RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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It's three weeks out till Gen-Con. It's getting on to the time that Sean K. Reynolds reminds us all to start exercising, to get ready to stand and deliver good adventures for three-and-a-half days straight.
Remember water. Remember throat lozenges. Remember all the things you'll need to get you through the convention in as good a shape as possible.
And I'll add one thing more: remember to prepare your adventures.
Now, you wouldn't think I'd need to say that. But I kept walking around the ballroom last year, and I kept seeing, at table after table, GMs who were just then reading the adventure for the first time. I kept hearing from friends, over and over, about GMs who didn't know what they were doing, weren't prepared, and so on. At Gen-Con, the premiere gaming convention in North America, where Paizo wants to put its best foot forward to the paying public.
(At Origins last month, I overheard two GMs in the Food Court, bragging about how they were running with no idea about how the adventure would run. I was boggled. To my ears, it sounded like two guys bragging about how they held both their players and the campaign leadership in contempt.)
(Now, confession time. it's happened to me now and again. I've been a replacement judge on short notice, or I have run the Special in a tier I wasn't expecting. I sort of muddled my way through, trying to keep the action moving and trying to make as few mistakes as possible. But I kept seeing ways I could make it better, seconds after I announced something.)
So: prep. Reading through the scenario once is not the same as prepping it. That's only the first step. Make or select great maps. Plan your bad guys' strategies. Look up their spells. How will you change things up, if the players obviously want a tactical challenge? Do you have any miniatures, or Face Cards, or Item Cards, that could help bring the adventure to life?
Are you running a Chase Scene, or a haunt, or an NPC who like to use some odd-ball maneuver? Look all that stuff up ahead of time.
Look through the Shared Prep files. What have other GMs used or built? Look through the relevant spoiler thread. What questions have other GMs had? How will you answer them? What weird things happened at other tables? What will you do if they happen at yours?
Prep your Chronicle sheets in advance. (By the way, John and Mark: what's the Event Code for Gen-Con?) Prep your Faction Missions in advance. Any handouts? Any props?
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The "GM 101" course walks you through how to run PFS adventures when you sit down at a table cold and have to GM something you've never set eyes on. But, people, that's not ideal. That's not what the campaign leadership is expecting from us.
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This is my challenge to you. Come to Gen-Con having done enough work to blow your players away. Even on the Season 5 and late Season 4 scenarios. Even on the Special. Especially on the Special. Do what you need to do, that all the neighboring tables are looking at you and your players enviously. "Wow." they'll think. "I wish our GM was that well-prepared."
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Chris reviewed a lot of good points. None of them are new, but their value is indisputable. My favorite subject is maps. I draw a lot of them. I always pre-draw my maps because it saves precious time at the table. At GenCon time is precious. It can take a long time to get players from the muster to the table. I constantly witness the behavior of GMs laying down a Basic Flipmat and drawing out a dungeon in front of the players. The players typically react by going to the bathroom or setting off in search of food. This breaks the continuity of the game, and often results in longer-than intended delays since crowds/lines are a big factor. A good GM will draw maps out on the flipmat beforehand. A better GM will pre-draw them in color on oversized graph paper (easel pads and Gaming Paper both suffice). Another great trick is to print the map right out of the scenario. The best GMs create 3D terrain and player handouts to enhance the game. You have to remember that it is LOUD in the gaming hall. The more handouts and visual aids you can bring to the table, the better your players will understand the plot. Funny voices and accents are great at the private table, but your players will struggle to hear you in the Sagamore Ballroom. Print the VC briefing out in large font and make some copies to pass around the table. Make handouts with the names of NPCs and some PC portraits to go with them. Print out monster art for unusual creatures so you don't have to struggle to describe what's killing the PCs. This kind of stuff separates the elite from the rank-and-file. If you want to impress Mike Brock at GenCon, then you need to bring it to the table.
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Story Time:
My first experience with PFS was Gen Con 2009. My wife and I had signed up to play a couple of slots to try it out. Neither of us had ever tried organized play before. After some okay-to-great initial experiences (Thanks Doug and Charles), we gained a level! w00t! I managed to convince my wife to skip our Sunday tickets and play one more game of PFS since we were now second level.
The Sunday slot was atrocious. The GM was exhausted, didn't care at all and wanted to leave to so they could hit the dealer hall. We completed the scenario in under 2 hours (no it wasn't Thea!) What a waste of time and money. It almost made me stop playing. Seriously.
