GM Advice?

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I'm in a bit of a quandary. A friend and I want to start role-playing again this summer, and she knows a couple of other people who might be interested, so it looks at least slightly possible. We're also both interested in the Dresden Files game (here: http://www.evilhat.com/home/dresden-files-rpg/). The problem is this:

Neither I nor my friend really *wants* to be the GM.

I have the two books.

Of the other two people, one I don't know at all and the other I would not trust with my books (he left his dice in my car; if he can't take care of his possessions, I'm not ready to trust him with mine, at least not until I know him better and find out that he really isn't that careless).

So, it looks like, if we're going to do Dresden Files, I'm going to have to be the GM, since I have the books.

I'm not completely opposed to it, but I've never done it before, so I'm worried about doing it badly. To be honest, I also haven't even *played* that many games because of how long it takes me to get to know people in person. I had about a 4-year period where I played several games, mostly World of Darkness (Mage, then D&D, then Vampire, then Trinity, and Trinity was my last game. Also some Wraith in there). I've read a lot of To Do and Don't Do lists, but those seem mainly geared to people who've already started. I'm struggling just with figuring out how to get started.

I know that the Dresden Files recommends having all the players help create the setting, and I'm glad, because there are really good, clear directions for that. But how do I set up a scenario that includes everyone after character creation? How do you deal with contingency plans (if the players either trounce your villain too quickly or do something completely weird that you weren't expecting . . . which I've heard happens frequently: the only advice I've seen is to prepare for that and be flexible: but how?)? How do you get everyone involved and not let anyone dominate?

I'm just really nervous about this whole thing, but I do want to learn, and I've missed role-playing a lot, so I'm willing to do it. I just don't want to be so bad that they all end up thinking I'm the worst GM they ever had.

 

My advice is for an AD&D 2nd edition Dungeon Master, as I know nothing about the Dresden Files RPG. Hopefully it will apply.

Well, since you aren't really friends with two of the players, it might be harder. I myself was a terrible DM on the two sessions I was allowed to try my hand at being one due to a lack of adaptability and an inability to give good enough clues, hints, etc to get the players to do what I intended. My group didn't deliberately try to go "off the rails", and more often then not would try to figure out what whoever was DMing intended for them to do since we trusted them in turn to intend for us to succeed and survive.
I've heard horror stories about DMs that like to kill of players, but we didn't have that mentality.

In our group, especially in the beginning when it was first forming and nobody knew the rules, we talked ahead of time about house rules, what was expected, and what kind of things we wanted to do in the game. The DM (I keep using DM because we were pretty much exclusive Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition, and played almost exclusively in the Forgotten Realms since it was the cRPGs Pool of Radiance and Curse of the Azure Bonds that was responsible for our group getting curious and forming in the first place).
Anyways, our DM would construct his campaigns around what kinds of adventures and characters we wanted to play. We'd also purchase modules, but most of the time the group voted on what modules or books to buy. All sourcebooks or supplements that weren't modules were shared by the group and we'd take turns on who buys the books and have others chip in for a more expensive book.
Modules would usually be kept by whoever was going to DM it.

Since the DM would often be a player in the next campaign, he had incentive to be fair and also make an effort to give the players a good chance of survival.

So, basically, start out by discussing the game with all the players, get a feel for what kind of game they want you to run, and what kind of players and adventures they want. Then try to work those expectations into your campaign. Of course, you are entitled to throw a few twists and curve balls into their expectations. Just try to keep in mind the player's perspective and try to keep it fun.

That was one big thing, Rule of Fun (and funny) often trumped all other considerations in the game. The whole point was to have fun.

Hope this helps.

 

Yes, that was very helpful! I'd sort of given up on this post, so thanks!

 

A GM/DM should have several contingency plans as backup in case the players tend to want to deviate from your scenario layout. You will probably play more than one game, possibly an on-going campaign. You will need many storylines and subplots to keep them interested over the course of time. I like to have recurring NPCs that either help or hinder the party, which can be fun for all, especially when you don't allow for the party to be able to stop the coming and going of some such NPCs. They will try to devise ways to do this. Make it tough for them, but not impossible.

