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Post by dandelion on Jul 13, 2006 16:49:30 GMT -5
I don't actually know what to say about running a game yet. However, I'm seriously considering running two T&T modules at Origins 2007, and I haven't much clue what I'm getting myself into, so it seems worthwhile to enlist the help of my fellow trolls.
So. Um.
I must say I'll need some training, since my learning curve with RPGs has always been kind of a struggle. It's only been recently that I was able to game without getting argued at or kicked out by pretty much every GM I ever played with. (All right, I was only kicked out once, and threatened once. But the arguing used to be universal.)
But it's going better now, I think! I played 3 games with Ken GMing at this year's Origins, and he only gave me 5 or 6 displeased looks the whole time. Most of them were in the first game. Maybe after that he resigned himself to tolerating me; I don't know.
So, okay, how should I go about learning to GM a convention module? What's the first thing I should focus on? What kinds of annoying pitfalls should I learn to avoid? What tips and/or tricks can you give me?
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Post by ironfang on Jul 13, 2006 19:47:25 GMT -5
Dandelion - Step One: Pick your adventure and read it. Thoroughly. At least a couple dozen times. You will want to know it well enough so that you don't have to read verbatim. Boozer's Goblin Crag would be an excellent choice, as would Trollstone Caverns, or even Dungeon of the Bear (level one). Although DoB would need a bit more fleshing out.
Step Two: Make a complete photocopy so that you can make notes, changes etc. Also make some copies of the spells that are available as you will likely not have a rulebook for everyone.
Step Three: Decide how you want to handle the PCs. Are you going to pre-generate a bunch and let players choose, or are you going to walk through character generation? The first allows for more playing time in your time allotment, but rolling up PCs is not that time consuming and is certainly part of the game!
Step Four: Ask Gimor and "that guy" and Khenn and FBI if they might help with some prizes! Freebies are always appreciated.
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Post by mahrundl on Jul 14, 2006 5:17:10 GMT -5
Dandelion,
I haven't ever run a convention dungeon, but here are some general GMing tips:
Decide how harsh or forgiving you will be with the characters in advance, and stick to it.
If your adventure has specific 'problem areas' (where players can really upset things if they make the right or wrong choices), have a rough plan of how you will handle those areas if the dangerous choices are made.
Remember that you do not have to play the adventure exactly as written. Since your players may have encountered the adventure before, be prepared to ad-lib (if that's not oxymoronic). Some of the most memorable gaming moments I've experienced came from thinking sideways rather than following a script.
Be descriptive. Think about how the dungeon looks, smells, sounds and feels. Rather than just saying that a room is about 10' square, mention the pungent-smelling moss growing in the corners and the rusting iron spike poking out of one wall.
That said, don't give too much description of this sort. You should be setting the general mood and giving enough detail for the palyers to let their imagination create their own impression of the room. You don't need to describe the exact pattern of leaves on the curtain fabric (unless it's an important clue...)
Do a practice run. Get some friends together (preferably ones who won't be at the con) and get them to run through it. You don't have to do the whole thing, but it can give you insight in to how to run it better on the day.
There's probably a lot of this sort of thing online. Do a search for 'how to be a good GM' (or DM, or gamemaster, or ...).
If any or all of these tips don't work for you, ignore them. They sort of suit my style; yours may be entirely different.
MOST IMPORTANT: Ensure that everyone, including you, has a good time. This is supposed to be fun, after all. That doesn't mean that no characters will die, but their deaths should be valiant, absurd, memorable, and (preferably) due to the players' actions.
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Post by dandelion on Jul 14, 2006 8:21:23 GMT -5
I'm thinking of running the Collaborative Dungeon. Here's my reasoning:
*It's new material, essentially unpublished, so I can be sure nobody's played in it before. *We all put a lot of work into it and it deserves to have some life. *I think that running a game from a map rather than a script sounds easier. It's non-linear so it should be easier to cope with if a player decides to go off on a tangent. *When I return and tell everyone how it went, you guys will be more interested because you'll all have a personal stake in it. Aside from that being a pure attention-getting ploy on my part, it may also generate more useful feedback, since people have stronger opinions about things they helped create. *It'll be a good marketing tool when I show them my printout and say "Look what we made in Trollhalla!" (After the adventure ends of course.) *I already own it. It's on my hard drive. If it's not, I can easily get it from someone else.
That's one module. Or maybe it's both! The only person who played in multiple games this year was me. I could conceivably run it twice.
However, I also have the seed of an idea for a second module: a M!M! style game but just using T&T. I mentioned that to Ken already and he said the T&T rulebook is sufficient for that. I could turn any game into M!M! just by letting the players play monsters, right? If I do that, I should probably pre-generate the characters so we don't end up dawdling on things like "What does it really mean to be a silicon-based life form?"
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Post by mahrundl on Jul 14, 2006 16:26:32 GMT -5
Sounds like an excellent plan Dandelion. I look forward to hearing how it goes!
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Post by naharaht on Jul 15, 2006 22:42:09 GMT -5
Make yourself a screen from cardboard large enough tom hide waht you are doing from the players but low enough so that you can see each other. Glue copies of important tables and information on your side. You can decorate the side facing the players. You can have other things in a ring binder or notebook behind the screen. Take plenty of dice. Keep a sense of humour!
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