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I am going to be GMing two scenarios F2F in two weeks at a good size Con. I started looking over the modules and realized just how much I am used to doing things on VTT. I now need to get the physical items like mini/pawn and mats.
So, first off, what do you all do when the scenario says "Creature X", do not have any "Creature X" mini/pawns and the encounter needs 6. If this was a home game I would just 6 coins and show them a picture of X. Since this is a Con, however, I am less inclined to do that.
Likewise, There are 3 encounter maps in each game, again that I do not have. Now there are images of the maps in the scenarios. So do I break out the dry erase marker and dup the maps on 5-to-the-inch tiles? Or is there a good way to do "theater of the mind"?
I think I have become a little lazy playing two-plus years on VTTs. I think I may have lost some of my edge.
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The answer is a huge depends.
I, in the past, have spent some money picking up flip mats, getting a map printed to scale, and/or made 3d terrain.
This is by no means required.
There are things I would encourage.
1) Have all maps you will be using ready before the game starts. Timing is everything at a con. Running over on a slot should be avoided at all costs.
2) I have never experienced or heard of a "theater of the mind" pathfinder combat being a good experience.
3) Most people are completely fine with proxy items for enemy minis. Finding a way to color code or differentiate them can be quite helpful as well.
4) Throat lozenges and beverages give a lot of verbal staying power.
5) Recruiting your players to help keep track of the more tedious aspects of the game (like initiative) can free you up to focus on the more complex aspects of the scenario.
6) SELF-CARE!!
7) You have made a commitment and are being trusted fulfill said commitment. People are paying to be there. Please respect that.
8) Solve problems as you are able, but don't be afraid or too prideful to ask the HQ for assistance. That is one of the reasons they are there.
For mini/pawns, if you have some that are reasonably close, but not correct, use those. If you don't have any, then coins or candy are both pretty common to see at cons -- I'd avoid using dice as proxies, they tend to get confused/rolled. Starbursts in particular seem to get a lot of use as they are just about 1" square and different colors wrappers for distinguishing things.
For maps, you really want to have them all ready before the event. If you have double sided blank one, you can draw two of them ahead of time. Sometimes you can find cheap/gift wrapping paper that has a faint 1" grid on the back, which can be very useful for drawing maps on.
If the convention has a GM discussion email/discord list you might be able to ask if you can borrow a map from someone as well.
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I am very grateful for this advice! As I think over games with good(some great) GMs all of these items fit their actions and attitudes. I will aim to keep all of these in mind as I do the best job I can.
I also remember that most of the best GMs aim at all the players having fun and trying to keep for TPK (as the dice allow)
Thank you very much.
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For maps, HERE is some advice I offered last month.
Starburst work great for "figurines"! Also Hershey's kisses. But, if you have time and are somewhat crafty, you can purchase a thin, 8.5"x11" foam sheet from a craft store for like $.99 and glue or double-sided-tape an image of your monster to both sides, then stick the whole thing in a pawn base. I have dozens of Starfinder "figurines" using this method.
I am also going to my first in-person Con since before the Pandemic at the end of this month, but I just signed up for 2 slots/day, rather than 3. I figured I need to give my voice and energy levels a transition period. Pack a full bag of throat lozenges.
Have a good time!
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For maps, HERE is some advice I offered last month.
Starburst work great for "figurines"! Also Hershey's kisses. But, if you have time and are somewhat crafty, you can purchase a thin, 8.5"x11" foam sheet from a craft store for like $.99 and glue or double-sided-tape an image of your monster to both sides, then stick the whole thing in a pawn base.
Nefreet, That is a very good idea. I was thinking of doing it with Cardboard, but foam sheets sound like they may last for more than one game. Cool, Thanks.
For F2F play what do you do for maps? If it is general wilderness or a small bunch of buildings or a room or two, I will draw it beforehand. But when it is a large cavern or underwater citadel that doesn't work for me (I have a -10 modifier on my art talent). It is only a little over a week until the Con, so I can't buy them from the Paizo store (ships in 11+ days from the warehouse). Do you use a program to enlarge the maps Paizo gives in the module to full 5 to the inch format (I hope the local Staples could print it if I could come up with a compatible format for their machine)?
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I own a LOT of flipmats. Been doing Society for like 10 years now. But I also have a ton I've printed myself.
If you have a FedEx store locally, ask them if they have an oversized printer, and what dimensions they can accommodate. Usually, they can print something up to 36" wide, with unlimited length. You can bring your image to the store on a USB drive, or email them the file to print.
Usually, a 24"x30" black-and-white PDF will cost you around $4. IIRC, Staples is more expensive, but call around and maybe someone will have a cheaper option.
Open your Scenario PDF and right-click-copy the map you need. Paste it into Microsoft Paint, or your favorite image-editing software. If you can, save it as a PNG rather than a JPG, to preserve what resolution you can. I have noticed that, sometimes, the dimensions of this image are transposed, turning the squares into rectangles. Just resize the image to the transposed dimensions (so if it's 2304x2880, resize it to 2880x2304) to get squares again.
Next, edit the image to black-and-white. I use Windows Photos to remove all color, and I also increase the light level by 50%. This is the image that will become your map.
Now, open a new Word Document. Resize the page to the size you want your map (most likely 24"x30"). Make the borders 0". Now, upload the image as your document background, selecting "Area", which will stretch the image across the page. Export the document as a PDF. Voila, you have a very inexpensive, one-sided flip-mat.