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ConsimWorld Expo 2007 » FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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ConsimWorld will be regularly updating this section to assist interested parties and participants with commonly-asked questions.

Background

Q: How did the MonsterGame.CON venue for ConsimWorld Expo come about?

A: The idea was the brainchild of ConsimWorld.COM founder, John Kranz, in December 2000. ConsimWorld.COM offers a vibrant discussion board with a community of nearly 16,000+ gaming enthusiasts from around the world. We've noted over the course of the years many member longing to play larger size games, but always finding real world responsibilities and distractions getting in the way. The ability to orchestrate a meaningful face-to-facing gaming session is also a great challenge, even more so for the larger games which usually result in disjointed and prolonged gaming sessions over several weeks or months. Finally, many members, event organizer included, hold the wish of playing that one monster game they always wanted to, and in an atmosphere that is second-to-none, witness by the many other monster games being played under one roof. Thus, the concept behind MonsterGame.CON was born.

Q: What is a monster game?

A: While there is no universally agreed criteria to define a game as a "monster game," the usual criteria is any game title featuring multiple maps, hundreds of counters, suitable for team play, and requiring a significant amount of time to play.

Q: If I don't wish to play a monster game, is ConsimWorld Expo still for me?

A: DEFINITELY...and that's why we refer to this extravaganza as an 'Expo' rather than solely 'MonsterGame.CON'! While the primary focus of this event is to play and celebrate the monster game, ConsimWorld is providing an open-gaming venue for countless smaller, breakout gaming sessions as well. For 2006, more than 50 smaller, non 'monster game' titles were played. Attendees will also benefit from the strong publisher turnout and industry personalities in attendance, making for an exciting event. We are presently working with the publisher sponsors to offer special, smaller gaming venues, targeting the weekend in particular. Of course, seeing all these impressive looking monster games in one setting is going to steal your breath away. Keep in mind also the other venues offered, including publisher expo area, game flea market, breakfast seminar sessions, and many industry personalities in attendance! The only limitation you will ultimately witness is that gaming space is limited, so RSVP today!

Registration

Q: Why should I register early?

A: By registering early you may be one of the 100 participants who will receive a free Expo t-shirt. Also, the sooner you make your game selections known, the more likely you may draw new registrants to select our game title as well. This helps ensure you will generate enough interest in the game you wish to play.

Q: What if I can only attend a portion of the event?

A: With the smaller size, pick-up style gaming offered, ConsimWorld Expo is a great venue. Single-Day and Two Day Passes will be available. In fact, Weekend Passes may be purchased now at special savings. This allows you to participate in open-gaming, and take advantage of our Flea Market, Game Auction, Exhibitor Area, and Special Events. We anticipate quite a few "Weekend Warrior" participants who will be looking to take advantage of the open-gaming venue.

Q: Should I register online even if I can only attend ConsimWorld Expo for one or two days?

A: Yes. While this may limit your ability to participate in a monster game (at least from start to finish), you can definitely take advantage of our open-gaming venue which will be available around-the-clock, and feature many, smaller games playable in a few hours or more to completion. This will help us better determine overall attendance figures, and also allow us the opportunity to include your player profile information. If enough people make the effort to register for open gaming, we will add a new section to the Sign-Up page to include this information.

Q: Can I register others?

A: Yes, in fact we encourage you to register online any of your colleagues. See the Registration page for more details.

Q: What is your cancellation policy?

A: Due to the importance of coordinating on available gaming space by participant and gaming title, we are not in a position to offer refunds for those who cancel after April 30.

MonsterGame. 7.0 Venue Game Title Selection

Q: Am I assured or guaranteed that I'm going to be able to play that one monster game title I've selected as my first choice?

A: ConsimWorld Expo featuring MonsterGame.CON 7.0 is an open-gaming venue. With this in mind, we can not guarantee that you will ultimately play the specific game (or player side) you desire. Our commitment to you is to bring gamers from across the country, including overseas, that share your passion to play monster games. We are also taking great effort to facilitate participants who have similar gaming interests to contact one another to help coordinate on the specific game title they wish to play.

