Convention attendees can generally be categorized by how they spend the majority of their time at the convention. Some common categories include sellers, socializers, umpires, and gamers. Being an attendee who falls solidly in the gamer category, I decided to write out a set of guidelines for running convention games after having numerous bad experiences at the gaming table. The number of enjoyable games still outnumber the bad, but I felt some guidelines might help improve the ratio for all gamers. Following these guidelines will make your event more enjoyable for all participants. 1. Set up the table and have troops out before the designated starting time. I have seen many events start more than an hour late because troops were not set out until the last minute. If you are running behind, have the players who show up early assist in the set-up. If events out of one's control delay the arrival of the presenter, announce a specific delayed start time. This allows the players to roam around or find another event if they do not wish to wait. 2. Have game charts or rule sets available for the players. At least one set of charts should be handed out for every two players. Large tables or charts visible to everyone is certainly an acceptable alternative. Playing a game where the rules are unavailable gives players a "I do not know what's going on" feeling. As wargamers generally have above average intelligence, they can usually achieve some level of rules comprehension within a modest amount of time when given visual aids. This usually greatly helps the game move forward in a timely fashion and reduces rules arguments, making life easier for the presenter. 3. Do not spend more than 5 minutes going over the rules before the game begins. Most people will either lose interest or can not remember much more than that anyway. This is particularly important in a noisy gaming area. Subjects that should be covered include sequence of play, where movement and firing/combat charts are, victory conditions, defining terrain, and exceptions to written rules. Also include one or two important aspects of the rules or some general guideline that will help the players for their battle plan. These might include statements like "long range fire is ineffective", or "skirmish units can always evade". During the first few turns, a minute or two of rules details can be interspersed at the appropriate spot in the turn sequence. The players will be much more attentive to short bursts of information at appropriate spots as opposed to a long discourse before the game begins. 4. Try to give all the players commands that will be involved in the game within the first 15 minutes. Giving a player a reserve corps that does not enter the table for two hours will inevitably cause the player to wander off. It is much better to not assign a commander to reserve units until the units arrive at the table. 5. Keep the game moving. Whenever possible, have more than one player moving/shooting/fighting at the same time. Let the players resolve combat themselves after the first few turns. Stay focused on the game. An umpire involved in side discussions inevitably slows the game. As a rule of thumb, one umpire per eight players is needed to keep a game moving. Players` complaints and disagreements with the rules should be limited to one appeal to the umpire. The umpire should make a quick ruling and then can inform the player that, at the conclusion of the game, the rule can be discussed for a possible change the next game. There are many other problems a presenter can encounter when running an event, however, following these guidelines will get the game out of the starting blocks with at least a chance of succeeding. Back to PW Review February 1995 Table of Contents Back to PW Review List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1995 Wally Simon This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com