Cardinal Ximenez | 09 Nov 2014 4:06 p.m. PST |
Thanks to all who made it happen. Had a great time. Also, thanks to the great group of guys who played in my game on Friday, Joe, Walt, Daniel, Marcello, James, John and John as well as Michael. I hope you had as good a time playing as I had running it. See you next time. Best, Don |
pzivh43 | 09 Nov 2014 4:43 p.m. PST |
I echo Don's sentiments. Thanks to the organizers and volunteers. Had a great time as usual! |
Tumbleweed | 09 Nov 2014 5:20 p.m. PST |
Special thanks to Scott Landis and crew for helping make it our best Fall In convention ever. Save us the same tables for next year! Cheers, Loren Schwendeman – The Viking Forge |
Pictors Studio | 09 Nov 2014 6:50 p.m. PST |
Big shout out to Scott and Mike and crew for their dedication and tireless assistance in the dealer hall. I'd also like to thank everyone else involved in making it happen. Sick as I was I still had a good time. Thanks too to the people who played in my game: Bob, Bob, Jordan, Jan, Vince and Bill. I had a great time running it because they were a great group of guys. Any of them can play in my games any time. |
McKinstry | 09 Nov 2014 7:22 p.m. PST |
Ditto to everyone. It was another great convention and the HMGS people, volunteers, game masters and players made it so. |
Colonel Bill | 09 Nov 2014 7:48 p.m. PST |
I wish I could join the praise, but for the first time I simply cannot. Despite my best efforts beforehand and numerous emails that seemed to confirm everything was locked in, the table where both my games were to be held were double booked – in both time slots – with another player. At least that's what was printed in the program. The Friday night game wasn't too big a deal as I had canceled it previously anyway, but I was assured I could still use the slot to set up for Saturday morning. Couldn't happen since people were playing on it anyway, and since the staff couldn't find me another table in a lockable room to set up and use for Saturday, I bit the bullet as to force the other party to move would have been even worse IMHO. I know things happen, I know people aren't perfect, I know this will likely never happen again and I know everyone else had a great time, but as I head into my second chemo session, I really needed this weekend to be a stress reliever. Just didn't happen for me. Hopefully management can figure out what went wrong and fix it for next time. There, I've vented, so now I feel better. I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. Ciao, Colonel Bill ageofeagles.com |
Poniatowski | 10 Nov 2014 7:19 a.m. PST |
Again Bill, I apologize, but this was not HMGS' fault… it was a club issue where folks too it upon themselves to rearrange events. I heard after the fact lots of stories of what happened, but I assure you, this was not on HMGS. |
historygamer | 10 Nov 2014 7:23 a.m. PST |
There were certainly plenty of empty tables to set up a game on. |
Colonel Bill | 10 Nov 2014 7:52 a.m. PST |
Understood, but I have to admit I remain confused. The issue seemed to be caused by the convention program p 27 which indicated F134 4pm start for 4 hrs on Table M8 with F101 5pm start for 5 hrs also on M8. Likewise p41 S102 9 am start for 5 hours Table M8 conflicted with p43 S135 10am start for 4 hours on Table M8. Maybe I'm dense – always a possibility with me – but I think the other party was simply going by what was in the program. In answer to historygamer, the rub was getting a table in a room I could lock up for the night, as I set up the night before for the Saturday game. TTBOMK, there was simply nothing available. I know of only two instances – both out of the Distlefink – where thefts occurred from set up games, so the odds were very slim on this happening. Nevertheless, I just feel very uncomfortable leaving stuff out like that. Oh well, c'est la guerre. Colonel Bill Http://www.ageofeagles.com |
historygamer | 10 Nov 2014 8:54 a.m. PST |
That's a shame. I don't blame you then. :-( Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. Been there, done that – you can beat it. :-) |
Colonel Bill | 10 Nov 2014 8:59 a.m. PST |
Well, on the positive side, the new Golden Corral across the street combined with the new traffic light at the Host entrance was a very welcome addition. Bill |
JohnBSnead | 10 Nov 2014 10:08 a.m. PST |
Agree with all of the above positive statements and sympathize with Bill on his issue. Looking forward to next time! Thanks Dan and the rest of the convention staff. |
BTCTerrainman | 10 Nov 2014 10:25 a.m. PST |
Thank you to Dan, and the rest of the volunteers and organizers that ran another great show. A Special shout out to the Vendor Hall staff as well. |
WarWizard | 10 Nov 2014 11:12 a.m. PST |
