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GenCon Event Recap: SHOTS WEDNESDAY: Awesome as always. A table of Chaosium folks joined us for a bit. I got to talk to one of the designers of Runequest, which was rad. ROOT RPG: Super fun! It's a powered-by-the-apocalypse game, my first even! We were all given Vagabonds, and created fuzzy mayhem in the forest. Aliens RPG: Made by the folks who made Tales from the Loop and Coriolis. Was a fun game, smuggled out a facehugger in a jar! Honey, I Shrunk The Adventurers!: Super fun! Moles is a great GM. Will pick this one up when it comes available for sure. Corvus Belli Panel: Infinity will continue to be a fun game, Tohaa will continue to get no updates, Bostria is still a weird, weird dude. Pugmire: Dungeons and Dragons, but actually dogs. We had a great GM, game was a lot of fun, I think I've seen everything I need to see re: Pugmire! Choose Your Own Adventure: War with the Evil Power Master: The Evil Power Master will live on in my heart forever. What I picked up: 2x Shadowrun 6ed books for friends who really wanted them (note: these are the two longest running SR gm's in our group, so I can probably make do with a pdf, assuming they ever migrate the 10+ pages of launch-day errata into the PDF version!) Pathfinder 2 Core Book: I've never played Pathfinder. It seems like it must be a least kinda good to have that many people play it exclusively for a whole con! The Expanse RPG: Current favorite show, it's in a good spot for an RPG to come out. I've got some ideas for something to run. Robotech RPG: I'm a weirdo who likes Robotech and the Savage Worlds system. Overall, a great GenCon was had. It was great to see all you nerds again!
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Aug 7, 2019 22:49
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Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau is pretty fun.
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Aug 7, 2019 23:00
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Dr. Quarex posted:Also if you missed T.O.V.A. this year, you missed me apparently inspiring* Jim who always does the Charity Auction to ask me to be his partner next year, meaning I could easily be auctioneering for like five-six hours on Saturday next year, ensuring my untimely demise. Also this is the year that convinced me to finally pull the trigger on volunteering for the auction, so I may be up on the stage for something (writing or running, at least) next year, and maybe even at the same time as Quarex!
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Aug 8, 2019 00:26
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OB_Juan posted:
Thank you so much! Were you the goon that ended up with the signed deck? We'll be doing a Kickstarter in mid-september for Disposable Heroes, I'll make sure to yell about it in here.
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Aug 8, 2019 00:57
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Nemesis Of Moles posted:Thank you so much! Were you the goon that ended up with the signed deck? We'll be doing a Kickstarter in mid-september for Disposable Heroes, I'll make sure to yell about it in here. Yes! It was great!
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Aug 8, 2019 01:29
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Toshimo posted:PLEASE MAKE TOVA WEIRD AGAIN CaptainRat posted:Also this is the year that convinced me to finally pull the trigger on volunteering for the auction, so I may be up on the stage for something (writing or running, at least) next year, and maybe even at the same time as Quarex! YES EVERYONE JOIN THE AUCTION Though I certainly admit volunteering changes your Gen-Con. I just gotta remember to go to the Exhibit Hall instead of lunch more often. Dr. Quarex fucked around with this message at 03:26 on Aug 8, 2019 |
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Aug 8, 2019 03:17
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i am a selfish man and volunteering would get in the way of just doing whatever the hell i want all day.
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Aug 8, 2019 03:52
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Some men just want to watch Quarex sell weird poo poo.
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Aug 8, 2019 04:32
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 Shots Wednesday Photos https://photos.app.goo.gl/npaM8KaqmnoxaGbQ9 Hit me up if you'd like any of these taken down, I didn't scrutinize them for embarassing poo poo.
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Aug 8, 2019 18:41
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did we ever get a final shots tower pic?
