Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Jeff Wilder" data-source="post: 3808498" data-attributes="member: 5122">I've run several games at GenCon (aside from games I've run officially, for the RPGA, the D&amp;D Open, and the DCC Tournament), and the best ones had these three things in common:(1) Every character had an immediate &quot;hook&quot; with at least two other characters.&nbsp; This past GenCon, I explicitly set out to create a group such that each PC had a good relationship with two others, and a strained relationship with one other, but it obviously doesn't need to be that formulaic.&nbsp; Two sub-points:(a) At a convention game, &quot;cliche&quot; is not a bad word.&nbsp; The quicker and easier players can grasp their characters and the other characters, the quicker you get to the role-playing.(b) It's very easy to overdo character backstory.&nbsp; In addition to the hooks mentioned above, all you really need to do is allude to one or two major events in the group's history, and let the players take it from there.(2) Every PC had things in the adventure that only he or she can accomplish.&nbsp; Every DM knows that in a home campaign, we need to rotate the spotlight, but it's even more important -- and needs to be done more rapidly -- in a convention game.(3) I wasn't afraid to go over the top in my portrayal of monsters and NPCs.&nbsp; In a home campaign, maintaining the kind of intensity I'm talking about here can, first, be very draining to the DM, and, second, eventually begins to border on the ridiculous.&nbsp; But that's a function of time, and there's no time for it to happen in a convention game.&nbsp; Shout, growl, snarl, hiss, thump the table ... any trick to make the experience more immediate and visceral.&nbsp; (Do keep in mind any other groups playing in the same environs, though.)A fourth, more minor, key to success has been accessories.&nbsp; Miniatures for each pre-gen, a battlemat, pre-drawn encounter maps, and initiative tracker.&nbsp; If it can be carried easily, and it contributes to the quicker running of your home game, take it to the convention game.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Jeff Wilder, post: 3808498, member: 5122"] I've run several games at GenCon (aside from games I've run officially, for the RPGA, the D&D Open, and the DCC Tournament), and the best ones had these three things in common: (1) Every character had an immediate "hook" with at least two other characters. This past GenCon, I explicitly set out to create a group such that each PC had a good relationship with two others, and a strained relationship with one other, but it obviously doesn't need to be that formulaic. Two sub-points: (a) At a convention game, "cliche" is not a bad word. The quicker and easier players can grasp their characters and the other characters, the quicker you get to the role-playing. (b) It's very easy to overdo character backstory. In addition to the hooks mentioned above, all you really need to do is allude to one or two major events in the group's history, and let the players take it from there. (2) Every PC had things in the adventure that only he or she can accomplish. Every DM knows that in a home campaign, we need to rotate the spotlight, but it's even more important -- and needs to be done more rapidly -- in a convention game. (3) I wasn't afraid to go over the top in my portrayal of monsters and NPCs. In a home campaign, maintaining the kind of intensity I'm talking about here can, first, be very draining to the DM, and, second, eventually begins to border on the ridiculous. But that's a function of time, and there's no time for it to happen in a convention game. Shout, growl, snarl, hiss, thump the table ... any trick to make the experience more immediate and visceral. (Do keep in mind any other groups playing in the same environs, though.) A fourth, more minor, key to success has been accessories. Miniatures for each pre-gen, a battlemat, pre-drawn encounter maps, and initiative tracker. If it can be carried easily, and it contributes to the quicker running of your home game, take it to the convention game. [/QUOTE]

Verification