In short, ConsimWorld Expo is NOT about being uptight and restrictive. It's not about pre-reg sign up sheets, "closed events," tournament lists, scoring, overbearing officials, required match play assignments, bureaucratic convention staff, lines, pressure-packed schedules or any of that other intense going-ons at WBC or Origins. ConsimWorld Expo is a RELAXED, "western style" gamer's get together with the grand notion of bringing together gaming enthusiasts looking to play a monster game for the long haul. We are listing which participants have signed up for a particular title, but we are not taking this to the degree of strict match-play assignments -- this will be left to the participants either before the event or at the event to resolve. Our goal is to match players by their gaming interest, and to facilitate play of specific game titles.

It's also not about a mad dash to claim table space.

Based on gaming interest expressed during registration, there will be tables set-up for specific games (including names of individuals interested in those select titles). There will also be a master roster of attendees and what their gaming interests are, and in most cases, selected game facilitators (Joe Youst for Wacht Am Rhein, Alan Emrich for Totaler Krieg!, etc.).

However, if someone signs up and expresses interest for one title but decides something else happens to catch their fancy, we aren't going to shoot them or kick them out. It's open-gaming in this respect that no one is pressured to HAVE to play a given title, it's up to their personal preference, which we expect will map to their registration form.

In short, this isn't WBC/Origins-style tournament play, which is largely competitive and strictly-structured. We are not following that mold and foremost following the spirit of catering to a diverse set of gamers with a single interest -- having one heck of an intense gaming experience session with the monster game of their preference and meeting others with similar interests. Ultimately, the hope is everyone is expected to get a chance to play the monster game of their choose, but if there is not enough interest for a particular title or someone refuses to play unless they get to control a specific 20-hex front from a given monster game, then this venue is not for them and they should look to something which isn't as open and relaxed in terms of presenting an open forum for gaming.

We are confident that you will come away from ConsimWorld Expo with a truly memorable gaming experience, but we can not make any hard and fast guarantees in terms of select game title match play.

Q: I can't find my gaming preference on the list you publish. What should I do?

A: We provide an area for you to write-in your specific gaming preference. Only list alternative titles if you have not already selected games from the list we provide you. This will still be recorded for others to see. Who knows, maybe your write-in candidate will build momentum among other participants! We also provide a special area for you to list what smaller size games you are looking to play if you are not planning on playing a monster game throughout the event.

Q: Should I only sign-up for a game I have in my possession?

A: No. We expect others will bring their own copies of the select game that will suffice. Otherwise, if you own game(s) you are interested in playing, be sure to bring them. Please note there is also a Game Flea Market offered, so bring any items you wish to offer for sale as well!

Q: How may I find out who I may be playing with?

A: The Sign-up Status will provide clear direction on who shares your gaming interest, and we encourage you contact them for possible pre-event coordination. There is also a participant profile so you can learn more about all participants. If you have a specific desire in terms of your gaming preference, you may post a message on our Expo Discussion topic. Naturally, there may also be some coordinating taking place at the event site as final game table assignments/players are defined.

Q: Should I contact gamers sharing my similar gaming interest in advance?

A: While not required, we recommend this simply to facilitate any pre-event coordination activities. It's also a time you can share notes with others, discuss game tactics and strategy, and simply enjoy insightful discussions with others. Keeping in mind this is first and foremost an open-gaming venue, we leave it to each participants discretion whether they wish to do any pre-event planning or simply show up the day the doors open and commit at that time. Keep in mind that some participants are not online, so they may be required to seek a game title and match up with participants the first day of the event.

Q: My first choice for a monster game unfortunately has no other participants. What should I do?

A: First — don't panic and give up hope. Early on in the registration process, it is difficult to predict what percentage of participants may have already registered online, which is why we encourage all participants to register early! When we get closer to the event cut-off date, our sign-up status page will alert all participants which games require additional sign-ups. We also will help participants select another game title if their first selection is not garnering enough interest. For this reason, our first recommendation is that everyone register early in the process. You may also wish to "talk-up" your favorite game, so we invite you to post a message on our dedicated ConsimWorld Expo discussion topic to drum up interest in a game title you wish to play. The more you evangelize a given game, the better!

Furthermore, this depends partly on the specific game title you've selected. Some "monster" games are still certainly playable with a second participant, while others require team play. If you are having doubts that your first choice may not be gathering enough player interest, consider resubmitting your game selection choices by either promoting your second choice as your "new" first choice, or simply pick new games that interest you based on the sign-up status we provide. You may submit another online registration form, and note in the comments section your change in gaming preference.

Q: I'm arranging to attend ConsimWorld Expo with a bunch of my buddies, and we all want to play the same game. How can we help make this outcome most likely?

