Help me to plan my Gen Con 2010 seminars!

[VV_GM]

Every year I give a few seminars at Gen Con. Some I do all by my lonesome, and others I present with fellow GMs like YMIAT's own Telas.

This year I will present "Improvising: The GM's Backup Plan!" again for the third year in a row. This seminar is never planned in advance. I want to practice what I preach. That is why the entire seminar is improvised. I will also present my "Fudge: An RPG for Storytellers" seminar once again, because that is my system of choice and I like to promote it to others.

What kinds of topics would interest you? I will be involved in another seminar that is tied to a secret project still in the works, but I would like to give 2 more seminars on my own and I am always interested in collaborating with others as well.

Note that I am very comfortable with discussing touchy subjects, so feel free to push the envelope here.

[VV_GM]

No suggestions? Okay, how about we aim for feedback instead on these ideas for seminars:

* Running a game for a convention or public event.
* Building a GM's toolkit.
* The difference between a challenge and a barrier, and why GMs need to know the difference.

[Rick_TWA]

If I were planning on running a con game in the future (and if I could actually make it to any cons any time soon, I would be) the first would be of interest to me.

I'm really interested in the GMing toolkit seminar. Any chance you have recording device and plans to make these available online after the fact?

I'm not sure what you mean by "the difference between a challenge and a barrier" maybe some adjectives in there to make the intent more clear. I'm guessing challenges are difficult, barriers insurmountable?

[VV_GM]

Yes, that is pretty much what I am referring to with challenges and barriers. Challenges are events that the characters are not guaranteed to overcome, but that the players can interact with through the characters in order to have impact upon the game world. Barriers are situations, objects, and NPCs that are meant to prevent the characters from exploring or changing certain aspects of the game world.

I do plan on recording the seminars and to post MP3s of the events here.

[Telas]

Given the collective experience of the Gnomes at last year's Gen Con, a "Remedial Course in GMing a Convention Game" seminar should be required...

The GM's Toolkit idea has been around for a while.  I'd gladly listen to anyone's opinion of it, especially if it came with handouts.

I'd love to see ideas on "Barrier vs Challenge", but it may make a better article than seminar. 

[ekb]

I speak with love... none of these really blow my skirt up as desrcibed.

"GM Toolkit" might be better as a workshop/interactive event: present the material briefly, design an example tool for the attendees, break off into small groups and the groups present their solutions to the rest of the audience. "Improv" falls into this as well - show me, and then help me do it and give me pointers on what you see.

"Barrier/Challenge" as described sounds a lot like talking about a veil-out to me. Blog post, maybe. Event that costs me a ticket, not so much.

Something I was going to save for the inevitable Grayslake Con: "Design an RPG" It starts off as talking about some of the basics of game design practice. Then we break off and start actually working out rough fluff & crunch. Things wrap up by doing "booth demos" of the features of what we've designed. If it's capped at a reasonable size, should be an interesting one for Indy...

[VV_GM]

ekb - A GM's toolkit is a collection of items that aid in the GMing of a game. Index cards, dice, software, etc. Techniques are what you seem to be referring to. The seminar on improv often does result in examples, but breaking out into groups at a Gen Con seminar is not going to happen. I often have a full house with barely enough room for those who attend. It physically isn't possible to do what you are suggesting given the forum that Gen Con seminars are held in.

Also, Gen Con seminars are always free. They never cost anyone a ticket, and if you do get a ticket for the seminar it is $0.

[Telas]

To join my own chorus, the "how to GM a con game" should be required.  I'm tempted to run a few games this year just to claim experience for giving the seminar next year... 

[VV_GM]

Telas - Your request has not fallen upon deaf ears! I'm definitely going to give that seminar this year. Having ran convention and public games over the last 10 years or so I think that I can tackle that subject with some authority. This will be the 4th year in a row that I run games at Gen Con, so I believe that I can tailor it to Gen Con in particular.

What would you like to see covered by the seminar? Think you might be able to get the other Gnomes to post their own ideas here?

I think the line-up for this year's seminars will be:

* Improvising (Always a hit.)
* Fudge (Personal preference.)
* GM's Toolkit (Recommendations for items that you think should be included are appreciated.)
* How To Run A Convention Game (Suggestions for topics welcomed.)

