Running Demos

[Clangador]

So are there any specific rules to run demos?

[austrodavicus]

There are a set of guidelines, a pdf of which can be downloaded from the Goblinoid Games website. Here's what the guidelines say:

Demo Team Guidelines

General Information

Thank you for your interest in being a volunteer demonstrator for Goblinoid Games! What follows is a brief set of guidelines. Some of this information may seem like common sense, but nonetheless it should be brought to the forefront of our thoughts when we deal with retailers and the public in general. There are some different considerations depending on venue, but the following discussion applies to all venues. When you volunteer for us you are representing Goblinoid Games to the public, and in a very real sense you are Goblinoid Games in that situation. The way you present yourself and your demeanor can have an even larger impact on your audience and colleagues than how “well” an actual game session goes.

Appear Professional

Generally “dressing up” is not necessary at a convention or hobby store. The main thing is to be dressed in a presentable manner. Just a good clean t-shirt and jeans (no holes, not shabby) is appropriate for most situations. Of course, if you feel like dressing up further you can. If you go beyond a collared shirt and a nice pair of jeans, though, you might seem unapproachable to your players. Most (or all) gaming situations are informal.

Arrive on Time

It’s very important to arrive on time to a scheduled game, whether it is at a convention or a hobby store. If possible, arrive a little early so you can figure out where you need to be, and if the space is available ahead of time you can set up your materials, posters, etc. However, investigate ahead of time what materials you are allowed to set up, how, and where.

Be Patient and Friendly

When we meet new people there can be miscommunication, personality conflicts, or other difficulties. It is very important to be patient and friendly at all times. This can be hard if you are a more introverted person, but the more you meet new people in these social situations the easier it will become.

Venues

The following guidelines are specific to certain venues.

Conventions

Identify which convention(s) you plan to attend, and be sure to note event submission deadlines. Report the convention to the Society Organizer, and when/if possible a link to the event schedule.
Try to scout out your game area ahead of time, if feasible, so that you know where to be and when. Depending on the size and location of the convention, you may have to walk a great distance or through a labyrinth of hallways, annexes, etc.

Be understanding of convention staff, because they are most likely volunteers just like you, and probably overworked and trying to multitask in a chaotic social environment.

Be sure to provide all the players with information about our website at the close of your game session.

Hobby Stores

Hobby stores are an extremely important venue, and for different reasons than conventions. Conventions are a great place to expose new people to games, to generate buzz about products, and to connect with other gamers to build social networks. Hobby stores are good for this as well, but retailers are, in a very real sense, our business partners. Conduct with hobby stores is therefore a very delicate matter that should be handled with the utmost respect and professionalism.

Approaching the Store

When you first approach a game store with the intent to run a demo game, it’s best to scout the store first. Do they have gaming space? Are they currently stocking Goblinoid Games products? If they do not have game space, it’s possible that they do have tables they bring out for special events, so it doesn’t hurt to ask about running games in-store.

Always remember that the ultimate goal of collaboration with hobby stores is to build a local gaming community and to sell books through the store. An important point to the latter is that you do not want to do anything that would detract from store sales. To that aim you should give gamers online contact information for Goblinoid Games (mainly our website and/or forums), but do not specifically direct them to online vendors of our products. When we ask to take the time and space of a hobby store, we are offering them a partnership. In exchange for their time and space in helping us promote our games, we are offering them a portion of the sales from that investment of their resources.

When you first approach the store about running a game, if you noted they do not currently stock our products be sure to let them know that you would like to run games and have copies of the book for the store to sell. Contact us about which distributors carry our products, so you can be armed with this information. In addition, you might ask if the retailer is able or willing to deal direct with Goblinoid Games, and we can establish a direct retailer to publisher relationship for stocking products. In that case, give them our main email address (goblinoidgames@yahoo.com), forward us their contact information, and we can get those arrangements handled.

Be sure to contact a store well in advance, because often game stores with active tables book weeks ahead of time.

