Gaming
Do you love to game? Then be sure to check out the Tekko Gaming Hall, home to Collectible Card Games, Board Games, Role Playing Games, the latest Video Game Consoles and much more!
Video Games
The Region’s Premier Anime, Gaming, Music, Fashion and Japanese Pop Culture Convention is back and this year is bigger than ever with a plethora of Single and Team Tournaments!
This year’s games include Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Super Smash Bros Melee, Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, Injustice 2, Guilty Gear Xrd -Rev- 2-, Blaz Blue: Central Fiction, Killer Instinct, Marvel vs Capcom 3: Infinite, ARMS, Pokken Tournament, OverWatch 3v3, Rocket League, Splatoon 2, and more!
The Tekko Bonus Is also returning! Tekko will add $50 to the pot of any tournament that hits 16 players (Every 4 teams for 3v3/4v4 and every 8 Teams for Doubles.) That bonus will continue to roll, maxing out at $200!!
Collectible Card Games (CCG)
Play your favorite Collectible Card Games at Tekko!
General Information
CCGs in the Gaming Hall will feature Demos and Open Play for a multitude of games as well as competitive tournaments for YuGiOh, Magic, Pokemon, and Cardfight!! Vanguard. 8-Player flights and structure deck playoffs will also be running all weekend for many other card games. Grab your friends and come see us to find out more!
Too shy to jump right into battle? Find any of our CCG Staff members and ask about Open Play or Demos available all weekend for any card game. Our vendor will be equipped with products for all card games to get you tournament ready.
YuGiOh will feature regular advanced-format tournaments with an extra challenge. Strong players will be entering and you can receive extra prizes for defeating them. See us to find out more!
Magic will feature Standard, Modern, Commander, and Draft tournaments. There will also be Challenge tournaments to really test your strength. Check the schedule or come see us to find out when!
Pokemon will feature Standard and Expanded tournaments as well as Open Play for beginners. Our resident Pokemon Professor is happy to show you the ropes and get you ready for our other tournaments running all weekend!
Board Games
Board Game Tournaments
Due to some tournaments having a maximum player cap, make sure to sign up in the Gaming Hall.
Board Game Rental
Have some time to spare in between panels and events and aren’t sure what to do? Did you know that you can sign out board games for free to play in the Gaming Hall? We have a plethora of unique and fun games to play. Don’t know what you want to play? Ask our staff, we love to make suggestions!
Open Demos
All weekend we will be running demos of our tournament games, fun party games, and staff favorite games! We will also be joined by Dabeco (creators of Havenfall) and Milton Roe (creators of Shoot Cows), who will be demoing their games all weekend.
Role Playing Games
LARP
Live Action Role PlayRun a Game at Tekko 2020!
Tekko is a non-profit event, run by the Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society (a 501c3 corporation.) Tekko’s annual attendance has reached approximately 10k individuals, and they are continuously adding new content. This year, they are expanding their LARP department to encompass additional styles of game play and LARP discussion panels.
Submit a Game
GMs interested in running a game should complete the preliminary form. Once the deadline has passed, the form will close and the LARP department will choose games that are appropriate for the Tekko demographic. (Note: games are by no means limited to anime or pop culture themes. There is an existing anime LARP track, and we are adding new games to appeal to different audiences.) The LARP department will contact GMs with approvals or rejections, or to request further information.
Form submissions close on 1/31/20 so that games can be accepted and placed on the schedule for advanced registration.
GM Registration
GMs with accepted games will be required to pre-register for the convention. Tekko will offer on-site reimbursement based on the number of games approved and performed. GMs will have a choice:
(OPTION 1) If you register only a Head GM with no Co-GM, the Head GM will be entitled to a $20 reimbursement for each approved & completed game up to the full cost of the badge that they purchased.
(OPTION 2) However, if you submit a game application with (one) Co-GM, the reimbursement will be: for every approved game completed, both the Head GM and (one) Co-GM will be entitled to a $10 reimbursement up to the full cost of the badge(s) that they purchased.
For example, if you Pre-register for a General Admissions badge ($30) and perform one approved GM without the aid of a Co-panelist, you would be eligible for a $20 reimbursement. If you and a Co-GM who both pre-registered for $30 badges wanted to offer 5 games that were all approved, you would each receive a $30 reimbursement.
GMs who are approved for more than 20 hours of content should consider applying for Tekko Staff to receive additional Staff perks.
Tekko LARP Safety Mechanics
Tekko will be utilizing the universal LARP safety mechanics, though a GM can use their own mechanics as long as they host their own safety session at the start of the game.
