Getting started as a GM

[MatthewD44]

I haven't been able to do any RPG's for a very very long time and now that the DF's is going to be out, I really want to start back. I don't have anyone in the area that I know of that does any GMing but I am willing to try my hand at it. Now I need so pointers on what or how to get started with SoTC which I am looking at now...

[R00kie]

Well you could try stating where you are, and seeing if there are any other people in your area on this board interested in a Dresdsen Game. Why not start a gamers seeking other gamers thread. I'm sure it would be popular

Nearby gamers (http://www.nearbygamers.com/) is very good for locating games, although some of the gamers listed either moved a long time ago, or simply don't answer emails. You could also try the Gamer Gathering Forums on RPG.net (http://forum.rpg.net/forumdisplay.php?f=21)

And dont forget any friends you have who don't roleplay, but might be willing to give it a chance. Suggest they read Storm Front (lend it to them if neccessary) and then follow up with a suggestion of a game based on it. You'd be surprised how many might be willing to give it a try.

Finally, If you have a local gaming shop its worth checking it out for notice boards etc. Most gaming shop staff have a good idea about clubs etc. in the area.

Good luck finding other players. This bit can prove quite hard

Once you've found some prospective players there is a vitally important next step. Talk to them and find out what they are like. I would suggest you don't invite anyone anywhere near your house until you know what they are like. This is one of the big advantages of clubs - no one finds out where you live. With new players I would generally meet them somewhere informal (like Starbucks) for a chat before inviting them to my game.

Treasure Table produced a nice article on ways to find players and what to do next
http://www.treasuretables.org/files/Ten-Ways-to-Find-Players-TT007free.pdf

And another on Interviewing Players
http://www.treasuretables.org/2005/09/interviewing-prospective-players

Okay - that covers finding players. The next step is GMing.

• You'll need to know the rules so read through SotC a few times.
• Download a FATE character sheet - theres lots of varients around the internet and print enough for ypour players
• Print a few copies of the 1 page rules summary from the Yahoo group (the Fate economy one)
• Make sure you have enough pencils, erasers and fudge dice (I try to have enough dice so that I can lend them to players who haven't got any)

I would suggest you don't try to detail a plot until you know who the characters are, and when you do come up with a plot keep it simple since the players actions will tend to change things.

 

[MatthewD44]

Thanks... I think I have at least a few players and I am just making sure I don't really spoil their first time out and make them think twice about rpg's in general

[R00kie]

Well the most important thing to remember then is dont let your game get bogged down. The things I do to help with this:

• If I can't remember a particular rule, I wing it. Its almost always better to keep the game flowing, make a quick guess as to how something works and look up the correct rule for next time than to halt the game mid flow
• The same goes for facts. If you have an adventure and you cant recall someone profession, tmake a guess and move on quickly rather than working through your notes. Only check for the important facts.
• Note important NPCs on index cards so you can quickly look up their details. Ensure that their aspects are things you can hang a personality on. If you read 'Old Blood' and 'Better than Riff Raff' you know how to play the character instantly
• Make a list of names for lesser NPCs. If they choose to go to an accountants use the first name and jot accountant next to it. That way you'll never be short of names or end up using the same name twice.
• If you want levety or comedy make sure it comes from the situation, and not from silly characters, names or actions. If the GM doesn't take it seriously the players wont.
• Keep an eye out for what they enjoy. If they liked the fights include more. If they enjoyed the battle of wits with the lawyer go with that.
• Try to give everyone equal 'screen time'.
• Praise you players when they do something clever. If they avoided a scene you devised by doing something clevel - let them get away with it, and make sure they know it was clever. Don't be afraid to say "I'm impressed. I hadn't thoughht of that."

The other thing I would say - start with short session, and build up. Try starting with 3 hours or so, and get a feel for how they felt about it.

Lastly, ask them how you could improve, and keep taking feedback no matter how long you GM (of course some of the feedback may be utter rubbish but I always ask and try to take most of it on board).

[MatthewD44]

Thanks Rookie.. Right now it looks like we might be doing a more modern version of SoTC because one of the people I am trying to get playing is my 13 year old daughter.. and she has gotten hooked on Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy books... so I might do something that might combine some of those into the book plus she asked if we could do something a bit more modern, than the 1930's...

[Blaze]

Also, remember that the GM is not playing against the characters.  A mistake I see too often is when a Game Master falls in love with his own villains and starts to get upset when the gamers make too much progress.  Same for NPCs.

