Game Masters (GMs) are important to any convention, and GTEX has four key ways in which we’d like to invite GMs to participate. Volunteering in any of these areas can qualify a person to get a comped Attendee badge for helping out.
- Organized Play Groups: If you’re part of an organized play group such as Pathfinder Society or the Adventurer’s League, then please consider donating some time to help run their games. Groups such as these not only provide experienced players with a multitude of gaming opportunities, they also often serve to introduce new players to Role Playing Games in general. GMs seeking to qualify in this area are subject to approval from the convention and the local organizational leader for the group in question.
- Demo Teams: Those individuals that belong to a local group of a larger demo team, such as Steve Jackson Games’ Men in Black, may participate through that organization. Demo teams are often the first introduction people have to new games and serve an incredibly important role in helping to foster growth in the gaming community. GMs seeking to qualify in this area are subject to approval from both the convention and the head of the demo team.
- Tournament Organizers: Tournament Organizers (TOs) can be anyone willing to step up and run a tournament. Both tournaments and TOs are subject to the standard approvals, but may also require approval from a larger entity such as a game company or governing body depending on the type of tournament. For GTEX we’d prefer to see tournaments that are in some way different from those typically seen at local game stores, whether that be due to size or presentation, but we’re willing to discuss any such events that might be offered.
- Show Piece Games: The final method available to allow GMs to receive a comped badge for our 2018 year of GTEX is what we’re calling Show Piece games. Show Piece games are games that are not often seen outside of conventions. Examples could include custom game boards made for an existing game, RPGs with considerable visual elements like custom built set pieces, continuous play games where players simply drop in and out as they have time, etc. We’re looking primarily for things that make games unique and/or eye catching. If you have something in mind, make us a pitch and we’ll discuss it.
In future years, we plan to expand this list until it includes just about any game someone may want to run, but for our first year we have rather limited space and must restrict ourselves to the categories described above. That being said, if you are already planning to attend GTEX and would like to run a game of any sort, you are welcome to submit that on our Event Submissions page. If you own a game and have been trying to find people to play it with you, we would love for you to meet your new favorite gaming friends at our event by signing up to run the game and finding others who are interested in it.
If you have any questions about our GM policy, drop us a line and ask. We’d love to hear from you.