Was glad to see a traffic light in front of the Host. And thank you to all the great support staff that work very hard for this convention. Appreciate your efforts. |
Double G | 10 Nov 2014 12:18 p.m. PST |
Thanks very much Scott, Mike and the rest of the staff for your efforts, I had yet another great Fall In, many thanks for everything. Thanks to all the game masters for running such nice games, plenty to see Friday and Saturday night, it's the only chance I get to see the games as I'm a one man shop and am in the dealer hall during the day gaming sessions. Last but certainly not least, thanks to all of my customers who supported me; without each and every one of you, I could not have the type of successful conventions that I continue to have at the HMGS East Conventions. Thanks again everyone, can't wait for Cold Wars……….. |
Poniatowski | 10 Nov 2014 12:42 p.m. PST |
Hmmm, Bill, Ok. I looked at the saddle blanket and the inout info. It looks like in th eprogram it was possibly an export issue, were there any empty tables in the Marietta? I cannot blame the clubs at this point. I do know that they did a lot of rearranging, but if the program says something else.. and the events were all very low in number.. so when booked, there was literally 100's of other tables available. It doesn't make sense to me, so I am thinking the mistake was coudl only have been a typo "D" for "M" for the guys not supposed to be in there. I will keep investigating. I originally was going to have you in the Strausberg where I usually put you and leave you in there alone all weekend. |
Colonel Bill | 10 Nov 2014 1:13 p.m. PST |
Yes, I did see a couple of tables empty Friday night, but no empty tables on Saturday IIRC. Actually, the Carnage and Glory guys are good people, frinds of mine and have always been gracious to me. The Strassbourg is fine, but I certainly don't mind being with CandG if its easier and we can make it work. Ciao, Bill |
Poniatowski | 10 Nov 2014 1:22 p.m. PST |
The hard part about the marietta is that it has 9 tables… I can have the Em make them all 6x12… leave 4 for CnG and 4 for BoG and one for you next year. The thing is… both of those clubs can always use and always want more space. Wish I could do more! This year even the dungeon, err… I mean Host rooms were booked and they havn't been used in 2 years…. Saturday was very busy. I will take the blame for your issues Bill… I worked on the scheduling with Zack… odds are, it was a typo in the back end… which could only have been my fault. Zack did the scheduling, I made the saddle blankets and entered the rooms into the back end of YM, he did NONE of that… On paper, you weren't double booked… in the YM… there appears to be the errors. I am terribly sorry. Dan |
historygamer | 10 Nov 2014 1:29 p.m. PST |
This is why HMGS needs to do a better job managing its gaming areas. It needs a permanent management table fully staffed to oversee and manage such problems. I said the same a while back on the HMGS Yahoo group and got a lot of (electronic) blank looks, excuses, or denials there were any problems. Game, set, match. :-) |
historygamer | 10 Nov 2014 1:33 p.m. PST |
Oh, for those that don't know, there is no on-site management table to be found. The tables are set up, numbers placed on them, and then they are off to the races. Good luck finding any senior con staff in the radio/cell phone shielded Host. Going to the front reg desk to find senior staff members is like a Big Foot sightings as they are off running their butts off, so chasing them down to resolve a table issue is like finding Waldo. Not their fault, but yes, they need a management table staffed to resovle such issues, near the gaming area. I believe there is such a location in the dealer hall, but none for the over 300 games going on. The old GM desk under the awesome James C used to take that on, but those days are long gone. |
gunga gord | 10 Nov 2014 3:19 p.m. PST |
I'd like to extend a personal thank you from both Mike and myself for all the hard work and effort that the crew at Fall in put into making the convention a success. It's a thankless job really and one that many would rather shirk away from . Sure there is always things that go wrong, or tables that go amiss, or whatever, but remember please. one important thing; this is all volunteer effort. If something isn't running the way you want it or you have a better way of doing things, I'd suggest stepping up and being part of that volunteer effort. |
historygamer | 10 Nov 2014 4:35 p.m. PST |
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gunga gord | 10 Nov 2014 5:42 p.m. PST |
Been there, done that. Then I would say that perhaps your wisdom when the chance was presented to you when you "did that" wasn't imparted to those who followed in your footsteps.