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Aug 8, 2019 21:06
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Backno posted:did we ever get a final shots tower pic? The tipped over one on the tray is the last before they bussed it
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Aug 9, 2019 01:06
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I had a really great first Gen Con. Against conventional wisdom I booked a bunch of events, and I ended up having the best time during these ticketed events. I was really interested in getting to actually PLAY some RPGs rather than running them, so I used this as a chance to try out some systems I've been curious about. Star Trek Adventures: A generic hopeful was there and made adorable 3D printed comm badges for everyone and I felt like a total monster unseating him sliding in a few minutes late. The GM was a goon whose forums name I don't know, but he did a really good job introducing the system and running a solid one-shot. I've never played a 2 D20 game before, but the momentum/threat system is an interesting group currency. I'd like to try to find an online game. V5: I've played a tiny amount of V20 and V:tR online, but this was my first proper Vampire game. I think the hunger dice mechanic is really cool, and as someone who is new to the system I think this feels like a much less daunting entry point. The GM was kind of a prick to start off with, the pre-gen characters (Malk especially) had some eyerolly edgelord backstory content, and 3 people were on their phones the entire loving game, so I was pretty worried it was going to be a rough 5 hours. But the people who were paying attention were fun and the GM just largely ignored the phone lookers, so I still had a good time. Geist 2e: This was a really fun game! The GM had obviously put a lot into the one-shot, it was an interesting mystery that was superficial enough to be solved in a short period of time. I didn't know anything about Geist beforehand, but I think this system is super interesting, and maybe a little less nihilistic than the other World/Chronicles of Darkness settings? As with V5 above, I think it's pretty hard to get a feel for the "personal horror" aspect of these games in a one-shot because there's not much of a chance to resolve consequences or constraints for actions in a short setting. But this really felt like a game I could use to entice non-TTRPG people to the table, and I'm excited to try to get a home game going. I think I didn't really make enough time to demo games in the exhibit hall, despite losing hours at a time wandering around and looming over other people demoing games. I did manage to blow through my budget pretty handily, though. I'm already thinking about next year! I didn't really get to meet any of you all because I was commuting an hour between Indy and home. Next year I think I'm just going to commit fully to the con and hopefully I can meet more of you and imbibe regrettable Midwestern liquor.
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Aug 9, 2019 12:26
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Pangaea Ultima posted:I had a really great first Gen Con. Against conventional wisdom I booked a bunch of events, and I ended up having the best time during these ticketed events. I also concur that the conventional wisdom of "don't schedule much" is not always best. You can have a lot of fun without ticketed events (and I did - primarily pick-up games with goons and people in the gencon discord) but i feel a lot of people who spout the conventional wisdom are coming to the con with a group who share their interests. If you're going solo, or you're picky in terms of what activities you do (I am), scheduling events is a must.
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Aug 9, 2019 14:28
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Lord Of Texas posted:I also concur that the conventional wisdom of "don't schedule much" is not always best. Agreeing with everything here. Last year was light scheduling and once the vendor hall closed it was me walking around with a friend wondering what's still open. This year was 8 games nearly back to back and it was mentally draining but really fun. Edit: gen con scheduling is also kinda poo poo. If you book a free event, that slot is filled forever. You cant book overlapping events so if you want to cancel and do something else too bad. Also wishlisting reserves tickets, so f5ing grogs will snatch up everything for weeks instead of everything opening same day it seems
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Aug 9, 2019 14:45
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The last few years I've just looked through the events and grabbed a ticket for whatever sounded interesting about an hour before it started, but my 'where ever the wind takes me" attitude for the con is definitely not for everyone.
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Aug 9, 2019 14:47
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Meyers-Briggs Testicle posted:Agreeing with everything here. Last year was light scheduling and once the vendor hall closed it was me walking around with a friend wondering what's still open. This year was 8 games nearly back to back and it was mentally draining but really fun. I don't know if being able to book overlapping events would be a net positive for the community. The problem of no-shows could get even worse, there are definitely some who would abuse that feature and leave lots of tickets bought but not used (especially since unused event tickets can be used as generics later on.) There are situations where the no-overlap rule makes things tough (e.g. tournaments where you're eliminated in the first round - whoops, now you've got 3 unbooked hours!) Tournament organizers can help alleviate that by using swiss pairings instead of single-elim (this is a change that the Spirit Island tournament made this year.)
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Aug 9, 2019 15:28
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Let me unbook events for no refund. I couldnt unbook FREE seminars
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Aug 9, 2019 15:31
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The way I handle the issue is by keeping a physical note of events I'm interested in that day and a pocket full of Generics, and also the location of the GMs On Demand room, on me during the day. If I drop an event or something, its easy to get into a game of something somewhere generally speaking - I've been going for 6 years now and generics have gotten me into every game bar one so far. I dunno how typical that is, and its not a built in solution, but I def. understand why overlapping event booking isn't allowed on their end.
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Aug 9, 2019 15:35
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Meyers-Briggs Testicle posted:Let me unbook events for no refund. I couldnt unbook FREE seminars That is one annoying problem that e-tickets should remedy. Unbooking events is locked sometime in June due to the mailing of event tickets.
