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What's the reality of running three games a day, three or four days in a row?
I can't speak to doing it at GenCon, but I can tell you from experience that it's totally doable. It requires a certain bloody-mindedness, though. Because it is kind of exhausting. I like to think of it as an endurance test. :)
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I've GM'd at GenCon the last 2 years, first year as a Tier 1, second year as Tier 4/5(?). It was a blast both times.
There are 10 slots of PFS over GenCon. If this is your first year GM'ing at GenCon, I do not recommend doing all of them. Try and give yourself a break, otherwise your voice will (break that is). Mike takes care of his GM's well, and they send out folks to GM's with bottles of water during the slots to help with the voice going out, but it's not a cure all. Doing Tier 1 or 2 for a hotel room is doable, but pace yourself, and make sure you give your body time to relax between sessions the best you can.
In terms of hauling...It's best to minimize what you can. I have a single 2 wheel hand cart that folds up under my chair at the table. I have a plastic tub with my CRB, Bestiary, GtoP, dice, etc...everything but my minis. For minis, I try and take only what I need for the scenarios I'm running, and I have them in a separate plastic case on top of the tub. I also bring one plastic tube for my maps to roll up into. When I'm at the table, most everything can go under my seat at the table and it affects no one but my own feet. The last year in the Sagamore Ballroom, there was a little more elbow room to get through with your gear...but you're still in a large convention room with a ton of people. Space will be at a premium. There also isn't a great place to store a lot of gear between slots, so either you're hauling it back and forth to your hotel room a lot, or you stay close for the most part.
Players...I don't think I've really had a problem during the 2 years. If you do have a severe problem with a player, contact HQ and they can help you sort it out if its necessary.
Usually GM's are requested the last week of February in the Monday blog, so keep an eye out for the sign up request.
See you Indy!
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As to locations, you mention hotel rooms and ballrooms. Is there a system to what type/tier games are in which? Obviously, a hotel room is going to be worlds easier to manage in terms of volume and focus. How likely is it to do most/all games in that environment?
All games are played in the ballroom. Depending on what tier you are, i.e. how many games you run, you may be able to get a room to sleep in the block they have set aside for PFS GMs. Personally, I don't get more than a few hours of sleep a night during GenCon, but YMMV.
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As to locations, you mention hotel rooms and ballrooms. Is there a system to what type/tier games are in which? Obviously, a hotel room is going to be worlds easier to manage in terms of volume and focus. How likely is it to do most/all games in that environment?All games are played in the ballroom. Depending on what tier you are, i.e. how many games you run, you may be able to get a room to sleep in the block they have set aside for PFS GMs. Personally, I don't get more than a few hours of sleep a night during GenCon, but YMMV.
Yeah, the hotel room was where you're going to be sleeping, etc. in between slots/overnight. If you volunteer for enough slots to be a Tier 1/2 GM, then Paizo will provide you with a room at one of the nearby hotels (year I had one it was at the Hyatt). You would be sharing the room with 3 other Tier 1/2 GM's. You are, of course, free to provide your own lodging during the convention (and have to for the lower tiers) where you see fit/can afford. If you're looking to get your own room, please note that hotel reservations for GenCon open tomorrow at noon EST. Check out the info at www.gencon.com. You have to have a badge purchased to reserve a hotel room.
All the main PFS games are going to be in one convention center hall, most likely the Sagamore Ballroom again (it's the largest at the convention center). The noise aspect of the ballroom was much easier to handle than the room we had the previous year. I didn't have to raise my voice nearly as much to be heard by the table in the Ballroom.
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If you are new to GMing at a convention & running several scenarios a day over multiple days, I recommend taking it slow. Tier 4 (5 slots) will get you in with a free badge and some other swag. Five scenarios over 3 or 4 days may not seem like a lot, but you have to imagine all the other factors you will be enduring. It's kind of like running 5 miles on a treadmill versus running 5 miles off-road.
There are some who pride themselves on their ability to take the punishment as Tier 1 GMs, doing 8 slots at a minimum. It's kind of like a test of manhood. But you also have to remember that the players have paid good money to be there and expect a quality experience. Are you at your best after 7 slots in a row? Did they pay to see you display your manhood? I'm not saying it can't be done, but there's perception vs reality here. You may think you are at your best, but I've been there as a player too many times watching the GM mail it in on Sunday morning. Moderation is the key. Try 5 slots, then after you have some perspective you can go all in on Tier 1 in 2015.
