GooCon: Champions Gate

Scott Hardie | April 4, 2010
The 2010 event is announced! I can't wait to do this again! So far I've heard from nine people who have some interest in attending, so we should have a good mix of guests.

This year's location is in the same neighborhood as the 2009 event, one street over. I didn't seek out this location at all; in fact, I tried to find something in a place we've never been before. For a long time, I thought we'd stay at a nice small house I found in the heart of St. Petersburg at an incredible rate, but during some last-minute checking last week, I stumbled upon an even better deal in the West Haven neighborhood outside of Orlando. There was an off-putting discrepancy between the advertised rate and actual rate, but I negotiated what I believe is still the best deal that we can get, and the house is incredible.

Thanks for helping me make a decision about the schedule. Feedback was uniformly behind "scenario B" – three full days of GooCon, with a lighter schedule that allows time to enjoy the pool and other amenities. Unlike the activity-packed agendas of the last two years, I booked only 4-5 events per day in this year's schedule, hopefully leaving plenty of unstructured time that we can spend in other ways. I have some ideas for additional group activities that can fill the time if we find things dragging, but I doubt that we will.

Rather than going with the gender-split idea that we discussed, I have opted to break into three small groups on Friday afternoon to enjoy local attractions. Guests want to get out of the house and take advantage of the fact that we're staying in Florida, without taking too much time out from the planned activities that we're there to enjoy; this strikes me as a good compromise. Besides, it's also a chance to spend some personal time with one or two guests, away from the rest of the group. I've been to DisneyQuest and I recommend it, especially if you like video games; it's a giant five-story arcade with several immersive games. Gatorland is considered one of the state's best and most popular small attractions, so I know it won't disappoint; it's the most Floridian option. Knowing our sensibilities, I suspect that Old Town will be the most popular of the three, with its shopping and live music and classic cars and 1950s ambiance. All three small groups will have a blast.

I was planning to rent a van this year so that we can all travel together conveniently, and I even reserved one, but it's just too expensive. It's $388, which means $50/person if we have eight guests, and even more if we have fewer. Considering that we'll have to take separate cars on Friday, we would only use the van for two meals out and trips to the airport, and that's just not worth $50/person. We can caravan as we did in the past; my gratitude goes to any willing drivers among the Florida-based guests, as always.

In the past, I've offered an interactive ballot for the restaurant choices. This year, I've made a unilateral decision for the group. That change came about because we're staying in the same location as last year, and we already voted on this area's restaurants last year. We went to the few that the group liked, and the other choices were unpopular, so why offer them again? If I were to offer a new ballot this year with all-new choices, it would only have about five restaurants to choose from, so I just selected three based on their optimal location and fit for the schedule, and called it done. I hope each of the three offers sufficient variety of food and affordable prices that nobody will be disappointed. When we go to new location in the future, we'll probably return to balloting.

Feel free to speculate about the mystery activity all you like. I won't reveal what it is until we do it. Take my word for it; it's going to be a big deal, and you're going to be glad you're there for it.

Last year's theme was classic rock & roll, since there wasn't any Rock Block on the schedule. This year's theme will be Hollywood red-carpet glamor, based on the annual Predict the Oscars contest. Prepare to be photographed like a movie star. This will culminate in an actual award ceremony at the end of the weekend. Details on that will follow.

I can't wait! This is going to be a blast!

Scott Hardie | April 5, 2010
We have our second and third registrants, Kelly and Matthew. Who will be fourth?

Scott Hardie | April 6, 2010
Amy is in. Who else wants to join the fun? I heard from two more people privately that they're interested, but nothing's official yet.

Scott Hardie | April 9, 2010
About the movie: There's a film opening in theaters that weekend called Social Network, directed by David Fincher, about how Facebook was founded. That sounds like a great topical match for us, and would be more timely than a drama that would be nearly two years old by the time we see it. However, I don't see a great place in the schedule to fit in a trip to the movie theater, and it seems like too much money for us to spend when we can watch a DVD instead, and I think we'll be too tired after the long field trip to do much but sit around at the house, so I arranged the schedule as I did.

I'm a little reluctant even to put a movie on the schedule at all, because who wants to sit around staring passively at a TV for two hours after we've gone to so much trouble and expense to get together? But having run games at two GooCons now, I'm certain that after the field trip, a movie is going to go down a lot easier than another game.

Amy Austin | April 10, 2010
Lol... unless some of us just pass out from staying up non-stop...

Amy Austin | June 10, 2010
I nominate this location for an August GooCon event!

Hmm... okay, I see *that* didn't work...

www.rainbowriver.webs.com

Jackie Mason | June 12, 2010
[hidden by request]

Amy Austin | June 12, 2010
Dunnellon, Florida

Matthew Preston | August 5, 2010
Anyone else thinking they are going to make it in October?

Kelly Lee | August 5, 2010
I am!