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Aug 9, 2019 15:36
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Lord Of Texas posted:That is one annoying problem that e-tickets should remedy. Unbooking events is locked sometime in June due to the mailing of event tickets. I wasnt able to unbook even in may. Didnt see the option and from what I've seen it isnt possible
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Aug 9, 2019 15:37
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You can do it, but it's pretty deeply buried and I don't know when the cutoff is.
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Aug 9, 2019 15:38
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Haystack posted:You can do it, but it's pretty deeply buried and I don't know when the cutoff is. I believe the cutoff is the same cutoff for electing to have your tickets/badge mailed, which this year was in mid-June. Unbooking before that cutoff is definitely possible and I've done it several times over the years, including this year. Regardless it is a lovely system and we all pray for e-tickets to be released in a timely fashion.
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Aug 9, 2019 15:45
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Lord Of Texas posted:I don't know if being able to book overlapping events would be a net positive for the community. Gary Con use to allow you to overbook and it was terrible. I mean, great for people who want to make sure they get tickets to things, but then people don't return the other tickets and there were tons of sold out games that had few to no players show up. FYI, any event at Gen Con in the system as a tournament you can overbook. They do that because they know you might be eliminated early, so they don't want you to block out your entire day for a 12 hour tournament when you could get knocked out in the first hour.
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Aug 9, 2019 16:21
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nesbit37 posted:FYI, any event at Gen Con in the system as a tournament you can overbook. They do that because they know you might be eliminated early, so they don't want you to block out your entire day for a 12 hour tournament when you could get knocked out in the first hour. That's good to know, I incorrectly assumed that tournaments behaved the same as other events. Thanks!
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Aug 9, 2019 17:34
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Have they said if they're working on eTickets or anything?
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Aug 9, 2019 19:11
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Agrias120 posted:Have they said if they're working on eTickets or anything? They've been testing them both last year and this year, I believe with True Dungeon. I don't think they have a mass rollout date yet.
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Aug 9, 2019 19:13
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I talked to a Gen Con staffer in Lucas Oil this year about how the con was going and they said they plan next year to have ~75% of all tickets be e-tickets. This was just a casual conversation so I would take it with a grain of salt, but they definitely want to move that way. The only real issue I have with e-tickets is trading them, since it isn't as easy to do. I mean, I have never traded tickets with randos but I have with people within my own group.
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Aug 9, 2019 19:40
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nesbit37 posted:I talked to a Gen Con staffer in Lucas Oil this year about how the con was going and they said they plan next year to have ~75% of all tickets be e-tickets. This was just a casual conversation so I would take it with a grain of salt, but they definitely want to move that way. Reliable wi-fi is a huge blocker for e-tickets that seems to have been removed this year. Of course, there are events in adjoining hotels which aren't covered by the free wi-fi.
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Aug 9, 2019 19:49
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When I was in the will call line, the staffer said they’ve been testing them with select events but until those can run smoothly enough, they’re not going to make the big leap to everything.
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Aug 9, 2019 20:15
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Lord Of Texas posted:You can have a lot of fun without ticketed events (and I did - primarily pick-up games with goons and people in the gencon discord) but i feel a lot of people who spout the conventional wisdom are coming to the con with a group who share their interests. If you're going solo, or you're picky in terms of what activities you do (I am), scheduling events is a must. ... but part of why I do not do events is because I got sick of being pressured into gaming with my friends at the convention when we already did that the rest of the year, so in that sense having a group is I suppose a reason I avoid events but probably not for the reasons others might, haha As it happens, I now basically never game at all and should totally be open to scheduling events again for that reason, but man, just between being at the Auction for the sections I wanted to WATCH, which this year also happened to be the events I was working, left me with no free time past going to dinner with friends and one Goon lunch. I spent a total of four hours in the hall across three days, as opposed to the four hours a day I used to favor to make sure I saw everything. I have no idea how any of you do this successfully honestly, tell me your secrets grass
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Aug 9, 2019 20:21
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I go every year with four or five other guys and we use tickets for demos and stuff but we just play games in the hotel together or with random people in that general area.
