GMing at a Con

[starblaze]

Hello,
I have been thinking of running a champions adventure at a con around the end of May. This is the first time I have ever done this so I would like to know if you fellow GMs could give me some advice on how to go about it.

Thank you in advance.

[Derek Hiemforth]

I've run Champions games at conventions about 10 times. Here are some things I'd recommend...

• Provide the characters. If you allow the players to bring their own characters, you're extremely unlikely to get an equitable mix of power levels and character-building styles, and also unlikely to have every player have a character that fits the adventure. If you provide the characters, then you know they fit the adventure and that they're balanced against each other in terms of power.
  
• Keep the plot simple. You don't have a lot of time at a con game, and players who are unfamiliar with each other will take longer to solve problems or unravel subtle clues. Also, con games often take place in a distraction-filled environment, which isn't conducive to working through intricate plots.
  
• Do your best to keep combat moving. Consider ignoring Endurance. If you have some inexperienced players who have trouble counting Hero damage dice quickly, see if you can get a more experienced player nearby to help them out. Have a speed chart pre-prepared (another benefit of pre-generated characters is that you can then make this chart in advance). Encourage the players to consider their actions before their Phase comes around so that they can decide quickly to help keep things moving.
  
• Don't be afraid to nudge the story along. This doesn't have to mean leading the players around by the nose, but just don't let them go too far afield chasing red herrings or bogging down in dead ends. You can afford that luxury in an ongoing campaign; in a one-shot con game, certain things will need to be resolved one way or another within a set amount of time. So give 'em a push if they get stuck.
  
• Don't tie the game deeply to your own campaign world. The players won't have time to absorb all the details of your personal setting, no matter how cool it is. A setting they're familiar with already works better. Consider setting the game in the Champions Universe, or a well-known fictional world.
  
• Be assertive in spreading the spotlight around. Don't let one or two pushy players dominate the game. Everyone there is entitled to have fun, and some players seem to lack the social skills to realize that hogging the spotlight and talking over other players is rude. Make sure everyone gets a chance to shine, and don't be afraid to "direct traffic." You don't have to be mean about it. A polite but firm, "Hold on please, this other player has the spotlight right now," can divert a pushy player who tries to seize control of the action.

Anyway, that's what I can think of. I'm sure others will add some things (or disagree with some of mine.)

[JohnTaber]

Buy the next issue of DH (i.e. DH #9). There is an article about creating games to run at conventions. I think it is a pretty neat article. No...I did not write it...BUT I did write an adventure for DH#9 that is intended to be used to introduce new players to Hero OR to be run at conventions.

[MarkusDark]

I usually find that the style that works the best at a Con is:

Have a very brief introduction to the players
Have a short battle at the very beginning of the event (usually using agents and only one villian will make it short and sweet)
Have clues left as to why there was a battle
Let the players 'detective' and reason things together with a couple of encounters (no need for combat)
Then have the nice climatic battle at the end.

[Law Dog]

And now onto the things not to do (and these are as important as the things to do).

1) Do not pit the characters against each other. For some reason, I've seen this one way too many times. It never works.

2) When you create the PC's, watch the "problem" powers. Convention gamers are already going to tend to ride roughshod over your plans to begin with, don't give them the abilities that are going to help in this. At a con last year, in a second game being run by a GM who did mistake #1, I got a character with some pretty impressive run speed. Now it was a "villains" game (something again, you probably don't want to run). Our team would have had to fight two very powerful heroes. I immediately shifted the odds in our favor by telling the really big hero to meet me at the Airport in two minutes or I'd start crashing jets (which I did anyway) and wound up later at the hospital making "baby armor" with infants and duck tape. Carefully evaluate the abilities the characters will have.

3) Don't try to cram 4 hours of game into a 4 hour block. If you are alotted 4 hours, plan the game for 3. A lot of conventions have tight pacing between the games. Chances are you are going to run over, especially if you are having to go slower for non-Hero players. If it really only runs 3, that's fine too. The people will find things to do with their time.

4) Don't glaze over the background. Since your time is so limited, a few pages of handouts can be nice for the players. Since there is a lot of "downtime" in Champions, it will also give the players something to do waiting for their next phase.

[MoonHunter]

Convention gaming is very different from running a standard campaign. For the years I was Tri-Tac's convention/ demo presenter-west (82-86), I was assailed by a variety of players. I have run convention sponsored games, tourny game, and enough games in the open gaming room to make my head spin. *insert animation here* Here is some advice...

