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Smart Games for Smart People™
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How to invite The Looneys to be Guests at your convention...
Give us an audience, and we put on a great show... we love to
teach new people how to play our games! There are certain things we
need from you, and certain things we can do for you... which is what
this document is all about.
Things We Need --- Things
We Can Do --- Making Plans --- Reports
on past Guest Appearances
Thanks for thinking about inviting us to your
convention!
Things we need from you to consider coming to your convention:
* An Audience: Did you have at least 1000 people in
attendence at your convention last year? We are great at attracting
whoever is around to what we are doing - but if there is nobody
there, there is nothing we can do, and it's a waste of our time and
your money. We sometimes will do a convention or event with less than
1000 people, but only with extremely high quality well organized
promotion of our attendance. Contact us and we'll see what we can do.
* Our Expenses Paid: You don't need to pay us for our time,
but it needs to not cost us anything to be there. You need to cover
our travel (airline flights or IRS mileage if we drive), our lodging
(nothing fancy, but close to the event is a must), and meals (again,
nothing fancy - and it doesn't have to be everything... but some meal
coverage is appreciated.) Also, if we are flying in and our private space
(our hotel room) is a drive away from where we are hanging out with
our fans (the convention) then we'd appreciate a rental car, as
Andy especially keeps odd hours, and needs to be able to balance
his natural introvert with his on-stage hanging out with his fans persona.
* Free Badges: Depending on the size of your conventions,
and what kinds of events we run, we will often need a lot more help
than just ourselves to run things. We often have fans in your local
area we can bring in to help, so you wouldn't have to help lodge or
feed them, but a free badge to get into the convention for the fans
who are helping us run things will help us put on a much better
show. If you already have a program where GMs can earn a free badge
by running events, just let us know the number of hours required
and we can work within this system for our demo staff.
* Space To Play: We need tables to play games at... but not
big tables. Our games don't take up a lot of space, so smaller tables
work best. Standard 4' x 8' tables, or 4' x 4' card tables, or 4' or
even 6' round tables are great - but an 8' round table does not work
well for our games. Please try to give us space where there is decent
traffic, so we can more easily draw people in to what we are doing...
we also love to have space in the hallways for playing with giant
pyramids (assuming we drove or have local rabbits who own giant
pyramids - we don't usually bring them when we fly,) and for
hunting werewolves at night.
* Space To Sell: Since we are going to be teaching lots of
new people to play our games, we want to be sure there is somewhere
at the event where they can buy them. Our preference is to be able to
casually sell them ourselves, right in the space we are demoing the
games, but if it is mandatory for all sales to be conducted in the hucksters or
exhibit hall, then we are going to need for someone else to sell our
games in these spaces - we don't have the manpower to run two spaces.
An important decision, before you proceed: You need to let us know WHO you are inviting to be a guest. Review the lists below of events and panels we could run at your convention, and make note of which one of us needs to be there to run the events your are interested in. If your audience is mostly just interested in hearing Andy talk about his games, then you might want to only invite Andy to be a guest - if they want to hear about the company and other business topics, and you want more gaming going on, Andy is going to need to have Kristin with him as an additional guest. If your audience is full of Looney Labs fans, who read our webzine and know all about us, and you want any of the special events we only run when Alison is with us, then you want to be sure to invite Alison too, and we either need to be within driving distance or your budget needs to be able to afford 3 plane tickets. We are totally cool with any combination, just let us know if you are inviting 1, 2, or 3 Looneys to your convention!
Send us email (event-support at looneylabs dot com) if you want to
invite us to be guests at your event. Let us know who you are inviting, the dates of your
event, what size and type of audience you expect at your event, and
where it is located. We will let you know if we are available, and if
it sounds like a good fit for us.
This list is a menu of possibilities... various events or seminars
that we could potentially run at your convention - with short descriptions of the
event for your program book or other advertising. Let us know which
ones you are interested in - if you've got your own ideas for ways we
can entertain your audience, please make suggestions! Depending on the
size and structure of your event, you may be interested in any number
of these events. Some conventions are all about panels, others never
have them. If you don't normally do panels, please don't schedule us
for panels... please look at this list and think about what would fit
in well at YOUR event.
