Joined: Nov 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 310 Location: Montevallo, AL Karma: 34
Intro to GMing « Thread Started on Apr 21, 2011, 5:09pm »
This is an intro to GMing I wrote that John had dibs on. Originally, it was for a Young Adult intro version of S&W Whitebox. I asked John if he might want to use it for this, as the other project fell through and he said he thought it would be a wonderful addition. So, here it is, submitted for everyone's approval.
An Introduction to Game-Mastering by James A. Smith
Imagine you're the designer, builder and caretaker of a magical place. A playground, of sorts. This place is built in your imagination. Like any other builder, you have some instructions and guidelines in the form of this book and others you may choose to utilize.
You’re building this magical place to entertain and delight your friends. You'll have a lot of fun yourself, but as the caretaker and host of your playground, your most important goal is providing your guests with adventure, thrills, challenges and a whole lot of fun!
You can name your playground, whatever you want. We use a French name, to refer to RPG playgrounds in general. We call them a Milieu. It's just a fancy word for "setting" or "environment." You may guide your friends through an adventure, or a series of adventures, connected by a common theme, goal, or the use of the same characters. A series of adventures, sharing a common play history and creating a larger tale, is called a Campaign. The use of the terms "Campaign" and "Milieu," comes from the Miniature Wargaming hobby, from which the first Fantasy Role-Playing Game, arose. If you've read The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien, then you're already familiar with these ideas, as they appear in the form of a novel. Middle-Earth is the Milieu. The action, which unfolds and creates the story, is the Campaign. The Fellowship, of course, is the Adventuring Party, which will be comprised of your players’ characters.
Through playing in your game, your players will build the Milieu in their imaginations as well. Allowing them to contribute ideas to the Milieu is a good idea. If a player creates a Fighting-Man and thinks of a cool, cultural, or historical background for his character, consider incorporating his ideas. Remember, you're not writing a novel. You're helping your players create their adventure/story. To do so, you'll be creating the history, characteristics and personality of Everything Else, existing in the Milieu.
During the game the players will describe their actions, to you and each other. They can do anything they imagine, within the guidelines given. They can walk to the next town, for instance, but can't fly there without magical aid. If there is a question, as to whether or not they can perform a given action, a random die roll is used to determine their success. The GM (Game-Master) describes the actions of everything else in the Milieu, which the characters interact with and perceive. The same rules which apply to the players, applies to everything under the GM's control. When it comes to conversation, the players and GM usually "speak in character," like actors in a play, though some groups prefer to describe what is being said, as opposed to "speaking in character" and often a mixture of those two approaches is used.
As the GM, It's your responsibility to create the various people, places, things and events, which provide opportunities for adventure. Perhaps there's an ancient ruin, near the village where the Characters live. A place containing several underground levels, wherein live dangerous monsters, guarding fabulous treasures. An underground complex, containing monsters, traps, treasure and wondrous things, is called a "Dungeon." Adventures also take place aboveground. "Wilderness,” or “City" adventures, can come into play.
But, a Dungeon, Wilderness, or City, isn't a place with monsters standing around, waiting to be killed. It's a living, breathing environment. The inhabitants have their own goals, doings, friends, etc. Think of a Dungeon like it's an underground city, filled with monsters instead of civilized inhabitants. Ok, it's a very weird sort of city. Different rules apply. As opposed to a statue in the town square, you may find a magical talking statue. Just remember that a Dungeon is not just an Experience Point Machine.
The characters will meet all sorts of people, creatures, animals, etc. Some of these will become friends. Some may be business contacts, such as shop owner's. Some may become allies. Some will be enemies. It's your job to bring all these Non-Player Characters (NPC's) to life! Give them personality, goals, plans, secrets. Often, these will be bit-players, with only a few thoughts necessary for their portrayal. Other times, they will be more important and you’ll want to create more detail.
NPC's have their own goals and motivations. Here, the opportunity for conflict may arise, bringing into play one of the most important aspects of your role. Challenging the party. Your aim is to entertain and challenge your friends, not kill their characters. That's easy. You can kill a character with just a thought and a word. As a GM, you're running the game for your friends as well as yourself. The GM is pro-player and pro-campaign. Ultimately, you're on their side. Ultimately. But, to provide them with the experience they’re looking for, you need to challenge them. In short, you're going to try to kill their characters, but you'll be doing so, within boundaries designed to give them a decent chance at survival.
