On Handling Multiple Games And Gametypes

Original Lecture: On handling multiple games and gametypes

Double-lecture: Handling Multiple Games; Suggestions For Exploratory Newbies

I received a request from a newbie about whether I thought they could handle multiple games or not. The answer is something that basically every successful veteran has intuitively found out, so this lecture is primarily for newbies, but it might contain good insight for them anyway.

In general, for amount of games, I recommend having a HUGE amount of buffer room. Sure, you can handle X amount of games NOW, but will you have that much free time two or three months from now? If so, great. If not, plan for the reduced amount rather than the current amount. An additional factor into this is always expecting something going wrong. You might have in your future schedule nothing that will reduce your amount of free time...but life happens; if something DOES reduce your free time, you need to have a buffer of free time available, to keep up with your games.

Additionally, games vary in their time commitment. Some games only take a few minutes a day--others, at least an hour. The thing is...those amounts can change. A game that previously took only ten minutes a day can later take an hour or two a day, and if you didn't plan for that, then you're screwed.

So not only do you have to account for external variations in games, but internal variations in your life, for scheduling how many games you can handle. Going into operations management terminology a bit here, but basically, think of free time as essentially being an "inventory". Inventories have a base cycle stock--free time, in this case. They have a buffer stock for external variations in customer orders, in this case, variations in time commitments that you need to make for a game. Then in addition to the cycle and buffer stocks, you've got the safety stock, to account for the internal variations in the company's production. Or in the case of you, how much free time you'll have on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

As a result of these factors...how many games a person can handle varies. (There's no universal guideline because everyone's situation is different.) Some can't even handle a single game, and require replacement. Some can handle only one game. Some can handle two or three. Some can even handle ten. It really varies from person to person. But the most important factor is to make sure you ALWAYS have enough time free so that if things get busier be it in-game or in your life or even both, that you don't end up neglecting any of your games because of it.

So, I fully encourage experimentation about your limits. The best teacher is experience, and if you keep an eye on it? You are the player who best knows what you can or can't do. (Though again, that requires you to be analyzing it consistently.) If you think you can handle two, good for you. Three, all the more power to you. Four, five, six, or more? You need a hobby outside of mafia games. :P Just make sure you're careful that you'll always have the capacity to play each game you're in.

Now, as for what you can expect in your explorations...as I said above, each game is going to be different, but different forums typically do have different requirements. Micros are going to be larger short-term commitments, larges are going to be larger larger-term commitments, to give just two examples. Which forums you hang around the most generally depends on your preferences and abilities. (Certain player types thrive in themes, others in more 'boring' setups.) They can also vary on circumstances.

For the average newbie player, though, some general trends to consider: theme games are typically tough to handle. It does depend on the playerlist, but often, players will give no sympathy to newer players, so you might get hostility beyond the normal for not grasping things. Additionally, even if they aren't hostile, they may still hold you to that higher standard, meaning that if you fall short, you're likely to get frustrated. Basically, theme games require not only grasping the mechanics of the game and the roles of the game, but also to have familiarity with MS site meta enough that you don't do something tremendously stupid. (Like, say, quoting your role PM, voting conftown, and whatnot.) There's often a reason moderators require previous game experience before signing up for theme games, and that's basically to give an assurance that you're competent. (And, sure, you think you are, but MS.net players--even newbies--are infamous for arrogance; most players aren't as much as they think.)

Large games are also VERY intimidating for a newbie to face, especially since posting rates in larges have exploded. Dead serious, people produce more pages in a large for a single gameday than the entire length of a large game from a couple of years ago. (Let's just say that if you have a place on the records page for largest game/gameday page-wise, it's not going to last for very long.) In 24 hours, you can produce more pages than a newbie game has in its entirety. (Can you handle 20+ pages in 24 hours? Those are surprisingly common.)

That's not to say that you can't play them. You can. Just go in with that type of expectation. I consider large games to basically be at least 2-3 games' worth of games, in that if my game capacity was 6 games, I'd only sign up for two to be safe. They are a serious, serious commitment.

So, Larges are intimidating, Themes fairly unforgiving, Large Themes having both trends combined. (It might be coincidental, but most of my favorite mods and favorite players hang around Large Themes. But it might also be that that's basically where the most challenge comes in as far as games go.)

Which is, generally, why the recommendation for newbies is to explore other places first. Mini normals are fairly forgiving, decently easy to grasp and newbies are often encouraged. It does take a certain degree of comfortability, and an expectation to face 'true' games, though. There IS typically going to be slightly more complexity than your average open games (which are the first non-newbie queue generally recommended for newbies expanding), and a newbie going into there might receive slightly harsher criticism from the players, there. (But less so than in themes--basically, the more "advanced" a queue is, the higher the expectation of each individual player will be.) Yet in spite of the potential danger, I still think it's a fairly safe environment to play in, especially since newbies are relatively common in that environment and the games ARE fairly simple to understand. It's an excellent place to help grow your talents as a player, to acclimate yourself to the culture here. (Though it really depends on who you're playing with. Bluntly, some players on MS.net are jerks. Others will greet you with open arms, and guide you through games. For instance, I'm the type of player who will give IC-type advice outside of the newbie queue, and there ARE other players like me in games.)

Basically, I can give you no guarantee of what you'll experience, because it's largely a mixed bag. Be prepared for getting harsh treatment and no "kiddie gloves" on, but don't fear the queue expecting that to be the response. That's basically the worst-case scenario, not the only scenario. Again, it's largely what you feel comfortable doing.

Opens aren't universally easier than mini normals, it should be noted; some opens have fairly complex mechanics. However, if the setup is fairly simple to understand, then they're typically much easier. And the players in there are much more forgiving, in my experience. Plus, it's a great social environment, where you get a mixture of the cultures of newbies and vets; a typical open game will have approximately half-and-half from my experience. Perhaps slightly more veterans, but still--a great place to meet veteran players, and mingle with other newbies.

Micros are a bit of a mixed bag, too, though. They have the guaranteed size of a newbie, but pay attention to the type of micro you're signing up for; the guidelines I lay out for each forum generally apply to the micros. Open micros are easy and have a fairly relaxed, open environment. Normal micros are relatively simple to understand, but quicker and overall easier than their mini equivalents. (Should be noted, though, that open/normal micros are the minority of micros.) Theme micros are more complex, so expect some difficulties if the mechanics/roles are more complex, but generally, thanks to the smaller game size, the mechanics won't be as crazy (crazy mechanics work better in larger games), meaning that overall, micros are another great place to look.

But I should make it clear, once again, these are just guidelines. They are not absolute, and are merely from my own experience. Your experience may differ, but this can give you an idea of what you'll be in for. Hope this can help!