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So a question:
Semi-experienced GM here getting ready to run this week and am seriously considering Rise Of The Goblin Guild - it sounds like a fun adventure, and I have a fun-hearted group of newer players that (I hope) will have fun with the role-playing aspects.
The issue: our FLGS offers us a space, but we need to be done at 11. We traditionally start at 7, so I have exactly 4 hours to work with. I've heard that this adventure tends to run longer. Does anyone have any suggestions to make the adventure fit within the four-hour slot?
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I have run this adventure four times now, and not once has it taken less than 5 hours (and I have never used the optional encounter). It is an amazing scenario, but the first part has a lot of good roleplay, and also involves a little bit of investigation, which can take up time.
You could potentially
You will also need to make sure your players waste no time during combats, since there are four fights even if you skip the optional one.
My recommendation is to pick something else, then see if you can arrange to start earlier on the day you want to run this. It is such a great adventure, I would hate for you to have to rush it and deny your players the full experience.
Good luck, regardless!
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Hmmmmm, ok. I picked up the low-level Season 4 adventures, because I want to make sure that I'm keeping the new players fully invested in the current events of the Society OP, but I've also been seeing a lot of discussion on Severing Ties being brutal and highly inadvisable for new players, and some mixed thoughts on The Disappeared... So maybe something from Season 3 or some of my old standbys. Thanks!
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My suggestions would be to:
~ Skip the optional encounter
~Have your chronicles already filled out as much as you can before the scenario starts (all the stuff at the bottom, and the initials on the side)
~ Allow the players to hear Ekkie easily, so they dont waste time trying to figure out if she is in the house
~ Move through the Chase Scene quickly if at all possible. One way to do this is allow characters actions to have affect each other. If one PC uses Intimidate to get through a crowd, the next person to go gets +2 on their check to get through cause the npcs are already moved out of the way somewhat, for example.
~ Dont waste a lot of time on unecessary events or checks. For example, when I played this at Gencon, the GM had us make Acrobatics checks to get into the sewer. I ended up having to use Reduce Person on myself and still roll high to get in to pass this made up DC he had set in his mind. When I read the scenario to run it later, I was really mad that wasnt in there.
Hope that helps!
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Another suggestion, though this one is in a general sense: Dont allow the players too much time to get through their round of combat. If you tell them it't their turn and they cant come up with their action and at least start doing something in 10 seconds or so, then start counting down from 5. When you get to 0, they delay and you move on.
Not necessrily nice, but itll keep combat moving quickly.
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Since this conversation is about a specific scenario, the title of the thread should be changed. That way, only those who know this scenario will look at the thread, instead of attracting people who are looking for general advice on keeping scenarios moving along more quickly.
Sorry about that!
Going with a different scenario for this week - may try to run RotGG a different week, or in a longer weekend slot.
To keep with the general advice of how to keep a game running quickly - I picked up using Initiative Cards from a great local GM. Put down initiative modifiers, perception mods, and character names on individual note-cards - put them in order when combat breaks out and Voila! It keeps from the infamous "Ooops, I skipped your turn!", it neatly gathers a lot of your vital GMing stats in an easy-to-access format for quick consulting, and they're reusable for future games!
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Just a few random thoughts for keeping play within time limits:
1. Pre draw/print maps. Drawing and erasing maps takes precious time away from gaming when you are on a time limit.
2. I use initiative cards and place them visibly on the table so every player can see where they are in the order. Like others have stated, if they take too long to decide, I give them a quiet 5 second countdown then make them delay.
3. Roll attack and damage dice at the same time. Encourage players to do the same.
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 8
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Last year was my "trial by fire" of how to GM during a time crunch. PaizoCon was a blast, but you had to motor to get through your games. Things I found that helped quicken the pace (some of which I'm echoing from other posters):
1. Print off, initial, and sign the chronicle sheets. Doing this as well as collecting player info at the start of the game means that after you summarize the conclusion, everyone can get up and go.
2. Recap things blatantly. After hammering out the briefing, especially if it's Valsin, feel free to add something like, "So we're all on the same page, right noobies? You're going to head to X, look for Y, and try not to get Z killed."
3. If players are working to get their faction missions done ("At this point, my rogue would like to slink off from the party..."), help them get to the point of rolling whatever check is needed. "You're quite stealthy, and the party doesn't notice as you dip away, head to that alley and try to do X. Go ahead and roll me a ____." Letting faction missions drag, especially if you have a diverse group, drags things out.
4. Always be reading ahead. Obviously not when the PCs are trying to RP with an NPC or something, but during combat, when players are counting squares or deciding actions -- figure out what your mooks are going to do, or what's behind door number 3. I generally trust other players to keep one another in check ("Wait, how did you do that? You're in full plate..."), so only rarely do I have to speak up and correct a mistake.
5. Keep combat flowing and direct RP interactions. When it comes to RP, you can decide when it ends - just have the NPCs leave or get called away. As far as combat goes, encourage players to know what they want to do before it comes to them. For new players, suggest a few combat options ("You could move here, or here, or do this to do that"). A lot of times, people just don't know what's available to them if they're new.
That's just my quick thoughts on what speeds things up at a game. You never know what specific thing is going to slow things down - maybe a nearby table has a medical emergency and you put your table on hold to help with the situation (this has happened). If you work on keeping your tables tight, you'll have enough wiggle room to still get things done when it hits the fan.