zeraser
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 184
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Post by zeraser on Aug 28, 2012 17:06:51 GMT -6
Just wanted to solicit everybody here for some advice: If you were going to initiate a weekly open game at a FLGS, how would you get started? I'm planning on asking the management if they can add it to their calendar, then try to drum up a few buddies to join us at least for the first few nights. Hopefully then it'll just be a matter of hooking whoever shows up.
I also have to make sure the store has the full Stereolab discography, which makes my DMing muscles bulge like Popeye's arms, to play over the PA...
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Post by Sean Michael Kelly on Aug 28, 2012 18:28:52 GMT -6
Using a service like Meetup.com may be a good way of advertising. If the FLGS has any marketing savvy (and I've found it rare that they do... oddly enough) they may already have a Meetup account and use it to promote to their regulars the events and such they have at their store. Then you could use that to promote, register, communicate, etc. I've found it pretty effective for getting a few 3lbb OD&D and Chainmail sessions out there!
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Chainsaw
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 303
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Post by Chainsaw on Aug 28, 2012 19:31:34 GMT -6
Listen to SMKSensei. Also, I think austinjimm is a member here. He has been running an open, walk-ons welcome OD&D game at his local hobby store for some time. I bet he may have some good advice. I'll point him over here.
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Post by kesher on Aug 29, 2012 9:29:25 GMT -6
Since I started playing D&D again four years ago, I've always had an open game (free campaign) policy. We just make sure we have some extra room at the table at our FLGS and, especially since we're playing older editions, I make sure the gaming books are in full view. Then ('cause I ain't subtle) I put up a sign that says "Wanna play? Just ask!" Sometimes people sit down and roll up a character (often with nostalgic gushing), sometimes they just watch for awhile, but I love it. One thing I've learned is to make sure to have at least one solid idea of how to insert a character into the flow of things without delay. Our tone is usually at least semi-goofy, so I like to rely on the ol' "You walk around the corner and see a large, full bag laying on the floor. What do you do?" the. It's up to the new player to explain how they happened to be in the bag in the first place, which gets them immediately involved, and usually generates some new ideas. I might also give them a bit of knowledge about the dungeon so the have something useful to add besides their sword arm... YMMV.  |
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Post by austinjimm on Aug 29, 2012 18:37:33 GMT -6
Listen to SMKSensei. Also, I think austinjimm is a member here. He has been running an open, walk-ons welcome OD&D game at his local hobby store for some time. I bet he may have some good advice. I'll point him over here. Thanks for the heads-up, Chainsaw. Yep, I've been running an open-to-the-public OD&D game for 2 or 3 years now. I run at the local hobby shop. I used to have to cross check my game dates with their store calendar, but for the last year or so they've dedicated all Sundays to D&D. I switch off with another DM who runs AD&D on my off weeks. There are 2 other DMs in my group who occasionally run their megadungeons in my campaign world, allowing characters to cross over from one dungeon to another. We schedule our games on the Austin D&D Meetup Website, but you don't actually have to sign up. I never turn anybody away. (Well, almost never.  ) When I started out, I only got 3-5 players per session. Now it's rare for there to be less than 8, and 11 or 12 is not uncommon. I like a big table, but even so, I'm considering limiting my game to 10. I've had a couple sessions where there were just too many players and things began to "bog down." |
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Post by Sean Michael Kelly on Aug 29, 2012 19:20:39 GMT -6
Sounds like a blast! I'd like to get a Delving Deeper and/or Labyrinth Lord open campaign like that going at a FLGS too. (I like to promote products to support both the store and/or authors as much as possible)
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Aplus
Level 6 Magician
Posts: 353
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Post by Aplus on Aug 30, 2012 9:29:31 GMT -6
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zeraser
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 184
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Post by zeraser on Aug 30, 2012 17:27:38 GMT -6
Thanks for the info, everyone.
Kesher, I wish I'd been aware of your game - I lived in Minneapolis for four years and just moved away in July!
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Post by kesher on Aug 30, 2012 20:00:33 GMT -6
AGGGH! That's a tragedy! Well, if you come back for a visit, just lemme know... |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2012 7:21:47 GMT -6
I am pondering a similar idea, based on a city setting.
Right now, I am torn between Thieves World, and CSIO.
What would you do, and if, how would you do it, in my place?
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Post by kesher on Aug 31, 2012 21:25:14 GMT -6
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bat
Level 4 Theurgist
Mostly Chaotic
Posts: 144
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Post by bat on Aug 31, 2012 22:50:43 GMT -6
Flyers are the way to go. I made one for TARGA a few years back that I have used, but anybody can make one. Raggi made a pretty neat one too. I put them some place that I can check every so often to see who is reading them too.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2012 4:05:12 GMT -6
Is that book really something I should consider? Saw it a few years back, and don't remember to have been too impressed. Honestly, I just cut my rpg collection in half. If a book isn't the best book since the invention of print, I am rather not very motivated to buy it. Like, I got the RQ City supplement over here, as well as about a dozen of detailed city books to begin with, so, I'd rather peruse them than to have them collect dust. My question would rather be, how to structure my adventures in a way that I can deal with changing characters, and run adventures that are so short and small in scale that they don't tear any city apart where the adventurers decide to linger. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2012 4:10:04 GMT -6
Oh, and BTW, I am sorry if this sounds anyway ranting; not intended at all. I like LotFP a lot, and I think Vornsheim is a great book; now, some time ago I realized my bookish hobby led to an incredibly consumerist attitude, and I consciously try to fight that. Not that I would be messy, but over the last ten years, I have bought about two hundred game books, and downloaded zillions of PDFs. There should be something playable in that stack. |
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jasmith
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 316
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Post by jasmith on Sept 1, 2012 5:29:53 GMT -6
My question would rather be, how to structure my adventures in a way that I can deal with changing characters, and run adventures that are so short and small in scale that they don't tear any city apart where the adventurers decide to linger. Why the concern with tearing the city apart?  |
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