{Note: These tips were first posted at www.openroleplaying.org. These tips can not be reposted without crediting the site. Sorry, they make me say that.)

Unless you have managed to prebook the demonstration team for the game you are running, write a game that beginners can play. A beginners' game does not mean a simple game. The idea is to introduce the players to the game. This means writing something that shows up its various key aspects. This will create a game that beginners or less experienced players can play in, and satisfy experienced players who will still respond to the key aspects of the game setting.

Convention games have time limits. Plan for less time than you have. Something will happen to fill it because Murphy is a gamer.

Go to the essence of the game's background. This means writing something that shows its various key aspects. Since this means keeping to the basics, it allows you to quickly bring new players up to speed, and a player with any experience at all in the game will know what is going on.

Write the character sheet in English, rather than just have a pile of stats. Include a bit of world background and character history to make sure that the player is "in the know". This gives everyone a solid foundation to play from and prevents you from having to "get to know" the characters.

If you have pregenerated characters (a suggested must for a great game), have them mostly done. Having some "freebie points" or skill point or some such available for the players to put their own "spin" on the existing character. This allows the player to "make the character their own" and tailor it to their own style of play. One thing to consider: make sure it is only a few points that can be quickly assigned. Otherwise you will loose a great deal of time to "character design".

It is always great to give each character its own portrait, if possible. It gives the players an instant handle on the character.

Give each character a little stand up nameplate that can be easily read from across the table. Nametags are another good option. Have each character introduce themselves. (You may want to write a suggested introduction for each characters as well). The game will flow smoother if everyone knows everyone else.

A convention game should be a basic game, utilizing the games key background ideas, that can be played in a few hours. So when creating the adventure remember "Keep It Simple, Stupid!". It is easier to add to an adventure, than to cut elements out.

You will not know the skill level of your possible players, or even their tastes, until it is too late. Make a basic adventure that can be expanded, rather than a complicated adventure that they might not understand or be able to complete.

ACTION! Make things happen! The background is set, the players have read and understood their sheets. It's now time for lights, camera and ACTION! Notice the capital letters and punctuation. Give the players something to do. They are never going to see what the game is about if they spend half the scenario dealing with merchants over the price of supplies.

Start with simple rules examples and build up to the more difficult, if you must. Lets us face it, unless everyone is a pro, it works out well to go through how the rules work. You would also be surprised at the number of experienced players who do not know the book rules, but only their house rules. Make sure that all the players know what their new character's abilities are AND how to use them. Many convention players may not know the way to use abilities in combination the way you and your troupe do.

Make sure to plan breaks in the game. That way people will know when they can get food/ drink/ or stretch, rather than just do it when they feel like it and disrupt the flow of your game.

Pretest your scenario with another set of players if at all possible. This way you know what weaknesses the scenario might have and you will have a good idea on how long it will take.

Make sure to get to your assigned game area early. This prevents surprises at game time. Make sure the game before yours will be gone in time for you to start (if not talk to con staff). Make sure everything is set up for your game. Talk to the early gamers in the hall and get a feel for them. Set up your gear as quickly and efficiently as possible, so you can get the group organized quickly. This pre time will get your "head into the game" and make sure the game starts without a hitch.

Make sure to get plenty of rest, eat enough food, and keep your voice before your game. As a Game Master, you are a performer. You have to be at your best form. You can not present a "great game" if you are a half starved gamer zombie that nobody can hear. GMs: This is also true for regular games.

If you are not planning on having pregenerated characters for the entire group, have some lying around in case a player does not have a character appropriate for your scenario.

MoonHunter
Sage, Gamer, Mystic, Wit
"The road less traveled is less traveled for a reason."
Now posting 1100+ RPG Tips @ www.openroleplaying.org

[Rune]

There are some additional responsibilities that you have when you use pre-generated characters. The characters need to be interesting and, ideally, will have written backgrounds. When Players bring their own characters to the game, they already have some emotional attachment to the character; in some cases, a lot of emotional attachment to the character. When they use pre-gen characters, you need to give them characters that will be interesting to play.

You may want to have more characters than players so as to maximize choices. Make sure that the adventure doesn't hang on one character using a particular skill. That character might not be chosen because you had 6 slots and one person doesn't show.

