I'm a little nervous, as I've never run a campaign before...just one-shot games here and there.
Any tips?
For the record, I was a player in the AP up through HTBM, so I can't wait to get to BE Avner, rather than hate his guts...
I'd add giving them the player's guide you can download on paizo for free. This might give them ideas about how they can be in some way locally involved.
I'll give you some advice right now before people pop in with spoirers:
Search this site for posts on each chapter and read everything you can before you run each adventure. DMing isn't rocket science . . . but it you'll still need to do your homework. There's lots of great advice to be found on this site and some wonderful suggestions for tweaking these adventures. There are also some great campaign journals you can look through for ideas including ones written by Steve Greer (you’ll have to dig for that one), P.H. Dungeon, Bad Dates, and one written by me. If you're at all a sadistic DM you might want to look through the obituaries and the journal kept by Turin the Mad for more ideas on what’s an effective way to destroy characters. Turin's journal has an excellent into for new characters BTW, that's really worth a read.
I’d also suggest that the PCs not be built in a vacuum so to speak . . . give the PCs some idea of what to make. Try to ensure that everybody has their own little niche to fill.
Hope that helps.
Guy Humual is very correct. Have a character generation session, especially for your first time as a GM. The players will do much better if you and they are involved in creating thier characters. The STAP is a rich and rewarding campaign, but it is also challenging and at times completely merciless to the unwary and inflexible.
And while I'm pretty ruthless at times, if my players are not noodle-brained they will breeze right through whatever they come across, regardless of any desire to the contrary on my part.
Above all, take your time, do your homework, and at a minimum for the combats do your level best as a group to have a good tactical table gig set up that the entire group understands and is comfortable with.
If you have to, restrict your "permitted books" roster to a very small number, if nothing else to have mercy on yourself as a rookie GM. The STAP is written pretty clearly, but even the writers are not perfect and make basic mistakes from time to time, whether in the stat block or in the flavor text as compares to the actual maps.
Lastly, have fun!
Yes, on the note of "restrict books", definately limit yourself to either core or "core plus one" as I've heard it: People get access to one or two books outside the core, of their choosing, and that's it.
Check, double check and triple check all player suggestions. And remember, you're the DM: NOTHING happens unless you say so.
Non core sources actually help increase party survivability... sometimes perhaps too much. For example, one party used a spell to inadvertently completely bypass the event at the end of "Sea Wyvern's Wake", thus skipping "Here There Be Monsters" almost completely.
Approve nothing you're unsure of. But if the players do outsmart you? Well, that's life. Sometimes, that can be a lot of fun.
On less serious notes... Yes, read posts here. There's a wealth of information as to what to do with recurring or important NPCs, how to bypass problems, and generally just how to run the AP better.
Frankly I'd love to run this AP myself, but alas. No players...
It was the same for me. I have DM'ed just one single one-off adventure before. My groups last DM had been doing it for over 20 years!
I am now up to the Tides of Dread and we are having a blast! I fumble around for the rules more than he did but everybody loves my enthusiasm and it is working out great.
It is well written story and that helps. Don't be afraid to make up details that are not included, play it loose and improvise if you can not find it in the material. (Just take notes of what you made up :)
Good Luck and have fun!
Thanks for the tips, everyone!
I was a little nervous going into tonight, but I feel like it went very well. I thought that they had all finished their characters, but they had merely thought up "concepts." So it worked out well for us all to contribute to the character creation process.
So far, all they've managed to do is get to the Vanderboren manor and hear Lavinia's pitch.
There was so much good role-play going on in just meeting each other and dealing with Kora that I didn't want to stop it.
So they're aware that they need to go down to the Blue Nixie and recover the ring and some money. They are suspicious of the Jade Ravens. There's a lot of good inter-party discussion...
I think this is going to work.
Thanks for the tips! And if you have more, keep 'em coming!
Sounds like a good start for your very first session TracerBullet42!
The STAP can take a little over a year for those who opt more for carnage and less for RP, considerably longer with lots of RP (especially improvised) and interaction. Each group of course does it differently.
May all your hits be crits ! (And I suppose that can go for your players too ...) ^_^
My tip: Don't read too much here. At least, don't take what you read too seriously.
