Category: The Gauntlet: Our Community

Comicpalooza Games is looking for gamers to step up and run any variety of game that is suitable for the Con environment. lots of details on the www.comicpaloozagames.com/ website, volunteer a few hours and you could earn a free pass into the event!

How do I volunteer to GM?

You can volunteer as a GM directly from the www.comicpaloozagames.com/ site. First, register for an account. Next, simply fill out a game submission form for each game you’d like to run. You will be contacted by our staff, we’ll work out any details, and once the details of your game are approved it will show up on our schedule. You can also track the status of you submission from the Account->Submissions page.

How do you qualify for a free convention pass as a GM?

In order to qualify for a free 4-day convention pass and t-shirt we require 2 things (and you can check your qualification status in your Account->Profile):

First, we require that you make an account on the www.comicpaloozagames.com/ website. If you do not have an account there it is free to set one up, but you must have one to get a free GM pass. The reason we require this is so that we can automate our badging and shirt requests. It also cuts down on the labor required and helps avoid mistakes.

Second, we request 70 “player hours” of your time as a GM. An event generates a number of player hours equal to its duration multiplied by the maximum number of players. For example, a standard RPG slot with 6 people lasting 4 hours counts as 24 player hours. A GM would need to run at least 3 such games to qualify for a GM badge. Tournaments calculate player hours using minimum play time instead of the overall event duration. For example, a 30 person tournament with a total duration of 10 hours might begin eliminating players after 2 hours of play. In that case, the player hours are 30 players x 2 hours = 60 players hours rather than 30 x 10 = 300. Please contact us about your specific case if you have any questions.

In the above question, does “maximum number of players” mean the number the game can handle or the number that actually shows up?

When we calculate player hours we use the maximum number of players that you specified in your submission. If you submit a request for a game that we don’t believe will draw the number you specify, then we will contact you and discuss it prior to approving the game.

Once we agree that your game can handle X people, then that’s what you’ll get credit for. And if you run multiple tables in the same time slot then you get credit for the total number, not the per table number. If fewer people show up or the game doesn’t make we won’t take your badge away or disqualify you. But games that consistently prove unpopular are less likely to be scheduled in subsequent years.

Once you qualify for a pass, how do you know and how do you claim it?

Comicpalooza Games will send out an information packet a couple of weeks prior to the convention which will include instructions on how to pick up your badge, the location of your event, available options for equipment load in, and more. You do not need to purchase a badge if we have approved you for a GM badge; we’ll have one waiting for you. You can also check your qualification status in your Account->Profile

Comicpalooza’s preliminary game hall schedule for 2016 is as follows:

Open Close

Day 1 Friday, June 17 at 10am Saturday, June 18 at 2am

Day 2 Saturday, June 18 at 10am Sunday, June 19 at 2am

Day 3 Sunday, June 19 at 10am Sunday, June 19 at 8pm

Important dates for gamers:

January 12th: Game pre-registration opens and attendees may begin signing up for games. Preregistration is encouraged for attendees that want to be sure they can attend a particular game. Priority is always given to preregistered players (for games requiring it) if there are more players than the event can accomodate. Games that do not require preregistration are on a first come, first served basis. Most of our games will be added between now and March 27th, so check back often to register for new games as they become available.

Important dates for GMs:

While we will accept game submissions up until the start of the convention, we offer the following suggested dates:

January 1st: If you submit your game prior to the 1st of the year, you will most likely get all of the space you request and your preferred time slot.

March 1st: If you submit your game before March 1st you can be reasonably sure of getting the space and time you request. Occasionally your preferred time may have to be adjusted. Earlier submissions will be given priority.

April 10th: Any games submitted after this date will not be included in our printed materials. Additionally, we may be unable to provide free badges if you submit after this date since we must preorder them and will only have so many extras. The GM who submits this late may not get all the space they’d like and may have their event times adjusted to fit openings in our schedule.