Here are some tactics I use when signing up for convention games.
Start with research. Even for a sign-up-on-the-day convention, there's usually a list of games published in advance, so I take a good look and start thinking about what I want to play. Then it comes down to making a list of priorities.
Here's how I choose games to put on the list. In no particular order...
That new thing I'm excited about
There's always a new game, and convention one-shots are a great time to try something new with no commitment beyong the 3-4 hours to play it.
The tried and tested game
Sure, I've played it plenty of times, but that's because I love it! I can be confident of a good time with this one.
The tried and tested GM
I've played with this GM enough times to know it'll be entertaining. Even if it's not my top choice of game.
A great title/blurb
I've no idea what it is, but after that introduction, I want to find out!
With list metaphorically in hand, it's time for the actual sign-up. Obviously the best tactic here is queue-jumping - by which I mean offering a game myself. This normally gets me one free go at game sign-up before everyone else gets let in.
But the most important tactic is to be flexible. I'm not always going to get into my top choice of game, and that's not a bad thing! Often it's lead to some really fantastic games that I'd have missed out on if I got my top choice..
All of this assumes that the convention is being well organised, with advanced sign-up, or a muster for sign-up. But I have been to a convention where the games were barely organised at all. So I had to come up with a new tactic that morning, which was to hang around near Simon Burley until a game happened. Which it did.
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