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<blockquote data-quote="SteveC" data-source="post: 3007664" data-attributes="member: 9053">Piratecat's advice is excellent. Let me add three more points, one of which is a totally super-secret point.First, have more than one GM. Every game I have run at a Con has had two GMs at the table. In one game we ran four different games that were all happening at the same time, which required 8 GMs! One GM is the primary, and the other handles requests and plays key NPCs. The backup GM can also handle rules questions so that you can keep the story.A second point. Props. I was part of a team that ran Call of C'thuhlu games for four years, and we had a consistent following that grew each and every year. The thing that the players told us that really made the game was that we had props. One year we had a game where all the characters were in a bunker planning for a Y2k &quot;End of the World&quot; scenario. We had a walki-talki that was used by the group to directly contact agents they deployed in the field. The players told us they LOVED it. Another year we had a sci-fi C'thuhlu, and one character had a SPACE GUN. We actually brought a cheezy blaster pistol with us and the group used it to symbolize who had the one and only real weapon, which became important at one point in the plot. Afterwards, the players said that it made the game much more tense.Finally, the super-secret one: have a ringer player. Our games were always for six players, but we had a seventh one there every time. This player was a plant, who was usually working for the bad guys (but not always). In the Y2K game, for example, the plant was the White House Communications Director who would try and move the game along when it was slowed down, and also subtly redirect certain actions (&quot;yes, we have polling numbers on nuking Ohio, and they're very low...maybe we could look at another option...&quot;)Those are my ideas, but Pirate Cat has pretty much nailed it (as would be expected).--Steve</blockquote>

[QUOTE="SteveC, post: 3007664, member: 9053"] Piratecat's advice is excellent. Let me add three more points, one of which is a totally super-secret point. First, have more than one GM. Every game I have run at a Con has had two GMs at the table. In one game we ran four different games that were all happening at the same time, which required 8 GMs! One GM is the primary, and the other handles requests and plays key NPCs. The backup GM can also handle rules questions so that you can keep the story. A second point. Props. I was part of a team that ran Call of C'thuhlu games for four years, and we had a consistent following that grew each and every year. The thing that the players told us that really made the game was that we had props. One year we had a game where all the characters were in a bunker planning for a Y2k "End of the World" scenario. We had a walki-talki that was used by the group to directly contact agents they deployed in the field. The players told us they LOVED it. Another year we had a sci-fi C'thuhlu, and one character had a SPACE GUN. We actually brought a cheezy blaster pistol with us and the group used it to symbolize who had the one and only real weapon, which became important at one point in the plot. Afterwards, the players said that it made the game much more tense. Finally, the super-secret one: have a ringer player. Our games were always for six players, but we had a seventh one there every time. This player was a plant, who was usually working for the bad guys (but not always). In the Y2K game, for example, the plant was the White House Communications Director who would try and move the game along when it was slowed down, and also subtly redirect certain actions ("yes, we have polling numbers on nuking Ohio, and they're very low...maybe we could look at another option...") Those are my ideas, but Pirate Cat has pretty much nailed it (as would be expected). --Steve [/QUOTE]

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