Events in 2015 - Latest: IGT 2015 reports

[MarcoSkoll]

Organising participants into any given GMing order is trivial. The lists I put together a few years ago have everyone GM in the order of their player numbers, so the players just need to be assigned higher numbers in registration.

The difficulty we do have with GMing is that if we do move to a three round format, not every participant will be guaranteed a GMing slot (because we're also dependent on being able to juggle two or three players per GM in order that we can account for non-round numbers of participants - two players would only work for multiples of three, three players multiples of four, but mixing two and three works for anything other than 1, 2 or 5 participants).

With potentially four participants per table, but only three rounds in which those can GM, we'll have as many missing GMing slots as we have tables with four people on them - very much like in the four round format, where we have as many people needing to GM twice as we have tables with three people on them.

It's not going to be possible to be any more certain of these numbers in advance than we normally are. So, the people missing the GMing round in a three round format would have to be filled by either volunteers or drawing straws on the day. I could certainly take requests to skip GMing in advance, but still... everyone would need to have a scenario prepared.

If we want to make sure everyone gets to run their scenario, then we'd have to keep the four round format (but the three round format certainly doesn't guarantee that people will get to opt out).

Still, while it's difficult to know how many people have to GM other than once, it's very easy to shuffle those people who are GMing into any order at all.