Fast forward to Gen Con 2010 after getting involved locally thanks to Smug Smiles, I volunteered for all 10 slots at Gen Con. I made it a personal vow then and still do today, that I would give everything I had in my in that final slot, everything else be damned. I remember having to literally hold my throat in order to make enough noise to role play the PCs. But I did it. I suffered through it so those players could have the same memorable experience as my table on Thursday morning had.
So I ask this of you, oh GM of slot #10, plan ahead now. Be prepared to be exhausted and missing your voice. But for the love of all that is unholy (hail Norgorber!), give Sunday morning everything you've got!
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Amen, Chris. Good advise.
On top fo water and throat drops, I also suggest taking some form of Vitamin C every day, to help keep Con Crud (not the exclusive miniature) away. Personally, I like Airborne.
Also, I too would like to know the Event Code for Gencon, please. :)
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So I ask this of you, oh GM of slot #10, plan ahead now. Be prepared to be exhausted and missing your voice. But for the love of all that is unholy (hail Norgorber!), give Sunday morning everything you've got!
+1!
I remember at Paizo Con 2012, I basically ruined my Voice Friday evening for the Grand Convocation. I like to talk in a gruff or gravely voice sometimes, and for whatever reason, during that particular slot, it destroyed my voice. I still had Saturday and Sunday to go.
I still did my absolute best Sunday morning, even though I was in significant pain just trying to talk, let alone talk about the crowd noise. One of the players took pity on me and read some of the boxed text for me... but in general, I tried my best.
I generally can fully prep a scenario by reading through it once. I tend to read slowly, and think of tactics as I'm reading the stat blocks. A single read-through for me, is actually more like 2 read-throughs, because I go back and re-read tactics and developments and such. If there is anything I don't know, I look it up.
I essentially ran Blood Under Absalom without any pre-printed maps, and it hindered the players finishing. It was my first special ever. So for Race for the Runecarved Key, I pre-drew my maps or had the flip maps. It made a huge difference. But the day I had set aside to prep Race, I got a migraine, and then the next day I was driving out to Indianapolis. So I basically ran Race half-cold. One of the most difficult scenarios to have to do that with. I did ok. But please do not do this.
This year, based on my experiences with both Blood and Race, I plan to have pre-printed or drawn maps and/or flip maps and map packs ready to go. I plan to set aside more than one day to prep for each scenario, so that if something comes up (like a migraine) I will still have time to prep them. I'm starting now on the scenarios that I already have, like 4-25 and 4-26, so that I'm not prepping 6 scenarios all in one day.
I've got a list of all the maps I'll need, faction missions, etc. I bought some organizational materials to help me keep things organized.
I plan to "bring it!" this year. More than I ever have before.
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Personally, I like Airborne.I keep a d20 I rubbed on the sarcophagus of St. John Chrysostom, patron saint of orators, in my pocket. I find it works as good as placebos against con-related illnesses ;)
I get down and lick the floor and full-on mouth kiss sick people for a week beforehand. That way I'm vaccinated for any con crud before I get there.
I’m hoping (fingers crossed) that since the ceiling is much higher in the Sagamore Ballroom that the sound isn’t as confined and therefore it won’t be as loud.
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On an off topic, as someone who has done the Iron Man Gen Con more times than I would like to count as a GM, and who was rewarded with whooping cough for his troubles.
You can never have enough purell, or Germ-X hand sanitizer. My Gen Con ritual's now take place a week before hand as I start loading up with vitamin's.
Mt Dew, Pepsi, Coke, or whatever your choice of soda is? Don't drink it during the con, either drink it before you start, or after your last slot of the night. Pound water as much as you can. Salt will lead you down the road of no voice and exhaustion.
Pack some protein, this also will help you if you can stand it. For Origins this year, I tried packing protein and I didn't have con exhaustion, and I didn't blow my budget getting horrible con food that I didn't need. I recommend if you can stand it, fish of the sea prepacked kit's. Tuna is amazing to help pick you up for con recovery. I also recommend Quest Bar's, the apple pie ones are delicious and good for you.
This is also kinda fun (for me and interesting), but this year I packed fresh green bean's, as well as fresh carrot's to also snack on. This along with the four one liter bottles of Smart Water kept me from junk food snacking more than I should have, but this combination also helped me keep my voice and my energy up all throughout the con.
But finally, what Doug and the rest said. I actually took a queue from Doug myself the last year I judged for the other campaign at Gen Con, and I predrew my map's, on big white poster board with grid's from Office max. People are paying hundred's of dollars to come some for the sole purpose of enjoying the content Paizo offers. To not be prepped even if it means you cant game Wednesday at Scotties is more important than anything else. If you make a commitment, if even for a slot, then short of being handed a module right before you have to run the slot. IE a fill in judge, than it's your responsibility to come as best prepared as you can.
