Hey guys! I just had a quick question for anyone who has ever volunteered with a gaming company on the showroom floor (and not necessarily Gen Con or True Dungeon). Which company is the best one to volunteer with on a part-time basis? I really want to start volunteering at conventions again, but the problem that I've always run into in the past is that I spent more time volunteering than I did attending the actual conventions.

Ideally, I'd be looking for a 16-hour or less time commitment that would allow me to work with a gaming company and reap some kind of benefits (maybe free game time or swag) but that would also allow me to enjoy Gen Con to its fullest.

Does anyone have any experience with this or know of some good gaming companies to volunteer with?

Baldman Games runs all the D&D 5th edition for Wizards at Gen Con for over a decade now. We have a few hundred people working with us and always looking for more. 16 hours working with us (4 - 4 hour games) gets you a free badge to the show (or a refund on one if you paid for it already), a cool shirt, and access to our cool social events we do before and during the show. You need to love some D&D though.

You know, I was actually thinking about getting back into D&D before the con and I think a lot of stores run 5th edition campaigns these days.

Do the volunteers have to run the actual games in a DM or GM-style role, or are they there mostly for support? I'm just curious because I'd like to help out as much as possible but my D&D skills are...rusty to say the least. I haven't played in years and even then that was Edition 3.5.

I'll be sure to check out your website before I pick your brain any further. :)

I've volunteered for AEG's big game night every year I've gone. It's about a 6 hr commitment Friday night and in return, you get a t-shirt, their swag box (the box of games paying attendees get), and to teach/play games all night with a huge group of people.  In the past, they've given volunteers tickets for the prize drawings they do throughout the night but I heard they did not do that last year. It's hit or miss on the games, but special editions of Smash-Up and Trains were two that stood out over the years for me.  If interested, open enrollment for volunteers starts in April. 

AF - We have those helping at HQ, running newbie learn to play games all the way up to games for higher level play. All of our games (other then the newbie) are Adventurers League approved games. So if dipping your toe back into the pool we have your covered (running games for kids/newbies is a great way to learn and is a ton of fun)

Hm, both of those options sound really tempting and I'll definitely be looking into both of them. I'm at the convention all four days regardless so I'd have plenty of time to go both routes. Thanks for the information guys!

One last question though wavester - it sounds like AEG won't be taking volunteer applications until April. Is that the case for Baldman Games too or can I register sooner than that?

Our DM registration should start in the next couple of weeks. If you head to www.baldmangames.com you can signup for the newsletter for update or follow us on Twitter of the Book of Faces.

Catalyst usually needs volunteers as well, to include their booth in the dealer hall. I know they prefer those with retail experience to help there, and obviously any familiarity with Shadowrun, Battletech Duke, etc, would be a plus.

Or you can also volunteer via GMing or running demos. I know they are accepting applications, not sure what slots they have filled or are left. They began accepting in December I think. 

16 hours is a badge and tshirt. And I think if you gm one of those bowling shirts and a patch. 28 I believe is for the swag and 32 for a hotel room but those last seem over what you'd want.

And for a company that I have friends who volunteer for but I never have, the Herolab folks have gotten very nice reviews. Not sure of the specifics, but my friends both enjoyed it. Fairly sure the 16 hours for a badge is somewhat standard.

Other friends have DM'd for Baldman Games, above, and enjoyed it. I think it boils down to picking something you like.

I'm one of those friends that braewe mentioned.

I wanted to chime in and mention GMing for Baldman Games was a good experience.  I over did it by GMing all but 2 game slots one year and kinda lost my voice by the end.  None-the-less, I found the experience rewarding and I felt the events were well organized.  Perhaps the swag has changed over the years, but I did get a cool shirt (two if you run several slots?), and I also got additional swag for every two slots I ran...in addition to the badge and room.  I felt taken care of.  If you like D&D, this would be a good way to go.  If you're rusty on the rules, there's still almost 2 months before Gen Con (at the time I post this) to refresh/learn them.  Don't feel you need to go crazy GMing that many slots.  Tell Baldman Games what you can do, and they'll work with you.

A couple other times I GM'ed their D&D encounters(?)...a short 1-2 hour D&D experience.  That was also fun.  There was a quick rotation of players, which always kept it fresh for me.  I remember that schedule also being flexible.  A BIG plus for me was that I never waited in the line of players...I was always at the table playing.

Another way to look at it is that if you're GMing an event, you're guaranteed a slot and a seat at the table to play.  I found most players/groups thankful that I ran the event, which is also a reward in itself.  As braewe mentioned, you gotta like the game; The swag and support are great, but you want to make sure you're enjoying the experience.

I know this is not exactly fitting what you are asking for, but volunteering for the Auction has never steered me wrong--plenty of different activities you can do depending on your preference (well and need), you get a badge for 16 hours of volunteering, and it is a pretty friendly community of many similar faces year after year.  There is always swag, too, though what precisely it will be (besides a shirt and a Tom Wham-designed button) you never know :)

I think Catalyst is full on the slots that offer a hotel, but I am not positive. Plus, I've GM'd for them for like 8 years and NEVER has there been a year when not one person canceled, so yes, fairly sure they are still accepting applicants. 

Does anyone know where I can find info for the AEG games volunteering -though I realize I am late to the party- or other places that do not have 16hr minimum time commitment? I've been interesting in volunteering, but I don't want to spend that much time doing so. Couple hours here or there just for the fun of it or maybe for something small like a lanyard or a coupon.

The math on the free badge broke down for me approximately:

[$99 (badge) + $25 (t shirt) + $25 (free snacks/misc swag/etc.)]/16hrs = your time being worth appx $9.31/hr. So you gotta decide for yourself whether that makes sense. I know for some, maybe many, people getting your money's worth is not the point, but at the same time 16 hours is a decent amount of time over the weekend.

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Alec Usticke, Unofficial Gen Con Indy Facebook Discussion Group

I volunteered for Plaid Hat last year, and the experience was cool.  I worked 4 hours a day doing SeaFall and Ashes demos, and I got to meet a lot of really cool folks (both as customers and fellow volunteers).  This year, I wasn't going to volunteer because 16 hours was a lot of con time, but they lowered the requirement to 10 hours this year (part of being rolled into Asmodee) and so I'm looking forward to demoing again.

I GM.  So 3 4hour RPGs at 6 players each.  If you can run games there are lots of groups that can use you.