A: Keeping in mind that ConsimWorld can not guarantee how you will ultimately spend your time gaming during the event, you have nonetheless already accomplished some pre-event coordination that will go a long way towards helping your group stay together as intended. Based on the amount of registrants per game title, this will also directly impact how table space is reserved.

Q: I've already submitted my gaming preference, but I've changed my mind. What can I do?

A: Before May 1, you may submit another online registration form, and note in the comments section your change in preference. You don't have to complete all the form fields, just make sure you include your contact information, denote your change in gaming preference, and leave a comment for us to make this clear.

Following May 1, in order to curb against a sudden influx of participants changing their mind that may complicate management, we will not process any change requests for purposes of publishing on this Web site. We need to draw the line, at least in terms of what we publicize on this site, to help maintain some structure. Naturally, per the open-gaming venue of this event, there is no penalty for changing your ultimate gaming preference, although we expect each participant to be extra sensitive to honoring any commitments they have made with others. Ultimately, we leave this to each participants' discretion as adults.

Q: How do we pick a gaming table?

A: Based on registration and expressed gaming interest, table space will be reserved and marked by specific game title in most cases. A floor plan will also be provided at a later date and at the event site to facilitate you. There will also be some open tables to provide additional flexibility for our attendees.

Q: Should I bring a copy of any game(s) I'm interested in playing?

A: Yes, we highly recommend that all participants bring games with them that they wish to play. We are unable to furnish games for play except in those cases where a sponsoring game publisher is providing sample product for play purposes. Finally, don't forget to bring some games that you would like to offer up for sale at our Flea Market tables!

Q: If I don't play the game I want, or my gaming expectations are not satisfied in other ways, I may bitterly complain and have a fit. What would you suggest to appease me, a full refund perhaps?

A: May we humbly suggest that ConsimWorld Expo is not the event for you. This is an open-gaming venue in a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere -- for those who wish to celebrate the hobby in a spirited, enthusiastic environment with today's leading game publishers and industry personalities in attendance. If this atmosphere is something you feel you can not add to without some sort of guarantee, as much as we regret having to say this, we do suggest you not attend in order that we can maximize the enjoyment for others. Perhaps in the future we may offer a venue more appropriate to your needs.

Scheduling

Q: What are the gaming hours?

A: Gaming is around-the-clock with few exceptions, per the event schedule. The gaming area is closed during the Wednesday evening welcome reception only. Unlike last year, the gaming hall will remain open during the daily breakfast seminar sessions, in which attendance is now voluntary.

Q: What time should we plan to arrive at the event?

A: Hotel check-in begins at 3pm on Tuesday, June 6, and the gaming doors open at 4pm for those to begin inspecting the gaming tables and determining where they will ultimately be playing (tables will be marked by game title in most cases, based on registration levels and playing preference).

Q: Is attendance at the Wednesday Evening Session required?

A: Well, nothing is quote/unquote REQUIRED, but let's simply state that this is the official kick-off activity of the event, followed by players immediately returning to the gaming hall. So, if attendance could be deemed required, that would be an appropriate description. Besides, the session is going to be a blast with all publishers present, many door prizes, and some special surprises in store....

Q: I'm unable to stay through the entire event, what should I do if I want to participate in a monster game?

A: Be sure you communicate with others who share your gaming preference, to see if some special arrangement can be made to facilitate your need, and be sure to communicate this up front when you arrive at the event to others. Also, keep in mind that there will be many gaming venues available to you, so ultimately you will be playing one or more games when attending ConsimWorld Expo. Fortunately, practically all attendees interested in monster gaming are committed to attend the entire event, Wednesday through Sunday, as anticipated for such an undertaking.

Q: Is attendance at the daily breakfast sessions required?

A: No, but these sessions proved to be immensely popular last year in which we provide updates on all the monster games being played as well as special publisher presentations as well. Oh, yeah, and the food is great!

Q: Why are there any seminar sessions scheduled throughout each day?

A: The focus of this event is to provide a venue for participating in the monster game of your choice. However, now that we have added a Pre-Con Day to the event, we are providing seminars that evening. This is our way of letting some who are busy setting up a large game to take a break and catch a topic of interest. Other venues, such as the publisher exhibit area, game flea market, game demos, game auction, etc. will be carefully scheduled to avoid as much potential scheduling conflict as possible.

We will be regularly updating this area