With this, I slink back into my serpent's cave, and await the day of reckoning against the Baird, to see what he has got to throw down with at the Gen Con. Im coming for ya Jr. 8p
Owner - Enchanted Grounds, President/Owner - Enchanted Grounds
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Dotting, bookmarking, learning.
I volunteered for Gen Con with the intent of being fully prepared. Less than three weeks left and I still have to paint minis and start maps for the scenarios I do own, then scramble for the ones that aren't out yet... I'm failing! But will be ready! I promise!
O.o
Paint minis? Eek. There are so many pre-painted plastic ones available that are so cool looking. Don't stress yourself out for this by having to paint. That part should be a hobby that is fun.
If you need help with any of the scenarios (or maps for the scenarios) let me know. I might have them at the store.
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For the most part I have the miniatures, most are painted, just a dozen or so aren't. Was either going to go for pre-painted plastics for the Special or, heaven forbid, pogs. Will let you know.
I like making maps, even with my feeble attempt at art skills. Will just have to put my nose to the grid paper. Should I need maps, when's the outside I should let you know to allow ordering and delivery before the con? A few days ago, probably, haha.
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Owner - Enchanted Grounds, President/Owner - Enchanted Grounds
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Assuming they're available through distribution (and I don't already have them in stock - I try to keep all the flip-mats and map packs that are available in stock at all times), I can have them by Thursday this week if you let me know by Monday morning.
PS - I just added a ton of minis to the display case, and have sorted everything else from the two collections I bought. If you don't see it in the case you can ask me to try to find it.
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Great advice, folks. My biggest con to date was PaizoCon 2013, with 45 tables, so I can't imagine the noise level of Sagamore. Printing out more handout stuff than I normally do is now on the list.
^This.
I am going to be printing out a mission briefing page for every scenario I GM. On the top will be the briefing along with a little map of where you are. Along the bottom will be a notes section. This way players can take notes on the mission/faction and if they missed something because the ballroom is loud, they have a copy.
Thanks, Nosig, for the idea.
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Great advice, folks. My biggest con to date was PaizoCon 2013, with 45 tables, so I can't imagine the noise level of Sagamore. Printing out more handout stuff than I normally do is now on the list.^This.
I am going to be printing out a mission briefing page for every scenario I GM. On the top will be the briefing along with a little map of where you are. Along the bottom will be a notes section. This way players can take notes on the mission/faction and if they missed something because the ballroom is loud, they have a copy.
Thanks, Nosig, for the idea.
I started doing this early in Season 3. One of the best things I've ever added to my scenario prep. Also consider making note cards with knowledge check information. If there's "Knowledge (Local): 15+, 20+, etc" at the start of the scenario, make cards for that as well. It gives the players the information they need and no need to repeat it during a loud conventions.
One last thing I do is make handouts for all the major NPCs as well. "Who are we looking for? Can you spell that?" will be completely avoided.
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P.S. Kyle, I think you and I have some of the same players spilt between our Eyes of the Ten groups... Having never run this at a Con before, is that normal? Does it affect anything of significance in terms of between-scenario transitions?
(Not that it matters, I suppose, since you'll just kill them all anyway... I hope I still have a legal table by Round 2!)
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Thanks for the tips, folks. As a first-time GenCon GM, they're definitely very much appreciated. As someone who speaks all day for a living and frequently has to do so at an increased volume (I'm a technical trainer by trade), I definitely can vouch for the throat lozenge recommendation. Or, if you have honey lemon tea, that does well too.
Having pre-printed Knowledge check, scenario info, and NPC cue cards is a fantastic and effective idea. They work well at your regular PFS game tables, let alone Con tables.
Something to think about with this year's event: from what I've read, we'll be in an even larger room this year with even more tables, so minimize the effect on your voice/throat as much as possible, because I can only imagine it'll be loud. At the many seminars and conferences I've taught/spoken at, I've learned that these types of events get loud and people continually trying to talk over each other make it all the louder.
See you all at the Con!
-SK
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I've seen several recommendations of throat lozenges. Not having any experience with them, do you recommend any particular type?
Also, I tried asking this on the GenCon volunteer Yahoo group, but my post didn't go through for whatever reason. What should I do if I can't make the Wednesday volunteer meeting? I have to work my day job 9-5 that day, then drive 3+ hours to Indy so I won't arrive until late that evening. This is my first GenCon, so I have no idea where anything is or how anything works there. What do I need to know?
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Some day, we may get to the point that the GM and the players at the table all have microphone/earsets.
