POD CORPS OPERATIONS MANUAL Version 4.0, July 2005 Pod Corps Operation Manual Copyright (c)2005 Dream Pod 9, Inc. Send comments to 1) Organizing a Demo Demonstrations may start with you, or they may come to you. Talk to your local retailer and your local convention organizer (if any) and see if they would be interested in having you organize a demo. Most stores and conventions will jump at the chance and will be only too happy to help you. Someone may contact you through the Corps Web page and ask if you could run a demo, too. You are free to say no, of course (it's a volunteer organization), but we'd appreciate if you could put them in contact with us (rdubois@dp9.com) in that case, so that we can prepare alternate arrangements. Promotion, promotion, promotion: without it, you'll find yourself staring at an empty table all day, not because no one is interested, but because they don't know there’s an opportunity to play! Don't forget to advertise; even a flyer on the store's discussion board is better than nothing. Let us know the date and location of the session, and we'll announce it on the Web page (it works!) and post it on the Dream Pod 9 Forum “www.dp9forum.com” In the Conventions and Demos section. 2) Setting Up the Session Make sure you are prepared beforehand. Check if you have the materials you need, a scenario ready, and anything else you might require. A small checklist is usually very helpful for this. You'll need a table, chairs (optional for tactical games), some d6 dice, measuring tape, photo copies of datacards, pencils, you can also plastify the datacards and use china markers or water erasable markers --------------------------- Heavy Gear Demos: You'll need a copy of the Silhouette Core Heavy Gear Miniature Rules (DP9-919) some miniatures all painted up at least 1 Northern and 1 Southern Core Combat Group (5 Hunter and 5 Jager minis) and a mix of other minis to make either an Elite or Specialist Combat Group for the North and South (2 Jaguar, 2 Cheetah, 2 Grizzly, 2 Black Mamba, 2 Iguana and 2 Spitting Cobra minis). If you decide to also use CEF forces 4 Battle Frames and 2 Hovertanks should make an interesting battle against all the Northern and Southern forces teamed up. Other items needed include a gaming mat and some terrain (hills and trees), some d6 dice, measuring tape, photo copies of datacards and pencils (you can also plastify the datacards and use china markers or water erasable markers). Heavy Gear Tactical Demos should be around 2 hours long with between 2 to 8 players. For a Roleplaying Demo you’ll need the SilCore Rulebook (DP9-909) and the Heavy Gear Players Handbook (DP9-925), some d6 dice, prepared character sheets to give the players and an rpg scenario to run, games should be about 4 hours long. It is also nice to have some miniatures and run the combats using them. RPGs are a lot more work to put together, we suggest running Tactical Demos as they are fast and easy to run for lots of players. Jovian Chronicles Demos: You'll need a copy of the Jovian Chronicles Lightning Strike 2nd Edition rulebook and some painted miniatures, a black (space color) gaming mat and a few asteroids or space debris, some d6 dice, measuring tape, photo copies of datacards and pencils (you can also plastify the datacards and use china markers or water erasable markers). Demos should be around 2 to 4 hours long with between 2 to 8 players. For a Roleplaying Demo you’ll need the SilCore Rulebook (DP9-909) and the Jovian Chronicles Players Handbook (DP9-920), some d6 dice, prepared character sheets to give the players and an rpg scenario to run, games should be about 4 hours long. Tribe 8 Demos: These will probably be the hardest to run, since there’s no tactical default. Tribe 8 demos will usually be purely roleplaying, and you’ll need the SilCore Rulebook (DP9-909) and the Tribe 8 Players Handbook (DP9-930), some d6 dice, prepared character sheets to give the players and an rpg scenario to run, games should be about 4 hours long. Gear Krieg Demos: You'll need a copy of the wargaming Rulebook (DP9-501) for Gear Krieg Demos and some painted miniatures, a gaming mat and some terrain (hills and trees), some d6 dice, measuring tape, photo copies of datacards and pencils (you can also plastify the datacards and use china markers or water erasable markers). Demos should be around 2 hours long with between 2 to 8 players. For a Roleplaying Demo you’ll need the SilCore Rulebook (DP9-909) and the Gear Krieg Players Handbook (DP9-915), some d6 dice, prepared character sheets to give the players and an rpg scenario to run, games should be about 4 hours long. Core Command Demos: For