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So, I'm a new PFS GM and with a few games (store and home) under my belt now I feel confident that things are moving in the right direction. My rules-fu is getting stronger with each game, I'm finding ways to be better prepared and overall my GM-fu is stronger than it was before I started PFS GM-ing. The various GM threads here (Painlord I'm looking at you) have been particularly helpful.
But the biggest problem facing me today is that the games usually run longer. In fact most games run over by an hour or so. While that isn't such a catastrophe for home games it is problematic for store games, though so far the store games I've run have been held where time isn't such an issue.
Now however, the games are moving over to Sundays when my local store is only open from 13-17, meaning that the games simply cannot run longer.
What can I do to speed things up without ruining the game experience?
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I'm a new PFS GM too. In my limited experience this is what has helped me:
1. Have maps drawn out in advance
2. When in combat, let players know who is next up in the initiative order.
3. If a player is taking forever (> 1 minute) to decide on an action, put them in Delay, and move on. When they figure out what they want to do, they can jump back into the action.
4. Prepare before the session. Look up any spells, or items you aren't familiar with and keep a cheat sheet. Become familiar with the NPCs and decide beforehand how they are going to act in combat.
I'm interested in seeing other people's ideas too!
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Some of the things I do
I create initiative cards for my NPCs ... simple format:
Name AC HP init
Melee weapon
Ranged weapon
Dr/space (if different)
Special stuff
1 2 3 4
Use a 3x5 notecard, this gives you all your basic information at a glace ... for spells just make a note and then look those up as needed, if you can multitask GM that helps, or make a cheatsheet/card with the spells you think you're going to want to use.
Have the maps done and ready to go .. you lose the players attention if you have to stop and draw out a protion of the map
Highligh important parts of the scenario .. different colored highlighters work well for this, my tactic is:
pink/blue - bits of the scenario background I want to try and include
purple- faction missions
green-- DCs
orange - dialog hidden in the text (annoying pet peeve and hopefully the devs will squash that)
Don't dawdle over un-important-to-current-event rules lawyers. For the ones that want to argue over the minutia of a wording, if it doesn' matter tell them you're happy to discuss it afterwareds, but as it isn't going to impact this specific instance you're moving on. If they continue to argue continue to shut them down with discussing it after the game... final wording can be "I'm the GM and I already made the call, I know you don't like it, the coordinator of our gameday is sitting over there" (if you're the coordinator you have double the power)
Regional Venture-Coordinator, Mediterranean
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I must admit (confess?) that I'm renowned for running over. I run combats at a good pace, have good rules knowledge and don't let rules arguments go on for too long. But I still end up running over time.
Looking at my GMing style, part of it is clearly that I give too detailed descriptions. I also find for PFS I spend a lot of time on the V-C briefing and I probably give the players too much time to get prepared and organised. So I would recommend getting things off to a brisk start and into the meat of the adventure.
Also recognise when things don't need much time spent on them. "It takes you two weeks hacking your way through the humid Mwangi jungle before you arrive at..."
If somebody wants to shop for items or chase down some information via contacts then you don't need to spend any time on that. Concentrate on the important things that the whole party are involved in.
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 8
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Tips I use to speed up combat:
1. Know exactly what my monsters are going to do before they go, then have them do it expediently on my turn, only explaining as much as I need to the PCs. "The ghoul runs past the fighter to the cleric, trying to kill the source of that holy energy. He does so wildly, and provokes an attack of opportunity. Player X, take your attack."
2. Have a feel for character's stats. Namely their bonuses to hit. This is great for speeding up combat with the players that are slower at math. If you see the barbarian roll above a ten when fighting a zombie, it hits. If he hits, it dies. It has four health, he has a raging strength of 24. You don't need to wait for him to do the math. The monster explodes. And remember to be polite when you "do math" for other people; you're goal isn't to make them feel bad, but to make things speed up a bit.
