Just GM'd my first game :)

[darkwing2k6]

Ok so i have been looking for a group to join but wasnt having much success so i decided to start up my own managed to convince a couple of guys from work to give it a go so on Thursday night we started out with "Tattooine Manhunt".

I chose that one as it looked to have everything i needed as a rookie GM. I think it went ok but its already taught me one thing - need to do a lot more prep!! due to work and how hastily i got the guys together i ended up reading the start of the book about 30mins before they turned up. ended up a bit stop start as i had to keep reading the next bit almost as they were trying to play it and then some more stops as i tried to make sense of the way the story was laid out.

So does anyone have any tips on how to take an adventure like Tattooine Manhunt (or any other) and prep it ready for playing without having to memorise it page by page?

I think from the reaction of the players that i done an ok job but i would really love to get it going a little smoother for the benefit of everyone

Cheers
John

[Guardian_A]

If you are planning to run pre written scenareos, then I would suggest reading the entire scenareo ahead of time. If you have an idea of what to expect, then the game tends to run a little smoother.

Take notes, if you have a shorthand version of the story/campaign you are running, it's a lot faster to go over the scene you are about to start.

Its ok to call a short recess from time to time. If you have a smoker, give them 5 minutes to step outside. Let everyone up for a new can of pop or a restroom break. Have one of the players order pizza. All of these things can buy you a few minutes to play catch up in a pinch.


Improvise!

Sometimes, just taking the time to describe the setting and get the character's reaction to that setting will give you a little time to check your notes or read a head in your book a little. It might feel like a stall tactic, but allowing your players to look around at a market, or talk with some NPCs for a little while also helps make them feel like a part of the world you are playing in.

If you need to buy a little time, have the characters stop at a Cantina for a drink, while they are BSing in-character, you can be setting up your next encounter.

Create a couple of small encounters that can fit in almost anywhere. A theif who steals a character's datapad or a group of Stormtroopers who stop you for a random inspection will serve to buy a little time with very little effort.


Create your own stories.

If you create your own stories/campaigns you will already have a pretty good idea of where you want the story to go. This means you wont need to reference your books/notes as much as you normaly would. Also, if you improvise or change something as you go, its much easier to adjust the story to make those changes fit where-as a pre-written campaign is a bit more rigid.


Also, here is a great site for tips & ideas. Its not Star Wars, but a lot of the advice is relevant to almost any roleplaying game. Hope it helps!
http://www.roleplayingtips.com/archives/

There are over 500 articles on the site, but these would be a good place for you to start (I skimmed the first 100): #13, #20, #84, & #96.

[darkwing2k6]

Thanks for the tips Guardian. next session is wednesday night so i'll start putting the prep work in now

any suggestions on which adventure to go for after Manhunt?

[Guardian_A]

A lot of that depends. Do you plan to continue with the same characters? Or are you starting with new characters on a seperate story?

[darkwing2k6]

Good point well presented i think we will be starting with new characters that will be getting kept on for all future adventures (unless they die of course). i only gave my pc's generic bounty hunters and played Manhunt purely as a taster to see if they would like to start up a regular game night. i have 3 or 4 guys interested in playing, 2 of which were in the last session. 1 was a complete newcomer to rpg and the other hasnt played rpg in about 10 years and never SWd6. They have both agreed to continue on so thats good

Now that you have got me thinking- what would you do if my pc's picked characters that are "unsuitable" for most adventures? ie in nearly every game i have taken part in as a player there has always been a need for several bounty hunter/warrior/fighty types. what do you do if they all choose to be librarians etc? unlikely i know but you never know.

thanks again for your help

John

[Guardian_A]

Are you planning to write your own campaign? Or go with a pre-existing one?

Plan your first campaign as a short one. Completing a story is a very satisfying experience for both the storyteller and the players. Once the story is over, players will be able to decide if they want to take their current characters into another story, or if they want to try something new.

Ask your players what kind of campaign they want to play. Do they want to play pirates? Rebels? Imperials? Jedi? Something else? If you know what kind of characters the players want to play, it will go a long way towards figuring out what kind of campaign everyone will enjoy.

Do the characters know each other before the game? If so, let them set down together to make their characters so those characters will complement each other.

If you are running your own campaign, its still ok to work in a few pre-existing stories. Just think about how you are going to connect those stories as you go. I played in a short campaign once that every other session was a pre written one, and the other sessions were there as a way to connect them.

Sometimes kick starting your own campaign with an official scenareo works out really well. Having something well thought out and well written is always a good way to get started.

Non-combat characters can be a lot of fun if you handle them right. I wouldnt recommend more than one in a group, but if your players want to run non-combat characters, you could run it as a diplomatic or archeolical story.

Will they be traveling much? You might consider letting them start with a ship. Most characters like to have a "home base" of sorts.

