Hey there. So, for the longest time I've had in my hands the anniversary edition of Rise of the Runelords, and I've always wanted to host a campaign on it. I just managed to get the maps of the game...however, I have no experience with GMing, especially through PbP. Advice would be great for the following:
-general advice/tips on GMing
-what I should/shouldn't allow in the campaign for players (i.e. races, classes, etc)
-how best to utilize the maps through Google (I believe slides?)
I have experience with PbP, though I've only had one campaign where I got a character from level 1 to level 14, which I only dropped out due to burnout, but I know how to work the website when it comes to rolls, and I have all the books that I need to reread on rules and all that.
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If you've played lots of PbP then you know the goods-and-bads of that type of gaming. It takes a very long time / players can always find a game; combat is slow / roleplay is deeper; etc.
As for general DMing, I usually advise starting with a short adventure rather than a long campaign -- less of a burden on the DM and if something happens that really ruins it you're not stuck with the problem for a huge commitment. I'd especially advise this in PbP since it takes so much longer. Maybe pick out, for example, just "Burnt Offerings" and edit it so that it can be a full adventure. 'Skinsaw' works even better as a stand-alone adventure.
And basic DM stuff:
-As the DM you're the 'loser' -- you lose all the fights; all your monsters die. It's a bit startling, for some reason, when a new DM realizes the cold truth of losing Every combat.
-Don't fall so in love with your work (or the published adventure design) that you don't let the players *play* the game in their own direction. Yes, of course sometimes when the players want to go Right you may have to encourage them Left instead -- but in general, let them drive the game forward.
-Know the relevant rules enough to adjudicate this or that when you expect it to come up, and be consistent. If there's a rules-set you don't know well, don't allow it to be introduced.
.... A few others.
- USE THE PAIZO MESSAGEBOARDS! Pretty sure you got this one already, but there is so much Good on these Forums. I can guarantee you my own game is Miles better after almost 20 years on the Paizo Boards.
On what to allow -- since you're using a published adventure take a look at the power level / combat strengths & weaknesses of the encounters and keep them in mind when allowing this or that for the PCs. Games that are too easy aren't really that fun.
- But mostly, allow what you know; disallow what you don't know. I don't really know 'Occult Adventures' so Mesmerists and Psions and such are not allowed in my games. I don't generally allow 3PP stuff cuz I just don't know it. But I know 'New Paths Compendium' so I allow it.
You'll get the gist.
And you'll be awesome.
We are ALL here to have fun and that's the most important thing, and what we all want. So it'll work!
As for general DMing, I usually advise starting with a short adventure rather than a long campaign -- less of a burden on the DM and if something happens that really ruins it you're not stuck with the problem for a huge commitment. I'd especially advise this in PbP since it takes so much longer. Maybe pick out, for example, just "Burnt Offerings" and edit it so that it can be a full adventure. 'Skinsaw' works even better as a stand-alone adventure.
I do know I have Gallows of Madness but that's part of a 3 part module and I don't have the other two...should I just start off with that? if not I can just do Burnt Offerings as a start. I could make a short one shot homebrew but I don't quite have the homebrew making skills yet.
As for general DMing, I usually advise starting with a short adventure rather than a long campaign -- less of a burden on the DM and if something happens that really ruins it you're not stuck with the problem for a huge commitment. I'd especially advise this in PbP since it takes so much longer. Maybe pick out, for example, just "Burnt Offerings" and edit it so that it can be a full adventure. 'Skinsaw' works even better as a stand-alone adventure.I do know I have Gallows of Madness but that's part of a 3 part module and I don't have the other two...should I just start off with that? if not I can just do Burnt Offerings as a start. I could make a short one shot homebrew but I don't quite have the homebrew making skills yet.
