R3PLAY / 6-7 November 2010 / Blackpool

Arcadian · **Joined:** Fri Nov 24, 2000 1:16 pm **Posts:** 2040

Ok, think it's about time I posted about R3PLAY on STH, especially as myself and others have spent the past YEAR trying to get it off the ground!

R3PLAY involves the organisers of just about every major Retro Event in the last 18 months (e.g. Retro Reunited, Acorn World [meeee!], Byte Back, RV2010, Retro Computer Games Festival etc) teaming up with numerous other figures and communities from within the Arcade/Pinball and Video Gaming world, to put on one BIG show.

There'll be areas for STH/*. and also Retro Software, plus there'll be many more Acorn machines within the main gaming zones [Atoms/Elks/Beebs/Masters/Arcs etc]. But it's not just about gaming - for example, the National Museum of Computing @ Bletchley Park will also be facilitating a display at the show.

I really hope that R3PLAY will prove to be the biggest meetup of STH forum members to-date. If you can only make it to one show this year, make sure it's R3PLAY!

And remember, this is MUCH more than just a Retro Show - there'll be plenty of stuff on offer for modern gamers too, and if Arcade Cabinets are your thing - then expect to see more of these things than at all previous events combined!

Quote:

Exciting new Arcade, Retro & Video Gaming Expo heading to Blackpool!

R3PLAY (pronounced “Replay”) is a brand new show celebrating four decades of gaming history. Presented in association with Retro Gamer and gamesTM magazines, this unique event will offer gamers of all ages the chance to experience gaming systems from the 1970s to present day. Hosted by TV personality and videogame fanatic Gail Porter, the R3PLAY Expo will take place at The Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre in Blackpool on 6/7 November 2010 – the final weekend of this year’s famous Illuminations.

More than 300 systems will be available at R3PLAY comprising the finest possible selection of consoles, coin-ops and computers from all over the globe (with all machines set to free-play). Visitors will have the opportunity to take part in prize gaming competitions, listen to Q&A sessions with guest speakers, participate in workshops, view galleries of video game artwork, win fantastic raffle prizes, tender bids in a special auction and much, much more! Ticket holders will also be able to purchase games, systems, accessories and memorabilia via a number of specialist seller stands.

R3PLAY is dedicated to the celebration and preservation of the “3 C’s”:

CONSOLES
Ranging from the humble Atari 2600, through the SEGA vs Nintendo console wars of the 1990s, to the all-conquering behemoths that are the PS3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. Video game consoles from all corners of the world will be showcased at R3PLAY allowing visitors to play on rare and obscure machines they may never see again!
COIN-OPS
Arcade and Pinball Machines have captured the nation’s imagination since the first mass-produced classics of the 70s and 80s. R3PLAY not only looks at the retro classics, but thanks to the support of leading arcade communities, there will be plenty on offer for the new generation of arcade gamers, too.
COMPUTERS
The UK was a world leader in 80s computing and R3PLAY will celebrate the diverse history of Acorn, Amstrad and Sinclair, as well as their international competitors such as Commodore and Atari. Furthermore, fans of PC-based gaming will be able to enjoy both the very latest releases, in addition to classics such as Commander Keen, Descent and the original network version of Doom (Deathmatch anyone?). The National Museum of Computing will also be on hand, raising awareness of computing history in the UK.

Adult ticket prices are £12 for single-day entry and £20 for a weekend ticket, with reductions for children and families. It is expected that the full allocation of tickets will be sold in advance through the dedicated website: http://www.R3PLAY.info

Organisers, the Computing & Gaming Events Union (CGEU) have already staged a number of arcade/video gaming and computing events, raising thousand of pounds for charitable causes in the process. At R3PLAY, the CGEU will be raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support and The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park.

R3PLAY presents a fantastic social networking environment for gamers, a perfect location for casual play as well as intense competition.

Further announcements regarding activities, sponsors/partners, lists of systems and special guests will be made over the coming weeks.

Once you've bought your ticket(s) I'd be very grateful if you could post in this thread to let me know which day(s) you're coming for (obviously, I hope as many people as possible will do both days!).

I'll be posting details about a recommended hotel to book into soon.