While playing out a battle against the PC's is fun, the GM's actions should reflect neutrality, whenever the player's are dealing with persons, places, or things, aside from themselves. Combat, haggling over prices at the market, dealing with local rulers, etc. NPC's and Monsters will do what's best for themselves. A friendly NPC may go out of his way to help the characters. A hostile monster may try to kill, cheat, or otherwise harm them.
As the game progresses, you'll create more opportunities for adventure. Your world moves along, independently of, as well as in interaction with, the Characters. Obviously, you can't plan out EVERYTHING. Stay a few steps ahead of the players, while working on a few longer ranged ideas. You'll soon find your own way of handling things.
A good idea is to give the players more than one "adventure hook," or lead on where to find the next Treasure Hoard! They’ll start setting their own goals, giving you plenty of ideas. Always let the players choose their own coarse of action! This doesn't mean, that they won't occasionally find themselves boxed into a corner, or left with unpalatable choices. No one ever said, that adventuring was easy! This can be difficult on a new GM, especially when players go off in an unexpected direction. Experience and practice will come to your aid.
After your campaign is under way and you have a bit of experience, invite your players over for an impromptu game. Roll-up some pre-generated characters, or let them roll, their own. Then, GM an adventure completely on the fly. Make everything up right there, at the table. Some GM's let this idea freak them out. Don't! You've probably already discovered, that you can be just as creative while GM'ing, as you can while doing prep work. Your players will give you all sorts of wonderful ideas. Not verbatim, usually. It's like using a random table. Their conversations, speculations and plans, spark off all kinds of useful ideas, when your creative juices are flowing.
Do this several times, until you're comfortable with the experience. Then, try it during a regular Campaign session. Some GM's prefer this style, or a mixture of prepared encounters, combined with spontaneous happenings. Once your comfortable flying without a net, you’ll be ready to deal with whatever your players throw your way.
Joined: Jan 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 233 Location: Gloucestershire, UK Karma: 10
Re: Intro to GMing « Reply #1 on Apr 21, 2011, 5:25pm »
Looks d**n good to me. I'd be happy to see that in there. Not sure about the choice of the word playground though. At first glance that one specific word makes it feel too 'kiddy' for me. But then, it could just be the lateness of the hour so I'll take another look at it tomorrow. Anyhow. I say we should make use of this.
"If you like the idea of Blackadder II and Kit Marlowe getting drunk and fighting cultists and Spaniards in the London sprawl then check this baby out" - Jeff Rients
Looks d**n good to me. I'd be happy to see that in there. Not sure about the choice of the word playground though. At first glance that one specific word makes it feel too 'kiddy' for me. But then, it could just be the lateness of the hour so I'll take another look at it tomorrow. Anyhow. I say we should make use of this.
I think you're right about that. It was written with Young Adults in mind and may have been to cute even then. Easily edited. Regardless of whether or not this specific article is used, I do think something of the sort is needed.
Here's a quick edit of the first few paragraphs. Question - Should it be kept more or less as is, or overhauled with a more adult audience in mind? How much tweaking is needed and would we want to keep it on a YA level?
"Imagine you're the designer, builder and caretaker of a magical place. An fantastic world, built in your imagination. Like any other builder, you have some instructions and guidelines in the form of this book and others you may choose to utilize.
You’re building this world to entertain and delight your friends. You'll have a lot of fun yourself, but as caretaker and host, your most important goal is providing your guests with adventure, thrills, challenges and a whole lot of fun!
You can name your world, whatever you want. We use a French name, to refer to RPG settings in general. We call them a Milieu. It's just a fancy word for "setting" or "environment." You may guide your friends through an adventure, or a series of adventures, connected by a common theme, goal, or the use of the same characters. A series of adventures, sharing a common play history and creating a larger tale, is called a Campaign. The use of the terms "Campaign" and "Milieu," comes from the Miniature Wargaming hobby, from which the first Fantasy Role-Playing Game, arose. If you've read The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien, then you're already familiar with these ideas, as they appear in the form of a novel."
"If you like the idea of Blackadder II and Kit Marlowe getting drunk and fighting cultists and Spaniards in the London sprawl then check this baby out" - Jeff Rients
More or less as it is I feel. I like the alteration you've made there.