Then go fo rise of the rune lords but divide the game in part each time they finish a scene where they lvl 1-3 lvl is the end of that part of the campaign
For tips I suggest that you read the adventure 2-3 time before this will help you an many form for example: letting your narrative more faster, divide the story in part and other. After you read the adventure check the any alternative rule you want to use. Create some house rules and present them to your group 2 week before the start of the game in this way they will know what rule you accept and what to avoid. For ability/skill check only respond to 1 question, if that person fail it can't be repeated until he lvl up if other try to make the same question (or similar question but whit other words) negate such question or respond they they don't know. Don't be so attached to the rules be a little flexible. Remember that the gm is also a player (but whit more power) when facing monster/encounter try to makes some flaws in your strategy remember that the CR it's not only for the PC it's also for the players they must find the way to resolve the problem in the fight (is like playing chess except it will be the players vs the gm only that you will give them some handicap time to time). if they have questions about something you just suggest to respond at the end of the campaign
Then go fo rise of the rune lords but divide the game in part each time they finish a scene where they lvl 1-3 lvl is the end of that part of the campaign
For tips I suggest that you read the adventure 2-3 time before this will help you an many form for example: letting your narrative more faster, divide the story in part and other. After you read the adventure check the any alternative rule you want to use. Create some house rules and present them to your group 2 week before the start of the game in this way they will know what rule you accept and what to avoid. For ability/skill check only respond to 1 question, if that person fail it can't be repeated until he lvl up if other try to make the same question (or similar question but whit other words) negate such question or respond they they don't know. Don't be so attached to the rules be a little flexible. Remember that the gm is also a player (but whit more power) when facing monster/encounter try to makes some flaws in your strategy remember that the CR it's not only for the PC it's also for the players they must find the way to resolve the problem in the fight (is like playing chess except it will be the players vs the gm only that you will give them some...
I did find out that the We Be Goblins! trilogy has a free PDF so I could use those. But those are some great tips!
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I did find out that the We Be Goblins! trilogy has a free PDF so I could use those. But those are some great tips!
What if told you there were actually six modules in that series? You don't have to play all of them if you don't want, but all of them are free I think!
I don't have any experience with PbP so I can't really help you there, though I do know it can take a long time so you may want to go into whatever adventure you're running see if there's any content you wanna cut - encounters or parts of the story you don't think you or your players will be as into and stuff. Tailor it to your table's interests (and remember you're part of the table too!) You might find you don't wanna cut anything and that's totally fine, but it's best to know ahead of time.
Someone mentioned above but the messageboards are so good, there's one for every adventure with people sharing tips and changes they thought were cool and discussing parts that were a bit confusing and the like. I remember reading the Giantslayer forum after I'd run the campaign and thinking "damn I wish I'd read this before". Absolutely take a stroll through the threads for whatever adventure you run, and maybe keep it bookmarked to come back to.
Just regular DM tips I've found useful, don't be afraid to be wrong! I recently finished running Carrion Crown and right at the end realised we'd been doing attacks of opportunity wrong the whole time, but it didn't ruin the experience. It's important to be fair, but if you screw up a rule or cant find where it specifies how to do something niche, don't worry! Luis Loza isn't gonna kick in your door and make you do push-ups while reciting the grappling rules (probably).
If your players are having way too easy a time, the advanced template is your friend. Or it has been for me at least. I have also rapidly removed an advanced template during combat after realising I'd overcompensated. That's fine. You're allowed to do that too. It's not cheating, it's a live update bug fix. If the fight has been going on too long or someone does something really cool and you're like "damn that would be a really cool kill cinematic but this thing has 12hp left", feel free to just let those extra points go if you want to!
If you prefer a more generous ruleset like me, look into stuff like Automatic Bonus Progression and the Elephant In The Room rule tweaks - they get rid of some heavy balance dependencies and feat taxes. Totally optional. Also with any homebrew rules it's important to discuss them with your players before so they know what they're getting into - nasty rule surprises aren't fun.
Nothing I've said is like a golden DM rule or anything, everyone has different playstyles, and you'll find yours in time ^^
Lastly and most importantly, stay hydrated.
What if told you there were actually six modules in that series? You don't have to play all of them if you don't want, but all of them are free I think!
I've seen them, but after reviewing them I might just stick to the three, although We Be 5uper Goblins does look insane lol
Someone mentioned above but the messageboards are so good, there's one for every adventure with people sharing tips and changes they thought were cool and discussing parts that were a bit confusing and the like. I remember reading the Giantslayer forum after I'd run the campaign and thinking "damn I wish I'd read this before". Absolutely take a stroll through the threads for whatever adventure you run, and maybe keep it bookmarked to come back to.
Is that just within the GM Discussion forums?
