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Hi Brian,
The simplest answer I could give you is:
1) Buy one of the scenarios. Plenty of people will give you advice on what's a good one to start with, but I'm a fan of the Blakros ones - Mists of Mwangi or Penumbral Accords (Voice in the Void is a decent one too, but more complex) because they're pretty simple for a newer GM.
2) Find some players.
3) Run the scenario for them.
4) Fill out their chronicle sheets. (Details for how to do this are in the Guide to Organized Play, available as a free download on this site.)
5) Report the game into the database.
That's pretty much it.
If you're playing public games at a store or somewhere else, then likely there's someone there who "coordinates" those games - that's the person who schedules the games and finds the GMs. If this is the case, then you're even luckier - just approach them and ask if you can GM. Most coordinators are ecstatic to have more GMs, and they can help you out as you prepare as well.
Whichever route you take, good luck! And thanks! The more people who GM in PFS, the better the community becomes.
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personally I like to use laser etched tiles, unfortunately their website seems to be defunct, but the link gives you an idea of what they have done in the past ..
Perhaps they'll be at gencon again this year.
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Thanks for the advice, my other question is about minis, i have some minis but nothing near whats needed for the games. do i need to have minis that look exactly like whats in the game or can i use a counter of sorts. Also any other tips or tricks that could help me out on my first game would be great.
So long as you have something (counters, Starburst candies, whatever) that allow your players to be able to distinguish between the different bad guys on the board, you should be just fine.
Other tips:
Read through the adventure several times before you run it.
Go through with a highlighter and mark anything which you might miss in quickly reading during the game (a saving throw that all PCs have to make, faction missions, etc.)
If you can, pre-draw or otherwise prepare the maps ahead of time.
Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
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i have some minis but nothing near whats needed for the games. do i need to have minis that look exactly like whats in the game or can i use a counter of sorts.
One of our local GMs has five little cartoon samurai figurines, which he uses as surrogates for whichever bad guys we're fighting that day. They're all different colors, and he has a D20 in a corresponding color for each of them, so he can roll a bunch of attacks at the same time.
I do much the same, although I'm using goblins from the Pathfinder miniature line as my generic Pathfinder monsters. I'll be picking up a few more variations once singles from the next set go on sale. Apart from that I've got a handful of humanoid figures (priestess, spellcaster, fighter, ...) I use for named opponents, but that's entirely optional.
Another GM has the Beginner Box set, which has a pretty good selection of pawns. And, of course, the Bestiary Box set will soon be released. But you shouldn't feel pressured to spend any more money than you choose to on accessories - your players are there to listen to you tell the story, not to look at the toys on the table.
I'll put more effort into appearance for special occasions - when I thought I was going to run a table for this year's "Free RPG Day" I did buy the set of figures that represented the opponents in that module. And when we had a walk-in playing a pregen at last week's FLGS session he really liked it when I loaned him the figure that matched the picture of his character on the pregen sheet (fortunately he decided to play the rogue, not the paladin ...). But, again, that's my choice - as a new GM you'll have more than enough other things you'll want to buy.
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Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
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[So long as you have something (counters, Starburst candies, whatever) that allow your players to be able to distinguish between the different bad guys on the board, you should be just fine.
Not only that - there's something strangely satisfying about being able to eat your opponent after you defeat them.
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i have some minis but nothing near whats needed for the games. do i need to have minis that look exactly like whats in the game or can i use a counter of sorts.One of our local GMs has five little cartoon samurai figurines, which he uses as surrogates for whichever bad guys we're fighting that day. They're all different colors, and he has a D20 in a corresponding color for each of them, so he can roll a bunch of attacks at the same time.
I think I know the guy. Game Kastle in Santa Clara?
I started GMing with nothing but 6 color-coded Munchkin pawns. They work easy enough for telling medium/small monsters apart by color. Though i've moved on to using the most appropriate Pathfinder/D&D mini for the named monsters, I tend to still use those pawns to keep mooks sorted out.
A note of caution : Magic the Gathering becomes rather a vicious game when counters are edible. Also, bring extra counters.
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Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
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One of our local GMs has five little cartoon samurai figurines . . .
I think I know the guy. Game Kastle in Santa Clara?
Yep, that's his regular PFS hangout.
He's got a whole bunch of other good tricks, too (many of which I've adopted). He's the GM who adds the extra "group discussion" card to the initiative stack, so that most of combat runs discussion-free (and much, much faster). He also hangs a list of responses to "how badly are you hurt?" off the back of his GM screen (running from 'just a scratch' for minor injuries, and all the way down to 'dying' or 'dead' - he recently added 'lunch' after somebody ended up on the wrong end of a very nasty critical). In-character discussion about healing, etc. is done in those terms, rather than using any immersion-breaking reference to hit points.
