ReaperCon 2021 feedback thread..

[Pegazus]

2 hours ago, Coffee Nerdery Beer said:

If this happened and I just didn't realize it, please disregard... 

 

Not sure how easy to send out a Discord ReaperCon announcement via notification would be every morning of the Con? Like a mini "Coffee Ketchup" but via Discord notification.

 

Nothing extensive, but perhaps something with reminders of important times for that day, like when Meet-and-Greet starts, the costume contest, the deadline for MSP entries, etc. 

 

But then the same should be done for the forums, Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook. Having info in one place and not the others was a big problem in the runup to the con. Bits and pieces were everywhere. 

[Inarah]

2 hours ago, Coffee Nerdery Beer said:

If this happened and I just didn't realize it, please disregard... 

 

Not sure how easy to send out a Discord ReaperCon announcement via notification would be every morning of the Con? Like a mini "Coffee Ketchup" but via Discord notification.

 

Nothing extensive, but perhaps something with reminders of important times for that day, like when Meet-and-Greet starts, the costume contest, the deadline for MSP entries, etc. 

 

But if Reaper does this, don't assume that more than a fraction of people at the con are going to see it.   Lots of people are not on Discord, or even in this forum, or even checking email notifications during the day.   Con events need to be posted at the con, where people at the con can see it. 

 

 

@Reaper_Jon  the hotel has a digital signboard in the lobby which is capable of displaying the daily schedule.  It was being used as a drink menu during Reapercon. 

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by Inarah

[Highlander]

2 hours ago, Inarah said:

 

...don't assume that more than a fraction of people at the con are going to see it.   Lots of people are not on Discord, or even in this forum, or even checking email notifications during the day...

...

Quote

 

@Reaper_Jon  the hotel has a digital signboard in the lobby which is capable of displaying the daily schedule.  It was being used as a drink menu during Reapercon. 

 

 

 

Folks who are immersed in social media and sites often assume everyone is.  We aren't.

 

HST, I was unaware that there was an info screen in the lobby.  Else I would have used my drink coupons in a more Con themed way.  I did get an upgraded drink though --- rolled a 19.   Next year.

Edited September 10, 2021 by Highlander

[Highlander]

I'm a numbers guy and this is what I got from the recent Reaper Live:

 

Category                                                   2019           2021

 

Attendees                                               @2600         @1000

 

Contestants                                               347                 273

 

Entries                                                      1001                733

 

And:

 

Bronze - 196; Silver - 76;  Gold - 56

 

So, if I heard the guys correctly, there were fewer attendees (because of the 1000 person limit), but, proportionately, not many fewer contestants or entries.  Which is in line with what I'm hearing from other contests and cons I"m aware of -- fewer folks but an intense level of participation.

 

 

[Dilvish the Deliverer]

39 minutes ago, Highlander said:

I'm a numbers guy and this is what I got from the recent Reaper Live:

 

Category                                                   2019           2021

 

Attendees                                               @2600         @1000

 

Contestants                                               347                 273

 

Entries                                                      1001                733

 

And:

 

Bronze - 196; Silver - 76;  Gold - 56

 

So, if I heard the guys correctly, there were fewer attendees (because of the 1000 person limit), but, proportionately, not many fewer contestants or entries.  Which is in line with what I'm hearing from other contests and cons I"m aware of -- fewer folks but an intense level of participation.

 

 

 I lthink a big shift in the numbers was the lack of the gaming population.  Last con, all of the game tables for the societies/leagues were packed (PFS & SFS and AL).  While I did see some representation the tables didn't see as full and I had heard that some games had to be canceled due to lack of players or GMs.  I would venture that a large number of those extra 1600 were gamers whose main focus is not painting but gaming.  I know that I talked to a bunch of people at the game tables last con that didn't paint.  

 

RCon die-hards might be more likely to show up for this years limited con, thus more participants and entries per capita.  But to know for sure you would need to send out and receive surveys and do some real number crunching rather than rely on my theory crafting.

[haldir]

4 hours ago, Pegazus said:

 

But then the same should be done for the forums, Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook. Having info in one place and not the others was a big problem in the runup to the con. Bits and pieces were everywhere. 

 

Yah there was screw up with the game table numbers this year so I found myself wondering down the hall to the single digit tables to see if I had signed up players for my games. I told Ron, it was all his doing as he wanted to make sure I got my daily exercise in that day, he gave that look.  

 

One of my players said on Discord there was an announcement about it, but since I really don't do Discord, it wouldn't have done me any good. Tbh, while at the Con, I'm pretty much offline on everything, if it's not happening at the Con, I'm really not gonna hear or see anything about it. Why at the bar one night seeing the tornado warnings in Massachusetts was kinda a shocker. Now on Sunday night, I was active, but the Con was also over. Heck, I order a Buc-ee's facemask off ebay that night as I recall seeing people wearing it at the Con, but spaced off looking for one while going there earlier. It arrived today.

