Getting ready for a con: What does a good demo look like?

[Certified]

In the past I've run four hour short stories for demos. Sometimes connected with an overall arc, this has had mixed results at conventions. Some advice I got last year was run shorter games quick half hour to hour long blocks. As I begin preparation for Dragon*Con I'd like to get some feedback on demos in general. So that said, those who have prepared Demos before what's worked for you and can you share some of the success stories? What was the Demos time table? How much of the Setting/rules does the demo show? As players what do you look for? Thanks for reading and I look forward to your input.

[Ron Edwards]

Hello,

You'll have to revise this thread topic for it to continue. Actual Play posts must be about real play-experiences, as the core of the discussion. You have to provide them, not ask for them, although once the discussion gets going, people will provide their own as comparisons.

Here's what I suggest: describe the best demo game, from a con, that you ever participated in (player, GM, whichever), and then describe the worst one. What are the salient features that distinguish them, as you see it?

Best,
Ron

[timfire]

Another question you should answer is what is the purpose of the demo? Sales or just plain ol' Fun?

[Certified]

The set up:

For the last three years I've tried several deferent types of demos. Last year for Dragon*con we brought back several stories, linked by the backgrounds of the pre-generated characters. Each game was designed for a 4 hour block. Characters were given narrow sets of skills and abilities so that each had a unique style of play. I'll start with a quick review of the setting and the first of story.

The "Blurb"

With the return of magick, mankind's time has passed. Dust shifting across a road too long to see the end, their once great empires taken away by the wind. The science that allowed man to rise up and beat the world into submission has no meaning in this new era, as the ultimate question has finally been answered. Man is not alone. Now, fifteen years after the Cataclysm, man is learning to live within this new world and its new societies. The only hope for human survival is that they may again learn to tolerate man.


Chapter 1: Welcome To The Show:

A child's memories can easily blur. The Cataclysm that devastated the lives of billions is only a faint memory to some. The survivors of Stonecrest have built a life out of the ashes of their former city. Their children are forced to learn the skills and duties of an adult early on to ensure survival eking out a meager life of servitude. However, the secluded lives of the camp are about to change forever.

Chapter 1 was designed as an introduction to the setting with a low level of play to make learning the rules easier. A quick review, the characters are "children" (16-20) in Stonecrest, a survivor camp, a refuge from an event known collectively as the Great Storm and Long Night. The characters are banished from the camp after helping an escaped slave, from a city no ones ever heard of, after he comes running into the grove where the PCs have been relaxing in. The slave travels with the PCs as they look for sanctuary from the wilderness. Which they find in the shape of a group known as the Hunters, an organization dedicated to finding and helping survivors of the Cataclysm. Retelling their story the leader of this Hunter group they realize they have a much larger problem. The slavers never returned for their query, they've found a bigger catch; the camp the PCs originally came from. Rushing back to the camp for the climax the player's help the Hunters fend off the community from the Slavers and their complement of hired thugs. This game has been good at comic shop demos. However, the 4 hour time table has been a problem outside of conventions. Players from this story have usually given good review but with rarely more 2 players for any one demo I'll review it quickly to set up the following Demo.


Chapter 2: Scorched Earth

Returning to the ReDuc after a long year apart our heroes find themselves in a town griped of plague. There is little time to act before the entire town falls to the hordes of vermin and worse still, the growing number of undead. Yet, even as the survivors of Stonecrest rush to save the remaining towns folk, they are forced to ask the question: "What has brought this darkness into our city?"

Chapter 2 picks up with more matured characters, some have decided to join the Hunters Guild others have gone their separate ways, the game begins on the road to their reunion. I think this was the best example of a demo with four players and a full session the players were able to get though go though the entire story. The

The Characters

"Disconnected Dreamer" (From the character sheet)
Your voice has never faded, but now the pains of adulthood tear at you forcing you to put away childish dreams. The Hunters have treated you well, trained you to take care of yourself, a victim no more. Still the dreams come and you can hear your voice calling to you, begging to be freed.

(Additional information, from session 1) Growing up in Stonecrest she was a maid & servant to the overbearing town leader. Her only escape was though poetry, as a Dreamer she had an innate ability to channel magickal energy though her art. Hiding her gift growing up she had almost forgotten her talents when she was banished from Stonecrest.

(Player Background) The first player at the table, he asked for a mage type so I had some time to go over the character sheet and the dynamics of magick in the 6th World system. We had prepared a page poems (spells) the Dreamer commonly relies on, with both defensive and offensive effects. Also, discussed that magick was designed to be more spontaneous and her effects were based more on intent and emotion than rote and verse. My other three players arrived together.

"Gladiator" (From the character sheet)
The Hunters life wasn't for you. Once you saw the arenas the Gauten had escaped from you knew your calling. To know the rush of battle and the thrill of adventure, the moneys not half bat ether. Sometimes you miss your friends but hay you're no drone and you know you'll see them soon enough.

(Additional information) An outcast from Stonecrest the Gladiator had made it on his own growing up on the outskirts of the camp with another friend. After the events leading up to the fall of Stonecrest he decided to go his own way.

