|
As the title says. I want to play in PFS very badly but my luck is terrible. My local area is not running any low-level games in the foreseeable future and online seems like a dead end as every game seemingly doesn't work for my schedule or is filled well past capacity before I can get to it. I don't like the idea of playing a pre-gen, either, so that also is out. Thus, if I want to get in on the PFS action in the near future it seems the only option I really have right now is to suck it up and GM the game myself. I've always wanted to learn to GM, but thats the thing, I never really have. I once wanted to get to the point where I could GM games in my own settings, with houserules and the whole nine yards...and I wanted to GM more then I wanted to play.
However, the the one time I GMed anything it didn't go too well. Due to having a terrible IRL wisdom score(7-8 AT BEST) I missed important things like, say, that players could get out of certain fights with diplomacy and I was waaaayyyy to generous with loot/items. As a result, I kinda got "scared out" of the GMing world and decided that I'd learn to be a player first and then graduate to being a GM after I got more experience as a player. However, due to my situation I never got the chance to play in anything after my 3.5e days in middle school, and PF society is seemingly denying me the chance to play in a game as a player, so I have considered trying to take up GMing someday and...maybe....just maybe...get to the point where I can GM my crazy homebrew settings with magi-tech rules, custom OA classes and evil megacorps.
However, I am a LONG way off from that, and I want advice on how to be a better GM, especially if I GM for PFS before I ever get the chance to play in it? Mainly, I want to know, from more experienced DMs, what DMing PFS is like and, more importantly, how to compensate for the fact that I will most likely miss some of the finer mechanical points due to my horrid IRL wisdom score? Will players get angry with me having to constantly look up rules I don't know? If so, do I let them know out front that 'I am not an experienced DM or even an all that experienced an player, and I WILL have to look some things up occasionally?" Even further, if I do flub something up rules-wise accidentally/unknowingly, will that effect my GM credit at all?
Finally, and most importantly, I'd just like general advice for a newb PFS GM who's basically never really done the GM thing before.
So, what advice do you guys have for me?
|
As the title says. I want to play in PFS very badly but my luck is terrible. My local area is not running any low-level games in the foreseeable future and online seems like a dead end as every game seemingly doesn't work for my schedule or is filled well past capacity before I can get to it. I don't like the idea of playing a pre-gen, either, so that also is out. Thus, if I want to get in on the PFS action in the near future it seems the only option I really have right now is to suck it up and GM the game myself. I've always wanted to learn to GM, but thats the thing, I never really have. I once wanted to get to the point where I could GM games in my own settings, with houserules and the whole nine yards...and I wanted to GM more then I wanted to play.
However, the the one time I GMed anything it didn't go too well. Due to having a terrible IRL wisdom score(7-8 AT BEST) I missed important things like, say, that players could get out of certain fights with diplomacy and I was waaaayyyy to generous with loot/items. As a result, I kinda got "scared out" of the GMing world and decided that I'd learn to be a player first and then graduate to being a GM after I got more experience as a player. However, due to my situation I never got the chance to play in anything after my 3.5e days in middle school, and PF society is seemingly denying me the chance to play in a game as a player, so I have considered trying to take up GMing someday and...maybe....just maybe...get to the point where I can GM my crazy homebrew settings with magi-tech rules, custom OA classes and evil megacorps.
However, I am a LONG way off from that, and I want advice on how to be a better GM, especially if I GM for PFS before I ever get the chance to play in it? Mainly, I want to know, from more experienced DMs, what DMing PFS is like and, more importantly, how to compensate for the fact that I will most likely miss some of the finer mechanical points due to my horrid IRL wisdom score? Will players get angry with me having to constantly look...
To be honest it sounds like you are psyching yourself out way, waaay, WAY, WAAAY too much. GM is not difficult in PFS....as long as you have a fairly strong understanding of the game rules and prepare the scenario then you are all set. I mean Prepare though, not just read. The thing with PFS is that there is a time limit (well officially and many places observe it)so you have to be very prepared to run the game in the time limit which mean running it efficiently. I highlight all of my adventures in three to four different colors that each represent different things
Yellow: read out loud
Green: paraphase
Blue: skill check
Orange: Treasure handed out in the adventure that can be used immediately.