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Last year I ran 7 slots of PFS. Sadly, they didn't have any more space in hotel rooms to put up this Tier 2 GM, so if you opt to go for Tier 1 and 2, volunteer fast.
Still, it was a blast to run 7 games over the few days. But I must confess I may have bitten off a little more than I could chew, and I learned a LOT over that weekend.
Voice - I made it damn near the whole weekend feeling great! But Sunday came and my voice was breaking like a pubescent boy for that last game. Character voices were a no go, not that I'm great at them anyway, and I really had to keep guzzling the water they gave me. Even on the way home the following day, I was popping lozenges like they were candy.
Carrying capacity - If you do not have a nearby hotel room (and even if you do), remember that there is a distance between point A in your room/at your car and point B in the ballroom. I started the weekend with a dufflebag, backpack, map tube, two cases of miniatures, and a little cooler for water. By the end of the weekend it was just the backpack with the map tube sticking out the top. Then again, I was running three different scenarios at times so had a little more stuff to haul around. And remember that you'll probably be lugging this wherever you go that day between games, for lunch/dinner, etc etc. Just take that into consideration.
Food - Don't forget to eat! You'll be pulling long days, short nights, and will need to be focused the whole time. Do not let your energy levels get to E before eating. Carry a stash of protein bars, energizing drinks, snacks, and something to make the water a little more palatable (such as Mio or other flavour agent). Most of my meals were tuna packs and protein bars. Don't try to GM on an empty stomach!
Preparation - Know. Your. Stuff. I don't really mean the game rules, because everyone knows enough to get by. I mean your scenarios. This seems a no-brainer, but when you're running 5 different scenarios throughout the weekend, you need to recall certain pieces of information on the fly, or at least be able to find it quickly. That means all the stat blocks right there, every clue the PCs need to find, trigger events, tactics, everything.
Conclusion - Is GMing for most of Gen Con hard work? Yeah. I don't know a single Tier 1 or 2 GM who would say otherwise. Is it worth it? Oh yeah. Having my weekend badge paid for was the only way I could make it out there, even though I had to drive and pay for parking and lodging. But I have no regrets about going. Being a part of this experience was a blast. I wish I could make it out to more, but circumstances say I mustn't. But I will never discourage someone from going and taking my place, hahaha. Just... be prepared for anything, and be swift to adapt.
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I signed up to GM 5 slots last year, and it didn't quite go as I would have liked for a variety of factors.
I requested to run the same scenario in 5 specific slots. I initially got what I requested, but that was later changed to 3 different things: the scenario, We Be Goblins twice (two 2-hour games), and Goblin Attack twice. I had to prep two additional items which was okay in the end.
Second was that for the scenario I was initially assigned, none of the tables went off due to lack of players. It was the scenario I looked forward to the most. In one slot I did manage to get a table of GMs who also had their tables not go. (On the positive side, I did have fun running We Be Goblins and Goblin Attack. I've now taken to enjoying WBG and run it whenever asked.)
When games don't go off, you either have to hope to find a table with a seat, or you go wander off to the exhibit hall. While the free badge is nice, I'm likely to pass on GMing at Gen Con for PFS in the future. Gen Con is a special thing for me and my family, so we're likely to go as simply players in PFS and other events.
I'm not trying to dissuade you from GMing at Gen Con at all. I offer my experience more as a data point in help you decide what you want your Gen Con to be.
I highly recommend the 123 rule for any convention, especially if you are GMing.
1 shower a day (or more)
2 meals a day (or more)
3 hours of sleep a night (or more)
This, in my experience is important. Some rookie GMs get caught up in the night life/GenCon party scene and skip sleep - to the detriment of their players later in the day.
Some folks recommend blasting vitamins during the con (or starting a day or two before) to avoid concrud.
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I've done the GM every slot -- and unless you know for certain sure you can power thru it and give it your all every slot, you better off limiting how much to volunteer for for your first year.
I'm not saying this to discourage you from volunteering, rather to encourage you to recognize your limits and work that into your volunteer schedule.