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Panel Title
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Description for your program book
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Requirements
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Which Looney?
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Andy
Looney's 11 Game Design Principles
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What are the ingredients of a really good game? How do you get
from idea to playable prototype? What separates a dud from a game
that people want to play again and again? Andy has a list of 11
guidelines for good game design which he's come up while learning
how to be a game designer himself.
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Basic panel discussion room or lecture room
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Andy
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Mysteries
of the Timelines
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Why did the sinking of the Titanic cause the Stock Market Crash
of 1929? Why did the burning of the Hindenburg trigger the Korean
War? And how exactly did the South Win the Civil War? Think of the
Chrononauts Timelines as being the textbook for a most
unusual history lesson. Come learn a few things about history as
seen through the eyes of a time traveler!
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Basic panel discussion room is fine. Having a couple of small
tables available so that a couple of full games of Chrononauts can
be laid out and/or played as part of the seminar would be ideal.
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Andy
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Nanofiction
Reading Circle
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Nanofiction is Andy's nickname for the 55-word short story.
He's written many of these tiny stories, some of which are
included in games like Chrononauts
and Nanofictionary,
the latter being a game ABOUT writing really short stories. Unlike
the game, in which players make up tiny stories on the spot, here
we'll be taking turns reading postage-stamp-sized stories aloud to
each other. Attendees are encouraged to bring along their own
favorite tiny stories to share with the group. Readings of
microfiction (stories no longer than 255 words) will also be
allowed, if time permits.
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A quieter room with a circle of chairs is preferred.
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Andy
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Ask Andy
Anything:
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Have you ever wanted to pick Andy's brain on some odd topic you
think he might have opinions or insights about? Have his games and
writings left you with questions? Got an interesting imponderable,
philosophical conundrum, or conspiracy theory to discuss? Then
come on in! If Andy can't answer it, maybe someone else in the
group can. No topic is off-limits at this late-night gab session!
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Basic panel discussion room or lecture room – and yes,
please schedule this later in the evening... midnight is fine!
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Andy
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Ask Kristin Anything
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As the successful founder of a small game company, Kristin is
always being asked for insights into the process by others
interested in following in our footsteps. If you've got a game
you'd like to get published, this is the time to ask our Business
Czar about the obstacles you face. Please don't come expecting to pitch
your idea to Looney Labs, we don't publish outside ideas, but Kristin
loves to share her knowledge of the game industry with others
who are venturing down the same self-publication route.
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Basic panel discussion room or lecture room.
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Kristin
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Meet the Looneys
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This totally informal session provides an opportunity to just
meet and hang out with Andy, Kristin, and Alison, the creative
trio at the core of Looney
Labs. Learn about the company, their games, and their
philosophies. Find out how they got started, their current plans,
and their long-term dreams.
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Basic panel discussion room. We're cool with the "head
table and rows of chairs" sort of set up, or a few comfy
chairs, couches and coffee tables. This is a more laid-back panel
than most. Be sure you only list whichever Looney's are actually
at your convention in your program book listing!
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Any
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Word Coolness (or: I've Got a Dictionary and I'm Not Afraid
to Use It!)
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Alison, the Head Factotum of Looney Labs, is well known around
the office as "Word
Girl." She takes delight in finding (and inventing) cool
words. Bring
your favorite words, their spellings, definitions and etymologies
(on index cards if you can), and we'll all share. If conversation
stalls, we'll have an impromptu quiz game. Come and share
your sesquipidalian addiction to words with those who understand.
You'll leave with a renewed sense of community, or at least a more
recondite vocabulary!
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Basic panel discussion room is fine. Having a few dictionaries,
index cards and pencils available would be ideal.