Just regular DM tips I've found useful, don't be afraid to be wrong! I recently finished running Carrion Crown and right at the end realised we'd been doing attacks of opportunity wrong the whole time, but it didn't ruin the experience. It's important to be fair, but if you screw up a rule or cant find where it specifies how to do something niche, don't worry! Luis Loza isn't gonna kick in your door and make you do push-ups while reciting the grappling rules (probably).
If your players are having way too easy a time, the advanced template is your friend. Or it has been for me at least. I have also rapidly removed an advanced template during combat after realising I'd overcompensated. That's fine. You're allowed to do that too. It's not cheating, it's a live...
This is relieving to see, as within Pathfinder I've always played either spellcasters or ranged attackers, so melee fights will be new. Thankfully I got...practically all the main hardcover books so I think I'll be good when it comes to the rules of combat.
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I don't really know PbP as compared to normal play, but from having GM'd a bit in various systems my suggestions would be:
1. Start with something small. Gallows of Madness is a really good starting module for this as it contains three adventures that can be run in any order and a lot of roleplaying bits that allow the players to flesh out their characters. If the party enjoy that, an obvious next adventure if you can get hold of it is Feast of Ravenmoor.
2. Don't use house rules unless you are really sure what you are doing. I know a lot of people have them, but my experience is that most of the time a house rule is "I don't understand how this bit of the system works, so I've interpreted it my own way", and that has knock on effects when it doesn't interact with other published rules.
3. If you are going to restrict what people can play, do so at the start of the campaign. There is nothing wrong with saying "only core rulebook" or "only Core, APG and ACG", and those might be good places to start if you want to avoid players pulling out some leftfield character build that you don't fully understand. But banning something halfway through the campaign after a player finds it and wants to use it is a good way to annoy players. Better to start with a limited selection of rules and add more rulebooks as you go along that the other way around.
4. Avoid 3PP rules. Some are balanced, a lot are not, and you don't want to spend time wading through piles of rulebooks to see what works and what doesn't.
5. This may be controversial, but if you're a new GM, I suggest a "no evil characters" requirement for your first game. Most published adventures assume the PCs are basically heroic and willing to help the NPCs who are in trouble, if they aren't then you are going to have to do a load of rewriting to motivate them. Also, reffing PvP is painful.
Is that just within the GM Discussion forums?
I believe the Adventure Paths have specific pinned threads for GM Discussion and that's where most of the DM magic happens, while the rest of those areas are supposedly suitable for player consumption or at least have spoiler tags, but there's still a chance you'll stumble across something spoilery. The standalone adventures part of the forum (here) has a bit less structure, but just searching for "We Be Goblins" within that tab should give you most/all of the relevant threads. I think is also intended for players to read and post stuff as much as DMs, but again you might find an untagged spoiler or two. As the GM obviously that's less of an issue for you right now, mostly a warning for the future if you find yourself as a player in a game and scroll through those threads.
1. Start with something small. Gallows of Madness is a really good starting module for this as it contains three adventures that can be run in any order and a lot of roleplaying bits that allow the players to flesh out their characters. If the party enjoy that, an obvious next adventure if you can get hold of it is Feast of Ravenmoor.
Feast of Ravenmoor is so gooood! Very "Deep South Horror" vibes.
5. This may be controversial, but if you're a new GM, I suggest a "no evil characters" requirement for your first game. Most published adventures assume the PCs are basically heroic and willing to help the NPCs who are in trouble, if they aren't then you are going to have to do a load of rewriting to motivate them. Also, reffing PvP is painful.
Second this! Evil characters can be done really well, but in my opinion they're more difficult to play and to run for than Neutral/Good alignment characters. Even if you know and trust your players, its totally fair to ask them to cut you some slack for your first game - you don't wanna battle party cohesion problems alongside everything else right off the bat.
This may be controversial, but if you're a new GM, I suggest a "no evil characters" requirement for your first game. Most published adventures assume the PCs are basically heroic and willing to help the NPCs who are in trouble, if they aren't then you are going to have to do a load of rewriting to motivate them. Also, reffing PvP is painful.
Second this! Evil characters can be done really well, but in my opinion they're more difficult to play and to run for than Neutral/Good alignment characters. Even if you know and trust your players, its totally fair to ask them to cut you some slack for your first game - you don't wanna battle party cohesion problems alongside everything else right off the bat.