• At no time will we ever try to sell books on the premises of a game store, or try to direct sales away from the game store.
• At no time will we pay to “rent” space in a game store.

The first emphasized point above is probably common sense. We want to embrace partnership with hobby stores. The second point above may seem less obvious. In short, having store demos should be seen as a great opportunity for all parties involved. If a store asks for payment for the space, then it is likely their business model is not compatible with ours.

Please be sure to thank retailers for their willingness to participate!

Reports

After each event, we ask that you submit a brief electronic report to the Society Organizer. The main purpose is to report in general how the game went and how you were received by your venue. Include any suggestions, things that were a challenge, or your plans for your next venue.

Experience Points

Be sure to document your demo sessions so that you can receive your Society experience points! When possible, provide a web link to your session schedule. Most conventions and many hobby stores maintain an online calendar of events. Remember that you gain 5 experience points for each in-store demo, and 10 experience points for each convention session. With experience points you gain higher prestige titles within the Labyrinth Lord Society, so you can lord over your friends the dark secrets you’ve gained! With each new title a Society member has attained, an electronic certificate will be issued (for printing at home on nice stationary) with the bestowment of title. Higher ranked members also receive first consideration for playtest opportunities, exclusive product previews, or occasional limited quantity freebies.

Labyrinth Lord Society Rank System

Title - Experience Points
Knight of Dangerous Quests - 0-50
Baron or Baroness of Dark Portals - 55-120
Viscount or Viscountess of Labyrinthine Ways - 125-200
Earl or Countess of Monstrous Ambitions - 205-300
Marquis or Marchioness of Treacherous Riches - 305-400
Duke or Duchess of Draconic Machinations - 405-500
Lord or Lady of Ubiquitous Underworlds - 505+

Thank you!

Being a volunteer representative can be a big investment of time and energy, and we truly appreciate your support. Your efforts are a huge contribution to the success of our game lines. Please let us know if we can do anything to make your job easier.

[csoles666]

I have two quick questions about the reporting procedure -- I am preparing to run some public Con games / store demos in the near future, and want to comply with the reporting regulations so I get my LLS xp! So:

1. Am I correct to presume that I should email those reports directly to labyrinthlordsociety@yahoo.com?

and

2. Can the report simply be in the body of an email, or should it be a separate attached document? If the latter, which file format is preferable?

Thanks!

[austrodavicus]

Hey Carter, no actual report is necessary to have your points recorded, although it's always good to have them posted in the Gamer Gatherings section for folks to read. It's a trust thing, just let me know after you've done the demo, tell me whether it's a con or game store/club, and I'll record the points. The easiest way is to either post a thread in this section or send me a PM. But yes, you can also send an email to Society.

Dave

[Goblinoid Games]

Also Carter if it's not a hardship would you mind taking photos and posting them? It would be fun to see how things went.

[sniderman]

Actually, with the Con season firing up, it might be a good idea to start actively recruiting more members. I'll be running two MutFut games at Gen Con, and I'll bet there are several forum members running LabLord games at cons who might be unaware of the GGS. An aggressive relaunch is in order, perhaps?

[gentleman john]

Already aware of it, but I follow Groucho Marx's dictum: "I wouldn't be a member of any club that would have me."

Besides, the gaming group I'm part of are fiercely independent. It allows us to speak truth to power when necessary and not worry about who we annoy.

[csoles666]

Yes, I'll make sure to photo-document my exploits at OSRCon for sure. Thanks for the clarification.

[Goblinoid Games]

Actually, with the Con season firing up, it might be a good idea to start actively recruiting more members. I'll be running two MutFut games at Gen Con, and I'll bet there are several forum members running LabLord games at cons who might be unaware of the GGS. An aggressive relaunch is in order, perhaps?

I'll keep doing what I can online, but my hope is that we can attract recruits through games at cons also, people who might not learn about it online. I can work up a printable sheet with info people could print and cut into like 8 "cards." Do you think that would be useful?