say something like, "Our game community is really diverse, this might not be what you're looking for." If a person is interested enough in the game that they're willing to enjoy our diversity here rather than try to screen it, they'll be back with questions about the game, not the lifestyles of its gamers... but nearly always, they appreciate that honest and move on to find the sort of thing they are looking for elsewhere.

  • Someone who comes back to the table or to a module run for a second visit with more questions, or with more friends is probably sincerely interested. Learn that person's name. Ask about their individual gaming and LARPing experience. Invest some quality time and energy into the discussion if you hadn't yet already had the opportunity to do so in the first run.

Last notes: There is no room for your personal stuff at the table at the con. There is no trashcan under the table - all trash gets walked away immediately. Don't leave your cell phone, personal items, drinks, and food on the table where patrons can see those items. Maximum 3 well-made, pretty spellpackets are interesting to look at - no more than that. Crappy weapons, crappy packets, crappy props, crappy costumes make our game look bad. If it doesn't look awesome, don't put it on the table.

If you're at GenghisCon, please drop by the Alliance table to say hello, and meet some new folks! We'll be there all day Saturday afternoon.

Trace Moriarty
 
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