Since the inception of Big Bad Con, we’ve been looking at what could be done to make the con a better place for all. In the past years we focused on making it more inclusive by asking special guests to attend, creating the scholarship fund, and continuing to develop and communicate our community standards. We’ve also looked at other avenues for growth including board/card game tracks, organized play, and adding a fourth day to the convention. Not all of these ideas have come to fruition yet, but we continue to consider new ways to make Big Bad Con even better.
There is one area of gaming, however, that we have yet to explore, and that is…
Big Bad Teens
This year, with help from our new venue we’ll be adding a teen room for gamers 13-17. Our kids are finally going to have a home at Big Bad Con as well!
I’ve heard from a lot of parents that gaming is something they do with their children and they want the game conventions they love to be something they can enjoy as a family. They’ve also told me these are our future gamers, so we’d better show them gaming done right…and learn from them as well!
How will it work
Becky Thomas and Steve Kani, who run the Roleplay Workshop as well as the Young Players rooms at KublaCon, DundraCon, and CelestiCon, will be hosting our teen room, which will feature games run by teens and adults, and will give priority to teen players, but still be open for adults for family and friends that want to play together. We’ll have our normal fare of ropleplaying offerings, as well as board/card games, social deception games, and a few panels just for teens focusing on being better players, GMs, and designers. Becky and Steve will be running one of the panels. We’ve already got Jason Morningstar confirmed to run another, and we’ll be looking for more designers, teachers, and luminary GMs to share their insights.
Here’s a little bit about Becky, her game Abantey, and the Roleplay Workshop:
A word from Becky
“We’ve run games for teens and adults for nearly 30 years, and we’ve learned a thing or two along the way. First and foremost – games for teens need to be every bit as exciting and challenging as games for adults. The only difference is that sometimes running games for youth needs an extra bit of awareness, a pinch extra oversight, a ton of patience and a dash of humor. We understand that people learn all the time, even when we aren’t consciously ‘teaching’ them, so we have a bit more responsibility for our games when we run with youth. And fun, never forget the fun!” – Becky Thomas
What about the big kids? Where are my 18+ games?
The majority of the con will remain 18+ and will function much like it always has. When submitting games, adults will choose either to run them in the adult (18+) or the Young Players (13+) tracks, and though teens will be given priority in the YP games, adults can sign up for games in either track as well. The teen room will have its own separate ballroom (which we hinted at when showing some pictures of the hotel).
What else
Funding for the expansion to the con will be raised through our Kickstarter coming soon, which will of course also have some pretty awesome rewards for pledging and very exciting stretch goals.
As we recruit both adults and teenagers to run games and events in the Big Bad Teens room, we’ll be announcing those as well. Stay posted!
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