How to incorporate safety tools into your game & how to advocate for yourself & others to make the table a safe, fun, & welcoming space.
Description:
Tabletop RPGs should be enjoyable, and everyone at the table is comfortable and feels safe to be open with those we game with makes for a better experience for everyone. Our panel will discuss tools Game Masters can introduce at their table such as the session 0, X-card, Lines & Veils, and many more; along with tips for speaking up for yourself and advocating for your fellow players if a line is crossed. Panel hosted by Dawn from R4Ivlog. Additional panelists to be announced.
Can romance & sex be appropriate, consenting, safe, emancipatory, & fun in RPGs? We think so!
Description:
Have you always thought romance & sex have no place in RPGs? Cringe at the idea of pretending to flirt at NPCs who all sound mysteriously like your GM? Feel alienated by a genre that has historically been exploitive, exclusionary, or just plain silly? If you want to add romantic plots with heart and foster vulnerability in your game, but aren’t sure how to keep them safe and inclusive without making your friends and yourself feel ridiculous - then let’s talk! Put your qualms aside and our heart eyes on as we discuss romance!
RPGs & LARPS have the ability to change our perception of the world around us. How do we encourage a diverse base of players & GMs? Themes include inclusivity, diversity, & game design.
Description:
RPGs and larps have the ability to change our perception of ourselves and the world around us through engaging plots and memorable characters that welcome us to inhabit another person's life. They can create real memories of imagined moments that we take with us. How do we create an environment where all players are welcome and safe? How do we encourage a diverse base of both players and GMs/directors/storytellers into bring their unique world view to the stories that we tell? This panel covers themes of universal access, diversity when we immerse ourselves in our game of choice, and promoting good role play through great game design. It features a diverse panel of experienced RPG storytellers exploring these issues. Come join the conversation!
Playtesters & designers: learn how to productively playtest games & improve feedback. Get advice on the fundamentals from expert designers, followed by Q & A. Precedes ConTessa’s Playtestalooza!
Get Paid To Make Belief: A How To Guide To TRPG Freelancing
Summary:
Freelancing in the tabletop roleplaying game industry has never been easier. This panel outlines steps & guidelines to getting freelance work writing, editing, laying out, & illustrating games.
Description:
How to break into the tabletop game industry as a freelancer. Panelists share their stories and experiences working in this ever-changing industry, offering concrete advice to people looking to pursue freelancing as a writer, editor, producer, and/or artist. How much can you expect to make? What are the best practices when it comes to contacting publishers? Which publishers should you avoid? How to make the best first impression. All of these questions and more will be answered.
Getting Attention: Publicity for Game Designers, Companies & Stores
Summary:
Learn how to get attention for your game business. With years of journalism & publicity experience, Beth Rimmels & Christopher Helton will teach you how to draw an audience.
Description:
Creating a great game or running a successful store is only half the battle. People have to know about it but cutting through the noise to get attention is getting harder and harder. Beth Rimmels and Christopher Helton have been on both sides of a publicity pitch due to their backgrounds in journalism and the game industry. Learn what to do and what not to do while promoting your business or product.
Paladins in Petticoats: Lolita Fashion in Nerd Spaces
Summary:
Lolita is a popular, extremely feminine Japanese fashion that evokes the Rococo era. It's often misunderstood in the West, especially when one is both a Lolita & a nerd. So what is it, exactly?
Description:
A mix of "what is lolita" and "how does it apply to me", this seminar will cover lolita 101, the history of the fashion, the different substyles, and why you probably shouldn't treat your local lolita like your personal paper doll (though you should definitely make friends with us). There will be ample time for questions and exploration of an outfit, or coordinate, at the end.
Safety & Calibration tools help players establish boundaries during a larp. Participants will learn about several techniques, then practice them in short role-play scenarios, ending with a debrief.
Description:
Players in larps have varying experience, abilities, triggers, and comfort zones, both physical and emotional. Trigger and content warnings help, but how do you ensure players feel safe and are able to consent to the roleplay they want and opt-out of what they don’t? What do you do when a boundary is crossed, or a player becomes overwhelmed during play? Safety and Calibration Mechanics are tools designed to help players feel comfortable with each other and with their own needs and boundaries. We will introduce and model the system of safety and calibration mechanics we designed for New World Magischola, some of which have been adopted at End of the Line, Convention of Thorns, and Dystopia Rising, among others. You’ll learn about the techniques, what they are designed to do, the assumptions and research behind them, as well as why they are important.