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Thank you for requesting:

Roleplaying Tips Weekly Supplemental #8
  "Running Games At Conventions"


A tipster wrote in with a help request for running RPGs well
at cons:

"Greetings Johnn,

Thanks for the Roleplaying Tips newsletter, I always find it
useful.

Have a request though: do you or your readers have any
suggestions for running a role-playing game at a convention?
I am currently signed up to DM two games at this year's
Origins on the July 4th weekend.

Both games are ones that I have run before as normal full-
length (1-3 session) games, and my players thought they were
very good. Having wrote these adventures for a format where
time was no object though, I'm not certain how to limit them
to a 4 hour time span. I have 3.75 hours for each game, but
I figure some of that will be wasted with introductions,
character assignments, and a break.

I would appreciate any advice that you or your readers could
provide. Thanks in advance."

Please find below all of the great and useful ideas that
poured in from Roleplaying Tips Weekly readers.

Even if the topic covers gaming at cons, I feel many of the
tips can apply to your personal campaigns as well, so there
should be food for thought here for everyone.

A few tips are repeated often, but I didn't want to break up
the flow of readers' emails, and sometimes reading the same
ideas expressed in different ways helps things sink in
better. So, just skip over any tips where you say "yeah,
yeah, read that already!" because there's great nuggets of
info right to the very end.

Enjoy.

Regards,

Johnn Four
johnn@roleplayingtips.com
http://www.roleplayingtips.com

Note on Navigation: To quickly move between readers' emails,
use your application's Find or Search feature and look for
@@@@@@. I have purposely used six 'at signs' because they do
not appear in anyone's post and will not confuse searching.


@@@@@@


From: Dale T.
      http://www.sonic.net/~hezleigh/d&d/d&dhome.htm

1. Don't bite off more than you and the players can chew.
Choose your adventure wisely, taking into account the amount
of time you have. Remember to take into account breaks,
start-up time, and combats.

When you look at your adventure, budget time for each
encounter (write the times the PCs should be done with
certain encounters). And playtest it with your regular group
of gamers, if possible, as this will give you a general idea
of its length. This more than anything, is the most
important consideration, followed closely by:

2. Be Prepared! This is even more critical at a convention
than at your home game, where you can wing it more. The
preparation should include the following:

a) Have all materials ready - that means the adventure is
thoroughly read, encounters are listed with easily-
referenced stats, and all tips and tricks are used to
minimize looking up rules (use your GM screen, combat cards,
etc.)

b) Know your rules and the rule supplements you allow. This
is essential for getting and keeping the game going quickly.
Newer DMs to Con games often make the mistake of not knowing
this and making these decisions at the game, wasting
valuable time while the PCs take a nap or leave.

c) Arrive early and set-up long before players arrive -
consider table arrangements, battle mats and figures, break
times (your schedule), etc.

d) Set standards for player starting equipment. Many
players will want to play these god-awfully powerful
characters who "acquired the Head of Vecna" through their
previous adventuring careers - yeah right!

You can either use guidelines in a rule book and let the
players choose their starting equipment, or write a list of
helpful equipment they have to divide amongst themselves.

The biggest pet peeve I had at a game session was in a "6th
level" adventure, where I followed the 13,000gp limit on
magic found in the rule books, but the DM allowed one player
(Head-of-Vecna-Man) to start with a grossly-overbalanced
13th level 120,000gp in equipment. His rationale: he said it
was OK as long as the player acquired it through real
adventuring. I should have walked out then. That player was
also really annoying and played a bizarrely powerful class
which leads me to:

e) Set standards for player starting classes. All potential
players will most likely have a set of characters to choose
from, not knowing what game they'll play. Head-of-Vecna-Man
contrived a weird background for his half-minotaur, half-
dragon vampire ghost or some such. I thought it was garbage
power-gaming, but the DM rolled over and allowed it. Which
leads me to:

3. Start your session with a question asking everyone to
answer. Such as "the best game I ever played in had the
elements of __________ (players finish the sentence)," or
"Think of your favorite character. Name *ONE* quality that
made that character great to play."

Brainstorm others. This does quite a few things. First, you
create an opportunity for people to connect and share with
one another their joy of playing games. Second, you are
soliciting information which you can immediately use in the
coming game.

