First time GM

[UteDawg52]

I am taking on my first foray as a GM and am looking for some helpful information on how to run the game. I obviously have all the core books and have the adventure path I am going to follow but what I am looking for is some help on how to manage the battle sequences, basic gameplay, how to award money and items, etc . . .

Thanks for any help, insight and/or links you can point me to.

[atheral]

Well a couple small things as I consider myself a fairly rookie GM in the pathfinder system (I've only been running it for just shy of two years or so).
Speaking personally, I bring my laptop when I GM a game for two reasons.

1) Excel or Any other Spreadsheet software makes it extremely easy to track things like Initiative order/hit points/conditions of the party and multiple NPCs/Monsters during battle. It also helps to keep records of treasure splits/xp given and things of that nature.

2)Access to the PRD - If you have access to it, you can look up information much more rapidly than paging through four to five hardcovers and the information on there normally has the most up to date errata included.

[BltzKrg242]

Def have the PRD or SFPRD handy... having spells and rules at a moments notice will save you a ton of time.

The GM's guide is a valuable resource that many folks just don't pay attention to.

Read it.
Seriously. Cover to cover.
Tips and tools in there that get left out. A LOT.
If you can get the DM's guide from 3.5 it is also super helpful.

[Fleshgrinder]

I'll put another vote for excel, it's a beautiful program for tracking stats, especially if you know how to do formulas.

I'll also put forth Microsoft OneNote, this program is probably the greatest secret in Microsoft Office. It's a wonderful program perfect for campaign notes.

Go peruse the "technology" forum of "Gamer Life" in these message boards for some more programs that can help.

As for awarding treasure, my method is as follows:

Use the GameMastery tables to determine how my GP value the PCs are "owed" for the encounters and then split that gold up into the encounters that make sense for having treasure.

My players are at a point where they should be getting 2000gp per encounter as per GameMastery rules (and the speed of game I'm using). So if they fight 4 animals in a row, they're not finding 2000gp on a bear, but if they then fight a giant or dragon, I'll put the 8000gp they're owed from the animal fights into that encounter's treasure.

And if you roll magic items that an enemy could use, equip the enemy. It adds more realism to the game, and it allows the players to see potential loot before the fight is over.

[Muad'Dib]

Something I've used in the past is index cards. One color for the players and one for the GM. Each card can have stats and info on it for quick reference.

Just place them in inititive order.

Might be good to place a blank card in the mix to keep track of initiative order.

The game mastery magnetic board in the paizo store also handles initiative well.

I second Atherals'a suggestion of PRD access.

Also deligate! If you need a ruling looked up ask a player to do this for you. The game can grind when all players are looking at the GM as he flips through books.

[Pendin Fust]

PFRPG RD on Android's market is $2.99 and I am sure it is comparable on Apple's market. Love. This. Tool.

[FallofCamelot]

Accept that you will get things wrong. Accept that you will not know everything. Prepare, prepare, prepare and remember that you are all there to have fun.

At the end of the session think to yourself what went right and what went wrong and then think how you could have more of the former and less of the latter.

Don't sweat it. You'll do fine.

[Bad Sintax]

If you have access to a computer, I love this combat manager. http://combatmanager.com/

Always remember that you are not the PCs enemy, you are there to make their adventures as cool and fun as possible. However, that does include having consequences for their actions. Otherwise, it is boring.

[ossian666]

Here are my pieces of advice:

-The AP is a GUIDE. You will of course still need to make adjustments as you go. Read the forum sub-section for the AP you are running...I know there is a lot but that will help with those adjustments.

-Drop the experience system. I know its something that people freak out about, but when running an AP they tell you what level you should be when...just award levels at those appropriate times.

-I'd recommend Core rulebook only for your first time running...it will simplify things. Or at least say no Master Summoner, Leadership feat, or anything that gives multiple cohorts/companions/summons to one person.

-Read ahead in the AP and print out any spells you are not familiar with, any enemies listed but don't have stat blocks in the AP book, and any items that you are unsure how they work. All of this info is on the Pathfinder SRD website (I just search Pathfinder SRD *item, spell or enemy* in google).