(Player Background) Asking the three players what types of characters they like to play the first response I got was "A paladin type." Unfortunately we had no holy warrior types on hand. He was happy enough to settle for the guy with the really big sword and bonuses for protecting his friends, close enough.

"Combat Medic" (From the character sheet)
Your time with the Hunters has taught you a lot. Since joining the Guild you have been able to cultivate not just your medical knowledge but your other skills. On numerous occasions your gifts have been life savers for the guild, and with the Hunters, there accepted not feared. Things have been looking up over the last year.

(Additional information) With a natural Psionic affinity she was forced to hide these talents growing up in Stonecrest. Her mother was a nurse and taught her daughter her trade so she could avoid the hard labor the other children were forced to endure.  Her time with the Hunter's has allowed her to develop some combat skills and improve her Psionics.

(Player Background) Another quick response the player asked for a "support" type character. When I asked what she meant she said someone with magick to aid others. Again, not quite the Cleric but a close enough fit to satisfy the player. Also, I should point out that this was her first time with a table top RPG. As an aside, when writing the pre-generated characters for these stories I did have the classic D&D archetypes in mind for when this came up.   

"Gunslinger" (From the character sheet)
Sure you knocked around with your buddy "the gladiator" But fighting isn't something you do for money even if occasionally killing is. This last year has been rough but you've gotten practice and sharpened some skills you never knew you had. No regrets right?

(Additional information) In Stonecrest he was little more than a thief who lived with the towns other outcast; both were barely tolerated to begin with. After parting ways with the other survivors he had to learn quickly to defend himself and showed an affinity for firearms. In his travels he's picked up a few "tricks" from other drifters. He's learned to channel magick though Praying to the Angel of Death.

(Player Background) When asked, the player said he was also looking for a mage type but with the Dreamer and Medic already spoken for this was the only other magic using character left. He didn't seem to mind and said he like how his magick seemed to sync with the character's other skills. 



The Big Picture:
So once characters were selected we took some time to review the world and characters backgrounds and basic dice mechanics. This took about twenty minutes but worked out well. The session one review took only about 5 minutes and basically included the information from above. What took up the majority of the time was going over the specifics of the characters. Because the Paths of 6th World were designed to be guidelines each of the characters, other than the Gladiator (The Guy with the Really Big Sword), had some abilities that didn't fit into their basic overview. 
One thing I would like to cover at this point is that Psionics and Magick in 6th World work very differently. In short Magick uses one core skill and has traits used to focus this skill. Psionics on the other hand have roughly the same number of traits but use the mundane skills the character has to create both subtle and not so subtle effects. Because of this we covered both Active (the character understands he is using supernatural abilities) and Passive (the character has developed specific skills to harness their Psionic talents that they may not know they even have) Psionic effects and how to use Magick. I went over the unique abilities each character had. What always takes the longest explanation is how passive psionics works. When players see Pyrokinesis for some reason they wonder where the fireball is.   


As soon as I get a chance I'll post the actual play review. I hope you've been able to follow my notes from September's game and basic information on 6th World. I'm sorry I couldn't post everything together but I should have the results posted tomorrow.

[Certified]

On to the actual play, sorry it took so long to get this together. I've included some excepts from the Demo's descriptions.

Act 1: Infestation
Part 1: A cry for help

Introductions, the game begins with the PCs meeting up along to road to the Moss Reduc. As they near the town they find a man staggering over a hill along the side of the road. As he passes the apex he stumbles and rolls down the hill. Rushing to his aid the man is only able to spout out a few cryptic statements before expiring. The man's name was Ezekiel and he was the former leader of Stonecrest. The medic does what she can to save him but the rot that has consumed most of his body has left him too far gone for any aid, farewell Plot Device, you served us well. 

This first scene is intended to give the players time to get a feel for who the characters and their initial reactions to one another along with a reminder of the history they share. It is also an ease into basic dice rolls as the medic examines the rot covering his body. This worked out well for what it was intended for, most of the players were able to make one or two rolls on various skills and spent a majority of time getting into character and taking in the scene.

Part 2: At first glance

The final mile to the town is a solemn one but as they cross over the hill the PCs get their first glimpse of the destruction ahead. The players take the time to scout out the Reduc from the vantage point of the hill, if not paying attention the town looks relatively normal. Yet as they take in the details, the broken windows and doors, oil barrels burning and no traffic on the road or street the desolation begins to take shape.

The road to the Reduc is littered with debris, small fragments of bone, burnt strips of meat, clothes and wood. The town walls are scored and signs of a struggle are rather apparent. The town is in ruins. Most homes appear burnt out others boarded up. Several oil drums burn at edge of town with an old police barrier separating them as a warning.
   The sounds of other fires burning in the city can be heard along with a low murmur or humming sound. Beyond that there is nothing. Passing into the Reducity feels as if a weight is being pressed down swallowing whatever hope one might have had of seeing old friends or relatives.

