PAX East Itinerary

The schedule for PAX East has been posted, and I've been looking through the list of panel discussions.  Of particular interest to me is:

• Design an RPG in an Hour.  According to the description, this panel will "address the problem-solving and analytical questions required to design a successful game."
• Storytelling in the World of Interactive Fiction, covering "reordered storylines, unreliable narrators, deeply responsive NPCs [and] how they apply to other kinds of games."
• Beyond Dungeons & Dragons, which explores the "'indy' role playing game scene."
• I HAVE A GREAT IDEA FOR A GAME!!   Finally I'll be able to SACWAG.
• A Sophisticated Evening with Rooster Teeth Productions, which is unlikely to expand my gaming knowledge but will undoubtedly cause me to bust a gut laughing.  If you've never seen Red vs. Blue, then get thee viewing Season 1 (NSFW: strong adult language).
• Naughty Dog LIVE – Game Design with the Dogs, where "designers hold a game design meeting right in the middle of PAX East to tackle the challenge of developing a new gameplay sequence."  I know nothing of their game, but I want to learn about challenges that they face.
• Fail Now!  A discussion on learning from one's mistakes.
• MMO Gamer Behavior 101.  This one especially interests me, as the panel will discuss what "...exactly is it about [MMO] games --- killing the dragon? feeling powerful? vicarious adventure? acting out?--- that explains their massive appeal?"
• But Thou Must: Choice in Games, which examines how "role-playing games need choice to propel the plot and motivate the player."
• Community Managers: More than Forum Monkeys, which is an especially interesting topic.
• Beyond Candyland, another very interesting discussion which will "explore the theory and thought behind the so-called 'German Board Games'."
• Future of the MMO Scene - MMORPG.com, just because I want to know.
• D&D Seminar: Save My Game! Live, which may not interest me if it's all technical questions.

The convention looks great and I hope that I have the energy to last me the entire weekend.  I hope to come away with a lot of ideas and insight that can be transportable to Clan Lord.