Hello all!

By this time last year Big Bad Con would already have the site up and be accepting games. As is, it’s March and we still don’t have a confirmation from the hotel (more on that below).

Big Bad Con was very challenging last year. Between hotel negotiations and last-minute cancellations from both GMs and one food truck, The Wolf was run pretty ragged. It went off wonderfully in the end, but we want to keep things saner on the back end this year.

Another wrinkle: the hotel overcharged us $1600 on the private rooms for Thursday night to have them ready for us by 1PM on Friday. This was never in the contract. Chase Bank card stepped in and agreed that the hotel was overcharging. They reversed all $1600 of their fees. Yay!

However, we assumed that refuting those charges ended our relationship with the Hilton, so The Wolf scouted other hotels. We assessed over 50, talked to over a dozen, and had 6 on-site visits. None of them could offer us both the facilities needed nor the deal the Hilton has.

Tail between his legs, The Wolf went back to the Hilton to ask if they would take us back. They will… once we pay the unpaid balance (which without explanation is now $1016). If you remember we raised $500 in donations in 2014. Paying the full balance would guarantee BBC 2015 ending in the red, and result in raising $0 in donations to Doctors Without Borders/MSF.

The Wolf also needs help running BBC this year. If we can get volunteers to fill at least half of these positions (The Wolf will take on what’s un-filled) by end of March and we can make a deal with the hotel, Big Bad Con 2015 will happen. If not, BBC will go on ice for a year while we recruit and keep looking at hotels, to come back strong in 2016.

Here’s what we need:

RPG Coordinator – Wrangle GMs into submitting games, schedule those games, and fill any blank spots. Must be WordPress/PHP/MySQL savvy as a lot of the back-end involves digging deep into the database.

Hotel Liaison – Finish the negotiations with the hotel and keep working with them as inevitable problems occur. Must have a professional persona, be available during regular business hours to talk with the hotel (they’re not available evenings), and be prepared for extensive review of every contract, event order, and other agreement made with them. Must be extremely diplomatic and persistent.

Food Truck Coordinator – Schedule food trucks to work with low minimums ($1500 or less for Saturday afternoon, $1000 or less for other times). Must be persistent and patient, and be able to work both on email and phone (many vendors are phone only and only available during regular business hours). Must obtain Certificate of Insurance (COI) from all the vendors.

Games on Demand Advocate – The Wolf wants to grow GoD this year. He wants to see more variety in our menus and allow more GMs to commit to time without necessarily committing to a specific adventure. Also, we all want to dispel the myth that if you didn’t get into a game, there will be nothing to do for you at that time. This role is both GM-wrangling, marketing/publicity, and on-site coordination.

Greeter – This is an on-site, round-the-clock job. We’re moving the registration desk into Boardroom V and making the lobby a social area and where GoD games will be announced. The Greeter will welcome attendees, tell them about the community standards, and direct them to Boardroom V to get badges. Will also assist the GoD Advocate getting people into games.

Volunteer Coordinator – Schedule volunteer shifts and fill in as needed. This is another on-site, round-the-clock job; it means spending most of the con at the reg desk directing Grandma’s helpers.

WordPress Guru – The website is in bad need of an overhaul. The Wolf got some great advice at the end of last year to shift navigation to an infographic model rather than the wall of text we’ve got right now. WordPress and Graphic Design skills are a must.

Conflict Mediator – Address and mediate any problems should they arise pre-con and on-site. Collaborate with The Wolf to determine best methods to communicate policy and enforce the community standards. Must have prior experience in this field.

Think you’ve got what it takes to carry The Wolf’s baton? Email thewolf@bigbadcon.com with:

• Position you’re interested in
• Your full name
• Phone number
• A resume detailing your experience.

These are volunteer positions that pay in The Wolf’s eternal gratitude and being part of a fantastic con.

Please submit all applications by March 20th.

Many thanks,

The Wolf

485 pounds of food donated to the Alameda County Community Food Bank!

Thanks to everyone for your contributions. This means so much to the Food Bank and to those in need in Alameda county!

Previous Years

2013: 252 pounds
2012: 480 pounds
2011: 230 pounds

You’re coming to Big Bad Con! Awesome. Here are some important Con 101 reminders:

Before you head out

Bring non-perishable food for donation. Big Bad Con will have a food barrel for the Alameda County Community Food Bank at the registration desk. Please bring a can of something tasty for all the hungry folks in the Bay and we’ll give you a pin! Here is a list of food they are looking for (PDF)

Directions: Here is a link to the hotel on Google Maps. Lost on the road. The Hotel’s number is: 510-635-5000

Contact Information: In a bind and need to contact us? You can tweet @bigbadcon or send an email to thewolf@bigbadcon.com. Once you’re on site there will be staff members and volunteers in the registration area and open gaming. Just stop by and we’ll be happy to help.

At the con

Hungry? The program has a list of nearby food. Food Truck hours are Friday 5PM -9PM (Filipino Cuisine), Saturday 8AM-12:30 PM (Coffee and Pastries), Saturday 1PM-8PM (Thai), and Sunday 11AM-4PM (Mediterranean). You can also access a Google Map of nearby eating here.

Where to go? Hotel check-in is in Building 1. The convention is in Building 5. You can find a map of the building on the hotel page.

Parking. Parking is complimentary for all attendees. If you are staying at the hotel, your room key will get you in and out of the lot. If you’re commuting to the con, we have passes at the registration desk, just ask for one when you get your badge

Internet. Unfortunately building 5 (where the con is) does not have wireless access. Wired internet access is available in the rooms for $12.95/day or you can get free wireless in the hotel lobby, restaurant and bar.

Registration: If you signed up before 10/13 (either paid admission or volunteered) your badge will be ready for you at the door. If not weekend passes are $50 and one day passes are $25. You can purchase these at the con registration desk.

Games

Sign-ups:  To get into any games at the con put your name down on the game sheet at the registration desk (Under the “Wolf Den” Banner). Like we did it on the website, all open games will be first come, first served. The current day’s games will be posted on the wall, and updated for the next day at 8PM.

Games on Demand: Stop by Boardroom II and play what you want, when you want it. The organizers will show available game times, systems and GMs on a whiteboard inside the boardroom.

Open Gaming: All the game slots full and nothing to? Head over to Open Gaming in the Empire Room, where we’ll have awesome games running all weekend!

Code of Conduct

Policy: Everyone at the con (attendees, volunteers, vendors, staff, and GMs) must adhere to the Code of Conduct policy.

Content Policy: The con is 18 and over; we expect games to cover the gamut of gonzo silly to very mature themes. More detail is on our content policy page.

Surviving at the Con

Sleep, eat and shower. In the excitement of gaming it is easy to forget some of the basics. The 3-2-1 con rule is a good one. Every day you need at least 3 hours of sleep, 2 meals, and 1 shower.

Up for little exercise? The Wolf Chase 2014 is open to all who can stumble out of bed by 7AM. It’s our opportunity to not only get in some exercise, but also bring a little more aid to Doctors Without Boarders, via the Crowdrise fundraiser!