A few basic Perception rolls here but the PCs spend more time taking in the sites and details of the perimeter. Moving the barrier out of the way the PCs drive in. (One car and a motorcycle between them)

Part 3: Into the darkness

Although there were still hours left to the day when entering the town a gloom seems to dull the sky smoke from the fires casting a grey film over the day. Trash in the streets seems piled by the winds while flakes of burnt detritus shift along the currents. As they pass though the entrance of the Reduc the murmur grows in strength. This continues to grow reaching a crescendo as swarms of beetle like insects pour out from the ally between the last row of houses and the Reduc wall blocking off the passage back.

I was worried this scene would not work well with the PCs having a means of transportation but in horror movie style only the Dreamer and driver of the car was ready to take off. The Gunslinger walked his bike in and the other two members had spread out to look at the damage to the homes. Confronted with this challenge the Gladiator moves to ward off the hoard, remember he's the Guy with the really big Sword, swinging his blade in wide arcs across the ground. This proves virtually useless as they quickly overtake him and begin consuming. Seeing this all three other party members move to rescue our Guy with the really big Sword and are forced to run to avoid being overtaken again; only freeing themselves after a minute of running and knocking over two of the burring barrels.
Although play here went smoothly, a more cautious group may have been able to preserve the car leaving the party slightly less boxed in. As a demo I think these perks may need to be removed when it's run again. Beyond that the player's had little problem learning the basics of combat, however ineffective it was and a brief look at the Magick and Psionic systems.

Act 2: Web of designs

Unlike the first act the second part of the story is broken up into several objectives. Although not all of these were accomplished the demo was prepared for the following activates: Search for any clues as to what brought about the infestation, Find any remaining survivors, Retrieve any remaining medical supplies from the Reduc medical facilities, Survive (this was more just a note for the Historian (GM) to throw something at the players if there was a lull in the game)
The second Act also introduces the other threat to the city, the undead, zombies (at a glance), because one flesh eating threat just isn't enough. Here's how it played out:

After catching their breath the PCs decide to take a closer look at the homes around them:

Cinder Room: This home has been sealed off with corrugated metal and bands or rebar from the outside. The smell of burnt meat is intense and the home still seems to be smoldering.

On this description the players decided to take a look inside:

Pulling a section of corrugated metal free reveals steaming bricks they're hot but crumble to any use of force releasing a gust of wind filled with the smell if burnt flesh. The old home is stacked full of roasting bodies; still burning from a fire that can't be seen.

As they debated the value of digging though these burning bodies the Gunslinger notices a man stagger down a nearby ally.  Telling the others to hang back he sneaks down the ally to get a better look after the staggering man fails to answer to his calls. Erring on the side of caution our Gunslinger keeps his distance choosing instead to watch the movements of the man who simply wanders slowly around the home.
While this is happening our other players wait diligently at least until other men begin to approach. All moving like drunks from a pub none are responsive to the calls. As they get closer the Players realize the men all have a rot much like Ezekiel only far more advanced. Our Guy with the really big Sword calls out a warning. The marksman still following the first man fails his Perception roll and doesn't hear the cry over the sounds of fire and the constant buss of the insects.
Like any Guy with the really big Sword would do when the men are close enough to realize just how impossible it would be for them to still be alive he rushes the closest man and attacks. The Medic and Dreamer not sure what to do wait, this seemed to be based on role-playing not a lack of ability to say "I attack." With the strike from the Gladiator and doubts are cleared up. If I remember correctly he split the undead's chest open before the zombie attacked him. With the undead closing in the medic begins to attack with a firearm while the Dreamer assesses the area they're in. (One thing I would like to have for this scenario next time is a page sized map to use as a guide.) She is first t realize they are being flanked from back down the street.
The Gunslinger hearing the gunfire and runs back the way he came to join the action.

This combat was intended to be the first real systems test for the players. Because this was a true combat all the players took a few minutes to review their characters at the onset. We did have to pause a few times to find information on the character sheet but overall things progressed fairly quickly. One thing I didn't expect was the hesitancy of the players to take actions. I enjoyed the fact that even from the minuet descriptions given they Players had taken on the roles and personalities so easily. Only one of the party members was actually injured and even then the wound was nothing the Medic was unable to take care of. This encounter and the previous one left the PCs more tired than anything.

Examining the bodies the medic confirms that the rot on these men would have caused them to die long before any wounds they had inflicted. At this point they decided to make their way to the water tower they had seen from the hill. Working their way though the maze of homes the Players now on guard are make several Perception rolls. One of them gets lucky I forget who but what they find is a home completely unmarred by the attacks.

Sanctuary: This small innocuous house smells of sandalwood and thyme, it seems to push the stench of the city away. However, stranger still the home shows no sign of damage

Again the players cannot resist looking in one this home, the front door is even unlocked.

Opening the door the air is filled with sandalwood, overpowering the smell if the body in the center of the room. The room itself has no furniture and has a single circle drawn in salt with five oil burners placed along the circle. Inside the circle there is a long string of text written in as spiral from the outer ring to the body.

