Monthly Archives: January 2015

Lots of people are excited about the new Field Marshal program.  We have a number of you out there demoing the game already.  I thought it would help to put together a little list of tips to help things go smoother.

Remember, Game Conventions aren’t the only place to demo.  We’ve had very good results with school history clubs and the public library.

• Smile! Try to look approachable and friendly. I know, that’s harder for some of you. =)
• Think about how you can get the most traffic. When and where do you set up?
• This game is highly visible! It jumps out at you from across the convention hall. Make sure the view is not blocked: set the board up where people can see it from a distance.
• The poster works well if you can find a place to put it up by the door or in the vicinity of the game.
• Make sure you play test this a few times and read the rules. You need to be smooth on this with others to make it look easy. If you are confused on them, feel free to email me. I’ll be glad to help clear things up. Just make sure you don’t wait until 2 hours before you are supposed to play to email me! Ask me if the rules seem a little strange too. Often times this is an indication that you are misunderstanding them and playing it wrong.
• Don’t beat up on the new kids! People like games better if they win or do well the first time. Let them win!
• Your main focus should be teaching. You aren’t there to sell. You aren’t there to beat everybody. Be a friendly teacher.
• Try to make sure everybody has fun. That’s what games are about right?
• Invite people to join in and try a turn. Oftentimes people like to watch but are reluctant to dive in. Ask them if they can help you play test part of a turn. It’s ok if they jump in and then out for awhile. They could take over your country for awhile.
• Get cash into their hands! People love to hold trillion dollar bills. Then they want to spend it!
• I wouldn’t show them the rule book unless they ask. Instead, show them the Quick Start Rules. Don’t read it to them or explain everything in there. It’s just there for reference.
• You don’t want to play everything for them. Try to let them make decisions too. You also don’t want to just throw them to the wolves with no guidance. There is a balance here. Example: “It’s your turn to trade. It looks like you are going to need oil. How much would you like to buy? It costs $500 BL each. Ok, you want 3. Let me show you how to do that.”
• Often new players want to just sit there, pass and watch. Remind them that it’s ok to make mistakes, it’s just a practice game and that you’ll help them avoid big mistakes. It’s best to learn by just jumping in and getting your hands dirty.
• It is best to get them involved in a battle somewhere right away. The combat is very exciting and tense. Remember you are a strategy advisor also. They will need lots of help with strategies during combat. Try to give them several good options to choose from. Ask them what their goal is? What are they trying to take? If they want to do a disastrous move, try to gently suggest a better way of going about it and why.
• Do you have any cards? Where can I get this game? You know what works best for this? $1 TL bills. Write Command Post Games on the back of one and hand it to them. Our site is easy to find. Need more money? Let me know. I’ll send you some. No big deal.
• Of course you do the basic things like grooming, appearance, personal hygiene, etc. but think about your breath! If you ingest anything sweet, your breath instantly becomes bad. I like to keep a good breath freshening gum handy.
• Finally, I hope this list doesn’t make demoing seem too hard. Relax. Have fun. Don’t worry if you forget something or mess up a little. We are all human. You can do it!!   =)