If a player says "I liked playing Grelthor Dragon-Killer,
Slayer of All Demonkind, because I got to add monstrous
modifiers to my die rolls, and he was really powerful -
THAT's a RED FLAG - powergamer!

You may be surprised at how insightful this little screening
can assist you in challenging your players and working their
edges -stick Grelthor in a diplomatic situation and watch
the player struggle with a new horizon opened.

4. Consider avoiding many of the above problems by using
PRE-GENERATED CHARACTERS, stats only. Offer a half-hour
before the game, while all players are still arriving, for
players to work on names and character background. Offer XP
to players who show up early and write a cool history while
all are waiting for the game to fill.

5. Keep the action moving and reward action. Remember, you
have a time limit. Don't reward player bickering by letting
it continue. Don't allow a distracting amount of tired film
quotations..."I'll bite your legs off"..."I have a bad
feeling about this..." Immediately tell them what the bad
feeling is. Drive the action. Have NPCs do things that cause
the players to take action.

6. Use "I" statements when encountering almost inevitable
player conflicts:

*  "That's not the game I'm running."

* "That is my decision."

* "I'm ruling in favor of..."

* "I'm sorry, but I intend to follow the rules here, not
allowing for bending, no matter how well reasoned/
rationalized."

Avoid language that sounds overly righteous or that puts a
player on the defensive. Remember to use "in-game" language,
and don't make it personal to the player. The only exception
is if you need to ask a rowdy or contentious player to
leave. Hold confidence that all the other gamers want you to
make that decision - after all the player who deserves a
booting will be recognized by all pretty quickly. You are
simply expressing the want of the group.

7. Try to build in mini-cliffhangers and suspense. Take a
break right in the middle of combat, or just before to give
struggling players a little edge. They'll have time to plan
a little what their character will do. If you time your
breaks right, players will come back rejuvenated with new
ideas and make the game fun.

8. Be firm as a DM, more so than in your normal game. You
have to make quick decisions to keep the game flowing for
all players. You are rolling the dice to see what kind of
players you get, so don't be surprised if you get a few
natural 1s... and 20s.

The best way to deal with all players fairly is to clearly
state you will be making quick decisions, and asking for the
players' understanding and cooperation. Clearly, since there
are usually time limits on the game rooms, the DM and fellow
players do NOT have the time to debate at length the rules
during the game. This kills all flow, and will make your
planned 8-hour adventure turn into one four hours too long,
getting booted out of the room for another game...


@@@@@@

From: Laura

Hi Johnn!

I've run a variety of games at Gen Con for over ten years,
including 500 person LARPs and D&D scenarios I've written.
I've also run D&D at our local con and at a local gaming
club for many years, as well as TFOS, and Macho Women With
Guns. Here are some ideas that have worked for me.

1. Don't be concerned about reaching the end. Non-linear
scenarios are best for this. If the players had fun, that's
all that matters. In my non-linear games, I'd bring the
players to a place and let them run around and interact with
the scads of NPCs I had. When time gets short, you can speed
up the ending much easier than stopping in the middle of the
traditional throne room confrontation.

If there is a climactic battle, key it to a certain real
world time instead of when they get to Room 101. That way
you can time your ending and make sure you have enough time
to play it through.

2. Give each player a folder containing everything they need
to know. I usually include the following:

a) Character sheet.

b) A paragraph of two of background and motivation

c) A cast list of the rest of the party with a sentence
about each character.

d) Home rules and variants or explanations of non-self
explanatory rules. In one of my Macho Women With Guns games,
I listed each player's skills and a description of them,
because most people don't know that particular game. It
saves time by avoiding the pre-game Q+A session.

e) One or two character goals for the session. These goals
do not involve completing the mission. They can be as simple
as "Get the knight to trust you enough to take you on as a
squire" or "Find out why So and So has been acting funny."
They do have to be attainable during a four hour game
session, and they do have to require role-playing to
accomplish.

f) A name tag with the character's name on it.

I usually give the players about 15 minutes before the game
to get all the stragglers seated and the players who arrive
on time a chance to read through their stuff. That way,
stragglers can usually jump in without me having to back up
for them and the first person who comes can have first pick
of character.

I use miniatures and I place the miniature on top of the
folder so they get an idea of what the character looks like.
Each folder is labeled with character name and obvious role
in the party. For example: Andraxia, horse tender (actually
only the player knows she's a wizard). Lord Istvan, knight
(he may be a paladin or a fighter or a rogue in disguise,
only the player knows for sure).