a Roleplaying Demo you’ll need the SilCore Rulebook (DP9-909) and the Core Command Players Handbook (DP9-902), some d6 dice, prepared character sheets to give the players and an rpg scenario to run, games should be about 4 hours long. --------------------------- Make sure you make some copies of any vehicle or character sheets before the game. Laminating them in plastic, or using plastic protectors, will allow you to use erasable markers -- much easier to use than pencils and erasers! If you're willing to go all out on miniature terrain for the wargames, however, please do so -- it's much cooler visually! The demo will likely take a bit more effort, and you'll need to plan an hour or so before and after to prepare the table and clean up. The store/convention should be made aware of this. If they are available, a retroprojector or black board can come in handy. It is fairly easy to have the main tables and charts copied unto clear acetates or large sheets. If you have one, bring your laser pointer. It makes pointing out items much easier, and gives a nice hi-tech feel to the session. Just be careful where you point that thing! ^_^ 3) Teaching the Rules Demoing is a skill that is an hybrid of teaching and salesmanship; not everyone has it, but it can be acquired. The key is to introduce someone to a new game so they can decide whether or not they would like to get into it. A demo is not a regular game session, nor is it solely a sales pitch. Let the trainees know up front what kind of games these are. That way they won't be surprised when their vehicles blow up because they tried walking up to the enemy in plain sight, or something else that doesn’t mesh with the reality levels of the Silhouette system -- these tactics may work with other games, but not this one. Be careful, though, not to disparage those games to make the DP9 games look good (see (6) further). People have short attention spans; if explaining the rules takes too long, they'll lose interest. The best way to teach the rules is a "hands on" training, i.e., start the battle or scenario right away. Explain the dice roll mechanism and the setting, then -- for the wargames -- have both sides roll initiative. Then, guide the players through the basic steps as they come up: "you want to move there? No problem. Look here on your sheet, that's the number of Movement Points you have. Then..." It's all too easy to show the gamers too many things at once. The correct demo order, in our experience, is: 1) Explain dice mechanism (roll as many dice as Skill, pick the highest); 2) Explain gross sections of sheet (point out movement values, etc.); 3) Give /one/ machine or character to each player. Start first round. Give tasks to players ("Move now -- you have 4 Movement Points, so move 4 inches") and so on. Ignore rapid fire (ROF), evading maneuvers, secondary movement systems, etc. Make sure something blows up by the second or third round. Keep it short, handle most of the modifiers and rules yourself. Wrap it up within ten minutes (the gamers likely have other things to do, like shopping). It is better to leave out the more complex rules and/or setting details, such as ECM and forward observing, or the intricacies of Sheban law. At the end of the two or three rounds of demo, the wargaming players should know how to move and fire and compute damage. The roleplayers should have a basic grasp of the world and know how to make Skill Checks and compute damage. They should also have a rough idea of the general themes of the game setting. The objective of the demo is to teach the basics and get the gamers excited about the product, not have them learn the game! It's important to stress that it's just training and learning, else the competitive mind will take over and cause a lot of bruised egos as players use a just-learned rule to best their opponent. 4) Ambiance If it looks like the players like it, use sound effects. It works for us. Be descriptive: don't just say "okay, so that's 50 points of damage, your vehicle has been Overkilled." Go full blast! "Wow, what a roll! As you attempt to emerge from cover to fire at the enemy Gear, he lets loose with a barrage of 30mm shells. Ouch! 50 points of damage, that's Overkill! The Gear's armor buckles under the impact, and a shell finds its way to the fuel tank! BANG!!!" See the difference? Get into the game, and the players will follow you! 5) Problem Areas and Obscure Rules This Operation Manual contains a copy of the various game FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions). Chances are, if you don't know the answer to a rule or setting question, it's in there. Very useful... Okay, so