Redelia's GM school (Inactive)

Game Master Redelia

Hi, guys.

In your first post here, I need you to answer the following questions:

1. How much have you played Pathfinder or Starfinder?
2. How much have you GMed Pathfinder or Starfinder in person?
3. How much have you played PFS or SFS?
4. How much have you GMed PFS or SFS?
5. How much have you played play by post games? What kind?
6. Have you tried GMing play by post at all?
7. What are you most wanting to learn about GMing play by post?

Homework: If you don't already have a copy of it, you need to purchase the PDF for the Commencement. Here is the product page for your convenience.

My expectations for participants:
When we have the game going, I expect everyone to post every day, unless you let us know ahead of time that you can't.
I expect us to all be patient and understanding of each other.
I expect that we will all do our best to have a fun game.

Extra credit assignment: If you need to brush up on the Starfinder rules, please do so.

1: I've played Pathfinder extensively for years, have never played Starfinder.
2: I've GMed Pathfinder in person for years as well, though only with the single group.
3: I have only played PFS officially for the past couple months, but I've used PFS rules for my home games.
4: My extent of GMing PFS extends to using PFS rulings and modules/scenarios in home games.
5: I have played by post here on Paizo for the past couple months, I have played other oddball RPGs online in the past, such as Dark Conspiracy and a Marvel RPG.
6: I have not.
7: How to build a good scene, make sure players don't lose interest, and keep action moving WITHOUT railroading.

Will be reading Starfinder rules ASAP!

1. I've played Pathfinder for around two years, and Starfinder since last summer, not long after it launched. I don't consider myself an expert in either system, but I'm familiar with the rules for each.
2. I haven't GMed in person at all.
3. I started PFS and SFS around the same time, last summer during the game day you all hosted here at Paizo. I've been playing both pretty much nonstop since then, with a handful of pbp games ongoing at all times.
4. I haven't GMed PFS or SFS at all.
5. I've played Pathfinder, Starfinder, and 5e D&D games at a couple other play by post sites, as well as the PFS and SFS games here. I've settled on the Paizo forums for pbp gaming, since I like the format here.
6. I haven't GMed play by post at all. (Does anyone else hear a broken record?) I started prepping Crypt of the Everflame once for pbp, but I petered out before I got serious about running it.
7. I'd like to learn how to manage the technical side of getting a game set up and the bookkeeping; and how to translate the information in a written scenario into what the players need to know, with appropriate pacing and amount of detail.

A reminder, if anyone is buying the scenario and hasn't used the one-time-use holiday18 coupon yet, it's still good through the end of the month. 10% off $5 isn't a lot, but it's something. :)

Hi there. Thanks again for organising this :-) Here are my answers:

1. How much have you played Pathfinder or Starfinder?
Played a little bit at home, GM’ing the Pathfinder Beginner box for the kids - I don’t think they really ‘got it’. I’ve also played a Pathfinder PbP session as a player (my Sofia Narin alias) which was great, and a less successful session with Hakak Urungai. I’m pretty new to the whole tabletop gaming thing.

2. How much have you GMed Pathfinder or Starfinder in person?

Never, other than the above beginner box with the kids who just looked at me funny.

3. How much have you played PFS or SFS?

One scenario ‘The library of the lion’ with Hakak Urungai and one with a pre-gen (level 4 wizard). Wasn’t very successful or enjoyable and I think that’s because I was still learning the rules and also because I didn’t know where to look for background info for the campaign so I wasn’t really ‘Roleplaying’ like I’d want to.

4. How much have you GMed PFS or SFS?

Never

5. How much have you played play by post games? What kind?

See answer to 1 above. The Sofia Narin PbP is very enjoyable and I’m learning a lot.

6. Have you tried GMing play by post at all?
No

7. What are you most wanting to learn about GMing play by post?

How to make it fun, how to deal with player creativity that deviates from the scenario, how to check character sheets for accuracy, how to fill in chronicles, how to award XP. BEcause I’ve never used magical characters, I find spells all a bit confusing and wouldn’t know how to check if a PC was using it correctly.

