Thinking about GMing for the first time

[Cyxodus]

I've played Pathfinder on and off since summer of last year and I'm thinking about GMing for the first time.

How hard is it? Keep in mind that I'm still learning the rules. What books do I need? I have The Core Rulebook and APG.

The scenarios I'v played are:

Season 0

#0-01 Silent Tide (1-2) (4-5)
#0-02 The Hydra's Fang Incident (1-2) (4-5)
#0-05 Mists of Mwangi (1-2) (4-5)
#0-06 Black Waters (1-2) (4-5)
#0-17 Perils of the Pirate Pact (1-2) (3-4) (6-7)

Season 1

#1-29 The Devil We Know Part I - Shipyard Rats (1-2) (3-4) (6-7)
#1-30 The Devil We Know Part II - Cassomir's Locker (1-2) (3-4) (6-7)
#1-33 Assault on the Kingdom of the Impossible (1-2) (4-5)
#1-37 The Beggar's Pearl (1-2) (3-4) (6-7)
#1-43 The Pallid Plague (1-2) (3-4) (6-7)
#1-51 The City of Strangers Part I - Shadow Gambit (1-2) (3-4) (6-7)

Season 2

#2-01 Before the Dawn Part I - Bloodcove Disguise (1-2) (3-4) (6-7)
#2-02 Before the Dawn Part II - Rescue at Azlant Ridge (1-2) (3-4) (6-7)
#2-17 Shades of Ice Part II: Exiles of Winter (1-2) (4-5)
#2-19 Shades of Ice Part III: Keep of the Huskarl King (1-2) (4-5)

Season 3

Intro2 First Steps—Part II: To Delve the Dungeon Deep (1)
Intro3 First Steps—Part III: A Vision of Betrayal (1)

Modules

Module: Master of the Fallen Fortress (1)

Owned but Not Played

Module: We Be Goblins (1)
Intro1 First Steps—Part I: In Service to Lore (1)

Thanks in advance.

[WalterGM]

Whoa, you've played tons of games! As anyone here will be happy to tell you, it's not that difficult to GM a PFS game. The printouts provide basically all the information you need to run the game. First off, you should pick a scenario, probably one you played and enjoyed, as your first one to run. Then you should download it and read through it. Look for the encounters and see what books the creatures in them come from. A few require you to have the bestiary 1 or 2. If you don't, just print the creature's statistics off d20pfsrd or a similar site. In terms of becoming a better GM, that just takes time. My advice would be to GM for a table of veteran players, who can help you with the rules as you go, without using your inexperience to their advantage. If you want to bone up on some good PFS tips, Painlord has a couple of guides posted on these forums:

Core tenets for PFS
How to be a better judge for PFS

Just try and have fun with it and you'll do fine, especially if you're with familiar faces. Good luck!

[Thod]

There are situations where GMing can be difficult. But avoiding these - especially with PFS scenarios - it is very straight-forward.

Suggestion 1: run a scenario you have already played. It makes your job easier as you have seen the scenario being played.

Suggestion 2: look for a gaming group who is supportive of your first game on the other side of the screen.

Suggestion 3: If you feel comfortable having another experienced GM play at your table - and that GM can lean back - then take advantage of it. If something comes up you are not sure about - then you have someone to ask.

But most important

Suggestion 4 : just do it.

Good luck - and once I see a first star next to your name in a years time I know it worked out well.

Thod

[Painlord]

Yo Cyxodus--

I've judged about 50 PFS games and some number more of LG and related games and still have bouts of inconsistency and suckiness, but occasionally do good work.

What books do you need? The Core rulebook and the APG are pretty essential, along with the PFS Guide to Organized Play, but I believe you can get by without too many more at the judging table.

I have a bunch of thoughts here: How to be a PFS Judge.

As a coordinator, I am happy to begin pushing people to judge after they hit level 3 or 4. You have tons of experience to draw from and you should be fine.

Let me know if there are specific questions you have.

-Pain

[ThornDJL7]

You're lucky you don't game in Kalamazoo, MI. I would have already thrown you into the GM pool and seen if you could swim. lol

[Cyxodus]

Thanks everyone for the advice and encouragement. I'll be talking to the senior players at my game store about sitting in and helping out.

[Scribbling Rambler]

To clarify, you will need the Bestiary. Foes from the Bestiary will only be written in the scenario as "Horrendous Monster: Bestiary pg 500". Bestiary 2 monsters should have full descriptions included in the scenario. There are also some Bonus Bestiary monsters used.

The only thing to watch out for is that Season 0 scenarios use 3.5 monsters. So you need to check them out in a 3.5 Monster Manual (or SRD). If the PFRPG monster has the same CR, you can use the new version (tho it may not be spelled out, even if it is in the B2 or BB). If the CRs are different, use the 3.5 version. Or just avoid Season 0 for now.

Thanks for thinking about GMing. Now go for it!

[Red-Assassin]

My advice is carry Core and Bestiary book one. Inner Sea World guide is prehaps the single best PDF I have ever bought or owned. Pathfinder field society guide and seaker of secrets material should be read for the pure flavor and background. Run mods that you have played and prep, prep prep. Read and have handy marked etc... spells and monster abilities.

Nice mods to play first Steps. I would also choose some mods between level 1-5. Also consult your venture captain about mod availability. You may have to run a newer mod that no one in your area has played. I am not sure what type of players you have in your area but by level seven some PC's can be a maze of abilites, I would recommend starting at lower level.