Hello all! I'm williamoak, and I've been playing pathfinder for 2-3 months and have come to like the system quite a lot. So I'm finally ready to start thinking about GM-ing myself. I'm going to propose a few ideas at a local gaming club I'm part of (there are a lot of people) and we'll see who's interested.
Now, I mainly have questions from a GM-player relationship perspective. I'm looking for advice from more experienced GMs, though I've seen a lot already (namely from Vincent Takeda), so I'm looking "good practices" advice to make the most pleasant experience for all involved
-My first rule: We're here to have fun, above all. I'll try my best to tell what players are involved/not, but I will tell all players from the beginning that if they arent having fun, come to talk to me after the game, and we'll try to get you back in.
-Small group sizes: I don't feel like I'd be able to manage more than 4 players at this time. There's also another issue: when in groups of 6 or more, I've noticed it's significantly harder to "be involved", since there are so many voices competing for the DMs attention. I'd rather stick with a smaller group, and have more chance to RP with each players at their own pace (I dont like feeling rushed as a player, and I want to show the same courtesy to mine).
-Clearly communicating expectations: I'm going to say to the players what type of campaign I want to run, and I'll ask them what kind of campaign they want to play. I believe that if intent is communicated clearly from the beginning, we can avoid conflict. I know this can reduce the amount of players, but I'd rather do a campaign with two players who have similar desires from gameplay, than a 4 player campaign where everyone has massively different expectations from a game.
-Play-building: I've gm-d a couple one-shots in the dungeon world system. The system is very limited, but it has a BUNCH of really good rules that encourage RP from the player side, and good practices from the GM side. Namely, you shouldn't create a plot: you should create a world, with different actors, each with motivations/goals, and set the players loose in that arena.
Are there any other overarching rules I should think of? I've come to quite like PnP, and pathfinder in particular, an I want to make sur I'm starting down the right path before marching ahead.
An extra little note: So as to explain my motivation for PnP in general: I see the potential in PnP to do everything video games fail to do well. Video games are great for combat and puzzle solving, but arent flexible enough to make a story that evolves well with a character. PnP has that possibility, since GMs can adapt to any situation (in theory). I have yet to see such done, but I see the potential of PnP to be an incredible form of collaborative storytelling. That is why I am presently a bit obsessed with it.
bump
It's a bit dated, but the following series of articles by Ray Winninger is still worth your time.
[url]http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/dnd/dungeoncraft/[/url]
It will likely take you some time to wade through all of that.
Remember to make the game fun for not only your players, but also yourself. Create some interesting NPCs and if possible, make your players like them and enjoy interacting with them. At that point, have the Bad Guys go do horrible things to them (those NPCs). Be careful that you don't over prepare. Start small. Focus on the local setting and then grow it out from there. Consider using an episodic approach to your campaign where players level up according to the story (in a similar fashion to Adventure Paths). You can "make your own" AP in this fashion and as long as you have a Final Module in mind, you can probably do a bit of foreshadowing which will pay off later in the story. Finally, take a look at the downtime rules in UC. My group has really loved those and it has really enhanced our current campaign.
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Several main advices that I can recommend:
- Group sizes; I am doing fine with my current 5 players. I believe it's generally best with 4, but sometimes one or two players cannot attend to a session, so having three players left with, I can usually continue sessions anyway.
- Communication; I assembled actually all information that players need in a single document so I don't have to explain everything from a scratch to new players. It's important that your players understand every potential houserule or rules change as this might influence their character making and decisions.
- Priorities; You are the GM. You make your own priorities as who can enter your game and who may not. Expect from others what they expect from you, but don't be a snob. There are great players out there, give them a chance.
- GM advice; I might recommend GMing several games in your local PFS area. It's great way to test your nerves and to learn basics of GMing. Other then that I also recommend possibly starting AP for your home group. It's easier then to create your own world and setting from scratch (it requires alot of free time).
Hope this helps,
Adam
One piece of advice I could give, is if you have a schedule, to play at the same time in the same place every week / month or however often you plan to play. Make certain that your players have this time set aside for your games. This will save you a LOT of stress playing text-tag with everyone to see if they can make it or whatever.
The previous posters' advice is also quite good... hopefully your foray into GM'ing goes smoothly!
Ask for help!!!. Have the pcs roll for their summons , animal companions, cohorts, etc. if your willing (but for sure if they can communicate), you should also give them near full control of AC, summons, cohort. Ask a player to keep track of initiative. Another to keep track of party communal equipment (especially if using a wagon), another to keep track of downtime and/or kingdom building (if this is in your campaign ofc.
Ask players for encounter ideas (Ik it sounds lame but it can be very fun)
Also your allowed to cheat a little (more so in creating CONCEPTS for npcs and monsters, not making the overpowered)- this is more related to homebrew campaigns
Thnaks for the advice guys! This isnt my first foray int GM-ing (I've done it once before, in another system). Unfortunately, those players are in another city, so I can only do a game once every couple of months.
I've been fortunate to find a club that there is a large pool of potential players (>50) and I'm hoping to get them interested in a campaign idea or another.
@ Scadgrad: An AP might be easier, but a I've got a lot more interest in running my own ideas. I like to create worlds, so this is a good chance for me. I have been using an episodic style content with my other group (since I see them so rarely).