Let me put it all together(a couple of more minor tweaks as well):
An Introduction to Game-Mastering by James A. Smith
Imagine you're the designer, builder and caretaker of a magical place. A fantastic world, built in your imagination. Like any other builder, you have some instructions and guidelines in the form of this book and others you may choose to utilize.
You’re building this world to entertain and delight your friends. You'll have a lot of fun yourself, but as caretaker and host, your most important goal is providing your guests with adventure, thrills, challenges and a whole lot of fun!
You can name your world, whatever you want. We use a French name, to refer to RPG settings in general. We call them a Milieu. It's just a fancy word for "setting" or "environment." You may guide your friends through an adventure, or a series of adventures, connected by a common theme, goal, or the use of the same characters. A series of adventures, sharing a common play history and creating a larger tale, is called a Campaign. The use of the terms "Campaign" and "Milieu," comes from the Miniature Wargaming hobby, from which the first Fantasy Role-Playing Game, arose. If you've read The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien, then you're already familiar with these ideas, as they appear in the form of a novel. Middle-Earth is the Milieu. The action, which unfolds and creates the story, is the Campaign. The Fellowship, of course, is the Adventuring Party, which will be comprised of your players’ characters.
Through playing in your game, your players will build the Milieu in their imaginations as well. Allowing them to contribute ideas to the Milieu is a good idea. If a player creates a Fighting-Man and thinks of a cool, cultural, or historical background for his character, consider incorporating his ideas. Remember, you're not writing a novel. You're helping your players create their adventure/story. To do so, you'll be creating the history, characteristics and personality of Everything Else, existing in the Milieu.
During the game the players will describe their actions, to you and each other. They can do anything they imagine, within the guidelines given. They can walk to the next town, for instance, but can't fly there without magical aid. If there is a question, as to whether or not they can perform a given action, a random die roll is used to determine their success. The GM (Game-Master) describes the actions of everything else in the Milieu, which the characters interact with and perceive. The same rules which apply to the players, applies to everything under the GM's control. When it comes to conversation, the players and GM usually "speak in character," like actors in a play, though some groups prefer to describe what is being said, as opposed to "speaking in character" and often a mixture of those two approaches is used.
As the GM, It's your responsibility to create the various people, places, things and events, which provide opportunities for adventure. Perhaps there's an ancient ruin, near the village where the Characters live. A place containing several underground levels, wherein live dangerous monsters, guarding fabulous treasures. An underground complex, containing monsters, traps, treasure and wondrous things, is called a "Dungeon." Adventures also take place aboveground. "Wilderness,” or “City" adventures, can come into play.
But, a Dungeon, Wilderness, or City, isn't a place with monsters standing around, waiting to be killed. It's a living, breathing environment. The inhabitants have their own goals, doings, friends, etc. Think of a Dungeon like it's an underground city, filled with monsters instead of civilized inhabitants. Ok, it's a very weird sort of city. Different rules apply. As opposed to a statue in the town square, you may find a magical talking statue. Just remember that a Dungeon is not just an Experience Point Machine.
The characters will meet all sorts of people, creatures, animals, etc. Some of these will become friends. Some may be business contacts, such as shop owner's. Some may become allies. Some will be enemies. It's your job to bring all these Non-Player Characters (NPC's) to life! Give them personality, goals, plans, secrets. Often, these will be bit-players, with only a few thoughts necessary for their portrayal. Other times, they will be more important and you’ll want to create more detail.
NPC's have their own goals and motivations. Here, the opportunity for conflict may arise, bringing into play one of the most important aspects of your role. Challenging the party. Your aim is to entertain and challenge your friends, not kill their characters. That's easy. You can kill a character with just a thought and a word. As a GM, you're running the game for your friends as well as yourself. The GM is pro-player and pro-campaign. Ultimately, you're on their side. Ultimately. But, to provide them with the experience they’re looking for, you need to challenge them. In short, you're going to try to kill their characters, but you'll be doing so, within boundaries designed to give them a decent chance at survival.
