#13: Running a Con Game

[RPGnet Columns]

http://www.rpg.net/columns/oneshot/oneshot13.phtml

Summary:

Tips and tricks for running RPGs at conventions.

Go to the column (http://www.rpg.net/columns/oneshot/oneshot13.phtml) for more information.

[C.W.Richeson]

Wonderful insights, Sophie, thanks!

I admit, I was laughing my butt off when I read your comments on including the assassin character in pregens ;)

[Mechante_Anemone]

I admit, I was laughing my butt off when I read your comments on including the assassin character in pregens ;)

I swear to God, every time! Assamites from oWoD and Euthanatos from oWoD Mage were notorious for attracting psycho jerk players. For example, in one of my Mage games the party included a perky goth Euthanatos that was largely based on Neil Gaiman's Death character from The Sandman with a dash of Gilly from Dork Tower. I had written a short but very specific background and role-playing tips for every character.

The guy who picked that character player it like an effing psychopath (maybe I should have been tipped off when he refused to play it as a female character). The party had to recover and protect a Mortal who had important information that the Technocracy wanted to keep secret. At one point, the Mortal had been in a car accident and the PCs had to find her at the hospital. The no-longer-perky goth went in, was politely greeted at the information desk, and learned the location of the patient's room. He then shot the employee and walked through the hospital in Terminator fashion, killing nurses until he found the patient's room, interrogated her, and killed her too.

That was my final lesson. I swore, no more characters who dress in black! :mad:

[chipjamieson]

Very nice. I've been running con games for, oh, 20+ years up here in Detroit and I STILL make mistakes and have hits and misses. A lot of the time it is the quality of the players...I've had parties composed of folks who should have been on "Oh Brother Where Art Thou"

Anyhoo...a simply trick is this. One major "scene" per hour, or 1.5 quick & fast scenes per hour. Most con games we run are 4.5 hours. I allot 30 minutes to later players, choosing PCs, and generally fookin around.

Then (and this comes from my days as a D6 System/D6 Star Wars GM), I start in medias res with the blaster bolts flying and the chase scene on. I usually don't even LOOK at the rulebook - play it fast, loose and fun.

The next scene you can recap, retcon, or show 'what happened before' and proceed with the plot.

If you want them to learn the rules, stick with the basics - let the system hook them. If you can get prize support from the company who's game you are running, so much the better! What a great reward to the best player. If if she doesn't care for it, someone who is really keen on the system might.

My 2 cents...