 

[Highlander]

15 hours ago, Dilvish the Deliverer said:

...this years limited con...

 

I'm gonna quibble a bit.  I agree with the adjective "limited" in its literal sense.  ReaperCon was indeed limited to @1000 attendees.

 

However, IMHO, this year's ReaperCon was more different than limited.  It seemed mellower, more relaxed, less frantic.  And, for me, more enjoyable.  A specific example would be the contest room; the density of viewers was way down over previous years and one's ability to view the entries was enhanced.  I think Reaper adapted very well to the changed circumstance; I hope they did well. 

 

I expect that, in future, we'll return to "normal".  If so, I'll miss the ambiance of 2021.

Edited September 11, 2021 by Highlander

[Coffee Nerdery Beer]

😅 Wasn't trying to be exclusionary by not listing all the various forms of social media! I'm just familiar with Discord's "sign-up" based push notifications and how well they worked for ReaperCon Online and RVE. Any sort of day-specific highlights made available each morning with times listed would be extremely helpful...

 

Ultimately, use of that digital sign like Inarah mentioned above or something posted right outside the main hall would be most ideal. 

[Pegazus]

4 hours ago, Coffee Nerdery Beer said:

😅 Wasn't trying to be exclusionary by not listing all the various forms of social media! I'm just familiar with Discord's "sign-up" based push notifications and how well they worked for ReaperCon Online and RVE. Any sort of day-specific highlights made available each morning with times listed would be extremely helpful...

 

Ultimately, use of that digital sign like Inarah mentioned above or something posted right outside the main hall would be most ideal. 

 

My feedback reply to you was more directed to Reaper in general. The shotgun social media method isn't effective.

[TaleSpinner]

(Note: I had posted the following a week ago, but in the wrong place and that is now gone, so here's a repost.)

 

I loved everything about the Con this year, save for one thing that I'll get to later:  First the good points:

- Loved the classroom setups.  The new TVs and cameras made sculpting classes far more feasible than the old "huddle round and hope you can see what I am doing."  I can now double my class sizes.

- Loved the trading post, made getting stuff more accessible to everyone and not just the groups who know each other and pool our resources.

- Loved the Vendor Hall setup

- The hotel actually got into the Con and had a ribbon for Hilton Honors members, special drinks with free dice, etc...  That was cool.

- I liked not getting sick (I disliked the masks though) and feel that some of the social distancing aspects would be good every con.  This is the first year I didn't get sick at or after the Con.  I think it was the no handshaking thing and added sanitary awareness.

 

My one issue was the setup of Artist Row.  We were kind of stuck in the back corner and very few people even came into the rows.  It felt very lonely back there.  I often was the only artist in my row (I'm a bit of a paladin and make sure I spend at least half my free time at my station every day; what's the point of it if I am never there?), and I think a big part of that was how cut off from the Con we all felt sitting back there.  I would really like to see them figure out how to go back to something like we had at the Premiere (oxymoron) Center where our tables faced the main hall.  We were much more approachable to people there and felt like we were part of the Con and not a hidden side show.

[Aard_Rinn]

On 9/8/2021 at 12:32 PM, HenryRequiem said:

- Was really confused about the massage gun though... 

 

From what I understand talking to him he was a last-minute booking to replace someone who had cancelled. He said he does a lot of gaming 'cons b/c he's into them personally and I guess the tables are cheap compared to other stuff?

On 9/10/2021 at 7:16 PM, Dilvish the Deliverer said:

 I lthink a big shift in the numbers was the lack of the gaming population.  Last con, all of the game tables for the societies/leagues were packed (PFS & SFS and AL).  While I did see some representation the tables didn't see as full and I had heard that some games had to be canceled due to lack of players or GMs.  I would venture that a large number of those extra 1600 were gamers whose main focus is not painting but gaming.  I know that I talked to a bunch of people at the game tables last con that didn't paint.  

I would have loved to play more games but the signups this year were impossible - I couldn't figure it out at all... Hopefully next year we could go back to paper signups at the 'con - like sign up on line, and then day of they print a list of who's signed up with open lines for empty slots and a line or two for substitutes to leave their phone numbers... That way people can go cross out if they need to skip a game, or make sure they have players if they don't have enough.

 

On 9/13/2021 at 2:56 PM, TaleSpinner said:

My one issue was the setup of Artist Row.  We were kind of stuck in the back corner and very few people even came into the rows.  It felt very lonely back there.  I often was the only artist in my row (I'm a bit of a paladin and make sure I spend at least half my free time at my station every day; what's the point of it if I am never there?), and I think a big part of that was how cut off from the Con we all felt sitting back there.  I would really like to see them figure out how to go back to something like we had at the Premiere (oxymoron) Center where our tables faced the main hall.  We were much more approachable to people there and felt like we were part of the Con and not a hidden side show.