I let the players know that the corpse belonged to a man named Yard, another Stonecrest survivor. Although he had never shown any skill like this in the camp he was the one who pleaded with Ezekiel to spare their lives and had them banished instead. The text is Latin but none of the characters can read this so they are left with only guesses and the Gunslingers limited understanding of magick. Although the Dreamer also uses magick and can feel the energy in this room she does not understand it, for her it is only an expression of her Art. A few dice rolls and a magickal detection effect later and the Gunslinger has determined that a protective Ward encompasses this home. The Gunslinger describes this as like his own prayer for protection only much stronger. With a little more examination he finds that the ward is not locked, that a mage could still fuel the protective circle. After one attempt at this he realizes he doesn't have the strength to affect this much.
Chalking this up to a strange singularity the Players decide to press on. 

The actions the Gunslinger took determined the path for the rest of the Demo. Although designed with multiple ways of saving the Reduc this is perhaps the most direct path.

Unfortunately, it's approaching 2 AM again so I'm going to have to stop here. Hopefully I'll have the last part of Act 2 and the conclusion posted tomorrow. 

[TonyLB]

Okay, time for you to do a little self-evaluation.  I can respond in two ways to what I've seen so far, and I'm happy to do whichever one you actually want:

• I can tell you how to fine-tune the elements you've put together, to make them work a little better with each other, and like that.  This will turn a shaky demo into a solid one, but will not change its overall shape.  It will also run no great risk of hurting your ego.
• I can break the demo you've described so far apart entirely and use it for spare parts.  That will involve taking some number of those parts and saying "You never needed this in the first place, so it's not going in the new design."  That has much better odds of turning a good demo into a great demo, but you may not recognize the end product.  Also, it's almost certain to prick your pride at least a little.

So what would you like?

[Certified]

Sorry I've had to break things up like this so far.

Act 2: Web of designs (cont.)

When the PCs reached the water tower, I forgot to explain the importance of this tower. Because the characters had all lived at this Reduc for some time before parting ways they knew that below the tower was the water treatment plant and the main cafeteria for non-Hunters living in the Reduc. If you were wondering why the water tower was important sorry to have left that out until now, it was unintentional. When the PCs reached the water tower they found the building below it had been blocked from the inside. However, shouting and banging on the door for attention was no use so our Guy with the Really Big Sword decides to let himself in. Putting his shoulder into it quite literally after a couple of tries he breaks the board that had been nailed to the wall on the other side. The bench table leaning against the door doesn't serve as much deterrent as he pushes his way in.
Inside they find that most of the other benches had been nailed to windows to reinforce them. What they don't find is any sign of survivors. The store rooms have been emptied but they do find the ladder to the roof. Also, locked but only by a simple latch and a hardly a deterrent to the Guy with the Really Big Sword. From the roof they have access to the ladder leading to the water tank and with nothing else to go on they begin to climb.

A shout from above startles you. "If you ain't talkin' you ain't walking." A young voice with a thick southern accent bellows from the walkway above.

Even with a warning shot, it took being shot at three times before someone said anything. I believe our Medic was the first to realize that the zombies they had fought earlier hadn't spoken. I was really surprised by this, although prepared if the players said nothing I thought the statement was clear enough. When the Gladiator tried to scramble up the 10 meters of remaining ladder what other option was left than to follow through with the threat.
With some quick wit and diplomacy from our Dreamer she manages to smooth things over with the guard. Then it's time for some exposition: (Most of this wasn't quoted exactly as presented but after 4 months I can only say that we did cover the information below.)

The top of the water tower has a small control room that overlooks the basin and a hatch that leads down into the purifiers. There are five Hunters here and seven others. The Hunters are Manuel, Bird, Glen, Robyn and Theo. It was Bird and Manuel on patrol, they had been sent with Glen and Theo to round up the remaining survivors. Robyn, the closest one here to any kind of rank is the attendant for the Tower. (She also has the skills Career: Water Purification 4 and Engineering 6.) The other survivors are Lester (Les) his wife Kari, their daughters Samantha (Sam) and Genie (Pug), Fritz and Larry Cooks and Peter. They had all been caught in the cafeteria when they were attacked. The Hunters sent of to find them lost their CO (Squad Caption Vanessa Rembough) and two other men (Rick and Jamie.)
   They survived by sealing everything off and pulling as much food up the tower as they could. That's when they realized Specialist Robyn was still up the well. With results similar to the characters initial introduction to this troupe.   
   Inside the tower is cool and they've been able to preserve most of the food. (Sealing food in plastic bags they have tied to roped perishables are kept in the water of the basin which stays around 55-60 degrees.) They've gotten exercise by patrolling the otter ring or walking the railing on the inside.
   (If the players prompt the survivors about what happened they will get the following)
   Specialist Robyn: About two months ago stories started to trickle in from the north about a plague sweeping though the north. There's been so much sickness lately we wrote it off as doomsayers. A few weeks later caravans from Sparaida~Nor started moving though here in droves on the way to Dor-E'an. Talk of plague warrens in the surface districts. Those who had the money were moving south before the sealed the city.
   Then the infections started here. Green-Black welts that would bubble up and spread over the body. When they burst the flesh was all withered decayed, like long dead. I was in working the tower when the second wave hit. The doctors were being swamped in a panic. Within two weeks of the last caravan most the city was infected. I was told to stay up here until further order and make sure no one accessed the tower. Fortunately most the Hunters didn't get caught in the second wave.
   Moss had the city sealed, and MREs delivered to me. By the beginning of the next month, we had the dead or dying lying in the street. Even the Hunters were showing signs of infection. This is when it got really weird. For the last week all you could smell was rot, then in the middle of the night, it's gone. It's like almonds, and some incense. This smell is strong too. I'm sealed away up hear and I smell it. I step out and that's when I see it. This blanket of gold rolling in from the south, the sound of the beetles was overpowering and I swear to you I saw a man walking with them, in the center of it all. The blockade is nothing to them their bodies pour though and he walks right in. IT was like magic, as soon as he steps though, the bodies in the pyres jump up. Still burning, and run right into the Horde .
   Then there's some kind of flash of light, black tentacles lash out from the center of the beetles, and I swear I see a guy there; whippings bodies left and right. That's when the patrol shows up. Hunters start shooting at everything. It's total chaos, there's another flash and the beetles start to split up, I don't see the man anymore, and the Hunters are all dead.
   I seal my ass back up get on the horn, but all I'm getting is static. That was it, I don't hear anything else until I'm trying to get supplies down below and I find the others.     