3. Know what to expect from your players. See what classes they are when they sit down, ask what spells they have prepared, and be ready for what they'll be doing. Nothing drags out a game like having a player do something the GM was not prepared for, and the GM taking the time to sift through various rulebooks at the table to make sure it's kosher. Although sometimes, you do need to know where that +40 to Intimidate comes from.
4. Develop a system for managing combat that works for you. You have a handful of parts that comprise any given combat. Perfecting each of them makes the entire process easier.
- Initiative: Getting initiative from your players can be a shouting match. I tend to ask "who got above a 25? who got above a 20?" etc. Adding people as they speak up. This gets your information and puts them in the right order from the get go. I also place their names on cards, and have the initiative order laid out in front of me, viewable to players, so they can see when they are coming up. If someone holds or readies, you just move their card.
- Monster abilities: Since you've read over the game beforehand, you know what your minions have going for them. Use those abilities, know the DCs, the +to hit, and the damage. Know their senses, and know their strategy. Slow monster actions mean a slow combat too.
- Debuff tracking: Buy a set of these. Its the best purchase I've made for my games. Managing conditions is also time consuming, so having a reference and a reminder to the player in the same item is a must. Hand em out to the people that are entangled and then you too can remember whats going on.
- Buff tracking: When combats go long, it's important to know things like how many rounds of Haste are left. For me, whenever a spell that lasts 10 rounds or less is cast, I write it down on the map and put a d10 next to it. As we go through the rounds, I spin the die down in front of the players, as a reminder to everyone that Bless is almost up, or whatever. You don't want to get in arguments with PCs when you say, "Sorry, that spell actually ran out a couple rounds ago."
Overall, it's just about learning more about the game every time you GM. The more you do it, the better you get. And the more you prepare, the better it will go.
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4. Develop a system for managing combat that works for you. You have a handful of parts that comprise any given combat. Perfecting each of them makes the entire process easier.
- Initiative: Getting initiative from your players can be a shouting match. I tend to ask "who got above a 25? who got above a 20?" etc. Adding people as they speak up. This gets your information and puts them in the right order from the get go. I also place their names on cards, and have the initiative order laid out in front of me, viewable to players, so they can see when they are coming up. If someone holds or readies, you just move their card.
I do the notecards for initiative as well ... simply character name (or name you wish to be called ... and yes .. I had one put Lover boy on there) and their init modifier so if there is a tie i know who goes first. ... as i'm going thru i'll let them know when they are up next
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RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 8
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I do the notecards for initiative as well ... simply character name (or name you wish to be called ... and yes .. I had one put Lover boy on there) and their init modifier so if there is a tie i know who goes first. ... as i'm going thru i'll let them know when they are up next4. Develop a system for managing combat that works for you. You have a handful of parts that comprise any given combat. Perfecting each of them makes the entire process easier.
- Initiative: Getting initiative from your players can be a shouting match. I tend to ask "who got above a 25? who got above a 20?" etc. Adding people as they speak up. This gets your information and puts them in the right order from the get go. I also place their names on cards, and have the initiative order laid out in front of me, viewable to players, so they can see when they are coming up. If someone holds or readies, you just move their card.
Yea, I like my cards more than the Gamemastery board way of doing it, which is a shame because I am totally on board for giving them more money -- they make some solid stuff. I also like letting the player's know when they go -- I know that when I play the first question I usually ask the second round of combat (since I wouldn't really know on the first round) is when player X goes in relation to me. All of my Int > 10 characters like planning out their actions.
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Yea, I like my cards more than the Gamemastery board way of doing it, which is a shame because I am totally on board for giving them more money -- they make some solid stuff. I also like letting the player's know when they go -- I know that when I play the first question I usually ask the second round of combat (since I wouldn't really know on the first round) is when player X goes in relation to me. All of my Int > 10 characters like planning out their actions.I do the notecards for initiative as well ... simply character name (or name you wish to be called ... and yes .. I had one put Lover boy on there) and their init modifier so if there is a tie i know who goes first. ... as i'm going thru i'll let them know when they are up next4. Develop a system for managing combat that works for you. You have a handful of parts that comprise any given combat. Perfecting each of them makes the entire process easier.