3. If I'm fortunate, I can get a table near a wall. I
usually prepare a sign ahead of time and post it so players
can find my table easier. At Gen Con, most gaming areas are
curtained off and you have to stick your head in each cube
to see if that's really where the game is. They do put your
table location in the program guide and prominently locate
the table numbers, but sometimes you may have to move at the
last minute. Making your location obvious cuts down on the
number of stragglers.

4. Pacing your game. Always try to keep things moving. Even
if Player A isn't doing anything while Characters B, C, and
D are scouting in the woods, making the scouting expedition
fast paced and interesting will ensure that A doesn't get
bored. I usually time slice the scouting expedition with
Something Interesting at Camp for the rest of the party,
even if nothing important is supposed to happen.

5. What if you don't fill your game? It's happened to
everyone. You've worked hard at creating an interesting,
exciting scenario and only three people show up. You have 8
characters, each one fun and unique with elaborate
backgrounds and motivations. Now what?

Talk to the players and see if they want to play it anyway.
They usually will. Some would prefer a quorum of at least 4
or 5, and others like the idea of having more attention from
the DM in a 3 player game. If there isn't a great deal of
planned intra-party tension, you may want to allow the
players to play more than one character.

I usually plan that not every character gets played and
write the character descriptions accordingly. I usually try
to steer someone to be the obvious leader (not hard to do as
many role players love playing the obvious leader). If you
have only a few players, reduce the number of beasties in
each encounter, traps that require a skill that's unique to
an unplayed PC can have the mechanics changed slightly to
allow for someone else to succeed--or the trap doesn't
exist.

Once you've run games at several conventions, you will gain
a reputation. If it's a good one, you'll never lack for
people to fill your game, even when the DM to player ratio
is too high.

6. Do not allow bring-your-own characters (BYOC) unless you
are willing to accept the consequences. I'll only allow them
when I run Teenagers From Outer Space because they don't
tend to be overpowered and I love what crazy ideas people
can come up with.

D&D BYOC can result in unbalanced characters who can mess up
the game. It attracts munchkins and power gamers. Do you
really want to use extra time approving characters? If you
are going to allow BYOC, set up a time prior to the game to
approve characters so you don't waste valuable game time
doing it.

7. What if you get more players than slots and someone has
brought their own character so you don't have to provide
one? Gen Con requires that each game have a minimum of eight
players. Other cons aren't as picky. You've designed your
game for the character range you're comfortable with, do you
really want to run ten when you only feel comfortable with
8? Will this unbalance the game? Can you keep the larger
group on track? Do you really want to?

I always say no, sorry, game balance requires no more than X
players, or certain backgrounds, etc. It's not fair for the
first comers to wait while you try to fit in a potentially
inappropriate character. I've never had a problem with
people getting upset. They usually tell me they just wanted
to ask, and that next year they'll pre-reg. Only if your
game is insanely popular will this happen with any
regularity.

8. There's one at every con. And now he or she is playing in
YOUR game. What do you do with the dreaded rules lawyer?

a) Try to steer them away from spell casters.

b) Ignore them when you are running another character and
their character isn't present (easy to do in a non-
linear game).

c) Keep the pace fast enough that R.L. has little time to be
lawyerly. This is especially important during any kind of
combat. Do not give anyone on their turn time to think. Skip
them if they move too slow. Other players will pick up on
the frenetic combat pacing, the game will be exciting,
adrenaline will flow, and R.L. will not be able to announce
that "That orc shouldn't have so many hit points....."

d) If subtlety doesn't work, hit them over the head with the
proverbial "Clue-By-4". Tell them you're the DM and that
you follow the most important rule in the DMG, the rule that
states that the rules are suggestions. I try to avoid this
as it stops the game cold and ruins pacing. Sometimes, a DM
has to do what a DM has to do though.

e) Prepare an encounter that kills off the lawyer if you've
tried everything else and the other players start looking
like they aren't having fun.

This is one of those times when paying attention to your
players' body language is of supreme importance. If you see
a lot of eye rolling when the R.L. tries to overrule you,
that means it's time for a crossbow sniper to show up.

