Photos!

The photos from Sheepcon 2013 are now available on our Facebook page. Jump on and tag yourself and your friends, make a comment or just say hi to someone you hit it off with on the day!

A big thanks to Rachel and Jodie who wandered around unobtrusively taking these amazing photos.

Sheepcon 2013: So sheepsome!!

Thank you all for coming along and making Sheepcon awesome! The vibe was fun and friendly; tons of laughter and happy gamers, and lots of newbies having a great time (which was something we were really keen on achieving).

The themed rooms had amazing lighting and design (largely thanks to Ryan and Tim at Revolt), the music was atmospheric and the games were loud but not obnoxious!

All our GMs looked they were kicking ass too, so a big round of applause for all you guys and gals.

Thanks for turning up and making Sheepcon 2013 all we hoped it would be!

Photos to come... 

Sheepnoms

Howdy folks, this just in:

Revolt has a kitchen and will be providing food for purchase during the lunch and dinner breaks. This will save you walking round the corner to Kensington's food strip. 

Also, coffee! Who won't need a few caffeine-hits during the day, right?

This does mean that you won't be able to bring food from the outside world into the venue so we heartily recommend eating/drinking in house, hanging-out and socialising with your fellow gamers! 

DICE!

Hey GMs - a quick important query! 

Do ya'll have any dice needs? We should be able to provide a set for you on the day, but you have to let us know what you need. 

So let us know!

SUNDAY!

5 days to go til Sheepcon folks - make sure you double-check your Sheepcon Survival Kit. 

Players signing up before today should have all received their Confirmation Emails. If you are signing up over the next few days, we'll send you a confirmation asap. 

GM registration emails have also gone out now,  though we are leaving registration open until Sunday so we'll keep a running update of numbers!

We will also have cue-cards at the door so that you don't forget which games you're in for the day!

If you thought you signed up and haven't received an email, or if you're a GM with some questions about the process - send a query to admin@sheepcon.com and we'll get onto you right-quick!

Otherwise, we'll see you on Sunday folks!

Has your registration been caught by the Flail Snail?

What beautiful sunshiney weather! Doesn't it just make you wanna crawl into a dark, air-conditioned room and get gaming? Well, Huzzah! Cos Sheepcon is less than a fortnight away!

You registered players should have received a confirmation email from us today. If you haven't then it's possible your registration has been snaffled by an internet flail-snail and you'll have to try again, or email us direct at admin@sheepcon.com

Flail Snail

Sheepcon Survival Guide

19 of 36 games are either filling up or full for Sheepcon. It's hippedy hoppedy happening folks!

If you've already signed up, here's a final checklist. Have you got your:
✓ Sheepcon survival bag packed
✓ Unique dice to show off
✓ Vorpal blade in safety harness or leash
✓ Humorous-yet-inoffensive tshirt picked
✓ Practiced your lucky dice throw maneuver (remember, if you don't knock-out at least two people per throw, it's not lucky enough)
✓ Perfumed THANKYOU cards for all our wonderful GMs, without whom this con would never have happened

Make sure you have these six all-important items ticked off before you enter the Revolt Zone.

And if you haven't signed up, c'mon get to it!

Remember folks: all un-leashed vorpal blades and un-muzzled singing swords will be SENT HOME.

If you want to play games at Sheepcon, then you MUST register to play them.

Hey Folks! 

Just so you know - 
- YOU NEED TO REGISTER IN ORDER TO PLAY GAMES AT SHEEPCON! 

That means you GMs too, guys. If we don't see you in the list for the game, then you can't play it. That's how we do the numbers. 

Games are filling up fast now, 7 are completely full! We really want to make sure that everyone knows the score so that there will be happy gaming for all!

Sunshiine, fiasco and- umm ginger beer!

The sun is out, the wind is wild and we have just under a month before Sheepcon!  

It’s a fiiine spring day here in Melbourne and I’ve just delivered another round of Sheepcon fliers to the city’s pop-culture outlets.  Phew, long walk.

We’d like to say thanks guys for all the input that we’ve had over the last few months. Sheepcon has been greeted with friendliness and enthusiasm since the get-go! We received some great advice from the Unicon and Conformat teams as well as a lot of GM and player input from RL friends and Facebook pals alike.