- Initiative: Getting initiative from your players can be a shouting match. I tend to ask "who got above a 25? who got above a 20?" etc. Adding people as they speak up. This gets your information and puts them in the right order from the get go. I also place their names on cards, and have the initiative order laid out in front of me, viewable to players, so they can see when they are coming up. If someone holds or readies, you just move their card.
Agreed lol
Now if they ever started making Paizo branded initiative cards .. I'd be sunk, I'd have to have them
Venture-Captain, Michigan—Mt. Pleasant
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I usually use THESE for my initiative tracking. I find that cards work better than the board, and since I have a ton of them already made up from back in 3.5 days, some I can re-use with a few tweaks.
Not much more I can add to this. One other thing I do that I don't know if it speeds up anything or not, but I hand out mission sheets. They're one page sheets that have the name of the mod usually, who gave the mission, where you started, and where your goal is. Then I include a brief description of the location they're going to (something they could learn with a 10 Knowledge check) as well as a brief synopsis of their mission goals, making sure to put names of people and places that they might need. The bottom I leave space for notes if anyone wants to take any. This allows them to quickly remember the mission facts, and its a subtle hint to take notes which many would find useful, but most don't do.
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Well, I would think the first step is identifying WHY scenarios are running long. Do your players get side-tracked easily and like to chit-chat about non-game related stuff during the game? Are they not prepared for their turn in combat when it comes up? Are you having to stop and look up a lot of rules all the time, for yourself or for your player? Solutions to some of these issues have already been offered (ie, if people are taking too long to decide what to do on their turn, have them delay if they don't decide after 30 seconds.) Here are some other tips that have helped me run games in or under the standard timeframe.
1) Don't let players get side-tracked with non-PFS stuff. If a couple of them start rambling about something off-topic, simply say, "Hey guys, let's get back to the game now." If someone interrupts you (or someone else) when you are describing a room or what's happening, ask them to please be quiet until you're done. If players are talking about what someone should be doing and it's the middle of combat, remind them that a round only lasts 6 seconds and there's only so much "planning" they can be doing during combat. I know talking is a free action but if players are taking 5 minutes to decide among themselves what the current PC should be doing, I put my foot down and tell everyone except the player whose turn it is to be quiet. This is even more prevalent if players are talking but their PCs have no way to communicate, ie if they're in different rooms and can't hear each other, if one PC is deaf, etc. Remind everyone that the game needs to get done by X:xx time and that they are all free to talk afterword, but for the moment, the scenario needs to go on.
2) This may seem counter-productive but can actually benefit in the longrun: Offer everyone a break once every hour or two. This way, people aren't randomly getting up to go to the bathroom, take a smoke break, get a drink, etc. which can interrupt combat or cause you to have to wait before describing the next room or encounter. You can use this time to draw maps, go over the next encounter, or look up rules that were disputed earlier, if you yourself don't need a break.
3) As a GM, make sure you prep the scenarios thoroughly. This does not mean just reading the scenario itself; if an enemy has a spell, feat, or other ability that you are unfamiliar with, make sure you look it up before the game and become familiar with it. Have an understanding, in your mind, how traps, combats, etc. are supposed to play out. Have all the materials you need and know where to look for them if you need to reference something (ie, have all the bestiaries you'll need for monster stats, the CRB or APG to look up a feat or spell, etc.)
4) If a player is arguing or disputing a rule, tell them to look it up themselves. Do not stop the flow of the game for them. If it's their turn in combat and the resolution of their turn involves the rule in question, have them delay their turn until they find the rule and show it to you.
5) Usually hard copies of books, character sheets, etc. are easier to flip through than PDFs. This may not be the case for everyone, but for me personally, it's much faster for me to grab a CRB and flip to the Magic section to look up the duration of Silent Image than it would be for me to unlock my tablet, find the correct PDF, then scroll to the correct page. If your players are taking a long time using electronic devices to look things up or track resources, ask them to try doing it the old-fashioned way to see if that helps speed things up.