This seems cruel, but remember that at some cons, people pay
real money to play your game and you owe it to them not to
let some rules lawyer ruin it. I'm fortunate that I haven't
had to resort to this, but I know a DM who has after a
notorious R.L. ruined several of his games, including a
couple I've played in. It took several snipers over several
games to clue this guy in. At conventions you cannot tell
someone they aren't welcome in your game.

9. The game is over and now you have to decide who was the
best role player. At Gen Con, they have certificates to
award the best two or three role players. I never make that
decision, I usually hand around slips of paper and ask the
players to do a secret ballot vote on who they thought was
the best role player excluding themselves. They usually will
have a better idea than you will as they will be passing
notes among themselves, whispering, interacting with each
other when you aren't working with them. Let them decide.

10. If you have time afterwards ask them what they thought.
Was there anything they really liked or disliked? Did they
like their characters? Were they given enough attention? Did
they think that it was too deadly, not deadly enough? If you
don't have anywhere else to be immediately, walk with them
to wherever they seem to be headed. Player debriefing can
give you ideas for your next game or the sequel if you're so
inclined.

11. Other considerations. Environment. If you are gaming in
a non-carpeted area, you are very likely to have to compete
over echoes and other people's games. You'll have to shout
and other DMs and players will have to shout and the upward
noise spiral will result in voice loss.

In any case, you will still have a lot of noise to compete
with. Get a glass of water before you begin. Project. Don't
yell. Use your diaphragm to speak from and you will have
your voice last longer. Drink a lot of liquids. Most
conventions will keep a water station in every room.

I hope you find this useful.


@@@@@@


From: Jen

Hi Johnn, once again, thanks for the great newsletter. This
email is in response to the request on tips on running games
at a convention. Here are my ideas.

The best thing you can do is to prepare, prepare, prepare.
Sit down with your adventure and be brutal. You're going to
have to knock anything that isn't necessary. Make sure you
have all the information you need written down somewhere and
can find it fast. Playtest it with friends, keeping track of
the time...make sure you cut down on the sidetracking.

It's important that you keep the game moving at a steady
pace but don't become the micro-machines guy or just tell
the story...let the people roleplay. A good way of doing
this is to establish the rule that if the player says it,
his character says it.

Another HUGE time saver is pre-generated characters. I've
never played a con game that didn't have them. Leave the
name and appearance up to the players (but I've seen that
backfire before too). Perhaps you can have a small part they
can specialize (i.e., they can choose from 1 of 3 magic
items, or have a small amount of skills points they can
distribute or something).

When you get to the con and set up your sign-in sheet,
include a detailed description of the adventure, and include
any special notes: pregen char, no newbies, newbies welcome,
fast paced, etc. This (hopefully) will speed up the starting
process for the adventure.

Running the game:

The obvious one, get there early and be set-up when it's
show time. A lot of gamers will wander by the table a few
minutes before the game starts and you can take the
opportunity to let them get their characters set up.

Mentally set about 5 minutes of your time to intros and set-
up then start right into it. The players shouldn't mind =).
Cut down on out of character stuff and story sharing, you
may have to be almost rude to some people.

Always keep the play moving. If you need to look something
up ("how does deaths knell work again?..."), have someone
else look it up for you while you move around the table and
come back to them. Just remember to be organized and
knowledgeable yourself so you don't have to pause a lot.

Oh, another thing I've seen is the Big Cinematic Scene. If
you run out of time or are running short on time, and
something needs to happen in the game, explain that you're
running low on time and just describe the scene like you're
describing a scene from a movie...make it exciting...this
works really well if there is a fight that needs to occur
that the PCs are probably going to win or something.

I hope these tips help! Have fun at the convention.


@@@@@@


From: deyv

Johnn,

Please pass on to your 'tipster': He/she ought to know the
environment of the game. I have played in several D&D
events at cons, and they were all competitions that had
several groups go through the same adventure and compare
scores at the end. I also see a lot of people gaming at
cons just for the fun of it. Very different sorts of people
play in these two types of games.

The D&D Competition reduces the game to a tactical game of
using limited resources to the greatest effect.
Competitive, tactical people play in D&D tournaments. I
would insist the DM know his rules inside and out, and be
prepared to make correct decisions quickly based on this
knowledge. Time is key in D&D competitions.