The ‘Okay’ Check-In
By utilizing the ‘okay’ sign with their hands, players are checking with others to make sure that other players are okay. Players should respond with the following: a thumbs up to indicate that play may continue onwards, a horizontal shake of the hand (will be shown in safety sessions) to indicate that play should be temporarily halted while a player decides how they would like to continue, or a thumbs down, which means that play should be halted so that a player can leave a situation.
The “Look Down”
This mechanic is used so that a player may enter or leave a scene without ‘being noticed.’ Gameplay will continue without being paused and other players should ignore the look down individuals so that game can continue.
Game Scheduling
Exact Scheduling will be prepared after game submissions have ended to best accommodate the GMs. At this time we are planning 28-50 hours of new game content excluding built in set up/tear down (separate from the Tekko Anime Larp track.) If there is both supply (of GMs) and demand (from players), we will see about adding additional play space to accommodate more games. The LARP Department will tentatively run during the following hours:
Thursday, April 2nd: 4 – 9 pm
Friday, April 3rd: 10 am – 12 am
Saturday, April 4th: 10 am – 12 am
Sunday, April 5th: 10 am – 2 pm
Currently, game size should be capped at 30 players. If a GM has a large scale game to run, we may be able to acquire a larger space. Current game space is set to be one of the numerous DLCC panel rooms.
Content Warnings
GMs are required to disclose content warnings when submitting their application. Those warnings will be posted to the Game Description and restated at the start of play. It is important that potential players have content warnings ahead of sign up so that they can choose whether or not to participate. Players may leave a game at any time, if they feel they are not suited for the content as the game progresses. Examples of disclosable content include, but are not limited to, the following: Sexual Content or Violence, Racism, Violence, Homophobia, Self Harm, Abuse, Death/Dying, etc. Players may feel free to contact the Tekko LARP department heads at (EMAIL HERE) for any concerns. Submissions will remain confidential and anonymous.
Other Questions?
Email (LARP EMAIL) for more info! Department staff will aim to help answer all questions and provide adequate support to game GMs.
Tekko LARP Contact Policy
To ensure safety and comfort, Tekko’s LARP department has a strict no physical contact policy, unless explicit verbal permission has been given. Contact permission can be negotiated before game play but may also happen during game play – we recommend players use the out of game mechanics to negotiate during a scene pause. If a GM believes that their game requires some level of physical contact, they will be required to disclose this ahead of time so that the description can state the physical contact and a warning can be placed before entering game space.
Signing up for A Role
Some roles in games are written for specific genders—some are not. GMs will be required to list the number of roles available in each of the following categories: male, female, non-binary, or player decided. (Player decided means that the character is not written to have any gender determined characteristics, and that players may choose the character’s gender.) Players will be able to select the gender they prefer to play at sign up. The website may not be updated as fast as registration occurs. If the preferred character gender is unavailable, the LARP department will inform the player.
The game registration will close when all character roles have been filled. If roles are uncast by the start of Tekko, players will be able to register on site for remaining slots.
Tekko Anime LARP
Pre-Registration for the LARP is now closed.
We are now accepting pre-registrations for the Tekko anime LARP. This will guarantee you the character you want to play as and will speed things along at the con when you come to sign-in, as all of your character information will be ready for pick up. Pre-registration is very easy, all you have to do is:
#1: Go to the site https://tekkowebapp.appspot.com/ and look at the list of characters already created.
#2: If you do not see the character you want to play listed, that’s okay. You can request that character anyways, BUT keep in mind that the GMs give final approval on all characters concerning playability. (Note: all of these characters are Anime/Manga characters we will allow Video Game characters on a PRE-REGISTRATION ONLY basis, also all video game characters must be created/published by a Japanese company to be considered.)
#3: Email Brian.Hykes@teamtekko.us with:
- Your choice of character and two alternate character choices, listed in order.
- Your full first and last name, for the purposes of pickup.
- An email address where we may contact you if there are any issues.
If you have any further questions, you may contact the head GM at Brian.Hykes@teamtekko.us
Also please join our Facebook group for any and all updates about pre-registration, as well as to see plot teasers https://www.facebook.com/groups/500321473353510/
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s a LARP?
LARP stands for Live-Action Role-Playing. It is a lot like a normal Role-Playing Game such as Dungeons & Dragons, but instead of having everyone seated around a table with pencils and dice, everyone gets to interact with each other on a face-to-face basis, with everyone playing their role physically and in near real-time. This allows for very large groups of people to all be involved as players come and go.
So what makes it so special?
This particular LARP will be based on Anime and Manga, along with a bit of Video Games, with characters both famous and obscure. Players get to choose who they play, receiving a character sheet which spells out the powers and abilities of that character.
How much time does it take to play?
