Hi and welcome back to a "regular" version of Narrative Control.  This week Justin and I talk about preparing for convention games.  The first two thirds of the show covers creating a strong threat or plot and creating props.  The second portion begs the question, is preparation really necessary?

Hosts: Sean Nittner and Justin Evans

Length: 32:06

Show Notes[00:27] Intro to the show – Preparing for Convention Games[00:46] This Modern Death Promo[01:35] Conventions coming up that we are excited about: DundraCon, Kubla Con and …. GEN CON![02:04] To run a good game we have to prepare, or do we?[02:47] What experience you want to give your players at a convention.[03:03] Teaching new players the game.  Important?[03:31] Start with a central threat or plot that will engage all of the players (and their characters)[04:00] Story shaped by system or system picked to fit a story?[05:09] Generating characters that will have a common interest.[06:18] Opening scenes used to introduce the story, the mechanics and excite the players.  Idea from Prime Time Adventures that shows start when something major has just changed.[07:23] James Bond movies make a great format for con games.  Start with an opening vignette that shows the protagonists full of awesome and lead into the main story.[08:08] Gnome Spy Games:  Gnome Impossible!, Dr. Gnome and Gnomes Like Us.[08:45] Many conventions games spoof popular media. Win or Fail?[09:55] Win! Gathers interest, sets expectations and creates familiarity.[10:27] Fail. Players might not take the game seriously.[11:37] Props!  Justin and I both love them.[11:53] Definitions: Props are anything you physically provide for the players, including dice, character sheets, nourishment, your appearance, etc.[13:05] Character sheets.  Make them evoke the feel of the game as well as provide easy access to relevant game statistics.[14:50] Props can eat up a lot of time, hopefully not a lot of money.[15:38] Examples of cheap props.  Tape cassette character sheets. [16:58] Call of Cthulu published adventures came with props included.[17:45] My experience with "One Ring" regarding props.[18:20] Backfired for Justin, players hording props.[18:46] Props that can't be hidden! Daggers, Amulets, etc.[19:59] Some other cheap and easy props.   Templates in Microsoft Word (faxes, form letters, resumes, etc)[20:16] Paper props for Fantasy Games.  Making them yourself? [21:14] Some resources: Gamer the Podcasting and Ronin Arts.[22:18] Wear your props! Another cheap creation I used for My Life with Joker.[23:39] Build to your strengths. Make props that are fun for you to create.[24:00] High Tech: Justin's pseudo-CDC website for the characters.[24:40] Is any of this preparation necessary?[24:58] Some pickup games are really designed to be played on the fly.  Example of Spirit of the Century.[26:06] Pickup plots guarantee that they are character driven.[26:27] Different genre's.  What about pickup horror?[27:57] In pickup games, it is important to have the players invest in the creation.  Creating characters and feeding ideas to the GM is part of the fun![29:16] Setting expectations before the game starts, helps people play to the strengths of that genre.[30:04] Dogs in the Vineyard.  A game that works well as a pickup, specifically because of the early introduction to the system and setting.

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