I prefer games where you can bring your own character in, but that generates a separate set of concerns. In the game description, you should convey the approximate power level of the game. Giving max Defenses and DC works pretty well, but that leaves a lot of ambiguity that you'll need to resolve at the game. Reviewing people's characters takes a certain amount of time, and you won't have the luxury of a pre-built speed chart. If you've got a 4 hr time slot, you're probably better off using pre-gen characters. If you've got a 6 or 8 hr time slot, you have more flexibility to decide whether to use pre-gen character or let people bring their own.

[Killer Shrike]

Remember to

a) concentrate on fun

b) be preparred not just for any strange type of gamer who might trundle along, but rather a table composed of several strange types all at once

c) at least 1 of the players either intends to sabotage your game or just takes a random series of actions that in hindsight appear that way

d) pregenerated characters are your friend

e) ultimately a good story is a good story regardless of game mechanic; focus on a good story and just manage to not bungle the mechanix and youll have a better game than if you focus on good mechanix and dont quite bungle the story. Of the 2 the over arching plot should take precedence.

f) In pursuit of the above, use a GMs screen. Im infamous for 'playing the dice as they land' in my own regular games and will roll in the open or not as convenience strikes. But in a convention game often times a little creative GM interpretation of how to add 6+6+5 and come up with a 5 or vice versa on the fly will make the difference between a fun and well timed session and a dissapointing failure or even victory (its not fun in the long run if the boss encounter folds to a sucker punch in the Phase 12).

g) Dont be afraid to Magic Pencil something in to make the game run smoother. Also. if a player comes up with an idea in play better than what you had initially thought of for the plot line, if its feasible run with that instead, or at least incorporate a recognizable chunk into the written material. This will increase buy-in.

h) Have some sort of award system. Make sure to explain it to the players. Set goals and give points for those goals consistently and fairly. Some conventions push thier own uniform awards system, so adapt that if they do. Its cheesy, but Ive seen it work to well too many times. Players will want to stick it out to the very end to see if they 'won' Make sure you as the GM keep it interesting by insuring players that are lagging behind 'just happen' to stumble across opportunities to keep up. This also helps prevent dawdling and encourages action which is a good thing in a one shot.

i) concentrate on fun

good luck!

[Jhamin]

I'm not a real seasoned con gamer and have never run a game, but here are a few things that have derailed games I have played in:

- Make sure if you are DMing that you don't set up the game to require alot of background or experience with the game world unless you make it very clear that that is a requirement.

-Roleplaying is a must, but intersperce it with action. If you have a 4 hour block and you do nothing but fight for the first 2 then the roleplayers will feel left out. If you do nothing but roleplay for the first two hours, then the combat mongers will get bored.

- This is not a diffeent kind of campaign. Do not run games that make refrences to the last cool Con game you ran. Unless you get the exact same group of players back (unlikely) then the refrences will either be lost on your new crew, or the new guys will feel left out when a returning player recognizes the refrence.

- On a related note, don't run games that will take place over several 4 hour blocks over the course of the Con. It is unlikely that players want to devote that much of their Con time to playing your game. (The whole point of a con is to get in a bunch of different games) If you need to experience the whole story for it to be cool, then the guys who only play part two will come away thinking you are a lame GM whose plots are really disjointed.

- If you provide charcters, be fair to everyone by requiring them. If somebody brings their own charcter which by some miracle is acceptable to your game, make them use a pregen anyway. If they are using their own and everyone else has a pregen it can create a divide in the game.

- As the DM is is your responsibilityt o make sure the game keeps moving and if anybody has rules questions you are the one who needs be able to make a call. Know your system before you run a Con game with it.

- If one of your regular players from your home game happens to participate in a Con game with you, do not treat them differently. Your Con players are there to have fun, not to be your buddies sidekicks. This is harder than it sounds since the two of you are more familiar with each others gaming styles.

- Speaking as a player, pitting the characters against each other usually seem less like an innovative ploy and more like you didn't have a real plot to keep us occupied.

[Talon]

Especially for your first con game, I highly recommend playtesting to get a sense for the length of the game (as well as any other problems).

[Jhamin]

Originally posted by Geoff Speare
Especially for your first con game, I highly recommend playtesting to get a sense for the length of the game (as well as any other problems).

Really good advice.

I would just add: If at all possible don't playtest with your regular players. If there is any way you can borrow someone else's group or recruit players you don't normally game with it will be a much better playtest.

Your regular group already knows your style, and may unintentionally gloss over a major problem because they know what you mean.

[starblaze]

Thanks for all the advice, i will defenitely keep it in mind.