[Telas]

Convention Games -

Preparation - includes listing your game accurately, being there on time, writing a 'con-friendly' game, having extra materials (char sheets, dice, pencils, etc), table tents, etc.

Running - includes people management, time management, flexibility, goals of the game, and pursuing fun instead of story, rules, realism, etc.  Also includes warnings about GMPCs, railroading, etc.

Finishing - End on time or earlier, answer any questions, hand out any goodies.  (Goodies are good, from certificates to ribbons to dice to coupons.)

Some of these will fall under the same topic - writing more encounters than you need will help manage time, flexibility, and fun (because you're picking the encounters that this particular group enjoys). 

Were I running this, I'd have a handout of Do's and Don't's.  Although my Don't's would outnumber my Do's... 

[VV_GM]

Telas - I agree with the topics that you have listed for the convention game seminar. My approach is that convention games are not about you or your favorite game. Good convention games are all about setting the players up to make big impact decisions and to have the risks lie in the dice rolls. Don't punish PCs for bad decisions, because the players will never make a bad decision. The players will make exciting decisions!

I'm going to run 4 Eureka! games this year using Fudge. I'm calling you out to run at least one as well using SW at Gen Con this year. The gauntlet has been slammed down, brother!!!

Do you want to co-present any seminars this year? I'd love to debate a topic with you as a seminar, and then turn it over to Q&A. And I mean a respectful debate, an not one of those arguments that I've seen between gamers where no one benefits.

[Telas]

I accept your challenge.

A debate style would be problematic, as we tend to agree on most gaming topics...   I'm already somewhat committed with the Gnome seminar, my Leadership seminar, and running a game.  BUT I think we could do some kind of "RPG Troubleshooters-For-Hire" seminar which would be almost entirely Q&A.  "Pimp My Game"?  "This Old Game"? 

Thoughts?

[VV_GM]

I love the idea, and I think we should flesh out the concept some more. I'll write something up.

[Rick_TWA]

Might want to limit each participant to a single question or a time limit otherwise your whole seminar could be taken up by one guy.

[VV_GM]

Yes, there will be time management involved somehow. I'm thinking the problem will be more with Telas and I not knowing when to stop answering.

One minute for a question to be asked? 4 minutes for our responses? I'll bring a digital chess timer for us to keep track of our time with, or we bring a in a third person to moderate.

Telas - We do agree on a lot, which means if we could find a topic that we disagree on it would be a great debate with merit IMO. What the hell do we disagree on related to gaming? It would be a great opener for the "Pimp my Game!" (working title) if we could start with a mini-debate that would influence our approaches to the questions?

[Telas]

Off the top of my head, I couldn't say where we disagree, but that would be a good point of departure. 

I'd also say that we can ignore the timer if the question is good enough.  One seminar I went to asked the questions first, wrote them down on a board, and then grouped and answered them for the bulk of the seminar, followed up with discussion and cocktails.  So all the "people issues" were bundled, all the "storyline problems" were bundled, etc. 

We could also print out a list of answers, and respond to the questions with them.  "I have a sandbox game, and my players just don't seem to know what to do next."  "See answer 4 under 'campaigns': Don't GM the game you want to play; find a style that you and your players can enjoy."

[VV_GM]

I like the idea of a whiteboard moderator. People are allowed to just write their questions down and we read them off in groupings. We can also request email submissions in advance.

I'll figure out the details and run a final idea past you. What day do you want to have this event on?

[Rick_TWA]

I like the idea of a whiteboard moderator. People are allowed to just write their questions down and we read them off in groupings. We can also request email submissions in advance.

I'll figure out the details and run a final idea past you. What day do you want to have this event on?

It would probably work best if you had 5x7notecards and pens available (and e-mailed ones pre-made) and a lovely assistant who collected the cards from the audience and sorted them during your initial debate.  That way like subjects could be physically grouped for ease of address in a way they could not w/o erasing and re-writing on a white board.

[VV_GM]

I'm going to disagree with index cards and pens. Sounds great, but have you ever tried to collect, sort, and use material gathered in such a way while at an event like a seminar?

I have. Based on experience - it don't work. Not at all. Big F up on my part.

And before I did it I was thinking pretty much the same way your post suggested. It's a deceptive little idea. Trust me.

[Telas]

Any but Saturday; I'm pretty full that day.