Advice wanted

[DeadReborn]

I'm running my first con game next month and as the day approaches I'm having a mini panic attack. Well, not really, but I am a tad bit nervous. Can some of my fellow Castle Keepers pass along some friendly advice and pointers?

[Go0gleplex]

Remain calm. Have fun. Explain any house rules up front. Be consistent with your decisions, even if an oops sneaks in. Be ready to admit a goof. Remain calm. Have fun.

Really...it's just the same as running a home game only with new players. Don't Panic.

[Rigon]

I ran my first con game a few years ago. Luckily the 3 bozos sitting at the table were fellas I knew so it wasn't all that bad. The best advice I can give is to have fun. If you are having fun, then the players will have fun.

Oh, and it doens't hurt to drink heavily before the game starts. (j/k)

R-

[gideon_thorne]

I find one thing above all most useful for running games at conventions, or anywhere really. Let the players do most of the work. Its simple really, drop a few enticing hints about things, and just sit back and smile mysteriously. Players will be quite inventive at coming up with the why of things. Drop a few encounters in there and follow what sounds like some of the cooler threads the players come up with. Your job then becomes vastly easier as a referee who doesn't have to constantly make things up.

[bigironvault]

Action is always a good fall back plan. Try not to DM the Lord of the Rings or anything like that. Keep it simple.

[Omote]

Action is always a good fall back plan. Try not to DM the Lord of the Rings or anything like that. Keep it simple.

+137.9.

Con games are not the place tio try something you've never done before. Also, stick to simpler plots, and excise most of the NPC stuff. These games are short enough and the players want to get in most of the funness they can. Action works well in this case, but allow the players at the table to make some decisions. That way they feel enguaged in the adventure.

Perhaps this advice is obvious, but it is time tested and it works!

~O

[Rikitiki]

+5 to what Peter/Gideon said about listening to your players as
they riff off your hints and develop their own guesses as to what's up:
I've done this since I first started DM-ing (far too many years ago) and
it not only frees me up bunches, but the players get really
involved/immersed as they find their 'hunches' were right.

Advice: I co-DMed a con game with a buddy once (he did rules/roles and
I did all the NPCs) and he ran what he called "If you kill it, you get to eat it."
All monster playing pieces were gummi-candy: gummi spiders, gummi-rats,
etc, so once a player killed one, they could eat it. Folks were lovin' it.
And, after the whole party managed to kill that nasty giant chocolate
rabbit in the final confrontation, they broke it up and shared it. Quite fun!

[Relaxo]

I've never DM'd a con, but this all sounds like great advice anyway!

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I've never DM'd a con, but this all sounds like great advice anyway!

I've never run a sanctioned event before, just a pick-up game a couple of years ago. It was the biggest group I've ever run (and, not surprisingly, one of the most fun groups) which, in and of itself, was intimidating. I just ran a straight-up dungeon crawl that the group didn't get past the first level of the dungeon. Some things to keep in mind from my own experience:

1. However many players you think you're going to have, roll up at least twice as many pre-gen characters
2. The comments above about simplicity and listening to the players are absolutely true
3. Organization really helps; whether you put your encounters on note cards or whatever, having those things at your fingertips will make your life infinitely easier
4. HAVE FUN! That's what everybody else at your table is there for as well. New faces at the table make for a great time.

[Rikitiki]

...as far as the "oops" goes where you make a mistake rules-wise or
such, a DM friend of mine used to tell her players that any mistakes
she made in their favor were the gods smiling on them and any made
not-in-their-favor the gods were frowning on them...let's move on...

[Ancalagon]

I'm running my first con game next month and as the day approaches I'm having a mini panic attack. Well, not really, but I am a tad bit nervous. Can some of my fellow Castle Keepers pass along some friendly advice and pointers?

Don't worry! Players who show up will be looking for a fun adventure... not an excuse to give you grief. Just know your adventure backwards and fowards in case you need to adjudicate something on the fly and have fun!

[DeadReborn]

Thanks for all the great advice fellas! Unfortunately, my wife's c-section has been scheduled for three days before the event. Gonna have to bow out of the con.

[Relaxo]

at least it's for a good reason.

[Go0gleplex]

Bummer on the game...but grats on the new "prospective" gamer...