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KeithinCanada | 10 Nov 2014 7:46 p.m. PST |
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kayjay | 10 Nov 2014 9:25 p.m. PST |
"This is why HMGS needs to do a better job managing its gaming areas. It needs a permanent management table fully staffed to oversee and manage such problems." And since Fall IN was short on volunteers (we recruited a 10yr old for Wally Basement) just where would you get the "table fully staffed" staff? |
Poniatowski | 11 Nov 2014 6:01 a.m. PST |
@historygamer…. I sincerely call BS…. for those of you who know me…. I did not stop working the wholoe show.. I was everywhere… and had someone actually gotten ahold of me abotu Bill's issue.. I would have addressed it. I carry 2 phones and sometimes miss calls due to my location, but seriously…. Big foot sightings…? I am as big as bigfoot…. and folks that know me laughed at me for as much micro managing as I was doing. I tried to be everywhere, all show….no sir, your accusations are false… and if you know me, or at least what I look like, you would know better than to say that. I have a megar staff of 32…. IF I am lucky. I had over 4o folks quit a week before the show…. my staff rolled over this year…. we were very hard pressed. |
historygamer | 11 Nov 2014 8:59 a.m. PST |
Dan: My post was not about you. It is about past resistance from the BOD to manage the gaming area. I am sure you work your butt off, and I think I said you do, but for any person with a problem there is no central location to go to get them addressed. The Host has lousy cell phone reception. Not sure if radios would work any better. By your own admission you (and likely your deputy too) are moving targets putting out fires, which is not ideal for the person who doesn't find you while you guys are running around. In the past, we had a GM Help Desk that provided hand carts, temporary storage and gaming area management help – such as Bill needed. That lapsed over the years. Unless I am wrong, the dealer area has a management table I am suggesting for the gaming area. The fact HMGS is struggling to get volunteers is news to me, but not surprising. Since we went to an electronic newsletter I hardly read it. When suggestions are made on the Yahoo group they are usually shouted down or met by indifference. There are only a fraction of the members on that group anyway. So not surprising volunteerism is struggling. I have volunteered for many convention jobs over the years – from manning the front desk to running the painting competition. The politics of doing so is sometimes discouraging. A quick look at the HMGS BOD minutes shows the most recent ones posted (with the stunning yet ironic topic of "NEW") from 7/22/12 – over two years out of date. Wonder why members lose interest? The newsletter is just another piece of electronic clutter and the BOD can't keep the membership updated on what they are doing or have done with two year old minutes. When I asked why the minutes were so out of date on the yahoo group my motives were questioned. A quick look at that "New" minutes reveals a BOD with positions not structured to serve the membership or garner volunteers to staff our conventions. The positions don't seem to match the needs – which are our conventions. I can't say how they are structured now as there is nothing on the HMGS website addressing that. Dan, not your fault about lack of volunteers, but you and the other CDs get to reap the outcome. Perhaps it is time for the BOD to consider why volunteerism is low and take steps to correct. They might start by communicating better with the membership. |
Poniatowski | 11 Nov 2014 9:25 a.m. PST |
historygamer, You are correct on all accounts. I thought I was doing a good thing by moving the events desk upstairs into the big reg room. I will be putting it back downstairs for next year. You input is not falling on deaf ears to be certain. Oh, and you know how the written word can be mistaken. I appologize if I did that or led you to be offended in any way. Sometimes we do not see the many facets of what is going on… I know I missed a lot because I was so mobile. I can see that the proximity of the events desk to the actual game area is important. We do have an on site event/GM helper along with the ticket folks. I had thought they did a good job and that the mistakes that happened were not even the event managers fault, but rather my own. Volunteer turnout was actually very good at first, we had a full staff with floaters even, but for some weird reason, call it fate, we lost them pretty much all due to attrition 2-3 weeks-ish before the show. Life happens I guess, but we got through it and I am very thankfull for those that stepped up to fill the void. I know JT worked very hard to remedy the situation.. and we had a lot of fellow volunteers join the fight too. Without all of them… especially PT… the show could have been tragic and my last as a CD. I do not want to fail. As it stands, I am in it for at least 2 more years….preferably until 2018…. for the anniversary of the US entering the Great War. I just need to do a good enough job to be asked back. I do appologize if I seemed harsh/rash in my response! |
