I’m wondering if anyone has any experience running Masks at a gaming convention? Got any tips? I want to run 3 games over 3 days and I had originally envisioned getting the same group committed for all 3 games to tell an expansive story – but that seems frowned upon by the con organizers saying that’s usually a fast way to a bad time.
I’m able to book 3 to 5 hour blocks. I really want to run the game since my table has taken to the system very well, but it seems to be the more their characters interact the better the game is. At a CON ya don’t get that luxury. Plus the system doesn’t have a real crunch for a beat’em up brawl.
Perhaps someone’s done a blog about this?
Just curious. If nothing else I’ll be running D&D AL for a few tables, but I like showing people other games I love too.
Hi Bernie Blankenship, you may want to reach out to the KristaCon & LongCon community for advice. It’s a session format for conventions to run a game with a continuing arc over the whole weekend.
What I’ve usually seen at conventions I’ve gone to are a few tables with different GMs, and no obligation to do more than one session of the game. Each table usually represents a faction or a team and the plot builds over the full weekend. Returning players get first dibs to play their characters again, and new players can either claim unused roles or take up a character of another player who decided not to make that session.
I don’t have experience running them, but have seen enough of them to know the format can work with good prep.
Hasn’t Brendan Conway run a Masks longcon before?
James Mendez Hodes he did a Dungeon World one last year at Dreamation but I’m not sure about Masks
In general it just not a thing that really works at cons. If you want to run a continous arc use the same characters and just let different players portray them and have a somewhat cohesive arcs.
In general cons are places for oneshots unless your doing adventure leauge style stuff.
But for play style. Get short stories together, give people tools to get into a character and get them drawn in.
If your local con has an indy game department reach out to them. Those groups tend to be much more story gamers, and will get into the story of a game without much incentive.
Draw out the themes of the game. Its not a game about fighting..your right..so make the drive and the story about the interactions between the characters with some fighting.
Make sure those things are in the description so people dont get the wrong perspective.
I think that’s my gut feeling about it. Kinda use the con sign up to get people into a particular scenario with a bit of action then use my time to use 3 arcs to.. Fight the bad guys. Be the heroes. Then be the team. Kinda try to focus on highlighting each of the basic moves.
Jim Crocker lol I wish I had that confidence about it. Pretty new to pbta systems so kinda afraid of hang ups. I believe Ill make them all related stories and allow people to play in all 3.
In general its less about PBTA and more about Cons. Just like what you do when you run RPGA, your expected to put up slots and make those available to anyone who wants to play. Because of that making one cohesive arc, that ‘requires’ the same players is a bit frowned up.
Cons are generally just not a good place to run a multi arc game unless you can some how shift the nature of the arc so it works with people playing characters in multiple different ways.
You might get some players who do sign up for all 3 sections..but you will get new people with every section as well.
Jim Crocker Yeah a 3 act arc I think. My story idea is simple. First act the kids have to deal with a kookie old man, who they find out is a shamed roboticist. Lured to lair to face his movement mimicking AI super bot. Heroes win, outro with news there’s a lot more than one bot attacking the city.
Session 2.. Deal with the swarm. Offer a couple of VIPs they get tasked to help. Swarm dies down…
Session 3 the AI has gained info to pit hero groups against one another. The AIs influence must be over came.
A lil Ultronish,but I feel it’s accessible in doses.