Ever consider running a game at a convention? It really can be a lot of fun as well as a rewarding experience. But running a game can have more traps then a minefield in Bosnia. What follows is the accumulated knowledge of many years of both playing in games at various conventions around the country as well as running them. These are problems I have either seen or, more likely, mistakes I have made. 1. Consider the time. Most conventions allow 4 hours for a game with an hour on either side for set up and clean up. So I have nearly 6 hours right? Not so fast. If you are not the first game of the day, chances are the previous game will need part of the time for clean up. Equally, unless you are the last game of the day, the next game will need part of the time to set their scenario up. Realistically expect no more than 30 minutes to set your scenario up and less than that to break it down. I usually try and wrap up the scenario in less then my allocated 4 hours and begin breaking it down. That time allows you to sort out your figures and terrain while still having a pleasant after scenario chat with the players. Some things can speed the set up and take down up considerably. I use a terrain cloth (ok, old style Army blankets), for the base of my game. A few bull dog clips see them securely fastened to the cafeteria tables most usually used at conventions. After my last play test of the scenario (more on play testing later) I use bits of masking tape to mark building locations, roads, rivers and woods. I number the masking tape and have corresponding numbers on the bottom of the terrain pieces. I can then fold up the terrain cloth and pack it for the convention. The terrain pieces will totally cover the tape and you can quickly set up your scenario without need of measuring. I know how much we all like to show off our miniatures, but I minimize what I take to a convention for the scenario. I presort the figures I intend to use and pack them separately which both expedites set up and take down. I can still remember waiting for my turn to set up a scenario at a convention in California. The game master before me was meticulously sorting his Napoleonics back into the various drawers in his vast collection. As he ran over into my actual game time I was thankful I had not brought a hammer to the convention. 2. Consider the scope. This is a mistake I have seen repeated again and again and yet, despite that, have made it myself on numerous occasions. The overly ambitious scenario. You have at most 4 hours. Throw in the fact that the rules may be new to some. It isn't unusual to see a convention scenario reaching the point where it is getting interesting and suddenly you are out of time. Further, if too large in scope you may find some of your players marginalized with little or nothing to do for most of the game. In the late 80s, I remember a game in Tampa at a convention featuring 25mm Napoleonics. This thing was HUGE in scope and was actually run for the length of the convention. Players could sign for any of the 4 hour blocks. What I most remember was many players sitting around, bored out of their minds with little to do. While a gorgeous set piece, the pace of play reminded me of Dale Mabry during rush hour and about as much fun. Remember when play testing your scenario that you and who ever you test with are usually familiar with each other, the rules, and the scenario. What you may play in 3 hours may take twice that at a convention. Err on side of small and if you finish early, use the time to critique the scenario with the players. And, if possible, consider someone to help you run the scenario. Having someone familiar with the scenario and rules available for both sides can really speed things up. 3. Consider the rules. In the UK most games at conventions are presented by clubs. They actually play the game while convention attendees are free to watch and ask questions. These guys of course are familiar with the rules and they move along quite well. These types of display games are rare here in the US which leads to the problem of rules familiarity. If you intend that players must be very familiar with the rules, state it in your game proposal. You also need to play the rules as written, unless some easily available supplement has been generally distributed. If you intend to use any of the optional rules, so state in your proposal. And for goodness sakes, keep house rules or amendments of your own to a bare minimum and make it clear to players at start. I can still remember a game from my California days where a player had carefully crafted a strategy and spent several hours maneuvering his forces to carry it out only to be informed by the game master that his group had modified the rules and he wouldn't be able to execute the plan. The player was so frustrated he just left the game. Also consider the rules themselves. I enjoy WWII gaming. There are many rules I enjoy and use. Currently I am playing around with WWII Battlefront from the creators of Fire and Fury. They have great promise, but not for a convention, especially if the players are not familiar with them. For conventions I use the much simpler Rapid Fire rules. At Hurricon 2000 I was able to give the basics to 5 players who had never used these rules before and we completed the scenario with a few minutes to spare! Even when using simple rules, consider leaving out complicating factors. Airpower might be cool, but adding the rules and steps to the game might unnecessarily complicate it or bog it down. Likewise not all engagements had artillery. Consider making up simplified cheat sheets with just the information the players need. Try to keep this to one piece of paper. For example you might put just the armor and gun factors for only those vehicles actually in a WWII game. Likewise you might only have the combat results tables which actually apply to the scenario. 4. Consider several play tests. I don't mind being a guinea pig for a scenario if I know that going in. But I hate to sign up for a game, especially if I had to choose it over another, only to find it poorly designed because the game master didn't have the time, or couldn't take the trouble to play test it. Play test the scenario several times. Play test if you have played the scenario before but are using different rules. Play test if you make any changes to the rules, scenario, or terrain. Play testing reveals not only some poorly designed scenarios, but also reflects back on both the rules you have chosen and the amount of time needed to play the scenario. Even solo play testing is better then designing a scenario and deciding it looks pretty good to you without that dry run. Even with play testing you wont find all the bugs or problems, that's life. Once again, at Hurricon 2000, I thought I had thoroughly play tested the scenario. It was one I had used before with different rules. I play tested it with Rapid Fire. I simplified and play tested again. I finally settled on the scenario and ran it a few more time. Then came the convention. Sure enough the Americans came up with a strategy that was extremely hard for the Germans to overcome, one that I hadn't considered in my play tests. Fortunately I had 5 terrific players. The Germans congratulated the Americans on their strategy. The German players said that they felt they had been beaten by a better strategy, not the rules, scenario design or errant die rolls. And everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. These are just a few of the many tips I have picked up over the years. The lifeblood of any convention are the games. Running one can be extremely rewarding. That feeling as the players linger as you pack up, still chatting about the scenario and discussing what they might have done different gives you a warm feeling. My final bit of advice? Next convention, give it a try! Back to Rebel Yell No. 20 Table of Contents Back to Rebel Yell List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by HMGS South This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com