Schedules of upcoming game conventions,
printed in most FRP magazines,
are testimony to the increasing frequency
and variety of such events. It’s not
surprising that conventions are popular,
given the current attraction of the hobby
itself; yet, what is the significance of
these events? Of course, they are entertaining,
but there also are a number of
specific positive virtues in conventions
that make for a more knowledgeable and
sophisticated gamer. What are these virtues,
and how do they contribute to the
advancement of the hobby?

1. Conventions make gamers more
aware of the varieties and intricacies of
the hobby, and inspire them to become
better informed and more creative.

2. Players may view and experiment
with new styles and techniques.

3. Competition and ceremony help establish
the models of superior play a
player may measure himself by.

4. Conventions may provide an introduction
to games that can not be easily
managed in local circles.

5. Conventions justify the elaborate effort
of event preparation for adventures
too complex or laborious to be prepared
by an individual or a small game group.

6. Conventions provide opportunities
to observe other styles and systems of
gamemastering.

7. Stimulating new ideas for scenarios
and characterizations are often conceived
in the free-for-all of events, demonstrations,
and discussions.

8. Attending conventions provides
opportunities to make contacts among
other similar-minded fanatics for purposes
of communication, commerce,
and confraternity.

9. Dealer displays provide fans an opportunity
to review current developments
in game design and refinement.

10. New FRP ideas and approaches
are often showcased and tested at conventions.
Here tournaments, events, and
seminars are practical proving grounds
for various philosophies of gaming.

1. The birthplace of the fan
The first encounter with an FRP game
is often enough to create an addict. An
FRP addict is simply a person inspired
with the wonder of the hobby; he plays
frequently, but often within a limited circle.
On the other hand, it is the convention
that may create the fan. The FRP fan
is as deeply committed to the hobby as
the addict; however, the fan has a larger
sense of perspective, a broader awareness
of what other players are doing and
of how other styles may contrast with or
complement his own playing style. Simply
put, he is more sophisticated.

At the first convention I attended, I arrived
with the cocky assurance of the
guru who introduced FRP games to my
local area. I accounted myself a rare and
talented gamer — a seasoned veteran;
within a matter of hours I realized that,
though I was relatively knowledgeable
within my own circle, I was quite a tenderhorn
in the more cosmopolitan society
of the convention. Many of the ideas
that we imagine to be our original inspirations
are simply traditional and conventional
ideas taken for granted in the
eyes of the larger gaming community.
Playing and chatting with players and
fans in the games, corridors and eateries
at a GEN CON® convention, one realizes
that a great deal can be learned from
fellow gamers. This sense of fraternity,
this awareness of the potential sharing
of knowledge—this becomes the core of
the first fannish experience.

Additionally, there is something important
about being confirmed in your
enthusiasm. As with science fiction
(once an adolescent ghetto, now a respectable
literary genre), the FRP hobby
may sometimes doubt the dignity of its
calling, as friends and acquaintances
outside the hobby peer with distaste at
you upon the discovery that you are a
“DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® freak.” It is
fortifying to find yourself at a convention
among the mad throngs who share your
devotion to the hobby.

2. New styles and techniques
No matter how clever and sophisticated
your own gaming circle may be, it will
seem small and parochial in comparison
to the larger gaming community. As the
gamer wanders among tournaments,
events, demonstrations, and seminars,
he will encounter many novel approaches
to familiar problems and procedures,
while discovering unanticipated puzzles
and issues.

For example, I had no idea how much
fun a wilderness campaign could be until
I ran in a scenario at a PrinceCon where
the wilderness aspect of the scenario
was handled masterfully by the judge. Of
course, the ease with which he ran the
event concealed the hours of labor he
invested in preparation of the scenario,
not to mention the months or years expended
in perfecting his technique;
nonetheless, his performance inspired
me to embark on my own series of wilderness
campaigns in my own circle,
patterning my content and game systems
on his model.

