Paid Convention Games?

[Reynard]

Friends of mine and I are going to origins together this year and we have started looking for games to play as event registration approaches (May 4 FYI). I have noticed a bunch of paid events, and am a little shocked. it doesn't seem to be based on any particular quality of the game, just some GMs charge.

As someone that run games at a few cons a year, I am non-plussed.

Is this a common practice these days? And who, precisely, pays an additional $12 to play a Shadowdark gauntlet or M&M game?

 

[Morrus]

Yeah, pretty standard practice. $12 seems a little high to me though.

 

[billd91]

Yeah, paid games are common. Whenever I went to Gen Con, the event tickets had a price. Same now with Gamehole. In fact, Gamehole increased ticket prices last year to discourage player no-shows.

 

[Reynard]

Yeah, pretty standard practice. $12 seems a little high to me though.

I am in the NE of the US, and the two bigger cons I do has free event tickets and no additional cost events unless it is miniature painting or whatever.

I am okay with the idea of a premium event (like if it were in a private room rather than the hall, or there is a bunch of extras) but just charging 10 bucks because you can rankles me in all the wrong ways.

 

[Reynard]

Yeah, paid games are common. Whenever I went to Gen Con, the event tickets had a price. Same now with Gamehole. In fact, Gamehole increased ticket prices last year to discourage player no-shows.

It isn't a standard event cost. it is obvious the GMs are setting the prices per event.

 

[payn]

Yeah, paid games are common. Whenever I went to Gen Con, the event tickets had a price. Same now with Gamehole. In fact, Gamehole increased ticket prices last year to discourage player no-shows.

I heard tossing in a fee to prevent no show. Paying to play is becoming more common…

 

[Reynard]

I heard tossing in a fee to prevent no show. Paying to play is becoming more common…

Years ago you bought event tickets for $2 each or whatever, but then most cons I wwlent to dropped that part. Now GMs are charging on their whim, which feels weird.

 

[payn]

Years ago you bought event tickets for $2 each or whatever, but then most cons I wwlent to dropped that part. Now GMs are charging on their whim, which feels weird.

With the net these days folks are incredibly low commitment. Join drop at a hat with zero concern. If I’m traveling to a con I’d probably want to protect against wasting my time.

 

[Reynard]

With the net these days folks are incredibly low commitment. Join drop at a hat with zero concern. If I’m traveling to a con I’d probably want to protect against wasting my time.

People paid often close to.$100 for a con badge and then hundreds of dollars for travel and housing. Do they really drop games that often.

Like I said, I run a lot of games at cons and no-shows are exceedingly rare. But these are regional cons without the vast array of non-gaming options so maybe it is more common to have no shows at GenCon or Origins?

 

[payn]

People paid often close to.$100 for a con badge and then hundreds of dollars for travel and housing. Do they really drop games that often.

Like I said, I run a lot of games at cons and no-shows are exceedingly rare. But these are regional cons without the vast array of non-gaming options so maybe it is more common to have no shows at GenCon or Origins?

I have never run games myself, but I hear it complained about a lot from folks who do.