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Alison
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Kristin's
Cube College
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Ever wanted to learn how to solve the Rubik's
Cube? Then talk to Kristin! She was certified as the fastest
cube-solving girl in the world on That's Incredible in 1981, and
she's taught her method to many people over the years. (It's
doubtful you'll be able to learn to fully solve the cube this
weekend, but Kristin can get you started.) Serious students should
bring their own cubes.
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Anywhere. Extra Rubik's Cubes would be helpful,
but not necessary, as long as Kristin knows to bring one to teach with.
Please schedule this event early in the convention so students can
practice and find Kristin for advice during the weekend.
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Kristin
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Imagining The Future: When Weed is Legal:
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Drug-Peace activists
believe that legalization is inevitable, that the Drug War, like
Prohibition, will end eventually. But what then? What would
legalization look like? Andy discusses 7 ways pot-smoking could be
tolerated by future societies, under different models of
decriminalization.
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Basic panel discussion room is fine.
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Andy
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Title
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Description for your program book
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Requirements
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Which Looney?
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Andy vs. Everybody
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Andy Looney loves playing multiple games simultaneously. He's
been known to play against dozens of people at once, in more than
10 separate games! It's great fun watching him run from one table
to the next, taking his turns as fast as he can! How many people
can Andy take on at once at your con? Challenge him to Fluxx (any
version), Chrononauts (either version), Aquarius, Just Desserts,
Volcano, Martian Chess, or Homeworlds.
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This
event is great fun! It can accommodate from 10 to maybe 40
players, as Andy can play up to 10 games at a time. 5 to 8 long
4'x8' tables works best, arranged in a horseshoe shape, with
chairs around all the outside edges, and Andy in the middle.
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Andy
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Little Experiment
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How many Looney Labs games do you know how to play? Just Fluxx?
Here's a chance to test out a few other games from the Lab. You
get little stickers for each different game you try, and when you
get 3 different stickers, you win a little prize! Come play games with the Looneys!
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This
event can be scaled to a variety of sizes... depending on if
it runs for just a set window of time, or all weekend long. We
need help from local demo team members to run a weekend long little experiment...
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Kristin
& Andy
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Stuffed Animal Tea Party
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Do you bring your favorite stuffed animal along with you when
you travel, even as an adult? Then go up to your room, get your
bear (or whatever) and come on down to the Stuffed Animal Tea
Party! Alison Looney invites all plush companions to bring their humans
to this afternoon gathering of like-minded toys. (No humans will
be admitted unless accompanied by a stuffed animal.)
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You're
never too old to play with stuffed animals - and neither are
we. Requirements are simple - some sort of light
refreshments (such as punch or juice and cookies) should be
coordinated, and we need a space with a few tables and
chairs or comfy sofas and coffee tables. Some place that the
Stuffed Animals, as Honored Participants, can bring their humans
and we all can hang out and have 'tea' and maybe play some games.
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Alison
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Nature Girl's Nature Walk
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Nature is everywhere, even in the city, and anywhere she goes,
Alison can find something neat from the natural world to point out
and talk about. Join the creator of EcoFluxx
as she goes outside for a short walk around the neighborhood,
seeking out some nature to explore. Alison is a trained
horticulturalist and amateur naturalist with an eye for the
unusual. Take a walk, see some cool stuff, breathe some fresh air
and come back to the con, refreshed and ready for anything.
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This event is totally dependent on a two things: Where and When
your con is happening. If it's in the middle of winter or in
Downtown Metroplisville, the Walk probably isn't appropriate. This
event works best if you have (but doesn't totally require) a nice
day in the Spring or Fall, your venue is near some sort of Green Stuff, and
some local person who is at least Nature-Friendly, who can help
Alison get the lay of the available local land.
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Alison
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Pop-Tart Cafe
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This weekend the Looneys are pulling out all the stops – and setting
up their famous Pop-Tart Cafe at our convention! Come hang out in the Cafe, play
games and eat fresh hot toasted Pop-Tarts. Play Fluxx with the
Inventor, or just hang out with some great folks and play some great games. Games and
Pop-Tarts will be provided.
