So I’m getting down to organising my D&D games for this year’s Furnace convention. I’ve got my plot all done and I’m fleshing out a series of encounters. As suggested by Lemur in a previous comment, I want to show off some of the bells and whistles of the game. I think it’s really important to do this. A great many punters at Cons will want to try out new games, to get a flavour of what’s going on without having to commit time and money to a game that isn’t for them. Even existing fans of your system or storyline will want to play something they are less likely to get at home, otherwise why bother coming out to play at all?
With that in mind, I think it’s often worth jotting down some USPs (unique selling points) that you want to get across in your slot. It can be rules, subsytems, themes, locations, individuals, whatever. For my 4e game I wanted to showcase some new stuff, as well as go with things I found personally interesting. Here’s my first thoughts;
- Feywild and Shadowfell
- Heroic tier
- Non standard party
- Built in motives and relationships
- Military theme, the dirty (half)dozen
- Correct minis and tiles
- Two games with a similar backstory
- Stripped down character sheets
- Full skill challenges
- Lots of art reference
- Some non-battlemat combats
- Hostage situation
- Betrayal
I had those running around in my head when I first started thinking about my scenario. I’m glad I noted them down, as it’s now a month later and I want to see if I’ve stuck to my ideas and themes. That doesn’t mean they are written in stone, far from it, but it’s a good way of keeping your focus. Like anyone, I’m prone to ideas drift at the best of times, so this helps me stay on track. I’m nailing down the details right now and i’m pretty p,leased with what I’ve got. then I’m going to put it all to one side for a bit to let it simmer. Hopefully I’ll still be as happy with it when I return.