Does Anyone Else Find Con Games To Suck?

[IronWolf]

I think it can be hit or miss. While only have been going to the Cons (Origins and GenCon) for the past two years I have been pretty satisfied with the games I have played in. Of course I realize going into them that they are only 4 or 5 hour slots and only so much depth and plotline can happen in that amount of time. I still find them fun though.

 

[GlassJaw]

I don't have much experience at cons in general (this year was my first GenCon) but I've had very good luck. I do tend to stay away from the traditional games though. At GenCon this year, I played Thieves World, Conan, Arcana Evolved, and Pulp Cthulhu and they were all very good games.

Maybe I was just lucky though because I have heard some horror stories.

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

One of the posts here reminded me of something else, I would like to add.

As a GM I think I have a responsibility NOT to whack any characters until most of the way through the game (of course there are exceptions to this from time to time). But generally speaking if you paid for the ticket, you paid to play in a game and I would feel terrible to kill someone off early when the alternative is to do something different and allow them to continue playing. If I think a certain amount of damage would kill them early on, what is the problem in simply reducing it so they can still have a good time.

 

[devilbat]

I agree that for the most part, games at cons are often less then great. A four to five hour slot doesn't give you enough time to get to know the character, role play with the others at the table, and deal with the plot that is laid out. Add to that, the GM's are often below par, late, or don't bother to show up at all. BUT, as a regular DM, I find con games a godsend, as they are the only opportunity I ever get to play. My advice is write down the name of the GM if you really enjoyed the game you play, that way you can watch for their games year after year.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

I agree with Keeper of Secrets in principle, though I disagree in specific. I think you can run a very successful D&D or variant D&D game at a convention. You just need to attract a group that wants to have fun with the right idea and have a good DM. COnvention games are a great opportunity to try out scenarios you could never do in your home game. Example: I ran a session called Air Strike last year at Gen Con. Six sprytes (or faen on giant warbats) harassing humans in a castle. It would fall apart in a regular game after maybe two sessions. But at a convention? Pure gold. Both groups I ran through it loved it.

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

I agree with Keeper of Secrets in principle, though I disagree in specific. I think you can run a very successful D&D or variant D&D game at a convention. You just need to attract a group that wants to have fun with the right idea and have a good DM. COnvention games are a great opportunity to try out scenarios you could never do in your home game. Example: I ran a session called Air Strike last year at Gen Con. Six sprytes (or faen on giant warbats) harassing humans in a castle. It would fall apart in a regular game after maybe two sessions. But at a convention? Pure gold. Both groups I ran through it loved it.

Oh sure. I did not mean to suggest that D&D at a con was doomed to failure from die roll one, but I DO think running a great D&D game in four hours is an uphill battle, especially when you consider the easier alternatives.

Also, I do like rules lite games at cons where you don't have tp spend a lot of time looking up odd rules people might pull out of their butts.

Though I love playing games at cons I have never played before in order to see what else is out there.

Also, Varianor, your game sounds like the exact thing I was talking about when I said that 'gimmick' games were very popular.

 

[Ethernaut]

My Con experience may be an exception to the rule... the majority of the games that I've played in have been excellent. Of course, I've had a few spectacularly bad games as well, but these have been exceptions. And oddly enough (for a person who's not a huge fan of D&D/D20), three of my most memorable con games were D&D/D20. That's probably because they were pickup games run by talented En World GMs. My other favorite was a Gurps Mystery Men game, which was an absolute scream.

 

[jcfiala]

Well, I just finished being the RPG coordinator at Tacticon this last weekend, and I didn't hear any complaints about the games. We had a mix of living campaigns (Greyhawk, Arcanis, etc) and judge-created classic mods, and as far as I know most people had a blast.

But then, we've got a pretty active convention scene here in Denver, with a large number of judges who know how to run convention games well. It's been a while since I've played at a major convention like Gen Con. (When I did, I was mostly doing demos for a game, which mostly went well, and had one LG game where my character died.)

 

[Varianor Abroad]

Oh sure. I did not mean to suggest that D&D at a con was doomed to failure from die roll one, but I DO think running a great D&D game in four hours is an uphill battle, especially when you consider the easier alternatives.

....

Also, Varianor, your game sounds like the exact thing I was talking about when I said that 'gimmick' games were very popular.

Since you're not there for a simple hack 'n slash adventure, yes. I have successfully run D&D mysteries in a 4-hour slot. To do the epic level of adventure? Well, that could be done. Actually, I think the AE Tourney this year came pretty close. The way to do an "epic" adventure at Gen Con, I think, is to sign up for two 8 hour days in a row with the same proven DM.

Okay, yeah, I agree on gimmick games.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Most of the RPG's I've played in at Cons, AD&D especially, were usually half drunken affairs due to the free beer. Most of the poeple I've talked to said they don't usually play that way at home but since it's a con and drinks are on the house...why not? I didn't argue and filled my flagon to the rim.