Hope this helps!

1. I've played Pathfinder for a couple years now. But exclusively online via VTT (Fantasy Grounds and Roll20) and exclusively PFS. Since Starfinder was released, however, I've all but stopped playing Pathfinder. Starfinder I've been playing since it came out but also exclusively online (Roll20 and now PBP) and exclusively SFS.
2. I have never GM'd Pathfinder but have GM'd The Commencement once in person as a demo for a few friends at the local game shop. We didn't have time to actually finish the entire scenario though.
3. A good amount of both. My Pathfinder and Starfinder experience has been exclusively PFS and SFS.
4. Never GM'd PFS. GMing two SFS tables via PBP right now.
5. I've only started playing PBP as recent events have left me no time for in person games or even online VTT games. 90% of my PBP experience is SFS on these forums and I play one other PBP Rogue Trader game elsewhere.
6. Yes, currently have two SFS tables running.
7. One, how to handle the logistics of running a PBP game. Second, how to keep things moving given the interaction time lag inherent to PBP games. Three, the standards and norms of interaction and posting on these forums - the Paizo forums 'culture' I suppose you might say.

Welcome to all four of you.

Have you yet finished your first assignment? :)

I also need to know what kind of computer and software you are using, so that I can better help you through setting up maps and things.

1. What operating system are you using? (if you are using a tablet instead of a computer, is it an Ipad or an android tablet?)

2. What PDF reader software do you use?

3. What web browser do you use to access the forums?

Our Venture Captain, Hmm, will be following along and sometimes giving her answer to questions if they are ones that benefit from multiple perspectives. She also may have answers for some of you if you use the same software she does.

I'm also right now working on arranging two other players to fill out the table for you guys. I'll have them introduce themselves to you soon.

If you have your copy of the scenario, please take a look at it and think about which of the four faction missions you would like to GM. I will run the part of the adventure that is not any faction's mission. When you run a faction mission, you will have 6 players. Three will be the other students, and then I will be playing, as will two other experienced and fun players I'm getting to join us.

Do you guys have any questions for me as to how this will work?

1: Windows 10
2: Adobe PDF Reader
3: A mix of Chrome and Firefox. From my phone I use Chrome, from my computer I use Firefox.

I've been reading the Starfinder Rules but haven't finished yet, will read The Commencement tonight and get back to you on which I'd like to GM!

Yup, I have a copy of The Commencement!

1. I alternate between a Windows 10 PC and an android phone
2. On android: Google PDF viewer and Foxit. On PC: Adobe reader and Foxit
3. Chrome

No questions from me at this time and I'm happy to GM any of the factions so will wait for others to come back with their preferences.

Have you yet finished your first assignment? :)

Yep - downloaded with a discount! I think I'd like to have a go at the Mission 1: Acquisitives as it involves vehicles and I need to get my head around that. It also looks like it touches on a few game mechanics and is likely to involve potential player creativity to test me. Goodness knows how GM's cope with this stuff 'live'!

1. What operating system are you using? (if you are using a tablet instead of a computer, is it an Ipad or an android tablet?)

Windows 10 PC, If not at home, I'll be accessing Paizo through an iPad

2. What PDF reader software do you use?

Adobe Reader

3. What web browser do you use to access the forums?
Google Chrome but can downloaded any browser needed. Safari on the iPad

Do you guys have any questions for me as to how this will work?

1. I haven't actually played SFS yet - will I be able to join a future game as a character if I have GM'd the scenario and have inside knowledge?
2. Am I right in that for SFS you have to do The Commencement First so that you are 'approved' before any other scenario or AP (such as Dead Suns)?
3. I can't seem to get my head around what a boon is or how they work. Can you cover this?

Darren, you will actually play in all the missions but your own. And then you will get full credit as a player to that character.

Hi bigboom! I'm in one of the SFS games you just started. You seem to be doing a pretty good job as far as I can tell :)

1. Windows 7/10 (two different PCs, depending on time of day) and sometimes I use an iPad
2. Adobe Reader
3. Chrome, on all the computers and the iPad. I have a couple back-up browsers as well.