EDIT: That said, in a three round format, it should be possible (at first glance, I will need to check) to ensure that some players either don't GM or GM for only two people (which might be easier for inexperienced GMs), because we'll only not have "opt out" slots if some of the tables have got only three people on them.

~~~~~

In any case, the e-mail has now gone off. I will confirm ASAP.

[MarcoSkoll]

No confirmation yet, grrr. If I haven't had something by mid-afternoon "tomorrow", I'll try ringing and seeing if the e-mail's become lost in their system again (it has happened before).

In any case, we need to resolve the conversation about three or four rounds. I'll hopefully have a draft of a three round player pack soon, but it really comes down to considering whether it's going to be a problem if not everyone can be guaranteed to GM but also that no-one can be guaranteed to not GM in three rounds.

[greenstuff_gav]

i think it's not a problem GMing or not-GMing and most happy enough to play Inquisitor that slight unfairness regarding points* wouldn't be an issue

*isn't it GMs score slightly higher?

[MarcoSkoll]

The issue though is that without exact numbers I have no idea how many people will not be GMing, so everyone would need to prepare a scenario regardless of whether they want to GM or whether they'll eventually get to use it.

The best I can be certain of at the moment is that in a three round format I can offer two players slots which will either not GM or GM for only two players. (Which'd mean they wouldn't have to worry about making their scenario work for three players, and make for a smaller game that'd be easier to keep to time*).

If the overall numbers get a bit better, I can probably extend that to three slots.

*That said, I am planning on keeping a couple of very simple scenarios in reserve to throw at GMs in case any scenarios run too fast and they need some time filler. (Which is how I managed to run three games at the last GT)

isn't it GMs score slightly higher?

A couple of points lower, on average.

However, what I wouldn't be difficult to do is calculate the difference between the average Player and GM scores on the day, then use that difference as a "handicap" so that everything was kept on the level.

[greenstuff_gav]

i usually have a campaign or two in my folder just incase so lookslike spare scenarios aren't an issue!

in semi-related tangent one of my +1s is on shift so its a possible +1 instead of the +2!

[MarcoSkoll]

Spectrum is green!

Pum dum pum dum dum dum! Cap...tain Scar...let!

We have a confirmed booking for Saturday 30th May, and have three standard tables plus Spyral Prime for the whole day.

I will attempt to have a draft briefing pack in the near future.

[greenstuff_gav]

with all the crap news this week i must admit..

i'm well excited!

[Van Helser]

I have made the necessary bookings and will be there. Looking forward to it majorly.

Don't have a preference on number of games - I just want to play/GM/the whole shebang.

Ruaridh

[MarcoSkoll]

Indeed, much celebration:


Hopefully this will be the start of making up for the slow event scene in 2014 - which is partly my fault, as I didn't push hard enough to initiate IGT 2014 (still, I did end up running Ancient Rites, so I won't blame myself too much).

Party blowers or not though, today marks 11 weeks to the event.
Not a particularly auspicious anniversary, but we nonetheless have an Alpha event pack to go with it: http://www.mediafire.com/download/bcvzbxubi9n8bts/

As it says in big red letters at the top of the first page, this pack is not yet considered final. It's bolting together the fundamentals for if we do swap to a three-round IGT, like:

- Article 4: An updated order of events. Fairly simple, just new time slots.

- Articles 6.1 & 10: What happens in the event of GMing "byes".
With regard to Article 6.1.2, I don't want the chance of not GMing to discourage participants from doing things like putting the effort into a fully modelled cathedral, so I'm reserving the right to exempt anyone who's gone to that kind of length from a bye.

Other things worth drawing attention to:

- Footnote 2: While we're not (currently) set to have 28mm play on the day, people are invited to bring along INQ28 miniatures anyway. If we can find a little spare space, I'd like to be able to lay out a small display of nice 28 and 54mm models alongside something like Kaled's Inquisitor pamphlets for people to peruse - if we get people's attention*, I'd like to be able to use that to further awareness of Inquisitor.

*And hopefully we will... I'm not going to promise Leander will be at the event, but she's fairly specifically designed to get noticed.

- Article 3.6 and Footnote 3: The 30th is also Warhammer Battle Brothers (i.e. a doubles event), so dress sensibly, as the hall will get rather warm with that many people in it.

- Article 16: I'll be participating. However, you're not obliged to score me, and even if you do, I won't be appearing in the final ranking.

- Article 17.1: I've removed the WYSIWYG restriction on GMs. The only time I've yet seen a GM modify characters, it was strictly in breach of this, but it was nonetheless highly highly enjoyable.

- Appendix 4: I've done a bit of (experimental) adjustment to the guidelines on scoring players.

Things I'm yet considering changing:

- Article 2.1: Possibly increasing the character allowance to four or five and giving the player the option to swap them around. It'd be up to GMs whether more than three could be used at once, but with these longer time slots, scenarios being run with two players might benefit from the addition of a fourth character.

[greenstuff_gav]

having only had a quick skim, is the rule about only accepting playable characters from the day as modelling entries still in effect?

if so i'd be glad of the bigger pool; i've already decided my crew but they're finished :lol:

[MarcoSkoll]

having only had a quick skim, is the rule about only accepting playable characters from the day as modelling entries still in effect?

At least in that draft, yes.  It does put a bit of a limit on players just repeatedly re-entering their best models and encourages them to try to do a good job again.

The other alternative I had in mind was completely dropping any restrictions on characters - after all, the IGT is not an event with continuity, and there are reasons why players being able to completely swap their warbands would be a good thing.

For example, if players think the past interactions between their characters could interfere, for example - Koval and I have worked the backgrounds of several of our characters together, so putting Inquisitor Filipowski and Commissar Fenn on the same table as Inquisitor Skoll and/or Inquisitor Rhodes would completely de-rail a scenario that was trying to start a punch-up, because what you'd actually get is a reunion.

[MarcoSkoll]

Those of you who are Facebook friends will already know this, but the IGT is also now a Facebook event too, as I know a lot of people like working that way:

https://www.facebook.com/events/375587422638875/

[TheNephew]

Upgrading myself from a 'maybe' to a 'yes, barring cataclysmic life events'.
Time to book myself another pre-dawn train and find a caffeine delivery system I can attach directly to the main line.

Edit: Oh, and, as much as I prefer the look without, actually base my Liwet and escorts. It was funny the first time she took an unscheduled nap on the way down an escarpment, but became increasingly wearing as the day progressed.

[greenstuff_gav]

while i like to be prepared for any eventuality it never occurred to e to bring bases!

[Kaled]

I've just checked in my garage, and in amongst the pile of sadly neglected Inquisitor stuff is a chest containing a master-crafted pistol and issues of White Dwarf containing Inquisitor articles that was given as a prize a couple of years ago. I'm not yet sure whether I'll make it to the IGT (we had a baby a few weeks ago so my time is less my own than it once was) - but if anyone from the Preston, Lancashire area is going to the IGT they're welcome to come pick it up.

I also found all my 54mm terrain that I ought to try to sell or do something with - the baby's stuff is already taking up room in the garage so I don't really have space to keep it all.  I guess the same goes for the box of 54mm miniatures and conversion bits...

I'll continue to keep an eye on this thread and will let you know if I can make it - it would be good to see you all and catch up.