it's not /always/ in there. Make a quick judgment call, and then let the game move on. There will always be time to check with us later. The players won’t really know the difference, and even if they harass you, keep things moving. Your goal is not to make them experts on the game, just to whet their appetite and interest them in learning more. Keep cool. It's just a game, not a doctorate presentation. People just want to have fun. So they're making tactical mistakes, or forgetting rules. So what? As long as they have a good time. The first impression is often the more lasting one -- if they have a great time at the demo, they'll likely fall in love with the game. There will always be time to learn the rules correctly later on. Problem players, such as the guy who already knows the rules and is trying to catch you in a mistake, will come in from time to time. Don't worry too much about them -- if they are too obnoxious, the other players will kick them out for you, especially if you keep calm and reasonable. Label your books and miniatures and keep an eye on them. Most people are honest, but sadly there are rotten apples in every basket. 6) Anything I Shouldn't Do? Don't bad mouth people/designers/companies; you may think Game X is really bad, but if Player A really likes it (or worse, actually /works/ for that company!), the only thing you will accomplish by saying it is make him angry. And since you're demoing Dream Pod 9 games, some of that anger will be transferred to the game and/or company. Play it safe: say "no comment," just like politicians do -- it works. Don't get angry yourself. Sometimes it's good to vent, but a demo is not the place for it. After all, it's just a game. 7) What Do We Get for This? In exchange for your time and effort, we are offering you DP9 credits. They’re not money, but they’re probably the next best thing! You can use your credits to buy any book or miniature in the current DP9 online store (credits can also be used to pay for shipping, if applicable). We're also currently looking into Pod Corps-exclusive t-shirts and that could only be obtained through demo games! (Keep an eye on the Pod Corps Web page...) Here's how the credit system works. We have attached a report sheet at the end of this manual. Fill out the various fields, adding comments as needed. Simply have the store owner or convention manager sign it at the end of the demo session, and send it to us (you can send multiple sheets at once to save on postage, too!). A base credit of $5 is automatically given just for showing up (in case it's a slow day at the store and no one bothers to play). You get additional credits based on the following formula, up to a maximum of $20 per demo session including the $5 base credit: 0.5 x Hour(s) x # of Players A three hour demo session, with ten players, would then bring back $20 in DP9 credits -- enough for a new sourcebook! There are a few restrictions to put on this, however. 1) Only games in public places, like a game store or a convention, count -- the goal of the demo is for people to see the game being played and get them interested. 2) Because the same crowd tends to hang around a given place, repeated demos at the same location have diminishing returns. After a while, it's always the same people that come and play! Credits can only be claimed once every three months per game for a given store (you can put on more than one demo, you just can't get credits for them). If you have any questions, send them to us at: Pod Corps Command c/o Dream Pod 9 5000 Iberville St., Suite 332 Montreal, Qc, Canada H2H 2S6 Ph: 514-523-1350 Fax: 514-523-8680 Email: rdubois@dp9.com (address to [POD CORPS]) http://www.dp9.com/Support/podcorp.htm ----------------------------------cut here-------------------------------- POD CORPS DEMO REPORT SHEET Pod Corps Name: _________________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ Phone Number: _________________________________________ Demo Location Date: _________________________________________________ Name: _________________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ Phone Number: _________________________________________ Demo How many hours did the demo run (in all)? _________ How many players participated (in all)? _________ Product(s) Demonstrated: _________________________ Signature of Owner/Staffer: _________________________ Any specific remark or comment regarding the demo session? (optional) (If you need more space to comment, please use a separate sheet and attach it to this one). _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ --- Demo Report sheet Copyright (c)1999 Dream Pod 9, Inc.