How To Run a Role Playing Game
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For Those Wishing to Be Game Masters . . .
There is nothing like being Game Master for a role playing game:
The challenge of pulling a world together
The frustration when your players scrap hours of work in five minutes of game
The headache of keeping track of 30 NPCs at once
The exhilaration when everything comes together, and a game just flies.
Of course, GMing for the first time can be pretty scary too. Here you will find a collect of tips, tools, and websites, to help prepare you for being the . . .
Game Master
Game Master Basics
Hold up right there. We got a big problem.
Theatrics aside? What is that? Get real.
Look, the most basic idea for any game master is to make the world real, get the players engaged.
Can you see Ben Stein running a role playing game?
(BTW, this section is a lot more boring then the last one, isn't it? Let's see if I can fix that.)
So don't be afraid to pull out a bit of theatrics if the game calls for it. Here is a short list of ideas to get your players, and you, in the game:
- Mood Music - and don't be afraid to browse the classical section, those old guys really knew how to build suspense
Scents - nothing hits the emotions like scent, candles and essential oils can be found scented like forests, wood smoke, the ocean and much more; scent helps the game world become a bit more real
Voice - don't just build your NPCs on paper: do this one have an accent? does that one always say 'like'? what if one has a stutter? being creative with your voice can make the major (or minor) NPCs memorable
More Role Playing Websites
Take a look, add your favorite, never stop learning.
Welcome to Role Playing
A collection of resources for table top role playi more...1 point
Free online games rpg
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White Wolf Online
Official website for World of Darkness, Exalted, a more...0 points
The Best Role Playing Games
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http://squidoo.com/rpglenses
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Troll-tastic Talk
One role players on going blog.0 points
Killer Guides
Publisher of MMORPG guides including those of well more...0 points
RIFT: Planes of Telara Classes
Rift guides to the classes are featured.0 points
Buy EVE Online ISK
Reading tips to guide you where to find reliable E more...0 points
SWTOR Guide - The Sith Lords
Offers information about the SWTOR Sith Lords.0 points
Star Wars the Old Republic Jedi Knight Skills
Skills and abilities overview for the Jedi Knight more...0 points
Action Games
Official website for Action Games. Indie RPG Publi more...0 points
Wooden Toys
Offers children's educational toys and wooden toys more...0 points
SWTOR Gunslinger Guide
Guides Gunslinger players on leveling, questing, c more...0 points
Step #2 - Role Playing Plotlines
Plot, Scheme, and Plan
What is next on our list of basics . . . Oh wait! Plot! You can't get your players engaged if there isn't anything happening!Ok, first rule of plotting: Steal Freely
- Did you like the twist at the end of the movie you saw last night? Use it.
- Remember another game where the GM ran you ragged? Use it.
- Like the Quest for the One Ring in LotR? USE IT!
So what happens if you start off the game, and just as it begins, you tell your one halfing character that his uncle is retiring, and leaving him a gold ring that makes the wearer invisible?
If at least half the players don't immediately know what is going on, the world of nerds and geeks has officially come to an end.
But you really, REALLY like the Quest for the One Ring --
Well, no one said you couldn't tweak it a bit.
For instance . . . what if a young scoundrel (let's make this Star Wars, shall we? During the rebellion?) finds a strange necklace hidden in his father's belongings after the old man dies.
What he doesn't know is that the necklace is some kind of Force artifact, that will give it's maker, Force artifacts can be keyed to a single user, after all (Oh, did I mention the maker is Palpatine?) direct mind control over every force user in the galaxy.
Oh, and it's practically indestructible.
Now all you need to do is design an old Jedi who escaped the purges (Obi Wan and Yoda don't have to be the only ones), to take the place of Gandalf; and get him involved with the rebellion, to hold the sci-fi version of the Council of Elrond. And won't Darth Vader make a good stand in for the Nazgul?
So, you have a plot. Maybe you steal it from LotR, or Star Wars, or a saturday morning cartoon, maybe you made it up yourself, maybe you were really smart and researched some old fairy tales (where do you think Tolkien and Lucas got their ideas?).