Plea: at previous events I've been involved in, the bulk of tickets were sold in the final four weeks prior to the event. With R3PLAY, the more tickets we sell now, the bigger and better show we can put on. So PLEASE buy your tickets as early as possible, and try not to leave it till the last minute! [-o<

Tickets purchased by RS/STH users:

DaveM/Arcadian
Samwise (+2)
MichaelS/The Kraken
JonathanM/kingcobra
MurrayCakaMuzer
PhillHS/Prime (+1)
Tom Walker
ukretrogamer
SteveO/sorvad
MartinB (+1)
Dave Footitt (+1)
robheaton
blackpanther
Lorfarius
merman
SirClive
AntPotter (+1)
AlanD
jbnbeeb
Jeremy Grayson
kenton
regregex

RS/STH users who hope to come:

Dave_E

sorvad · **Posted:** Thu May 27, 2010 5:08 am

Oh yeees, looks good. Will get tickets as soon as cash flow smooths out

and I prob won't need hotel for this one

Arcadian · **Joined:** Fri Nov 24, 2000 1:16 pm **Posts:** 2040

Wicked - you were missed at Reunited/AW, so look forward to catching up with you at Blackpool!

**Need more people to indicate their interest** I'd like to block book a hotel for STH members, but can't do that until I have a reasonable idea of numbers. Ta!

guddler · **Posted:** Fri May 28, 2010 12:45 am

Will probably end up going but Blackpool puts me off (as I think I mentioned). The distance, not the place, honestly!

Dave Footitt · **Posted:** Tue Jun 01, 2010 10:46 am

I'll be there

The Kraken · **Joined:** Tue Oct 21, 2008 5:51 pm **Posts:** 197

Jonathan and I have bought our tickets -- I'm sure you knew nothing could keep us away from this one!!! :lol:

Just make sure there's a computer playing Chuckie Egg for us :wink:

sorvad · **Posted:** Tue Jun 29, 2010 4:58 pm

Dave Footitt wrote:

I'll be there

Cool, and despite missing many events lately my hopes are high to attend this one.

TomWalker · **Joined:** Fri Jan 14, 2005 4:56 pm **Posts:** 823

Bad news - I may not be able to make this one.

Samwise · **Joined:** Mon Mar 14, 2005 10:13 pm **Posts:** 1764

I think it's safe to say I'll be there ... and will probably bring a couple of hangers-on too.

What's that? The Tom-meister won't be there?!

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

:cry:

Sam.

Arcadian · **Joined:** Fri Nov 24, 2000 1:16 pm **Posts:** 2040

TomWalker wrote:

Bad news - I may not be able to make this one.

No! Say it can't be true!

The Kraken · **Joined:** Tue Oct 21, 2008 5:51 pm **Posts:** 197

I'm a bit worried about the non-arrival of mine and Jonathan's tickets. Is there any way of checking up on them?

Arcadian · **Joined:** Fri Nov 24, 2000 1:16 pm **Posts:** 2040

2nd batch of tickets (which includes yours) are going out this week.

MurrayCakaMuzer · **Posted:** Sat Aug 14, 2010 1:29 pm

Right, I'll come. What hotel are you all staying at, and should I book? I'll be 16 by then, if that's relevant.

I'll bring that lot of consoles (how many I'll have finished modding I'm not sure yet, hopefully most) that I was given.

Is there a decent tram route from Blackpool North to the centre? If not, is it possible for someone to pick me up?

Arcadian · **Joined:** Fri Nov 24, 2000 1:16 pm **Posts:** 2040

Apart from Michael & Jonathan (whom I believe are staying with family) I'm not sure if anyone else from STH has actually ordered tickets or booked hotels (which for me personally is hugely depressing).

Most of the larger hotels on the Queen's Promenade are charging silly money for rooms now, due to it being Illuminations switch-off weekend. You can still get smaller B&Bs for a sensible price though. I'll email you some recommendations.

Thanks for restoring/modding all the systems (and don't worry about buying a ticket for the event - you're part of the crew!

).

I believe you can hop on a tram from near the train station to the Norbreck Castle no problem.

Prime · **Joined:** Mon Jun 01, 2009 12:52 am **Posts:** 1432

Arcadian wrote:

Apart from Michael & Jonathan (whom I believe are staying with family) I'm not sure if anyone else from STH has actually ordered tickets or booked hotels (which for me personally is hugely depressing).

Lesley and I have our hotel and tickets booked too

Phill.

guddler · **Posted:** Mon Aug 16, 2010 10:32 am

Unfortunately, as I guessed might be the case, I can confirm that I won't be attending.

sorvad · **Posted:** Mon Aug 16, 2010 12:30 pm

bit strapped for cash at mo, are their still plenty of tickets ?

Samwise · **Joined:** Mon Mar 14, 2005 10:13 pm **Posts:** 1764

I've bought three tickets, and I'm sure Mr. Footitt won't be too far behind. I think Gary's going as well, isn't he?

Me and my +2 are just procastinating over which hotel to book, as one of our number is somewhat fussy over such things. Hoping to get that sorted soon-ish. Will post back here when we've settled on something.