Also, the social aspect of the game is secondary in a
tourney. The DM must be prepared to race through the
adventure, because that's what the players will try to do.
Therefore, the DM needs to know the adventure really well.
Pace and technical detail are essential. Player enjoyment
isn't. Keep in mind that you are there to challenge and even
defeat the party. The fun for this type of game comes from
you playing hard, and the players being challenged.

The one-off game at a Con is a lark. The environment is
totally different. Often you will DM players who don't know
each other, have had no sleep, and are more interested in
the social part of the game. Generally, the rules and
adventure memorization aren't as important as keeping the
game fun, entertaining, and a good experience. All the
social skills of DMing come into play: communication,
listening, involving players. Basically, allow yourself to
be lead where the group wants. Care about how much fun the
players have, and do your best to make the fun happen.

Just some observations from 15+ years of gaming at cons.


@@@@@@


From: Mark C.

1. Know your material forward and backward. This includes
the scenario as well as the major rule sets needed for the
scenario. For example, if the scenario involves the
possibility of drowning, know the rules for drowning.

2. No breaks. Breaks are for wimps.

3. Instruct players ahead of time that there will be no
arguing with you about rules. It wastes time and, in a 4-
hour event, there is precious little time.

4. Keep things moving. If the players stall or dither, have
the adventure come looking for them. Also, combat situations
tend to slow the game down, so if a player is not ready to
act when it is his turn, then his character is not ready to
act. Tell the players about this in advance so they know to
plan ahead.

5. Stay on topic and in character (or NPC, as the case may
be).

6. Do at least one practice run with your players before the
convention and then change what needs to be changed. This
even applies to pre-made scenarios, such as those put out by
the RPGA.


@@@@@@


From: Edward W.
      http://www.edtheartist.com and http://www.docbrown.net

My suggestion is to abbreviate the game as much as possible.
Minimize the amount and number of combats to only the ones
that are absolutely necessary, and shorten or remove
difficult puzzles (depends on the game, I guess).

In my experience, combat takes lots of time, especially in
detailed games like D&D or GURPS, so you'll want to take out
any combats that aren't really needed for the plot, or at
least lessen the number of combatants. That way, the players
can focus more on the plot, and the game (hopefully) won't
run long.

Another suggestion is to make the games modular. Have
combats and/or puzzles that can be added to slow the players
down, or removed if the game is running long. Have a couple
of NPCs made up ahead of time that could show up and either
muck things up for the PCs, or help the PCs out and speed
things along.

I hope that helps. I'm registered to run 5 Fudge events at
Origins (my first official events at that con, although I've
demoed games there before), and all of my games use this
modular style.


@@@@@@


From: Jay L.

Hi Johnn.

Here's a few things that I have learned from running and
playing at convention games.

1. Keep it simple. I don't know how long your normal
sessions might be, but in a four hour session you have time
for only one major conflict.

2. Focus on the highlights. You should consider paring down
your stories to the 2-5 scenes that are essential to the
scenario. Put the beginning of the story into a background
information hand-out you can give to all the players.

3. Provide the characters. Knowing exactly what abilities
the characters have makes the job of the GM a lot easier,
and all the characters are guaranteed to fit into the story.
If you care to have a few more characters available, it
gives the players some more choices as well.

4. Provide some background and individual goals for each
character. Give the players a page of information about who
and what they know, and why their character is part of the
scenario. Give them a personal secret, desire, or
personality quirk to play with.

5. Limit the number of players. If the game calls for 6
players, do not let a 7th player join.

6. Don't sweat the small stuff. Allow players to easily
succeed at simple tasks, and save the drama and major dice
rolling for the important activities.

7. Keep the game moving. Describe the situation, then ask
each player what their character does. Repeat.

Good luck!!


@@@@@@


From: Scott F.
      http://www.openroleplaying.org/tools/tips/

1. Unless you have managed to pre-book 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.

2. Get to the essence of the game's background. This means
writing something that reveals its essential parts. This
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.

3. 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.

4. Convention games have time limits. Plan for less time
than you have.

5. Make sure to get to your assigned game area early. This
prevents surprises at game time.

6. 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 cannot
present a "great game" if you are a half starved gamer
zombie that nobody can hear.

7. Pre-generated character sheets allow you to plan for the
characters in the game. Write the character sheets 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.

8. If you have pre-generated characters (a suggested must
for a great game), have them mostly done. Have 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 lose a great deal of time to
character design.

