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Arisia '08 Panel Ideas
Every year I send in some panel suggestions to Arisia, and most years I do it at the last minute. When I do, I find myself trying to dig up lists of ideas from past years.
Maybe if I post my list on my journal this time, it will be easier to find next year.
Open Season: Game Systems as Intellectual Property
RuneQuest Reborn: The classic long out-of-print is now back in four different versions from three different (and competing) companies. What's going on?
Classic Authors: Many of the greatest genre writers can no longer be found on bookstore shelves; giants such Roger Zelazny, Fredric Brown, and Cordwainer Smith have vanished. Modern authors rehash classic themes and get taken as the originators. Tips and suggestions for younger/newer readers on buried treasures from long ago.
Cross-Genre: Mystery/SF - Many genre writers have also written mysteries, and vice-versa. Panelists discuss writers who've crossed over, as well as those who've mixed the two genres - or tried to.
Humor in SF/F
PS3, Xbox 360, Wii: Which is Best? (A Battle Royale)
The Plight of the Older Gamer - It was so easy in college. Nothing but time to kill and lots of other gamers on campus. But now that you've got a job and a family, is it possible to still be a roleplayer?
We Want It On DVD! - Cool shows and movies that aren't available on shiny disks - yet. Why is The Love Boat available when Max Headroom isn't?
When Game Groups Go Bad: Chemistry is essential to a good game. How to recognize when a player isn't right for a group, or vice-versa.
4.0?!? - Wizards of the Coast has announced that D&D 4.0 is on the way. What might we expect? What would gamers like to see? Is Hasbro/WOTC just being greedy money-grubbing trolls, or is 3.5 crying out for improvement?
Maybe if I post my list on my journal this time, it will be easier to find next year.
Open Season: Game Systems as Intellectual Property
RuneQuest Reborn: The classic long out-of-print is now back in four different versions from three different (and competing) companies. What's going on?
Classic Authors: Many of the greatest genre writers can no longer be found on bookstore shelves; giants such Roger Zelazny, Fredric Brown, and Cordwainer Smith have vanished. Modern authors rehash classic themes and get taken as the originators. Tips and suggestions for younger/newer readers on buried treasures from long ago.
Cross-Genre: Mystery/SF - Many genre writers have also written mysteries, and vice-versa. Panelists discuss writers who've crossed over, as well as those who've mixed the two genres - or tried to.
Humor in SF/F
PS3, Xbox 360, Wii: Which is Best? (A Battle Royale)
The Plight of the Older Gamer - It was so easy in college. Nothing but time to kill and lots of other gamers on campus. But now that you've got a job and a family, is it possible to still be a roleplayer?
We Want It On DVD! - Cool shows and movies that aren't available on shiny disks - yet. Why is The Love Boat available when Max Headroom isn't?
When Game Groups Go Bad: Chemistry is essential to a good game. How to recognize when a player isn't right for a group, or vice-versa.
4.0?!? - Wizards of the Coast has announced that D&D 4.0 is on the way. What might we expect? What would gamers like to see? Is Hasbro/WOTC just being greedy money-grubbing trolls, or is 3.5 crying out for improvement?
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It's odd to me that a Game System isn't considered copyrightable or patentable or whatever, so I'd think they're legitimately Intellectual Property. For no good reason, this reminded me of Asimov criticizing use of his stuff in RPGs as he figured folk should get their own ideas; mind you, he may have more been thinking of folk trying to do modules or supplements based on his work rather than Joe Gamer doing a game.
On DVDs: I'd guess that it's all a measure of what the anticipated market is. Max Headroom pretty much always was a "cult" show, plus I'd not be terribly surprised if some corp person figures that the sort of people who would be interested already have pirate copies (sort of the logic that made it so Atari computers had fewer third party releases; Atari users were noted for making and passing around copies). Love Bost on the other hand was a mass market successful show for several seasons; they can sell box sets or whatever just on nostalgia.
On 4.0: I'm thinking that Hasbro might well be going for the big bucks, but on the other hand WotC probably saved TSR from an untimely demise. D&D will be the Last RPG Standing, at least from a "major" company.
Now, of the panels suggest I think are best for Arisia: CLassic Authors, Cross-Genre Mystery (maybe broadened out to those occasional other genres, or maybe not), Humor in SF/F (isn't there something like that usually every year?), We Want It on DVD, although with the caveat that it might be really necessary to check that something actually is not available on DVD as some stuff may just have had a limited or weird release.
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