While playing out a battle against the PC's is fun, the GM's actions should reflect neutrality, whenever the player's are dealing with persons, places, or things, aside from themselves. Combat, haggling over prices at the market, dealing with local rulers, etc. NPC's and Monsters will do what's best for themselves. A friendly NPC may go out of his way to help the characters. A hostile monster may try to kill, cheat, or otherwise harm them.
As the game progresses, you'll create more opportunities for adventure. Your world moves along, independently of, as well as in interaction with, the Characters. Obviously, you can't plan out EVERYTHING. Stay a few steps ahead of the players, while working on a few longer ranged ideas. You'll soon find your own way of handling things.
A good idea is to give the players more than one "adventure hook," or lead on where to find the next Treasure Hoard! They’ll start setting their own goals, giving you plenty of ideas. Always let the players choose their own coarse of action! This doesn't mean, that they won't occasionally find themselves boxed into a corner, or left with unpalatable choices. No one ever said, that adventuring was easy! This can be difficult on a new GM, especially when players go off in an unexpected direction. Experience and practice will come to your aid.
After your campaign is under way and you have a bit of experience, invite your players over for an impromptu game. Roll-up some pre-generated characters, or let them roll, their own. Then, GM an adventure completely on the fly. Make everything up right there, at the table. Some GM's let this idea freak them out. Don't! By this point, you'll probably have already discovered that you can be just as creative while GM'ing, as you can while doing prep work. Your players will give you all sorts of wonderful ideas. Not verbatim, usually. It's like using a random table. Their conversations, speculations and plans, spark off all kinds of useful ideas, when your creative juices are flowing.
Do this several times, until you're comfortable with the experience. Then, try it during a regular Campaign session. Some GM's prefer this style, or a mixture of prepared encounters, combined with spontaneous happenings. Once you're comfortable flying without a net, you’ll be ready to deal with whatever your players throw your way.
Joined: Jan 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 233 Location: Gloucestershire, UK Karma: 10
Re: Intro to GMing « Reply #5 on Apr 21, 2011, 8:13pm »
Looks good. If there's no objections I think we can safely say that should go in there. Another thing I'd like to see is a section similar to what is in T&T 5.x about building a world outside the dungeon, that like T&T doesn't necessarily have any mechanics involved.
"If you like the idea of Blackadder II and Kit Marlowe getting drunk and fighting cultists and Spaniards in the London sprawl then check this baby out" - Jeff Rients
Looks good. If there's no objections I think we can safely say that should go in there. Another thing I'd like to see is a section similar to what is in T&T 5.x about building a world outside the dungeon, that like T&T doesn't necessarily have any mechanics involved.
Koren n'Rhys Level 5 Thaumaturgist member is offline
Got your mirrorshades?
Joined: Jun 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 223 Location: Norwich, NY, USA Karma: 7
Re: Intro to GMing « Reply #7 on Apr 22, 2011, 5:44pm »
This reads really well, I think. Great work! I 'd have no problem at all seeing this included. I don't think it's too "kiddie" at all. The changes you made work well.
This reads really well, I think. Great work! I 'd have no problem at all seeing this included. I don't think it's too "kiddie" at all. The changes you made work well.
Joined: Nov 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 310 Location: Montevallo, AL Karma: 34
Re: Intro to GMing « Reply #9 on Jun 1, 2011, 12:34pm »
I'm not quite sure where this project is, currently. Did you guys definitely decide to go with the Expanded Pre-gens idea? And if so, does this article still fit in with your plans? Either way is cool, but if you're not going to use it, I'll find something else to do with the piece.
Joined: Dec 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 235 Karma: 19
Re: Intro to GMing « Reply #10 on Jun 16, 2011, 5:18pm »
Wow. What an awesome article. Very well written and very instructive. It seemed a bit long at first glance, but it does convey most of the needed info. I read stuff to help me as a DM.
My son will be doing his first DMing in a few weeks (after 2 years of playing in Dad and friends' games) and I'm going to give him this article to read.
Wow. What an awesome article. Very well written and very instructive. It seemed a bit long at first glance, but it does convey most of the needed info. I read stuff to help me as a DM.
My son will be doing his first DMing in a few weeks (after 2 years of playing in Dad and friends' games) and I'm going to give him this article to read.
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Easily edited. Regardless of whether or not this specific article is used, I do think something of the sort is needed.![[avatar]](http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0e5d/b1o9ht1qbagwxxffg.jpg "[avatar]")
