Category:Origins

From RabbitWiki

The Origins Game Fair is a game convention held every year in Columbus, Ohio, in late June or early July. Origins 2008 will be held June 25-29. See also the Origins web site.

[edit] Planning

Big Experiment Steering Committee discussion is at Origins BESC.

[edit] Event Reports and Photos

[edit] Archives of Past Stuff

• The Big Experiment #8

Origins 2007 Event Descriptions

• The Big Experiment #9

Origins 2008 Event Descriptions
Origins 2008 Pizza Party Debriefing Notes

[edit] Things to Know About

Origins gaming convention is a TON of fun for everyone every summer. In addition to demos in a booth (or part of a booth) in the exhibit hall there are TONS of activities in The Lab. Rabbits are crucial to the success of Origins, whether they're working in the booth, demoing in the lab, or doing other fun things in support of the event. This is a list of Things To Know About for new or returning rabbits, in the hopes of maximizing everyone's fun!

[edit] GAMA's "Right Before the Con" Info email

Trey Reilly (GAMA's program director) sent out a huge email to all GM's and Event Coordinators detailing lots of important things. Top Rabbits, Tourney Directors and Event Rabbits should read it for the particular things pertinent to their areas.

However, it's way too big to post onto this page, so it's living on it's own page: GAMA's 2008 Last Minute Instruction Email to GM's. --Carol 21:06, 23 June 2008 (PDT)

[edit] Welcome To The Lab and the Big Experiment!

Lab Policies and Rules

What is the Big Experiment?

• The person in the purple lab coat is the person Currently In Charge, aka The Top Rabbit.
• The person in the bright blue lab coat is the Tournament Director. Questions about tournaments should be directed to this person.
• All Origins attendees are welcome in the lab and should be treated as our honored guests
• Demos and Pick-up games are free to all
• Tournaments and other "scheduled events" require some form of payment (see below)

[edit] Lab Coats

• If you want to dress like a Rabbit at Origins, you can wear your lab coat around the convention all weekend long, and the Top Rabbit WILL NOT ask you to work if you are not on the schedule. Ask the Top Rabbit if you want to borrow a lab coat for the weekend! Please fill your pockets with Lab Reports and proclaim “Please come play games with us in The Lab!” while giving out a Lab Report to anyone who seems curious as to why you are dressed in a lab coat.
• Please check in with the Top Rabbit when you're available for demos and let them know if this is scheduled or unscheduled time. Also let the TR know when you need to leave.
• You may wear your own coat or borrow a coat.
  • Whether it's a borrowed coat or your very own private lab coat, hang it on the coat racks behind the Top Rabbit desk. Please hang the coat from a hanger.
  • To borrow a coat, search through the rack to find an appropriately-sized lab coat that has a number written on the tag. Check the sign-out sheet for this number to make sure this coat is not already borrowed. If it is available, write the number of the coat and your name on the sign-out sheet.
  • Especially if it is a borrowed lab coat, make sure it is easy to identify as yours. For personal coats, write your name on the tag. For borrowed coats, hang a paper note from the hanger.

[edit] The Staff Area

In the back of the room, in an area marked off by tables, is a "staff area". In this area you'll find cubbies to store your belongings, a table to hang out at, and a screened off area where Rabbit Snacks are often to be found.

• Store belongings in this area at your own risk. Things are generally safe but please leave your heirlooms and precious items elsewhere
• Please do not use the table for storage, even temporarily. Invariably, a rabbit leaves some item on the table Wednesday evening, and it is still there during clean-up on Sunday.
• Please keep this area neat and tidy, which sometimes means tidying a mess that is not yours.
• You may eat in this area.
• Snacks are often to be found in this area. Though technically we're not supposed to have food of our own here, the GAMA folks are nice. Pretend it's not there, don't crow about it, and keep things tidy.
• You may help yourself to any food in this area not clearly marked as belonging to a specific rabbit. Food often includes:
  • Fresh bread: There are often 3-4 bread machines in this area and fresh bread is periodically available all weekend.
  • Peanut Butter and Jelly. Fabulous jams and jellies are often supplied by (insert appropriate rabbit's name here)
  • Other: Please look around, see what's there, check for labels, and help yourself.
• Please contribute items to share!