As much or as little as you’re willing to put into it. Character signup will be on Friday, sometime in the early afternoon. Game play will officially start in the late afternoon. (Times are subject to change but traditionally pickup starts close to 1PM and the game starts close to 4PM.) The LARP will run through Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and events will happen throughout all three days. Attendance is not mandatory if you sign up, but the more you play, the greater the odds are that you’ll be around for something neat.
Does it cost anything more to sign up?
Registration for the LARP only requires that you’ve registered for the con.
Can I play -Name of Character Here- ?
Possibly, the list of characters available can be found here , but if you don’t pre-register, we can’t say for sure that a character will be available for you. If you wish to request a character that is on the list, feel free, but again, you MUST pre-register to give us time to write up the sheet. Bear in mind that this LARP is meant for Anime, Manga, and Japanese Video Game characters only, so if you’ve a character in mind from Japanese pop-culture, or American produced cartoons in mind, they won’t be on the list.
The series I like has characters listed, but why isn’t -Character- listed?
If you don’t see a character listed, or even a whole Anime or Manga series listed, it’s likely because of one of two reasons. Either:
1. The character is too powerful or evil to be allowed to be played as a character. Characters who have no motivation but to kill everyone they see only limit the fun of playing for all involved.
2. The character hasn’t been written up yet! Sorry, but there are so many series to choose from, and only so many people write up character sheets. Go ahead and per-register and we’ll get right on it!
Will my character be able to -Description here- ?
Again, possibly. The character sheets try to capture the spirit of the characters, but may not have every single power that a character has ever displayed in a series. This is in the interest of game balance; making sure no one character can beat all the others at everything.
So, we all just mill about playing our characters, then?
Well, yes, but then the GMs have to come up with an overarching plot that gets your characters involved. Hopefully the characters in play will also want to do things based on their motivations. I also put in characters played by the GM’s who send you on missions or tell you of events that will be happening.
What if you post a teaser that makes me want to change my character choice?
We will allow character swapping up until the close of pre-registration on March 1st. If you still find a good reason to swap after this point we’ll allow it on a case-by-case basis, but please, if you swap after the close date, you may only swap to a character whose sheet is already written.
I thought I could make it this year, but it turns out I can’t, and I pre-registered, what now?
We’re sorry you couldn’t make it, but if you find out you are unable to attend, please let us know so we can free up the character you’re pre-registered as for other people to play. There’s nothing worse than being told you can’t play a particular character because they were reserved, and then the person who reserved the character never shows up.
So, what are the rules?
The basic rules are actually easy to learn, using rock-paper-scissors to resolve conflicts, detailed instructions will be available at the convention, but I do wish to stress six golden rules of the game:
Rule 1: No Touching! Nobody playing in the LARP is allowed to physically touch anyone else in the LARP for any reason, no exceptions. This is why any combat or conflict is resolved with games of rock-paper-scissors.
Rule 2: No Stunts. Your character might be able to jump 50 feet in the air, do a somersault and pose while landing on both feet, but unless you’re THAT well trained, you can’t. Also, if you ARE that well trained, kudos to you, but this isn’t the time or place to be showing off. It’s in everyone’s best interest to keep the LARP safe.
Rule 3: No Weapons. The LARP follows all of the rules of the con, including the weapons policy, but it goes one step further. Nobody is allowed to even PRETEND to hold a FAKE weapon as if it is a REAL weapon. If you have a fake weapon as part of your costume which is allowed by con policy, that’s great, you can keep it on you. But again, for the sake of safety, we ask that you keep it out of game play.
Rule 4: Be mindful of those not playing. If you’re playing in the LARP, have all the fun you want, but do bear in mind there is a con going on around it and a lot of people won’t be in the LARP. This means you shouldn’t act as if everyone is playing. The best way to avoid this is to try and keep most of the action close to the LARP area in the Convention Center (and yes, the LARP will have its own specialized area).
Rule 5: Remember it’s just a game. In the LARP, there won’t be prizes for winning or losing. In fact, like most RPG’s, it will sometimes be hard to tell who exactly won or lost. Don’t take the game too seriously. If something bad happens to your character, don’t worry about it. It might make for an interesting plot twist later on in the game. As long as you’re having fun, that’s all the matters.
Rule 6: Listen to the Game Masters. Running the game will be a dedicated team of game masters who will be doing their best to keep track of all of the dealings going on. They need every player’s help in order to do their jobs. If you don’t listen to the rules, or don’t pay attention to them, then the game will only seem like it’s taking forever.
Beyond these 6 rules, everything else can be learned easily enough at the con. The rules are meant to be as quick and simple as humanly possible.
Wait a minute; I know these rules from Nekocon/Zenkaicon/A-Next!
That’s not a question, but yes, they’re the same rules as are used in the LARPs at other conventions. The LARP staff at Nekocon has been gracious enough to allow Tekko the use of them.
