Free RPG Day Reviews
There is a local gaming store that actively supports my efforts in area cons and the Charlotte area gaming community. I met Ryan when he wanted to run Warmachine demos for one of my MACE events. He now runs Above Board Games (ABG) in Fort Mill, SC, one of the best gaming stores in the area. Every year, Ryan buys at least one packet for the Free RPG Day and even though something always seems to prevent me from participating, he still gives me the leftovers from what he bought – which is usually a lot, unfortunately. I use it to give these leftovers out as door prizes and SWAG to my GMs at MACE and other events (depending on how long it lasts), which they do appreciate. I really try to give a little extra to my GMs but with my limited budget and limited donations it’s not always a lot.
My goal is to one day run Free RPG Day as a game day. However, for the past several years I have had something that kept me from doing that. I really respect the efforts behind Free RPG Day and truly want to get behind it. Real life has just prevented me from doing that. I love that the industry has embraced it. It is now in its 6th year, and while I have seen varied results it has mostly had a positive outcome. If I can get a year where nothing is going on mid-June, I will put all my efforts into making it a great event in my area.
Ryan of ABG has been kind enough year by year to pass on his leftovers to me, and this year it was an incredible amount of stuff. In my effort to get more involved in Free RPG Day, I am going to review everything that came in that box, so be prepared for several rapid fire reviews of the one-shot adventures, SWAG and other cool stuff in 2013’s Free RPG basic packet. I also plan to include advice on how to better run these games at Free RPG Day for GMs. Because the store gets them a week or two before, there is usually very little time for a GM to prepare, which is probably the greatest reason why some Free RPG Day events are less than the could be. Therefore, my goal is to make these reviews a little more than simple reviews of the product. I want to help other Free RPG Day event organizers, GMs and players better their experience.