Getting ready to run PTA for the first time (advice?)

[Ry]

So, either next weekend or shortly thereafter I'll be "running" a game of PTA for a motley crew of friends, gamers, and maybe a coworker or two.  I'm definitely going to be the producer (I'm the only one with the book) but I also expect I'm going to have to facilitate the game and draw people out of their gaming habits.  Sounds like those are pretty common issues for a first-time PTA producer.

What would you have liked to know before running your first session?

Thanks, -- ry

[Remi Treuer]

I've run PTA successfully a few times, and played a few more, and here's what's helped the fun the most for my sessions:

Don't be afraid to throw away a series idea if everyone is not on board. Wait for that one, perfect idea, it will be worth it. Conversely, set the game in a concept that you know everyone is excited about, and let them find their niche in it.

Prime the fan-mail pump. Start the game with a big scene (spend 2-4 Budget) that involves all the characters. This will get everyone involved, set-up the main conflict for the episode, and give the players some currency. For new players, it will also show them how to frame a scene, so they won't be as nervous when their turn comes around.

At first, do not be shy about pointing out awesome things deserving fan-mail to the players. Stress that you, as the producer, cannot give fan mail, and it is up to the players to reward each other for being excellent.

Remember that while a scene can involve a conflict, sometimes it's fun just to let the roleplaying happen, and this decompressing effect can be a lot of fun.

The mechanical stuff that will help you most is knowing how the Fanmail cycle works (from Budget to Fanmail to oblivion or back to Budget) and knowing, cold, how the cards work (trump suits, hearts, high & low cards, etc)

Sometimes it's OK for characters to be at odds. However, the players should not be at odds. Conflicts should open up interesting opportunities, win or lose.

Combat usually doesn't matter, the effects of it do.

Play the entire series. PTA is fine for one-shots, but really shines in the 3-7 session range, as relationships are fleshed out and people shift from being Spotlight Characters to Supporting.

Support each other and have fun!

Hope you have a great game.

[Ben Lehman]

Don't have conflicts about things which will stop the show cold if they happen.  Like, in Buffy, you never have the conflict "does the Vampire kill Buffy."

I must stress what Remy says about the Pitch.  It is damned important to make sure everyone is onboard with your show.

Your job as producer is not the same as the GM.  Because of the rotating scene framing, you have little-to-no control over the "plot" over the episode in terms of A to B to C.  Your main goal should be bringing in opposition and external conflict to every scene that needs it, as well as trying to link the scenes together loosely.  Don't be afraid to scrap your ideas!

yrs--
--Ben

[Judd]

This is a thread I wrote after running PTA a few times:

http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=18495.0

Hope it helps and if you have any questions, please let me know.

[Ry]

Re: Not the same as being GM, how important is it to get things into Acts?  Does this happen fairly naturally or are there steps the producer should be taking to try to coax the game into Acts?

[Judd]

Re: Not the same as being GM, how important is it to get things into Acts?  Does this happen fairly naturally or are there steps the producer should be taking to try to coax the game into Acts?

Acts?

[Matt Wilson]

Re: Not the same as being GM, how important is it to get things into Acts?  Does this happen fairly naturally or are there steps the producer should be taking to try to coax the game into Acts?

Acts?

Ry, there's only about three people on the planet who actually pay attention to all the stuff in the book. I may or may not be one of them.

In practice, people tend to have seen enough TV that they think in act structure, consciously or not. I put the material in there to give those familiar thingies names.

Since you do get a turn to create a scene, and since it's once every four or five times, it's an opportunity for you to do that coaxing you're talking about if things seem to be wandering a bit. Drop the villain back into the story, or put the spotlight protagonist in a provocative situation.

[Ry]

Great - hopefully we can all get to a point where the game takes off all on its own. 

[Matt Wilson]

I'll tell you one more thing, as I noticed a long thread in Actual Play started by you.

If you're used to a Savage Worlds-like game (and I love Savage Worlds), you and the players especially might be used to a style of play where you roll the dice and expect to get a lot of feedback and fun from the results.

I'd suggest when playing Primetime Adventures that you find reasons to get into conflict right away. Don't let the players sit and talk in character. Say, "it sounds like there's some tension there. Might be a good place for a conflict. How about a conflict to see if Alice can trust Roy?' And just dish those cards out.

Eventually you (by you I mean all hte players) will get the hang of setting up scenes where the conflict is crazy obvious, like "okay, we're on the freeway, chasing some bad guys..."

That's a really fun thing about the game. You can just start wherever you want. "I want a scene where I'm standing in front of the head vampire, holding an axe."