There are a lot of newer players hosting in the lobby which is great to see. I think a lot of the time the biggest issues that hosts have is how to include twists etc, and what challenges to use and when. We all want to keep our games balanced, but sometimes the mechanics of epicmafia, the cast and the game itself gets in the way. There are a lot of unspoken rules, like 'don't host luck challenges at xx part of the game' etc. Personally I think balancing the challenges is a really big part of hosting a good game.
So I'm just curious, what do you think works/doesn't work?
discuss :-)
also if you're considering hosting for the first time, someone created this masterpiece which may be of use: https://goo.gl/u5PwFu
I have been hosting games for some time and I am pretty new too. The tips above are really good.
As a beginner you do mess up sometimes, but ultimately what matters is how fast you get out of it and how steady you can be even after that little mess.
I have realized over the time that if you keep players engaged continuously and try not to do too much fancy they do co-operate with you. Don't be too stubborn. If there is confusion at some point it is not a bad thing to ask for help from players. Ultimately every one wants to play.
P.S. : I haven't had a suicide in any of my game till now. (Thanks to the players)
I have been hosting games for some time and I am pretty new too. The tips above are really good.
As a beginner you do mess up sometimes, but ultimately what matters is how fast you get out of it and how steady you can be even after that little mess.
I have realized over the time that if you keep players engaged continuously and try not to do too much fancy they do co-operate with you. Don't be too stubborn. If there is confusion at some point it is not a bad thing to ask for help from players. Ultimately every one wants to play.
P.S. : I haven't had a suicide in any of my game till now. (Thanks to the players)
I've discussed this with JB in the past, but the important thing to remember with time limits is that the host is ultimately giving their time to allow everyone to play (not that the host doesn't enjoy it!) So they have a right to determine the pace of play, as it is ultimately their time that is being used up. Games take a long time, and if the host wants to impose time limits to speed things up, that's within their bounds.
It may not be as pure of a game, but I don't think it hampers the fun all that much and does challenge the ability to make quick decisions, which is a skill.
When I hosted, (I might do more in the future, but idk) I often used a "Sudden Death" Twist for challenges requiring X amount of points to win. Suppose players needed four points in Reflex to win immunity, HOH, POV, etc. If one person swept and got all four in a row, good for them. If two people got to three points, the next round would be the last one, *ONLY* between those two players to get to three points. It's a little bit smaller than some sort of Idol-palooza, but big enough that it could still change the outcome of the game. Would this be an okay twist to use in the future (most likely with some tweaking, feel free to leave suggestions!) or should I burn it to the ground?
deletedalmost 8 years
This is actually genius, I'm absolutely doing that. Thank you!!
Things of what I did back when I played. Some huge details, some smaller details. Keep in mind I didn't use extremely elaborate things when I hosted.
1. I agree with Highspace saying that having experience playing many games helps understand certain things like challenges and certain rules in challenges, understand how certain people react to things so you know who you're hosting, and most importantly going through bad games so that you don't make the same mistakes. Many other things you learn from playing, just wanted to name a few.
2. If you're hosting a big game, and there's a scoring or elimination, a small way to do it is using the "Role predictor." ((To the left of the player's avis)) If a player is eliminated, changing to "Villager" will signal that they're eliminated. Point system, example being a challenge first to 3 points, you could have them go from 1 point: Villager, 2 points: Host, 3rd point just they win. Finally could use it to keep track of who has voted and who hasn't. A problem with this is if there's a kick and the game resets the counter. Just have to rely on memory.
3. Obviously there's a balance of the types of challenges you host. I would never rule out certain types of challenges at certain times, even if there are types looked down upon such as "Luck" based challenges, it provides everyone a chance to win and could balance the game out. Just make sure you know what the challenge is, and the rules.
4. There is a "Don't over twist" portion of this. Make sure you at least keep twists that you understand. Having quite simple ones like "Double Eviction" that I use are plenty. Again timing is everything.
5. Make sure you go at your own speed. Don't rush yourself.
Not going to lie, drew a blank writing these. It's been a while.
I agree with most of what JB said, except for what's below.
