Thinking of running a convention game, some questions.

[dougredshirt]

I am thinking of running a game at a convention that is put on at a high school. So a good number of the players will be teenagers plus experienced adult gamers. I am thinking about running a 12 player game. 6 people on each side. I was going to start each player with what I am callling a generation 1 fighter- either a Morane-Saulnier or a Fokker E III. When they are shot down, they get a gen II- either a Airco DH.2 or a Halberstadt D. III. If they get shot down again they get a gen III- allies will get either a SPAD XII or Sopwith Camel, while the Central powers will get either a DR I. or a Albatros D.V. I know there should be another whole gen in between with Albertross D. II or IIIs and SPAD VIIs and Sopwith Pups etc.

I was going to do both player scoring and team scoring. Each player will get 2 points for shooting down an enemy plane, with the following additions, if the plane you shoot down is a gen lower you only get 1 point, while if it is a gen higher you get 3 points. I was also going to mark out a square area in the center of the table with white string that is about 2' x 2'. This would represent an area of the front where a major offense is going on. ON every 4th turn everyone who has a plane in this square at the end of the turn, gets a point. The team with the most planes get 10 points for the team, a tie means each team gets 5 points. Hopefully this will encourage dog fights in the center of the table. The individual winner would be the person with the most points. While the team score will be all the players scores plus the front bonus gained every 4th turn. So it is possible for the high scorer to be on the losing team.

How big an area do I need for twelve players?
I have 3 decks of A damage cards, but only 1 of B damage. How many do I need for this many players?
How much time would this game take, I am wanting to do about 3 hours. Would they go through 3 different planes in that time frame?
Should I stick with just the basic game with no elevation changes?
Who gets credit when 2 or more players shot at an enemy plan and it goes down? Thinking of having them roll dice and just do damage in that order. High roller does damage first, then the second highest and so on until the enemy is shot down.

Any other ideas on running a con game?

Doug

[Zoe Brain]

How big an area do I need for twelve players?

No smaller than 6ft x 4 ft. I suggest side tables for control panels though.

I have 3 decks of A damage cards, but only 1 of B damage. How many do I need for this many players?

Although 2 B's would be better, the B deck is only really relevant for the early war stuff, when you can assume there won't be too many firing opportunities.

How much time would this game take, I am wanting to do about 3 hours. Would they go through 3 different planes in that time frame?

Probably 4+ hours to go through 3 different planes. Play is slower for beginners, you'll need at least one Umpire to explain rules and correct mistakes, and it would be better to have another person to explain to rubberneckers what's happening.

Should I stick with just the basic game with no elevation changes?

If not using 2-seaters, altitude is optional. I'd use it anyway, as I've found that explaining why aircraft don't move up and down, and why several cards are removed from the maneuver deck, to be more trouble than it's worth. Beginners won't tend to use it anyway.

Who gets credit when 2 or more players shot at an enemy plan and it goes down? Thinking of having them roll dice and just do damage in that order. High roller does damage first, then the second highest and so on until the enemy is shot down.

Last to shoot at it, with credit shared between those who last shot.

Any other ideas on running a con game?

The spectacle's the thing. Have a good playing mat. Make sure everyone has a chair. Best is to have other models on display too - more table space. Don''t have a playing area more than 4 ft wide, or leaning over is a pain. Prepare some 1-sheet rules summaries. Include diagrams.

[Carl_Brisgamer]

Hi Doug,

Having run convention games for both WGF and WGS I can offer some observations.

Map size - for WGF with six players a side 1800mm (6 foot) x 1200mm (4 foot) is an ideal size. You could get away with a 1200mm (4 foot) x 900mm (3 foot) map, but it will get tight. Then again you might want players to stay close to speed combat along.

Rules - Some people will use only the basic rules but from my experience most people can handle the full ruleset from the word go - altitude, aim bonus, etc. It can be more difficult to introduce the advanced rules later because the players will want to stick with what they know. And it is a flying game - you should move in the vertical!

