I will be at Tridentcon in Baltimore this weekend running some Blueholme/Holmes basic. It is my first time running a game at a con. It will either be a disaster or great or somewhere in between.
Some things to keep in mind: - Keep in mind the time used up by logistics.. 15 mins on the front for later arrivals, introductions, etc.; 15 mins on the back end to wrap up; at least 15 mins during game for table talk, bathroom breaks, you name it. So a 4 hour game is probably closer to 3.25 hours of actual gameplay. - Be ready for all sort of players. You might have experienced players who know the system; folks who played it once back in the day; folks who've played 3.x or newer and have no exposure to an old school system; folks who've never played an RPG in their lives; or any mix of the above. - Save time.. have pregens available (at least 1.5 times as many as you have players, so they have a choice). Use play aids as much as possible to make it easier on you and the players - character sheets; player handouts; turn trackers; the old AD&D 1e Dungeon Master's Adventure Log; and the many useful tools on Zach's site (https://sites.google.com/site/zenopusarchives/home/holmes-ref). - While a sandbox is great for campaign play, it's often suboptimal for convention play. That doesn't mean it should be a railroad, but provide the players with clear choices and directions to go. Some of the worst convention games I've played in probably could have been great multi-game sessions in a campaign, but as a one shot convention game ended up with the players blundering around unsure of where to go or what to do.
Andy C Thanks. I am running an adventure I wrote. I think it has obvious direction. I have pregens, but if the adventure sucks then the adventure sucks.
Herman Klang Good to hear you are bringing Holmes to Tridentcon! I was planning to attend all day Sat but my plans are now uncertain due to a hospitalization in my extended family. If I am there on Saturday it will be in the late afternoon / evening so I may be able to say hello.
Herman Klang, that's why I mentioned about the adventure structure thing - with your player mix a complete question mark, you never know that they'll find clear or unclear since we often have blind spots based on what seems clear to us and the habits of our normal player group. I've been on both sides of the phenomenon; the good news is if you have an adventure with more than one path and you're quick on your feet you can usually get things moving.
Couple of examples would be you design an adventure with a lot of puzzles and riddles, and get a gung ho bunch who like to break things and kill monsters. Or.. you design a rollicking dungeon raid with few puzzles and traps but lots of combat, and your player group turns out to be uber-paranoid and combat-averse, who take 30 minutes to make it down a 20' passage as they check for traps, cast divination, probe every nook and cranny with their ten foot pole, and so on. The random factor in play groups is both what makes convention games fun, and why they can sometimes be maddening : )
That aside.. artists who become monsters? Sounds like a job for Pickman's Model!
Hey Zach H, if you're within striking distance of Baltimore are you by any chance going to be attending PAX Unplugged in Philly the weekend of 11/17-19?
One of Holmes' last articles, published in the '90s in a zine, is a survey of Lovecraft in the comics & IIRC one of the comics he talks about is an adaptation of Pickman's Model from the '70s
Some things to keep in mind:
ReplyDelete- Keep in mind the time used up by logistics.. 15 mins on the front for later arrivals, introductions, etc.; 15 mins on the back end to wrap up; at least 15 mins during game for table talk, bathroom breaks, you name it. So a 4 hour game is probably closer to 3.25 hours of actual gameplay.
- Be ready for all sort of players. You might have experienced players who know the system; folks who played it once back in the day; folks who've played 3.x or newer and have no exposure to an old school system; folks who've never played an RPG in their lives; or any mix of the above.
- Save time.. have pregens available (at least 1.5 times as many as you have players, so they have a choice). Use play aids as much as possible to make it easier on you and the players - character sheets; player handouts; turn trackers; the old AD&D 1e Dungeon Master's Adventure Log; and the many useful tools on Zach's site (https://sites.google.com/site/zenopusarchives/home/holmes-ref).
- While a sandbox is great for campaign play, it's often suboptimal for convention play. That doesn't mean it should be a railroad, but provide the players with clear choices and directions to go. Some of the worst convention games I've played in probably could have been great multi-game sessions in a campaign, but as a one shot convention game ended up with the players blundering around unsure of where to go or what to do.
All that aside, the biggest thing is to have fun! : )
sites.google.com - Holmes Ref - Reference Sheets for Holmes Basic Referees - Zenopus Archives
That's good advice, Andy. Herman, we'll see you this weekend!
ReplyDeleteAndy C Thanks. I am running an adventure I wrote. I think it has obvious direction. I have pregens, but if the adventure sucks then the adventure sucks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice.
Erik Jensen great.
ReplyDeleteNoah Stevens 7pm on saturday. It is called "the artists who became monsters"
ReplyDeletevery pretentious.
Herman Klang Good to hear you are bringing Holmes to Tridentcon! I was planning to attend all day Sat but my plans are now uncertain due to a hospitalization in my extended family. If I am there on Saturday it will be in the late afternoon / evening so I may be able to say hello.
ReplyDeleteHerman Klang, that's why I mentioned about the adventure structure thing - with your player mix a complete question mark, you never know that they'll find clear or unclear since we often have blind spots based on what seems clear to us and the habits of our normal player group. I've been on both sides of the phenomenon; the good news is if you have an adventure with more than one path and you're quick on your feet you can usually get things moving.
ReplyDeleteCouple of examples would be you design an adventure with a lot of puzzles and riddles, and get a gung ho bunch who like to break things and kill monsters. Or.. you design a rollicking dungeon raid with few puzzles and traps but lots of combat, and your player group turns out to be uber-paranoid and combat-averse, who take 30 minutes to make it down a 20' passage as they check for traps, cast divination, probe every nook and cranny with their ten foot pole, and so on. The random factor in play groups is both what makes convention games fun, and why they can sometimes be maddening : )
That aside.. artists who become monsters? Sounds like a job for Pickman's Model!
Hey Zach H, if you're within striking distance of Baltimore are you by any chance going to be attending PAX Unplugged in Philly the weekend of 11/17-19?
ReplyDeleteAndy C don't expose my sources.
ReplyDelete?
ReplyDeleteAndy C Pickman's model. If anyone's read that and The Hunters from Beyond by C.A Smith the would have a huge leg up.
ReplyDeleteI mean there is still a fairly good chance of getting eaten by ghouls.
Andy C No PAX for me, I can only manage about 1 con a season. 🙂
ReplyDeleteOne of Holmes' last articles, published in the '90s in a zine, is a survey of Lovecraft in the comics & IIRC one of the comics he talks about is an adaptation of Pickman's Model from the '70s
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun game. Pickmans Model is one of my favorites to read aloud. Lovecraft loved those eccentric artists.
ReplyDelete