The guide to good game running style
The first element of a good game is always Plot. Even a terrible gaming system will still be a good game if it starts with a good plot. We all know what plot is, right? But, where do we get a good one? Many a GM has stayed awake nights, searching for the perfect plot. Unfortunately, there is no formula for good plots. Different players have different ideas about what kind of game they want to play: combat (almost always a winner), intrigue, horror, politics, conquest -- all are good theme elements. A good plot encompasses all of these.
Where to get the ideas? That's the hardest part. Read a sci-fi book, watch a movie (players will always have some favorite movie that they are just dying to play out), go camping or take a trip (great ideas come from real life adventuring). The best way to start designing a plot is to have a basic idea, then devote a session to creating characters. You will find out a lot about what kind of game to pursue based on the design choices made by the characters. Make sure to present the game environment, at least in a general way, so that the players have a feel of setting. After creating characters, if everyone concentrated skills on melee areas, you can guess they'll be looking for a brawl-fest.
Never be afraid to sacrifice one plot for another. Be flexible. Regardless of how much planning you do beforehand (and especially if you've put a lot of work into the plot), players can and often go down unexpected paths. Never get frustrated at this, it's (often a quite challenging) part of the game. When planning, try to come up with several different paths, and rest assured- you haven't thought of everything. Don't be afraid to wing it once in a while, as an overplanned game soon becomes dull to the players. Players tend to dislike games where they feel led around 'by the nose'. Impromptu G.M.ing is an important skill to develop.
A GM should be familiar enough with the rules to make the player's characters. Often, it's a good idea to devote an entire session to generating characters. This is not only the numbers which define skills and attributes, but backgrounds, quirks, and just getting the players familiar with the game environment. Game environment means the mechanics (dice rolling, which skills to use for what tasks, etc.), and setting (a brief history, local surroundings, joint backgrounds). Allow plenty of time to get players into the environment, especially new ones. Also, start the player's characters as friends, unless the plot demands otherwise. This will avoid problems later.
This section provides hints and tricks for presenting great games. These are the things that make the game more interesting and memorable for the players. Try at least a few of these, and you'll get a great response for going the extra mile.
Props Props Props! I love props. Your players probably do, too. Props lend a visual component to the game. When the characters search a room successfully, hand them a letter. let them find the important parts. Also, use miniatures to clarify positions, especially in combat. Nothing is worse than springing a trap and half the party declaring that they were standing against a far wall.
A big component of movies is the theme music, use that to your advantage. Get some CDs, fast stuff for combat scenes, slow reverent stuff for traveling times, etc.
Use cutscenes when possible. Although games seldom go directly where you plan, a cutscene of a man in black accepting money and promising to 'deliver on time' can set suspense.
Avoid splitting up the party. Not only will this give you a headache trying to keep up with each party, but each party only gets half the playing time of a session. Make it known to the players early on that splitting up for any serious length of time is usually a good way to get whacked!
Never allow just one character to be the 'Officer in Charge'. Although this is more realistic, it tends to aggravate other players who want to play their character too, not mindless soldiers. Try to spread time evenly between players, even if they are 'bit' players, this lets them feel they are a part of the game. The movies often use bit players for some crucial role.
Perhaps the least important factor of running a successful game are the dark and sinister Rules. Every gaming system has rules, even the diceless ones. The rules provide the framework for resolving random and contested actions, and therefore this is the only time to use them. A random action can be an encounter in the woods, lightning striking a character, or a character stepping in a hole. A contested action is something the character wants to do that someone else (even another character) doesn't want them to do. This includes bashing someone with a sword, firing a gun, opening a lock, sneaking through a gate, etc.
The semantics are important here: Every action that is not a random action and is not a contested action should be resolved by ROLEPLAY (GMs take a little liberty here, sometimes even contested actions can be just roleplayed, i.e. bargaining at a bazaar stall). The whole reason for participating in a Roleplaying Game is for the roleplay, resolve things cinematically when possible. BE CRAZY when roleplaying for your characters. Don't ever be afraid of making an absolute fool of yourself. Humor is an important part of any game. It let's the pressure off before you whack them...
Cinematic roleplaying means that every game has some cheesiness. In gaming lingo, this is called the Velveeta Factor. Cheese... that tastes BAD... Some things happen for a reason, some happen because the GM is in a foul mood, but most often they happen because they relate to the game. Cinematic roleplaying means treat the game more like a movie than real life. If a person falls off a cliff in real life, it's pretty much the end of his career. In a game, however, a character should have every opportunity to save himself. Use the velveeta factor if you have to, especially for players who put a lot of effort into their roleplaying. Instant rewards for Velveeta Roleplay are a good idea once in a while.
