10 tips for new Game Masters

Back in my high school days I, along with most in the geek community, loved all things fantasy. From video games, films, books, comics etc. However it was commonly known by all fantasy lovers that one of the greatest ways to immerse yourself into a realm of might and magic is to role play.I suppose to L.A.R.P. or Live Action Role Play is about the closest you can get to the real thing. However, not everyone(like myself) has access to their own group to play with. So many of us geeks turn to table top role playing games. Such as, Dungeons and Dragon, Savage Worlds, Death Watch, Shadowland, Pathfinder and so many more.

In my junior year of high school, I took one of my first paychecks and purchased the 4th edition starter bundle that included: Monster Manual, Player’s Handbook and a Dungeon Master’s guide. I went straight home that night and cracked them opened to study.

And let me tell you that learning these systems for the first time with no community to assist you was difficult. I did not run my first game in months. Even buying a pre made adventure did little to assist. Mainly because there were so many unknowns involved. They provided one double sided map for an adventure that included so many different locations. Story lines with nothing but a hook and then the dungeons. I was not used to not having my hand held!

Despite all of the variables, I still marched forward and gamed on with my friends, throwing them into my crappy worlds filled of card board NPCs as well as black and white morality.

There are so many things I wish I could have told my younger self. But such is life. All I can do now is bestow upon all of you novice Game Masters is my advice and those of my fellow GMs.

1. “Never try to rail road adventures. Players are always clever and will put you in situations that you’ve never dreamed of. Do not get mad when things go awry, just be flexible and open minded to their ideas.”- Jessica
2. “Make it obvious you have more choices other than fighting. If you have to fight, make interesting things happen during combat. That way it is not just 10 rounds of rolling until someone dies. Cool events, cool settings that people can use to speed up the fight like gas cans in shooting games so that you can blow up to kill enemies.”-Brian
3. “Read the rules thoroughly and run a few mock combats, talking aloud. That way you can get the feel of things.”-Kenan
4. “Never be limited by the rule book. If a story/adventure would be better if a rule is ignored, then so be it.”-Michael
5. “The story is not YOUR story, it is the story of the characters. Having a few plot pieces, a baddy or two and some towns is important, but the game is first and foremost about what the story the players wish to create, and not what the GM has in mind.”-Jason
6. Being consistent in your play times will help forge long lasting campaigns, even if it means moving forward with a few sessions with one or two players missing.
7. Playing music with out lyrics is a great way to get players even more immersed in your story.
8. Sometimes your players can get off track, if a verbal request to bring them back to the game does not produce results, consider moving forward with the game. Nothing grabs the attention of the room like a potential threat to the fictional lives of their characters.
9. Don’t be afraid to use ideas from movies and television. At the same time don’t make it exactly like preexisting storylines.
10. Remember the the goal of the game is for everyone to have a great time.

–Darth Mexican