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

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

11. Give each character a little stand-up nameplate that can
be easily read from across the table. Name tags 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.

11. A convention game should be a basic game, utilizing the
game's key background ideas, which 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.

12. 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.

13. Start with simple rules examples and build up to the
more difficult, if necessary. Let's face it, unless everyone
is a pro, it works out best to go through how the rules
work. You would also be surprised at the number of
experience 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.

14. Make sure to plan any 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.

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

16. 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-game time will get your
"head into the game" and make sure the game starts without a
hitch.


@@@@@@


From: Kate M.

I have both run a game at a Convention and played in one, so
I think I can offer some tips for a GM.

From experience, I can tell you that character creation
wastes a LOT of game time. Have pre-generated characters
ready and available for your players. Give them choices.
For example, for a Vampire game I created three characters
from each of the Camarilla Clans to reflect the various
permutations of Attributes (Physical/Mental/Social).

The players spent a little time tinkering, but not much.

Another way to cut down on time is to simply require that
the players have some experience with the game. Then time is
not wasted by explaining the rules from scratch.

Another option: Have each game be a continuation of the
last. New players are welcome, as are the old.

And last but not least, utilize the time before the game
wisely. If you have players show up early, by all means sit
down with them and give them information, characters, etc.
The more you do before the start, the less you have to do
DURING the appointed 'start' of the game.

That's all I can think of.


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From: Carey M.

Johnn,

My first and most obvious tip would be to have pre-built
characters ready for the players. Depending on the system,
3 hours is just about long enough to create a character from
scratch. I'd first ask the players who previously played
the adventures if you could use their character stats under
different names. If not, and I can understand if they
wouldn't want that, then build characters similar to the
original party.

My second tip would be to stay flexible at all costs. I've
often thought con gaming is the toughest to GM; everything
you would normally know in advance about the players is
pretty much up in the air till the last second. You may have
all novices, or all hard core veterans, or (the hardest) a
mix of both. So be prepared for anything.

My final tip is taken from Raymond Chandler: "When in doubt,
have a man come through the door with a gun." Time
constraints make deep character development impossible;
focus on action.


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From: John C.

The time limit changes the entire approach to running a
game. Realistically, you have 3 hours to 3:15 to run a RPGA
game. Plan on 15 minutes to muster, get to the table, and
have everyone get situated.

Have the players introduce themselves and their character
while you finish setting up and getting ready. That leaves
about 30 minutes to wrap up, have the players summarize
their characters, vote, and pack your stuff.

As a DM you need to evaluate your players, all of whom you
have probably never met before.

Are the players more interested in role-playing and don't
care if they finish the module, or will they feel cheated if
they don't accomplish everything? I usually ask what they
prefer. Then you can pace the role-playing accordingly,
allowing enough time for combat or puzzles.

If the game is 3ed D&D then combat can take quite awhile
especially at higher party levels. So, I try and make combat
flow as quickly as possible:

* Roll NPC initiative before you arrive at the con. Have all
the players roll several initiatives before you start. That
way you already know who goes first when the fight starts.

* Have players roll attack and damage dice together.

* Don't give the players all the time they want to decide on
an action. I give them about 10 seconds to start to say what
they are doing, then I skip them and move on. This heightens
the tension, and makes combat a little more scary. It also
forces the players to pay attention and think ahead, so they
are ready on their turn.


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From: Mike J.

Hey Johnn,

Most of the ideas I had in response to running tournaments
at conventions came directly from your newsletter, chief on
that list being the ideas for speeding up combat a few
months back. Still, here's one that you might not get from
others:

Thinking On Your Feet

While I haven't judged a great deal at conventions, the
biggest challenge for me has been to stay animated and alert
to your players after you've just subjected yourself to 16
hours of gaming. Caffeine is a must but only goes so far,
and ho-hos can only supply so much brain fuel.

I've found that running the game while standing keeps my
energy level up, keeps me more alert to my surroundings and
allows me to communicate more effectively through gestures
and movements. Additionally, it helps me hear the players
more clearly because they're not drowned out by the guy
sitting directly behind me playing the half-orc barbarian.
I can see the all of the players, and it's easier to direct
my voice to them from above, rather than across the table.

Another advantage, for those who play with miniatures, is
that you don't need to leave your seat to adjust the figures
on the battlemat. Finally, after a particularly bad pun,
it's much easier to dodge empty soda cans when you're
already mobile.


