Harl Quinn
Veteran of the Clone Wars
- Joined
- May 12, 2017
- Messages
- 587
- Reaction score
- 820
So, after a two-year or so hiatus, I'm jumping back into the convention scene in my area with both feet. But I'm not asking for advice here. What I'm interested in is discussing how YOU do conventions as GMs.
With me, it's been a constant journey. When I started, I was a Bounty Hunter for Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG), running L5R and Spycraft. After the BH program changed, I moved on to other games with some success. In general, I was running multiple games in multiple systems - I had the time and the energy for it 15 years ago. Now, being married and having other significant changes in my lifestyle, I've adjusted to doing more with less, in a sense.
During my few times running at Nuke-Con, it's meant going with the same system and setting. This year I'm running multiple games, but with the same base system (BRP - Pendragon and CoC, specifically). The overall constant has been to stick with short adventures either in rulebooks or in magazines. Occasionally I might write an adventure of my own, but time is at a premium given my work schedule and the like. Likewise, I love crafting handouts, but it has turned into such a burden due to chronic and consistent low (to no) turnout for my games (see below), so I'm trying to cut back on that waste of resources.
As with any convention, not every game is popular, and I've had more than my share of disappointing turnout for my games. It's no secret here that I have a (nostalgic) love and (now mostly) hate relationship with Pathfinder Society and Adventurers League in this region because it seems to draw players away from other games and systems. To deal with that, I long ago adopted a policy of waiting 15-30 minutes, ready, at my table, and if nobody shows up, I kill the session, pack up, and get ready for the next slot.
At the same time, I'm toying with the idea of biting the bullet and diving into OP as a player. For quite a while I've been holding tight to the GM's chair, relishing and agonizing over being a content creator. As a GM, I prefer to do things on my own terms, and as such, I can't stand the paperwork and hoops an Organized Play GM has to go through. Conversely, as a player the few times I've played, it seems like something was missing. It could very well be that the GM and players - especially in the last event (a PFS game) - weren't right (I was an outsider in a well-established group with their own personal bonds).
So how do YOU handle running games at a convention? Do you run multiple systems and settings or stick with one system? Do you do short campaign arcs of three or four adventures? Use homebrew or published adventures? How much effort do you put into handouts?
With me, it's been a constant journey. When I started, I was a Bounty Hunter for Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG), running L5R and Spycraft. After the BH program changed, I moved on to other games with some success. In general, I was running multiple games in multiple systems - I had the time and the energy for it 15 years ago. Now, being married and having other significant changes in my lifestyle, I've adjusted to doing more with less, in a sense.
During my few times running at Nuke-Con, it's meant going with the same system and setting. This year I'm running multiple games, but with the same base system (BRP - Pendragon and CoC, specifically). The overall constant has been to stick with short adventures either in rulebooks or in magazines. Occasionally I might write an adventure of my own, but time is at a premium given my work schedule and the like. Likewise, I love crafting handouts, but it has turned into such a burden due to chronic and consistent low (to no) turnout for my games (see below), so I'm trying to cut back on that waste of resources.
As with any convention, not every game is popular, and I've had more than my share of disappointing turnout for my games. It's no secret here that I have a (nostalgic) love and (now mostly) hate relationship with Pathfinder Society and Adventurers League in this region because it seems to draw players away from other games and systems. To deal with that, I long ago adopted a policy of waiting 15-30 minutes, ready, at my table, and if nobody shows up, I kill the session, pack up, and get ready for the next slot.
At the same time, I'm toying with the idea of biting the bullet and diving into OP as a player. For quite a while I've been holding tight to the GM's chair, relishing and agonizing over being a content creator. As a GM, I prefer to do things on my own terms, and as such, I can't stand the paperwork and hoops an Organized Play GM has to go through. Conversely, as a player the few times I've played, it seems like something was missing. It could very well be that the GM and players - especially in the last event (a PFS game) - weren't right (I was an outsider in a well-established group with their own personal bonds).
So how do YOU handle running games at a convention? Do you run multiple systems and settings or stick with one system? Do you do short campaign arcs of three or four adventures? Use homebrew or published adventures? How much effort do you put into handouts?