If a tribe sucks, they deserve to get Ulong'd. The players should not be playing with the expectation of an imminent swap just because their numbers are no longer comfortable.
And luck PoVs can be a thing, just make it a skill HoH. The game is usually much more cutthroat when you host something like elevators for PoV.
I think a common problem for new hosts is that they come in without having played many games, and so they don't really have any guide to follow when they are hosting and get lost.
Also, new hosts have the tendency to feel like because they are new hosts, they need to make it "super duper amazing", otherwise their game won't feel successful. So, they decide to put in a lot of twists to keep their game 'interesting' and 'unpredictable' in order to make their game stand out. They always think their twists is the success to their games. They want to start their hosting careers with a bang.
And that's what kills their games, because it only leaves the players with a sense of frustration.
If you are a new host, please, please just try starting off with average games. You might think you can easily handle many players, but you can't. You think answering to constant inquiries is easy, but it's not. You think this will be easy, but you will get lost. Adding loads of twists will just overwhelm you and the game will feel like a mess.
By starting out small, it won't be 'spectacular' but it builds the confidence you need and a sense of familiarity to this exercise.
Because when you start hosting, you quickly find out that there's a lot more to it than "hosting a challenge" and "taking votes and announcing them".
Also, new hosts need to realize that players easily get distracted. Patience is a key requirement for successful hosting.
I also find keeping a spreadsheet or doc throughout the game is super helpful. Also I received some brilliant advice once which was to alternate the types of challenge you host: Speed, knowledge, luck, accuracy. If you keep to that rhythm, or a similar rhythm it can help to make sure the challenges remain balanced until you develop a better idea of what is good to host when.
Also i think it's important to remember that a good game doesn't *need* a twist! Twists can be cool, but some of the best games I've hosted and played have been a straight up game with no quirks! Never underestimate the power of the original game!
I think this thread is a good idea, it's tough for new hosts out there. Here are a few tips of mine as a player and host.
Never drag challenges out. It's a good idea to keep the number of points you need to win a challenge at 3, unless it's the first three days or so of a Tribevivor (when 4 should be the limit still). The only other exception should be an F3 situation or a TWL Finale.
Never have players go through a time limit for their votes *unless* a lot of time has already passed (aka it took people more than 25-30 minutes to vote). I think pinging someone to make sure if they're there if they're the last vote is alright, but enforcing time limits sucks and ruins the flow of a game.
Don't overtwist stuff. Keep it simple and sometimes it's better to just keep the game going with one theme or none. Games which have 348549845 twists in them are bound to end disastrously.
When hosting with immunity idols in play, I think it's a good idea to list out idol locations at the start of each day.
A tribe should only be kept in the game if they have 4 players or more, otherwise it's swap time. Speaking about swaps, try and limit them to thrice per game. Anything more than that won't work.
Never host luck PoV's when hosting Big Brother. Alternatively, never host luck immunity challenges in Survivor past the final six phase.
Have tough skin, this is the most important tip. Hosts will often go through a lot of stuff and sometimes abuse too if players are invested in a game. Learn how to stay calm and don't get emotionally affected by every little tidbit.
Be flexible. Learn when to drop a certain twist you had in mind if the size restricts it.
Ping twice before starting a challenge. It's often for players to tab out, make sure to notify them before starting a challenge.
Advertise your game at least one week in advance if you plan on making it a big one.
Challenges need to have variety. Don't host Creepy Pasta and Reflex consecutively please.
Warn people of twists in advance. Don't twist the rules of your twist. Don't screw someone over by making them pick something and then something else happening.
So don't make hoh nominate someone and then explain that both of them are autoevicted or that they are now immune or some crap. Explain things first so people don't get pissed at you.
Make sure the twists aren't targeting a certain person. It should be able to happen to everyone.
luck challenges are a-ok as long as it's not (a normal) twl
I think luck challenges have their place, especially in games like Big Brother where the game itself is very challenge dependent.. Sometimes I think alliance challenges are a good substitute though
deletedalmost 8 years
Don't overtwist. Don't host luck challenges in general. Be yourself. Don't let people bully you.
