I started this month reasonably behind on the wordcount because I’d had
two major conventions in as many weeks, and then there was the matter of
preparing for the first Dragonmeet in the new venue.
As of the point of going to press, we’ve got more than a hundred
different RPG’s to try out at the convention, as well as a number of
participation games, giant pandemic, and a best of essen section that’ll be
showcasing the various games that did really well at Essen this year, but
because it’s a new venue and new territory, I have no idea how well the show is
going to go...
Uncharted territory so it is, which is both the best and the worst
thing that you can get at conventions.
Best thing because you have no expectations, you have hopes, but not
expectations, because you have nothing to compare it with except the previous
years at the other venue, that everyone knew all the details for, and here’s
something that a good friend told me
“There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order, this lukewarmness arising partly from fear of their adversaries … and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it.“
(Thanks Neil)
And it’s true, of the messages that we’ve had
about dragonmeet, there’s been a number of positive ones where people have been
wishing us well and hoping that we’ll do better with it than previous years,
but for every person that’s said a good thing, there’s been many that have said
that they can’t see it working and they were happier how it was...
Worst thing because while you have hopes,
everyone else has Expectations, mess it up and you’ll forever be the people who
messed it up, get it right and you’ll start to win people over, but you need
several years of winning people over before you can pause (not rest) on your
laurels...
So it’s an interesting time, and I haven’t
had chance to do the things I’ve wanted to, I’ve been doing a review for a man
who’s being very patient with me and I haven’t been able to get to finishing it
because of all the other calls on my time and the need to keep on top of things
for Dragonmeet (and before that, wyntercon), and then after that, Expo, for
which we’ve already started doing the organisation.
There’s going to be a second post following
this one that’s mostly for the UK side of things, which is why I’m making it
separately, but after the first week in December, updates should be coming significantly
faster than they have been doing in recent weeks.
This is John Dodd in the socialist republic of south yorkshire and goodnight England, wherever you are...