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The biggest obstacle on running this event is permission from
the hotel or convention center to toast and serve poptarts. It also
requires a lot of help, so we can only consider this event if we have
a lot of local fans available to help run demos at the event. We also
need to budget for Pop-Tarts, and to borrow some toasters if we are
flying and not driving to the event. Once we get all
of this set up, we like to let it run all day and all night, which
doesn't leave much time or energy for other events. We don't do
this often, but it's an awesome event when we do run one.
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Kristin
& Andy
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The Looney Labs Game Show!
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Just how much do you know about Looney Labs games? Are you
willing to put your expertise on the line? Here's a chance, in
this Quiz-Bowl style game, answer questions that you never knew
would be posed. A couple of examples: What's Kristin's maiden
name? How many cards were in the first print run of Fluxx? Is Andy
left-handed, right-handed or totally ambidextrous? Come find out
the answers to these and many more questions when you play the
Looney Labs Game Show! Three game-show participants will be chosen
from the audience to compete for the coveted first prize!
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We've only done this once, and although it was successful, it
was also a lot of extra work and therefore isn't something we don't want
to do often. The problem with this one is the need for a whole
raft of trivia questions about us, and the feeling that we can't
just use the same questions over and over again, at least not at
very frequent intervals, and not if there's any possibility of
significant attendee overlap. We will do this again, at some point,
when the right convention, with the right crowd of fans presents itself.
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Alison,
Kristin
& Andy
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Once we have agreed to attend, please work with us to promote the fact that we will be guests at
your convention! The more advanced promotion we do together to let
people know we will be there, the more of a draw our attendance will
bring you, and the more expectation your audience will have to see
what we are up to at your show. Here are some resources to help you promote our presence at your show on your web site and in our program book and other advertising. Let us know what else would be helpful to your marketing efforts! Be sure you let us know as soon as you have us listed as guests at your web site, and we will start promoting our appearance at your event to our community of fans.
| Photos |
Click on any photo to pull down a high-rez version for print publication.
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| Bios |
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Kristin Looney
Business Czar
Kristin spent her first 15 years after college working as an
Electronics Engineer at NASA and an IT Manager in the aerospace
industry - while running a little part-time game business on the side
in her spare time. In early 1999 she jumped off the cliff, leaving
her day job behind to work full-time running and growing Looney
Labs.The games of Looney Labs are available worldwide, in large part
due to Kristin's business and marketing savvy. Kristin fosters the
large community of 'Mad Lab Rabbits', who are spreading the word of
Looney Labs far and wide. Kristin's earliest claim to fame came at
age 16 when she solved a Rubik's Cube in 35.50 seconds on That's
Incredible, and her enthusiasm for puzzles and games is still
going strong.
Andrew Looney
Chief Designer
Andy is the Chief Creative Officer for Looney Labs, and is the designer of Fluxx, Chrononauts, Aquarius, Nanofictionary, IceTowers, Treehouse, and Martian Coasters. Andy is also a photographer, a cartoonist, a video-blogger, and a marijuana-legalization advocate. Andy lives with his wife Kristin (and their housemate Alison) somewhere near Washington DC. Andy is a Hippie, a Trekkie, and a Geek. He's been an Eagle Scout and a NASA engineer, he's gotten patents and won awards, he's written a novel, he designed and coded a videogame, and he once watched as his software was launched into space. Andy loves cake.
Alison Looney
Head Factotum
Alison came to Looney Labs from the improbable fields of art and horticulture. Her interest in the natural world led her to develop the recent EcoFluxx variant, and her artistic talents enabled her to do all the artwork, too. At Looney Labs, Alison stays mostly behind the scenes, acting as a sort of jack-of-all-trades, helping out where she is most needed. She divides her time between art and design work, inventory management, and making calls as part of the sales team. She is into plants, words, arts & crafts, and good nutrition.
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Arisia, 2003
we still need to go track down links for this section! and get some more pictures of us...
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Copyright Looney Labs --
contact us
or call (301) 441-1019
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