Monday, February 14, 2005

 

More on the 2005 Shield Gaming Conference

Continued from yesterday's post.

I have a couple of criticisms of the convention. Being laid-back is good, unless it extends to the event scheduling. The program seemed to be more of a guideline than an actual schedule. I wanted to play in three different events that simply never happened. Perhaps the referees had cancelled, but if so the convention organizers didn't tell us. There was no bulletin board announcing last-minute schedule changes, as is the custom for gaming conventions.

I'm not even sure the organizers themselves were aware that these events didn't happen--they were pretty busy playing games. Next year, I hope the organizers will make sure events go off as planned, and that attendees know about any changes to the program.

Conversely, I saw three or four different events that ended up with no players. This is always sad to see. I certainly would have played in one or two of these, had I known about the cancellation of the events I was trying to find.

That being said, everyone seemed to have a really good time. It's very difficult to find the space and time to play miniatures wargames. Conventions are often the only times we can play. Therefore, any convention at all, even a flawed one, is a huge improvement over none at all. Getting to try out or watch new games is great. Finally, seeing the incredible painting and modeling work on display is inspirational.

For me, it always comes down to this: did the convention make me more eager to play wargames, or less? The verdict on the Shield Gaming Conference is a resounding "more!" I came out of the weekend inspired and energized. Whether this is because of the hard work of the convention's organizers, or despite it, is something I can't figure out. Either way, I will be back for the 2006 Shield Gaming Conference.

Jefferson 9:54 AM

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