I did pick up the scenario and skimmed through it briefly. I'll look a little closer later today to see if any missions stand out to me.

Darren, you will actually play in all the missions but your own. And then you will get full credit as a player to that character.

Great - I have a level 1 SFS Dataphile all ready :-)

OK, it's nice to hear that you all have Windows 10 PCs with Adobe Reader to do your major setup work on, since that's what I already have documentation written for :)

Hi bigboom! I'm in one of the SFS games you just started. You seem to be doing a pretty good job as far as I can tell :)

Thank you! It's been fun GMing for you guys! I'm still new at it so I'm here at the GM school to learn what I can - always something new to learn!!

Ok, I'd like to run the Dataphiles mission - with a second preference for the Wayfinders, if The Voice of Mag comes back wanting the same one.

One question, do you know when we'll be starting the actual scenario? I have a character in the last quest of Into the Unknown, and I'm wondering if she has time to finish that one and then join us for the Commencement, or if I should start making a new character.

To answer a few of Darren's questions,

Yes, you can play a scenario you have already GM'ed, although you should let the GM know. Also, you need to not act on things you only know from running it so you don't spoil it for everyone else.

It is not necessary to play the Commencement with a character before playing other things, but it's very popular to play since it can be played with each character. Most adventures can only be played with one character.

Boons are special chronicle sheets that let you do things that the SFS rules would usually not let you do, like play an unusual race.

In terms of which faction mission you guys will be running, it sounds like as soon as we hear from Voice of Mag we will know what everyone is doing.

Elinnea, I think it will be somewhere between a week and two weeks before we actually start to play. We are going to first have you guys all set up your campaigns and maps at the same time and then start playing.

All right, sounds good.

Sounds good, thanks ;-)

Hello everyone as Redelia said she was seeking some other players to help fill out the party and bring some additional fun and experience to the table.

Some of you may know me already but just in case you don't; The names GM Poblano aka Gary Pepper Venture- Agent - California, Lake County. I do enjoy PbP and have really felt that our community can grow larger when players like you decide to pick up the mantle of GM. I will do my best to not pull to many shenanigans on you in this, but no promises ;)

Also when asked I can provide some of my experience on the matter when you have questions. That is one facet I seek to grow in our community of players is the ability to ask a question without fear of repercussion just by asking for help.

Also to let you all know I have both GMed and played The Commencement and I will not Meta-Game. VO’s honor.
Thank goodness for evergreens.

I am thinking for characters I will just use a pre generated character depending on what everyone else plays. Elinnea thank you again for your hard work on the BB code pregens

Hi guys! I was also invited by Redelia to assist here, and you can count on it. I've been running games on these boards for about three years, with a core focus on storytelling, characterization, and relationship building between characters. My games are known for two things - being consistently run at a fast pace, and being ridiculous more often than not :)

I hope to be of assistance here as you learn the ins and outs of GMing play-by-post games. I don't claim to be an expert in SFS rules or mechanics - it's still pretty fresh as a game - but as far as GM guidelines, techniques, any common scenarios you may run into, I can definitely help there and will do what I can to assist you as you run these games.

Just like Poblano Pepper here, I've also played and run The Commencement, but I promise not to spoil anything.

Looking forward to it!

Oh! I do have a reporting question, which might be a bit premature, so it can be answered later. When a scenario is done and it is time to report the game on the Paizo site, I have to set up an 'event' and report the game as a 'session' within that event right? Assuming this is correct, should I just set up one all-encompassing 'GM bigboom PBP' event and report every PBP game that I GM under that event (aside from con games, that is)?

That's what I've done. I have an event called 'Redelia's PbP' or something like that I use. You will need to have your event created before you can do much to fill out chronicles, if that helps you decide when to do it.

Apologies for the delay, having a bit of a work emergency and still won't be home for several hours. If Wayfinders is available and had a focus on material that can easily translate to Pathfinder, I'll happily take it. I don't have the book to read right now, it's downloaded on my computer at home.

bigboom I too have the same setup with my PbP Games as well as my local games too. Also makes your 'My Organized play' section look cleaner too.

