191 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
191 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
.\" vim: filetype=groff
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.nr VS 12
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.H1
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The Mini-OSR-Con Manifesto
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.sp 0.3cm
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.PP
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In September 2024 we organized the Pink Pony of Death Mini-OSR-Convention which
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hosted around 25 players and 14 tabletop roleplaying sessions as well as some
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wargames. In this manifesto, we seek to define what a Mini-OSR-Con is, why we
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can benefit from Mini-OSR-Cons, why you should consider organizing one yourself
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and how to organize one.
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.H2
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1. What is a Mini-OSR-Con
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.PP
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Besides the games that ought to be played, the crucial characteristic of a
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Mini-OSR-Con is the relatively small workload, expenditure and stress that is
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necessary in order to hold such a convention. The most important lever to
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control these parameters is the number of attendees. A small number of
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participants decreases logistical overhead. It eases the process of
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registration and keeping an overview of planned games is simplified. It allows
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for a small and inexpensive venue (often run by non-profits like community
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centers), minimizing financial risk. If food and/or drinks are supposed to be
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provided, it can be done by just a few people (and a car).
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.PP
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The number of participants should allow for everyone to get to know each other
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during the first day or the first few hours of the con. This facilitates ad-hoc
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communications during the event and prevents the need for some kind of
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permanent information desk. Thus, allowing everybody – including the
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organizers! – to play. And that is what a Mini-OSR-Con should be all about,
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having a good time playing good games. Although not a fixed number, we would
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consider anything up to 30 maybe 35 participants (organizers included) a
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Mini-OSR-Con.
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.H2
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2. Why Mini-OSR-Cons
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.PP
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Within the larger community of people engaging with tabletop role-playing
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games, the OSR can be seen as a distinct subculture. Subcultures form around
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communicative infrastructure (online spaces, zines) and events where people
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actually come together as communities of practice, and in our case play games
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and share their experiences. Hence conventions are a vital part of sustaining
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the OSR. They constitute places where we can shape the OSR as a subculture and
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community of practice, promote its style of gaming, and maybe most
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importantly create spaces that are welcoming to new gamers.
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.PP
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Evangelizing the OSR by broadening and diversifying the player base we believe
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it is particularly important to create gaming environments where new players
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and demographics beyond the stereotypical middle-aged white man — two of us
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clearly fitting this description — feel genuinely welcome. However, old-school
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gaming carries certain historical and cultural baggage that we must actively
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address.
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.PP
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Firstly, many OSR enthusiasts like (two of) us have nostalgia for classic games
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that rose to prominence in an era when female players were significantly
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underrepresented. This historical context may partially explain why the OSR
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community still skews heavily male in terms of players, bloggers, and creators,
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especially compared to more diverse gaming communities, for example those
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rooted in Powered by the Apocalypse-style storygames.
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.PP
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Secondly, a small but vocal subset of the OSR scene has contributed to its
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reputation as a space that harbors ultra-conservatives, fashy actors and
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"edgelords"—individuals with whom we would not choose to socialize or game.
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While the stereotype of the "problematic OSR" may be overblown and the
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influence of whom we would describe as bad actors appears to be diminishing in
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many online spaces (at least from our limited perspective), we must acknowledge
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the need to foster an open and inclusive community. Players should feel safe
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and welcome to gather at real tables, connect, and immerse themselves in
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discussions.
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.PP
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We strongly believe in strengthening our conventions and gaming groups — our
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cherished "third places" — against attitudes and behaviors that alienate others
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and erode the joy of the experience. Clearly communicating a stance against
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racism, homophobia, transphobia, antisemitism, and misogyny should be the bare
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minimum. Globally, hate speech and anti-democratic rhetoric are on the rise.
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Too often, the hollow cry to "keep politics out of the hobby" has been a
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gateway for harmful individuals to thrive at the expense of those we would much
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rather welcome into our communities. We want conventions to be places where we
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can experience variants of old school games, enter dialogues about the game,
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and shape our vision of the OSR as a distinct, yet inviting sub-culture. We aim
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at attracting new people into the hobby by providing opportunities to play
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games at real tables and get to know each other.
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.PP
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Distinction!
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.PP
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One could argue that there are already a lot of role-playing game conventions.
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This holds certainly true for the German language area. However, most cons host
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a very broad spectrum of games. While there is nothing wrong with a broad
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scope, it is not what we as OSR afficionados want. Recalling the image of the
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OSR as a subculture, there is one thing we need: distinction. We are not taking
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anything from anyone. We just want to celebrate our preferred style of play.
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.PP
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First and foremost, it’s just a lot of fun!
