I would just like to add one thing: in addition to shoutouts to all the folks who helped to put this together, wrote modules, and helped with judging, we had a tremendous turnout of new players for both Arcanis and Witch Hunter, as well as for the Strange Aeons preview events. I have never given out so many pre-gens in my life! It was fantastic.
So, I would like to thank two additional groups of people:
1) Every single new player who signed up or showed up to try the Arcanis system or one of our other games, and let us throw you in the deep end of our settings/systems/living campaigns. I was truly impressed by the way that the new folks I ran Arcanis sessions for jumped in headfirst! Whether it was constructing a complex backstory for your pre-generated character on the fly, trying out advanced spellcasting in your first combat, puzzling out the nuances of political intrigue that makes experienced players' heads spin, holding your own in festival games versus competitors half again your level, or literally charging off a balcony to get to the action faster -- you guys seriously made my convention.
Regardless of whether you continue to play, I hope you all had a great time adventuring with us in Indy! And if you need any help finding resources, creating characters, locating games in your area/online, or anything else, please post here on the forums -- Harvesters (regional Arcanis coordinators), campaign/Paradigm staff, and other players are all happy to help.
2) Everyone who brought an existing character to a table and graciously shared their knowledge of the system and world with new players. It can be a real challenge in a world as complex and nuanced as Arcanis or Witch Hunter to run a game for a mix of new and experienced players -- and I hope that my fellow judges and I were able to make it fun for you as well.
If you have suggestions on I (or GMs in general) can make tables with a mix of player experience levels run smoother in the future, please let me know, either by PM here or email to skipperdee at gmail dot com. I am not super active on the forums, but once I get a few suggestions (or pull a few from my con-fatigue-addled brain) I'll start a thread on the subject. 
Arcanis, Witch Hunter, and Paradigm have brought together a fantastic community of players, GMs, and writers over the years -- a community that I care deeply about and am proud to call my "gaming family" -- and I'm enthusiastic about making these campaigns a welcoming place for new players (and those returning who may have played in the original Arcanis or Witch Hunter campaigns). It was a delight to see so many new faces (as well as lots of familiar ones), and I hope to see you again soon!
Best,
Lindsay
|