Convention Demo Help

[Dwug]

I'm going to be running a bunch of demos at an upcoming convention and what I've committed to is running 2 game boards with 3 players on each.

What I'm thinking of doing is a modification of Game 1 from the Quick Start Rules using Map 11 from the 3 player map section. Does this sound feasible to anyone or am I going to go bonkers trying to do it?

The biggest thing is coming up with balanced lists of puppets for each player. I have all of the expansions so I'll just use pawns but does anyone have any suggestions on that? I have some ideas but I'd like to hear from the crowd.

[Tauwolf]

I have all of the expansions so I'll just use pawns but does anyone have any suggestions on that? I have some ideas but I'd like to hear from the crowd.

No masters?

[karn987]

Ahh. At Gencon we ran up to 4 boards at once, but only 2 player games and used the starter box Puppets only.

What kind of Demo's are these? Are they supposed to be short and sweat, or are they 1 hour long near full game Demos?

You don't really need to worry about game 1 etc if you have the time, in a full hour Demo you can teach people the full game in no time. Just walk them through an Animation Round or two, explaining things, concepts, alternate choices (like discarding the Animation Card to Move or perform a free action with a Puppet) then set them lose. Have them tap you when they reach Rnd 5 and explain how the end of turn works and there you go! I did this for every Demo at Gencon and it ran stupendously. I know several people picked up the game because they got to sit down and basically... play it out to it's fullest and not get some watered down version of it. The game is simple enough and yet deep enough that you can let people play with the full rules and they will grasp it just fine.

[Dwug]

Thanks for the advice Karn. The blocks are 2 hours long so I have time to do that.

[karn987]

Let me go into more detail then now that I know your time blocks.

Honestly I would stick with 2 player demos if you can for a convention, while the game is fantastic at 3+ players ( I actually like it most at 4), its better to demo at 2. This way the turns can flow quicker and you can more easily keep an eye on things and bounce further explinations of each players actions etc.

For the model break down, use the lists suggested in the Pattern Book, I think it was Game 4 or 5 that had the full list for each master. I know it's tempting to go further then this and include the expansion models but these lists were built specifically for the idea of demoing and teaching people the game (it's like we thought of this ). They do a fantastic job of showing off the game's core mechanics while getting into a lot of cool unique examples and providing a good tour of the things Puppets can do and solid upgrades etc.

If you want to, or have to still go with 3 player Demo's... give me a day or so and I'll come to you with a list for a 3rd player to use that should be another solid Demo list. Though most likely it will use Marcus as he is not quite so niche/single minded as Vicky (and is available as general release) and not the annoying archtype of a Master that Pandora is. He fits snuggly in between Seamus and Lady J. But the list won't be that hard to figure out heh. You just want to try and only chose unique models (ie don't double up on any used so far) and show off a mix of master suite focused Puppets and cross suite puppets that fit in well.

Otherwise if your interested, I think I sitll have a sorta... Demo Script I wrote post gencon at requet from Nix. If I can find it in my email, I'll send it along to you. Just PM me your email address and I'll get it to you if I can find it. But it's some advice for walking through demo's and the order in which you cover things etc. A lot of subjects very nicely lead into each other and you get this neat rythm going very quickly.

[Omenbringer]

Aside from what Karn mentioned about the way Wyrd conducted the GenCon demos (great times). I woud limit the forces to only 5 Puppets (Master, Sidekick, 3 Pawns). It is a lot less overwhelming doing it this way (I wish that the Pattern Book would have started at this level vice the current Toybox size). Would also recommend stacking the deck somewhat to show the key cards as rapidly as possible.

Also with the 2 boards you can have up to 4 people running thru demos.

[Tauwolf]

Otherwise if your interested, I think I still have a sorta... Demo Script I wrote post gencon at requet from Nix. If I can find it in my email, I'll send it along to you. Just PM me your email address and I'll get it to you if I can find it. But it's some advice for walking through demo's and the order in which you cover things etc. A lot of subjects very nicely lead into each other and you get this neat rythm going very quickly.

Any chance I could get that from you as well? Sounds very useful.

[Hugor]

I was thinking the same thing...have been writing down what I do in the hopes of making a single cheat sheet to help myself and first time players, but if you have something already, it would be awesome to have for a reference.

[Dwug]

Thanks for the advice all. The 3 player decision was made when I found out there were 6 slots per session and one session was already filled and I only had 2 game boards to do it with. (I'm borrowing one)

Karn, If you could find that it would be appreciated.