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.PP
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Conventions are an exciting experience. There is magic in meeting face-to-face,
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hug each other (if everybody is okay with that), connecting with new OSR
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players, playing at physical tables, and exchanging gaming hot takes. Thanks to
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the relatively low organizational and logistical demands of mini conventions,
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the organizers can fully enjoy the fun – playing games, throwing dice and
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mingling with the smallish crowd. We think that this aspect perfectly aligns
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with the DIY ethos of the OSR.
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.H2
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3. How to Organize a Mini-OSR-Con
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.PP
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What do you need to organize a Mini-Con?
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.IP 1.
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Assemble a group of adventurers: Start with a small group of like-minded OSR
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enthusiasts you feel comfortable working with. As a rule of thumb, aim for at
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least three people. "More than two" is a good baseline in case something gets
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in the way – and organizing a Mini-Con alone can be overwhelming. In our case,
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four people living scattered across Germany took on the task. To build a crew,
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it’s best to reach out to friends and fellow gamers, local gaming clubs, or
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your favorite discord server. A crew of 3 to 5 will be sufficient.
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.IP 2.
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Define the framework and specifics of your Mini-Con:
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.RS
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.BU
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Determine the number of participants and sessions: How many people and sessions
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do you want to host? Both parameters might be limited by your available venue
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or, conversely, influence your choice of venue. Stay flexible, and keep in mind
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that the number of simultaneous gaming sessions can be constrained not just by
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the venue’s size, but also by its acoustics.
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.BU
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Discuss the financials: Should there be a fixed participation fee? If your need
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monetary resources to realize the Mini-con, decide on an appropriate amount
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that will cover the anticipated expenses. Be clear about the composition of
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costs. Communicate to the participants who register for the event that you
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might not be able to refund them in case they have to cancel at short notice.
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Additionally, think about offering special arrangements to fellow gamers who
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otherwise might not have the financial means to participate. Determine, how you
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will collect the funds (whose bank-account?).
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.BU
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Venue: Decide on the type of venue that best suits your need. Consider factors
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such as accessibility, and atmosphere. It’s best to start searching for a venue
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early in the planning process.
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.BU
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Define the game focus: Decide on the type of games you want to showcase. What
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is your vision for YOUR OSR-Mini-Con. Will you focus on TSR-era games and
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retroclones, or include modern OSR games, wargames and OSR-adjacent games as we
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did at the Pink Pony of Death Con?
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.BU
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Rations: Determine whether you will provide food and beverages or stick with a
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simpler approach, like a bring-your-own-snacks-and-order-a-damn-pizza-model?
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Offering meals fosters commensality, but requires effort and will keep members
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of your crew from participating in games.
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.BU
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Set the event duration: Decide whether it will be a single-day event, a
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day-and-a-half gathering, or even a whole weekend of OSR goodness.
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.BU
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Registration: Plan how you will manage participant and session registration.
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Will you use an online platform like easy-con, or keep it even simpler and work
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with emails and a spread sheet.
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.RE
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.IP 3.
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Settle on a date. To minimize stress, you should pick a date at least 3-4
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months in advance. Depending on the venue you may need to book even earlier.
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.IP 4.
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Book the venue.
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.IP 5.
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Recruit a core group of referees: Before promoting your con, focus on
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assembling a core group of referees to run games. This step can be more
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challenging than it seems (we learned this the hard way), as even veteran
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referees may feel uneasy about running games for strangers (which will become
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friends during the event!). Calculate with some leeway, since short notice
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cancellations can thwart your plans.
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.IP 6.
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Promote your Mini-Con: Prepare an announcement with all the essential details
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on the event, including your mission statement (focus on the type of games,
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nazi punks fuck off! etc.) and share the announcement where you see fit. We
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started sharing the news within our immediate network of friends, and only
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later expanded our outreach to discord servers and social media. Be sure to
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keep slots open for newcomers. We aim to grow and diversify as a subculture,
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rather than fossilize in nostalgia. Spread the word!
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.IP 7.
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Some weeks before the con you should make sure every gaming slot will be filled
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and every player will find a game – although the player registration for
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specific sessions should take place on site.
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.IP 8.
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Enjoy your con! During the event you should communicate clearly who
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participants can approach if they need assistance. At the same time, emphasize
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that your Mini-Con is a small, non-profit, DIY gathering – not an event
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organized by a service provider. Everyone should share responsibility and
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engage with the nitty gritty of the on-site workload: Shields shall be
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splintered, chairs and tables must be set up, and floors must be swept.
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.IP 9.
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Repeat step 1.-8.
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.Au "Bodo, Momo, Tobias"
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.LP
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