Just think of what you would like to see in a game if you were one of the players and try to replicate that thought. Then think about the individuals themselves and add what you think they would like to the mix. You are sure to hit upon something that causes a spark of interest for them.

Being the Game Master can be very challenging. I find I prefer to run the games. With a bit of "Playering" mixed in from time to time.

 

I forgot that I need to subscribe to this thread since I'm not subscribed to this forum, hence I had no idea there was a reply as I didn't get any alerts.

My problem was not that I didn't have contingencies for what I thought the players might do, but that they went off in completely unexpected directions and I wasn't quick enough to adapt. I set up contingencies for what I thought I'd do in that scenario or what I'd suggest.

I might add that this was very early in my AD&D "career" and we started as a bunch of junior high boys that went to school with each other, but didn't know each other very well. One day during lunch a discussion broke out on some CRPGs, particularly the Curse of the Azure Bonds game. Lots of people joined in, and most of us had heard of Dungeons and Dragons, a few of us had seen the cartoon, but none of us knew anything about it, but were interested in more adventures based on the world of the games. Somehow we got the idea to check it out, but nobody there at age 10 or 11 could afford all the books needed. Somehow we managed to agree to form a group to try it out, and split the costs of the books.
I remember a SNAFU when we found out that the core books were for Greyhawk, since none of the gods mentioned were in the games. Wound up having to buy the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, which was expensive for a bunch of fifth graders (or was it 6th, those two years really blur together since I had the same teacher both years in a row and most of the same classmates).

Anyways, I'm digressing, and I think I can delete most of this, but I'm going to leave it in for background purposes.

To the OP, I suggest you make sure those other two players get a chance to read the core books, then have the discussion I mentioned. If they show up to the game having never read the equivalent of the PHB, you'll have a much harder time.

 

Very useful advice! Sorry I haven't been back as often; I got distracted by my cat and all her needs.

Blades: I like the idea of contingency plans. I'm usually pretty good at coming up with those in my personal life, so it should be a fairly easy transition.

Slick: Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I, too, worry that even with contingency plans, I might feel suddenly stumped. One place I read said that if that happens, it's best to call it a night and then come up with something for the next session, so that you're not just coming up with something that won't work or that would, in some way, break some of your setting's rules. Has anyone tried that? Does it work? As for digressions, no worries (see signature).

Good point on having them read the books, too. That's very useful. As I only have one week left of summer, it's probably going to be next summer . . . if I even get up the courage to bring it up then.

 

One week left of summer? I have no idea where you are, here in the United States "summer vacation" is from the start of June until the end of August, with some colleges having a school year from Sept 1-May 31 (usually going to the first Friday in June if May 31 isn't on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday).

I'm sorry I couldn't be much more help, as all my advice was from my experience with seven years of AD&D 2nd Edition player, rather than a DM. I'm just glad there were no hard feelings about my disastrous attempt at being one, but there were a couple others that had much the same problem. Not everyone is cut out to be a good DM even if they can be an enjoyable player to roll play with.

 

Read the material at hand, you can come up with something on the fly, trust me. If the players out smart you, simply make their path tough or bar it. Then steer them back the direction you feel most comfortable with. This is very general advice, but simple to apply.

Example....

.....the players are storming the stronghold of your arch villian, seeing through all fo your plots and going straight for the main bad-guy's throat. Adding a couple of Crossbowmen with Double-shot Crossbows that are firing down onthe PCs from behind Heavy Cover can be quite the PITA for the players. They will probably have to re-group and think.....

I always felt that simple distractions work best. the more you put into it, the more options open up for the PCs, which can snowball into bigger problems for the GM.

Remember, nobody is the best GM the 1st time around. Don't sweat it.

 

It was more like I wanted them to go to a certain place, but they went off the rails to some completely unexpected place I hadn't prepared for and had to halt the action to double-check the sourcebook and figure out what they could find there.

 

Yeah, I work in a charter school where the students have 4-day weeks (Friday is almost always a teacher work day), so we start much earlier than most schools and also end a little later, too. So we start teacher training July 15, and the students return July 22. Then we go to May 31/June 1 something like that. It is in the US, though!

Good point about distractions, as well as going to unexpected places. I'm thinking of using a scenario like Persons Unknown, where everyone is trapped in a single town, and there are only really rare ways of getting out.