Sam.

Dave Footitt · **Posted:** Fri Aug 20, 2010 10:09 am

Yeah I should be buying mine soon

Let me know if you find a decent hotel Sam, I'll be bringing the missus and our young lad, so don't want to end up in some place where there's a stag do going on next door

TomWalker · **Joined:** Fri Jan 14, 2005 4:56 pm **Posts:** 823

I _might_ be able to make this now. Depends on what my timetable for next term is like though.

Samwise · **Joined:** Mon Mar 14, 2005 10:13 pm **Posts:** 1764

@Dave, I've been reliably informed we're now booked in Fri and Sat night at the Hilton Blackpool North Promenade, Blackpool FY1 2JQ. £174 for a twin room without breakfast.

It's a bit of a trek down to the venue, but it'll keep the whinger amongst my guests happy and should probably be tram-able as it's on the front.

@Tom, really hope you can swing it - it's not going to be the same without you! And it's Blackpool! Imagine the debauchery we can get up to.

Sam.

Kecske Bak · **Posted:** Fri Aug 20, 2010 4:50 pm

Samwise wrote:

Imagine the debauchery we can get up to.

Yep - with Blackpool Hilton, famous for her secretly filmed YouTube video showing sundry unnatural acts with a Lancashire hotpot.

TomWalker · **Joined:** Fri Jan 14, 2005 4:56 pm **Posts:** 823

Booked the hotel (somewhere a bit cheaper than £174!) - I'm in.

Samwise · **Joined:** Mon Mar 14, 2005 10:13 pm **Posts:** 1764

Yay.

(and for the record, that's shared by two of us so the cost is a slightly more reasonable £87 per person for two nights ...

).

Only my picky friend is mad enough to pay the ridiculous cost of a single room on his own ...

Sam.

sorvad · **Posted:** Fri Aug 27, 2010 9:09 pm

TomWalker wrote:

Booked the hotel (somewhere a bit cheaper than £174!) - I'm in.

Yeah

Dave Footitt · **Posted:** Sat Aug 28, 2010 1:21 pm

Samwise wrote:

@Dave, I've been reliably informed we're now booked in Fri and Sat night at the Hilton Blackpool North Promenade, Blackpool FY1 2JQ. £174 for a twin room without breakfast.

Blimey, please tell me that's for both nights

Samwise · **Joined:** Mon Mar 14, 2005 10:13 pm **Posts:** 1764

Yep, and as I said - me and the guy who are sharing are actually paying that between us so it's actually not as bad as it sounds.

It's a bit of a walk down the front, but I think that'll be fun and we can probably tram it as well.

Sam.

Kecske Bak · **Posted:** Sun Sep 05, 2010 11:40 am

Article about R3PLAY on my blog...

http://kecskebak.blogspot.com/

ukretrogamer · **Posted:** Mon Sep 13, 2010 10:36 pm

Working in Blackpool today so popped into WHO and bought my weekend ticket. My first Retro event!

Living only 40 minutes away, I'll be driving to and from the venue on both days.

Samwise · **Joined:** Mon Mar 14, 2005 10:13 pm **Posts:** 1764

OK,

We're starting the roll call for R3PLAY. I've updated the attendee list in the first post. We've only got 10 confirmed attendees and frankly - I think we can better, so let's see if we can encourage some of the tardy ones at the back to join us.

MartinB, are you and your luvverly other half joining us this time?

Steve, DaveF ... got your tickets sorted yet? We have an opportunity to peer-pressure DaveM on to The Big One and then sneakily buy the photo of him on the way out. Let's not waste it.

Dave E, did you say in your last post you've also bought a ticket?

C'mon now, everyone else. This may be your best chance to meet some of the greatest minds in the Acorn users community ... if you've never seen the awesomeness of DaveM in the flesh, this may be your last chance this year. If you've ever wanted to test the encyclopaedic knowledge of our Repton brothers in arms, The Kraken and kingcobra, or even challenge them to a mano-a-mano battle to the death on The Life of Repton, then this is what you've been waiting for! Or even if you just want to shake the hand and offer a beer to Tom W, the phenomenally prolific emulator maestro and 6502 coding master who has single-handedly coded an emulator for every major Acorn machine and will be around to oversee the launch of Repton: The Lost Realms, a title he's been heavily involved in developing of late.

Let's bring the 80s micro scene to Blackpool ... Rock on! ...

I want a group photo on the end of the pier or the top of the tower ... and maybe some Minder-esque pier pics too!

Sam.

R3PLAY / 6-7 November 2010 / Blackpool

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