[edit] How Do I...?

Here are pages of information on how to be a volunteer at Origins at the Big Experiment. There are various positions you can volunteer for such as Demo Rabbit, Tournament Director, Top Rabbit, or running an event such as one of the tournaments (e.g., Treehouse, Zombie Fluxx, Chrononauts, etc.), a floating tournament (e.g., Volcano, Binary Homeworlds), Andy vs. Everybody, or Aquarius Hairdown.

[edit] Other Rabbits Are Your Friends

Many of the Rabbits who help out in the lab have been doing so for years, and even though we only see each other for five days out of the year, we have become fairly close friends. New Rabbits sometimes hesitate to ask questions or join conversations, fearing that they will be viewed as outsiders. The truth is, as soon as you put on that lab coat, you are no longer an outsider and we want to be friends with you! Societal rules about joining and participating in conversations still apply, and keep in mind that your new Rabbit friends might be very different from your friends at home, but please let everybody get to know you.

[edit] The Convention Center Has Its Own Weather

When packing your suitcase for Origins, you're probably thinking, "Midwest in July! All I need are T-shirts and shorts!" This would be true, except the Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC) has massive ventilators and air conditioners that work to regulate the internal climate of the building. These systems are capable of compensating for the heat and moisture generated by Origins' estimated fourteen thousand attendees in addition to the heat absorbed by thousands of square feet of roof. This would work great if the systems could be turned on and shut down with lightning precision, unfortunately they cannot be. Learning the GCCC weather patterns and how to dress for them is vital for your enjoyment of Origins.

The Lab and other areas of the GCCC can be quite warm while the system is off. Typically, the cooling cycle is not fully switched on while the exhibit hall is closed. Wednesday is warm and stuffy, and this continues until 10am Thursday. The cooling cycle works well, as noted above, and the temperature is comfortable for most of the day until dinner time. At dinner time, thousands of people leave the GCCC for hotel rooms and restaurants. However, the cooling cycle is still going full blast! The temperature drops quickly into refrigerator territory, and if you're still inside you may become very uncomfortable. Complicating the matter is that regardless of the indoor temperature, the outdoor temperature may be sweaty hot, wet and chilly, or whatever.

If you're the kind person who gets warm easily, keep in mind that a lab coat adds another (thin, but noticeable) layer. Prepare for the warm times by wearing thin or short clothing. If you're the kind of person who gets cold easily, prepare for the cool times by keeping a long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt in a cubby in the lab. Remember to pack these things!

[edit] What to Pack for Origins

Here are a couple of things I've come up with over the years to guide you in packing for Origins:

• Bring a sweatshirt or jacket - It may be hot outside, but it often gets cold inside the convention center, especially at 5pm when half the people go out to dinner and the AC is running full blast.
• Wear thick-soled shoes - The convention center is floored almost entirely in concrete with only a thin coating of carpet in areas like the lab. You will likely be on your feet most of the day and walking a fair amount of it. Shoes with thin soles may be comfy, but not after 10 hours of walking on concrete.
• Bring a backpack - You might think you can run back up to your hotel room for stuff, but this may take longer than you think. Bring a backpack or bag and stock it in the morning with most stuff you think you'll need during the day.
• Keep track of your stuff - Remember where you put things. The Rabbit area normally has storage cubbies. Adopt one early and always put your stuff in it. Don't leave anything on the eating table or it may get moved or thrown away.

[edit] Don't forget the 5-2-1 Rule!

Every day at Origins you should, at a minimum, get:

5 hours of sleep,

2 good meals, and

1 shower per day!