If this is the case I might try to go for Gallows of Madness. Though it would take a bit of time buying the PDF maps (unless there are free versions, which I wouldn't doubt), and reading up on everything to get things prepared. I already have a vague idea on what to try for GoM.
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● Use Combat Manager (discussion thread here). I'm using that program and I honestly don't know how I would be able to GM without it. A library of not only monsters (with templates addable), including probably all the ones from your AP, but also feats, spells, and rules. I've made characters for my PCs so I can roll stuff like perception without my players noticing. I also use the initiative roller, because while "roll initiative" at the start of combat can be cool, it a) wastes a lot of time, b) distrupts the flow of the game and c) prevents the GM from using initiative for situations that may or may not result in actual fighting (because when they have rolled initiative, the players will presume a combat is absolutely going to happen).
● Use some method to track initiative for the players. I'm using little folded pieces of cardboard with the PCs names (and numbers for monsters that the party knows about) on both sides that I put on the top of my laptop and move around so that the one farthest to my right (the players' left) is the the current character and the players can see who's next and so on.
● Don't roll ability scores or hit dice! Both might feel like important RPG staples, but in reality, it's asking for trouble. A melee character that has less HP than the party Wizard is fun for absolutely no one. I'm using "average rounded up" for HD, and point buy for ability scores. I'd also suggest not using too low a point buy (nothing below 20), because a) it increases the inherent disparity, and b) usually leads to less rounded out characters. Higher point buy does not actually mean more powerful characters, because players react to the point buy.
● Always expect the unexpected, and learn to roll with it. Using an AP there are some limits, and it's really more an art than a science, but expect the players to always do something else than what you've thought they'd do. When in doubt, invent some NPC or use some quickly selected monsters (Combat Manager helps here) when the PCs really want to invest that run down house that the AP description doesn't expect to be visited. Don't feel bad when you need to call for a short time out when the players catch you flat footed because they did something weird.
● Read ahead, and familiarize yourself with both the plot, and with the monsters the party will face, especially their special abilities (a monster/NPC uses some ability that fascinates? Read up on it!). Expect NPCs to be interrogated (friend and foe).
● Make the PCs create cheat sheets for their characters, where they have all the important statistics, including attack rolls and damage rolls udner different sircumstances - calculating the currently valid attack roll(s) every round is probably the biggest time waste during combat. Here are some examples with varying amounts of information. For newer or more casual players I recommend the version with all relevant/active abilities spelled out. Likewise, have the players use Spell Cards, and printouts for complex on-the-fly choices like Summoned Monsters (the above link to the cheat sheets also contains a sample printout for SM 3-5).
● Check everything your players selects (to see if it's actually legal, and to prevent imbalances, i.e. characters that are too weak or too strong in comparison to the other PCs). Try to familiarize yourself with every ability your PCs have. Asking for the spell/ability card in question can't hurt, you'd be surprised how ofter people overlook something semi-hidden in the description.
● Remember that very few creatures fight to the death. If a combat is too lethal, but the monster/NPC side has also suffered losses, having them retreat/cut their losses or use diplomacy even if they'd likely won the fight is a good and realistic alternative to fudging dice.
● Be honest and forthcoming with descriptions - the players only know what you tell them. Focus on information that is or may be actually important.
● Be willing to always listen to your players, but enforce rulings and decisions when necessary.
● Keeping the game going is more important than getting every rule minutiae 100% right. When looking something up would take too much time, just make a decision, flipping a coin if necessary.
● Don't needlessly limit things, especially not with the goal of lowering the power level, or of making the game easier to GM. The opposite usually the result, as the balancing between classes gets better with more books allowed. That doesn't mean you can't ban things you don't want in the game, e.g. firearms, just be aware that the most propblematic and game-breaking things in the game are CRB (and to a lesser degree APG) classes using CRB spells.
● The same as above is pretty much true for "low equipment"/"low magic items" games. If you want somehtign like that, use Automatic Bonus Progression. Even for other games, I highly recommend it!
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Almost forgot one of the absolute BIGGEST ones -- especially for new DMs and even more especially for PbP (in a straight game) where everyone is a stranger:
NO Player-vs-Player shenanigans allowed.
