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Hello all, on the back of the most recent blog post, I thought making a thread here for any of the first time GMs here running a campaign in 2e could ask their newcomer questions and share some advice.
I'm running my first campaign and don't have any questions yet but I'm looking forward to it!
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For first-time GMs I can offer this bit of advice: don't let the rules bog down your game too much. If you're unsure of a rule during a session don't spend too much time looking it up (I generally spend just a minute or two). If you cannot find it, make a ruling using your best judgment and tell the players it is provisional and that you'll look it up after the game session. Don't forget to do this! If you ruled wrongly make a note, tell the players and move forward. If you ruled correctly then also tell the players this as they will appreciate it. I find that this keeps the game flowing and helps prevent players from becoming distracted.
You can also make a ruling and then ask one of the players to look up the rule for confirmation when they have nothing else to do (especially good to do during combat) while you carry on with GMing.
Of course, if the results of an unknown rule are serious (character death, etc.) take all the time you need to find out the correct rule before proceeding.
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Of course, if the results of an unknown rule are serious (character death, etc.) take all the time you need to find out the correct rule before proceeding.
If you can't figure it out in a reasonable timeframe, you can generally still use the former method even in this situation, as long as you rule in the player's favor. No one is going to resent you allowing a PC to survive, when the rules should have had them die, because you weren't sure of the rules for that particular situation.
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Take notes on the NPCs - basics about their personalities and the like. That way when you roleplay the NPCs you can ad-lib things more effectively and help them stand out more. Alak is an excellent example of an NPC that will stand out and the AP gives actual viable notes on how to roleplay him - snarky and sardonic with a dark sense of humor (and a tendency to call imps "hell monkeys" which is entirely too amusing and a tad apropos). NPCs that stand out will help invest the players for their surroundings, and also make the game more fun for both the players and for you, the GM. :)
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My advice for running premade adventures is to make sure that you are familiar with the whole book and it's place in the whole path. No you don't have to memorize everything but being able to respond to questions and keep the game moving in a timely manner insead of having to spend 5mins reading a page between each event is when your players will start playing games on their phone or chatting out of character really derailing a game.
Also try and know what your players can do so that if a turn comes up and a player isn't sure what to do you can be like "Your an expert in survival right? Maybe you can find some tracks!" Instead of staring at them for 2 minutes while they flip their sheet 10 times.
Also always follow the first rule.