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RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 8
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I usually use THESE for my initiative tracking. I find that cards work better than the board, and since I have a ton of them already made up from back in 3.5 days, some I can re-use with a few tweaks.
Wow, those are awesome. I don't ask for more than a name from my players or I'd gobble these up. I'll definitely be spreading the word to my local GMs though.
Thanks Eric!
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I usually use THESE for my initiative tracking. I find that cards work better than the board, and since I have a ton of them already made up from back in 3.5 days, some I can re-use with a few tweaks.
Not much more I can add to this. One other thing I do that I don't know if it speeds up anything or not, but I hand out mission sheets. They're one page sheets that have the name of the mod usually, who gave the mission, where you started, and where your goal is. Then I include a brief description of the location they're going to (something they could learn with a 10 Knowledge check) as well as a brief synopsis of their mission goals, making sure to put names of people and places that they might need. The bottom I leave space for notes if anyone wants to take any. This allows them to quickly remember the mission facts, and its a subtle hint to take notes which many would find useful, but most don't do.
hrmm ...I'll have to take a look at those when i get home tonight
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Venture-Captain, Michigan—Mt. Pleasant
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I usually use THESE for my initiative tracking. I find that cards work better than the board, and since I have a ton of them already made up from back in 3.5 days, some I can re-use with a few tweaks.Wow, those are awesome. I don't ask for more than a name from my players or I'd gobble these up. I'll definitely be spreading the word to my local GMs though.
Thanks Eric!
Yeah, as I said I've used them for years and loved them. I tried them at a con this last winter, and they worked good. It allowed me to be able to look at their stats at a glance and make skill checks or saves in private if needed. It took a little time for them to fill them out, but that time I used in setting up my stuff and getting things ready on my side. Even with the time it took to fill those out, every single slot I ran ended early, and I think those cards had a bit to do with it.
If you've got the time, being able to fill out the monster cards saves a ton of time during the scenario. You've got all their stats right there, and many times in the scenario you have to flip back and forth for their info. The cards definitely save time there.
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So, I'm a new PFS GM and with a few games (store and home) under my belt now I feel confident that things are moving in the right direction. My rules-fu is getting stronger with each game, I'm finding ways to be better prepared and overall my GM-fu is stronger than it was before I started PFS GM-ing. The various GM threads here (Painlord I'm looking at you) have been particularly helpful.
But the biggest problem facing me today is that the games usually run longer. In fact most games run over by an hour or so. While that isn't such a catastrophe for home games it is problematic for store games, though so far the store games I've run have been held where time isn't such an issue.
Now however, the games are moving over to Sundays when my local store is only open from 13-17, meaning that the games simply cannot run longer.
What can I do to speed things up without ruining the game experience?
Number 1: Cut combats short
There's a point during combat where the characters have clearly won, but one or two of the enemy minions is still standing. Go ahead and state the combat is over. Over the course of three or four combats you just saved an hour right there.Number 2: Optional combats
Some (not all) scenarios have one combat encounter that can be cut entirely. Those encounters are usually marked in the text as being optional.
Number 3: Initiative Management
Say this on every player's turn (including the GM's turn):
GM: Allen, you're up. Joe, you're going to be after Allen so start thinking about what you're going to do for your action.
Number 4: Cut Rules-lookup
Don't stop the action and spend time time doing rule-lookups (the exception being character death). Make the best ruling you can on the spot and move on. Inform the players you'll be more than happy to research the rules after the game and discuss the issue then.
-Perry
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Venture-Captain, Arizona—Tucson
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To speed things up, predrawing maps and organizing minis are the two things that I've found make the most difference. I'll also preroll my villains' initiatives.
Having just the right miniatures all carefully organized, the maps prepared, and the initiatives ready all saves time, but more importantly, it convinces players not to dawdle when their turn comes.
I often use post-it notes to bookmark monsters, abilities, or spells that might come up during play.