Lots of other good advice, such as candy to suck on to keep your throat moist and snack bars in case you can't get out to hit up a food vendor in between slots -- a lot of times there are nice players that will volunteer to grab you something when they go... take them up on the offer lol.
accept the water every time it's offered -- that will go a long way as well as the candy
Keeping your gear as light as possible is also another help, there is no guarantee your stuff will be safe if dropped at hq.. there just isn't the staff to watch a pile of GM stuff and while we all want to trust gamers there are always those few (just keeping it real, you know you all were thinking it lol). The first year I went I had a large rolling duffle bag and my map tube ... it worked well to keep things contained.
If you don't have to carry all your books because you have a tablet .. pack light and only what you need to run your games or your characters ... streamline as much as you can.
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Regarding tablet... if you are not sure your tablet can withstand 15 hours of constant use, invest in an external power pack to charge it. Don't assume you will be able to find a nearby outlet to charge your device with.
This is pretty much the reason why I prep all my scenarios for cons in a big binder. If I need to run something on the fly I can pull out my tablet - but I can go 15 straight hours on a binder with no charger.
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Unless you have alot of time to prep scenarios the week of gencon, don't sign up to GM alot of new scenarios or the special. The scenarios are given to GMs almost as soon as they are finished and it is still only a couple of days for GMs to prep.
Consider only GMing one or two different scenarios. It will help keep your gear light and that is a necessity.
Kyle has the suggestion last year "put as much effort and excitement into your last slot as you did your first."
Also wear tennis shoes and a backpack with comfortable straps.
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If you have 4 people in a room, does everyone get a bed? or are you on cots / portalable beds?
Depending on what tier you are, i.e. how many games you run, you may be able to get a room to sleep in the block they have set aside for PFS GMs.
Usually it's 2 queen sized beds in a room. You might be able to get a cot/rollout bed from the hotel. I brought an inflatable mattress the year I did it, and it slept extremely comfortably.
EDIT: You know who you're rooming with well before the convention, and can work things like that out within your group before you show up at the con. I've done the split w/others room at 2 cons so far (GenCon and Origins), and personally, have never had an issue.
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 32
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This last time was my first GenCon, and I think I learned a lot. My advice:
1) Cut down on as much gear as you can. You want to travel to Sagamore as lightly as possible. If you have a tablet, put as many books as you can on it. Consider a PRD app. Only bring the minis you need.
2) Time yourself between now and GenCon, to get an idea of how long you run. I generally tend to run short, which makes things easier for me as a GM. If you run long, you might want to consider why. Running long at a gameday is generally fine, where it isn't really at a larger convention - somebody else needs your table and your players have other places to be.
3) Predraw all of your maps. It saves time and energy.
4) Really prep your scenarios well, and be prepared for tables that go more than a bit off the rails.
5) If one of your tables doesn't go too well, don't beat yourself up that badly over it. Sometimes convention slots work really well, letting interesting people play together that would have otherwise never met. Other times, player style and GM style can clash, leading to unfortunately poor tables. It's not anybody's fault, it's just going to happen with gaming.
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3) Predraw all of your maps. It saves time and energy.
This is my pet peeve of Gen Con or really any convention PFS game. Of the problems you might have GMing at Gen Con, drawing maps should not be one of them. Lots of flip maps have blank sides. If you have a vinyl map as your only map, you should invest in Gaming Paper and or more flip maps. Gaming Paper is only $4 for a roll, and there's really no excuse for not coming with pre-drawn maps*.
* The only time I don't pre-draw is if a map is easy to draw and I want to slow reveal as the PCs explore. I still mark up my PDF with counts of squares for dimensions so I can draw as quickly as possible.
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I am looking forward to going to my first Gen Con... only been thinking about it for 30+ years.
I am planning on hitting the ground running as tier 1... not going to be my first convention (most slots I have run in the past was 3 4-hour slots, but I'll be running 4X slots for PFS at Con of the North).
Very much looking forward to it! Everyone I have ever heard from re: GMing at Gen Con has said it was a very fulfilling experience! I also know, going into it, that I'll have very little time off, but that's not a big deal to me. In fact, it is likely that my free slots will also be taken up by PFS. Maybe find one slot for something else, but we'll see.
I am planning on having everything well prepped... probably including reducing the number of characters I am bringing for any games I am playing in. Maps will be printed out (will just need to figure out the best way to transport them), as will be scenarios and scenario "cheat sheets". I look forward to any hints people here will be giving as the time gets closer!
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I am looking forward to going to my first Gen Con... only been thinking about it for 30+ years.
