worriedAs noted in this journal entry, I'm running Hollow Earth Expedition and the forthcoming Desolation rpgs at CanGames this year.
Two days before CanGames. I always get a bit uptight, anxious, and nervous right before the convention. Any convention that I go to, be it a game convention or an sf/fantasy convention. Conventions are hard work, especially when you're running or gaming stuff. I tend to get stressed out about conventions. Most of the time, I have so much stuff I want to do and meet friends and the like at conventions that I actually relax and just feel exhausted when the convention is all said and done. The big fear that I have about CanGames tends to be the fact that I won't have any players for the stuff that I'm scheduled to run. I mean, let's face it, while this is a well-established gaming convention, rpging at the convention has been on the decline for years. This despite the fact that there is always a pretty good selection of rpgs to pick and choose from at the convention. But with a convention of only about 500-600 attendees, getting enough gamers to fill one's slots for tournaments can be tough. While I hope that I'm going to get a few people who played in the HEX scenario "The Secret of Lake Qechacua" last year wanting to play in the sequel to it, I'm under no illusion as to the limited number of gamers available in the pool for the games. With the Desolation scenario, "A Few Good Men", I'm hoping that the post-apocalyptic fantasy setting will attract some gamers who are tired of D&D and the other standard fantasy fare, and will want to try something different.
I have a love/hate relationship with conventions, gaming conventions in particular. Right now, I'm stressed about CanGames. It should be an interesting weekend, but I'm hoping it's a fun weekend for me as well.
Just wait until GenCon rolls around. Oy vey! :)