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Other tips:Read through the adventure several times before you run it.
Not just the adventure itself -- it's an excellent idea to look up any rules that you aren't familiar with, as well. If you don't know how a spell or feat that an NPC has works, look it up before the scenario. If the adventure requires players to make climb or jump checks, or takes place on or near water where they may have to make swim checks or do combat in/underwater, look those skills up, how they work, and what the DCs are for certain checks. Know where to look for all of these rules (what books/sections they're in) in case you need to reference back to them during the scenario for clarification.
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To me this serves as a reminder that as long as you keep learning and both the players and GM have fun, then rules mistakes here and there really don't matter all that much.
I completely agree with this. Feel very free to wing things a little. If a player knows the "correct" rule then go with it but nothing slows the game down more than spending 5 minutes looking up a weird edge case.
It may also be a good idea to let the players know that you're a comparatively new GM. This will cause most players to give you a little more slack and will (hopefully) cause them to sometimes give you a little gentle advice.
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Something I have found to be beneficial is to not look up everything you don't know.
Excellent point, Mike.
I DMed a PFS scenario yesterday...
In prepping the adventure, I noted a particular treasure item, with which I wasn't familiar. I looked it up, and discovered (as my players did when I ran the adventure) that it was, in fact, a hugely useful item within the adventure. Glad I knew that fact ahead of time! :-D
I started completely from scratch last week as a new VC, so here's what I did:
1) Download, print and bind six (6) copies of the Organized Play Guide. My friendly local office supply/copy store can do this for roughly USD$12.00.
2) Get eight (8) sets of inexpensive dice. I'll give props to Shane at Dark Elf Dice for getting me set up. I used a loop of paracord to make "dice corrals" for each of the seats. (About USD$24.00)
3) Download the "First Steps" series. Print off the scenario and put them in sheet protectors in a binder, and use wet-erase markers to make notes. Reprint and trim the handouts, etc. (About USD$8.00 for cheap binder and sheet protectors, I have stacks of markers at USD$4.00)
4) I also printed all the pregens and used the PRD to make "Spell Cards" for any items, spells, etc. for both the pregens and for any NPCs called for in the module. (Included in 3's cost.)
5) Get a big 1" grid easel pad, some lead pencils and a Black Sharpie. I drew all the maps this way, following the very helpful "Map Fu" article here: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.aspx?x=dnd/4dmxp/20120209 (USD$30 for the easel pad, USD$4.00 for all the pencils/Sharpies. I only used two sheets for the first scenario, so it will easily cover all three First Steps.)
6) I used pawns from the Beginner's Box (well worth the cost for just the pawns IMHO, but you can easily use colored Starbursts etc. as described above.)
7) Register the event as per the Organized Play Guide.
Not including the cost of the Beginner's Box for pawns or the books, I was up and running for:
12+24+12+34+30 = USD$84.00.
Running three scenarios with six people, that's less than $5 per player.
Some of the best "lessons learned" for me were:
1) Read the scenarios through multiple times.
2) Preplan for each and every spell and item by having it printed, on its own card, ready for use.
3) Keep everything in sheet protectors and use wet-erase markers.
4) Starburst make awesome pawns for hordes of monsters. You can number them with a Sharpie, they're color coordinated, inexpensive, and players love to chomp them as a reward for combat well done.
5) The Beginner's Box is awesome for having a pre-PFS adventure for new players to get them accustomed to the rules mechanics, for having a wicked grid sheet to work with, and for good pawns that carry you through until either spending lots of money on minis (it will happen) or until Paizo comes out with the Bestiary Box.
6) A simple sheet protector with a printed insert for lines 30 - 1 makes a handy, inexpensive initiative tracker. I made one for each player so they know when to go.
7) I put a "group discussion" initiative entry in there, just to keep things flowing in combat.
8) Venture-Captains are useful for figuring out how to do this. Props for Jon Cary at DFW for getting me started.
9) You are there to have fun. Keep it moving, use the GM fiat when needed, and enjoy yourself as storyteller/narrator. I love doing voice acting and making my NPCs memorable and hearing my players retell their adventures to others.
10) Jump into it. Don't get intimidated -- run the scenarios, roll with the punches, and try to hack it out as best you can. The rest will follow.
Best of luck!
-Rob
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Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
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Rob Duncan's post contains a lot of great ideas.
What I did, for First Steps part I, was to create my own pre-printed grid for the warehouse. I took the map from the PDF, cropped it slightly to 16x20, and printed it on cardstock in four 8x10 sections. I then taped them together so that it still folds up to 8x10.
