August Brings October: Running Gauntlet Games

Since it’s now August, the Gauntlet Calendar has opened up for October. We still have room in September, so check the calendar for good spots. You can post as little as a week out now, but remember that shorter windows may require some hustle to fill.

IMPORTANT: Gauntlet Con will be happening October 15th-18th. You can still run regular sessions that weekend, but you may want to consider your schedule. We’ll be getting event submissions for GC up soon and we’d love for folks to offer sessions there.

Reminders for posting events.

  • Please post your events to the Gauntlet Forums in the Gauntlet Hangouts category. There’s a template which appears when you make an entry there-- use that to help you format your posting.
  • GMs it is legit to mark the first 48 or 72 hours of access as restricted to a particular group who might otherwise not get access: new Gauntleteers, people you haven’t run for yet, members of a marginalized community. If you do so, make sure you put that at the top of your event description on the calendar and when you post it on the Forums.
  • If you’re wondering what to run, look around at what folks are asking about here. On the flip side, if you’re a player looking for a particular game or even particular time, spark a convo here. GMs if you have someone make a request, feel free to save them a seat. Just post the session with one fewer players.

Rye Baerg has put together this info plus a draft template for posting events in a document. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xr_ML97DAOWp1Q3jr1Cjn-prwWmMe6_3ovocehIw-kY/edit?usp=sharing

INCLUDE IN ALL EVENT POSTINGS

  • Title, description, game system, set up information, # of players, time, RSVP open access time.
  • If there are any special requirements for sign up or play, put that ahead of your event description. For example if the game’s restricted to Gauntlet members who joined this year for the first 72 hours.
  • Say what meeting software you plan to use (Zoom, jitsi). If you plan to record your session say so; note you should still ask the group if it’s OK to post the video at the end of a session.
  • Link to the Gauntlet Community Code of Conduct. All games should follow this. Mention which safety tools you plan to use. A single tool (like the X-Card) is acceptable, but a layered approach (CATS, tone discussion, Lines & Veils, X-Card) is better.
  • Currently games can be posted up to two months out and as little as one week out. Patreon members have RSVP Priority for the first 72 hours. Mention in your event description when general sign-up opens.
  • If your game has triggering material, include a content warning. Some of that may be clear from the game or description, but better safe than sorry.

BEST PRACTICES

  • Mention when you’ll be sending out your group email or contact to the players. We recommend sending this about a week out, to remind folks of the session.
  • It’s good, but not required to put the game system in your title. If you’re running a series, saying session X of Y helps potential players.
  • Aim for short descriptions —get the essentials across. All Gauntlet games are Open table, but you may say something like “Attendance at all sessions is strongly encouraged” to indicate a game where a changing cast is more difficult. Use that sparingly.
  • Games series should avoid starting in mid-month and hanging into the next. For example starting the second week of June and ending mid-July. If you have to, due to schedules or something else, make it clear in the first paragraph of the event description.
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