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Post by WaffleM on Aug 3, 2011 4:38:23 GMT -9
In the next few months, I'm planning on running some demos of Armor Grid: Mech Attack! at gaming conventions. I'm looking at having a battle between 6-8 players and I have a few scenario ideas cooking up in the back of my mind, but I wanted to ask if anyone has any tips to running a convention game?
What makes a good multi-player convention game where possibly none of the players have any Mech Attack/wargaming experience and they may not even know each other? Do you have any stories of games that you played in similar situations to conventions? How well did the game master introduce the rules? What made them good and run smoothly? What made them bad and had you sneaking away to the food court?
Thanks!
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Post by nikloveland on Aug 3, 2011 4:51:52 GMT -9
It's always best to have everything planned out in advance for them. This includes having the armies planned and setup, the terrain on the table, and the dice/rulers nearby. All they have to do is sit down and start playing.
I always try and shoot for 1/2 hour games. If they want to play more (cha-ching!) they can always get in on the next demo.
Know your rules backwards and forwards. Start explaining the game with the goal (how do I win) and move from the simple to more complex. As a game designer, I find myself trying to explain all the nuances of the game but really, just let them play. Rules explanation should take five minutes or less.
That's just a few things that come to mind from my Con experience.
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Post by stevelortz on Aug 3, 2011 19:02:00 GMT -9
nikloveland is right about having everything planned out beforehand. If you're running a tournament game, you'll want the players to be able to make some strategic/tactical decisions before play commences, but with a demo game you want them to launch immediately into play. Have the figures already set out in their starting positions.
My games usually have alternating sides, so the first thing I have the players do is to roll for initiative, and then I explain the movement rules to the players as they need to know them to execute movement. Dittos for shooting, fighting and morale. Within a few turns, the players are running the game themselves and I am simply a kibitzer with the power of life and death.
Of course, my games are usually long on story-telling and short on number-crunching.
Keep the game moving at a rapid clip, and keep everyone as involved as possible. If you have to fudge some, that's okay. The players will remember how much fun they had, not the nit-picky nuts and bolts of every little rule system.
The main thing about demo-ing a game, if it's you versus an individual interested party, is to let the potential customer win! And make sure EVERYBODY has FUN!
Have fun! Steve
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