(If the players have not yet met up with the other hunters) Bird Interrupts: Moss and the other senior officers are dead. Only a few of the instructors and mostly the new recruits survived. He wasn't satisfied just sealing the Hunters up the field officers like me and Manuel would do daily sweeps looking for survivors.
   The first few days we would find one or two holed up in their houses. We brought back those who would come with us. It was during a sweep we got cut off and ended up here. We didn't know if Robyn was still up here. I can tell you we were thankful she was.

 

Deciding to check the main compound the PCs re-block the cafeteria's door and rest for the night this brings Act 2 to a close.

Act 3: End Game

So the players now have some idea of what's going on. The story was written with multiple endings in mind but because the Gunslinger was able to determine what the circle in Yard's home was it set the following in motion.
While the PCs sleep the Gunslinger is awoken by a man he has never seen before.

The man before you looks to be in his early thirties but his eyes seem somehow older, distant. He wears a wool dust cloak, splotched with brown. His hood is down and his body calm. Below the cloak it appears that he may wear some type of armor, bulky but hidden under a black sweater.  He wears plain blue jeans with thick padded combat boots over them. He makes a quick motion for silence before he begins talking.
   "May name is Ernesto. I've come to help but there's very little time."  He steps back outside and waits.

The Gunslinger meets him outside without waking the others up. Ernesto explains that he is hunting a man named Gaul. Gaul betrayed a Druid grove when making a pact with a Demon only three members survived. They and their descendants have hunted him ever since. When asked where he came from he explains he is hunting Gaul and like the Gunslinger has certain talents that had allowed him to track Gaul to this town. However, since he has hunted this demon for so long Gaul has long since learned to guard himself from being detected by Ernesto, it was only the use of such powerful magicks as to curse this town he was able to track him here. It was only the Gunslingers interaction with the Ward that alerted him to the presence of others who understand the Art. He then asks the Gunslinger to track him further. This dialog was much more back and forth than it appears here. It was over about 10 or 15 minutes and one thing I regretted was having the other players inactive for so long.
The Gunslinger agrees to help and wakes the others. There's a little debate weather to wake the others hiding but Ernesto argues against it saying that too many people may alert Gaul to their actions. Saying there's no way to know just how great his control over the town is.

Both the Dreamer and Gunslinger are able to help track the point were Gaul cast the effect that has cursed the town. Well more correctly the Dreamer searches on her own and the Gunslinger and Ernesto are able to use their abilities in a Gestalt. By the time they find Gaul's point of entry Ernesto has already realized that the Dreamer is far more strongly attuned to magickal forces.
The point of entry is more like ground zero rings of blackened earth and ash emanate from a center point. Ernesto asks the Dreamer to try and penetrate the veil surrounding Gaul so that he can finally pay for his sins. As she begins the ask rings begin to swirl wrapping into humanoid figures.   
Ernesto cries that these are Gaul's creations like the marionettes wandering the town. The Gladiator wastes no time attacking the unformed bodies. Encouraging the Dreamer to continue her song Ernesto begins chanting in a language no one present understands. As the puppets of Gaul finish forming the Gunslinger and Medic also engage the undead. With combat underway Ernesto finishes his chanting as four black tentacles of energy rip from his back.
As they fight it seems a new creature seems to emerge from the ash for each one they destroy. When the Dreamer pierces the veil hiding Gaul's presence everyone can see chains wrapping each of the undead and stretching out into the night sky. With these chains now visible Ernesto turns his attention to the Dreamer, plucking the location of Gaul from her mind, this appears in the form of a fifth tentacle striking her forehead. Stunned she falls back reeling from having this knowledge ripped from her mind.
Still our Guy with the Really Big Sword hasn't given up on Ernesto and continues focusing on Gaul's minions. Once they are finally destroyed Ernesto turns his attention to the party. Striking at the Gladiator first the Medic grabs the Dreamer and runs for cover.
The final confrontation with Ernesto takes all four characters working together to defeat him. The Medic's Biokinesis is strong enough to keep the Gladiator up and fighting while the Gunslinger attacks from cover and the Dreamer alternates between protection effects and helping the Medic heal. This confrontation takes about an hour of real time and went extremely smoothly. When Ernesto falls the Gladiator is quick to behead him to ensure no surprises.