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From: JB

Hello,

I've run more than my share of large convention games, and
would be happy to offer a few tips.

1. Atmosphere - This is probably the biggest difference
between home games and convention events. Folks tend to goof
around a lot less and are much more prone to staying in
character. I attribute it to the fact that you are likely
playing with folks you do not often see. This rule is
negated when you get a small group of players that come to
the convention together, and play the same event together.
It is rather easy, though, to say "come on, guys... let's
stick with this" and get them back on focus... much easier
than during home games.

2. Time Limit - This is, as you said, the biggest wall new
judges hit at conventions. If you run over the end of the
slot, you are likely eating up player's meal or break time,
and it also tends to upset convention coordinators who are
dealing with processing event results. None of that is good
at all. So do what you can to keep on time... here are my
suggestions to that particular end:

a) Scoring Packets - If you happen to have paperwork (RPGA
scoring packets, for instance) give it out as players sit
down at the table, and ask them to start filling them out
immediately, while they are getting settled. They'll have
moments of idle time during play as well. Those forms often
have some generic info on them, like player name, character
name, event title, date, etc., that can be filled out
anytime. Get it done early.

b) Know the event - Even if you're handed a module five
minutes before you have to run it, steal some time to look
over it completely at least once. Best case, read it twice,
well ahead of time. Be totally familiar with it, so you
don't have to stop play to look for stuff.

c) Abridge combat - Combat rounds take a hugely
disproportionate amount of time out of the game - anything
you can do to speed it up will help enormously.

Make small forms (I do eight to an 8.5x11" sheet of paper)
that have spaces for player name, character name, hit
points, saving throws, armor class (normal, touch, flat-
footed, etc.); anything you'd like at a glance. Have
players fill them out right at the beginning of the event.

When combat begins, have everyone roll initiative, and
record it on a corner of the form. Put the forms in order by
that number, including one for the bad guys. Flip through
the forms, giving each character their turn.

Request that they know what action they wish to take, on
their turn. Casting a spell? Tell them to have the spell
description out, before it gets to be their turn. If they
aren't ready, tell them their character is holding their
action until the player is ready. This keeps the action
fast-paced, and everyone stays busy.

d) Know your limits - Getting settled, introductions, and
scoring tend to eat up a half-hour of game time. Play with
this in mind. For a four hour slot, aim to complete the
event in three (giving you an extra half-hour of 'fudge-
room'). As you read through the module, try to divide the
adventure into three sections, and try to keep each section
to an hour in length... if you find you are running late on
the first third of the module, speed up, and then get back
on schedule. I hate not finishing a module.

3. Be kind to new judges - Convention goers tend to be
forgiving on newbie judges... but let them know ahead of
time. Say "I've DM'd plenty of times, but this is my first
time up here at a con. Any assistance along the way would be
appreciated." That way, if you make a drastic mistake, they
won't think you're out to get them.

Hope these help.


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From: Jeff G.
      Check out Midnight D20 at http://www.MidnightD20.com

Johnn,

Your site was passed to me by a friend. I saw someone asking
for convention gaming tips, and I've got a few.

1. Know your scenario.
You can never know it well enough. Players enjoy hearing the
'boxed text' delivered in an evocative way, and the better
you know the scenario, the more you can focus on making sure
you give the correct clues at the correct times, instead of
always playing catch-up turning pages.

2. Keep track of the time.
You know how long you have, and know which scenes in the
scenario are important and which are not if you payed
attention to tip #1. Control your pacing so that you're not
rushing at the end. Breeze through unimportant scenes, so
that your players have time to role-play the big ones.

3. The Good Guys win, the Bad Guys lose.
It's easy to get wrapped up in combat making sure your
monsters or NPCs get every attack and bonus they are
entitled to every time. While it's important to play the
enemies well on the field, don't get bogged down trying to
kill off the player characters. Fact is, they're supposed to
win in the end - it's just your job to make sure they are
challenged on their way to the victory.

4.Control your table.
One of the most common complaints players have is of GMs who
don't control their table. Don't let your players run away
with their individual asides. You're best served by being
decisive and keeping everyone's attention on the immediate
problem the characters are facing. Done right, they'll be so
enthralled you won't have to try very hard at all.