[karn987]

I didn't get around to looking for it last night, but I'll try to remember to tonight. I'll see about sprucing it up a tad and if I can, I'll upload it here for general access.

[karn987]

Sorry! Got way to busy over the last few days. But here is the first draft of the Demo Script I used. It needs to be tidied up and shortened here and there. It's rather exhaustive but had most players knowing what to do on the 3rd or so Animation Round and letting them run free after that.

If anyone wants to try and condense it etc, post up a modified version and I'll be happy to way in on it where I can. Any way, happy gaming!

The high level view is:

1. Explain the board. Including Impassible Terrain Tokens, all kinds of WB, and the map making aspect of the game.
   
2. Explain how turns work and that a turn is 5 Animation Rounds.
   
3. Explain how to Win and Lose Puppet Wars, making sure to emphasize the WB's. (I like my favorite explanation of this: "The way to win Puppet Wars... is not to lose. Winning couldn't be simpler, but losing is a bit trickier" then explain the loss conditions). Briefly mention that the Pattern book contains alternate win/loss conditions.
   
4. Place Starting Masters and have them draw their hands, explain hand size (ie Hand size = 4 + # WB Controlled)
   
5. Jump into an Animation Round.
   
6. Be very careful to explain each step as you go through, especially when it comes to Animation Requirement of a Puppet. This is also a very good time to explain special cards (Ace's and Jokers). Show an example of how this works.
   
7. Once players understand and have chosen what to do, flip over their cards and explain who goes first and why.
   
8. Now walk through what a Puppet can do during an Animation (2 moves, 1 action, any # of different Free Actions) and point them to the Standard Action sections on the Quick Ref and in the rules (page 20). Explain each action if needed and gloss over the Action Value for now.
   
9. Have the first player place their Puppet, explaining how it works and the options for placing them on the board. Explain the movement loss from placing adjacent to the Master occupied WB. Make sure to point out this is another reason WB are so valuable.
   
10. Have that player perform their Animation and take an action (which will most likely be Run but could be Leap, if it is Leap then explain how actions work in full detail. Otherwise just explain the significance of a (0) action cost.)
    
11. Now explain Exhaustion and have them place the marker on their Puppet. Explain at this point that this is normally done when they start the Puppets Animation but for ease you had them do it after.
    
12. Walk through the next players Animation, guiding them along again looking for a chance to explain actions in more detail.
    
13. Once all players have Animated, explain that is an Animation round and that you do this 5 times in a turn. Also explain you don't draw till after the 5th Animation Round and that is also when you remove Exhaustion. Make sure to also touch on when you shuffle your deck.
    
14. This is a good point to explain that Animating a Puppet on the Board is exactly the same as Animating a Puppet from the Toy Box.
    
15. Tick the counter over and go into the next round. Make sure players understand they have all the abilities and actions on their Puppets to use as non mini's gamers often got confused by this. Walk them through a few if needed, this works out perfectly if Misaki was to be one of the first Puppets to Animate.
    
16. Explain the Mine! action now and point out the Nuetral WB's near by and how important they can be. But don't force the players after them. One of them will go for it soon enough.
    
17. Keep going like this till you get to Combat. Once you reach a good chance for Combat, explain how it works and how it is exactly like every other action in the game except you flip more then 1 card at the start based on the Puppets Combat. Make sure to explain Dodging and try to encourage them to Dodge. Explain Rips and Tearing apart a Puppet now, but don't get into Upgrades yet.
    
18. Keep an eye out for a chance to Explain the Blocking Rule and do so as simply as you can.
    
19. Around the 4th or 5th Animation round once their hands are getting depleted, stop them before they flip their Animation Cards and explain the 3rd option, taking the card into their hand. Be sure to explicitly state they don't get to Animate a Puppet if they do this.
    
20. After the 5th Animation round, walk them through the end of turn steps.
    
21. Before beginning the next turn explain the other 2 options you have when its your turn to Animate a Puppet, ie discard the card to move 1 Puppet once or to do 1 free action. Make sure to highlight this does not Animate them so no Exhaustion or Rip from it.
    
22. Let them play till a Puppet dies or they have a question.
    
23. Explain Upgrades now. Cover it all now, especially how opponents can steal them. Explain Upgrade Limit and try to highlight some of the humorous combinations.
    
24. Set them lose and watch. Answer questions as they go and explain anything you may have missed as it comes up. Let them play the game to completion if possible, generally doesn't take more then half an hour from this point on.
    
