What can I expect from the gamers at the OH?

[dpenwood]

This will be my first Palladium OH, and I'll be running a few one-shots. That being said, I have a question: Can I assume that most of the players at the OH will have some experience playing Palladium games? Or should I not make that assumption?

I ask because I ran one of these one shots at a different convention and one of the criticisms I got was that the Rifts character sheet was too complicated. It was a standard character sheet, I think I just photocopied it from one of the books or got it from DriveThruRPG or something. But if you're used to playing D&D, it can look a bit scary I suppose.

I'm also wondering if I will need to devote a few minutes to giving players a crash-course on how to play, etc... I'm totally fine with doing that, I'm just wondering if that's the expectation.

[MADMANMIKE]

There will probably be some people unfamiliar with Palladium and games in general, but for the most part you're looking at experienced gamers. That said, as the designer of the official character sheets for RIFTS and Palladium Fantasy 2E, I've found it's better to simplify the format of pregens for the oneshot con games; follow the link in my sig for the characters I'm using in the HU game I'll be running as an example.

-Mike

[rat_bastard]

Generally you are going to want a supply of copper jacketed silver hollow points, holy water, napalm, thermite and a consecrated blade of some sort. And multiple flashlights, most people forget the utility of being able to see, you want a light for every firearm, one for your head and one that can double as a club. Its important to armor your ankles, neck and torso but a good pair of gloves is also vital. Newbies never remember this but eye protection is vital, a good pair of work glasses can keep pus and ichor out of your eyes. A good pair of boots is fairly vital and I strongly recommend steel or composite toes. My preferred load-out is a semi automatic rifle, a automatic pistol and a revolver in case all else fails. For a knife you can either spend 300+ dollars on something made by a small producer of knives for something that will last your lifetime or 30+ dollars on a cold steel knife that will probably last as long as you need it. Try and keep your buddy in sight and do not split up, you will find any personal communication besides speech will become unreliable as you approach the anomaly so do not split up.

[Scott Gibbons]

I agree w/ MadManMike - most/almost all of the people there are going to be fans & players of PB games, but simplified character sheets are still nice. That being said, for the three games I'm running one will have simplified character sheet pregens, one will have full character pregens on a custom sheet, and the third will use pregens from the Rifts GM Kit by Carl Gleba (very handy, I might add) that are in the traditional layout (or character that the players bring themselves, which would be much cooler!).

[Zamion138]

expect BO...expect bad diatary choices...expect what you would from any other large mass of nerd in one place.....the single hot gamer girl will not need to bring money, food, dice, cab fare, ahhhh and will be able to run the place with an iron fist... hehehe

[Reelman]

Most everyone at the open house will bring some experience from one of Palladium's various games but the larger problem is a number of the players in my past OH games have not played in years and are rusty to the system in general and the gaming dynamic. I usually do a little warmup, which includes asking everyone their level of experience with the game world I am running, if they have a current regular game, a quick review of my custom character sheet, and a quick run down of my take on some rules and house rules that I run. It only takes a couple of minutes and gets everyone on the same page.

[MADMANMIKE]

expect BO...expect bad diatary choices...expect what you would from any other large mass of nerd in one place.....the single hot gamer girl will not need to bring money, food, dice, cab fare, ahhhh and will be able to run the place with an iron fist... hehehe

Actually, Palladium fans in general are not as bad as the average gamer; I've been to every Open House (and at Palladium in the down years) and have never had to deal with "gamer funk".

[The Galactus Kid]

Generally you are going to want a supply of copper jacketed silver hollow points, holy water, napalm, thermite and a consecrated blade of some sort. And multiple flashlights, most people forget the utility of being able to see, you want a light for every firearm, one for your head and one that can double as a club. Its important to armor your ankles, neck and torso but a good pair of gloves is also vital. Newbies never remember this but eye protection is vital, a good pair of work glasses can keep pus and ichor out of your eyes. A good pair of boots is fairly vital and I strongly recommend steel or composite toes. My preferred load-out is a semi automatic rifle, a automatic pistol and a revolver in case all else fails. For a knife you can either spend 300+ dollars on something made by a small producer of knives for something that will last your lifetime or 30+ dollars on a cold steel knife that will probably last as long as you need it. Try and keep your buddy in sight and do not split up, you will find any personal communication besides speech will become unreliable as you approach the anomaly so do not split up.

Probably the most comprehensive and pertinent response I've ever seen regarding the Open House.

[The Galactus Kid]

expect BO...expect bad diatary choices...expect what you would from any other large mass of nerd in one place.....the single hot gamer girl will not need to bring money, food, dice, cab fare, ahhhh and will be able to run the place with an iron fist... hehehe

Actually, Palladium fans in general are not as bad as the average gamer; I've been to every Open House (and at Palladium in the down years) and have never had to deal with "gamer funk".

Only once. Most of the time though, its a non-issue.

[bradshaw]

I've been told I emit a Manly yet incredibly pleasant and inviting aroma.

[The Galactus Kid]

That's musk. And it's gross.

[bradshaw]

That's musk. And it's gross.

Femme

[Primus]

Thank you all for making my evening better. I am in tears of laughter...

That being said, I am coming armed...

...with Johnny Walker Black Label...

[Jorel]

I'll have a case of Bell's Two Hearted Ale at the least and maybe some other extras for others.