Advancement - I understand your idea regarding aircraft selection is to keep things rolling along. The only issue is that it rewards people who get shot down, not the point of the game. You might get a player who wants to get shot down so they can get better aircraft. I would suggest that to encourage players to stick with the spirit of the game they can earn Ace Skills for every 2 aircraft they shoot down. You could place the Ace Skill counters face down and the player selects one. You could also make up cards so they can easily read their new ability, and keep it secret from the other players so it is a surprise. When the player is shot down they could lose the ace ability, but get the better aircraft, or you could allow the player to keep the skill for their new pilot.

Damage Decks - Three A decks is fine, one B deck is light on for 12 players. An extra one or two B decks would be preferable.

Kills: In a campaign I ran if two or more players fired at an aircraft that was shot down the player doing the most damage was given the kill. You can also award half kills.

Other comments: What happens if a player flies off the board? Are they eligible for a new aircraft or do they come back on with the same type? What if they were badly damaged and left the field to deny the opposition their points? Does the other side get half points for forcing the aircraft off the board?

Good luck with your tournament!

Cheers,

Carl.

[Boney10]

One thing I find is of immense use during a convention/ participation game is to make sure you have a controller/ umpire.
With a number of players it can easily degenerate into a free for all, some trying to shoot while someone else is moving while someone else is moving a different phase.
Get your controller to call out the card phase so all players know what they are doing, if you can, get them to move in order, say clockwise, you can change this each turn, same for firing, start with one player and move in one direction till all have done shooting. This gives a deal of control as to what is going on and will allow maximums visual not just a mass of arms.
One other thing , you may think about removing the explosion cards, but don't tell the players. Although its exciting and a talking point when it occurs, nothing more frustrating and a bit off putting if a players explodes before even getting a chance to fire due to a lucky shot. Just an idea

[Carl_Brisgamer]

With a number of players it can easily degenerate into a free for all, some trying to shoot while someone else is moving while someone else is moving a different phase.
Get your controller to call out the card phase so all players know what they are doing, if you can, get them to move in order, say clockwise, you can change this each turn, same for firing, start with one player and move in one direction till all have done shooting. This gives a deal of control as to what is going on and will allow maximums visual not just a mass of arms.

Good point Chris. In other games I have given each player a playing card (2-King for 12 players) and once players finish their move they turn the card face down. Once all cards are turned down the players fire, turning their cards face up, or just turning them up if they don't have a shot. Once all cards are up the Umpire knows all fire has been finalised and calls for the next move.

[Carl_Brisgamer]

One other thing , you may think about removing the explosion cards, but don't tell the players. Although its exciting and a talking point when it occurs, nothing more frustrating and a bit off putting if a players explodes before even getting a chance to fire due to a lucky shot. Just an idea

Call me a harsh bast@rd but I always leave the explosions in the deck, fighting over the Front is a dangerous business. And the sting is reduced given the victim player gets to come back on with a better aircraft.

[ptownhiker]

Hi Doug,
this sound like an exciting concept. I recommend that you also be prepared to scale down the game if you happen to get fewer than 12 players. In the first game I ran at a convention, I had fewer players than I anticipated, but I went away with my scenario as written. I ended up with new players running up to four planes each. This greatly slowed down the game.

[dougredshirt]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I should have mentioned that I am an old hand at running convention games and can ramrod players through a turn so that the game keeps moving. I have also run large player games.

One thing I forgot to mention is that I was going to penalize a player with a -1 point for flying off the table or being shot down. But you have giving me a lot of things to think about.

I know that it takes alot more to do damage with the B deck and that early war games last longer, but I was hoping that players would gang up on one plane. Plus having the center area as the area of attention was hoping that concentrated planes would help.

Should I limit eleveation to just 1-4. Some of the early planes climb like pigs. Bascially if they dive down to level 1 they are out of the game if the other players stay at 4 for example. I was going to make a rule that if you dive down to get away, you are saying that you give up and will remove your plane and make you come back in with a new plane.

Thanks all

Doug

[phililphall]

I just ran a WoG/F at my local con a week ago. I set up three missions for the time period I had. First mission was a recon with one Roland and two Halb D-III. Interceptors were three DH-2's, When that mission was over the next was played as a balloon buster for the Brits. They had one rocket armed N.17 with two N. 17's as escort. The third game was a furball with two Snipes and an Se5a against three Fok.DVII. The Brits won as they had shot down the balloon for one mission win and destroyed the DVII's for the second. By running mission the players had to make a plan then cooperate to accomplish their goal.