I am planning on hitting the ground running as tier 1... not going to be my first convention (most slots I have run in the past was 3 4-hour slots, but I'll be running 4X slots for PFS at Con of the North).
Very much looking forward to it! Everyone I have ever heard from re: GMing at Gen Con has said it was a very fulfilling experience! I also know, going into it, that I'll have very little time off, but that's not a big deal to me. In fact, it is likely that my free slots will also be taken up by PFS. Maybe find one slot for something else, but we'll see.
I am planning on having everything well prepped... probably including reducing the number of characters I am bringing for any games I am playing in. Maps will be printed out (will just need to figure out the best way to transport them), as will be scenarios and scenario "cheat sheets". I look forward to any hints people here will be giving as the time gets closer!
If you are hand drawing maps on any kind of graph paper ... look for alvin ice tubes (or something similar) lots of times you can get pretty decent deals online ... if you have to fly take into consideration the limitations they put on size to be considered a carry on item (also try to book a window seat ... reduces the chance that the attendant is going to rip your tube away from you as you can kinda "hide" it lol).
As for prep ... keep an eye on the shared drive ... I know a lot of people were updating it regularly leading up to the con.
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Hand sanitizer. Use it a ton. Keep kleenex that had germ killer on it. Drink watwr. Straight water. No Mio in it. Mio is all salt so you're hurting yourself. Keep healthy snacks on hand. I had carrots and fresh uncut green beans on hand. Carrots have a lot of sugar in them so you'll not have to resort to candy for a fix.
Gargle in the morning and in the night. This will keep throat inflammation down. Make sure to hit the treadmill in the morning or after slots are done. You're going to be spending a lot of time sitting so walk a mile every day to keep yourself fresh.
Protein is your friend. Protein bars and starkist tuna pre packed lunches are fantastic and they will give you more energy over a day than Mt dew.
I mentioned hydrating. I take 4 liters of water for a day and I also bring a liter of unsweetened green tea. This should keep you up and running for a day without voice loss.
Finally buy two boxes of chewable airborne tablets and pound the s$@@ out of them. The black death is commonly referred to as Con Crud. Do not get infected
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The last two years at GenCon as a PFS tier 1 GM, the hotel rooms have been 2 full size (double) beds (not queen) for 4 GMs.
Sin has excellent advice, but for those who don't normally get a lot of exercise, you will probably get more than you are used to just walking where you need to go each day. If possible, build up your muscles before going to the con so you can walk 2 or 3 miles comfortably. Just walking where I needed to go, I was walking close to 2-3 miles each day.
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Last night, I was inspired to seriously consider volunteering as a PFS GM at Gencon, this year. I'm curious what other GMs' experience with it is. Ups and downs. Boosts and hurdles. Player problems and great games.
To get the ball rolling, but not limit the conversation to these:
What's the reality of running three games a day, three or four days in a row?
I like to haul around a metric s#!@-ton of GM tools and supplies. How feasible is that in the environment?p.s. Input from players is also appreciated.
Though I have DM'ed D&D at Gen Con before, last year (2013) was my first year to GM Pathfinder. I signed up to run 5 slots. That was enough to get my free badge, some t-shirts, and a boon. I was given two scenarios to run over those 5 slots, which was great - I didn't have to prepare 5 different scenarios.
Of my 5 slots, only 1 one them went off. The other 4 were cancelled because I either had too few players or none. On the last day (Sunday), my slot didn't go off, so they had me help tear down HQ. That was totally fine - they gave me a badge, Paizo credit, etc. and they let me keep them all even though the other slots were cancelled. Helping them tear down HQ was the least I could do.
I carried my books, etc. in a wheeled card, and carried my maps in a tube with a shoulder strap. I wouldn't try to navigate the exhibitor hall with that stuff, but the Pathfinder room? Yeah, no problem.
I didn't have problems with any players, and the Pathfinder HQ staff and volunteers were all very friendly and help. Now, I am local to Indy, so I didn't need a hotel room, so that's not a factor for me.
And I am certainly going to sign up to GM again this year. It was a great experience, well-organized, and top notch. And yes, there were a few problems, but all of them were minor and easily addressed.
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As a side note, we should have fewer scenarios for GMs to prep this year. Last year we had a huge number as it was Paizo's 10th anniversary and we wanted to showcase scenarios from every season. This year the scenario list will be much smaller, so we should be able to limit how many scenarios each GM needs to prep.