Paper vs Electronic Ticket recommendation as GM
Posted by bryanjonker
#1

Hello -- I'm an independent GM that just likes to run a few RPGs during GenCon. My wife will help me set up, but I don't have any other assistants...but I'm only running a single game with at most 8 people. I have both a late model Android phone and a laptop with a barcode reader (perks of being in an IT shop). Do you have any recommendations on the paper vs electronic ticket choice? I think I'm set up to do electronic tickets, but I wasn't sure if the intent was to just have larger groups use electronic tickets, and still run smaller shops and independent GMs with paper? 

Cross-posted here: https://www.gencon.com/forums/9-event-organizers-gms/topics/15941-paper-vs-electronic-ticket-recommendation

Posted by nscott
#2

I think anyone who wants to try electronic tickets this year is free to do so. You don’t have to be a gaming group or be offering a certain number of seats. Just select the electronic ticket option when you are creating your event and do the verification step that shows you have the tech to handle it.

Posted by nascragman
#3

If eTickets work well again this year, we'll probably take Nascrag down this road in 2021.  I worry this could be a choke point if we're trying to process 90+ players at a time.  We'd need to have multiple phones set up to do this

Posted by mikeboozer bryanjonker
#4

bryanjonker wrote:
Hello -- I'm an independent GM that just likes to run a few RPGs during GenCon. My wife will help me set up, but I don't have any other assistants...but I'm only running a single game with at most 8 people. I have both a late model Android phone and a laptop with a barcode reader (perks of being in an IT shop). Do you have any recommendations on the paper vs electronic ticket choice? I think I'm set up to do electronic tickets, but I wasn't sure if the intent was to just have larger groups use electronic tickets, and still run smaller shops and independent GMs with paper? 
Cross-posted here: https://www.gencon.com/forums/9-event-organizers-gms/topics/15941-paper-vs-electronic-ticket-recommendation

You have the option of choosing E-tickets this year when you submit your events.
There is a certification process for this when you sign up that help you and the events team determine if you have the capacity to do this. 
https://www.gencon.com/event_registrations/new

Mike Boozer
Customer Service & Event Team Manger
Gen Con LLC

Posted by gib_rebeg mikeboozer
#5

mikeboozer wrote:
bryanjonker wrote:
Hello -- I'm an independent GM that just likes to run a few RPGs during GenCon. My wife will help me set up, but I don't have any other assistants...but I'm only running a single game with at most 8 people. I have both a late model Android phone and a laptop with a barcode reader (perks of being in an IT shop). Do you have any recommendations on the paper vs electronic ticket choice? I think I'm set up to do electronic tickets, but I wasn't sure if the intent was to just have larger groups use electronic tickets, and still run smaller shops and independent GMs with paper? 
Cross-posted here: https://www.gencon.com/forums/9-event-organizers-gms/topics/15941-paper-vs-electronic-ticket-recommendation

You have the option of choosing E-tickets this year when you submit your events.
There is a certification process for this when you sign up that help you and the events team determine if you have the capacity to do this. 
https://www.gencon.com/event_registrations/newMike Boozer
Customer Service & Event Team Manger
Gen Con LLC
Mike I have a Q.

My phone likely would be able to, but last year I had such problems with both battery life due to it trying to connect to a tower and sucking the battery dry as well as internet connection.

For smaller group GMs like me, down the road, will we keep the paper ticket system? Or come up with something that would work for those who the E-system doesn't work for. Else you're looking at forcing some GMs out.

Posted by mikeboozer gib_rebeg
#6

gib_rebeg wrote:
mikeboozer wrote:
bryanjonker wrote:
Hello -- I'm an independent GM that just likes to run a few RPGs during GenCon. My wife will help me set up, but I don't have any other assistants...but I'm only running a single game with at most 8 people. I have both a late model Android phone and a laptop with a barcode reader (perks of being in an IT shop). Do you have any recommendations on the paper vs electronic ticket choice? I think I'm set up to do electronic tickets, but I wasn't sure if the intent was to just have larger groups use electronic tickets, and still run smaller shops and independent GMs with paper? 
Cross-posted here: https://www.gencon.com/forums/9-event-organizers-gms/topics/15941-paper-vs-electronic-ticket-recommendation

You have the option of choosing E-tickets this year when you submit your events.
There is a certification process for this when you sign up that help you and the events team determine if you have the capacity to do this. 
https://www.gencon.com/event_registrations/newMike Boozer
Customer Service & Event Team Manger
Gen Con LLC
Mike I have a Q.My phone likely would be able to, but last year I had such problems with both battery life due to it trying to connect to a tower and sucking the battery dry as well as internet connection.
For smaller group GMs like me, down the road, will we keep the paper ticket system? Or come up with something that would work for those who the E-system doesn't work for. Else you're looking at forcing some GMs out.

This issue does not seem to be insurmountable. I suggest a power source charged up for your phone to get you through the day. That's what I use at the convention!

We are definitely moving in the direction of making E-ticketing the way we handle tickets. Still working on how that ramps up over the years.

Mike Boozer
Customer Service & Event Team Manager
Gen Con LLC

Posted by meldh
#7

Mike: don't forget GMs coming in from overseas, for whom data connection has a noticeable cost (if it's possible at all). We may not be a large group but we do exist.

