GMing with TDE in a convention

[Vinsalt]

Well, I thought I should ask you guys, if you had any pointers regarding the use of this system in a convention situation. I decided to GM a two 4hour sessions using the TDE system. This isn't my first time in a roleplaying convention. It seemed smart to ask you, "TDE veterans" for any pointers in running games in TDE for beginners. What points should I emphasize (btw. I've prepared the adventure pretty thoroughly already)?
The adventure might have some combat in it, but I generally like to award innovation. Also, with good social skills, some common sense and a tactical mind a player can usually avoid the unnecessary blood-shed in my games.
Oh, and the convention is called ROPECON.

[gwaedin]

The setting. You know, adding in those small details that give players the idea of a gaming world that it's running on its own. Like going to talk to a noble and having to wait because he's talking with a delegation coming from another region to offer a trading agreement. Hearing of a distant battle between demon armies and pirates. Finding a book describing an artifact in a far away place and then going to the guild library and learning stuff about that place. Hearing about bit of history. These are things that are likely to thrill a beginner as she realizes that RPGing is not a chess game with complex game pieces and rules, but taking on a character in a fantastic world which is as real as your fantasy can make it.

[Vinsalt]

I'll probably not do the demon armies fact, but I will try to give as much info as I can about the setting. Part of what I so like about TDE is the fact that magic is so scarce. If monsters and demons are not part of every day life, and are more mythic in nature, a player will more like treat them with more caution and respect. People might tell horror stories about a snake-creature the size of 5 men, greatly exaggerated of course. While the reality might be a whole other thing. I scarce think that a 1 lvl character would find reliable information in anywhere short of an university or maybe an academy. Information is a good reward too, and shouldn't be handed down too carelessly. Of course anything that is general info about the world will be most easily acquired.

[Vinsalt]

First day of the three-day roleplaying convention is now over, and my game was a huge success. I even got more players to come than I had first intended. Everybody was happy and thus I was happy aswell. One guy had even heard of the system before, and he found the system and setting quite interesting. Perhaps TDE will gain more popularity inside the Finnish roleplaying community in the future. Who knows what will happen? Let us hope that more people take upon roleplaying as a serious hobby, and that some of them consider TDE as a system and setting for playing. This would also help encourage Ulisses Schpiele, or whatever to do lots of new translations!

[Kavu]

Did you use an official adventure or did you use one of your own making?

[Vinsalt]

My own, of course. It was a detective-type adventure. But I did emphasize the setting to kind of give a broad view of the TDE system itself. I think that ingenuity is very important when GMing in a convention, and thus I did not want to use a pre-made adventure.

[Kavu]

Would you care to share this adventure? TDE needs new adventures!
If you send it to one of the moderators (s)he will post it in the download-section.

[Vinsalt]

Sure, I'd be glad to. I don't have much free time these days, though, so it might take a while. Its completely open for refinement once the adventure is posted.

[Vinsalt]

Greetings to you all once again!

I realise that it has been awhile since my last posting on this forum. I have been toying around with the idea of running a TDE game this year at the same convention as two years ago. The convention in question is called Ropecon 2009 and it is held every august in the city of Espoo, Finland (which is very much in the vicinity of our capital city).

So, in case some of you roleplaying hobbyists are looking for a fun weekend riddled with all things RPG -related, here's the web address:
http://www.ropecon.fi/blog/index.php/Main/InEnglish

I haven't yet decided on the theme or plot of the game, nor am I absolutely certain if I'll even GM this year. I'll post my ideas on this post as they pop up -- that is, if it is not a problem . I'm looking forward to hearing constructive comments.

Thank you,
Vinsalt

[gwaedin]

Hi Vinsalt!

Unfortunately, I think that no matter how long it's been since you last posted, most probably you've been among the last ones to do so.

Feel free to post your ideas wherever you like... the few of us who occasionally lurk here may enjoy reading them and perhaps contribute or find them useful!

Cheers,
gwaedin

[Vinsalt]

I'm sorry to hear that...

On the other hand, there seems to be quite a bit of activity on the TDE yahoo! message board. The talk seems to be more rule-oriented than setting-related. I find that TDE as a system is already quite rule-heavy and a bit clumsy, to be frank. The principal reasons I like the game are precisely the setting and the depth of it. Also, for me there is the nostalgia from the Northland saga CRPGs.

Perhaps I should check out the Yahoo! board to see if there is something else to it than just rulemongering. I'll keep checking this forum out from time to time if there is some activity tho as I have time for it now during the summer.

Vinsalt

[gwaedin]

I'm active on the Yahoo! group too... I think that there is more talk about the rules because it is far easier to translate something rule-related than setting-related, simply because of its extent. As complicate as rules might be, they still are quite compact and once there, you can use them. To translate a description of areas, people, cities would require a much greater effort.

[Vinsalt]

I would prefer discussion about game mechanics and the setting rather than plain translation from German. It's just too much of a hastle to waste time compiling fan-based translations of DSA rules. Not to mention the ethical implications involved (concerning copyright issues and such). I just don't have enough enthusiasm to search for indepth rules for TDE anymore. The guys at Ulisses Spiele have made it abundantly clear that they have no intention to publish TDE for the english-speaking world in the forseeable future. As is to be expected, this kind of thing erodes fandom away over time. It just isn't worth pulling long campaigns on TDE, since the material is so scarce and often unreliable (the case being with all fan-based translations).

[gwaedin]

Copyright issues are, in my opinion, non-existent since there is no intention by the owner to publish anything in English. The only possible consequence of our efforts is that somebody will wait a couple more months before throwing his copy of the Basic Rules in the bin.
IF they would publish ANYTHING in English (they only have to translate it) I would immediately buy it.