I also look up special rules that might impact a scenario (severe weather, lighting, concealment, etc.) that might or definitely will come up in the scenario. While I know most of these rules I find it helpful to refresh them in my mind while preparing an adventure so that I can remember them more thoroughly as well as have a better idea where they are located encase I need to reference them during a game.
Running a published scenario/module/AP is really about how well you prepare it and know the rules that support it...which honestly is what being a GM is all about.
Mainly I find it disturbing that your PFS doesn't offer regular lower level tables. That pretty strongly discourages new people from joining.....
|
I agree with mswbear - preparation the key to successful GMing. Something else that you might want to look at is the Google Drive chocked full of resources for most of the scenarios. You can find a link to it in the GMing subforum. When prepping for a game, I also roll everything that I can ahead of time. This usually includes initiative for the baddies and initial stealth (for baddies waiting in ambush) or bluff checks (for when people start off lying to the PCs).
I have found that most people are understanding and cut a new GM some slack, especially one who does not have much play experience. That being said, don't use the excuse of being a new GM as a crutch. Try to make sure that you do everything that you can to make sure that you are ready for running a game.
I will also add my voice to the disappointment for your local group for not running any low level tables. In my local group, even though we always had at least one low level table going, we even stopped running level 7 to 11 scenarios for a while because we wanted the more experienced players to mingle with the new players. Welcoming new people and keeping them interested is vital to the success of a PFS group.
|
|
Yeah, they have low level tables.....only once a month....and on a day that is difficult for me due to it being a work day(Monday). All the groups on accessible days, that they have running multiple times per-month, are all tier 5+ for some ungodly reason. Talk about bad luck.
Also, I thank you for your advice and you're right, I probably just need more confidence.
|
I'm going to agree with E. Quint. The google drive with the GM Prep files are a life saver. A lot of the scenarios will have stat blocks, player handouts and helpful files to make things easier on the judge.
One of the biggest challenges that I'm facing as a newer PFS judge is time management. I've mainly judged in a home setting in the past, so time constraints have never been of concern. I find prepping maps ahead of time and having minis selected and ready to go helps out with time management a lot.
Also as mswbear noted, if you find any special rules, make notes about it and get a good feel for that special thing that may be unclear. Finally, my other suggestion is to read the GM forums for PFS for whatever scenario you're running. Most of the time, if there's something you have questions about, someone else has had that same question and they'll discuss those problems on the boards. I can think of quite a few scenarios that the forums has helped me get a good understanding of the scenario. If someone hasn't asked the question, feel free to post your question. There's a lot of people on the forums that are more than happy to help you out.
|
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Repeat after me.
I will screw up.
I will screw up.
This is not the end of the world.
No actual persons will be harmed no matter what you do. Even though its pfs and is supposed to be run exactly as written once the dice start rolling you just go with it and try to have a fun game.
1) Be absolutely sure you know what the primary, secondary, and faction goals are for the scenario. These are very important to players. When you get to that part of the scenario, pause over it like a teacher hitting something that will be on the test. (because it will be on the test later!)
2) Try not to get anyone killed. Pick an easy scenario that the players will curbstomp . An older scenario with fewer mechanics work great. Don't try to get fancy with the tactics, just do what the moduel says, which is usually to have the bad guys run in and impale themselves on the PCs blades.
3) See The DM shared prep folder for the monsters done out for you.
|
|
I think i'll add to what the others have said, with a story: when I first started bartending, I was super nervous (looking back now, I have no idea why, but still) and my boss gave me the best advice I think I've ever heard "it's only beer and pizza".
I'll paraphrase him by saying "it's only a game". Preparation is really important; having a grasp on enemies: also important; more important, however, is making sure that everyone, EVEN YOU, is having a good time.
that being said, asking your (more experienced/opinions you think you can trust) players for feedback can be useful as well. It's not by any means mandatory, but it can help you see what your weaknesses and strengths are.
|
|
In my local group, we had a new GM that wanted tips and advice on GMing. We ended up having a private game where the new GM ran and the players were all people who regularly ran tables. We did a private game so that we weren't restricted by a time limit and we could stop and discuss things as they happened. This ended up being very beneficial, even to those of us who have been running for years. Maybe you can see if you have enough experienced players and GMs that would be interested in doing the same thing for you. It has been my experience that many groups are happy to have more people interested in running games, even to the point of investing some time into helping out those people who are interested in running.