Please Just Play the Adventure (One Shots)

[payn]

The whole idea of convention games started as "here's a dungeon, let's see how much treasure you can haul out of it."

Tournaments are really fun, but typically framed appropriately. Also, this doesn't work in non-fantasy RPGs where dungeon delving isn't part of the game.

 

[Yora]

In a non-dungeon-looting game, you give the players whatever other instructions apply. "Go salvage that spaceship." "Go find that murderer." "Go get that money from the vault."

 

[payn]

In a non-dungeon-looting game, you give the players whatever other instructions apply. "Go salvage that spaceship." "Go find that murderer." "Go get that money from the vault."

Again, this assumes its some type of steal/kill everything you can type play loop. Many games work outside of that.

 

[Fenris-77]

Again, this assumes its some type of steal/kill everything you can type play loop. Many games work outside of that.

I think you're being needlessly picky. How about give explicit instructions for the appropriate play loops?

 

[Lanefan]

The whole idea of convention games started as "here's a dungeon, let's see how much treasure you can haul out of it."

I thought it started as "here's a dungeon, let's see if you can survive it." Treasure was just a pleasant reward for the survivors.

 

[Lanefan]

Again, this assumes its some type of steal/kill everything you can type play loop. Many games work outside of that.

Thing with a con game is there has to be a fairly clear goal; and this is why tournament dungeons were so big back in the day as the end goal was both a) blindingly obvious and b) built in to the fabric of what was being run that day. Now, that goal can be as simple as any of the following:

--- get as far as you can into this dungeon/setting/situation as you can in the availble real-world time
--- survive as long as you can, either as a group or individually
--- accomplish task x (which can be anything, as long as it's made crystal clear what it is before play even begins)
--- solve problem or mystery y (ditto caveat as per task x)

What I'm saying, I suppose, is that perhaps the best method is to somewhat approach and-or run con games* as if they were tournament dungeons even when they are not. The GM makes sure everyone knows the goal, and the players bend their efforts toward achieving said goal.

Another thing to consider is that it's possible some games/genres/systems/GM-or-playstyles just don't work as well in the short one-off convention format as do others; be it because the system or genre isn't one that does hard-coded goals well, or because the game or playstyle simply needs longer for the characters to develop as expected, or because the system is simply too slow and-or granular in its resolutions to allow any meaningful progress in that time, etc.

* - exception: demo games where the primary point is to introduce/explain a new system rather than to play anything in-depth.

 

[GreyLord]

I find flexibility is the best thing in GMing or DMing. So what if they don't follow the planned route the adventure sets forth, there are MANY ways to get them to go there...and if they don't...well...improvise.

Some of the best adventures I've had are from improvisations which I came up with on the spot when the party decided to go the opposite direction.

Don't be afraid to let them fail and have consequences. Just today, the party failed to really talk or negotiate with a intelligent creature and led to a pretty major conflict in which they absolutely not only failed the quest and adventure, but brought about dire results for the surrounding countryside. They survived (well, for the most part, one is dead as an undead), but the entire point of the adventure was failed.

If they do something, go with the flow of it. I find being a DM/GM requires inventiveness, quick thinking on your feet, and great improvisation. With those as your tools it is VERY HARD to make an adventure go wrong. You can adapt to whatever they do most of the time.

 

[Fenris-77]

I find that planning to improvise has been my most useful approach. As odd as that sounds.

 

[Reynard]

I find flexibility is the best thing in GMing or DMing. So what if they don't follow the planned route the adventure sets forth, there are MANY ways to get them to go there...and if they don't...well...improvise.

Some of the best adventures I've had are from improvisations which I came up with on the spot when the party decided to go the opposite direction.

Don't be afraid to let them fail and have consequences. Just today, the party failed to really talk or negotiate with a intelligent creature and led to a pretty major conflict in which they absolutely not only failed the quest and adventure, but brought about dire results for the surrounding countryside. They survived (well, for the most part, one is dead as an undead), but the entire point of the adventure was failed.

If they do something, go with the flow of it. I find being a DM/GM requires inventiveness, quick thinking on your feet, and great improvisation. With those as your tools it is VERY HARD to make an adventure go wrong. You can adapt to whatever they do most of the time.

Not everyone is good at improvisation, so they prep. For those people, better to give them advice on exactly how to guide players into the prepared adventure. The easiest way to do that is start them there and make sure their characters are motivated to go on the adventure.

 

[Fenris-77]

Not everyone is good at improvisation, so they prep. For those people, better to give them advice on exactly how to guide players into the prepared adventure. The easiest way to do that is start them there and make sure their characters are motivated to go on the adventure.

The real issue is what, exactly, are they prepping, isn't it?