Another technique I learned at a convention
was the use of a written personal
background sheet to help a player focus
on the role-playing of his character. This
experience convinced me that a player
could focus on factors from his character
sheet other than the damage and hit
point figures. I now incorporate character
sketches into my local campaigns
and tournament events; this simple improvement
has increased the emphasis
on the development of player and nonplayer
characters.

In one scenario I participated in, I recognized
that masterful individual play is
worthless if the strategic plan selected is
weak to start with. With gamemaster Len
Lakofka at a GEN CON tournament several
years ago, I saw a group of essentially
capable players bollix a job unbelievably
because they didn’t understand the
importance of a carefully considered
plan. After the debacle, Lakofka debriefed
us and evaluated our performance in
detail, helping us learn from our errors.
In this same scenario I also picked up a
number of little tricks for speeding the
rapid organization of a party before an
adventure.

These personal examples are typical
of the experiences of most players at
conventions; from each event attended,
gamers will bring away a couple of new
plot and character ideas. Players may in
fact reflect on the total philosophy of
their ongoing campaigns: often an attendee
will come home and present his
local gamers with a whole new system or
campaign after a particularly inspiring
convention. Though these periodic upheavals
may cause the local circle to
dread the return of a GM from a convention,
fearing a new round of revisions
and embellishments, such renewals from
time to time will help keep a campaign
fresh and challenging for all of the
participants.

3. Models of superior play
We often learn and develop in whatever
we set out to do by imitating superior
examples of the skills or behavior we
hope to achieve. This may be as simple
as hero worship, or as complex as generalizing
principles from the playing
styles of acknowledged experts. Not surprisingly,
the local circle is usually small,
with a limited number of models to
choose from; on the other hand, a convention
presents examples of many superior
gamers and gamemasters.

When the addict first enters a tournament
at a convention, he discovers there
are far more ideas about what good play
might be than are represented in his local
circle — and also, if he is lucky, he
will find himself in the company of some
unusually clever players. I marveled at
the efficiency displayed by my fellow
gamers in organizing our large and disparate
group on the eve of my first
AD&D™ Open Tournament. I was appalled
at how unsophisticated I was in
the use of higher-level magics. In short, I
was in awe of the experience and facility
of my fellow players, and I paid close
attention to their tricks, so I could return
home to my local group and regale them
with my new-found wisdom. (They were,
by the way, suitably impressed.)

In a tournament run at D-Con, a small
convention organized by the Wilmark
Dynasty, I had the opportunity to run
druids and illusionists, character classes
that don’t get a lot of action in my local
circle. We were required to play a new
character class in each session; I was
able to play familiar character classes in
the opening sessions, while watching
experienced players use the resources
of the more unfamiliar classes. By observing
the models of play they demonstrated,
I was able to run a pretty fair
druid by the end of the convention.

At conventions players may also meet
and be impressed by luminaries in the
field. These celebrated game designers,
commentators, gamemasters, and players
may be encountered in seminars, as
tournament judges, and as event participants.
Apart from the glamor of rubbing
elbows with the rich and famous, celebrity
often indicates a real expertise and
creativity, and frequently these people
can offer many useful ideas and perspectives
on the hobby, as well as present
models of gaming philosophies
from which we may select to add to our
own personal styles.

4. Introduction to unfamiliar games
Conventions may provide an introduction
to games that cannot be adequately
developed in most local circles. I would
never have played a BOOT HILL™ or
TRAVELLER™ adventure in our local
gaming group, because none of us have
the time or materials to work on designing
a scenario using a whole new set of
rules. On the other hand, I can go to a
convention and enjoy a session of one of
these games with a GM who has ample
time and resources to produce an entertaining
scenario. He can run the scenario
smoothly and uninterruptedly, even
with players unfamiliar with the rules,
because he knows the game so well.