Being Fluid is so important.  Every now and again the players come up with some really good ideas as they kibitz, pay attention, it is perfectly okay to change a scenario in order to make someone's worst nightmare come true.

Playing with a group of kids, or even with one child in a group of adults really changes the game dynamic.  If you are playing with younger people (like your daughter) remember that they might not have to knowledge base that you do.

First, as much as a 13 year old might want to play a 23 year old...  don't expect them to know how a 23 year old really thinks. Second, it is more difficult for younger players to play and omit  information which they as players have but which their characters don't have.  Also, it is very important for younger players to feel empowered.  (It is also a good venue for rewarding positive behavior, even if you have to stretch a plot.)

I recall a funny incident when I was 19 and playing a male character, there was a female npc who was unconscious, and the DM expected me to think of kissing her to bring her around. It never even crossed my mind.  LOL





 

[MatthewD44]

I think that was one of the reason I was thinking of basing some of the stuff off of Richelle's work which is for the YA crowd...

[R00kie]

I recall a funny incident when I was 19 and playing a male character, there was a female npc who was unconscious, and the DM expected me to think of kissing her to bring her around. It never even crossed my mind.  LOL

Its easy as a GM to assume players will do something.

So long as a GM is happy to let any clever idea work its not a problem, but holding out for players to do that one 'perfect' plan just isnt going to work. Different people's minds work differently and what seems obvious to one will be truly bizare to another.

I generally throw situations at players and 'try' to have as few expectations as possible of how they will deal with them. My players come up with pretty whacky ideas so this works well for me.

[Blaze]

Me too, I find that sometimes the players worst nightmares, which they willingly volunteer, are so much worse than what I had in store for them...  well it would be a crime to not let them come true.  Bwa ha ha ha haha

[finarvyn]

Gaming with kids does require a slight modification to the style of the adventure.

I often GM a group that includes my son (15) and daugher (12) and one key for them is that they like to roll dice. In fact, they get a little bored when too much time passes in between rolls. I tend to make sure they get to roll something at regular intervals just to overcome this problem.

Also, kids don't always equate conversation with role-playing. Sometimes they need a little action/combat (going back to the whole dice-rolling effect above) just so they can participate more. Often if there is a long stretch of description and conversation they get bored and tend to drift from the focus of the adventure.

[The Last Bean]

I think one of the biggest things here is flexibility. It's been said a few times already in this thread and in my experience it routinely separates the games I enjoyed from the games I did not, on both sides of the table.

I have actually introduced a thing where I spontaneously hand out XP (A free skill point or a few FATE points usually) to any player who completely throws me off with the creativity of their solutions. The other DMs I play with have picked it up too. Last time I recieved one was in a DnD game where I used an unconcious (but not yet dead) beholder as an antimagic gun. (The big eye still works until it actually dies!) Completely broke the encounter, but the DM was totally cool with it and had some badguys retreat because their magic didn't work.



I'm a very character driven writer, so my method usually involved writing the campaign as if my NPCs were PC. What is their longterm plan? what do they have to do to pull it off? what are the environments they'll be doing them in? What's their timetable? Who is the most critical in various areas?

Then when the players stumble into it I have solid objectives for my NPCs regardless of how the characters may interfere with their plots. It gives both sides of the encounter equal narrative momentum and importance, without making the game into a railroad.

Example:The NPCs really want to assemble the Seven Shards of the Heavens to summon an outer god. The shards are in various temples scattered around the world undeground, except for one which is the Louvre as part of a larger scupture. They plan to gather the seven seperately, ending with the Louvre one since it's actually harder to find the current location of than the ones still in the temples.

This is a nice broad storyline that would work equally well as a PC based adventure, which in my mind is the hallmark of a convincing evil scheme.

If for example, the players get to a shard first, or show up at the same time, we now have an encounter between those NPCs and the players. Perhaps the NPCs now attack the players at their home base to recover the shard, or try and trick them into using it as part of their ritual. Maybe the players don't even take interest in this plotline! That's cool, it'll still happen and they'll have to deal with the summoning ritual directly later which is a pretty cool adventure/encounter on its own. Or maybe they NEVER get involved, and some other group of heroes deals with it, or the Gods get summoned and start their dominion over the earth. Look ma, new BBEGs!

I played in a game where this was done rather expertly in that there was a civil war brewing between two factions (I think it was some halflings and some humans) and he was trying to get us involved in it. We didn't bite, and went off questing after a magic gem. When we got back the war had broken out, and we had to help settle it before we could recieve our reward for getting the gem. Good times and really helped create the feeling of a real world.