historygamer | 11 Nov 2014 9:31 a.m. PST |
No offense taken. You have a thankless job and work very hard. Thank you for that. I also think volunteerism is down all around. People seem less inclined to volunteer these days. Apparently other people aren't stepping up to fill the void. My own take is that the cons have a lot of resources devoted to the front end of things (all the stuff done on line months before, the reg desk staff, etc), but not so much to help manage things beyond that. It all seems to fall on the CDs, Deputy CDs and the events managers. Kind of thin there for so much work. Perhaps now that people know there is a shortage of volunteers more will come forward to help. I may reconsider as well. Best wishes to you and thanks again to you and your staff. |
cleo liebl | 11 Nov 2014 2:54 p.m. PST |
Colonel Bill The Con staff offered, and has usually cured double booking, inconvenient locations (another gentleman is undergoing chemo and was located at the back of Distelfink, near the door -- and smokers). We usually try to work with each gamemaster, because we know how much work going into preparing a game, and the gamemasters make and ARE the convention. Sorry you choose not to avail yourself of our aid. |
Moe the Great | 11 Nov 2014 6:19 p.m. PST |
I thought it was a hoot. Thanks to HMGS and all the folks that helped. |
historygamer | 11 Nov 2014 7:50 p.m. PST |
cleo – where is this aid to be found? Is there a way people know where to find help if they have a problem? Is that posted somewhere or in a message sent to GMs prior to the con? Just curious as maybe there is a communication break down. |
Jlundberg | 11 Nov 2014 9:31 p.m. PST |
Good con for me. I ran three games and had a minor issue with the schedule having me on two tables (one for am and one for pm) but it was easily resolved with the event staff. I had great players and was lucky to get great support from West Wind and Gripping Beast for my events. As usual I was terrible at getting pictures link The disintegration of the Host is getting a little old, especially grumpy about missing my shower Sunday AM |
snurl1 | 11 Nov 2014 10:28 p.m. PST |
Had a fun time as usual. Thanks to the whole staff. Good times, familiar faces, great bargains, even found some hard-to-find stuff. Cold Wars, Here I come. |
Poniatowski | 12 Nov 2014 6:17 a.m. PST |
It is listed in the PEL on whom to talk to… basically anyone on staff can direct anyone else on where they need to go for problem resolution and the bigger the problem, the quicker it goes up the chain. |
Colonel Bill | 12 Nov 2014 6:23 a.m. PST |
Cleo, Sorry to disagree, but if you recall I did come to your desk and spoke with both you and Bob face to face over the issue. Here there did seem to be some confusion because I specifically remember you mentioning that the club POC actually assigned the tables in the club room, not the Events Chair (is this a new policy, because I also heard other GMs remark the Events Desk told them likewise), and the master scheduling sheets you had on hand evidently were incomplete or did not match the program. You did indeed offer to move the other party into the Lampeter, but given they were already set up and their game was in the program for that table, this seemed to be a worse cure than the original ailment. After all, they had just as much right to the table as I did. Another free table in a lockable room simply could not be found, because we did look. So I bit the bullet. I appreciate the fact you were understaffed, materials seemed to be incomplete and that you had nothing to do with the original error, but please do NOT suggest I did not consult the system in place, because I most certainly did. Bill |
historygamer | 12 Nov 2014 9:37 a.m. PST |
I'm curious how you knew to go to them, not that they could apparently resolve your problem? Can staff leave the desk to resolve problems, or are they so short staffed they have to stay there? Just curious. Also, what is the SOP when a game is moved from one table to another? How are players to find that out without a lot of running around? Is that SOP posted in the program booklet? |
Colonel Bill | 12 Nov 2014 10:40 a.m. PST |