Well, that's sort of a given.

Scott Hardie | August 6, 2010
69 days left! I'm busy at work on some surprises, including a new activity that isn't on the schedule yet. I'm confident that this is going to be the best year we've had. I'm hopeful for everybody else that we can get. :-)

Jackie Mason | August 7, 2010
[hidden by request]

Steve West | August 7, 2010
Same here.

Matthew Preston | August 7, 2010
I'm pulling for both of you! Aaron's been quiet through all this...
Kelly, can't wait to see you.

Scott Hardie | August 8, 2010
I have modified the schedule. Kelly is hard at work adapting Gothic Earth into a board game format, and I can't wait to play! The meal out at Three Boys Cafe has been replaced by a simple sandwich bar at home. I've re-ordered the other activities to make room for these changes, trying to preserve a balance across the three days. Assuming that we start each day around 9am and wrap up around 11pm, there's still 3-4 hours per day free for the swimming pool and other unstructured time.

The board game materials and the sandwich supplies have increased the cost of the event to $175 per person, which is partially offset by having one fewer meal out. I don't make this change lightly, and I hope that it won't keep anyone from joining us.

Aaron Shurtleff | August 18, 2010
Aaron is a quiet sort. Mysterious. ;)

No, I am dealing with a bit of a scheduling issue. I have a college reunion coming up that I was thinking of going to, but there will be some overlap of the two events...

I am still kind of up in the air about everything right now. I will make my final decision soon.

Scott Hardie | August 30, 2010
The voting ballot is online for the Awardies. Who will win one of these glamorous* and expensive* statuettes? It's up to you to help decide! I tried to include a nomination for every major site user, but in the end there just wasn't room for everybody, sorry.

Besides the voting ballot, other parts of the GooCon weekend are coming together nicely: The house is 100% paid for, the goos are all chosen and plotted into categories (still need clues/images), the Gothic Earth board game is about 80% written, the RB tournament is planned (not yet programmed), and the mystery activity is coming along. I still have a lot of work left, but I'm loving every minute of it.

There are only 45 days left. Who else will sign up? I know of seven people still thinking about it, so I look forward to seeing a final list, hopefully soon as my preparations come together.

*not really

Scott Hardie | August 30, 2010
We have a fifth guest: Denise Sawicki will be joining us, making her first trip to GooCon, and I couldn't be more thrilled to have her!

Who will be #6?

Kelly Lee | August 30, 2010
Yay, Denise!

Amy Austin | August 30, 2010
Woohoo!!!

Chris Lemler | August 30, 2010
Sorry Scott not going to be able to make it.....I looked at my vac schedule and its not between those days....Wish I could make it....But you all have fun and enjoy

Matthew Preston | August 30, 2010
Alright Denise! It's been a long time since I've seen you (probably 1996?).

Scott Hardie | August 31, 2010
Sorry to hear it, Chris. I was looking forward to meeting you. I hope Kelly and I can see you for lunch next time we're in Illinois, or that you can make it to a future event.

Chris Lemler | August 31, 2010
That would be great

Jackie Mason | September 1, 2010
[hidden by request]

Matthew Preston | September 1, 2010
Jackie, does that mean you'll be there?

Jackie Mason | September 1, 2010
[hidden by request]

Steve West | September 1, 2010
I'm over 50% sure I'll be there. Next week I should be 75% sure.

Jackie Mason | September 1, 2010
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | September 3, 2010
If anybody else besides Aaron, Jackie, or Steve is still considering signing up, please let me know. I'd like to narrow down the range of possible guests as the plans come together. Thanks!

Scott Hardie | September 9, 2010
I'm excited to announce our sixth attendee: Steve West has made it official! The level of competition has suddenly increased, making "Champions Gate" an appropriate title. Each name on the list gets me even more stoked about this than I already was. :-)

We're nearing a complete list. Aaron and Jackie are, I presume, soon to make final decisions. I've talked offline to Justin and Scott Conner of Gothic Earth about their interest, and I'd like to see them there (the more the merrier), but I don't really expect them. To my knowledge, there's nobody else still considering.

Amy Austin | September 9, 2010
(from a "friend's" perspective)
WOOHOO!!!

(from a "champion's" perspective)
Great.

Amy Austin | September 9, 2010
Oh, and forgot one...

(from friend perspective again)
The more the merrier!!!

(from a poor and very beleaguered person's perspective)
Hope I can still afford to make it, but... the more that come, the less money I need to fret over, too!

Steve West | September 9, 2010
Brainiac's on me! If Aaron can remind me where to get it. Ironic, isn't it?

Amy Austin | September 9, 2010
A little too ironic.

Erik Bates | September 11, 2010
[hidden by request]

Amy Austin | September 11, 2010
Lol... I waited two and half days for that...