We’re in the last leg now, a four-week run up to the con itself and absolutely everything is locked in.

If you haven’t yet registered to play, now’s the time! The games have started to fill up, so jump on to the website and tell your friends to do the same - because the earlier you get your registration started, the more your preferences count in the final tally.

If you have any trouble with the registration process, shoot an email to admin@sheepcon.com and we’ll help you out ASAP!

Happy gaming! Play out in the park today!

PLAYER REGISTRATION IS NOW ON!

Hey Sheeple! (and also people who don't necessarily wanna think of themselves as Sheeple...)

PLAYER REGISTRATION is now on and you all know what that means!

Oh, but in case you don't: go to the REGISTRATION tab to sign in and pick your games for the day. 

Sheepcon is only a month away so make sure that you have the Sunday free on November 17th to come and play your heart out.

The whole day is $20 plus $5 off per game you run if you're a GM! All payments are at the door. For further details, check out the VENUE and SCHEDULE tabs. 

Don't forget that we're newbie friendly too, so if you have a friend who "might, you know, be interested, if you're going...", bring em along!

It's first come, first served so jump on as soon as you can and choose your gaming preferences. 

If you find out that you can't make it after you register, shoot us a quick email and we'll re-jig the games so that another person can play!

We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Happy gaming!

Yup, it's 18+ only folks...

It's been brought to our attention that the 18+ nature of Sheepcon might not be prominent enough on the website or here on Facebook. 

Just so that you know, the venue is licensed and that means people of the 18+ range only. 

The 18+ rating is part of the venue's policy. We very much wanted the truly amazing Revolt theatre space, which combines a gazillion cool setting props with sound and lighting styles that are perfect for creating a gaming atmosphere. We especially wanted Revolt's theatrical specialties to be the driving force behind Sheepcon rather than the tired old community house or school building settings.

The team at Sheepcon are really sorry if some of you are younger or have kids that you'd like to bring along and show the Role-Playing ropes.

Who knows? If we get enough interest at Sheepcon, on Facebook or on our website, we might run a 'Just Turn Up and Play' day for the weekend following Sheepcon with sausages, fantasy boardgames and Fiasco!

If you're interested in something of that nature, let us know!

Player registration coming up!

Well, a volley of last minute submissions brings the tally of games to over 30! A massive thanks to all you GMs who have thrown your hat in the ring and brought such a diverse selection to Sheepcon. 

Seriously, check out the range... everything from original D&D to the latest independent RPGs to classic fantasy boardgames and a sprinkling of homebrews.

Soon we're going to arrange all these games into a schedule and put it online for players to salivate over for a while, then the registration forms will go up so you can get your preferences in. We'll keep you notified as things progress.

If you missed the deadline but are really keen to run a game then fire your pitch in to admin@sheepcon.com asap and we might be able to fit you in.

See you soon!

Last Chance!

It's like Christmas is coming isn't it? Well, it is coming I suppose—but before Christmas, we have Sheepcon!

Come Sunday on November 17th we'll be disappearing into distant lands, fighting terrible monsters and delving into the stuff of nightmares that decent folk should never see... H'ray!

We'll have door prizes, which are kinda like presents. We'll have drinks 'til 10pm and the yummo food from nearby Macaulay rd—and best of all we'll have a bunch of like-minded gamers keen to chat, meet new people and make terrible terrible jokes! 

Waaay better than Christmas, really.

It's been a little while between updates this time, we've been busy cataloging games and sorting out the registration system.  It's the last day to submit your pitch, so if you're still keen NOW'S THE TIME to take ten minutes to fill out our easy template on the bottom of the FAQ section and submit it to admin@sheepcon.com!

We'll have the game registration system up and ready for preferences soon—so keep an eye on the website or the Facebook page for new developments.

Happy gaming!

Meet 'n' Greet exploded into awesome!

A big thanks to everyone who came to the meet up last night, we had a great time and it was so good to meet some new people, see old friends and talk non-stop for 5 hours. 

We'll be seeing y'all at Sheepcon!

Railroading versus sandbox RPGs

The Sheepcon crew has had the same conversation a lot recently:

What makes a better game? A railroading scenario where every decision leads the players back to the same linear plot line or a huge sandbox game where the players decide their path through the events of the world and the GM attempts to keep things interesting.