Try to dig up a few extra copies of the core rulebook so everyone will have access to it.

The single most important thing to remember: Have fun! If the players have fun, they'll be more likely to keep coming back. But you can tell the most epic story ever told, but if the players arent having fun, they arent likely to keep playing.

[garhkal]

When i prep to gm, i read the module (even ones i wrote) at least twice cover to cover.. That way i am familiar with what is in there. When i just ad lib things, i go over 3-5 possible ways things could turn out and try and prep for those.
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Guardian_A]

A couple more ideas/tips that are probably worth mentioning:

It usually dosnt hurt to try something new. If it sounds like fun, try it! If it works, keep it. If it dosnt work, dont. What works for one GM/Gamging Group may not work for another.

Dont spend a bunch of time looking up rules. And dont be shy about asking your players to help you look if they have a book. If you've been looking for more then a minute or two, you've been looking WAY too long. If you cant find something, make a ruling on the fly. Once the game is over, then take your time to look it up. If your call was correct, great! If not, bookmark it and go over the real rule the next time your gaming group gets together.

As a GM, you are going to make mistakes. We all do from time to time. The trick is to not panic. A lot of the time, your mistakes will be small things that your players wont even notice. When you make bigger mistakes, admit that you made a mistake, correct the mistake, then move on. If you dont dwell on it, the odds are that your players wont either.

Get your players to interact in-character. Not only is it a lot of fun, but it also helps set the feel of your game.

Take the time to write a few notes about your NPCs (Non Player Characters). A few words about their personality. List a personality quirk or two. Maybe an accent you use with that character. If you have a manerism or accent associated with an important NPC, it will help make that character more memorable. With a few notes, you will be able to remember all of that character's quirks every time you play them. Standing when you talk for an imposing character, kneeling when you talk with a short character, sniffling a lot when your playing that deathstick dealer, be all prim and proper when playing a noble. All of these can help bring your NPCs to life for your players.

Never forget that they story should focus on the players characters. NPCs might play a big role in your stories, but they shouldnt ever outshine the players characters. This dosnt mean that your NPCs arent important, but they shouldn't take the attention away from your heroes.

Take notes! Keep track of who your players meet, how they get along with them, and where they have been. With my Star Wars campaign, I take my own notes. With my Pathfinder campaign, I ask my players who wants to take the game notes. Whoever takes notes gains a few additional experience points (1-2 Character Points.) I try to offer this job to anyone who might need a couple of extra Character Points for something.

Find some sheet protectors and a 2" notebook. Use this notebook to organize your notes, NPCs, custom Ships, or anything else you might need when you play. If you have everything well organized, it will make it a lot easier/quicker to find what you need. Sorting NPCs by faction and/or planet will help a lot.

Post-it notes are your friend. If one character notices something that the others dont or the character knows something that the others dont, then you can hand them a note telling them about the current situation. This makes your player feel more important and allows them to explain what they know to the other characters in-character. You can also use post its to mark important places/rules in your rulebook.

If you can afford it, pick up some miniatures & maps. Players love having something to represent their characters, and the maps help them visualize that is going on. Wizards of the Coast has a nice range of Miniatures & maps. Buying singles on ebay or miniaturesmarket might be a good place to start. If you cant afford miniatures, even something like LEGO people or paper miniarures can be a lot of fun.

Put together a couple of "Gamers Kits." Just a pencil bag with a couple of mechanical pencils, a big pink eraser, a pad of sticky notes, and 6-10 dice. This will give you everything a player will need to play the game. If one of your players forgets their stuff, or you have a new player joining you for a game, it comes in really handy.

Something that my group does: Get some Poker Chips and split them into stacks. (One stack of 6-10 for the GM, then one stack of 3 for each player.) Mark the chips with a sharpie so everyone can tell one stack from the next. Encourage your players to pass one of their chips to the other players for doing something impressive or fun in the game. At the end of the night, the players gain one additional Character Point for each chip they have. I've found that this encourages player interaction and participation.

[darkwing2k6]

wow! thanks for all the help and tips gents i will try and put it to good use before/during our next session. Much appreciated!

Cheers
John

[Guardian_A]

Glad we could help!

[Matthias777]

Definitely a lot of good ideas here, and some I've never heard of before; I really like giving the players Character Point poker chips to award one another (as long as it's kept to 2 or 3 as stated).

Darkwing, please be sure to keep us updated on how things go...I for one am interested to see how your GM experience develops and how your gaming group reacts to it, as, unlike many people here, I've never really GMed a group in person, only PbP. In some ways, it's really a whole different animal.
_________________
Arek | Kage

[Guardian_A]

[Matthias777]

[Guardian_A]

[garhkal]

I have done the poker chips as well, but not for CP.. I used them to mark down a pc's force points.. So as they spent them, they would toss them into a bowl.
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!