Conclusion:
With Ernesto dead the fog over the Reduc seems to fade almost immediately like a weight being lifted. No traces of the undead can be found beyond the inanimate corpses strewn throughout the town. Returning to the Water Tower Robyn confirms that radio communication has been reestablished and within two weeks a group of Hunters arrives with medical supplies. With some semblance of order restored to the Reduc the players are left with the knowledge of Gaul and the general location where he hides himself and that ultimately he caused the destruction of Moss's Reduc.     

- - -

Final Thoughts:

The Players here were able to pick up the system quick enough and the caster types were able to get creative with their magickal effects at the end. Also, they said the characters were fun and different enough that no one felt over looked. Even our quite first time table top gamer said she liked the fact that she got just kind of character she wanted to play and didn't have a problem dealing with the dynamics of the Psionics.

Niceties aside, although this game ran incredibly smoothly I think it's unreasonable to think that Demo players can be captured for 12 hours for the full story arc. As I get ready for this years Dragon*Con and maybe a few others I'm thinking a shorter demo is in order. Also, because it's part of a larger arc I don't think this Demo reveals enough of the setting beyond the one Reduc and the recap of their childhood. However, I think that focusing to much on the background details when working on a new Demo might take away from the over all story. What I've tried to do in the past and will probably keep as a M.O. is memorable characters. Moving forward I may tone down the level of play so that the characters will be narrower to encourage team play. One of the things that I really like hearing was that none of the characters seemed to overshadow another's ability. Although I'm inclined to say the presence of the Gladiator, our Guy with the Really Big Sword had a huge impact as he quickly took the leadership role. Anyway, it is again approaching 2 AM and for whatever value you can pull from this Demo I hope you enjoyed reading this. Thank you for letting me walk you though this game. I look forward to hearing peoples comments on it and reading the Demos others have tried to see what's worked for them. I'll be working on a review of a Demo gone south (also from Dragon*Con 2005) but it will likely be next week before I can put that up. Thanks again.

Dave. 

[TonyLB]

Dave, I repeat my earlier question.  What kind of commentary are you looking for?

[Ron Edwards]

Actually, Tony, I say "go for it," whichever one you think best.

Dave's worked pretty hard to give us lots of information, and he might be hitting a limit of "oh, one more thing."

Best,
Ron

[Certified]

Dave, I repeat my earlier question.  What kind of commentary are you looking for?

My only request is for honest commentary and a hope that you explain any points that you make. I already think that it's a bit too ambitious for a demo, although I had return players it was never for all 3 sessions and even with 4 hours each I don't think there was enough tome to get into enough detail to make it a solid story. When I go to write a new Demo (already forming ideas) I want to keep playtime under an hour. I'm thinking of a shorter game maybe 4-6 hours broke into 1-hour blocks with easy transitions so that players can jump in at any point. Also, after disusing the 6th World Demo (I'll do my best to keep my ego and pride in check.) I would really like to read about how you organized a demo of Capes, from what I understand there's a really nice role-playing conflict system so I'm curious to see how you introduce this to new players. Thanks again for reading.

Dave

[Lamorak33]

My only request is for honest commentary and a hope that you explain any points that you make. I already think that it's a bit too ambitious for a demo, although I had return players it was never for all 3 sessions and even with 4 hours each I don't think there was enough tome to get into enough detail to make it a solid story. When I go to write a new Demo (already forming ideas) I want to keep playtime under an hour.....

Hi Dave

I run demo games for Heroquest. A scenario so that it SHOULD finish in the time slot in my opinion. I have run a HQ demo 'Last Seen in Pavis' and to be fair, it never run under 4 hours, and once we just had to leave it unfinished, which was unsatisfying. Personally 1 hour is too short for my tastes, but thats me.