There are some short cuts you can use to make fights go faster. If you're good at describing a scene without using battlemats, you might run the fight "old school", skipping the use of minis. Keep the players oriented by providing specific details or use appropriate drawings and pictures as visual aids. You need to have a clear picture in your mind's eye and err on the side of generosity when players ask questions about areas of effect or ranges. Be flexible!
If a rule dispute comes up, you can often just roll and move on without solving it. Don't know whether that attack does a d8+1 or d6+1? Roll a D6: If the attack still does enough to drop the target, it doesn't matter! Not sure whether cover applies to the PC's attack? Have him roll before you argue about it: If he rolls more than 4 points too high or low, the cover wouldn't matter. The player can then look up the relevant rule while the next player goes.
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Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
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I'd just like to add one more thing I've picked up from one of our local GMs: try to keep strategy discussions out of the player's turn. When it's time for Joe to make his move, Joe's the only guy who gets to tell the GM what he's doing - nobody else gets to make suggestions. Joe can ask other players for advice, of course, but if that takes too long he'll have to delay.
The GM has an extra initiative card for group discussions, so once a round everybody gets to pool ideas for a short while. Players can discuss things themselves during the round, but only as long as it is done quietly, and not when it's their turn.
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A lot is already mentioned here
One additional thing I do - I have a whole stack of multiple colours dice and a dice tray.
Sometimes up to 10 dice go in at once. The trick is to know which is which.
Claw, claw, bite, talon would be 2 of the darkest D20, followed by 2 different coloured d20 (the lighter of the 2 is the bite) and corresponding coloured damage dice. I take care to have them ready when it is my turn.
5 zombies - just the same - clockwise goes the darkest dice first starting with black and so on.
It might not be much but it easily adds up to ten or fifteen minutes saved time.
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Simple easy time saver...
roll as many of your dice as you can at once. Teach other people to do this too.
Even if this is just a D20 (to hit) and a d4 (damage).
Imo, this isnt worth the effort. It only works well for when a character is only taking one attack or if they have color coded dice. If they have an assortment of dice colors/styles and are rolling multiple attacks, you have no idea which damage dice go with the attack that hit, or which ones go with the one that missed.
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Imo, this isnt worth the effort. It only works well for when a character is only taking one attack or if they have color coded dice. If they have an assortment of dice colors/styles and are rolling multiple attacks, you have no idea which damage dice go with the attack that hit, or which ones go with the one that missed.
My "Favorite" Method of this someone used while I was GMing (until I stopped it) was he based which die went to what on how far away they rolled from him.... grrrr.
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RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 8
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My "Favorite" Method of this someone used while I was GMing (until I stopped it) was he based which die went to what on how far away they rolled from him.... grrrr.
It's funny, I do this when I GM sometimes -- but it's ok, because I trust myself. I'd never do it as a player though.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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There's some great advice in this thread.
Other things I do:
* I fill out as much of the Chronicle sheet as possible before the players get to the table: Event code, Date, GM number and signature, GM initials down the right side. Maybe even subtier, if I know that.
* Have each player pre-roll five initiative rolls and record them on a 3x5 index card, before the game starts. That way, when combat starts, I put the cards in order and we just go.
* I also have players roll their PCs' Day Job rolls before the adventure starts. They don't get access to the Day Job gold till the end of the adventure, but it allows me to talk one-on-one with every player at the start of the game, everybody gets to cheer everybody else's rolls, and there isn't as much confusion when the session ends.
The index cards, the day job rolls, and the tracking sheet all get taken care of at once.
Here's my Big Piece of Advice that you probably won't follow: record one of your sessions, and then play it back and watch what's going on with an eye towards what's taking forever. I did this, and found out that I was wasting time looking spells up in the rulebook, and spent a lot of time fumbling around my case for miniatures.
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I usually make index cards, hand them out at the beginning so players put on their names, Perception and whatever else we need for the scenario (I like to keep it simple).
On the back they write what they bought so at the end its easier to fill in the chronicles.