Voice of Mag its understandable life does come upon on us all and you are already striving to be a great GM by posting something quickly stating what has happened and ending with a time frame when you will be back.

Hey, my name is Hmm and I am here to kibbitz and provide my own weird perspective throughout this process. I am an observer rather than a player.

1. How much have you played Pathfinder or Starfinder?

Heh. Not as much as I would like. I currently play one game for every five I GM. Still, I was in the first wave of Starfinder GMs at GenCon, and I’ve gotten to play a bit since then. In PFS, my -1, Zahra is finally heading to Eyes of the Ten. I started Organized Play in 2014.

2. How much have you GMed Pathfinder or Starfinder in person?

Er, just answered that. About once a week in person. I am at 140 games in PFS, but only 6 in SFS.

3. How much have you played PFS or SFS?
Answered above. I like it better than home games, so I do a lot of it.

4. How much have you GMed PFS or SFS?
Answered above.

5. How much have you played play by post games? What kind?
Started out with a non-PFS We Be Goblins that was hilarious. I am still in a very naughty campaign of non-PFS Mummy’s Mask, and play regularly in two long-term PFS groups, Moar Core and Red Arm of Absalom.

6. Have you tried GMing play by post at all?
Yep!

7. What are you most wanting to learn about GMing play by post?
One always learns when one is teaching. I want to up my game and get new ideas from all of you.

Homework: If you don't already have a copy of it, you need to purchase the PDF for the Commencement. Here is the product page for your convenience.
Done.

My expectations for participants:
When we have the game going, I expect everyone to post every day, unless you let us know ahead of time that you can't.
I expect us to all be patient and understanding of each other.
I expect that we will all do our best to have a fun game.

(I won’t be able to live up to your expectations, but it’ll be okay. I will still participate.)

Extra credit assignment: If you need to brush up on the Starfinder rules, please do so.
Done.

Great to have the support of experienced GM’s here :-)

OK, it sounds like you guys have agreed on the following assignment of parts:
Voice of Mag: Wayfinders
Elinnea: Dataphiles
Darren Whitehouse: Acquisitives
Bigboom: Exoguardians

Your next assignment is to read carefully your portion. Make sure that you understand the stat blocks in your portion, including any special abilities. Make a list of maps, handouts, enemies, and NPC images that apply to your portion. Let me know when you are done with this (or if you have any questions as you do so)

Redelia & Poblano: Thanks for the answers to my event reporting question!

Redelia: I have a list ready for the Exoguardians and some slides prepared as well. Should I post up (or PM) my list and a link to my slides?

Voice of Mag, Elinnea, Darren: Take your time with reading through and understanding the portion you'll be GMing. I have mine ready only because, as I mentioned before, I ran The Commencement (but didn't finish) as a Starfinder demo to some friends of mine at a local shop where none of them had ever before played Starfinder (or Pathfinder, for that matter). So I'm not a faster reader by any means...it's just that I've had a several month head start in reading and understanding the scenario.

Ok thanks Redalia - will do that over the next day or so

Question for you, bigboom. Did you make the slide deck yourself, or did you get a copy of someone else's? Copying slide decks is fine, and often quite helpful, but not for this particular game.

Made it myself...I get somewhat picky about my slides so I figure I'd just make them all myself. I did borrow (ok...'steal' is more accurate) ideas from other GMs on how to setup and present things though!

OK.

Ah, sorry about that. Alright, I'm all good to go on ruleset! Tonight I'll be making a Starfinder Character, and setting up slides for my portion. Thanks again for having me and being understanding!

I'll be providing you guys with step by step instructions for setting up a slide deck, so don't jump ahead on me, guys. :) Just make the list of what you need. You can either share it or just keep it for yourself.

I'll be providing you guys with step by step instructions for setting up a slide deck, so don't jump ahead on me, guys. :) Just make the list of what you need. You can either share it or just keep it for yourself.