Regards
Rob

[TonyLB]

Okay, if I understand it you've been running a demo for four hours in which the following happens:

• The team meets
• A plot device staggers up, delivers its message and dies.
• The team has a chance to observe a ruined town, and make perception checks.
• The team is attacked by monsters who have no purpose but to seal them into the town.  Counter-attacks are ineffectual.
• The team has a chance to further observe the ruined town, and make perception checks.
• The team is attacked by monsters who have no purpose but to attack them.  Their victory is all but assured by the inferior quality of the enemy.  They win!
• The team has a chance to observe a clearly labelled (sight and smell) house, find a magic document they can't read, and make perception checks.
• The team encounters forces at the water tower, whose have no purpose but to get the players to solve the riddle "zombies don't talk, maybe we should, to show we're not zombies."  Despite every attempt to fail this riddle, the team suffers no consequences (like, say, being riddled with bullets).
• The team has a chance to observe a lovingly crafted and described fortified position.  Sure looks like someone put a lot of thought into how to defend a position from the zombies.
• One PC is awoken by a walking deus-ex-machina, who says, basically "Come with me if you want the story."  The PC goes.
• The deus-ex-machina leads the PCs to a fight.  Turns out the enemy is the deus-ex-machina.
• They fight.  They win.  Everyone is happy!

On the face of it, that doesn't sound like a lot for the players to really do, and to choose.  Now this may well be an artifact of the fact that you're talking about your demo, and what you can do to make it better.  Maybe the players got to make all sorts of important choices, and you're just not mentioning them, because they're beyond your control.

But, for what it's worth, I think there are some great places to really let the players drive the story here.  The foremost one, in my mind, is that spectacular fortification.  It shouldn't be there when they start.  Building that fortification is something that the players should do.  The town, as they come upon it, should be totally ravaged.  If there are two people sticking with each other, it should be a rarity.  The players should have to go out and find people, where they are hiding, and bring them to safety.  The players can figure out where and how to find food, where and how to dig in.  They can be in charge of whether the community survives or doesn't.

If it were me, I'd remove absolutely everything that doesn't have to do with giving the players these opportunities.  They don't need a chance to meet.  They don't need a chance to test out the system while failing to prevent the pre-destined death of the plot-messenger.  They can be told, first thing, "This town has dropped out of radio contact.  In a week, the Hunters will be mobilized to rescue, but you folks are the only people close enough to get there today, so they've given you a quick 'atta-boy' and marching orders to go hold the fort for seven days."  Then they can sweep in, gauge the situation (bad), their resources (scanty) and their guts (presumably massive) and dive into the thick of things.

Maybe it turns into a tense fight for survival, with NPCs dying left and right (sent by the PCs on necessary but dangerous missions).  Maybe it becomes heroic fight through the zombie hordes to the center of the corruption.  Or maybe it turns into a deadly last stand, with the players giving their lives one by one to protect the innocent bystanders long enough for the cavalry to arrive.  That would be up to the players.

Is that the kind of thing that would serve your purpose?  Or is it important to you that people get to hear all the descriptions, and to observe the coolness of the setting?

[Certified]

Hi Tony,

I do appreciate you taking your time to read though this sample of play for one of last year's demos. I do want to clear up a few things that might not have been evident form the example of play. Although things do seem to play out rather linearly in the example of actual play for the Demo it was not written as a straight line progression. After the initial encounters with our staggering Plot Device and first conflict in the town the story becomes free form.

Exploring the town, there four unique events based on their perception rolls. The Cinder House and the warded home were only two the PCs came across. Although both obviously stand out from the street the purpose of the rolls were along the train of thought that they might not be on those streets or alleyways.  Other possible encounters included a small independent clinic and the home of a safety nut. The encounters the players found during the Demo were based on their Perception and Luck.

The water tower was one of two points were people had holed up. The other, is the main Hunter's compound. Both were places that were intended to stand out and in either case players could find out about the other one.

There were three, well three and a half possible conclusions written. The first ending beyond scaling the wall and hoofing it out of dodge (The story is based around an unstated debt to the people who helped rescue the people of Stonecrest from slavers, there's nothing else stopping the players from running) was reconnecting with the survivors and getting out of the Reduc was intended to be the most straight forward conclusion. If the players found nothing else in the town at all, the two largest structures still contained survivors who knew where to find others. This ending includes scrounging for working vehicles and fun with zombies and the hoard of scarabs. A variant on this includes the players finding the survivalists home and the bomb shelter. There they could find a journal and blueprints detailing how to alter a short wave radio to interfere with the hoard. If they can retool a radio it does work to drive off an attack. Using this too often though will alert Ernesto and will lead to a confrontation (although it is only eluded at the water tower Ernesto controls the hoard.) However, without getting the attention of Gaul defeating Ernesto will not save the Reduc from the Rotting Curse that spawns the zombies.

The second ending was what the players encountered. Finding the ward left by Yard the player's do not learn enough to understand it; toying with the ward tips off Ernesto to the presence of others capable of using magick. Despite some creative interpretations of history the information Ernesto offers is accurate. His reason for using the PCs is on the level he cannot track Gaul any further. The characters trying to track Gaul realize that he is hiding something (I'm sorry for leaving this out in the description of play.) His betrayal at the climax of is Demo is unexplained in this session of the story arc mostly because I couldn't come up with a way to do this without relying on a monologue from our big baddie. (Ernesto was one of Gaul's followers who betrayed a people known as the Brotherhood. When Gaul's coup failed he fled and left his followers to deal with the repercussions. Ernesto managed to escape this Pogrom and has carried a vow for vengeance since. His motivations are explained in the final Story in this set by a member of the Brotherhood who helps the players.)

