MNblockhead
A Title Much Cooler Than Anything on the Old Site
I'm preparing to register as a judge for a convention that takes place February next year. This would be my first time running games at a convention.
I would appreciate any advice you can give. I have plenty of time to prepare, so I hope I can make good use of your advice. In particular, I'm interested in hearing from players about pet peeves, poor experiences, and great experiences.
The areas where I have the most anxiety:
1. Time management--it is one thing to run games for a regular group of friends. It is entirely different to run a one-off for a group of strangers. Some things are obvious. I will be early to my game and have everything prepared and ready to go. I'm likely going to run games with pre-gens that players choose from. As a player, I hate the time wasted on character generation at some convention games. I intend, assuming punctual players, to get as close to four hours of gaming out of the four-hour session as possible. But is that wise? I know players can schedule things tightly and may want to run off 5-10 minutes before the end of the session. I would hate to have half the table excuse themselves at the closing scene of a four-hour adventure.
2. Too few players show up. As a player, I've been to games where only me and one other person shows up and after waiting for 20 minutes or so, the GM cancels the game. That really irks me as a player. As a GM, even if only one player shows up, I want to make it possible for the game to go on if the player wants to. I realize that for some games it is not feasible. But I would think that I could have alternative adventures on hand that could be played with smaller parties or solo. As a player, would that be appreciated? If it were me, I would rather play a different adventure than waste my ticket.
3. Game selection. I plan to be running a lot of games. Some will be non-AL 5e games. But I would also like to run some more indie games, such as Index Card Roleplaying Game and InSPECTREs. I'm a little worried about going too far afield from the tried and true. A game like InSPECTREs works best with more extroverted "thespian"-style players. It is heavy on ROLE playing and improvisation. It tends to be a love-it-or-hate-it game. Besides making the style of game and gameplay expectations absolutely clear in the event description, any tips on running such games with strangers at a convention?
4. How assertive to be. I have no trouble being assertive. In my day job, I have to be very assertive. But in my home games, I'm very laid back. I let the players dictate the playstyle. I'm flexible and can enjoy intense, focused sessions as much as beer-and-peanuts informal play. At a convention, however, a greater amount of assertiveness is required. While I have sympathy for GMs that have to deal with troublesome players, I resent it when GMs refuse to confront them and let a player derail the session, ruining it for all other players. I'm surprised that most GMs at convention games do not lay any ground rules at the start of a session. I suppose players don't want to be lectured at and it feels like time taken from playing. I don't propose that I lecture players on normal etiquette and harassment policies. But I think it would be helpful at the start of the session to explain how I will handle players not being ready for their turn and players needing to step away to take a call. I wouldn't take a lecturing, punitive approach, but simply state that I know that things come up--no problem--but in the interest of keeping the game moving, if you are not ready on your turn I go to the next in initiative order and will come back to you at the end of the round (not being ready pushes your turn to the end of the round). If you have to take a call, your character is deemed to take the hide action if in combat or just passively tagging along if out of combat.
5. Props, supplies, devices. DM David has a lot of great tips for putting together a DMs kit for running games at conventions. I'd be interested in your stories of failed preparations and tips for packing for convention gaming. My 5e games will be the only ones with this issue. I like my visual aids. I'll probably use large-format printed battlemaps as I have access to a large-format printer. I can roll up lots of battlemats and stick them in a couple of poster tubes. That way I don't need to waste time on drawing things out with wet erase or trying to deal with electronics. I'll probably use my 2D Arc Knight flat plastic miniatures and paper flat miniatures. Since I have many hundreds organized in envelopes in what is basically a large shoe box. Also, I won't be as upset over any getting lost, ruined, or stolen. I'll rely on the printed battlemaps for terrain features and furniture. I don't want to risk my dungeon crate and crafted terrain pieces. It can still be nice to draw out an encounter on the fly, so I will still bring a reusable battlemat. Probably WotC's Adventure Grid, instead of my large Chessex sheet, as it is easier to pack and dry erase is easier to deal with at a convention.
