Gamemaster Instructions and Tips
Running a game at a convention can be a highly rewarding experience. You get to share a favorite game, meet new players, and help everyone have a great time together. Whether you’re running a board game, miniatures battle, ttrpg, or some other type of event, we have some instructions on running for U-Con as well as tips to make for a smooth and enjoyable experience.
Instructions
Onsite, GMs check in like other preregistered attendees. You’ll need your ID and your Tabletop Events barcode emailed to you before the convention. Optionally, you can view your event sheet from Tabletop Events website, listing players who are registered for your event. Find it by viewing your event and clicking “Generate Event Sheet” in the bottom left corner. We don’t provide these printed sheets as they could be out of date between printing and the event start.
When it’s time to run your event, you’re welcome to arrive at your assigned table a few minutes early to set up. We try to leave space between events for this purpose. If your assigned table is occupied when your game is about to start, please seek the assistance of convention staff rather than changing tables. Especially on Saturday, we have scheduled events tightly so we may need to move unscheduled pickup games. Do not rearrange table numbers, because players use them to find their games using our maps. Finally, we recommend offering a grace period of 10 minutes for late players before starting the game without them.
At the start of your game, please collect tickets from your players. If you don’t have enough players, grab one of our green cones to signal the room that you have space for players. If you don’t have enough players after the grace period, that’s a bummer! Feel free to find another game, visit the vendor hall, or otherwise enjoy yourself. Later on, stop by registration to let us know your game didn’t run.
At the end of your game, make sure to collect and count your game materials and tidy the table for the next event. Please bring the tickets you collected to registration. We track player counts to assist us with soliciting popular events for future conventions.
Through your game, be friendly and patient, especially with new players. In the unfortunate event that you have a disruptive player or you witness behavior that violates the conduct policy, contact staff members at registration for assistance. We prefer in-person reports however we also have an anonymous reporting form.
If there has been a spill at the table, please let the registration desk know so we can contact hotel staff.
Tips
Before you arrive, it’s helpful to prepare. When teaching games, it’s helpful to review the rules ahead of time and plan out how to teach it. Consider finding or creating a handout with rules references, so the table can get to the fun more quickly. Be sure to pack everything you need to play: board games, rulebooks, dice, tokens, miniatures, terrain, pencils and any other tools your specific game requires. If you are sharing books, board games or any other reference material, you may want to label those items in a way so you know those are yours. That way, you can assure you get them back at the end of your game.
At the table, explain what to expect along with the rules of the game. Make sure they have everything they need to play: character sheets, tokens, minis, dice, etc. Players learn games in different ways, so try to make sure you’re using both visual and audio cues to help everyone learn together.
Sharing your enthusiasm for gaming helps make the convention special for everyone involved. With a bit of preparation, patience, and a welcoming attitude, you’ll help create an experience that players remember long after the weekend ends.