Great! It's time to run the game . . . you did pick a game system right?
Well, if not, flip through here for some possibilities:
GM Review
Star Wars: Saga Edition
Some GM tips for Saga Edition:
First off, expect character gen to take a while - characters need to select Talents now as well as the classic d20 Feats. That can take time.
Combat between even moderate level characters will also take forever - Saga Edition gives characters very high defense stats (those familiar with older versions of d20 can expect to be shocked at how high). So characters of near equal levels will have a hard time making damage stick. And killing a higher level character is near impossible.
Make use of supplements - like most d20 based games, the core Star Wars Saga Edition book is bare basics. So buying up the supplements (even at the extra cost) is worth it.
Miniatures - like most d20 games, combat in Star Wars Saga Edition is heavily based on miniature use. The core book even comes with a rip out map (two-sided), make sure you use it.
All in all, Saga Edition's version of d20 is a fairly easy mechanic to pick up, and the Star Wars universe is a familiar one to a lot of people, making it a good game for a new gaming group to experiment with. Start the game off by hosting a movie night for which ever Stars Movie shows the time period your game is set in, run a couple of practice combats to get the players some practice with the system, and have at!
Some Role Playing Games
Check out some options for good games to try running.
Control: The Game of Absolute Corruption (A non-d20 Role-Playing Game) by Lee Garvin, The Skirmisher Game Development Group
Are you in control? <p>Prepare for a unique more...0 points
The World of Darkness by White Wolf Game Studio
Where the Shadows Grow Long We live our days completely more...0 points
Adventurer's Vault: A 4th Edition D&D Supplement by Logan Bonner, Eytan Bernstein, Kolja Raven Liquette, Owen K.C. Stephens
Hundreds of new weapons, tools, and magic items for more...0 points
Paranoia: The Little RED Book by Allen Varney
Designed for RED clearance players, The Little RED more...0 points
Traveller's Handbook (Traveller T20 D20) by Martin Dougherty
The Travellers' Handbook - High Adventure in the Far more...0 points
Star Wars Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, Saga Edition by Owen K.C. Stephens, Rodney Thompson
Immerse yourself in the excitement of the greatest more...0 points
Advise, Tips, and Suggestions for Game Masters
An ongoing blog for new and experienced Game Masters.
GM Trouble Shooting
Enter the Enemy (And it's not Palpatine!)
You pick a game system, figure out a plot, plan some nice flourishes (or reverse the order if that works for you).
You build lots of NPCs (like you haven't built characters a million times before), you gather the group, and -- GO!
Buy at AllPosters.com
BUT -- long before Palpatine can begin looming over your players, your PC scoundrel decides that the Jedi trying to help him is a con man, and refuses to have anything to do with him.
What do you do?
Role players can come up with a hundred and one ways to mess up your game before breakfast. How you cope with player surprises is what separates the decent GMs from the great ones.
Here are some of the strategies that Game Masters have come up with over the years to keep the game running:
- Plan, Plan, Plan - have a back story for every NPC, a map for every city, and an escape route for every plot. Basically, figure out ahead of time where your characters have major choices (trust this guy or not? follow the map or keep on the road?) and plan for what to do if they don't make the choice you want.
BTW, purple lightning shoots out of the sky and puts them back on the path is not a plan, it is a GM power play - Mooks, Wonderful Mooks - random low level baddies can be a Game Master's best friend. If players spring something on you that you don't have a plan for, 'random' encounters are a wonderful diversion.
'We take the left fork to the spa, we don't want to hunt for treasure right now'
'Alright.' (Roll random encounter die, ignore actual result) 'A half mile down the road you are ambushed by a group of bandits.'
(Pull mook character sheets, roll initiative, expect at least one player to ask why they didn't get a perception check.)
Sometimes, mooks will solve the problem for you, more often they just buy time to plan the resurrection of your plot. - The Random Plot Hook - This is one of my favorites, and my players never did figure it out. The next time the players deep six a plot, drop something strange in their laps.
