First Adventure

[gev]

I'm a very new GM, preparing to run my first adventure with two of my friends, one of whom has never rped anything before. I have a couple things I'd like advice on.

1. What is a good beginning adventure? (I was going to do the Pirates of Prexiar, but is there a better one for this situation?)

2. Should I put a GM character in the party, to give them hints and some more manpower?

3. Any other tips or tricks?

[PsiberDragon]

ok...

#1 - who all is in your group? Jedi? Smugglers? Imperials?

#2 - not unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. Of course, this is an opinion. There are those who would say "yes, do." I figure that if the characters look like they're gonna need help, then add one in from time to time... If the GM has a character in the party, the party ends up depending on that character too much and/or that character ends up doing next to nothing...

"Hey... wait... what's (insert GM PC here) doing? Doesn't he get a shot/roll/initiative/etc?"

#3 - Keep the rules in mind. But, like they said in that Pirate movie "We figured they were mostly like guidelines..." i.e. Know the rules as best you can. If the PC's want to do something NOT covered in the rules, assign a difficulty number, and move forward... don't let the rules get in the way of a good game.

#4 - have fun. Remember: It's supposed to be fun for EVERYONE. Don't be like one GM I had where each game he ran boiled down to "us v. him".

#5 - tell us how it turns out.

Did I miss anything?
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"Love like you will die tomorrow. Hate like you will live forever." - Unknown

[YodaWI]

In regards to the Pirates of Prexiar, if the characters chosen fit the mission, I would say go with it. You may have to tweak it or adjust it with only two player character's, the one time I ran that, I also had two PC's. They were Rebels and had GM characters with them, but they split into two groups with the GM characters in one, the players in the other. It worked for us, because the players were still 'on their own' but also had back-up since the mission is designed for a few more characters. (up to 6 if I remember right)


Also, always be prepared for your players to do something completely unexpected, especially if they are new to roleplaying.
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"May the Force Be With You."

[gev]

Hmm. Splitting into two groups, huh? Do you mean like the PC characters have to figure out how to get into the camp by themselves, but the GM characters rejoin them in time for the breakout, to give them some more firepower?

[masque]

[YodaWI]

[cheshire]

I've used the P of P adventure in many of my campaigns. I've always used it in the first 5 adventures, and I've always had it turn out different each time. I usually don't use it as a first adventure, because I want to give them a reason to go to the pirate base. That is to say, I give them an adventure where they become personally invested in the cargo.

Once I set up an adventure where the players got a shipping job, and took on the cargo. They got intercepted by the pirates who stole the cargo. Once they got to the drop point (empty handed) they found that this thing had been happening to their employer all the time. Then they tracked down clues to find out who had been tipping off the pirates to the specific shipping routes and stealing the sensitive cargo.

One way or the other, it's a good adventure. But it always works best if the players feel personally invested in why they're going to this base. I could list other examples, if you want.

[gev]

Long story short, it didn't go all that well.

One of my players seemed genuinely bored the whole time. It didn't run very smoothly at all. It's mostly my fault, I think. I got mixed up with ranges and rounds, and I had to use a cheap trick to stop them from dying, which encouraged my players to not take the game seriously. I guess the first adventure is always tough, right? It would have been a lot easier if we'd all had a little more experience.

[cheshire]

That happens. You make a lot of mistakes at first. Just keep trying, and try not to get too bogged down with the technicalities of the rules.

[McKinley]

[TrueGrit]

It was your first time at bat - you don't need to hit a home run every time! Don't let this discourage you, keep at it. Soon you will see that your games develop a steady flow which is fun for everyone.

[ifurin]

one of the things i encourage in the groups i play in is criticism. i always let my players talk to me when they have a problem with the game, more than just "my dice weren't rolling right." while this isn't for everyone, (you need to really be patient) it can help if you know to take the complaints of the players and tweak your gm'ing.

[jmanski]

And most people need the encouragement to critisize.

And, of course, a lot of people don't take critisism well, either.

Good for you- that attitude will make your game better.
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Blasted rules. Why can't they just be perfect?

[Grimace]

[gev]

Thanks a million for the advice, guys.


I'm gonna try to run "Tatooine Manhunt" next, I think. I'll prepare a little more this time, and hopefully it'll be more fun.