What factors decide your Game at Con Choice?

[lensman]

The Poll, nothing but the Poll, so help me...

[Derek Hiemforth]

For me, the most important factor is actually schedule. I can often do things at cons that I don't have the opportunity to do much, like attend interesting seminars, search for obscure gaming tidbits in the flea market, and catch up with gaming pals that I don't see except at DDC. But I know that's not the kind of factor you're looking for. So assuming we're talking about when I have time open to play a game...

My number one item is definitely pre-generated characters. After being bitten too many times in the past, I'm pretty much at the point now where I won't play in a convention game unless it has pre-generated characters. I have no desire to see my nice, reasonable character brutally run over by the screaming power-gamer's monstrosity.

Second is an item not listed above (but perhaps assumed, since these are the Hero Games boards): game system. Hero System games are always my first choice, but I'll occasionally play something else if it sounds interesting enough (and has pre-generated characters ).

Third is the description, though I think I actually end up using this to weed out games I don't want to play in more than identifying games I do want to play in.

Fourth would be GM. Occasionally I'll play in a game because of the GM. More often, I'll avoid a game because I've played with the GM in the past and don't want to do so again.

Next would be genre. I like most genres, but I'd more likely to play in whatever genre I was in the mood for that day.

Being able to play something I've never played before is a double-edged sword. It's a good opportunity, but it also might mean I'll waste a perfectly good con reg if I don't like it.

Power level doesn't matter much to me unless it's really extreme (high or low). And playing my own character matters not at all. I'd prefer not to, as Bartleby the Scrivner was wont to say.

[lensman]

Originally posted by Derek Hiemforth
My number one item is definitely pre-generated characters. After being bitten too many times in the past, I'm pretty much at the point now where I won't play in a convention game unless it has pre-generated characters. I have no desire to see my nice, reasonable character brutally run over by the screaming power-gamer's monstrosity.

Excellant reply. But let us examine this one point in more depth.

Now I know Derek, so I can say he is not a typical gamer. Let alone a typical Hero gamer.
There are few others that I would not relish crossing swords with over Hero knowledge. At the top of that list is Derek.

His point is a good one. However I would blame the GM for Allowing power gaming weevil type character that ruin agame, not the weevil him/her self.

Who am I kidding? Himself.

But what happened? I really like to take characters that have been in campaigns and built lots of history and experienxce and unleashing that at Con.
Does that make me one of those incessant self-involved motor mouths that game only to wax aout accomplishments of characters?

OR is it that Con runs need to be tight and flow and that can not be, with grab bag, who knows what characters reviewed at the last moment ?

Surely you must have an opinion

[Derek Hiemforth]

Originally posted by lensman
His point is a good one. However I would blame the GM for Allowing power gaming weevil type character that ruin agame, not the weevil him/her self.

Agreed, with one caveat. If a GM has advertised a game as "bring your own characters", and doesn't have pregens available, then if a player who rightfully got into the game has no characters that are even remotely reasonable for the scenario, the GM still basically has to allow the player to play one of them. The GM can tell the player to tweak certain things, but (A) the player often argues or gets upset that the GM is messing up their pet character and (B) this takes time. And if the GM doesn't ask them to tweak anything, then all the players who brought reasonable characters are penalized by being underpowered compared to the inappropriate power-character.

As a fellow player, I don't want to be penalized for actually having a character that fits the feel and power level the GM described for the game. I know this doesn't always happen, but I've seen it happen enough times (as both a player and a GM) that I just don't want to get involved with the whole mess. Pregens all around!

FWIW, I count a game where players are allowed to offer their own characters, but the GM has pregens available in case none of the player's characters is suitable, as a game with pre-generated characters, and I'll play in those. The fact that pregens are available means that the GM is aware of the possibility that some players will have no appropriate characters, and is ready to take steps if that occurs.

But what happened? I really like to take characters that have been in campaigns and built lots of history and experienxce and unleashing that at Con.
Does that make me one of those incessant self-involved motor mouths that game only to wax aout accomplishments of characters?

No, not at all. I didn't mean to imply that all players playing their own characters in con games are socially retarded uber-munchkins... just that some are. And I've encountered enough of them to make me steer clear of games where I might encounter more of them.

OR is it that Con runs need to be tight and flow and that can not be, with grab bag, who knows what characters reviewed at the last moment ?

This is another advantage of pregens, yes. As a GM, I like to use pregens because I know that there is a sufficient variety of character types, that none of them have plot-busting powers and that they collectively have all the powers and skills they'll need to succeed in the scenario, that they fit the tone and feel of the game, etc. As a player, I like playing with other GMs who want those same things.

[Rage]

Personally if theirs a game that isn't Magic THe Gathering I am in. Cause my CON is tiny compared to most cons.