I signed in as a GM on Thursday evening, and I always look around the room as a matter of course, because the two conventions at the Host will use different setups from time to time. I saw the Events Desk in the same room, manned by John Drye as I don't believe any volunteers were available. I checked on my games and according to his master schedule – which seemed different from the one I saw next day – all seemed in order. It was only later that I became aware of the program error. BTW, even though the Events Desk did not solve my problem, that does not mean they didn't give it a good, college try. They did. Anyway, I dunno, but perhaps its a good thing this all happened. I seem to be the only one inconvenienced, but this does seem like some sort of systemic problem, so its good it surfaced now. It can be fixed for next time, and before it impacts more people next time around. I have faith it will be. Colonel Bill |
historygamer | 12 Nov 2014 11:56 a.m. PST |
I hope so too, but table and program mix ups aren't anything new. After all these years there seems to be no location or process in place to address these issues. I brought this up a year or so ago on the HMGS yahoo group and was poo-pooed by the powers that be. Guess I was wrong and everything is just fine. |
TheKing30 | 12 Nov 2014 12:12 p.m. PST |
@ Kayjay And since Fall IN was short on volunteers (we recruited a 10yr old for Wally Basement) just where would you get the "table fully staffed" staff? @Dan
I have a megar staff of 32…. IF I am lucky. I had over 4o folks quit a week before the show…. my staff rolled over this year…. we were very hard pressed. Funny you should mention this. I volunteered three times – Twice on Thursday night. The second time I was told I wasn't needed. I came back on Saturday. I was put on pre-registration desk. I helped maybe one person.
I asked if they can show me the registration system so I could be of help the next time I volunteer. I was told it was too hard. I told them I'm pretty sure I can learn it. Then I was told that there was nobody to create an account for me. I couldn't believe that nobody wanted to show me the system. Just as an FYI – I have a long career in IT. I'm pretty sure I could have gotten the hang of the system. The only reason I was so persistant was I saw Dan running around and thought maybe I could lighten the load. I'm not trying to be nasty – please don't take it that way. I'm just trying to show there are two sides of a story. |
Poniatowski | 12 Nov 2014 12:56 p.m. PST |
@The King30 GAH!!!! Please tell me that isn't how it happened!!! PLEASE contact me!!! I need volunteers. Yes, at the show many folks did step up last minute for me, of that I am VERY appreciative, but to turn someone away is crazy!!! PLEASE contact me via YM Fall-In! web site… P-L-E-A-S-E! Hopefully that doesn't sound too desperate? |
Ponder | 12 Nov 2014 2:01 p.m. PST |
Howdy, I have to echo with my disappointment in the Fall-IN organization. Games requested in back-to-back sessions on the same table were moved to different rooms for the subsequent game in the final program. This seemed to be the origin of the issue in the Marietta Room, at least. It was unreasonable to set-up and then take down a game just to set it up in a new location. Consequently, folks just stayed on the same table – displacing folks downstream. As a result of this, I had to hunt a table for my game on Saturday, ended up moving to a completely different room. I expect some people never found the game. There was no set-up for seminars – If I had not hunted down the responsible people, the slide projector would not have made it to the seminar room on Friday. As it was, I had to personally sign it out. There was no staff help in setting it up. Same issue occurred for our special guest's lectures on Saturday. Folks at the HQ very helpful, but after the fact. Ponder on, JAS
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DF2009 | 12 Nov 2014 3:11 p.m. PST |
For the record: the 10 yr old is actually 11 and I (his father) forced the lad to work. Thank God we had him to help so I could step away from the desk if needed. Not to be Bias but he did a better job than some of the 'grown-ups'. D.Fischer II |
TheKing30 | 12 Nov 2014 4:28 p.m. PST |
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historygamer | 12 Nov 2014 4:39 p.m. PST |
You are not the first volunteer to be ignored (at any of the conventions). Some years ago a friend of mine, who is an event planner by profession, offered his services and was ignore. Again, my point about the organization – we have a VP for Education and Outreach but none for developing and organizing volunteers. Me thinks there is something wrong in thy kingdom. :-) |
TheKing30 | 12 Nov 2014 4:48 p.m. PST |
@ Historygamer I believe you. Now my natural reaction to rejection is to recoil and walk away. However, when I saw Dan running around, I knew walking away couldn't be an option. The man needs help. I need to figure out how I can help without being too pushy. |
