Totally New To Gm-ing

I have decided to try my hand at GM-ing (at the suggestion of our current GM) our current campaign. I am looking for outside suggestions/ tips on running a game. We are currently in a very weird version of NJO.

I guess I am not looking for specific ideas so much as things you guys have found that make the game run smoother. Absolutly anything would be great. I am currently reading the GM section (at suggestion) so I will have that bit of a start.

Thanks for any help in advance

 

Are you looking for adventures or just tips on running it? I just started to run my first start wars adventure. It helped that one of the characters loves the star wars rpg. so he help me out a little bit on rules I didnt know and he helped other new players and first time rpg'ers get a grasp on the game!

 

I already have a set story line, I am, again, only looking for tips on running a game. Ie things that people who gm have found handy to know that are not written somewhere.

 

Well, the Gamemastering section of the RCRB is handy in that respect... as is the old WEG main rulebooks for setting the universe and such...

 

Make sure you have enough dice, especially d6s d8s and d10s. Lots of notepaper is helpfull.

 

Yeah as I said, I am in the process of reading the gm section. And as a gamer I have close to 200 dice.....

Any more useful suggestions/tips?

 

Hmm, I'm no good teacher but...

The first rule: you're the referee but not a dictator: your players might be right.

The rule zero: if you don't like something in the rules, just ignore it.

The golden rule: have fun.

The secret: there's no magic formula There's 80% chances that your first session is gonna be awful and end in disaster. Go ahead and live with it. You will improve.

If you want in-depth advices you could try reading Minte Cook's DMing column, GM Mastery or the Roleplayingtips magazine.

Wow, I'm such an awful adviser Good luck!

 

Find out what the players want, and go with it. If they want to ride out an adventure, lay it out and string 'em along. If they want to control thier own destinies, let them make the suggestion, and fill it in with descriptions and NPCs.
Couldn't agree more about the zero rule. I've scrapped a few rules here and there, and seriously, if it gets in your way, don't hesitate to drop it like a bad habit.
Fun is the key. Fun for your players, and fun for you. Not at the expense of you. Don't think of GMing as you against your gamers. Too many GMs think that way, and in SW especially, it's not the case. You're a storyteller, a moderator, and end speaker in game. You should guide characters along, not plot against them. Be fair....
...
...
...Unless thier Munchkins, then feel free to hit them with a Death Star Super Laser!
Hope that helps.

 

And don't worry too much if you accidentally kill them off with an encounter you accidentally made too powerful. Just try to fix it for next time.

 

know when to be dramatic. my character and another character were holding of a dark jedi while trying to get into a freighter to leave the space station which was falling apart.

my characters apprentice got a good enough roll to kill the dark jedi, did the gm kill him just like that? nooooo, that evil git used his right as gm to scare the living daylights out of me. before my apprentice landed the final blow, the dark jedi had my character on the floor, ready to become a human shish kebab.

if your players characters have a nemesis, bring them in, it'll get the players up for destroying them

 

Amen to that brethern of the dice.


I just started my first game a New Jedi Order campaign. Boy is it difficult!

 

What's so difficult about NJO?

 

Don't be afraid to throw out rules or ignore die rolls or stats - a DM screen is a great thing for this - if it would be detremental to the game. On the flip side, don't be afraid to kick around or kill your characters. Don't kill too much - one DM I play under killed a player's character for the second session in a row, and since it's SW, there's no coming back, because he always follows the dice. That's not fun for any player.

And be prepared to throw out any plans when the players do something unexpected, and they always will.

 

A good idea is to take a few hints from Soap opera's. Always have a few sub-plots waiting in the wings. Write for each situation/NPC/PC/planet/organization info in three columns: column of what the players know, what's available to be known and what the players will never know unless they take part in an adventure to find out. You'd be suprised the adventures that jump off the page just by doing that. It's easy to have snippits of rumours of adventures long past and thought to be finished pop up in casual conversation with NPC's.

ie: The Crime boss that they killed at their beginning levels...well, the reason there wasn't many guards could be they were protecting his daughter who has now beat out the competition and is tougher than her father ever was.

or

The pirate haven they broke up...what happened to the pirates that were out collecting booty?

or

What ever happened to the informant who helped them three adventures ago? He now needs help from the PC's...because he's led the bad guys to their frount door! (Always a good one to end a session with to give a cliffhanger ending)

Things like these promote continuality and bring back memories of adventures gone by. That's the secret of Soap Opera's and can be your's too.

Gesh