GMs can struggle a  lot with these issues. From worrying about exactly how much detail to put into a world (details that players might not even notice), to how lethal the opposition should be and how visceral and gritty to make the game itself. These choices are totally dependent on the people involved and can have a huge impact on how much players and GMs enjoy the game.

Our conclusion was that, most of the time, players don't really notice railroading. Even if the railroading is obvious it never feels like that video game where, despite the fact that you have amazing acrobatic abilities and the fence is only 3 feet high, you...just...can't bloody *twitch* jump over it. In Pen&Paper games the player's imagination makes up for a lot of the glitches and logic problems that GMs forget to iron-out in the planning process. Railroading is also part of the Pen&Paper mechanic, I mean, there's something so easy and exciting about simply being told to go clear out the Den of Evil—with a good group, short and pithy linear games can be even more exciting than a 10-hour epic scenario!

On the other hand, GMs can also become bored with a storyline that lacks player input. A sandbox game, one where players decide where they want to go and what they want to do, can end up in some weird and exciting situations. If you can think on your feet, and don't mind some really strange outcomes, then sandbox gaming in a well-thought-out world can be incredibly immersive. 

How do you game? Are your players too crazy for a sandbox adventure? Is your GM too rigid in their control of the story line? Is there a perfect way to go?

Sheepcon Meet 'n' Greet!

Hey Folks!

We have decided to have a Meet ’n’ Greet Sheepcon Gamers night!

Drop in and say hi for 5 minutes or stick around and chat with us for 5 hours.

No need to RSVP, just turn up and say hi!

Where: La La Land, Hardware St in the Melbourne CBD!

When:  6 'til close on Wednesday the 18^th of September!

When the four of us decided to run a gaming convention, we were on a roadtrip back from having an absolute blast at Conformat in Adelaide. We met Peter and Dallas and a bunch of other folk who made the experience so completely memorable that we wanted to share that feeling with people in Melbourne.

Of course there are some great other gaming cons—like Arcanacon, Unicon, Conquest,
et al.—but for us…We wanted a con that was specifically designed to help people get gaming groups together, encourage folk to explore the kinds of new games turning up in the industry and especially entice new gamers to try out this completely addictive hobby!

So!

The Meet ’n’ Greet is happening for us all to be able to meet the GMs and players who are going to make Sheepcon 2013 into a really and truly and especially fun event! If you’re nervous about coming alone, bring a friend! 

We love you guys!

There's been a great new bunch of GM submissions rolling in of late—a wide variety of settings, some neat and interesting indie publications and really catchy pitches!

We owe a big thanks to all our GMs this year. We can't do it without you, so it's really fantastic to have all this support.

To show our appreciation, we are working on some competitions and prizes for you players and GMs.
So if you have any ideas or proposals, please don't hesitate to email us at admin@sheepcon.com.

We still have a number of GM places open if anyone is looking to show off an old system, a new setting or a gaming classic! To see the kinds of games we have running, check out our ever-growing list of pitches on the GAMES section of the Sheepcon website!

Poster-Gnomes and game submissions

Sheepcon now has a deadline for all Game Master submissions on the front page and we will be accepting game submissions until the 30^th of September.

We've also got a new section up on the site: GAMES

This has a taste of some of the really great games we've been receiving for you players and hopefully provides some ideas for you GMs too! 

In other news, the Melbourne Poster-Gnomes have been busy gobbling up the Sheepcon fliers that we've distributed amongst pop-culture shops like Minotaur, Mindgames, Games Lab and Classic Comics.

Poster-Gnomes, also known as Gobblers, Snafflers and Green-bean Quicksies, are notorious for eating fliers, posters and other neat things before interested folk can get there first…

…Well hey, it’s either the Gnomes or people are taking them out of interest and actually want to come to the event!

We the Sheeple

Newbies welcome!

We didn't expect it, but we've actually had a couple of homebrew submissions! Not to mention the interest in using more indie and ye olde systems as well. This is fantastic and exactly what Sheepcon is all about.

The wave of popularity that has hit tabletop RPGs over the last few years has boosted the industry in so many ways: the influx of new games, new settings and systems, and above all, the amount of people who want to game with us! Thanks to this popularity, the old stigmas of the grumpy antisocial nerd that used to be applied to our hobby are quickly joining the King of Kong stereotype of yore.

