Double Exposure Slot Structure

[Salvius]

Folks,

Since the first DEXCON in 1992, Double Exposure has instituted a "loose" slot setup for all of our tournaments. This means that slots start at 9:00 or 10:00AM and we fit 3 slots into a day prior to midnight, with a lunch break and a dinner break.

Other gaming conventions start their slots at 8AM and fit 4 in as follows:

8-12, 12-4, 4-8, 8-12, with no breaks.

The reason this comes up is that we will be getting more and more National Championships (and regional ones) and as the conventions grow, more gamers demand more gaming time.

So this is just an exploratory poll to see what the general consensus is regarding our slot structure. Please vote and let me know what you think. Don't worry, I won't be changing anything imminently without announcing it

>>>Vinny

[Tiny]

Am I suppose to be able to do this? leave a responce

[one-shot]

I think it is a great idea to have the slots in your format, as it gives players/gm's a chance to go eat or sleep or whatever....

[wildcard]

Personally, I hate slots.  Period.  I realize they may be a necessary evil, but as someone who coordinates an entire genre of games (CCGs), I like to be able to stagger start times so that multiple events don't have to go off at the same time.  Also, this allows people who play multiple games, to play in more than one major event per day in case they scrub out of the "early" one.

[Salvius]

Personally, I hate slots.  Period.  I realize they may be a necessary evil, but as someone who coordinates an entire genre of games (CCGs), I like to be able to stagger start times so that multiple events don't have to go off at the same time.  Also, this allows people who play multiple games, to play in more than one major event per day in case they scrub out of the "early" one.

Well, the fact is that slots have never been applied to CCGs - this topic is for most of the other tracks.

>>>Vinny

[wildcard]

Oh.  Well then...carry on.  I'll go with whatever decision is made. 

[Oni no Ted]

Since the first DEXCON in 1992, Double Exposure has instituted a "loose" slot setup for all of our tournaments. This means that slots start at 9:00 or 10:00AM and we fit 3 slots into a day prior to midnight, with a lunch break and a dinner break.

How about a 24-hour track?   

[Kate Beaman-Martinez]

Looks like Ted is volunteering to stay up allllllllllllll night to fill in for people who pass out!

 

[Frigemall]

Staying up all night at a con, who would do that? LOL

[henwy]

I'd be for more slots without the break. I figure people will simply take certain slots off to recharge instead of fitting into the time allotted at the moment. This should give people more freedom to plan their schedule as well as reducing conflicts somewhat with the addition of new events.

[njsurvivor]

In my opinion, slots should be no earlier than they are now.  I feel that on a convention weekend, people are up late playing games and socializing.  I do not, however, like the slots the way they are now.  I have brought it up with Tiny before, and I do understand why it was done.  Frequently, my problem is that when I am able to play in a game, there is nothing starting up and everyone is already playing other games.  What I was thinking was a bit more scattering, not just having all games start at certain times.  And there is also the fact that not everyone adheres to the 3 meals a day logic.  Those who do abide by it do not always eat at the times those slots are placed.  I, for example, may eat once or twice in one day.  If I am playing in a game, it tends to fall at a time where I am usually hungry.  At these cons, I am forced to eat at what I consider to be unnatural times, and it's almost guaranteed that I am sick by Sunday.  It's no fun having to miss out on the gaming action twice (when I have to leave a game to eat, and when everyone else is out eating and I sit there lonely, with no others to play games with).  I'm sure I'm not the only one with this problem.  Another suggestion I have would be to extend some of the games a little later into the night...  This would work especially well with boardgames.  Some of the RPG's would do well also if started a little later in the night...  Start one at 8ish, and then another one at 10ish (of course, if there is a GM that wouldn't mind...).

Just a couple of thoughts...

Kathy

[Tiny]

Hold it,

     Sorry Kathy, maybe you didn't understand our conversation, the breaks that were build in to the schedule are not there to force you or anyone else to eat at a structured time. They are there to give people a set free time to get the chance to eat if they wish to, or the chance to go to the dealers room, socialize with people that are friends that do not have the same taste in games, or just relax.
    There is no rule that says if a group is playing a game and a break starts they have to abandon there game. in fact if you look at the schedule there are several games that run rite through breaks.
    The breaks are there to give our hard working staff a chance to eat or at least think about it were in their past they have not had that chance. As one of the people that run the conventions I can tell you that I have gone a day with out eating and Had people grab me, sit me down, and feed me. I have gone 5 days with only 10 hours of sleep. No gaming convention can survive if there entire staff is operating in that way. So we built in the breaks to help prevent it.
     

[klz_fc]

I like the structure as it is as it gives me a chance to actually check out the Dealer's room before Sunday. Not to mention the food breaks really helps when we're all trying to cover games without GMs between games we've already put ourselves down on and we may forget what time it is.

I should also note that open games can always be started as long as there's a free table. I've joined plenty of pick up games throughout the weekends and tried out a lot of games I would never have known about or had a chance to play in the scheduled slot.

[June]

As a GM in the boardgame room, I have to say that I really appreciated having those lunch and dinner breaks. It was a blessing. Not only did I not miss out on the dealer's room, but I got to socialize with fellow GMs (who are more and more becoming like a second family), eat at a human pace, have a rest if I needed it, return phone calls or play a pick-up game. You came back for the next session refreshed and ready. Well, maybe not by Sunday so much. I'd be sorry to see them go.

June

[njsurvivor]

Tiny,

I understand the reasons for the breaks...  I'm just talking about how I feel about them.  Trust me, I've tried finding pickup games.  Apparenly I just can't find them...  So I actually do feel forced to eat when not hungry and whatnot so that I don't miss games I want to play.  I know the games don't end when the slot ends...  I've played into break slots...  But, I've also have had 4 and 6 hour breaks because I miss the start time for games and have to wait for them and the break to end...

Kathy