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This Friday, I'm starting my very first campaign (with Crypt of the Everflame) and I'm worried I don't know how to prepare adequately. Every GM I've ever played with had piles of notes-- what do I write out beforehand? Should I write out every encounter? A full script?
And what else do I need to know that I'm not even aware of?
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This Friday, I'm starting my very first campaign (with Crypt of the Everflame) and I'm worried I don't know how to prepare adequately. Every GM I've ever played with had piles of notes-- what do I write out beforehand? Should I write out every encounter? A full script?
And what else do I need to know that I'm not even aware of?
I have one player in particular who always catches me off guard. He will ask those questions that only one in a dozen players will. Just relax it is going to happen. With that said, I started using note cards to help. Got a quick few lines to read to the PCs; make a card. Got places, times, dates, go ahead make a card. Sometimes I will even make cards to give to the players so they don't forget names and places and ask me every time it is brought up to remind them again :).
Do you use a laptop? I open up all kinds of programs ahead of time when I use my Asus. It has really changed the way I GM. I know some people are not keen on the idea so I just thought I would ask. If you dont it helps to mark pages from sources you may need such as the bestiary before the game for quick reference.
This Friday, I'm starting my very first campaign (with Crypt of the Everflame) and I'm worried I don't know how to prepare adequately. Every GM I've ever played with had piles of notes-- what do I write out beforehand? Should I write out every encounter? A full script?
And what else do I need to know that I'm not even aware of?
if you've got some free cash, buy Hero Lab and make dudes to have ready
notecards are also awesome
just make sure you have an idea of how the storyline should go, and then you should be able to wing everything else pretty easily
This Friday, I'm starting my very first campaign (with Crypt of the Everflame) and I'm worried I don't know how to prepare adequately. Every GM I've ever played with had piles of notes-- what do I write out beforehand? Should I write out every encounter? A full script?
And what else do I need to know that I'm not even aware of?
You have a module. You already have notes on every encounter. Just look over the stats from the beastiary to familiarize yourself with the monsters and what they can do. Then read and re-read the module. That's your prep work in a nutshell "Know Thy Module"
The gm's with piles of notes were either writing their own "module" or just writing reminders for themselves. If you want to remember something for later, write it down! if not? Don't!
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You have a module. You already have notes on every encounter. Just look over the stats from the beastiary to familiarize yourself with the monsters and what they can do. Then read and re-read the module. That's your prep work in a nutshell "Know Thy Module"The gm's with piles of notes were either writing their own "module" or just writing reminders for themselves. If you want to remember something for later, write it down! if not? Don't!
+1000 to this.
Crypt of the Everflame is a great module to start with because all of the monster statblocks are worked into the adventure right where you need them. Flipping through the book(s) looking for information can slow down a lot of novice (and seasoned) GMs, so this is a great help.
The best advice I can give is to read the module at least 2 or 3 times. When you think you have the whole thing memorized, read it again! As for notetaking, one simple but helpful thing to do is a list of events/scenes in sequential order. (Or sequential order prior to player intervention.) Jot down anything you need to remember as well as the page number that the information for that event is on. Being able to find your place quickly is especially helpful when players don't attack the adventure in the order the module assumes that they will.
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Once you have made or bought your main adventure...I always make up some "pull them out of your butt" emergency items. These can help you if you get in a bind due to players throwing you a "curve ball" or doing something really unexpected.
For instance:
Several NPCs with a few memorable personality or physical traits to use if you need one for some reason..
A table of random noises they might hear when on watch or entering a new area
A table of random tracks they might see if they start looking for them.
A list of different names in case you have to make one up quick.
A short list of interesting creatures you can throw in somewhere if you need an encounter. For instance, if your group spends 30 mins of real time arguing about something stupid, it might just be time for one of these to wander by.
A short list of strange items that can be inserted somewhere, like a perfectly clean, brand new bottle of wine, an altar decoration, etc. Something that looks out of place. If you want the PCs to search an area or pay attention to something that they are just breezing through, you can stick this item in there to get their attention. You don't even need a reason for it to be there, they might never find out even if you had a good one.
The really cool thing is, the strange powers of coincidence can often make these random things connect together in strange ways.
The whole mess seems daunting at first but you'll find that groove. I'm sure your players understand and will be forgiving while you calibrate your DMing style.
The really cool thing is, the strange powers of coincidence can often make these random things connect together in strange ways.
Quoted for truth.
Sprinkling that extra level of detail and randomness does great, great things for your game. It's all about making the routine extraordinary while not overdoing it. It is sort of a balancing or juggling act: too little and players zoom by ignoring stuff and too much and your players get confused and you get lost in the details.
Who knows what will transpire when your party meets Boris the racist dwarven blacksmith or a newly scribed version of "Pilfrey's Potent Potables: An Alchemist's Guide to Cocktails Vol. 1"
This Friday, I'm starting my very first campaign (with Crypt of the Everflame) and I'm worried I don't know how to prepare adequately. Every GM I've ever played with had piles of notes-- what do I write out beforehand? Should I write out every encounter? A full script?
And what else do I need to know that I'm not even aware of?
The amount of notes needed and what to write down varies from GM to GM. I am good at memorizing an adventure, but the minor details get by me so if the writer of the module has a module specific thing that is writer-Fiat I may have to make a note of it.
Notes? What are those? I've been DM/GMing off and on for close to 15 years and rarely have more then a mostly empty 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper containing page numbers... if that. Although once I had a laptop I shifted very quickly to digital notes, not that I added much more.
A prewritten adventure is a good place to start as all those "notes" many GMs have are typically their own home-brew notes for custom adventures. Prewritten adventures do most of that for you. The primary reasons to have notes are things you thing you may need to look up during play. Are there any rules that the monsters/creatures use in the adventure that you are unsure of (that includes spells and spell effects)? Are there any traps or set pieces that require skill checks you not quite sure of?
Basically read the module and "note" things that confuse. Then go look them up and write down the page numbers at minimum.
As has been said every GM has their own style just as every person is different. For me as a generally "improvisational" GM is to have rules and guidelines ready to hand for odd things players want to do. It's why I love the Chase, Camp, Caravan, and Kingdom rules Paizo has been producing. If the players want to fly off the cuff and start chasing down chickens I've to rules I can draw on quick.
Back when I was in dance classes I learned an important rule of performing on any stage. The audience doesn't know the script/routine. If you do happen to mess up, run with it as best you can and get back to what you're supposed to be doing. The worst thing is to stop and correct. From talking with thespian friends same applies, also same applies to presentations.
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If you have access to the old Dungeon magazines, there are some excellent articles in the back that used to be just such items. Called things like Holy Sites, Mythic Locales, I stole What?, and such, they provided lists of random things to plug into your game. Personally I prefer to make my own so they tie in better with the storyline, but these are a good stopgap measure until you feel more confident in prepping for each game.
If its any consolation, I have been GMing since the mid 70s and I still sit down an hour before the game and try to figure out what I might need for the game and get it together beforehand, so fretting about the game never goes away really. The only thing that changes is you eventually know you could sit down behind the screen with a few sheets of blank paper, scribble down a few thoughts, and pull an entire's evenings adventure out of thin air and your players would never know.
Pathfinder Chronicles Podcast #1 covers Crypt of the Everflame well. It is worth listening to as they address some problems with the mod, and it will give you a good idea what to expect.
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But key is having the confidence to look at them with a straight face and BS your way through. And the best way to do that is to know the mod.
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He is 100% correct, that is how I run my games. The confidence will take some time to build up, but knowing the Mod before running it helps a whole s*** load, when you do run it and helps build some of the confidence.