The same goes for villains. If, in the climactic battle, your meticulously created villain rolls a fumble on the ``Kill Bloody Everything Spell'', and does himself in, apply the velveeta factor. I would hate to play through a game only to find the Evil One had tripped over his Staff of Badness and killed himself, very anticlimactic.
Always apply the velveeta factor to even out the ``Very Bads'' and the ``Very Goods'', and never be afraid to sacrifice the rules for the enjoyment of the game. This will make you seem like you are cheating, however, it's for the betterment of the game itself. The good players will realize this right away- the bad will harp on it until you invoke the Fiat rule in their favor.
There are times when players will run amok, and mess up your plot by doing something totally cool, but which goes against everything you planned for- even some things that will affect an entire campaigne. This is when a Game Master must use the much chagrined power called Velveeta, aka., the Game Master Fiat. This is where things happen that the G.M. calls and there is NOTHING the players can do about it. Period. This must be used with extreme circumstantial discressionary caution. A G.M. simply means, G.O.D. = Games Operations Director. For example, if a character whacks a guy that is integral to the game later in the first episode or session, then the G.M. MUST make that targetted guy survive somehow. You get the idea.
Ganse's Note: Trey and I differ on this point. I mostly keep a universe unfixed, and he keeps his mostly fixed. In a fixed universe, say Star Wars Episode One, you can walk up behind Boba Fett, pull a gun, pull the trigger, and he'll find some way to live through it, because if he died at the time, it would change future history.
In an unfixed universe, in the example above, Boba Fett might die, changing the future history of the universe, which could lead to some great games...
The decision is always up to the gamemaster, but be mindful of your players when you make these kinds of decisions.
Now we come to the best and worst part of running a game: The Players. These are the reason you're here, and no matter what, not everything will go smoothly. Players have minds of their own, and will not play if forced into a trait. Here is a list of some of the kinds of players, and what to do about it. Keep in mind that most players are good players, and enjoy the game.
This guy is new to roleplaying, and usually just wants to shoot everything. While this is fun for a lark, it almost always leads to him shooting the rest of the party in a bloody ``Clint Eastwood'' syndrome. The best you can do here is start the game with the understanding that all the players are friends already. Lest the carnage kill the party. Also, take the guy to the side, and explain that like a James Bond movie, there's more to it than just unloading an AK-47 into a mass of bad guys. Usually a quick head-shot to this guy can convince him during future games that harrassing the party is NOT the best course of action.
You've all heard the horror stories, that there's someone out there who knows more game rules than the GM, now you've got one. Always start the game letting the players know that while you are fair, you are also God, and whatever you say is law (sometimes this gets crazy, so don't abuse it). Also, have the guy sit next to you, so you can keep him busy looking up rules when you need them. Never let a good resource go to waste. Even when you want to put him in a gagged straightjacket, convince him that YOU are the G.M.
This is usually somebody REALLY new, so new that they don't know when to speak up. Try to explain that the rules aren't that important, and to try to think of it like ``Cowboys and Indians'', just go with it, and you'll be there to explain the rules when necessary. Try to seat them near someone to help them out a few times.
There are times when players, for ANY of the known readons under God, are just plain tired, bored with a particular game, or are simply exhausted. As a Game Master, you can throw the random encounter, wandering monster, important discovery or simply a G.M. 'kick in the rear' to get them moving with the game. Nothing defeats a fast moving game than the occasional 'snoozer'. It seems to rub on other players, so bite it in the rear before it spreads, so to speak.
(as in Joe Pesci) This guy never shuts up, always slows the game down, and only gets into it at certain points. Usually experienced roleplayers, but obnoxious. The plan here is to keep the game moving, so that interruptions are at a minimum. Keep the action fast and furious, and he won't have time to disrupt. If things are still a problem, make a rule that states all speaking during gaming must be done in character or preceded by some silly code word such as ``Out of Character''. If that doesn't do it, take the guy aside and let him know that he's slowing the game down too much, and cutting everyone's experience points down (including his).
Here are a few last words of wisdom (such as they are).
1. Always let a joke or two fly, after all, you're there to have fun.
2. When in doubt, a serious bad guy kicks open the door and opens a six-pack of whoop-ass (this always shakes 'em up, and helps get past dry times).
3. Keep things up and down as much as possible, it keeps the players on their toes.
4. Never answer every question about a game, there are always future games in unanswered questions...
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