Hello HandyConners!
It has been a while since we have been in touch, but we have been busy at HandyCon HQ planning for HandyCon 5. With just 30 days to go this is going to be a big update as we have a lot of things to announce, so grit your teeth and let’s get on with it!
Introducing the HandyCon Looking For Players (LFP) System
This is a big one! We are very excited to introduce…. the HandyCon Looking For Players System! In an effort to make it as easy as possible to meet up with other gamers and get into a game, we have developed a web-based system that attendees can use to post and sign up for events/games before and during the con. You can access the dashboard here.
We hope it’s intuitive enough to get to grips with, but check out our help page if you need some guidance. Note that we are still tweaking a few things and hope to add new features in the future.
Don’t worry; this won’t be replacing our existing means of finding other players (we’ll still have the Players Wanted signs, a notice board and the Facebook Discussion group), but we hope it will add something extra and give you more options.
Tournament schedule now live!
The tournaments for HandyCon 5 are as follows:
Friday:
1pm – Skull
5pm – Great Western Trail
Saturday:
1pm – Flamme Rouge
All tournaments are free to enter and you can sign up via the links above. Note that we may also arrange more in the lead up to the con so be to keep an eye out on the website and social media.
Volunteers – Join the HandyCrew!
Those of you who were at HandyCon 4 may have noticed that there were a few more orange shirted helpers than there have been in previous years. With HandyCon growing year on year, we need volunteers to help us make sure things run smoothly.
We are looking for people with a passion for gaming to help promote a helpful, friendly and inclusive atmosphere at the con and help out with the various tasks required. We also are currently only looking for people who can commit to volunteering for at least 6 hours over the course of the convention.
You can find out more on the HandyCrew page on our website..
T-Shirts!
HandyCon t-shirts are now available to order on our website. We have both the HandyCon Logo and HandyCon 5 Limited Edition shirts available for collection at the con. The deadline for orders is midnight 21st December (this Friday) so be sure to get your orders in quick!
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And finally, we are always looking for ways to refine the formula and make changes so that the next HandyCon can be the best one yet. We have been through the feedback for HandyCon 4 (thank you to all those who filled out the questionnaire) and are going to be making a few tweaks:
18xx Room & Tournament
For those of you who may not know, our resident 18xx Guru Colin Smith has put a lot of effort into running the 18xx tournament and supplying the 18xx library (from his personal collection) ever since the first HandyCon. We have a huge amount of appreciation for what he has done over the years, making efforts to create an awesome 18xx experience for veterans as well as introducing newbies to the genre.
Colin has decided to help out in a different capacity for HandyCon 5, meaning that the 18xx tournament will not be running and that there will no longer be a dedicated room for 18xx games (but don’t worry, you are of course welcome to play 18xx games in the open gaming areas).
The Breakfast Club
We wanted to create a time and a place for people who may have come on their own or who were just looking for more players to meet other gamers and get into a game. The idea was to provide a bit of structure to help facilitate the process and to encourage people to mix. The Breakfast Club, whilst a great idea, didn’t really work out at HandyCon 4 (I think only one person turned up on the Saturday).
As such, we are changing the way we run The Breakfast Club for HandyCon 5. We are going to run it for one morning as a trial, offering it as a great way to meet other gamers and possibly learn a game or two. Here is the blurb:
‘Ever find yourself lost at a con, wondering what to do and wishing you were in a John Hughes movie? We have the perfect solution, minus the teenage angst. Between 9-12 on Saturday, we will have a few tables set aside for lone rangers, wandering spirits and people who hate reading rulebooks. Our talented team will be on hand to pick out the perfect game and teach the rules, while you relax and have a cup of tea. Its just like games night, but without all the stressful bits, and more Judd Nelson jokes. /end’
And that’s it! Well done if you made it through to the end.
See you all soon!
