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View Full Version : DM Help What makes a good Adventure for a Convention?



newshutz
2015-06-03, 11:09 AM
I am planning to run a fantasy RPG game at Gencon and/or Origins in 2016. I have a few local groups I can playtest with.

Some guidelines I have come up with.

Pre-formed characters, but more than needed so players have choices
The game must be the reward, as no magic/experience
"Hidden" shortcuts to conclusion if running out of time
Humor
No deep backstory gradually revealed (my normal mode)


Does the game system matter?
What level would be popular (draw them in)?
What level would be most enjoyable?
What other advice do y'all have?

Jay R
2015-06-03, 11:28 AM
I am planning to run a fantasy RPG game at Gencon and/or Origins in 2016. I have a few local groups I can playtest with.

Some guidelines I have come up with.

Pre-formed characters, but more than needed so players have choices
The game must be the reward, as no magic/experience
"Hidden" shortcuts to conclusion if running out of time
Humor
No deep backstory gradually revealed (my normal mode)


Does the game system matter?
What level would be popular (draw them in)?
What level would be most enjoyable?
What other advice do y'all have?

I don't agree with all your current guidelines. I'd use pre-formed characters, and exactly as many as needed, so no team is handicapped compared to others.

I've found 5th - 7th level works well, but that was with older versions. Different assumptions of modern players might make a difference.

No splatbook knowledge should be needed to finish the adventure, unless it is clearly printed on a character sheet. You can assume the players know the PHB, MM, and DMG, however.

Brendanicus
2015-06-03, 12:18 PM
I'd go with 3rd-6th level, but keep the levels higher the more experienced you expect your clientle to be. If you are trying to reach out to new players, go with 3rd or 4th level. If you are aiming at experienced players, go with 5th or 6th.

As for plot, just send them off to slay a dragon. Simple, but can be played with in a lot of ways.


Set-up: the dragon lives on a mountain, past a dangerous forest. Kill it, get fame and cash.

Encounter 1: Ambushed by Dire Wolves. During the encounter, the party ws also beset upon by a sorcerer, who wanted the glory of killing a dragon to go all to herself. She bombarded the party with debuffs while the wolves harassed them. It was simple and fun.

Encounter 2: While walking through the woods, the players find the home of an old druid. She claims to have a potion that could allow the party to get past some of the dragon's tricks. Nonetheless, she's scared because if the party fails, the dragon might retaliate against her. After some RP, the party gets this msterious potion, a single dose of a See Invisibility potion.

Encounter 3: The players are now climbing the mountain, and are walking on a trail following a cliff. Suddenly, gargoyles attack! Some even try to grapple players off the cliff! The gargoyles bail and fly up the mountain after two rounds, but the players are now aware that the dragon has allies!

Encounter 4: Dragon fight! The dragon cloaked itself through a magic item in its hoard, and has gargoyles hiding in is mountains of treasure. Shenanigans ensue.

Yeah, I've never been to a con, but you would probably want something shorter than that. That one-off took 4 hours to do.

neonchameleon
2015-06-03, 05:53 PM
I am planning to run a fantasy RPG game at Gencon and/or Origins in 2016. I have a few local groups I can playtest with.

Some guidelines I have come up with.

Pre-formed characters, but more than needed so players have choices
The game must be the reward, as no magic/experience
"Hidden" shortcuts to conclusion if running out of time
Humor
No deep backstory gradually revealed (my normal mode)


Does the game system matter?
What level would be popular (draw them in)?
What level would be most enjoyable?
What other advice do y'all have?

Does the game system matter? Yes. You need them to be able to hit the ground running. Which means you need either a game they already know (which is why D&D is very popular), something pretty simple (Fudge, Fate, PDQ), or something that's very intuitive (Dread) or where the rules can be swept through (Fiasco).

Level? Only one of my recommendations has a level (D&D). But pretty low because they need to pick those characters up fast.

For other advice, don't be afraid to kill PCs. It's a huge advantage con games have over normal ones; a PC dying just means the player can go back to the con. So you can be a lot more brutal.

JAL_1138
2015-06-03, 06:31 PM
Run Tomb of Horrors. Original version, but fix the lootable doors problem.

Maglubiyet
2015-06-03, 10:54 PM
If you build it, they will come. I can't imagine any table going empty at the big Con's unless you use some really obscure system, your writeup is bland, and you schedule it at 6am. Even then you'd still get a few takers.

I think having more pre-fab characters than needed can work well if you build in enough redundancy. The party should have all bases covered no matter which PC's the group selects. Make sure you play test that aspect.

newshutz
2015-06-04, 06:47 AM
I think having more pre-fab characters than needed can work well if you build in enough redundancy. The party should have all bases covered no matter which PC's the group selects. Make sure you play test that aspect.

I could group the prefabs into roles. The players would pick a role, and then pick a character from within that role.