I actually did that with a hearing disabled player at a convention once. She brought a microphone and asked me (the GM) to wear it, so it would broadcast directly to her hearing aid, and she'd be able to hear me better.
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Venture-Lieutenant, Massachusetts—Boston
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One of the things I'm doing, since I only have one mod to run (Veteran's Vault) is that I'm making init cards that drape over my GM screen. For PCs, the front facing (PC) side will have a field for their name, on the GM side fields for character name, init mod, perception mod, faction, and *what mini they are using*. For the "enemy combatant" cards, instead of the PC names I grabbed artwork from the mod, the Bestiary PDFs, and a couple from the Paizo Blog to face the PCs, with an abbreviated stat block on the back.
I've done something similar for my local games… the addition this time is the "what mini" field and the monster pic (instead of Bad, Worse, OMG, WTF, BBQ as monster "names").
edit: inserting "field" for clarification x2.
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Having worked for a vitamin company for 3 years, I can tell you that vitamin C as a way to boost the immune system and avoid getting sick is highly overrated. I'll drink some OJ just because it's healthy overall, and I like it, but I won't bother vitamin C pills.
It's not so much the vitamin C, but the keeping your throat wet that's of most benefit. And they taste good. :)
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OOOH! Do I have enough time to make bacon infused bourbon? Two birds with one beverage!If you can't find the time, maybe you can find this
I could do this. The process is remarkably easy. The two weeks to GenCon is pushing it as far as peak flavor profile is concerned, but this is not my biggest hurdle. That would be transportation. I am flying to Indianapolis and looking to avoid checking luggage. Carrying an open bottle of bourbon in my carry-on bag is inviting a pat down from Johnny Law and confiscation. I think I will start a bottle tomorrow night and bring it with me if I eventually need to check a bag.
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I could do this. The process is remarkably easy. The two weeks to GenCon is pushing it as far as peak flavor profile is concerned, but this is not my biggest hurdle. That would be transportation. I am flying to Indianapolis and looking to avoid checking luggage. Carrying an open bottle of bourbon in my carry-on bag is inviting a pat down from Johnny Law and confiscation. I think I will start a bottle tomorrow night and bring it with me if I eventually need to check a bag.OOOH! Do I have enough time to make bacon infused bourbon? Two birds with one beverage!If you can't find the time, maybe you can find this
Or, you know... I'm driving. Just sayin'.
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Venture-Lieutenant, Massachusetts—Boston
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Or, you know... I'm driving. Just sayin'.
So am I. Well, riding with Tetsujinnoni, his wife Tersha, and another local GM.
I'll bring dessert… Tuaca (vanilla-citrus brandy based liquor from Italy… goes really well with chocolate…))
Venture-Lieutenant, Indiana—Indianapolis
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As a diabetic, and a GM at Gen Con, I need to point out that some of the tips here are actually NOT good for diabetics.
Orange juice (and fruit juices in general) are notoriously high in sugar, with little nutritional benefit for diabetics. And, suggestions for throat lozenges are good ones, provided diabetic GMs grab the sugar free ones.
Of course, anyone else here who is a diabetic would already know this stuff (stay hydrated with water, sugar free throat lozenges, sources of protein, etc.)
I only raise this issue because the world is different for those of us with diabetes (I don't take insulin), and so we have extra precautions we need to take.
I think, on the whole, the general things that have been suggested are good, but a select group of us need to then tailor that to our specific needs.
If you aren't a diabetic, there is no reason you would think of this stuff, so I certainly am not trying to be critical. Just pointing out it's a different world for some of us.
Of course, diabetic GMs should plan in advance all of the extra stuff they need: insulin and meds (if you take them), glucose testing supplies (hey, folks, I am sorry if I have to draw my own blood at the table, but if that's my time to test, that's when I am going to test), glucose tablets (if you are prone to hypoglycemia), diabetic-friendly snacks and drinks, etc. And, get PLENTY of rest.
I would also point out that if, as a diabetic GM, you are prone to hypoglycemia (generally a result of insulin, but not always), you might want to let GM HQ know, just in case you would have a hypoglycemic excursion (if you have never seen a diabetic have one of these, it isn't the most pleasant of things, and in fact, it can sneak up on them and you might not even realize it.)
I am not a doctor, folks, just a Type 2 diabetic. But this is the world in which I live, so I have to adapt my own supplies to my specific case. Everyone else must do the same as well. Of course, maybe I will be the only diabetic GM in the group - I'd be happy to have that honor so no one else has to live through it (but I suspect I will not be the only one.)
On the gaming side of things, great suggestions!!!!
I hope to meet many of you at Gen Con!
Mark