For example, the BOOT HILL game is
one of the FRP games that may most
entertainingly be played using a large
set-up of miniatures with a detailed layout
of scale model buildings. One tournament
BOOT HILL scenario I played in
filled a giant table with an entire Western
town, complete with a railroad, small
ranches, hitching posts, and families in
wagons on their way to church. The
mammoth scale of a project like this is
certainly beyond the resources of most
serious BOOT HILL players, much less
the resources of a complete beginner. In
this scenario I played a well-known
Western outlaw, and without even a
passing acquaintance with the rules, I
managed to have a marvelous time playing
my role, finally meeting my ignominious
end, shot down from behind in an
alley behind the saloon. Though I will
probably never play BOOT HILL adventures
regularly, this session gave me an
intimate appreciation of the pleasures
this system offers.

Such experiences are available at
conventions, in all types of games, from
FRP games to elaborate board games, all
the way up to massive table-top miniature
engagements. One charming event
was organized and run at the GEN CON®
XIV event by a small gaming group
which arranged to referee a large miniatures
battle between two fantasy armies.
This battle was designed particularly for
FRP players who had never even seen a
set of rules for miniatures battles. Often I
have wished I could marshal large armies
of orcs and goblins in an epic clash
with the forces of law and justice; however,
I have always been intimidated by
the complex rules and imposing requirements
for equipment implied by
miniatures battles. This event, which obviously
required a good deal of preparation
and resources not available to the
average FRP gamer, is a perfect example
of how a gamer may find experiences
open to him at conventions that he could
never hope to enjoy at home in the
smaller compass of his gaming circle.

5. The super scenario
Conventions also permit scenario designs
for familiar games that are on a
much larger scale than the typical local
adventure. These large-scale events are
not possible as a steady diet; the amount
of work that goes into them would sap
the resources and spirit of even the most
dedicated gamer. But as a special treat,
large-scale adventures may be remembered
long after the fact as the finest of
gaming experiences.

One example of the large-scale event
is the series of TRAVELLER scenarios
run by Mark Swanson for the MIT Wintercons
and Summercons in Boston.
The episode I participated in was vast in
scope and conception. Seven teams of
three or four players each competed
against each other and against time to
get a disabled leisure-cruise vessel to a
safe destination. No one group had the
resources to achieve its goals without
cooperating with other groups. Much of
the evening was devoted to negotiating
and scheming in character, as each faction
struggled to gain the aid of another
group in achieving some mutually beneficial
goals. At the same time, we had to
deal with the hostile environment of a
planet with an unfriendly citizenry, unpleasant
monsters the size of riverboats,
and an invading alien race that was trying
to maintain the anonymity of its operations
on the planet.

The amount of time and effort necessary
to prepare this scenario was monumental.
Each character had his own
description and goals, and each group
had its own particular characteristics
and motivations, along with a detailed
overall summary of conditions and cultural
notes that served each player as his
basic text. The complete cruise ship was
mapped in detail, as was a large section
of the planet. This overwhelming amount
of preparation can only be justified for
the large group of players that were
involved.

A game with such a large number of
players presented an unusual and interesting
challenge to the formulation of
strategies and the maintenance of up-to-date
information. There was always more
going on at any one time than a single
person could possibly comprehend. This
confusion was the true obstacle to success;
instead of battling goblins, we were
struggling against shifting and treacherous
alliances and situations, usually
changing faster than we could change
policy.

This unique role-playing problem,
along with the ingenuity and detail of the
background materials, made this event a
very memorable one. However, Mark has
indicated that, no matter how entertaining
and popular these scenarios might
be, he couldn’t stand to run more than a
few a year, so players have to go to a
convention to get this kind of experience.