A random piece of jewelry that turns into glowing ooze and begins engulfing a player. Or a note with a cryptic message slipped to the one member of the party guaranteed to ask the others for help figuring it out. Anything strange the requires the characters to do something.
Let the players stew.
They will come up with several explanations for what is going on. Pick one you like, and run with it. Or just let them keep stewing. The players will assume you have a specific solution they need to find. Just keep your mouth shut and they will keep themselves happily entertained for hours.
If the players are smart, they will go to an experienced NPC for help, or cast a scrying spell, and can be told:
"Never seen anything like it."
"Sorry, sworn to secrecy," or
"You know, I heard of something like that once, except the ooze was blue. It vibrated off the guy when they played a song on his harp."
It doesn't have to make sense, it's cryptic! (you can come up with the explanation later if the players fail you), and who knows, the players may decide to start tracking down a bunch of instruments to see which one works on green ooze. - End It - If nothing else works, don't be afraid to say, 'Sorry guys, you just killed the plot. I'm gonna need a week to think up something new. Do you want to roll new characters, or keep these guys?'
What has worked for you?
Have you had a great idea for a plot, story hook, bit of theatrics or anything else Game Master?
Leave it here for anyone else who needs it.
Have a question or problem?
Drop a line, we promise a quick response time.
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Actiongames
Sep 3, 2011 @ 2:43 am | delete
- Vary nice lens. Can tell that you have gamed a bit. One must always get real with their gaming. It just makes it that much more fun.
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Jessica_Burde
Jan 11, 2009 @ 4:58 pm | in reply to James86 | delete
- Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
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Jan 11, 2009 @ 2:29 pm | delete
- Good page and great information. Well done.
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Chris
Jan 7, 2009 @ 6:26 pm | delete
- Insightful. I like it.
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You are the Dungeon Master
Don't Let Them Forget It!
Featured Roleplaying Game
Problem, Quirks and Advantages of different systems, from the GMs perspective
L5R The Roleplaying Game 3ed (Legend of the Five Rings)
Legend of the Five Rings is a great fantasy RPG, but it is definitely not for everyone.
First off, the world of L5R is heavily based on the cultures of Japan and China, so players and GMs who aren't comfortable or familiar with those cultures will have some problems adjusting. One great way to get players an intro to the culture, is to have a movie night with an old Kurosawa film, like Throne of Blood, or Seven Samurai. And, be aware, some people just never get comfortable with the world and culture, so it may simply not fit your gaming group.
Player characters in L5R are almost always from one of the 7 Great Clans that dominate the world. Because the Clans tend to not get along very well, it is probably a good idea to either pick a single clan that all the players have to have a character in, or run what is called a 'Magistrate game', where all the PCs are Imperial Magistrates, in direct service to the Emperor (which means they have to work together whether they like it or not.)
One final problem: the rule book really is not organized well, so expect to spend a lot of time trying to find things.
Alright, having laid out the issues, here is the good stuff:
Mechanics system - L5R uses a unique mechanics system called 'roll and keep'. It is one of the most straight forward, easy to learn, and flat out sensible mechanic systems I have ever come across.
World - the world is amazingly developed, with everything from calendar to politics, culture to clothing, religion to .. . hell you get the idea. It's amazingly well developed, with everything you need to run a great game in the main book, and extra flavoring and details in the available supplements.
Character Development - because of books layout, building a character is a pain. Because of the 20 Questions that start out the Character section of the book, getting a fully developed character from you players is pretty straight forward. And because they coer things like religion and family status, going through the 20 Questions with your play group can also act as a decent cultural primer as well.
For more on Legend of the Five Rings check out:
a href="www.squidoo.com/jessicasl5rgame"My L5R Campaign/a">
by Jessica_Burde
Currently residing in the Lehigh Valley, I am a mother, storyteller, gamer, geek, and amateur historian.
Never have managed to decide what I want to...
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