The amount of folk table-top gaming at PAX is still bright and fresh in our minds, it was fantastic to see so many people in and out of the Top every day. A lot of people who only came to PAX to see new developments and play game demos also managed to find their way into the TableTop tent and sat down to check out some of the many beginner RP games available. 

And while the popularity of gaming (and the ties it now has to console and computer gaming, superhero movies, comics and anime) might seem to be spreading our interests too thin, the upshot of it is that with more people playing there are more ideas and interest being funneled into making our table-top gaming sessions that much more innovative and exciting!

When the four of us started working on Sheepcon, our objectives were to focus on the growth of indie games, the promotion of table-top gaming as an exciting social activity for everyone, and especially to work with the aim of attracting people who don't necessarily view themselves as 'gamers'. New blood is important: genetic science knows it, Scientology knows it, and Sheepcon knows it!

So how did we at Sheepcon get into Table-top gaming?
Raphaelle's dad ran a DnD game for her and her brother when they were 9.
Kris was also 9 when he was brought into a group by his older brother.
Ken got into it through comics and artwork.
Aaron was given a DnD 3.5 handbook  for his 18th birthday...
...and that was all it took! Gaming is instantly infectious and fun, and unlike Scientology it doesn't drain you of money and sanity (ahem...well it doesn't *have* to [cue audience groan]). 

So if you have a friend or two who "might be interested, maybe, you know, if you're going man." Why not bring em along? Or better yet, run a newbie-friendly game so that they have a mate to show em the ropes!

And if you see someone who might not be all that sure about what they're doing on the day: help out, be friendly. They could be your next star player!

We the Sheeple

PAXaus

Who doesn't love three whole days of gaming??

The Sheepcon crew had an awesome time at PAX Aus checking out the Ocular Rift, watching the LoL crowds in bemusement, attempting to last in the Johann Sebastian Joust—and of course trying out some new table-top games at the Top!

I really should've taken more photos...but there were so many distractions! (Expo Hall)

Dixit

In Dixit you take it in turns to make a story from one of your (rather abstract) cards. The stories vary from short phrases like 'Tragedy Strikes' or 'Donkey Konga' to drawn out and complicated fairy tales. After you select the story card from your hand you place it onto the table and the other players must attempt to obfuscate the situation by each adding a card with a similar theme to the pool. They then take bets on the likelihood of which is the 'real' story card. The first to 30 points wins the game.

   

Dixit would be a great game for friends who know each other well, you can use in-group memes and subtle jibes to confuse or reveal which card represents the 'real' story. It becomes a lot harder to play when teaming up with folk that you don't know too well, like with the PAX pick-up situation, and in those situations the jokes and stories often fall flat. The artwork on the cards is bright and lively, but the quality and overall amount of cards could be improved. In a game with six people, we finished the deck twice before the end of the game.


Magic: The Gathering

Before you jeer, yes sorry, a couple of us had never actually played MTG before (or not properly at any rate). The game is BRUTAL. We loved it. The PAX Learn2Play iPad systems (the electronic game is called Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers) were also gratifying and worth looking for if you, like us, haven't yet given Magic: The Gathering a shot.


Quantum Werewolf

A variant of the card game Mafia. The table is divided up into two Werewolves and one Seer and the rest of the table, who are Villagers. The Villagers are teamed up against the Werewolves, but they are ignorant as to who exactly the werewolves are in the group. The Villagers must 'lynch' suspected Werewolves in the hopes of stymieing the bloody carnage that happens every night. The Werewolves, on the other hand, are on the hunt. Every night the Werewolves 'kill' another Villager and attempt to place the blame on someone else. The Seer is the only Villager who has a chance to 'see' who the Werewolf is, strangely they are often killed off first, despite complete anonymity.

The game, again, is great when played with people who know each other's foibles, who have small petty vendettas and are willing shoot insults back and forth until they have to stop, gasping for air. The game was fun briefly, we played three hands before losing interest. A stronger narrative element might be needed for the game to be played more comprehensively.


The Xbox One display, well... It certainly lacked the awe-inspiring appeal of the Ocular Rift.

Definitely looking forward to next year!

We The Sheeple