2009: Demonstration / Participation - you decide?

[Mark Wightman]

Some people have suggested we do a Participation game for 2009. I'll confess that I have no interest whatsover in doing a Participation game, but thought a quick poll would be amusing, plus it allows me to test the pol function.

So 2009, participation or demonstration? Please post your reasons too.

[Mark Wightman]

Demonstration all the way for me.

I think they:

Look better.
Take less time to operate at the shows.
Still work if there aren't any punters (MK).
Take less people to run.
Are much more enjoyable for the people running the game.
Are much more useful as an advert for the club, as you have more time to chat to the public when you aren't running a game for players.

Participation games are often used as creches.

There's more, but that's enough to be going on with.

[mike]

Personally, I'm not that worried one way or the other (voted accordingly), so I'll fit in with whatever everybody else wants to do

[terrywarden]

Demo for me; participation games are hard work and do need several members to run them successfully. Certainly more than the four or five members we regularly get running our demo's; MK is an exception I assume due to its local nature. For our Demos we have tried to pick something that members have an interest in; this means that we already have figures and some terrain items and afterwards we have something we can continue to use. What have we got that we still use form past participations? The club does sometimes contribute financially in our Demo's normally on terrain which again is of future use to the club (This years purchase a 15mm village) I imagine that the club would need to fund a participation game as it has in the past. Demo's certainly give the time to speak to other gamers and potential members; it also allows those running it to take breaks for a look around etc.

[sapper]

Demo

1. It would be a bit rich to vote for participation and then say count me out its too much like hard work !

2. I like demos at shows, but get put off if I have to engage those running it in conversation. A 5 min look round and on to the next one suits me.

3. I have been to MK in recent years and the Gladiators display did keep the club in the front of my mind when I was looking for a club to join.

4. I refer to Dave W's previously pronounced reluctance to have the coarse, sweaty hands of Joe Public pawing our expensively bought and lovingly painted figures.

Martyn

[Matt]

Demo for me too.

Nice big display always sticks in the mind better. Participation games only stick in the mind of those that took part.

Unless of course you ran a game that had a high turn around

[dave3]

Definately Demo. Party games are ,too much hard work, Don't like spotty herberts pawing at my models,and we can have a liesurely day (once the demo is setup!) especially as we know whowi who will be doing the table, Eh lads Terry, Steve, Mark, Graham.(old campaigners drinking club!) If we have a younger more energetic crew wanting to do it parti..feel free!!
Dave

[ashleigh]

Demo for me - just the thought of some little snotty kid squashing my 'nicely' (!?) painted model in it's sweaty grubby hand is enough to make me cry!!!!

[John]

I don't care

Both have pros and cons, and it depends on what the people organising and presenting it want to do.

[Stephen Mawson]

For me personally I like participation games and have very little interest in demo's.

If I can't actually take part in the game in some fashion, moving units, rolling dice, etc, then I'll spend maybe a minute or two looking at the game and then go somewhere else where I can participate.

I find it difficult to see what an event go-er gets out of a demo game, except the chance to watch someone else playing a game, and the opportunity to talk to those running it. Both of which a participation game achieves, plus the general public actually gets a chance to try the game.

I have never seen a demo game that has encouraged me to actually start playing something. Whereas I have played several participation games that have resulted in me buying new game systems.

[steven]

i agree with Steven - all our successful games at Salute have been participation. We have the talent to produce something good along the lines of our previous triumphs - "Them!", Jason and the Argonauts, Robin Hood, War of the Worlds - we must reclaim our title of being the most innovative club in the country!!!

[dave3]

We did have a time when alll we did was parti games. "Them", Robin Hood, Jason &the Argonaughts, War of theWorlds, Sharpe,Lord of the Rings, Combat. The trouble is, to make them original, we made up everythig, rules, play aids, terrain. We even had the model ants for "them" specially commissioned. plus it is VERY labour intensive on the day. and you don't get much time to just chat to punters about the club...too busy running the game. I just don't find them enjoyable anymore, and would rather pay to go as a punter than for all the work a parti game involves.
Plus, you get used as a "kreche" while the unapreciative childs parent perouses the traders.
Dave