AdventureCon! Take 2...and see me in the morning.

[LimpingFish]

Before I begin, I would just like to point out that I'm not posting this specifically to ridicule anything or anybody. I'm genuinely interested in peoples views on this second attempt, again by Malinche Entertainment, to start some sort of adventure-based con.

We all remember what happened last year, but I approached this years attempt with an open mind. Seriously.

You can read all about it, guests, prices and whatnot, at the official site.

Disregarding any reservations you may have towards AdventureCon, does this current plan appeal to you? Would you pay to attend?

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

Well, I was going to post a comment remembering what a *con* the previous one had been...

...but Fish's thought out post denied me the opportunity of Malice towards Malinche. Damn you, Fishy! Damn you to the seventh dodecaedron of Heck!

[Privateer Puddin']

Hey! CJ is going! He can get us free tickets!

[LimpingFish]

Believe me, Rui, the temptation to tear into Malinche is unbearable.

But I figured we'd give it a chance first, seeing as this years attempt is a little more...workable. And somewhat less Twilight Zone.

There does seem to be a sort of bitterness in some of the remarks in the FAQ regarding last years attempt, which may be a little unfair. And JustAdventure's Randy Sluganski seems to not be involved this year, or is keeping his involvement silent, which may or may not tell us something.

I'd genuinely like to see an event like this actually work, but again I have doubts that this is the one.

Hey! CJ is going! He can get us free tickets!

Yeah, I did a double-take myself when I saw "Chris Jones". Part of me was strangely disappointed when it wasn't our Chris Jones.

[Radiant]

Wait, didn't this fall flat last year?

At any rate, New Jersey is quite a bit far from where I live.

[AGA]

Wait, didn't this fall flat last year?

Last two years, IIRC.

[Stupot]

Sounds pretty cool.  What happened to the last two attempts, then?

[Grundislav]

There's been only one attempt so far, last year.  The dates were switched around a few times, and the location was moved from Las Vegas to Atlantic City.  All in all it was a huge fiasco.  We'll see if this year proves any different.

[m0ds]

Well, they knocked $901 off the price this time round, so that's a good start. But personally, US events like this will probably never interest me.

[MRollins]

I think it would be great just to meet The Coles and Al Lowe...and gamble in AC!

[SSH]

The hotel isn't built yet.

[Dave Gilbert]

I admit to being a bit disappointed when this fell through last year.  It's known that I have no love of Malinche or Mr. Sherman, but it would have been nice to see something like this work.  I don't think it'll work this year, if only because the date of the con is during a major American holiday weekend where most people are doing other things.

That said, the tone on the FAQ seems strangely... vitriolic.  Saying outright that adventure game companies and producers are flaky and unreliable is a huge insult.  So the reason for Adventurecon failing last year was due to the flakiness of the companies/developers and not of the coordinator?  I'm sorry, but that's a lie.  Last year, I asked about speaking at the con or being an exhibitor.  The price of an exhibition table was astronomical - nearly a grand for a table, plus the cost of travel and hotel.  As for being a speaker/panelist, I was still expected to pay full price to get into the con.  So yes, I bailed out.  If that's being unreliable, call me Flaky McFlakerson.  If Mr. Sherman learned from his mistake and doesn't want to repeat it, fine.  But don't blame the developers. 

Because if there isn't enough response from the adventure game community, the event will be canceled.

Fair enough, except then later...

The event WILL take place on August 29th-31st at The Water Club in Atlantic City.

Hm.

I will watch the development this year with interest.

[Eggie]

Did anything actually go ahead last year or was the event cancelled?

The experience of five people paying extortionate amounts of money to go to a near-empty convention would make a pretty good adventure game.

[Pumaman]

Yeah, I did a double-take myself when I saw "Chris Jones". Part of me was strangely disappointed when it wasn't our Chris Jones.

Quiet, you!! Don't go telling them that and ruining this free holiday for me!

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

I'll admit, though - the guest list is impressive.

[Dave Gilbert]

Impressive for 10-15 years ago, perhaps.  Today?  Maybe not so much.  With all due respect to them, getting guests who haven't been in the spotlight for over 10 years aren't so hard to snag.

[m0ds]

I like this;

Every time a VIP confirms they will attend, the tab to run this shindig goes up by $3,500. That's because we pick up all of the VIP's travel expenses and put them up in a top-of-the-line room at The Water Club.  That's on top of wining and dining them all weekend.  Please realize that the legends of the adventure game world will not ride in to town on a Greyhound and stay in a Holiday Inn with food vouchers for Denny's.  We tried!

Ron Gilbert arrived at a local London pub on the tube & sat on a wooden bench for 4 hours And in my eyes he's WAY more VIP than those attending the "Con" Anyway there's quite a lot of nonsense in the FAQ with a lot of underlying pleading too, but if they do get the numbers & go ahead with it then all the best to them.

[Stupot]

Impressive for 10-15 years ago, perhaps.  Today?  Maybe not so much.  With all due respect to them, getting guests who haven't been in the spotlight for over 10 years aren't so hard to snag.

Maybe, but getting them all in the same room together is a pretty awesome result.

[Dave Gilbert]

I like this quote too, M0ds.

Every time a VIP confirms they will attend, the tab to run this shindig goes up by $3,500. That's because we pick up all of the VIP's travel expenses and put them up in a top-of-the-line room at The Water Club.  That's on top of wining and dining them all weekend.  Please realize that the legends of the adventure game world will not ride in to town on a Greyhound and stay in a Holiday Inn with food vouchers for Denny's.  We tried!

In other words, they aren't doing it for love of the adventure genre, or out of a sense of loyalty, but rather for an all-expense-paid holiday to a top-of-the-line room in a luxury hotel?  I'd hardly call this a good thing.  In fact, it's a bit sad.

[auriond]

Gee... I'm used to reading about game and comic conventions in the US all the time and feeling envious that all we get here are anime and cosplay cons. But reading about AdventureCon, I actually feel sorry for this Howard Sherman person. He's obviously trying hard, but he's so out of touch.

I imagine an AdventureCon as maybe a place where indie game-makers can boost their own profile and get to meet the big-names. It would be an exciting time for gamers and game-makers alike to find out what's going on in the indie scene, because let's face it - much of the adventure game activity is in the indie scene. It wouldn't be glitzy or glamourous - quite the opposite, because in my mind adventure gamers are pretty realistic people, and we know we don't have the kind of following that comics do, for example. I don't think this would cost a lot to host and run. You might not get a profit out of it, but at least the adventure game community would benefit greatly.

In other words, what I imagine doesn't seem to mesh at all with what I'm reading on the AdventureCon site.

And yes, I'm highly perturbed by the FAQ. He sounds like he's running out of patience - which is understandable, but also hints that he's not really interested anymore. In which case he really ought to stop and think if what he's doing is what the adventure gaming community wants.

If I were in the US, I wouldn't go after reading that site. I'd be too afraid of disappointment. (And that's assuming I didn't even know the history of the failed attempts.)