25. Once they are done, explain list building. Be absolutely sure to state that their are NO factions and that your list can combine any Puppets. Explain Sidekicks and Pawns now if you haven't before. Also talk about the various list sizes.
    
26. Highlight Multiplayer and that this was a game built around the theme of multiple players but works just as well with 2 players.
    

As for Tips:

• Don't preset the deck. It is best to let things flow as they come, gives you a good chance to show off all the mechanics and explain such things as discarding the Animation card to move a puppet or do a free action etc.
  
• Encourage Combat early and be sure to highlight the brutality of the game.
  
• State very clearly this is not the type of game where 1 model can dominate the field entirely and that Puppets will be killed.
  
• Make sure to dole out all the options player have slowly over the first few Animation Rounds. Hitting them with all their options at once is a very big mistake and leads to glossed over looks much of the time. This is very important for 2 parts, Taking your Animation Card into your Hand, and discarding it to Move a Puppet or do a Free Action.
  
• Make sure to explain how well the game works at Multiplayer as this is a major selling point for the game and was a big part of the design concept.
  
• When asked to describe the games complexity, the phrase "Simple core rules but the complexity lies in the Puppets and the huge variety of them" nearly always does the trick. If they go through the Demo, they will see just how simple an Animation Round really is and how every Action is built on the same core mechanics.
  
• Talk about the humor of the game and the atmosphere it brings. This was often done by explaining that the Mine! Action had to be stated in a high pitched voice, making sure to say you are kiding but its for the fun of it. Ie don't force them to do it.
  
• Highlight the trading of puppets between players for how to get everything they may want.
  
• Point out the Website. It's extremely well done and that alone has sold a number of players. Mention the board designer and toybox creator.
  

[Hugor]

Thanks Karn, I like the way you have this set up. I did a few things differently and did get the glazed over look a couple of times, so will have to try this next time. Seems like it is a slower release of the rules and an almost immediate jump into the game, which should hook far more interest than a huge info dump up front.

[Dwug]

Thanks Karn. This will help immensely.

[karn987]

My pleasure! If you have any feedback, please let me know! Would be handy to come up with an official demo script, so if someone wants to edit it for Grammar etc to, have at it!

[ThePandaDirector]

Don't know if the people you're demoing are new to miniature gaming or not.

To add to Karn's list, I would actually start off with the core fundamentals first - describing not just the board, but what a stat is, establish the deck first. I also like to link to things the player will know as much as possible, mentioning card games (Poker, etc) when talking about card management. Apart from making the game flow naturally while avoiding too much at once, the best way to avoid the glazed over expression is to speak a language the person understands, use a recognisable frame of reference and not force the players hand (no one likes a bossy teacher).

When I was selling Puppet Wars to people I would literally say it was like Chess married Poker and had Tim Burtone-esque Pokemon babies. By telling players they need to treat the deck like they would treat money in Monopoly (spend and save), forward plan their moves like chess and select their toybox to give them plenty of options (like a Pokemon deck), you are introducing new mechanics while building on recognisable conceptual foundations. Of course I can use other references, like sport (offence and defence), making sure that I'm not saying bonjour without first establishing common courtesy and greetings (in English).

Finally Karn's point about having fun (saying Mine! in a high-pitched voice) is also very important, but again, rationalise what language your player speaks and try your best to tailor to it. Some people may giggle when you cry out Mine! others may think you a weirdo embarassing yourself. Do you push the cool headed strategy of the game, beer and pretzel simplicity or focus on the cute little dolls, it all depends who you're demoing. Just because some people won't appreciate one aspect doens't mean you can't win them over with another - the same game is different to everyone.

I'll shut up now before I make Karn's list look like a quick shopping list.

[Justin]

If you watch the how to play videos, that's pretty much how I describe the game before handing people a few models and then letting them have at it.

[Bohemian]

Lalo and Karn are the masters. Lalo taught me by playing against me until another player came along, then he went to help another demo board while still answering questions at our demo board. I think two player is the way to go and puppets of a different suit helps as well.

[Omenbringer]

Lalo and Karn are the masters. Lalo taught me by playing against me until another player came along, then he went to help another demo board while still answering questions at our demo board. I think two player is the way to go and puppets of a different suit helps as well.

Correction, Karn and Lalo are co developers. And yes demoing with them during GenCon was an absolute blast (even if I did play the multiple Aces wrong the whole time!).