It Has Begun... (aka Sorcerer at other upcoming cons thread)

[Andy Kitkowski]

So there's this local "speculative fiction" convention here in Durham, NC which is actually about half gaming and half literary SF (in other words SF authors and industry folk, not so much with the people in the Romulan uniforms). I didn't know until late last year that my friends organize this beast.  A bunch of famous SF authors come down (David Drake, Orson Scott Card makes appearances yearly, etc). Anyway, since my friends were running it, it has an impressive turnout, and they're dying for GMs, I decided to volunteer.

I'm going to be running four games and a seminar on Speculative Fiction/Post Holocaust gaming.  Guess which game I'm going to run for two of those sessions?

Here's the write up for my Sorcerer/Sorcerer and Sword game (2 sessions of the same game):
"Kyuseisha: Fall of the Redmen - After WW3, the world is slowly recovering post-apocalyptic ruin. Until now, the Redmen were a band of murderers and resource-thieves who lived off the misery of others. It’s up to a small group of martial artists and survivors, trained in their styles beyond comprehension, to stop them. This game offers an intro to the VERY rules-light and story-intensive Sorcerer system. All players will receive a crash course in the rules, so novices are welcome! "

..."It Has Begun"... I meant here, of course, that after writing this blurb now I have to write the friggin' adventure, and "put my money where my mouth is", as they say. This is, of course, for the post-holocaust martial arts RPG that I mentioned earlier on this board. I have no idea what a Redman is, how WW3 happened, how the characters train beyond comprehension, and, in Sorcerer-speak, have not completely mapped out the effects of humanity vs the sorcerous powers.  But it's gonna happen.

Some cool things about the convention:

1) Since they're dying for GMs, we can pretty much define what we want to do.  I'm running small 4-player sessions rather than the typical "dungeon dance six".
2) A lot of SF people are wandering around in between signing sessions and forums/workshops, so I hope to grab and convert the "normals".
3) Looks like we're expecting about a thousand or so people. This year's guests are Lois McMaster Bujold (fiction) and Dave Arneson (gaming).
http://www.trinoc-con.org/

Anyway, if anyone's going to be in the area on the first weekend in October, I implore you to stop by and check it out, if not run a session or two yourselves.

Just wanted to share.

Now my question:

This is the first time I've run Sorcerer at a convention, and the first time running it for people I didn't already know well.

For anyone who has run Sorcerer at a convention or demo, what were some things that you noticed about the situation specific to Sorcerer that you had to do ot facilitate play?  Any particular problems creep up?  Any questions that the players asked that caught you off guard?  Anything weird to expect?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Oh, the other adventure?
Mekkazombi: Infiltration - Hundreds of years in the future, the decadent Tenka-Yapon (Japanese) Empire has come to control a number of star systems through their advanced transport, mechanized infantry, and spiritual powers. The only rebels left holding them in check in this part of the galaxy are the Voodoun and Santia-using West Indies Hegemony from Earth. Powerful mecha and voodoo magic meet head to head in this adventure! Novices to the Big Eyes, Small Mouth rules are welcome.

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Andy,

I recommend reading any and all of the Lincoln High discussions both in this forum and in Actual Play. A whole ton of good material about "demo Sorcerer" has emerged there, over at least five or six threads.

I like your North Star style demo a lot, based on the discussions about it on this forum in the past. Given a bit more serial-number filing, it would be a fine mini-supplement. (Oh, and check out Clinton's threads and website regarding his Bloody Sun game! One of the characters is very Fist, or more accurately, very one of the Fist villains.)

All comments about the actual play at the con, BESM and Sorcerer alike, are welcome. I've found discussions about that venue to be tremendously useful.

I confess I get a kick out of anyone referring to the SF-con crowd as "normals."

Best,
Ron