Same for Savage Worlds, select a setting you like that’s thematic and shows off the rules. For a game like Tiny Frontiers: Revised, pick a micro setting and run with one of the adventure prompts or develop something fun on your own. When it’s Pendragon, you’re talking chivalry and romance. When playing Planet Mercenary, it’s mayhem and next-grunt-up comedic violence. In either case, stick to a strong idea even if you have to develop it yourself. Most games either have a couple strong themes or they are more generic and can work for a variety of scenarios. Some players can get too focused on the tool and miss what’s going on in the game.Īnyway, know thy players. While they are great for many folks, I don’t always love cheat sheets. Give them something to refer to while they are planning action.
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I’m just saying that if you’re playing a Fantasy Flight RPG with all those custom dice, you may just want to guide them through the roll resolutions and gloss over the 17 pages of dice rules (or don’t play a game with 17 pages of dice rules).Īnother helpful option for more complex games is to download or create rules cheat sheets for players. If it’s central to the adventure, find a way to work it into a conversation with an NPC so the game can get going.ĭon’t skip telling folks what type of dice they need. Does this mean you don’t tell the players about the Camarilla if you’re playing Vampire the Masquerade or about Uther’s more arbitrary/mistrustful tendencies in Pendragon? Instead, keep your session tight and introduce rules and setting as much as possible through the course of the game. For a one-time game, you’ll have to keep this to a bare minimum. When you’re going to run a multi-session campaign, it may be ok to do something of an info dump during the initial sessions. That way lies boredom, one of a gamemaster’s worst enemies. I’m not saying TPKs and broad use of GM fiat are necessary. If a risk of character death doesn’t exist in a one-shot, you may be doing it wrong. Make sure to seed conflict and difficulty into the session. Don’t Do What Your Players’ Characters Want Try to oblige as possible within constraints of the rules and setting, and if that isn’t possible, maybe you’re playing the wrong game for the group. Sometimes the group just wants to focus on comic relief and tell jokes, and other times they may be in the mood for a serious or darker game. Talk with players about what kind of game they want to play. If you aren’t sure how they feel, ask! This may not make sense for games with involved setup, but talk about it. If everyone enjoys character creation, don’t set them up with pregens. Are there any other lines in the sand you need to draw? If you’ve never used the x-card, it can be appropriate when you’re running games at cons or for any group you don’t know. If you are planning regular stretching, snack, and bathroom breaks, let the players know so they can wait for the foreordained moment.Ībove all, set the appropriate social contract. If you don’t want folks checking their phones in the middle of the game, make sure they have that guidance. You don’t want to get punched or puked on. Also, word to the wise, avoid scary or messy props. If the content could be offensive to folks, provide a warning. Make sure you’ll have enough time to hit the major plot points. Failing to set proper expectations can result in anything from disappointment to outright disaster.įind out player time constraints if not prearranged, and consider your planned content. Make sure your players know what to expect. Nothing universe-shattering, but I hope these thoughts aid your games or even help you bring new players to one of your favorites! Set Expectations Over the years, I’ve learned a few things about running successful one-off RPG sessions (and I think you’ll find a lot of it holds true for campaigns as well). Not every player likes one-shot sessions, which surprised me at first, but I guess some folks want to get into a character and see them progress either as a person or just “level up”.įor me, sometimes a one-shot is just the thing. While I enjoy campaign play as much as the next person, there’s always something that draws me to cracking open a new game, rolling up characters, and taking a new set of rules or setting out for a spin. I’ve run my share of demo RPG games for old-school games like King Arthur Pendragon and Stormbringer as well as newer systems including multiple TinyD6 games and The One Ring.įor a time, I was part of a group that held one-off sessions for a different game every month.
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