-For loot just give them what the game suggests in its pages...for the most part its balanced and the players will sell or use the items for the party.

-If you don't know a rule then make a ruling right then and there and tell the players you will look it up and research it on the forums after the game and make sure the correct ruling is explained next session. That will help keep the game moving forward.

[Kydeem de'Morcaine]

For the loot question, there is really nothing for you to keep track of.

The AP lists the treasure that is in the module.
When PC's find or win some treasure, you just read it off.
Then they have to decide how to split it up, who is carrying what, what is being sold to whom. That is all for them to keep track of.

The PC or tablet at the table can be a great tool. However, it can also disrupt.
I have seen even very experienced GM's and players who continually stop the action to look up everything. It is usually much better to just make a gut check rule on the fly. Say ok, I'm not sure about this but we'll run it this way for now. I'll look it up tomorrow and get back to you on how we will run it in the future. Usually the only time I think it is worth stopping is if PC's will die if we interprit the rule incorrectly.
I have also seen GM's basically play the game to their laptop. They spend the whole time staring at the screen. They don't make eye contact with or speak to the players. It feels like you are watching someone else read a book or play a game.

[BrotherBen]

I've only been gming for less than a year, and I've learned a few lessons in that time. My suggestion is to start with a one level module before you begin your campaign. You can figure out what your own strengths and weaknesses are before you start your AP. It will be a lot easier than making changes after the fact.

[Evil Lincoln]

Feigned outrage is the mark of a great GM.

Make the players feel like they snatched victory from you, even though you're secretly rooting for them. They must feel like they stole it.

[UteDawg52]

Thanks for the tips and suggestions guys. I've played DnD for about two years now but this is my first forage into Pathfinder and as a DM/GM.

[Tinalles]

Things to think about when prepping:

1) If you can take the time to draw the map out before the session begins, DO. It saves time in-game.

2) If any of your villains are going to be summoning critters, e.g. with Summon Nature's Ally or Summon Monster or whatever, take a moment to decide what KIND of critter in advance, pull up the critter's stat block, and have a suitable mini on hand (if you play with minis). That will speed up combat because you don't have to go searching through books for stat blocks.

3) Consider making your initiative order public. Put it out there for the whole group to see. Then make a point of telling your players "When the person in front of you is taking their turn, you should plan what you're going to do, maybe even roll dice and do math in advance." The turns move more quickly when people have done their thinking before their turn arrives. Of course, sometimes plans change in response to events, but a lot of the time you can anticipate.

4) Consider rolling initiative at the beginning of the session. When you come to the first combat, go immediately into initiative order using that roll. This heightens the effect, because there's no delay between spotting a monster and starting combat. Then, roll a fresh initiative at the END of combat.

5) Tablets are awesome. You can hold them up and show pretty pictures of NPCs and monsters to people. If you're using an Adventure Path, you can use Nitro PDF viewer to pull all those images out of the adventure's PDF in one fell swoop with the handy "Extract Images" button. It even preserves the opacity at the edges of the images correctly, which is nice. Anyway, put 'em on your tablet and pull up the one you want when you need it. Having that picture will save a thousand words, and the expressions on your players' faces when they SEE a monster they've never encountered for the first time is well worth the time it takes to get the images out and organize them.

In my last Runelords session, my players failed their Knowledge checks to identify a Sinspawn. None of them had encountered one before, so there was no player knowledge for metagaming. But based on the picture I held up on my tablet, they jumped immediately to the conclusion that it was undead. Many hilariously wrong-headed but totally in-character tactical flubs ensued.

[Mage Evolving]

Bad Sintax wrote:

If you have access to a computer, I love this combat manager. http://combatmanager.com/

Always remember that you are not the PCs enemy, you are there to make their adventures as cool and fun as possible. However, that does include having consequences for their actions. Otherwise, it is boring.

THIS! It's a wonderful program and has saved me so much time and energy. It makes DMing an after thought.