KEGSCon

KEGSCon is a small, local (to them, not me!) convention hosted by the Kent-Essex Gaming Society (KEGS - see what they did there?) in Chatham, a town in south-western Ontario. I've played in several games at Hotlead hosted by KEGS members over the years and gotten to know a few of them pretty well, even went down to the USAF's National Museum this summer with some of them.

I've been invited to KEGSCon a few times, but it's about five hours away and in the fall I often have conflicts with work or football on weekends, but this year it all worked out and not only did I make the trip, but (holy of holies) I even volunteered to run some Song of Drums and Shakos games during one of the sessions.

As I've posted, I had six scenarios ready to go, and I figured I'd run two games of two players each concurrently, bouncing back and forth to help them play, while also setting up the next scenario as they rotated around through the three boards (each with two potential scenarios).

Turns out that would probably have been a bad idea, I had two players sign up and getting them started took all my time; having another game beside theirs with the same level of help needed would have swamped me and probably ruined the experience for all involved.  I think now that a four-player game would have been a better approach, maybe on a 3'x3' board, and had maybe just 2-3 scenarios ready (which would have saved my sanity leading up to the Con).

I also had created a large (and large-print) QRS on an easel, and while it works for me, it doesn't really work for newbies.  A paper QRS (which I had on hand for them too) and a simpler big QRS would have been better, I think, the big QRS just having a few questions and answers for them.

Something like:
It's Your Turn!

Who Do You Want to Activate?

How Many Dice Do You Want to Roll (1, 2, 3)?

What Do You Want to Do? 
(with a list of potential actions and costs)

That would have covered the basics and their common questions/issues as they got in synch with the game.

Anyway, as I ponder what to do for the next time I run a game, here a couple of photos of my games in mid-action, and the wrap-up game for the convention - a 20+ player wild west shootout in 28mm!

Find The Maps in mid-game (an eventual French victory)

Stop Shooting Those Cannons At Me! in mid-game

Some of the final bloodbath in a Russian victory over the French

The Wild West free-for-all, my guy is on the porch of the red building in the bottom left