Long time player- First Time GM

[Robot Jon]

Hey all! I’ve played a few DFRPG campaigns, but I’m going to be running one soon. I’ve DM’d other tabletops before (DnD, Nobilis) but I never seem satisfied with my performance as one. Any tips for running a campaign in the Dresdenverse, how to keep the story and encounters fun, etc.?

[dragoonbuster]

This is all in city and character creation.

PCs should be dynamic people with previous relationships and experiences that can be used to create story lines.

Your city creation should have generated different factions with interests in maintaining the Status Quo or rocking it. So...rock the status quo and send the PCs after the source.

EDIT: Look to the books. They're a (not surprisingly) great source of ideas; take some of the antagonists from the books, twist them enough to make them new, and toss them into your city.

[dragoonbuster]

Also: Take your PCs powers and talents into effect in your planning. Try to come up with scenes that will give all your players at least some time in "the spotlight" during a night of play. Let them get creative with their powers, show off, etc. Giving everyone a shot at "being the hero" goes a long way. If you set up every scene so only a wizard will shine, then your other players aren't going to be as interested or have as much fun.

[Sanctaphrax]

Sometimes the rules are ambiguous. In play, the best call is probably whichever one keeps the game moving.

On a related note, spellcasting is as powerful as the GM makes it. If you're too permissive, it can get crazy strong.

Orbius, mental evocation attacks, Feeding Dependency, and Demonic Co-Pilot are best avoided.

If one of your players starts creating their own plot-line, run with it. Player-driven stories are the best kind, in my experience.

Don't pay too much attention to the opposition-building guidelines. They're not reliable.

[AgentSchneider]

What about your performance in the previous times you ran did you not feel satisfied with? Was it just setting up encounters and keeping the story fun or something else specific?

I'm actually in a similar situation right now where I recently started running my first real campaign after having been a long-time player. Personally I've found that getting input from your players can go a long way to help the GM out. As dragoonbuster said before knowing what your players' strengths and Aspects are can really help you with creating cool moments for everybody to relish in and get more invested in the story. For the Dresden Files system you actually have to sweat the small details less - especially as a new GM - as you can get some input from your players and let them take the narrative reins at points as you see fit to let them flesh out their own story while making it seem like you had planned for it from the very beginning.

You also may want to discuss with your players just what sort of RP'ing experience they are looking to get out of the campaign/the characters they are playing and incorporate that into your planning process. If they want to do a more stealthy/investigative campaign prepare for more intrigue and clue finding  - on the flip side if they want a beat 'em up campaign think of plenty of cool opportunities for your players to kick ass and be superheroes.

[Robot Jon]

The funny bit is that all my players are pretty inexperienced at pen and papers. Their input is vague at best most of the time. They always have fun during sessions though- which is the most important thing- but I always feel like my stories lack focus somehow.

Our city will likely be Portland, and I'll probably have a heavy Faerie focus at the outset given the high level of alternative culture and self-proclaimed weirdness.