Jackie Mason | September 12, 2010
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | September 12, 2010
Understood. I had hoped to nail down a final guest list within the next 10-14 days, but I can extend that timeframe under the circumstances. Two activities require a specific head count in order to plan them properly, so I'll tentatively count you in, and change plans later if I have to.

There's a private discussion on the GooCon page about flight times and other details. I've added you as an attendee of the event so that you can participate in the planning, but I understand that it's not final until you say so.

Steve West | October 18, 2010
Scott,
My Outlook has gotten trashed so my entire contacts list has been erased. I've been able to communicate with you so far through the website but I've lost your personal e-mail address (I'm pretty sure I had it). I can send you pictures via the channel of your choice but if you'd like it through your e-mail you can send me an e-mail (my e-mail is currently being forwarded to Brenda's account so I can receive) and I'll reply back with photos.

Scott Hardie | October 18, 2010
GooCon: Champions Gate is over! Thank you, everybody! The final guest list included Denise Sawicki, Kelly Lee, Matthew Preston, Steve West, and myself. Almost every part of the weekend was a very big success, and we had a great time.

I'm still processing all of the photo files, which are many and enormous. I'll share them tomorrow.

In the meantime, the full recap is online. Here are the highlights:

- The centerpiece event, the Awardies, was a big hit. You can watch the slideshow for yourself. Click anywhere to advance through it, and please be patient for each screen. Winners not in attendance will receive their statuettes in the mail.

- In the middle of the Awardies slideshow, I revealed a surprise in the form of a "Special Presentation." Last year, GooCon guests drew the names of major site users and said nice things about them. This year, the tables were turned: I asked several site users to record compliments about the GooCon guests as a surprise, and I played them one at a time during the show, to much laughter and appreciation. Thank you so much, speakers!
Steve Dunn discusses Matthew Preston
Raquel & Nathan Quam discuss Kelly Lee
Aaron Shurtleff discusses Amy Austin (Amy was unable to attend, but we played her video anyway)
Jackie Mason discusses Denise Sawicki
Ryan Dunn discusses Steve West

- Matthew won the two rounds of Celebrity Goo Game that I ran, and I won the round that he ran. In Matthew's victories, he had a wide margin over the other competitors, helped in part by conservative bets on the unusually difficult final goos. (I'll publish final scores tomorrow.)

- Although Denise pulled ahead to an early lead in the "Battle of the Bands" tournament for Rock Block, Matthew held on and triumphed in the end. Steve managed third place, and I finished in last.

- The "Tales of the Red Death" live session of Gothic Earth was popular, a ghost-hunting adventure set in a haunted house. The card game "Gothic Earth Fluxx" was less popular and was only played once.

- DisneyQuest was fun, but not as much as the three outstanding meals at local restaurants: Barbecue, Japanese, and seafood.

To the guests and everyone else who helped this become such a great event, I am tremendously grateful. This was an outstanding vacation! Now I need to get to work - there's only 361 days until next GooCon!

Erik Bates | October 18, 2010
[hidden by request]

Steve Dunn | October 18, 2010
Holy crap. I just watched Ryan's commentary on Steve West. That's pure genius.

Steve West | October 18, 2010
I laughed, I cried, I pissed myself. Damn, that's funny.

Matthew Preston | October 18, 2010
=slaps forehead= "ohhhh... multiply..."

Ryan Dunn | October 18, 2010
Thanks! Had fun making it!

The "Oh, multiply" thing really happened. It was a re-dramatization.

I heart Steve West.

Scott Hardie | October 18, 2010
The video slideshow is complete. Unfortunately, it cannot be embedded here.

Photos are available on Facebook here, and if you're logged in, here too. Out of respect for people's privacy, I have only tagged Kelly and myself - please tag yourself in any photos that you like, such as your Awardy being presented.

Jackie Mason | October 30, 2010
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | November 6, 2010
A few people are still waiting on packages in the mail. Sorry, life has gotten in the way. I haven't even had time to find a box that will fit what I need to send you. But it's coming asap.

Aaron Shurtleff | November 8, 2010
I haven't even had time to find a box that will fit what I need to send you. But it's coming asap.

–Scott Hardie

That's what she said, Scott. That's what she said.

Aaron Shurtleff | November 8, 2010
Our first nomination for best quote taken out of context has arrived!!

Erik Bates | November 9, 2010
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | November 20, 2010
At long last, everything is in the mail. One of the items is so old it still has our last home as the return address. I don't like waiting a month before mailing something, especially something so small and trivial, but if you know me, it's been a bizarre month. Anyway - Erik, Jackie, Lori, Steve Dunn, you should receive something next week.

Lori Lancaster | November 20, 2010
[hidden by request]

Steve Dunn | November 20, 2010
Me?

Uhhhhh.

Huh?

Scott Hardie | November 21, 2010
You'll recognize it when you get it. And you'll realize what I mean about small and trivial.

Jackie Mason | November 25, 2010
[hidden by request]