Another example of a large-scale event
is the Wilmark Dynasty Invitational tournament
I attended this year. Here the
thirty-odd players were all in a single
FRP adventure. The large group was
broken up into three parties. Each party
received different tasks, but the accomplishment
of each party’s task was understood
to be a necessary preparation
for the tournament’s final round on Sunday.
Each party played together with one
gamemaster on Friday night and then
with another gamemaster for a marathon
session Saturday morning that ran into
the afternoon. Then, on Saturday evening,
the three groups gathered together
in a great hall, in character, for a medieval
feast, complete with serving wenches.
During this feast, the groups were to try
to share the information they had acquired,
while avoiding the scrutiny of
spies (additional role-players not involved
in the tournament) who circulated
surreptitiously amongst the eating
and reveling gamers. This combination
of gaming and improvisational theater is
clearly beyond the resources of the
Sunday-evening-get-together groups; a
great deal of planning and staffing was
involved, which could only be justified
for such a large-scale operation.

6. Models of gamemastering
Much can be learned by observing a
gamemaster in a convention tournament.
Here a judge has a responsibility to be
scrupulously fair, but also to be efficient
in his use of time. The various methods
each judge uses to manage the minutiae
of game detail are helpful to the developing
GM. The systems by which the GM
keeps track of spell use and hit points,
the way he manages order of action, his
initiative procedure, his maps and notes
— all these things will be of interest to
even the experienced GM.

Even more important, the player may
view models of different philosophies of
gamemastering. By example, a player
may observe and judge whether he likes
an adversary role or facilitator role as a
gamemaster. He may decide whether he
prefers an elaborate story-telling style,
or a sparse, impartial perspective on
events, or a strong emphasis on roleplaying.
He can consider whether he
wishes to play a humorous role, or
whether he would rather adopt a dry and
serious attitude in his refereeing. Such
experiences may broaden a GM’s perspective
on his own style of play, and
often will suggest new techniques and
approaches to be incorporated into his
personal style of gamemastering.

From watching tournament play I have
learned to employ an orderly sequence
of receiving specifications of actions
from players in combat situations. Before
I became familiar with tournament
methods, I permitted players to specify
their actions in more or less any order
they wished. The result was a disorganized
chorus of panicky screams, with
each player eager in his anxiety to be the
first heard and thereby saved from an
imminent death. I discovered that to require
the players to specify their intended
actions in order of the dexterity of their
characters created an organized atmosphere
in which the players recognized
the right of each player to say what he
intends to do without interruption and to
have the GM’s full attention as he speaks.
There is now almost a calm efficiency
with which players set about a round of
combat.

I have also learned more subtle skills
from observing other GMs at work. For
example, it is not necessary or desirable
to give a quick answer to every player’s
question. I have often felt the pressure of
time in the urgency of a player’s query,
and many times I’ve given answers I
should have considered more carefully. I
know now that it is no sin to sit quietly
and insist on no distractions for a minute
while I consider a player’s question or
request. I have learned by watching experienced
GMs that it is better to give a
safe and reasonable answer at the cost
of some playing time rather than gain
playing time and risk giving an answer
that may later turn out to be impossible
to live with.

7. Stimulating new ideas
Convention events have the promise
of new and unusual adventures, from
which I often get creative inspiration for
my own scenarios. Invariably in the car
rides home from conventions, I come up
with some of my most interesting FRP
scenarios, and for weeks afterward I am
unusually prolific in generating ideas.

It is not simply a matter of borrowing
ideas that you encounter at the convention,
though that certainly is an important
source for developing your campaign;
I also find that the atmosphere
stimulates my thinking about scenarios.
There is something about the communal
atmosphere of ingenuity and creativity
at a convention that both inspires me
and challenges me to come up with even
greater ideas. At a convention my friends
and acquaintances immerse me and totally
involve me in the flow of ideas, and
as we chatter on the long rides home
from Wisconsin, we plan marvelous new
tricks and traps, clever and unusual situations
to bedevil our players, and some
new vast and detailed backgrounds for
our campaigns.