@ Malag: Communication: I have started compiling a document of "houserules" and other concerns, so players can have them on hand. Priorities: That's probably going to be the hardest thing. I've been lucky enough not to have dealt with any total idiots yet, but I've heard enough horror stories that I'm likely to be picky choosing players. Might be a problem.
@Nuclearsunburn: Yeah, schedule is pretty paramount. I'll make sure to plan a schedule in advance.
@Snow tiger: Very good general advice for play. I think players find it nicer when they control their companions, so I'll stick to that. I'll probably be more choosy leadership-wise, but I'll let them make their own choices (as long as they're reasonable).
So, I'll post one of my 4 campaign ideas here. Some of them are ambitious, some just silly, and some still need a lot of work being fleshed out. I'm curious to know what people think:
So, the first idea I want to work on more is for an "exploratory" type game. I've set it in the forgotten realms, because there's a hell of a lot of history there that I know fairly well (though I hate Elminster). Here's the basic setup:
" Ho! Brave adventurers! Great fogs have lifted from the trackless sea, revealing a large island. For a long time, the area was known only for fog and disappearances. Now, an island covered in mysterious ruins, OVERFLOWING with gold has been revealed. It is said that an ENTIRE pyramid, covered in gold can be seen inside the island. But the island is wild... giant lizards and savage tribesmen can be see prowling inside the thick jungle. Are you courageous enough to brave the dangers of the misty isle for endless riches?"
Now, my intention with this campaign is to be heavily inspired by kingmaker, allowing people to try to conquer the island. The island will be covered in ruins (namely, of Illithid, Aboleth, Imaskari and Nethys-ian origin), and give a chance to "explore" the island an discover it's dark secrets (namely, why 4 ancient evil civilizations had bases here).
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@ Williamoak
Regarding horror stories; people tend to exaggerate alot. Don't believe everything you hear.
Regarding setup; It seems very interesting! There are few things to consider tho. How do you plan to establish shops? Do you plan this to be mostly survival/combat oriented or social even? I suggest also expanding the island to something what nobody expects. Maybe the entire island is actually a giant castle or higher peak of lost underwater civilization. People love the shocking twists and things that aren't obvious.
@ Williamoak
Regarding horror stories; people tend to exaggerate alot. Don't believe everything you hear.Regarding setup; It seems very interesting! There are few things to consider tho. How do you plan to establish shops? Do you plan this to be mostly survival/combat oriented or social even? I suggest also expanding the island to something what nobody expects. Maybe the entire island is actually a giant castle or higher peak of lost underwater civilization. People love the shocking twists and things that aren't obvious.
Ohh, I've planned mysteries... (think: giant sacrificial altar). They would start out in a small ramshackle port in the middle of a swamp. Eventually, on of their missions would be to find a better place to build an actual town. It would probably be combat oriented though I would like to put a fair amount of social once they reach higher level.
Your rule number one should give you a lot of mileage! :D
Things that I try to keep in mind are 1) organization; either have the tools to hand, or have them mentally prepped ahead of time. There are many Game Mastery items on this site that can help with that! The Condition Cards and the Initiative Tracker are two great examples :D 2) Engage all of your players. If Joe is sitting quiet while Jane and Andy are doing all the talking, stop and ask, "Joe, what is Ludquist the Crusher doing during all of this?"
Other than that, read, read read your rules, your setting and your adventure. Most times being 'close enough' on the rules is just fine. And stick to your rule #1!!!
GNOME
I too am running an exploration game (they are finding artifacts), for this I introduces "Oregon trailing", players take turns "scouting ahead" or "leading the horses" or "reading the map". I have them roll a d100 and select an event for that region (desert, highway, farms, mountains, forest, jungle, caves, etc). That player is first in initiative and the party has to respond to the events that player got them into. Most "events" are simple hooks (there is a light in that cave, do you go back and tell the party? or just go around?). I find this approach helps randomly build a world and the players can decide what kind of encounter they want to do that session. Plus players can blame each other for dangerous rolls not the Gm (Mwa ha ha). I also allow them to "survival" or use a map to add bonuses to the rolls.
This approach has led to several memorable encounters that shaped my world in a way that was both natural and unexpected.
That being said, have the encounters somewhat planned.
Keep a list of NPC names and classes (Maybe link to the npc list on D20) ready and on hand. You never know when your barbarian will fail a diplomacy roll to ask for tea from a merchant and suddenly the townsfolk have to fight an angry half-orc. Or when your bard will want to know more about the bartenders daughter.
Keep a list of mundane and non-magical treasures for NPC's and dwellings to have (paintings, statues, vases, a chest of turnips, fancy or cobbled together furniture, gems, etc). By having these low value treasures you can add personality and mystery to your locations (What were a 500gp darkwood couch, 1000gp chandelier and a famous (story hook) painting doing in a troll cave?) (why did that hobo have so many gems and necklaces?).
Having a stack of encounter locations roughly mapped out is also handy for homebrew exploration encounters. Just roughly plan out forest roads, shops, caves, ruins, maybe a tower and some generic castles. Your loot, NPC's and monsters can help create variety and you won't be slowed down trying to come up with rooms and descriptions of locations while the party waits.
It is always faster to modify than to create on the fly so having a list of options ready speeds up game play tremendously, slow players can be managed, a slow GM kills games.
Basically, the more things you have ready to call up, the better.