To the OP: There seem to be a high ratio of "jokey" games in your report.  Was this representative of the con as a whole, or do you personally tend to gravitate towards this style of game?

Quote from: daniel_ream;547090To the OP: There seem to be a high ratio of "jokey" games in your report.  Was this representative of the con as a whole, or do you personally tend to gravitate towards this style of game?

Hmmmm, good observation. No, I don't lean that way ... and I'm not sure the con did either. In any event, I now have another criteria to add to my 'dont play' list: jokey games.

I'd say that it was inexperience with the groups. Elf/Class didn't have to be jokey, but in retrospect I should have expected it. Smurf Wars was not jokey; it's just tactical minis with Smurfs, some of whom have strange powers.

Cthulhu suffered most at the con, I think. Gillians wasn't necessarily a jokey game, but several Cthulhu groups were not there who usually are. Shoggoth and You Too.

Paranoia ... idk, it doesn't have to be jokey but does tend to degenerate in to that. I wonder if its possible to run it straight at a con?

LARPs suffered also. The only group I really like, PST Productions (GOOD Cthulhu larps) wasn't there and that forced me in to the Paranoia LARP, but honestly I've wanted to try it previously and just didn't know what to expect.

I ask because the perennial Xenogenesis question popped up again on another board relating to SF lit cons, and while I've never seen the kind of insane, vicious behaviour that Ellison describes, my experience at most SF and gaming cons has been that the overall atmosphere and tenor of the cons themselves and the attendants is - I'm going to try and be charitable - juvenile and puerile.

I expect this and level no criticisms at cons like Anime North et al because they are intentionally targeted at a tween/adolescent demographic.  I've stopped going to cons like Dragon*Con, Arisia, T.O Trek (or whatever it's called this week) &c. though, and the way you've described Origins 2012 makes me think I wouldn't enjoy it for the same reason.

Quote from: daniel_ream;547136I ask because the perennial Xenogenesis question popped up again on another board relating to SF lit cons, and while I've never seen the kind of insane, vicious behaviour that Ellison describes,

Link?

If you mean a link to Ellison's original Xenogenesis essay, I'm not sure you can find that anywhere. Ellison's been quite diligent about scrubbing it from the web.  This may help though.

Quote from: daniel_ream;547136I ask because the perennial Xenogenesis question popped up again on another board relating to SF lit cons...

Which board is this?  I'm curious and want to take a peek.

Thanks!