It's the ConQuest Cafe!

Hi gang,

Boy...if anyone tries to tell you that running a gaming convention is hard work, try running four or five or them!

The past couple days have been occupied with fixing the problems we had with the Flea Market and Auctions last year, and making them better for this year at ConQuest SF - Pacificon Game Exposition.

So far, it looks like we'll have a single Flea Market everyday, and two auctions. A live one on Saturday, and a silent one for charity on Sunday. I think most folks will be happy. And that's the challenge about these things...

....almost never is everyone happy. It's like that adage 'you can't please all of the people..." but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

I want everyone to be happy. I want the people who lose at their game to be happy that they had a great time playing. I want the people who took part in the 'make the convention better' discussions to go away feeling happy about their participation, even if their pet project didn't make it in.

But, the honest truth is that I will not be able to make everyone happy. So, if I make that my goal, then I am MondoMan doomed to die, like one of the human ringwraiths or something. Ick.

So, what's a Mondo to do?

I think that rather than trying to make everyone happy, I will focus on creating a place where everyone has the opportunity to create their own happiness. To make it easy for them to define it themselves. Like the decision to have both a live and silent auction. People who like one or the other can attend the one they like. Those that like both will feel like they won the lottery.

Like the ConQuest Cafe above. We offered really great choices in Seattle this year, and the food sold like hotcakes. Even the hotcakes! But when we didn't offer good choices in Sacramento, the food sold like the Pandemonium RPG. (With apologies to Atlas Games who distributed it on its release at the same convention that Magic:The Gathering released.)

So, I guess my point is that I will work very hard to create fun, exciting and interesting choices for you all to make. And then the honus is on you to pick your path towards fun. And if you don't like the movies we show in our movie room this year...well...send us a note with your suggestions, and go do something you will enjoy.

But don't just grouse. Grouse at us. That way we can actually do something about it.

Take care,
Gabriel "Mondo"