Posted by brotherbock meldh
#8

meldh wrote:
Mike: don't forget GMs coming in from overseas, for whom data connection has a noticeable cost (if it's possible at all). We may not be a large group but we do exist.

True story.

The solution would be wifi, right? Routers with an EO-only password. I know that's what we'd need in Union Station (I've been discussing in another thread) where there's no cell signal for anyone.

Posted by meldh brotherbock
#9

brotherbock wrote:
meldh wrote:
Mike: don't forget GMs coming in from overseas, for whom data connection has a noticeable cost (if it's possible at all). We may not be a large group but we do exist.

True story.The solution would be wifi, right? Routers with an EO-only password. I know that's what we'd need in Union Station (I've been discussing in another thread) where there's no cell signal for anyone.

That'd definitely help (as you correctly note, general-access wifi would probably not be much use). Though I don't think I'd want to be the one trying to spec out a solution to work in Union Station!

Posted by brotherbock meldh
#10

meldh wrote:
brotherbock wrote:
meldh wrote:
Mike: don't forget GMs coming in from overseas, for whom data connection has a noticeable cost (if it's possible at all). We may not be a large group but we do exist.

True story.The solution would be wifi, right? Routers with an EO-only password. I know that's what we'd need in Union Station (I've been discussing in another thread) where there's no cell signal for anyone.

That'd definitely help (as you correctly note, general-access wifi would probably not be much use). Though I don't think I'd want to be the one trying to spec out a solution to work in Union Station!

I'd think repeaters would work well enough. I drove through a 24km tunnel in Norway and my GPS worked fine the whole time :D Union Station seems like a long hallway at the end of a day of gaming, but it isn't that big.

Posted by meldh brotherbock
#11

brotherbock wrote:
meldh wrote:
brotherbock wrote:
meldh wrote:
Mike: don't forget GMs coming in from overseas, for whom data connection has a noticeable cost (if it's possible at all). We may not be a large group but we do exist.

True story.The solution would be wifi, right? Routers with an EO-only password. I know that's what we'd need in Union Station (I've been discussing in another thread) where there's no cell signal for anyone.

That'd definitely help (as you correctly note, general-access wifi would probably not be much use). Though I don't think I'd want to be the one trying to spec out a solution to work in Union Station!

I'd think repeaters would work well enough. I drove through a 24km tunnel in Norway and my GPS worked fine the whole time :D Union Station seems like a long hallway at the end of a day of gaming, but it isn't that big.

Lot of metalwork, though. But it wouldn't need to cover every single square inch, just enough that people had to move at most a few metres to get coverage (less would be nice, obviously) rather than having to go all the way out of the building.

Posted by brotherbock meldh
#12

meldh wrote:
brotherbock wrote:
meldh wrote:
brotherbock wrote:
meldh wrote:
Mike: don't forget GMs coming in from overseas, for whom data connection has a noticeable cost (if it's possible at all). We may not be a large group but we do exist.

True story.The solution would be wifi, right? Routers with an EO-only password. I know that's what we'd need in Union Station (I've been discussing in another thread) where there's no cell signal for anyone.

That'd definitely help (as you correctly note, general-access wifi would probably not be much use). Though I don't think I'd want to be the one trying to spec out a solution to work in Union Station!

I'd think repeaters would work well enough. I drove through a 24km tunnel in Norway and my GPS worked fine the whole time :D Union Station seems like a long hallway at the end of a day of gaming, but it isn't that big.

Lot of metalwork, though. But it wouldn't need to cover every single square inch, just enough that people had to move at most a few metres to get coverage (less would be nice, obviously) rather than having to go all the way out of the building.

Agreed. That main hallway down the length of it is a pretty straight shot. A repeater in there might not get into the rooms, but I'd think it would get the hallway. And that's a lot better than going out to the street.

Posted by nascragman
#13

Does anyone know how well the Wifi works in Lucas Oil?

Posted by buffythecatslayer nascragman
#14

nascragman wrote:Does anyone know how well the Wifi works in Lucas Oil?

Worked fine for me last year.

Posted by stahlnee
#15

With the delay in event registration it would be good to make all tickets electronic tickets. This would avoid having a potentail crunch of printing out hardcopy tickets to mail with badges.

Posted by noone stahlnee
#16

stahlnee wrote:
With the delay in event registration it would be good to make all tickets electronic tickets. This would avoid having a potentail crunch of printing out hardcopy tickets to mail with badges.
except not all event organizers have the phones or tablets need for the scanning.  Also if you’ve never done eticketing you need to attend a 15 min training.  

Posted by stahlnee noone
#17

noone wrote:
stahlnee wrote:
With the delay in event registration it would be good to make all tickets electronic tickets. This would avoid having a potentail crunch of printing out hardcopy tickets to mail with badges.
except not all event organizers have the phones or tablets need for the scanning.  Also if you’ve never done eticketing you need to attend a 15 min training.  
Those that don't, accept the risk of receiving paper tickets along affecting the time needed to prepare packets.

Posted by stahlnee
#18

Hopefully being online speeds up use of electronic tickets in the future.

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