How to Run a Game at a Convention, Advice from Someone Who Never Has

Hypothesis 1- Everything In A Box

I imagine that I will have to pack up and move after every game. This means I will want everything to fit nicely in a box/bag/backpack/purse you get the idea. Today I packed up everything in a 24” x 17” x 8” Hefty plastic tub. The tub is sturdy and has nice handles that latch. I printed pregenerated characters, rules references and the adventure. In it I’ve got eight full sets of dice. One for each player. One for me. And one extra just in case. I’ve got my cigar box dice tower. This video helped me make it. (Not affiliated, but Jade Wilson made a great thing and I want to share it!) I got terrain, minis, and a giant battleboard. The battleboard is a 24” x 24” and doesn’t fit in the box. This is a bit of a concern, especially sense it is made of XPS foam and is windproof (meaning it will fly away if the wind hits it just right). Let’s hope there isn’t too much wind on my way in. That was not a fart joke, I assure you.

The idea is that if everything fits in just one box, I will be able to quickly get in and out. No multi-trip in and outs for me. It is possible to bring a tote or one of those rolly things with a basket on them, but I don’t own one of those. If you’ve got one, you can use yours. I won’t stop you. Even though I do think they look a bit silly. Just a bit.

Hypothesis 2- Scratch Paper Is King

Last year at Reaper Con, I played in a Pathfinder game and the GM made a semi circle on a piece of paper. He got everyone’s name and wrote it down in the order that we were seated. I thought this was genius. He could easily reference peoples names, mark hit points, and make relevant notes all on one easily referencable half sheet (he folded it in half… I guess to hide secrets? I really don’t know why. He was good at keeping his secrets). I am going to struggle remembering everone’s name. I mean each person gets two names. Their name and the character’s name. Plus, I will be meeting most players for the first time at the convention. Right now I’ve got 16 players signed up. That’s 32 names! (Good thing I made pregens for them. Still they could bring their own characters or rename their characters) Getting names right the first time will be critical for making a smooth game. Can’t you just imagine the nightmare realized of a GM who constantly forgets the name of his players?! I guess the title here should be ‘Remembering the Names of Your Player’s is King’ but that seemed a bit long to me…

Hypothesis 3- Prep For No Reference

Many GMs play with a screen. I do not. I have tried it, but it just doesn’t help most of the time. I have a few things that I need to reference, but what I write usually doesn’t need to be hidden. I make notes of damage on monsters. Adding damage instead of subtracting HP means, this is not unknown information from players, so if they happen to see it, it doesn’t matter. I also note NPC names that I generate on the fly, which is again information that is known to the players. I have not run complex dungeons that require me to reference a map. And nearly all of the adventures I run, I create so I rarely need to reference the map once I start. I simply generate a rough sketch of the location in my head and describe it to the players. Anyway, my thought is that I need to be ready to run the adventure without looking at any notes or with minimal reference. I have two hours to teach the basics of Along the Leyline and run an enjoyable adventure. This means I can’t be flipping through source books and manuals hoping to find that one silly rule. I’ve got to know it and know it well. I’m not saying I won’t be looking at my notes, I know that I will. I’ve got random loot tables, and random encounters, and monster stats that I will need to glance at. My hypothesis is that if we prepare to go without notes, the game will run so much smoother. I liken it to a speech. You write the speech, you rehearse the speech with notes, then without, then you give the speech and reference notes when you get lost on tangents about giving speeches. Knowing the rules and adventure will mean there is minimal time at the table NOT playing the game.

Hypothesis 4- Table Displays Make Better Convention Games

I’ve built up a bit of terrain over the years. Okay, I’ve got a lot, but it isn’t a habit I swear. I could stop any time. Any time. Just not this week. This week I’m running a game at a convention and I want it to be epic. So I know that showing the big boss scene early makes for no surprise. I think this will ruin the fun a bit. So I’ve just had a thought to cover the terrain with a cloth so that players know it’s coming, but won’t be able to see what’s coming. The adventure I am running could have combats before the big bad spider queen shows up, but all of them will be easily dealt with in theater of the mind. If my guess is wrong, I could be in for an awkward table transition, but if I guess correctly it should have a nice big pay off. I’m hoping for big wide “wow!” eyes. But I’ll settle for “oh, cool… I’ve never seen that before /s”

To get the big table display, I will need to give myself extra time to set up. To ensure a fun battlemap, I made a mock setup on my home table and took pictures that I can reference. Does this break my no reference rule? I’ll let you decide on that one. Anyway, it only has like fifty different pieces so it shouldn’t take more than an hour to set up. Just kidding, I don’t really know how many pieces it has. But seriously, if you plan on using physical terrain, make sure you give yourself some setup and tare-down time. I hate making people wait. That’s not true. Let me amend that. I hate having people stair at me when I move slower than they want me to. There should be enough time to setup and breakdown between game sessions. Let us hope this holds in reality.

Hypothesis 5- Conventions Are Marathons

Slated to run five games in four days, that’s a lot. It sounds like it’s going to be a sprint. A sprint where you sit down and talk with other people instead of actually running… Except, I think it may be more like a marathon. I am going to have to pace myself. I’ve got to think about, Cole, the meatsack. I will need to account for biobreaks to keep my brain, and my voice running optimally. Luckily, I am a teacher for my day job so speaking loudly for extended periods is a regular occurrence for me. Speaking loudly in silly voices will be a bit different. Good thing there are no goblins in this adventure. I almost always have raspy voiced goblins which leave me feeling like I just inhaled an entire dust storm. Consistent sleep may be an issue. I will be staying up late to play games and waking up early to get my kids to school in the morning. But with any luck, I will be tired from the days events and not hopped up on excitement from all the fun.

Conclusion

So, if you know anything about science, you will know that I won’t be able to (and/or will not be) running multiple trials of this stuff to find out if I was right or not. So the scientific method here is a bit of an overstatement on my end. All I am bringing you is anecdotal stuff. This is just my experience (or it will be after I write back next week). Now I am going to say some stuff that sounds really hippy-dippy, but physics backs me up on this one: everyone has their own perspective. Everyone’s experience is different. If you’ve got something that works for you, great! Share it! I plan on coming back next week and sharing what worked for me. But that’s just it, it will be what worked (or didn’t) for me. I make no guarantees. Everybody views the world a different way, and that’s why I like playing TTRPGs. All the different viewpoints coalesce into one narrative. We get to tell our stories together at the table.

If you want to hear more of my story, sign up for the newsletter. In return for your ear, you will get the Quickstart Guide to Along the Leyline sent right to your inbox. I hope you will join me on this journey Along the Leyline. Thanks for reading my silly ideas. I hope you found something useful or at least amusing. Now, go forth and play great games!