Having the stage there made it a little weird - there was just the small opening and the curtains. Not that it physically blocked it, but it made it feel weird going over there, like I was going into a back area.

If it was swapped with that front set of tables where the board games were, and that area opened up and made into more seating, I think it would've been easier to go visit you guys....

[haldir]

2 hours ago, Aard_Rinn said:

From what I understand talking to him he was a last-minute booking to replace someone who had cancelled. He said he does a lot of gaming 'cons b/c he's into them personally and I guess the tables are cheap compared to other stuff?

 

Heh, his booth was about the only one I spent cash at this year (besides Reaper's of course). I picked up one of the "Ipod Shuffle" massagers. I'm gonna spring that one on my wife one of these nights I'm actually home vs working. (oh hey, I'm finally off tonight!! My first night off since coming home from ReaperCon!! Tonight thou is FLGS game night)

 

2 hours ago, Aard_Rinn said:

I would have loved to play more games but the signups this year were impossible - I couldn't figure it out at all... Hopefully next year we could go back to paper signups at the 'con - like sign up on line, and then day of they print a list of who's signed up with open lines for empty slots and a line or two for substitutes to leave their phone numbers... That way people can go cross out if they need to skip a game, or make sure they have players if they don't have enough.

 

What I did for my tables that didn't have register people was after 10 mins after the start time, the seat was open to whoever was there first. I did that for one game, but out of the 7 games I ran, only 1 table didn't run. I did suffer from wrong table numbers posted like everyone else in the rpg block, which I totally forgot to check for that game. Thou I will admit, I didn't mind as I got to hang out with friends for the evening.

 

I had tables of at least 5 people each time (except for the game that I had mostly walk ups). It was a nice experience this year vs my first year at Embassy Suites ('18). I've never had paper list of people signed up at any of the games I've ran for Reaper. More or less, I'll just ask the people sitting & explain & they understand if a registered person is there & needs the seat. 

[Fruggs]

The Con was great, as usual.  Reapercon is the ONLY con I make a point to attend every year I have the option to.  It's my one planned vacation year in and year out, and is budgeted in as soon as the current years con ends.

   

Pros:

-Hotel

Continues to be a definite win.   The staff are friendly and the place is well taken care of.  The location is great and the service is always excellent.  I love the stay on sight option with a good breakfast.  

 

-ReaperPeeps and Artist Guests

As usual helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable.  The guys running the Reaper Booth were professional and pleasant.  Reception was smooth, and knowledgeable, and the paint contest section was run smoothly and efficiently.  Artist guests- happy to share their knowledge, approachable and welcoming. Seeing hobby names is always fun, and I appreciate their willingness to share what they know sans a paid ticket.  

 

-Themed Game availability

The Barty themed game was very fun, and I got to play this year! Major plus, I liked the large availability of the gaming times and the game was fun, easy to learn and well run.  

 

-Classes

Instructors knowledgeable and inviting. 

Smaller sizes and time between classes was great.  Having the TV'S despite the washout that happened was a great addition for seeing what was happening and watching the instructors. Minor tech fixes would enhance the usefulness of the TV's and cameras.  

 

-Brinewind Imports

Nice idea for spending Reaperbucks,  with a caveat (detailed below).  

 

-Bigger hobby hijinks area and (seemed like) more events and variety of events-  

AWESOME! More space and opportunity to jump in with more seating. Liked the mini-mashups/monster creation hijinks. Ludo was wonderful as ever, and a continued great choice to run the hijinks area.    

 

- After Hours classes and hijinks-

Great addition.  Please keep this option/offering in the future.  Makes lingering after dinner time more fun, and inviting.

 

-Seperate area for the MSP Open.

Quiet, secure and still accessible. 

 

-Themed drinks and rolling for drink upgrades was a neat addition. Kudos to the hotel staff.  

 

-Food trucks

 Please more of these.  Nice option to be able to stay on site and not eat Hoolihans, or have to leave for lunch.  Hoolihans is good, but not for 5 days straight. 

 

Cons:

-Meet and greet food. 

Hard pass.  I'd rather  pizza for the PIZZA dungeon versus what was served. Tepid meats and not much else in the way of food is not an incentive to be there Weds early.  No healthier options like veggie burgers or even fresh fruits or salads of some sort was disappointing.  Also- that was NOT sweet tea!  

I'm not a vegetarian, but I try to eat occasionally well, esp on day one of a con where mostly into the con I'll be grabbing whatever is on hand- usually fried or junk foods. I miss the BBQ from the factory days.. I know not so healthy, but soooo much better tasting, and worth the price of admission to the meet and greet.