8. Contacts with other fanatics
It is quite entertaining to discover
yourself in the community of people with
similar interests. This pleasure is akin to
the pleasure one finds at science-fiction
conventions, where people converse
pleasantly with total strangers, drawn
together by the commonality of interest
in a relatively exotic area of cultural experience.
Aside from being valuable
hobby contacts, these persons may often
become close social contacts; it is not
surprising to find that people with common
interests often discover they enjoy
one another’s company. It is, I suppose,
the dream and hope of many a player
that he or she will encounter a member
of the opposite sex who shares the obsession
of this hobby. The prospect of
such marriages of true minds admits not
of impediments; the unexcelled bliss of a
couple growing quietly old along with
their favorite gaming characters is too
romantic to consider without a wistful
sigh of longing.

9. Dealer displays and current design
Another valuable feature of conventions
is the opportunity given to gamers
to examine the latest items in game design
and refinement, often in the presence
of the designers and refiners themselves.
The unfortunate individual who
lacks a good vendor of FRP games in his
locale will get a particularly valuable
chance to see what new ideas and products
are being marketed. Even the gamer
who routinely has access to a wellstocked
and sophisticated dealer will
often find new products by unknown designers
that fill a need or strike a fancy.
The items are open to examination, and
exhibitors will usually have a more extensive
and carefully displayed selection
of their products than you could expect
to find at even the best hobby store.

Miniature manufacturers in particular
bring a variety of their products that
permits a hobbyist a wide choice; these
manufacturers also offer demonstrations
of painting at their booths. I learned all I
know about miniature painting at a booth
demonstration a few years ago, and I
have found the information and demonstration
quite helpful in permitting me to
produce acceptable miniatures in a relatively
short time.

Many games and game aids are scheduled
to be released at large conventions,
and certainly it is fun to be the first boy
on the block to have a particular item. I
can remember many an envious and
covetous comment on my Dungeon
Masters Guide and my copy of Cults of
Prax, both of which I bore home with me
from a GEN CON gathering before they
were available to the wretched masses.
Such triumphs may be small; they may,
nonetheless, be quite satisfying.

10. New FRP ideas and approaches
Not only in the dealers’ displays will
the gamer find new FRP ideas and approaches:
a manufacturer may arrange
for his products to be showcased in a
scenario or event where he demonstrates
their virtues. Manufacturers and designers
are not the only ones demonstrating
new approaches to the hobby; each
event organizer may have some new idea
to add to the developing culture of FRP
gaming. In fact, tournaments, events,
and seminars provide forums and practical
proving grounds for the various
philosophies of gaming.

Particularly in seminars a gamer will
find discussions that focus on the different
concepts and directions that are developing
in FRP gaming. Some seminars
simply discuss familiar topics, like how
to build a better trap, or how to interpret
an obscure rule, but just as often they
entertain questions about the popular
styles and approaches to FRP gaming,
and sometimes they offer new perspectives
on the hobby as a whole.

Events and tournaments, on the other
hand, do what the seminars only talk
about, and these practical applications
of gaming philosophy often have far
greater effect than the discussions of the
abstract issues do. New game systems
make a practical criticism or comment
on existing systems; simply by their being
marketed, they imply that the existing
systems are inadequate. New approaches
in tournament judging or scoring
reflect an increasing interest in recognizing
role-playing, rather than racking
up points by slaughtering small,
primitive creatures. Scenarios emphasizing
more thinking tests and puzzles indicate
a disenchantment with the violent
obsessions of the hobby. Each individual
event has variant rules that are felt to
achieve some specific value of FRP better
than the existing rules.

These positive features of conventions
have a significant effect on the development
of the hobby, in the ideas and practices
adopted and adapted by gamers,
and in the experiences and values that
the gamers encounter and internalize in
the process of having a thoroughly good
time. Each participant leaves the convention
with new ideas and attitudes
which he will carry home and integrate
into his own style and the styles of his
fellow local gamers. This process of
communication of ideas might take place
if there were no conventions, but clearly
at a much slower pace and with a much
more limited group of players. It is only
at the convention where critical mass is
achieved, where the creative and emotional
energies of devoted gamers interact
and combine to stimulate the growth
and refinement of our gaming culture.