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From: Justin D.
      Pax Draconis http://www.paxdraconis.com


I just found your Role-Playing Tips site (suggested by a
player of my game) and I saw the question about convention
role-playing and have a few ideas.

1. Fitting scenarios into time slots.
A four hour session is only enough time for two "Acts" in a
scenario. For example, the most typical format I use is an
Act 1: Find the Bad Guy, and Act 2: Kill the Bad Guy. If
players have to do much more than that, it's unlikely
they'll have enough time.

Given that the person asking the question originally ran his
game in multiple sessions, it's likely that the original
plot was more like: Act 1: Get a Hint of Something Wrong,
Act 2: Find Someone with More Info, Act 3: Investigate Info
(with minor scuffle), Act 4: Follow Up on Clues and Act 5:
Kill the Bad Guy. If he can take his original five segments
and cut them to two (whether by combining things, giving
more information sooner or whatever), it will fit in the
time better.

He is definitely right to expect some "wasted time" in his
session. For me, with a relatively-unknown game system,
that usually amounts to 30-45 minutes. It might be less for
him, but I don't know how much background his scenario will
require.

2. Don't make any assumptions about players!
One thing I realized when running scenarios in conventions
is that some players have no commitment to the game or their
characters - in other words, suicide is an option for them.

A perfect example happened in a sci-game I ran where a space
station was being attacked by pirates, with a twist being
that the station was secretly controlled by a computer and
the inhabitants replaced by robots. By the end of the
scenario, the players rescued the pirates and blew up the
space station... not exactly what I had expected.

In another case, during a snatch-and-grab assignment from a
warehouse, the players decided that eliminating the
competition (each other) would make for a higher payoff for
themselves personally. This was great fun, but not what
you'd see in a regular group where long-term cooperation is
valued.

3. Don't be too subtle.
Another element to remember is that convention players don't
always pick up on subtle. I'm not sure what game system
he's using, but he might have to spell clues out more than
with his usual players. If the goal is to hint that someone
is impersonating a cop, he might say "That cop is wearing
his uniform wrong - his buckle should be silver, not gold,"
not just "The policeman's gun belt has a gold buckle."

You don't want to go overboard - people aren't stupid - but
even those who sign up for games requiring knowledge of the
game may not play it regularly (or may not have played for
the last ten years even).

4. Don't wear yourself out!
It's easy to try and go 24/7 at a convention. This is a
better strategy for players than GMs, so he should make sure
to get some sleep.

I hope this will be helpful!


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From: Mike D.

Ok, these are a few off the top of my head, some learned
running games, others during the competition in them.

1. Be prepared for damn near anything, from the lack of
facilities and chairs to one too few or one too many
players.

2. Gaming styles vary wildly and this will be hammered home
when you run tourneys. One group might be composed of rules
lawyers while the next is role-players who are too busy
developing their own subplots to worry about the impending
doom of a kingdom. Be ready to add motivation to each...
(I recommend a baseball bat to the former and twisting the
story line to suit for the latter.)

3. If this is a one shot game, have pre-made characters or a
list of pre-mades and a limited shopping list.

4. Print everything well in advance and put it in a lime
green (or some other hideous colour) binder so it will be
easy to find during the mad scramble the day of the Con.

5. If this is a contest with winners and losers, have the
scoring card pre-made so teams can compare what they did and
did not do. Judgement calls after the fact are too
arbitrary and may seem high-handed. A scorecard is more
accepted by most players.

6. Handouts (preferably ones they can keep) are a good idea.
If you can laminate player sheets ahead of time and get some
grease pencils then players can swiftly keep track of hit
points and spell changes.

7. Ask the team at the end to elect the MVP of their
team. Let them decide the parameters, whether it is RP or
Power or 'the one who brought the pizza'. Have some minor
award... even something as small as a couple of odd dice.
They will remember the Con long after if they have something
to take home that said they were 'special' and appreciated.

8. If the venue allows for it, allow spectators. You have to
be a bit more of an extrovert for this but it does pay off
if the players put on more of a show as do you. Readings of
key text gain a theatric value when being read to twenty
rather than five.

Like I said, a few off of the top, hope they help


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I hope this document has given you a few ideas for your own
convention games and personal campaigns.

Have more fun at every game!

johnn@roleplayingtips.com

End of Supplemental #8


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