 

- Very limited class tickets with no day of purchase options. 

I understand slots are limited, and this year was especially beastly with COVID, but having a day of option at least made it possible for folks who work the day classes go on sale to get maybe one or two of the one time only during the weekend classes.  I bought a VIP ticket and got only two classes all weekend I really wanted.  Please bring that back, day of class  purchases.

 

-Sunday-

Sunday was a bust.  No auction, which is good and bad, but without it, there was no reason to stay at all at the con Sunday.  Waiting for the judges to show up for getting feedback turned tedious when that was the only thing I was waiting for.  Once the judges did show up they were so swamped with folks wanting feedback that it would have been a really long wait to even hear what they had to say.  Personall, this wasn't worth it, as nothing else was happening officially at the con.  The imports store was CLEANED out, the vendors were sold out, and with returning to work looming, I didn't see the value in lingering hours, when reality is yelling about its impending resumption.

Without something Sunday at the close of the con, I won't stay through Sunday.  It's just not worth the day's admission price.

 

- Judging feedback-

No alternate time for feedback and having it be at the tail end of a longish con on a day nothing else is happening was frustrating.  I know the judges are tired Sat evening, as they've spent tons of time looking at entries, but having no way to get feedback until they come in (almost 11 am Sunday) was aggravating.  So much so that I passed even trying to bother, after being down early specifically on Sunday TO GET feedback. Without feedback in a contest where you are competing against your own skill, you can't learn what you should be doing differently or better.  Maybe signups for one on one feedback or having the contest and awards ceremony be done sooner on Saturday, like 4 pm instead is a better idea?

Additionally,  the press of people once the artists did show also absolutely turned my ' I'd like to get feedback' thoughts to 'h*ll no I'm not getting smooshed and surrounded while waiting to hear feedback' and to 'welp ima go ahead and leave now after wasting the morning waiting for feedback' and honestly ended the Con on a discordant note for me. Not a good feeling to leave with. 

 My guess also is that it can't be too comfortable being a judge in that press of humanity either, getting swarmed for feedback on Sunday am.   

 

-Brinewind Imports/ No Auction- good and bad. 

Never restocking the Imports with things was silly considering anything costing more than like 200 reaperbucks- candy bag or ribbon- was at least a few days of gathering Reaperbucks. Especially for the Reaper branded stuff- carrying cases, shirts, etc.  Even getting 3000 took all the way til Sunday am,  and this is considering I had 2 VIP badges worth of reaperbucks,  some classes, multiple hobby hijinks participation bucks,  and reaper tshirt every days worth of reaperbucks.  By Saturday mid-day and Sunday all that was left were ribbons and candy.  If there's no restock, you can't get really anything of value with your reaperbucks, especially is you've bought the swag boxes throughout the year.  I already had most of the affordable stuff because they came in the swag boxes.. don't need more C.U.P.s, or ghoulie bags.

Solution- drop the good stuff's prices so you can get something more than a cup or patch or ribbon on day one when all the stock is there or, consider upping the amount of bucks given for VIP and class tickets, lessening the amount given by the gaming tables, having more stock in the trading post in general, or doing smaller layouts at a time so there is a good variety of stuff throughout the weekend through Sunday.

  I am indifferent on the auction.  On one hand it was a clincher for Sunday making it worth waiting and staying for, but I generally hate the pooling.  Unless you know people and they want to give you their bucks, you rarely get anything.    

Maybe make the auction for really big ticket stuff- blankets, flags, resin masters, paint sets etc, and keep the trading post for everything else.

 

- MINOR WISH- not so much a gripe-

More advanced techniques and painting classes please.  Personally I would love more technical classes or classes/lectures designed for folks who have been painting a while.  Consider a few atypical/ different guest teachers that aren't specifically Reaper regulars.  Unique and different perspectives on painting are invaluable.   I loved taking the Raggy Paints class this year (Huzzah for new perspectives and approaches!) and,  many many years ago Reaper hosted JBT, and his classes were invaluable, with a very different approach to painting. 

Even having more classes that focus on traditional 'art' techniques- lighting/mood/themes/methodologies  and even mediums would be a welcome addition.  

I chose to come to Reapercon not only because the Reaperpeeps (including Reaper Artists and Sculptors) are all around awesome, welcoming, knowledgeable, and a class act, but cause at its heart- at least to me- Reapercon is about the painting/ the hobby itself, and the sharing and growing of the painting hobby- not necessarily gaming, or cosplay or whatever else.  I would love to see that aspect deepened or enriched.  

 

All in all, good con esp considering the challenging world situation.  Thank you Reaperpeeps, and fellow con goers, til next year ;).