• Can’t I do it all my way?


• What to post in the first post


• How to make an idea into a RPG


• What type of RPG am I running?


• English as she is spoke


• Fleet and Infantry RPGs.

• Some advice from Dad


• Why we don't play in your RPGs


• Maturity - The Pot Calling the Kettle Black


• Points of etiquette for GMs


• When the Dreaded DRL attacks

• Good Example: The notorious art and jewel thief—Erik Visputin—has stolen the Nexu Eye, the largest and most prized and priceless gemstone throughout the entire galaxy. The outraged Luthus Valk, owner of the Nexu Eye, wants the precious stone back and has placed a large reward for its return as well as an irresistible bounty for Visputin’s head—literally. Days turn into months and the notorious thief strikes again, this time stealing the Pink Sandpanther from the wealthy businessman—Artemis Thane. As a long time friend and benefactor of the Jedi Order, the Council has agreed to send their own to help Artemis Thane regain his lost property.

• Bad Example:The Old Republic is under attack! The Jedi are all but destroyed and the last two must struggle to save their order and the Old Republic from the evil Sith!

• Good Example:
  
  1: PRIVATE MESSAGE THE GAME MASTER YOUR CHARACTER SHEET FOR APPROVAL! DO NOT POST CHARACTER SHEET IN THREAD OR YOU WILL BE IGNORED.
  2: THERE CAN ONLY BE TWO FORCE-USERS AT ANY GIVEN TIME IN THE GAME!
  3: No Godmoding, violators will be removed from the game.
  4: Follow TOS rules.
  5: Have fun.



• Bad Example:
  
  1: No Godmoding.
  2: Follow TOS rules.
  3: PM character sheet.
  4: Have fun.

• Simple Example:
  
  Name:
  Gender:
  Age:
  Race:
  Personality:
  Weapons:
  Bio:



• Complicated Example:
  
  Name:
  Gender:
  Age:
  Species:
  Homeworld:
  Affiliation:
  Personality
  ---Traits:
  ---Likes:
  ---Dislikes:
  ---Habits:
  Appearance
  ---Skin Color:
  ---Hair Color:
  ---Eye Color:
  ---Clothing:
  ---Other Attributes:
  ---Other Details:
  Weapons:
  Starship
  ---Name:
  ---Class:
  ---Hyperdrive Class:
  ---Weapon(s):
  ---Shields:
  ---Sublight Speed:
  ---Crew:
  ---Passenger(s):
  ---Max Cargo (kg):
  ---Interior Description:
  ---Other Details:
  The Force
  ---Sensitivity:
  ---Religion:
  ---Lightsaber
  -----Crystal(s):
  -----Blade(s):
  -----Color(s):
  -----Handle Description(s):
  ---Force Abilities:
  ---Force Weakness:
  ---Other Force Object(s):
  Biography
  ---Personal History:
  ---Military History:
  ---Traumatic Experiences:

• How well-known is the subject matter, or how big is my potential audience? (You might watch Harry the Space Spider cartoons religiously, but if you’re only one of 500 people in the United States who are fans of the show, you probably won’t get much of a response if you start up an RPG about Harry’s adventures. This is particularly an issue if you're thinking about starting up a non-Star Wars RPG based on an anime cartoon series; large as the anime fandom is, such RPGs don't seem to do terribly well out here -- principally because the audience doesn't seem to be very large.)
  


• Do I know the subject matter well enough to run an RPG about it? (Because if you don’t you can be guaranteed your players will expose your ignorance, which impacts on your credibility as their GM. There is a difference between casually reading the “Legacy of the Force” comic series and setting up an RPG about it – some background research may well be warranted before you jump in. Remember, the GM is basically God in his or her chosen universe – of course, nobody expects you to be a deity, but if you're running a "Legacy of the Force" RPG you’d better know more about the era than just the fact that Cade Skywalker is a descendant of Luke Skywalker.)
  


• Has the subject matter been done to death already? (This is a major gripe for some older players. We’ve seen a lot of “Jedi vs. Sith” RPGs, usually set around the time of Knights of the Old Republic, or in the universe of the “Legacy of the Force” comics. This is not to say you can’t start an RPG about these subjects, but you might at least think about whether there’s something new you can put into it. The easiest way to answer this question for yourself is to take a look through a few pages of the forums and the subjects that other GMs chose for their games.)
  


• What sort of things will my players be doing in the game? (Most players do like a good variety of things for their characters to do. Being part of the Mandalorian Death Commando Space Squad might sound cool, but if said squad’s only activities are to leave their drop ship, blow up a building, return to their drop ship, and go to sleep, don’t expect a sophisticated or large crowd of players. And don’t expect them to play in your RPG very long.)
  


• Can I create an interesting story using this idea? (The Sandbox RPG – done wrong – is the prime example of this. “Hi, let’s roleplay in the time of KOTOR” is not an RPG because it has no story. Most successful RPGs have a plot of some kind. It’s not just four or five characters wandering around the sandbox day in and day out - your players can always load up "The Sims" if they want that. You’re trying to create something more.)
  


• Am I just trying to play a computer game in a text-based format? (If so, you should really just stick to the computer game. For example, we see a lot of “Knights of the Old Republic”-based RPGs set up here where the GMs seem to want to recreate the game experience in text format. It usually doesn’t work -- because the computer game has a complex plot, years of development and exhaustive playtesting, while typically the RPG has none of those things. Not to mention that a text-based RPG demands a lot more patience and imagination than a computer game with gorgeous visuals does.)
  


• Am I trying to run a game, or play a game? (You can be a player or the GM - but not a player and the GM. It doesn't work. Don't do it. To be fair, I see why people might think it's a good idea. You want to have some control over the game's plot - and what better way to do that than to play a character that is essentially in charge, such as Head of the Jedi/Sith/Empire/etc ? But here's the thing: we all have a vested interest in having our characters do well, and the entire point of being a GM is to advance the story and to be a fair arbiter between players. A better idea is to make NPCs to build your plot around instead. You'll generally have less of a vested interest in furthering the interests of a NPC than the character for whom you lovingly wrote a two-page biography. Of course, you shouldn't create super-powerful NPCs that reduce your players to spectators, but that's something else entirely.)
  

• The Sandbox RPG


• The Mission Impossible RPG


• The Risk RPG


• The Fan Fiction RPG

IC: Private Arran

Private Arran loaded a new clip on his E-11 blaster rifle, and switched off the safety. He took aim at one of the Scout Troopers on the ridge across from them, awaiting the order to fire.

Many thanks to Rayson, CmdrMitthrawnuruodo, Ktala, DarthXan318, RDG, and LightWarden. Their comments were horribly cut to pieces to create this post.

MASTER2 posted:

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Thank you! This will really help me in the future!

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