Running games at conventions, online or at your friendly local game shop is great, you should do it all the time! But… you need players! Where do you find them? How do you find them? We asked other GMs for their best advice.
Writing the Pitch
In a lot of cases when potential players are deciding which games to play, they only have the brief description commonly known as the “pitch” to base their decision on. So, how do you write a pitch that will bring all the players to your yard?
I recommend a short pitch, to make sure it’ll be read. A single paragraph, 4 or 5 sentences is all you need. But that still doesn’t ensure everyone will read the whole thing, and more importantly, get excited about your game. The first sentence needs to grab the reader, so they can’t wait to read on. Instead of “This game takes place on a starship in the Nebulus galaxy”, use “You cling to the hull of the burning spaceship as it plummets towards the planet surface, what do you do?”
Jason Campbell
There’s some great advice in this article from Mike Shea in the section titled “The Campaign’s Pitch””
Come up with a good title. Tell the players who they are in the story. Tell the players something they can count on – for example, the first key opening move you plan to throw. Be succinct. two, maybe three sentences should carry the day. don’t make them too complex. Inform players of any prerequisites you are laying down. Convey openness and enthusiasm, and encourage that from prospective players.
Old Gus
Prepping the Game
How you prepare for and present the game can be just as important as the pitch brief.
The biggest thing you can do is to be decisive as a GM – especially in regards to the schedule. Many games fail to get off the ground when you turn something to be planned around into a negotiation. If you decide a game should be run at a certain time, people will make sure to clear that time from their schedule, or you’ll not have to worry about them at all, because they know they can’t join at that time.
Synth
Always shoot your shot. Over preparing and over thinking how or when to do a pitch can often be the biggest thing that holds you back. Shoot your shot, pitch your idea!
“Role Play Chat” Mat
I don’t know if it is a pitch or just an attitude, but I walk in the door excited about the game. I know the key points of the game that I can tell without spoiling the fun. I do my best to make everyone in the moment have their moment. If ya know what I mean.
A.D. a.k.a. AphaDean
More Ways to Draw Players to Your Game
Something I’ve done before is make a “pitch deck” of powerpoint-style slides. Pairing inspirational art from the rulebook or other sources along with a basic concept of the game, some snippets of notable rules it uses, and info about what to expect from a session.
B.Kramer
Since the creation of the Cypher Unlimited discord we have seen well over a thousand different posts trying to attract new players. I feel that has given me an interesting perspective on this topic. We have seen some very creative posts that have players salivating to get a chance to roll some math rocks with the GM. I have also seen the opposite side of the coin, where no matter how interesting the game exactly is, the post itself had potential players running for the hills. The pitch is everything when you want to attract people to your game hands down. The most common mistake I feel GMs make when they post on the CU [Cypher Unlimited Discord server], Cons, Roll20, or any other platform is over explaining the game. Sometimes less is more. You want to be attention getting with your blurb, but not breaking down the entire game for the players before they actually get a chance to play in it. A few sentences breaking down your setting, the overall theme and tone you are going for in the world, and character options – like if you are providing pre-gens should be enough to peak some interest. Leave something to the player’s imagination. I find that a simpler pitch makes potential players think about how their character can impact the game, and as a player you feel like you will have input in the world. No one wants to feel like the story is already told before you even get a chance to play in it. Longer setting/game pitches gives that perception in my opinion. My final point would be to try to make your game title, and first sentence of your pitch as eye-catching as possible. If the title or the beginning of your pitch is boring most people won’t stick around to read the rest of it. Hope this will help some GMs get some new players. Happy gaming all.
Spiggs18
First and foremost Know your target audience: if you run a horror game but don’t write a pitch amping up the gritty nature you may attract the wrong audience or idea about what is going to be happening in your session. 2nd – Know your material: In the same vein there are many types of Horror, cerebral, body horror, creepy, suspenseful, zombie survival and the unknown. The pitch needs to address the style you are running and really make it understood what style you are running in your session 3rd – as much as it is boring, [use] basic writing skills and understanding that most people today can’t be bothered to read your five paragraph intro. A good pitch need not be more than a paragraph, maybe two. Your opening pitch should be a well crafted hook that piques players interest and leaves them wanting more.
Maelfectious
Conclusion
There’s great advice here, and no matter where you’re running your game you can make use of something our GMs said.
What do you think? What advice do you have for pitching a TTPG session? Let us know in the comments!
