Running games at conventions is good for the soul; it’s also good for the hobby, as you get to play games with new people. More people should do it! But in the plethora of GMing advice that’s out there, I wonder if the audience is more for the experienced GM than the convention newbie.

With that in mind, here’s the basic structural things you should do at a convention if you’re in the reffing hot-seat. Sadly some of these still get forgotten at conventions – with experienced GMs who should know better. Do all these, and you’re already ahead of the game, and soon to become a convention legend!

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Introduce Yourself, Facilitate Interaction

When you start, introduce yourself briefly, and go around the table asking people to introduce themselves. Not their character – themselves. Even if it sounds like they know each other – especially if it sounds like they know one another – because you need to be civilised humans for the duration of the slot, in order to have an awesome time. It’ll also make it much easier to address any issues when you’ve established a baseline of normal human interaction.

Finish Early, Take Breaks

That 4 hour section allocated for your game is not the length of game – it’s the length of the entire slot. Aim to finish half an hour early, and absolutely, definitely, to not overrun. It’s fine to finish even earlier, especially in evening slots or later in the convention. 

Take breaks, too – call them for the table, and give people a chance to get coffee and relax a bit. Asking players to just take bathroom breaks when they need is a poor substitute for this – although they absolutely should know it’s an open table and can go when they want – but manage the energy at the table yourself.

Use (and explain) Safety Tools

Most of the conventions I play at have mandated X cards (or similar) for years, as they should. Nobody should be running a convention game without one on the table. But it’s not enough to just have it there – explain it, demonstrate it, every time. Part of the use of safety tools is to show that you’re listening, and that you can be trusted to manage them properly.

If you don’t agree with safety tools, or think they’re unnecessary, please don’t GM at conventions.

Drop It Like a One-Shot

You’re playing for one slot, here, so cut out anything that’s irrelevant to short-term play. You don’t need to track experience or tick skills, and you should be providing pregens that are broadly competent for your players, covering a range of stuff. Assume minimal competency, and don’t drop too much info on your players – now is not the time to explain your deep Gloranthan lore, nor is it a time to unveil your multiclass bard/barbarian combo. While we’re on it, in fact…

Teach the Game

Assume no experience from your players – cater to the least expert in the group, although you’ll usually find at least one person who broadly knows what’s going on. Start with a few dice rolls early (within 30 minutes at the very least, 10 is better if you can!) and give a tour of the character sheet when they’ve picked pregens. Teach concentrically; you don’t need to talk about the initiative system until a fight breaks out, for example.

Spotlight Ruthlessly

Many of the conversations around pace in games are actually about spotlight – make sure that players all get a turn, and that nobody’s dominating. In a convention game, this responsibility may fall to you. No shame in moving away from as player that’s dominating – they might just be trying to get stuff moving – but check with each player.

I have a list of player and character names for each game I run (convention or otherwise) and tick each off when they make a significant move in-fiction (usually one involving a dice roll). It’s an easy way to keep an eye on everyone’s spotlight.

So, some minimum operational actions for GMing at conventions – get these right, and you’re more than halfway there to having an awesome time!