TOPIC: Too Many People in puzzle runs

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the tickets sold reflect the time that a party walks into the coaching room? They may also say "please arrive 10-15 minute beforehand." But I think a lot of late-arrival problems could be alleviated if the tickets were printed with a "start-time" that was actually 10-15 minutes beforehand.

For example, if your run is set to start at 11am (the time your party actually walks into the coaching room is 11am), then just print the ticket with a start-time of 10:45am. Then people would show up at 10:45am and have plenty of time to open token bags, choose characters, etc before walking into the coaching room. And if someone was 5 minutes late it wouldn't be as stressful for the staff since it would still be 10 minutes before the actual start time.

Newbies would never (or rarely( be late because they would show up at their printed times. And veterans would know to at least check-in at the printed start-time.

Don't think it's posted on the Site but there is a paper form we have to sign before each run. Not sure if it covers stuff like harassment or just general liability though. In either case as an event I would expect TD to be governed by the general gencon policy.

Garrison wrote:

Studnougat wrote: With 10 players it feels like we are cattle being herded through the rooms and individual contributions are minimal. I have played a lot of DnD and anytime a group gets over 6 players, the experience really suffers...

Agreed. Even when I have fun, I feel this way at least twice during each run; my contribution is practically nil. After every run where there have been newbies, this is usually the #1 reason they express disappointment and the decision to not return.

My wife and I jumped into a run last year on Saturday or Sunday that was all newbies. Since we had played before and knew all the puzzles, we stepped back and let them try to figure out first. If they got stuck, then we would step in real quick, do the "course correction", and step right back. We got thanked by the whole lot of them at the end of the run for making it a lot of fun for them.

As for puzzle runs, I don't particularly enjoy the puzzle runs myself, but my wife loves them. So, I tag a long, hang back and take it easy. Every now and then, I contribute an idea, or participate in the coordinated effort if needed... but mostly I just relax on puzzle runs. Which works out I guess, because it gives more space to the players who are really into the puzzle runs to have their time in the sun, so-to-speak.

Yeah, things like that help. But it's still 8 newbies clamoring for their own time in the limelight.

kurtreznor wrote:

Alvin Oliver wrote: The max per group is 10, but still it can be daunting if everyone crowds around to try and solve a puzzle. Sometimes people need to step back and let a few work on the puzzle.

When paying $40 to play, asking half the group to not play in a couple rooms is a tough sell.

One of my first years in TD, and I forget offhand which it was, I remember a puzzle room set in a crypt. As the wizard I took it on my self to not touch the puzzle, but instead set to memorizing the names, dates, and other info off the tombs. In the very next room there was a monster that could be avoided if you knew the birthstone associated with people buried in that crypt.

Things like that could keep more people involved. I thought that year was one of the best. (Think it also had the medusa and golem).

As for price, 3 of our team who have done both adventures every year with us finally had enough and dropped out this year.

Re: price - I agree that $44 is too high, especially for newbies. For those who played before and know what they're in for it's one thing (but still too high) but for people to drop that much on an event they don't know if they'll like is a tough sell. They can try a couple dozen other things for the same cash. None as cool, I'll grant you...

From a free market perspective the price isn't too high, of course, or a lot fewer tix would have sold. But I don't think it's sustainable at this price. More and more will drop out over time unless the price retreats next year. But I got the impression this years price was an anomaly and I hope it will be dropping back next year, without going to 12-person parties of course.

Brad Mortensen wrote: ...But I got the impression this years price was an anomaly and I hope it will be dropping back next year, without going to 12-person parties of course.

I have really liked playing True Dungeon but I would have to think really hard about playing if the party size went to 12. Ten is too many in many cases and twelve would be too many all the time. My TD runs would certainly go down and my token purchases would reflect that I was going to play less.

As to the price, I can see how it blocks out newbies. It is a chunk of change to put down for a 2+ hour experience. There should be long and hard thought over any increase in price for next year. People will get used to a price point but if it changes every year they will be reluctant to 'jump in' knowing the price will keep going up each year.

This is also the first year I remember where there are this many runs with spots still open this far into the process. Its hard to say how much of what has caused that since there are also more run this year but end of the day I figure the price had to contribute at least a little.

Form the more anecdotal side of things I have two newbies coming with this year and the price for TD was a really hard sell for them. In the end I wanted them to see it so I decided to pay for their tickets but I really hope we can get back below the $40 price point next year. Its mostly psychological but $39.95 is just more palpable then $40. Personally I'm playing either way but I can see how the current price is a little intimidating for people who don't know what their getting for the price of admission.

Picc wrote: $39.95 is just more palpable then $40

All Gen Con ticket prices must be evenly divisible by $2.

Forgot to factor in generics =\ but I think the point stands.

Well...

As a combat DM I feel mildly guilty about at least part of the increase. The stipend for some volunteers is generous but I'd do it for token(s). Or a leftover ticket. Or nothing. I guess not everyone feels the same. But that adds a few cents to each ticket.

Everything TD does is for a reason, and in the vast majority of those cases it's been a good reason I feel. But you can't do everything. In designing a game, business model, or anything else, you often have to drop good ideas simply because they don't work with the overall whole, or simply because you can't afford the resources to do everything.

TD is starting to overstep itself, I feel.

I'm playing 5 or 6 runs this year. But this is out of a kind of desperation that things will change soon and/or a final huzzah. If next year the price or team sizes haven't backed off, I'll be selling off most of my purples and only doing 1 or maybe 2 runs a year. If the price or team size gets any larger, I'm out completely. And where I go, my friends are likely to go.