Dictate that the Players have to share information, share treasure equally, and vote on plans and such equally. .... If the Rogue sneaks a gem from an NPC's pocket, he shares the profit equally with his allies. If the Paladin wants to take a villain to the magistrate but the Barbarian wants to murder-hobo him, the group votes and everyone supports the results of the vote. If the Wizard discerns the true nature of an ancient Artifact, he reveals it to the group even if he knows they'll vote to destroy it instead of let him keep it.
Use Combat Manager (discussion thread here). I'm using that program and I honestly don't know how I would be able to GM without it. A library of not only monsters (with templates addable), including probably all the ones from your AP, but also feats, spells, and rules. I've made characters for my PCs so I can roll stuff like perception without my players noticing. I also use the initiative roller, because while "roll initiative" at the start of combat can be cool, it a) wastes a lot of time, b) distrupts the flow of the game and c) prevents the GM from using initiative for situations that may or may not result in actual fighting (because when they have rolled initiative, the players will presume a combat is absolutely going to happen).
Managed to find that and get that downloaded. It'll take some time getting used to it, but that's gonna make things a LOT better than looking up the stat blocks online or making them by hand.
Use some method to track initiative for the players. I'm using little folded pieces of cardboard with the PCs names (and numbers for monsters that the party knows about) on both sides that I put on the top of my laptop and move around so that the one farthest to my right (the players' left) is the the current character and the players can see who's next and so on.
This might be a bit tricky, but I'll think of something. Best case scenario for me is probably to use a Google Docs sheet, briefly add in how many enemies will be there, and arrange the initiative order (which definitely won't take more than a few minutes)
Don't roll ability scores or hit dice! Both might feel like important RPG staples, but in reality, it's asking for trouble. A melee character that has less HP than the party Wizard is fun for absolutely no one. I'm using "average rounded up" for HD, and point buy for ability scores. I'd also suggest not using too low a point buy (nothing below 20), because a) it increases the inherent disparity, and b) usually leads to less rounded out characters. Higher point buy does not actually mean more powerful characters, because players react to the point buy.
Way ahead of you there. I never liked rolling for stats, or point buys under 20-they feel limiting imo.
Make the PCs create cheat sheets for their characters, where they have all the important statistics, including attack rolls and damage rolls udner different sircumstances - calculating the currently valid attack roll(s) every round is probably the biggest time waste during combat. Here are some examples with varying amounts of information. For newer or more casual players I recommend the version with all relevant/active abilities spelled out. Likewise, have the players use Spell Cards, and printouts for complex on-the-fly choices like Summoned Monsters (the above link to the cheat sheets also contains a sample printout for SM 3-5).
Definitely going to encourage my players to do so. My idea for how that would be done is how I spread out the abilities of my catfolk bloodrager
Almost forgot one of the absolute BIGGEST ones -- especially for new DMs and even more especially for PbP (in a straight game) where everyone is a stranger:
NO Player-vs-Player shenanigans allowed.
Dictate that the Players have to share information, share treasure equally, and vote on plans and such equally. .... If the Rogue sneaks a gem from an NPC's pocket, he shares the profit equally with his allies. If the Paladin wants to take a villain to the magistrate but the Barbarian wants to murder-hobo him, the group votes and everyone supports the results of the vote. If the Wizard discerns the true nature of an ancient Artifact, he reveals it to the group even if he knows they'll vote to destroy it instead of let him keep it.
Was just about to post my response to the person above when I saw this. But yes, that's gonna be a massive no-no for me-I always felt like playing campaigns mean being a team player.
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If the Paladin wants to take a villain to the magistrate but the Barbarian wants to murder-hobo him, the group votes and everyone supports the results of the vote. If the Wizard discerns the true nature of an ancient Artifact, he reveals it to the group even if he knows they'll vote to destroy it instead of let him keep it.
A good suggestion I heard recently - if there is a difference of opinion and player X's character is the minority, then that player has to come up with the reason why their character changed their mind, rather than walking out or forcing the rest of the players to talk him round. e.g. In the first case, if the party vote to support the Barbarian, it's up to the Paladin's player to come up with the reason why he agreed to kill the villain after all, while the party get on with the rest of the adventure.