Any tips or stories to share on these or other topics related to running my first game at a convention would be appreciated.
I would appreciate any advice you can give. I have plenty of time to prepare, so I hope I can make good use of your advice. In particular, I'm interested in hearing from players about pet peeves, poor experiences, and great experiences.
The areas where I have the most anxiety:
1. Time management--it is one thing to run games for a regular group of friends. It is entirely different to run a one-off for a group of strangers. Some things are obvious. I will be early to my game and have everything prepared and ready to go. I'm likely going to run games with pre-gens that players choose from. As a player, I hate the time wasted on character generation at some convention games. I intend, assuming punctual players, to get as close to four hours of gaming out of the four-hour session as possible. But is that wise? I know players can schedule things tightly and may want to run off 5-10 minutes before the end of the session. I would hate to have half the table excuse themselves at the closing scene of a four-hour adventure.
2. Too few players show up. As a player, I've been to games where only me and one other person shows up and after waiting for 20 minutes or so, the GM cancels the game. That really irks me as a player. As a GM, even if only one player shows up, I want to make it possible for the game to go on if the player wants to. I realize that for some games it is not feasible. But I would think that I could have alternative adventures on hand that could be played with smaller parties or solo. As a player, would that be appreciated? If it were me, I would rather play a different adventure than waste my ticket.
3. Game selection. I plan to be running a lot of games. Some will be non-AL 5e games. But I would also like to run some more indie games, such as Index Card Roleplaying Game and InSPECTREs. I'm a little worried about going too far afield from the tried and true. A game like InSPECTREs works best with more extroverted "thespian"-style players. It is heavy on ROLE playing and improvisation. It tends to be a love-it-or-hate-it game. Besides making the style of game and gameplay expectations absolutely clear in the event description, any tips on running such games with strangers at a convention?
4. How assertive to be. I have no trouble being assertive. In my day job, I have to be very assertive. But in my home games, I'm very laid back. I let the players dictate the playstyle. I'm flexible and can enjoy intense, focused sessions as much as beer-and-peanuts informal play. At a convention, however, a greater amount of assertiveness is required. While I have sympathy for GMs that have to deal with troublesome players, I resent it when GMs refuse to confront them and let a player derail the session, ruining it for all other players. I'm surprised that most GMs at convention games do not lay any ground rules at the start of a session. I suppose players don't want to be lectured at and it feels like time taken from playing. I don't propose that I lecture players on normal etiquette and harassment policies. But I think it would be helpful at the start of the session to explain how I will handle players not being ready for their turn and players needing to step away to take a call. I wouldn't take a lecturing, punitive approach, but simply state that I know that things come up--no problem--but in the interest of keeping the game moving, if you are not ready on your turn I go to the next in initiative order and will come back to you at the end of the round (not being ready pushes your turn to the end of the round). If you have to take a call, your character is deemed to take the hide action if in combat or just passively tagging along if out of combat.
5. Props, supplies, devices. DM David has a lot of great tips for putting together a DMs kit for running games at conventions. I'd be interested in your stories of failed preparations and tips for packing for convention gaming. My 5e games will be the only ones with this issue. I like my visual aids. I'll probably use large-format printed battlemaps as I have access to a large-format printer. I can roll up lots of battlemats and stick them in a couple of poster tubes. That way I don't need to waste time on drawing things out with wet erase or trying to deal with electronics. I'll probably use my 2D Arc Knight flat plastic miniatures and paper flat miniatures. Since I have many hundreds organized in envelopes in what is basically a large shoe box. Also, I won't be as upset over any getting lost, ruined, or stolen. I'll rely on the printed battlemaps for terrain features and furniture. I don't want to risk my dungeon crate and crafted terrain pieces. It can still be nice to draw out an encounter on the fly, so I will still bring a reusable battlemat. Probably WotC's Adventure Grid, instead of my large Chessex sheet, as it is easier to pack and dry erase is easier to deal with at a convention.
Any tips or stories to share on these or other topics related to running my first game at a convention would be appreciated.