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Aug 9, 2019 20:24
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Gen Con is just brutal in general. Since becoming an exhibitor it feels like I have to learn the game all over again. Before then, my secret was to fill every second of the day and night I could with events I was really excited about, and then day of pick and choose which I want to go to and return the rest of the tickets. I always left a nice chunk of Thursday early for my first speed run of the exhibit hall, and tried to do a second slower one for things I wanted to double back on for Friday afternoons. Only other thing I kept open was Friday nights for the collectibles section of the auction. All of this worked for me because my body is under so much stress during Gen Con I could usually not get more than 4 hours of sleep a night, no matter when I went to bed, how tired I was, or how much I had to drink. I have never missed an 8am Sunday event because of this. Other things I use to make sure I always do if I can is take a high level painting class (when they are available, they are not always), and hit the consignment store up at least 1 time. Exhibiting now it's just so much more difficult. I really need to do a schedule or something next year for the booth. I was stuck in it far more than I wanted, and I was planning on being there a lot. Biggest issue, though, was after exhibit hall hours. By the time we got out of the hall by about 6:30, we would have to head to the hotel to drop stuff off and then go eat. By the time dinner was done we were all just wiped and had no energy for anything more involved than sitting on a bed in the hotel room. Not even any game playing, which was kind of sad. I need to find a new way to Gen Con if I am going to keep this way up.
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Aug 9, 2019 20:29
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nesbit37 posted:Exhibiting now it's just so much more difficult. I really need to do a schedule or something next year for the booth. I was stuck in it far more than I wanted, and I was planning on being there a lot. Biggest issue, though, was after exhibit hall hours. By the time we got out of the hall by about 6:30, we would have to head to the hotel to drop stuff off and then go eat. By the time dinner was done we were all just wiped and had no energy for anything more involved than sitting on a bed in the hotel room. Not even any game playing, which was kind of sad. I need to find a new way to Gen Con if I am going to keep this way up. This was my experience almost exactly. The one day I got off early and tried to have the energy to make it to the JW I gave up half way there. It didn't help that my hotel had no real lobby to hang out at when I got back to the hotel to relax afterwards. Hopefully next year I'll have a better hotel and can hang out with people there rather than just crashing in my room immediately.
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Aug 9, 2019 21:06
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I got engaged this year at gen con so that's nice http://slangdesign.com/rppr/2019/08/panel-discussion/rppr-live-at-gen-con-2019/
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Aug 10, 2019 05:42
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clockworkjoe posted:I got engaged this year at gen con so that's nice http://slangdesign.com/rppr/2019/08/panel-discussion/rppr-live-at-gen-con-2019/ poo poo and I thought getting D'Amato in tearaway pants and a wrestling doublet counted for shock moments. Congrats!
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Aug 10, 2019 06:02
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I need to hang out with you folks. Gen Con is a lot of fun, but I've fallen into the routine of running demos during the day, working the booth in the vendor hall, and then just drinking at night. I mean, not a bad routine, but need to shake things up a bit. This year kind of sucked because the company got stuck out at one of the airport hotels.
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Aug 10, 2019 12:51
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I generally show up before noon every day, hit up a food truck for lunch, then wander the vendor hall demoing anything that looks interesting, and noting things I want to buy that look heavy enough not to snag on the spot. I'll grab those on my way out the door, and we'll drive to a brewpub somewhere outside of the downtown area for dinner and drinks, and then meet back up at the house for a few games before heading to bed after midnight. Rinse, repeat. The only times I've ever bought tickets were for mini war gaming tournaments which I refuse to participate in anymore, and generics which I never end up spending. The hassle of hunting for events and playing with the website to schedule one in advance is enough to turn me away. The vendor hall is pretty much all I ever do.
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Aug 10, 2019 13:50
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Reynold posted:The only times I've ever bought tickets were for mini war gaming tournaments which I refuse to participate in anymore, and generics which I never end up spending. The hassle of hunting for events and playing with the website to schedule one in advance is enough to turn me away. The vendor hall is pretty much all I ever do. More evidence that there are many ways to enjoy GenCon. I can't stand the vendor hall - the crowd, noise, and general dehumanization is not worth the off chance that I actually get into a demo, and even then, the types of games I typically like enough to fight for a demo are not very numerous.
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Aug 10, 2019 14:06
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I don't spend too much time at the vendor hall but it is nice to just, see things I might not have found out about otherwise. Plus I tend to go find the booth with old rpg books at buy one get two free and just get some dumb new old tabletop property I might never have heard of.
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Aug 10, 2019 18:16
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Thursday seems like clutch vendor day, when it's still quiet. When I went in 2014, it seemed nearly deserted for a couple hours after opening Thursday. I got to demo Murano with the designer. I do feel like the Mayfair area was a calming influence.
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Aug 10, 2019 18:42
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