The last of the endings written for this demo takes us back to this ward. The PCs after studying the ward determine they can increase the size of the barrier by funneling energy into it. Taking the survivors trapped in the water tower and Hunter's compound to Yard's home they can increase the size of this ward beyond the borders of the Reduc expelling Gaul's presence. With Gaul no longer controlling the town Ernesto has no reason to stay.   

Although a good portion of the routing of this story involves player's use of their characters skill and not as much actual problem solving as I like I hope this helps to add perspective to the Demo as a whole not just what was covered in actual play.

However, there is one other thing I would like to talk about after reading your post.   

{quote] Building that fortification is something that the players should do.  The town, as they come upon it, should be totally ravaged.  If there are two people sticking with each other, it should be a rarity.  The players should have to go out and find people, where they are hiding, and bring them to safety.  The players can figure out where and how to find food, where and how to dig in.  They can be in charge of whether the community survives or doesn't.

If it were me, I'd remove absolutely everything that doesn't have to do with giving the players these opportunities.  They don't need a chance to meet.  They don't need a chance to test out the system while failing to prevent the pre-destined death of the plot-messenger.  They can be told, first thing, "This town has dropped out of radio contact.  In a week, the Hunters will be mobilized to rescue, but you folks are the only people close enough to get there today, so they've given you a quick 'atta-boy' and marching orders to go hold the fort for seven days."  Then they can sweep in, gauge the situation (bad), their resources (scanty) and their guts (presumably massive) and dive into the thick of things.

Maybe it turns into a tense fight for survival, with NPCs dying left and right (sent by the PCs on necessary but dangerous missions).  Maybe it becomes heroic fight through the zombie hordes to the center of the corruption.  Or maybe it turns into a deadly last stand, with the players giving their lives one by one to protect the innocent bystanders long enough for the cavalry to arrive.  That would be up to the players.

I do believe there is a lot of potential here. It still gives about as much overall setting that the original had (not much) but that's ok. I like the idea of the players having more control of the direction of the story, and I think this can still be written in a form that my other Historian (GM) can pick it up and be ready for almost everything the players might come up with. My biggest question comes in as can this work in four hours. (That's always my demo question at Dragon*Con.) With the original tied into something larger I think this concept could stand alone with out so much character pre-history or needing a follow up session to find out the causes of events. This seams more of the here it is deal with it presentation no need to explain why the zombies are their just deal with it. Again I want to thank you for reading though this example of play and if you made it here my reply thanks for the insight on how to trim the Demo down some.   

[daemonchild]

My only request is for honest commentary and a hope that you explain any points that you make. I already think that it's a bit too ambitious for a demo, although I had return players it was never for all 3 sessions and even with 4 hours each I don't think there was enough tome to get into enough detail to make it a solid story. When I go to write a new Demo (already forming ideas) I want to keep playtime under an hour.....

Hi Dave

I run demo games for Heroquest. A scenario so that it SHOULD finish in the time slot in my opinion. I have run a HQ demo 'Last Seen in Pavis' and to be fair, it never run under 4 hours, and once we just had to leave it unfinished, which was unsatisfying. Personally 1 hour is too short for my tastes, but thats me.

Regards
Rob

I've found that demos, in my opinion, should run about 2-3 hours depending upon the players. I try to tighten up my demos to make a very intense experience for the players, and my GM'ing style is to never let people sit back and get comfortable. True, I usually run horror and dark fantasy games where--in my opinion--the mood of the game is essential to a positive roleplaying experience. I've also learned that too much "rule" explanation bores people to death, but that's just me. The first part of the session, utilize the highlights of the mechanics to show them how it works (i.e. throw a little bit of conflict their way and then tell them what to roll) and then move forward. It gives the players something to do.

My question would be as to how you had the players focused on one another. The best character creation segments I've ever seen are the ones where the characters have quotes or opinions about the other players. Also, make sure you bring more than 5 characters to the session, no one likes the leftovers. More specific comments later, I need to reread the post and ensure I have it right.

[TonyLB]

Dave, just so we're on the same page here:  Branching plots do not equal player empowerment.  I see the branching.  What I don't see (from your description) is the empowerment.

The plot went one way, rather than another, because the players found something.  It wasn't a choice they made, to deliberately change the direction of the story:  they didn't say "Oh, hey!  Let's find the magic-user behind this.  Maybe if we fiddle with this magic ward thingy, he'll be attracted to us, and then we can jump him."

I think that if you want to go with branching, so as to make a demo that's reliable to run, then you can get more mileage out of it by tying the branches to conscious player choice.  The question of "Does the game become one where they flee the town, or one where they face the threat?" should be put to them clearly.  "Here's the threat, here in this building overrun with blood-vines.  You can either try to sneak away and leave the threat there, or risk everything and go try to kill the threat.  It'll be a fun game either way."

I feel like I'm coming across as really harsh here, and I don't intend to.  Sounds like you have a good demo.  I think a little more focus on making the players into the co-creators of the story can make it even better.