Trying to Promote

[Wbweather]

Just heard back from the event organizer and he seems excited about having The One Ring represented.

[zedturtle]

Just heard back from the event organizer and he seems excited about having The One Ring represented.

Awesome! PM me your address, I might be able to get you some stuff.

[Terisonen]

It's a noble task to promote RPG. I've seen it fading through years, and even if it pervade some hobby (Electronic Game, Society Game, Picturen Collectible Card) player's became rare.

[DarkTraveller]

Where are you having the event at? I can only think of two stores off the top of my head and it might be a good excuse to try and force my players together for a few hours lol

[Wbweather]

Tabletop games in Overland Park, KS. May 30th, 9:00 am and repeat at 2:00 pm.

[DarkTraveller]

Ha, knew it'd be Tabletop or 31st Century

30th at 9 and 2, might be able to steer some of my guys that direction. And I'll drop word with my various gaming folks who I'm not for sure if they play TOR or not.

[Wbweather]

Glad to hear I'm not the only player in the Kansas City area!

[Bram Corolev]

Glad to hear I'm not the only player in the Kansas City area!

I live in the KC metro and LM'ed a small game for over a year. We wrapped up Tales from Wilderland and my group says it was one of the best gaming experiences they've ever had.(I'm not bragging, it was more C7 than me! ) Unfortunately we got busy before we could really get into Darkening of Mirkwood so we are on indefinite hiatus.

[Majestic]

So much good advice already. Let me echo some of it. A huge part of making a convention experience fun will be the GM's demeanor and attitude, so if you are prepared and relatively stress free you're bound to all have a good time. Don't get too caught up in the mechanics; what's important is that everyone have a good time and come away with a good experience with the game.

I'd highly recommend using the pregens. Character creation otherwise ends up taking up a large portion of a session, and the ones created are already balanced enough that you won't have to worry about anyone having something that throws a huge curveball at you with something you never expected.

Totally agree on both the music and the game aids; those mats really help make things clearer. You might find something (miniatures, beads, some kind of tokens) to help you represent each character. And the cards with the various stances are helpful, too. If possible (C7 would likely help you with this), get a second or third set of dice, as they really enhance the experience (and make it far easier than everyone sharing one set).

Here's a huge pointer, especially as you're new to GMing: cap your game if necessary. Decide on a number you're comfortable with (as new as you are, I wouldn't probably go over five players), and stick to your guns. It's easy to - in the spirit of being generous and accommodating - welcome all who want to play. But your gameplay will really slog and the pace will be incredibly slow if you have too many players, which could end up detracting from everyone's experience. Better to encourage people to come back at the later session, or get their info and agree to do a demo or game at another time with those interested.

Personally, I've found that the more I prep, the better the session will go. I will read over the adventure a couple of times, make myself notes to consult. Create cheat sheets that make information easy to access. Anything you can do to save you a second here or there, especially that will keep you from having to flip pages while the players wait, is well worth it. In fact, I'd encourage you to decide (at the moment, during play) how important any particular rules issue is before delving into the rules. The index can be really helpful, but it's probably better to "wing it" and correct things later, rather than slowing play too much while you verify rules. If it's crucial (and something that is a major component of the game, that will be used over and over), then I'd look it up. If not, just go with what you think it is, and check back later to learn if you did it right or not.

Best of luck with the games! I think you'll likely have a lot of fun, and I don't doubt that you'll make a few converts (perhaps even meeting people that will be up for an ongoing tabletop game!)

[Glorelendil]

I'll chime in with agreement on pregens, but with the additional suggestion to pick Virtues and Rewards that have a high probability of getting used in that session. Weapons that trigger on Gandalf? Too easy to never roll a Gandalf. The Speakers? Make sure you're running an adventure that makes good use of it, and provide a hint at the right time. Etc.

(Last time I checked the Theft of the Moon pregens met this criterion.)