Party Conversations Rules for the Game Master and Players

THE GAME MASTER     The Game Master is responsible for everything during the game including keeping the party moving, mediating specific situations, and setting up the party location. Responsibilities     The very first job of the Game Master is to read every single character sheet from top to bottom. Be sure to set aside ample time for this task. The Game Master should probably take a few notes on the characters so that the characters are already real people in the Game Master's mind even before the party starts.     The second task for the Game Master is to "cast" the game. This is much like what a director does when casting for a movie or a play. Unfortunately, the Game Master doesn't have the benefit of auditioning people for specific parts. Most of the decisions will have to be made based on what the Game Master thinks will be a comfortable part for each person. One exciting aspect of casting a Party Conversations game is that although a player may be cast in a role opposite to his or her true personality, that player may excel during the game and enjoy him/herself tremendously because that person has a chance to say or do things he/she normally would not do. The bottom line is that casting is not very difficult, and there shouldn't be too much time spent on it.

    An appropriate setting for the party should be arranged. (See AMBIANCE) Each game lasts approximately 2 hours. The majority of the action occurs at the end of a game. It is up to the Game Master to decide whether to cut the action short or prolong the game. If almost everyone has accomplished his or her goal within the first hour, then there is no need to continue the game. However, there will always be a few people who will need more time to accomplish their goals. It is recommended that the Game Master tell everyone when they have thirty minutes left in the game and again when they have fifteen.

    Since the game is on a time limit, players should be invited to show up to the game half an hour before play actually starts. This is a good time for people to just socialize and eat food. A potluck style meal or appetizers work well because people can eat while reviewing their character sheets. Do not underestimate the role thematic foods can play in setting the mood for the game.
Before the game begins, the Game Master must supply each player with a character sheet and provide him or her ample time to read and digest the information. Players should be allowed at least 15 minutes to review their character sheets and reflect on their characters before the game starts. The Game Master may choose to give out the character sheets many days in advance of the party so that the players will know what to wear and expect. The more time players have to review character sheets, the fewer questions they will have for the Game Master during the game.

    Some players will still have a few questions about playing the game such as "How do I play?" or "What does this mean on my character's sheet?" For the first question please refer to THE PLAYERS section of the handbook. As for the second question, it is not unlikely that a character will interpret something written on the character sheet differently from what was intended. In most cases this is not a problem, and it adds a little flair to the game. However, if there is something critical that a player doesn't understand, such as why that character has to act cowardly, then it is the responsibility of the Game Master to impress upon the player that he or she is acting out a character, and the game will work best if the personality traits laid forth are followed as closely as possible.

    Personally, I recall playing a game where a reclusive vampire decided to go around biting everyone at the party. This caused endless confusion because the game, for the majority of players, was based on reality, and many of them didn't know what to make of this fantasy twist. The game ended in utter chaos and confusion. Although everyone had fun, the game took a twist more towards fantasy, and some of the characters stopped treating situations seriously. This is one example where not paying attention to a single word (reclusive) on one character's information sheet decided the success of the game.

    The character sheets have a substantial amount of information on them that is treated as fact. Much like real life, some of the provided information is erroneous either because the character's sources had erroneous information or because the character (not the player) misinterpreted the information. A player may complain at the end of the game that the information given was incorrect. Remind the player that real people often obtain erroneous information upon which they base major decisions. Upon closer examination of a player's character, one may see that this "error" actually added to the fun of the Party Conversations game.
Characters are not permitted talk to each other about the game before the game starts. When the Game Master says to begin, action takes place as if everyone had just walked into the room at the same time. The characters can take care of their own introductions. Nametags are very helpful, but do not introduce everyone at the beginning. Half of the fun of the game is for people to walk up to each other and meet all of the characters personally. You will find that the characters will remember each other better this way.

    During the game, the Game Master must be present at almost every important act. These important acts are outlined on every character's sheet. The Game Master must always be present at EVERY "act of violence." NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO PHYSICALLY HARM ANYONE IN A GAME. All of the acts of violence are make believe and require the presence of the Game Master. The Game Master must stress at the beginning of the game that all props, whether they are knives, guns, or poison, must be fake. For example, if Becky is trying to poison Bob, she tells the Game Master her actions, and the Game Master determines the outcome of the poison. In this case, no poison was used. Sometimes it is necessary for a character to carry a weapon. Characters can use clearly fake versions of weapons. A little index card with the weapon name written on it has worked very well in the past and does not detract from the game in any way.

    If something of importance is transpiring in a room, then those people not directly involved in the action should not be allowed to enter or leave the room. For that time, when the Game Master is present and something important is happening, time is effectively frozen. A person may request to leave the room, but it is up to everyone in the room to decide whether or not that person is allowed to come or go.

Example: Someone was about to be "stabbed" with a much sought after magical knife. Another character, Bob, walked into the room at this inopportune time. Bob was advised by the Game Master to leave the room because it was frozen. Unfortunately, Bob knew someone else who wanted the magical knife. Having just discovered who owned the knife, his next course of action would have been to spread the word about the location of the knife. As the Game Master, it was my choice to make the interloper remain in the room until the end of the action when it was decided what to do with him.

    When the action commences, characters often change their minds left and right, causing endless confusion. It is the Game Master's job to determine when action should commence and when players are no longer able to change their actions.
An example of such an occasion involved a group of cowboys in a shooting match. Each player had to choose a specific target for his or her shot. Some of the first people who took aim discovered later on that they were double-crossed and then wanted to change their shot choices. Once one character changed a shot choice, so did another one. This went on for a good five minutes without a single person pulling the trigger. Finally, as Game Master, I had to step in and have everyone write down on separate sheets of paper who was shooting at whom. Action was finally resolved. This is just one case where action might take place and not everyone is satisfied with what is happening at that time. The Game Master must think of quick solutions and stick to them no matter how much other people may complain.

    The Game Master's word is final, and any character that argues with the Game Master may suddenly "suffer a heart attack" and be removed from the game.

    Since it is impossible to tell what will happen with any given game, the Game Master must adapt to any situation and try to keep the game focused.

    When a character has decided to leave the game, or the character is dead, the player must remove his/her nametag. This person is not allowed to discuss the situation surrounding his or her departure from the game with anyone. Anyone who is no longer in the game should simply reply with, "My character is no longer here. That is all I can tell you."

Last Minute No-Shows
    Since each game is cast for a specific number of people, anyone that does not show can negatively influence the game. Each Party Conversations game has suggestions for which characters can be excluded from the game and in what order. The Game Master can play a missing character in between his or her duties. In order to avoid confusion during the game, the Game Master should not worry about accomplishing the goals of that character, but the Game Master should allow other people to accomplish their goals through the Game Master's character.

    If many people are undecided about coming to the game and "may or may not" show up, then it is recommended that the Game Master either avoid giving out the character sheets until the night of the party or reschedule the party.

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