More simply and concretely said, a lot
of people get together and have a great
time. Perhaps that is the simplest proof
that the convention encourages the
growth and development of the hobby.
Gamers keep coming back. They go
home and tell all their friends about what
a good time they had and what neat
ideas they picked up. They bring their
friends with them when they return to the
next convention, where they once again
throw themselves enthusiastically into
the banquet of events, tournaments, and
seminars. As conventions continue to
grow in size and popularity, they will
serve more and more as a testing ground
and communication center for the ideas
that have transformed the hobby from a
small and obscure pastime into a pervasive
and familiar part of our culture. And
the growth of the hobby will depend on
the new ideas and approaches that are
communicated, discussed, and developed
at conventions.

But I suppose I needn’t press the point
so hard. I will see you at the next convention,
won’t I? Let’s sit down there and talk
it over. In the meantime, play nice, eh?

OUT ON A LIMB
"The bottom line"

Dear Out On A Limb,

Kim Mohan’s premiere article (TD #30) was
one of the best I have seen on a convention in
some time. All too often, the veteran gamer reports
cons from the slant of facilities (usually
poor), weather (usually poor), or lack of time to
participate in everything (usually right!!) Mohan
reminds us why we acquire labels such as
“weird.” We are friendly.

The press for D&D regarding the disappearance
of Mr. Egbert has certainly been pure sensationalism.
The grains of truth are few and misinterpreted.
Many major sources have been a real
disappointment in their reporting.

We just grin and bear it, I suppose.

On another subject, will we see a review of the
The Best of the Dragon? I would like to send it to
some folks as an “INTRO TO D&D —101” (worth
3 semester hours) But if the content is too “DM”
oriented it would be a bad idea. The review would
be the answer.

Thanx for making each issue as good as the
last.

R.F. McCaughey—NJ
(The Dragon #34)
 

Man of Many Talents Mohan tips his hat to
Reader McCaughey (how much longer it will fit
remains to be seen).

The brouhaha surrounding the whole Egbert
affair is similar to what journalists refer to as the
“Bum Down the Well” syndrome. Your basic
panhandler on the street is ignored until he
polishes off a bottle of muscatel and falls into an
abandoned well. Sudden/y, big companies offer
to supply rescue equipment, scores of volunteers
come forth to risk life and limb in rescue attempts,
and the various media have their crews maintain a
round-the-clock vigil, with hourly broadcasts on
the status of the situation. The guy down the well is
no longer just a bum, he’s NEWS! And everybody
wants in on the act.

Now, suppose you intend to set up a social service
program for the less fortunate. Approach the
same companies that supplied the rescue equipment
and ask them for a donation to help build a
halfway house, and they’ll slam the door in your
face. Ask those same volunteers to donate a few
hours work for your project, and they sudden/y
don’t have time. Send a press release to the media
detailing the success of your program, and maybe
you’ll see an inch-and-a-half report buried back
on page 37.

The point is: Positive, “up-beat” news generally
doesn’t sell—it’s the sensational, tragic, or
bizarre that sells. That’s why the National Enquirer
is the largest-selling newspaper in this county.

Take the mysterious disappearance of a
young man, couple it with references to a generally
unknown game (anything unknown to the
general public can be immediately translated into
“weird” or “bizarre”) and add a few irresponsible
and untrue quotes, and you have a hot-selling
item.

The bottom line is: There is not, and never
was, any connection between D&D and the disappearance
of James Dallas Egbert III. Even the
detective hired to find James has admitted that
fact. But do you think all the media that were so
recently tying the two together will be running
stories to that effect? If you do, I’ve got a bridge
you might be interested in purchasing.

Hopefully, the whole matter will be forgotten,
since now James has been found alive and well.
But there will most likely be a lingering association
of the two in the minds of non-D&Der’s. It will be
up to us, the gamers, to try to set the record
straight at every opportunity.

—Jake
(The Dragon #34)