When the combat starts, I ask each what their Ini roll is and scribble it on their index card (on the side), arrange in order and we're good to go - much easier than the shouting of numbers all around and I can look up fast if I need a passive Perc or something (helps with immersion)
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Making combat run faster:
1) When I have time to prep, I pre-roll enemy initiative.
1a) I track initiative using index cards, or sometimes using Hero Lab (for the home game where I have everyone's sheets loaded ahead of time) or just a quick Excel spreadsheet.
2) At the end of every fight, I pass out initiative cards and have the players pre-roll their initiative for the next fight. I haven't yet had an issue with metagaming/cheating due to this, but I suppose it's possible.
3) Have notes on the cards to remind me of tactics for the first couple rounds. (e.g. Round 1- cast Color Spray on bunched up PCs. Round 2- Summon 1d3 Fiendish Riding Dogs behind party)
4) Sometimes I pre-draw maps. I'm a fan of wrapping paper (the kind with the 1-inch grid on the back for easy cutting).
Making combat more dynamic:
1) Have the enemies call out to each other like PCs do. "Move around to flank the fighter." "Focus on the mage." "Don't let that one slip by you." It adds life to the enemies, without taking any extra time.
Making roleplay/exploring flow better:
1) If you don't have time to prep before hand, be honest about that to the players. It's better to have frequent "breaks" to give you time to read and re-read the next section, than to have to sit through you trying to muddle through it without having a chance to read ahead.
2) When you have time to prep, highlight key information you want the PCs to know. This makes it easier to work it into your descriptions and makes it less likely you'll forget to mention something important.
3) Instead of calling generally for actions/skill checks and giving the spotlight to whoever spoke first/loudest, go around the table in order asking each player if there is some action the PC wants to take. Resolve one action, then move on to the next person. This works especially well if the PCs are splitting up to gather information or shop. Let them "delay" if their action is dependent upon someone else. This helps make sure everyone gets some screen time, but it keeps things moving.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Don't be afraid to push players a bit if they are slow, gently encourage slow/ indecisive players to keep the game moving. Tell them outright the timeslot is tight and you are concerned about finishing. Don't be afraid to put someone indecisive in delay.
Often it's better to be fast than precise. You can often get away with shortcuts or rough tracking on unimportant creatures/ events. If there are mooks with 20 hit points and your players are deal 10 hit points damage, it's important to remember that guy is injured, but exact damage count is less critical. Take a quick mental note and move on. There are a lot of unimportant details in the game which you can rough in to save time.
If you didn't predraw maps, try to focus on drawing tactical elements only and ignore map bits which won't get used. It's usually not very important if the room is drawn precisely so long as the major tactical situation is preserved. No-one is going to notice if it's a 60' radius or a 65' radius circle, they are going to notice if the BBEG is on a balcony that is 20' above the party or they have to cross difficult terrain to reach him.
If you struggled for time the previous session then plan on skipping the optional encounter from the start. Then you don't have the little mental confusion of shifting gears mid-game.
If the players are discussing something that only requires part of your attention, take advantage of that time. Start working on the next map, make NPC Perception/ Initiative rolls, skim your next stat block, scan the next room description for faction missions... lots of things you can be doing while waiting for the players.
Lots of great suggestions here... in general though, prep-work is probably your biggest time saver. Anything you can do before you sit at the table is going to save you time.
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Lots of good stuff here that I also do.
One thing I've started doing -- if you don't need to draw it, don't. Do you need to map the foyer, empty storeroom and long hallway before the entering the plot-critical and combat-likely Great Hall? No. I can always backmap things if needed, but unless needed for spatial clarity or tactical reasons, I pass on drawing it.
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RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 8
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Lots of good stuff here that I also do.
One thing I've started doing -- if you don't need to draw it, don't. Do you need to map the foyer, empty storeroom and long hallway before the entering the plot-critical and combat-likely Great Hall? No. I can always backmap things if needed, but unless needed for spatial clarity or tactical reasons, I pass on drawing it.
I kept forgetting this at Paizocon...
Damn you Portal of the Sacred Rune!!