Nebraska Dave News and Reviews

I've been an organizer for Organized Play events for the local conventions for several years now. The indie gamemasters don't need organization (they either show and run, or they don't) but for Organized Play campaigns (Adventurers League, Pathfinder Society, etc.), something always has to go off. Sometimes people show up with six players and want to play something not even on the schedule, and we try to accommodate them. It's stressful, but I've felt like I was helping something cool to go off properly.

But the last several years, it seems like all of the crap rolls either downhill or uphill to me. The management has reduced us to a total of 4 rooms for 24 – 36 DMs. Instead of upping the rooms based on the number of DMs I need, they want me to increase the number of slots DMs have to run in order to get a spot in a room (currently at 6 slots, which is half the convention).

From the other end, I have coordinators who put their significant others on the "staff" roster for free badges and room space; who promise DMs room space for running two or three slots, since they're "friends of the campaign;" and who submit everything late — schedules and judge lists come to me anywhere from a few days after my deadline up to four days before the convention. The only bright spot is, although my up-front budget is $0, I've been able to get reimbursed for expenses (printing modules and handouts, posters, etc.) after the convention by submitting an itemized receipt; however, my coordinators have not come back to me with their expenses, and then complain that they never got any money back.

In return for my coordinating efforts, I've received a badge, a t-shirt, and crash space. Well, I haven't played in a game at a convention in years (too busy), and the t-shirts aren't that great, and I am too old to share a convention room with five other gamers — I'd rather sleep in my own bed.

So, this coming weekend is our big summer convention. I'm telling them I'm done, and suggesting a few people they could ask to take my place, more organized than myself and hopefully with thicker skins. I've got nothing left in the tank to give away in return for aggravation and stress.

Anyway, sorry for the rant, but I needed to get my feelings off of my chest.