Poniatowski | 13 Nov 2014 12:38 p.m. PST |
email responded too… @TheKing30… thank you for the kind words… I tried to be everywhere. I do trust my managers, but they need breaks too. As a CD, I am grateful for those who step up… I am not scatterbrained and I was not trying to micromanage.. I just wanted to try and make sure the show was as good as it could get. What happened with Bill and in the Marietta room really depressed me, because in the end.. that was my fault. Bill runs great games… folks might say we ar elosing dealers, but one things for certain, because of the generosity of the GM's, we had mad more games this year than we have had at Fall-In! for the last 5 years!!! I know there were empty tables, but there are always cancellations/no shows, etc… I cannot help that. Thank you all though for making the show as good as it was… it turned out quite well I think… I just wished I could have participated a bit more! I really, really wanted ot make the WWPD show, Dr. Zuber's lectures and the ones on WW1…. I got to play a very great game and at one point I was actually friend-napped…. they just took me form the show to go to eat in town.. a wonderful Indian restaraunt… I received no less than 8 phone calls to deal with convention stuff while on that short excursion. @Historygamer… I like that idea… we have an onsite staff coordinator and try to have training sessions, but you are correct, we need a boot campe for new recruits!!!! Dan |
Duke42 | 14 Nov 2014 4:54 p.m. PST |
I along with my 2 friends ran 3 games at the con. We had a total of 32 players in our games. All of our games were "sold out". The thing I noticed this convention was that every pre-registered person showed for their gaming slot. We always have extra slots for walk ups built in and these were all filled until we couldn't take anymore players. Over the last 5 years we have seen a steady increase in the number of pre-registered no shows. While we have not had a problem filling up these empty slots with walk ups it bothers me a little bit that someone who wanted to get into the game didn't because they thought it was full. I also played in 4 more games. I had fun in all of the games I played. I would say the players I played with and the ones that played in our games on the whole (everyone) were great gamers. There wasn't a single rules lawyer to be found. Everything ran very smoothly for my friends and myself. The host is showing its age but that in no way diminished my enjoyment of the con. Having gone to over half the HMGS cons in the last 10 years I have developed a number of "con" friends that it is nice to catch up with. I would like to thank the CD and all the volunteers for a great con, a smooth experience, and a great time. Too often it seems people focus on the negative and I just wanted to give my positive $0.02 USD. Thanks, John |
War Scorpio | 14 Nov 2014 8:53 p.m. PST |
I had a great time at Fall-In. Many thanks to the staff as everything went smoothly for me. Played 4 games that were totally enjoyable, met many gaming buddies, and time flew by. Even posted on TMP about favorite places to eat in Lancaster and got many excellent suggestions. Get well soon Bill, and sorry about your game. Hope to see you at Cold Wars feeling better and hosting fun games as usual – go Clemson! |
pvi99th | 15 Nov 2014 1:46 p.m. PST |
I really enjoyed Fall In. I don't necessarily think the game registration area needs to be downstairs, I think upstairs in the room with registration does make sense, but having a help desk downstairs would help, That way people that come in and pay for registration can see what is available right away. It also cuts out the lines of people at the bottom of the stairs blocking things. Having a seperate GM help desk down there would be useful though, it wouldn't take much of a footprint and could have communication gear, whatever is being used, to reach the necessary people if there is an issue. One thing I would like to see is consistency with all three conventions for registration times. For example the Fall In Friday night registration closes at 5 PM. Not everyone can get off of work on Friday the entire day and closing at 5 means some people can't get badges possibly that they pre-registered for. It happened to me last year. I got stuck in traffic due to construction and arrived at 5:05. I forget exactly which convention is which but one is open until 6 and the other until 7 on Friday night. It just seems to make sense to extend Friday night a bit later to support those that can't take off from work. At least being consistent across all three would help us know when things close, Overall though a great convention. Thanks for the hard work. |