Oops, sorry. I stole the idea to use Slides from PFS to use in an online campaign I've ran in the past so was a little eager haha.

If you're eager and want to do more than was assigned, you can work on getting your own character ready.

For the record, excitement and eagerness are a virtue, not anything to apologize for. ;)

What class were you intending to play Voice?

What class were you intending to play Voice?

As I've always wanted to be a skill monkey in PF but am loathe to play a Bard or Rogue (I do have an Investigator planned though) I went with Operative.

If someone else is bringing one they'd like to use however, I don't mind trying another class!

Pregen II by Poblano wrote:

What class were you intending to play Voice?

As I've always wanted to be a skill monkey in PF but am loathe to play a Bard or Rogue (I do have an Investigator planned though) I went with Operative.

If someone else is bringing one they'd like to use however, I don't mind trying another class!

To expand on this, it looks like I'm going a "Female" Android Operative with Ghost Specialization and Spacefarer theme. The Android that dreams of seeing every world in the galaxy! Will of course be a Sneaky Skill Monkey. Excited to try piloting!

I admit I came in mostly just to apply this to Pathfinder, but after reading the rules I'm very excited to play Starfinder.

Sorry for a triple post.

Redalia and Hmm, if one is willing to supply their own copy of the Scenario, when is the deadline to GM for the Outpost event?

I'm not trying to put the cart before the horse here, but it seems like it would be a wonderful place to get some experience.

Hi Redalia - I think I understand the mission (Acquisitives) and what Maps etc I need - do I post what I need here or PM you?

Darren, when I ran The Commencement, I created a slide map for The Acquisitives' mission that I used to pretty good success. So that I don't spoil it for anyone else, let me PM you a link to it.

Yeah, the acquisitives one is not just a simple map that you need. I still want you to create your own slides when I explain how, but for that one, taking a look at someone else's slides is a good idea.

Your assignment for today is to create the campaign for your part of the scenario.

For those of you who already know how to do this, here are your instructions: Your campaign should be named GM 101: <name of the faction>, as should your gameplay thread. Your discussion thread should have the title GM 101: <name of faction> Discussion.

Once your campaign is made, please post a link here.

I will post step by step directions to do this in a little while.

Other things you can do today, if you want to do more than make your campaign:
Read the mission you will GM some more
Study the Starfinder Rules, if you need to
Work on your character for when you are a player
Post your character when it is done

Here's what I think I need for my campaign:

Maps: Nyori Pallasades (?) Radaszam's office, Botscrap, and a racetrack
NPC images: Radazsam plus all the NPC racers
Other: Maybe some 'official pit crew' badges with the PC profile pics on

Will create my campaign now and then link it (hopefully!)

Here is my character. If you need a different one, I can create an alternative.

http://paizo.com/people/Dee42

Regards

Darren

Sorry - can't seem to figure out how to create a campaign!

Hey Darren, if you use the code:
[url9=http://paizo.com/people/Dee42]Here's Darren's character[/url9]

but take out the 9's in the url tags, then you get this:

Here's Darren's character

I have a few questions:

1) When the scenario gives text to 'read or paraphrase' do you just copy it directly into the post? Is there any reason not to?

2) When there are enemies that start on the map but have no specific location, do you just randomly choose squares for them in the general place where they should be?

3) Are obstacles on the map supposed to count as cover? I'm not sure how literally to take everything that's drawn there.

I don't know how to make a campaign, so I'll wait for the step by step instructions on that task rather than risk making a mess of the forums by experimenting, hah.

The character I'm planning to bring is a mystic: Cora Jex. She just finished her first adventure and is awaiting her chronicle sheet.

Good questions, Elinnea.
1. I copy and paste, and then edit a bit. The line breaks copy over in a weird way, and sometimes a little change in wording helps for a specific group. I also feel like it keeps the scenario feeling less 'canned.' This can vary between GMs.
2. Not quite random, I just pick something reasonable.
3. It depends on what they are. This also varies between GMs.

Would any of the other experienced GMs like to add a different answer, or a different perspective on any of these?