GZG Events at Plattecon 99!

Hello all:

I'm thinking of thinking of running some GZGs events at Plattecon, a Wisconsin
game fair going on in March
(http://vms.www.uwplatt.edu/~gaming/plattecon/).  Since this will be my
first attempt at running a game at a convention I was wondering what advice
you guys could give me for running some games.

Have "Player Cards" that give them simple, concise play data including
weapons, turn procedure, forces, objective briefings. Let them keep them as
souvenirs. Keep it simple. Figure how big a game you want and back off 20%.
Then you will be able to finish and everyone will be happy. Be very firm with
the players. No rules lawyering. No fudging allowed on measuring. Shoot the
lawyers.

Have fun!

Michael Wikan Game Design Slave Zero Accolade, Inc.
http://www.slavezero.com
mwikan@accolade.com wikan@sprintmail.com "We sleep safely in our beds because
rough men stand ready in the night to
visit violence on those who would do us harm."-George Orwell

> -----Original Message-----

> Hello all:

1.  Get help - do it with somebody else, even one other person.

2. Get a commitment on table space from the organizers, so you don't turn up
with terrain for a 4' x 8' table to discover they've put miniature gaming off
in a corner on tables meant for card games...

3. Have several scenarios prepared before you go, including one with only a
few miniatures on each side to use as intro games for people who've never
played before. The Stargrunt intro scenarios I run at events are usually
of the two-squads-each variety, with maybe one or two small vehicles,
etc.
These games will last a maximum of 45 mins to 1 hour - which is good
enough for new people to get a taste without tieing them up for hours... I've
done two that were popular:

"Kill the News Crew" - We have news crew models (A female reporter with
microphone, and a male cameraman with funky camera helmet). The idea is that
the news crew have captured footage of the bad guys committing attrocities,
but have become lost behind enemy lines. They've called for help, and the good
guys are sending in a couple of squads of troops, maybe with a jeep, to get
them and the film out. The bad guys are chasing them with maybe three squads
of troops. The news crew start off stuck in the middle of the table. The bad
guys come on at one end, and try to catch up to them. The good guys either
come on at the end, or if we are feeling adventurous, they may parachute in.
This is really just a meeting engagement between a couple of squads on each
side, but with the news crew thrown in to make it more interesting. It is very
revealing to watch how often the player controlling the "bad guys" gets really
in to the idea of wiping out the news crew. They usually end up quite
bloodthirsty about it.
 :)

"Capture the Guns" - I have three artillery pieces for my New Anglians.
I set them up in the middle of the table as an artillery park. There is a crew
of three for each gun, and a single squad of troops as the guard detail. They
also have a command squad of four. The opposition is
detailed to capture the guns by wiping out / driving off the crews and
security team, or failing that to destroy the guns. They will have two full
squads and a command squad of four coming on one side of the table, and
another single squad (who've snuck around) coming on from the opposite side.
The defending player can not react until the attackers have shown
themselves or fired a shot - when that happens, they all get up, turn on
their tactical helmets, get a clear picture of what's going on, and can react
normally from that point on. This is a small scenario, but gives both players
the experience of having a platoon command, transferring actions, etc. without
having so many models that it is unmanageable.

I'd suggest you have another, bigger scenario planned that you can trot out if
you get a bunch of people (from the intro games or from more experienced
players) who are interested in doing something more complex. At the cons we go
to, we try to have a full company size battle at the end of the day for the
keener players.

4. If you are teaching the game to people who've never played before, use only
the most basic rules. They'll enjoy the game without getting bogged down in
complex detail, and will want more. If they stick around, you can add a bit
more complex stuff later.

5. Take a big bottle of water with you, 'cause you'll be talking all day.

6. Take a camera, so you can record the games you do.

7. And related to the last one, if you get into doing demos and enjoy it,
maybe consider calling or emailing KR at Geo Hex, or maybe the gents at GZG,
and seeing if they'll sponsor you with some prizes to give away. KR has been
generous in giving us brochures, catalogues from Geo Hex, coupons for people
who mail order stuff, and blister packs of miniatures to give
away.  KR and GZG like the word-of-mouth advertising, and if you follow
up a good demo by giving the participants something, they're a lot more likely
to get hooked and get into the games, which is good for all of us.

...ran out of steam...

Hope this helps!

Good Luck!