The scenarios are very well written. They remove many complications from the DM if run just as written. Changing or "improving" it in various ways can add lots of complications.
So, by all means, read what is written here and be prepared for it, but don't introduce most of the changes suggested here; it can really mess up your game if you are not completely on top of things.
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To be honest, I think this is probably the absolute best way to start a DM career. The AP is great, the modules are clear and well written, the story line is good, the characters are there.
Beyond that, the support to be found is pretty much top shelf. The guys here offer a ton of advice and support. Read it, take what you like, discard the rest.
My personal recommendations are that you pick up a copy of Stormwrack before you get to Sea Wyvern's Wake (issue 3) at the latest. It will add a lot. Urge your PC's to consider their environment, and let them know that aquatic and nautical themes will figure heavily into the AP. Warn them about sinking in heavy armor. Stress the importance of skills such as Balance, Use Rope, Prof-Sailor, Swimming, and so on. If your players choose to ignore that, fine, but then at least they can say they were warned.
Make sure all the players have a chance to look over the "Savage Tide Player's Guide". Those that are from Sasserine should know the city relatively well. Those from outside may know some or all depending on how long they've been there.
Other than that, don't stress on the details. Be willing and prepared to improvise on the fly. Sometimes the script has to be changed in an RPG, and the DM is there to make sure that the changes still make sense and still get the story told.
Even with premade stuff like this though, you have to be prepared. Read the entire issue of the adventure you're on, AT LEAST, and more if you have time. Have your monsters prepared. If you're using minis and other props, have them ready. Make notes. Ask Q's here if you have them, there are DM's hanging out here who are way ahead of you (and me) on the AP and will be able to give sound advice.
Most of all, have fun. The players will know quickly if the DM is having fun or not, and if you aren't they won't either. And if nobody's having fun, why are you playing? :)
It sounds like the first night went well. Don't be surprised when on some nights, everything seems to take longer than you anticipated, and on other nights, you fly right through where you expected them to be able to get. By all means, allow the in-game conversation and character interaction, you will likely see a lot of that early on. The only time you will want to interrupt that will be during time-sensitive pressure situations, such as during combat when the PC's can't all work out all the details of each other's actions because there's no in-game time for that sort of thing. Otherwise, be very loose with the reins and let the players dictate the pace.
Hope that helps. :)
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my recommendations: read the adventures thoroughly, probably a couple of times each, before trying to run them.
be aware of the "choke points" and potential "tpk points"
some things i have noticed:
in There is No Honor, if they get a hold of that croc, the party wins. wild empathy, charm animal, whatever. be prepared for that.
In bullywug gambit, try try try to keep harliss alive. not to the point of deus ex machina or just making it happen, but its so much cooler if she lives.
in Sea Wyverns Wake, watch out for that flotsam ooze. it can easily kill pc's without a chance to get away. also, the fights w/ assassin vines will bog you down, but without them the plant-creatures are pushovers.
In Here There Be Monsters, if the party has Ray of Stupidity (more than 1 or 2 castings, at least), they will breeze through. Also, consider changing the trap/puzzle room in the Temple of big-D...it stumped and angered my players for over an hour in real-time. Or, consider giving clues as to its function.
Tides of Dread is super fun, and if they work hard to defend/build up farshore, life will be sweet for you all in the next couple of adventures. just watch out for "i smash the black pearl" actions at the end of the fight. almost happened to me, AFTER V had been killed.
Lightless Depths and City of Broken Idols are pretty much just classic dungeon crawls. watchout for parties that can teleport a lot, or that have blindsight/touchsight. that makes it a bit easier on them.
And, starting the Serpents of Scuttlecove...be careful how you decribe Scuttlecove and the levels of depravity there. my party wants to torch the whole town, and could probably survive the EL 22 fight that would bring...especially since they've already taken out the Leech.
well, those are my bullet points...have fun with the NPC's and you'll be set.
-the hamster
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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in There is No Honor, if they get a hold of that croc, the party wins. wild empathy, charm animal, whatever. be prepared for that.
-the hamster
Oooh - never thought of that! Running it tonight - they're in the lair and unnoticed so far (they went in by the water and got rid of the ixits).
/runs to read up on wild empathy checks
