Regional Venture-Coordinator, Baltic
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Hi I am running organized play at my store and we only have about 3 to 4 hours to do it. We ran our first scenario Voice in the Void but didn't have time to finish the players want to return to finish next week. What is the protocol on that?
People can't use the characters in the current adventure in other sessions until this session is finished, but otherwise no problems.
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In my experience, you have two options in your case.
Option 1: Your players come back in a week and finish the adventure. If everybody at the table is comfortable with a game that's designed to run in four hours taking two sessions, then let them. Note though that you cannot use the character in any other scenario until your scenario is done (this is spelled out pretty clearly for the people who have characters involved in play-by-post).
Option 2: A player either does not want to, or cannot return for the last part of the adventure. In this case, the convention standard is that the adventure is over, and if they have finished at least 3 encounters, the players get experience and a chronicle sheet.
Venture-Captain, Arizona—Tucson
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I've done this plenty of times. The characters get credit for the adventure as long as they complete at least half of it.
Ideally, each session should begin a strong opening scene and end with a satisfying climax. Sometimes you need to adjust the adventure's plot to make this happen. You want each of the players involved right away, so a fight or action scene is preferable. If the adventure isn't structured to allow that, consider moving an encounter (if that makes sense).
I try to find a good breaking point or "cliffhanger" to end each midpoint session, then open the next session in the style of an old-fashioned radio melodrama... "When last we saw our heroes, the Pathfinder Society had sent them to rural (place), seeking to (goal). In their quest, they had faced down a patrol of ruthless mercenaries, minions of a would-be nobleman who hoped to claim the whole area as his own. Their quest took them through the flooded vineyards of (place), where they battled the hideous (monsters) and emerged triumphant, but encrusted with mud and slime. What muddy horrors await them in Part Two (Tum, Tum, TUM!) - The Barrel-Aging Caves?!" This helps them remember what happened the week before and the overdone drama helps break the ice and get the party back into the mood to adventure.
If needed to get the players' invloved, you could add a short challenge that isn't part of the original adventure, but would be consistent with the setting. To be fair, this shouldn't be something that makes the PCs use resources or seriously threatens them. One example might be an "unscripted" storm coming up when the party is at sea, with the beleagured ship's crew asking the party to help out. Another example might be a roleplaying encounter with a small group of outlaws in the wilderness: Obviously outmatched by the adventurers, they don't want a fight, but a hostile negotiation could give the party information about the area (...and help get the players reoriented about what's going on).
I am not sure what the official word on this will be, but since you just started with this group I would give them a warning this time and let them finish it up, but remind them that the scenarios are designed to be completed in a four hour time slot. If they cannot do that, then you should have to go by MisterSlanky's option two. It is not good to chase off new players just because they play slow and do not finish scenarios, but getting them used to being able to finish at a later time will not have them properly prepared for any play at a convention.
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Venture-Captain, Arizona—Tucson
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It is not good to chase off new players just because they play slow and do not finish scenarios, but getting them used to being able to finish at a later time will not have them properly prepared for any play at a convention.
The games I was referring to took place at a bookstore that didn't have their tables set up until 6:45 PM and needed everything put away by 9:30 PM. I assumed that the original poster faced much the same time crunch.
Is it a good thing to train people that they have to keep moving and finish the game every time? If a group plays more home games than con slots, they can play at a more leisurely pace. Sometimes a bit more roleplay can be fun, especially with newer players who aren't as jaded as we weathered veterans.
[soapbox/on] I don't want to be like certain (unnamed) organized play groups, who seem to think people come out only so their characters can get into a couple of fights, collect their experience points and "phat lewtz", and go.
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I run games for kids (4th to 6th grade) and almost every scenario we have played has taken two sessions. Their attention span just isn'y that long and coupled with playing on a school night, we just broke it up into two sessions so we would't have to rush. Then I report the session on the day that we complete it.
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I don't want to be like certain (unnamed) organized play groups, who seem to think people come out only so their characters can get into a couple of fights, collect their experience points and "phat lewtz", and go.
HA yes! The campaign for replayers! Where the GM usually knows the adventure less than his replayers! :D
Good... good... :P
JP