I can't write on this (or, at least, I wouldn't be able to erase anything I wrote), so I've also got a half-scale version in a sheet protector in case I do need to note an area of effect or something like that.
I put the (liberally highlighted) printout of the scenario PDF in a report cover (I use ones that can take a 1/4" label on the spine), and put that (together with a two-pocket folder for chronicle sheets, player handouts & my crib sheets/notes) in a multi-pocket letter-size file box. You can get a box with around 20 pockets, complete with handle, for $10 or so at any of the major office supply chains. I find I can get about 10 scenarios in one of those; you can either leave alternate pockets empty or put the report cover and the folder/maps/etc. in separate pockets.
This makes it easy to grab just the scenario I need (and support material) and transfer it to the bag/box/... I'm taking to that night's game, along with the regular GM supplies (blank play mat, small dry erase board, markers, paper towels, white board eraser, clock, etc. Next month I'll add the Bestiary Box pawn collection to the stack.
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Their is not much for me to add, but I will drop my 2 cents in :)
1)Have you talked with your local VL or VC? If anyone can help you....they could. Not just with paper work, but hands on stuff we on the forums can only poke at with a stick :) In person help.......just helps more lol
2)What kind of budget are you looking at? If you have a bit of cash to throw at minis. I can throw some suggestions at you real quick.
a)D&D mini lots on ebay. becareful, but you can walk away with some great stuff!
b)Glass beads! Go to A craft store like micheals, hobby lobby, even walmart. You can spend $8-$15 on different colored glass drops(different sized) plus a cheap plastic carrying case, plastic craft box. Works while for summoned creatures or hordes!
c) MAtts. A worth while investment for any gamer. See if your group has extras amongst them. Borrow. If it is a must buy deal than Chessex Misprints (they are cheaper, try to nab them at a CON), Paizo's basic dry erase/wet erase folding mat, or Gaming Paper!(one roll is totally worth it. Draw and toss)
d)Dice. Nothing wrong with having some loaners on you. Any store should have some full sets for around $5 bucks.
e) Paper Minis! Paizo has some great paper monsters and heros. They just released a mini heros set. Cheap, easy and reprintable!
3) Read the adventure and highlight stuff. Make all the notes you need. Dont be afraid to wing stuff. Gamers throw curve balls without trying. Its about fun.
4) Know who is coming. If you have a bunch of newbies to PFS compared to noobs to gaming in general, you may want to change what you are running and bringing with you to the game. Give yourself more prep time with them before the game starts. If you got a bunch of Vets then you are half way home :)
Corax,
I like your glass beads idea. (Downside: They are less tasty than Starburst.)
I also figured out today that because they are 1" square, I can use Starburst for persistent area effects (darkness/silence), leave them on the grid and put minis/beads/paper pawns on TOP of them.
Since they're fairly big effects, players get to eat more of them when silence or darkness is dispelled. ^_^
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If you are coming to Gen-Con......bring some starbursts!! I will play at your table. You will be very popular. Goblin hordes beware.
Its true glass beads are less tasty :)
My friend uses the paper minis I guess you would call them and has them printed on good card stock and has a bunch of them laminated. Its a little bit more expensive, but they are water proofed. At a gaming table thats a good thing.
Good luck Robert!! Post again ad let us know what you try out and what works for you.
Corax,
I appreciate it very much - I don't want to steal the OP's thunder and hope he'll get the same enthusiasm from his group. :)
Brian,
I just realized that nobody bothered to ask where you were/who your local VC was!
Any of these people will be delighted to help you as well:
http://paizo.com/pathfinderSociety/about/regionalCoordinators
Rob Duncan's post contains a lot of great ideas.What I did, for First Steps part I, was to create my own pre-printed grid for the warehouse. I took the map from the PDF, cropped it slightly to 16x20, and printed it on cardstock in four 8x10 sections. I then taped them together so that it still folds up to 8x10.
I can't write on this (or, at least, I wouldn't be able to erase anything I wrote), so I've also got a half-scale version in a sheet protector in case I do need to note an area of effect or something like that.
I stole your idea of the PDF cropping/printing.
Instead of trying to laminate the whole thing at once, have you thought of using magazine-size plastic protectors and a cardboard backer for each of the 8x10 sections and THEN taping it?
And then putting Starburst on top of the map for area effects? I use them liberally for darkness/silence, since minis fit right on top.
If anything..............his legend will grow. He wanders the backrooms of CONs and spreads tasty anarchy before all who sit at his table. Beware the man who peddles sugary doom. :D
Keeps 'em quiet, too. ^_^